Tim Russert’s son Luke to be a regular face on ‘Meet The Press’

NBC is bringing in Luke Russert, son of the late beloved "Meet the Press" host Tim Russert, as a regular panelist on the Sunday morning show in a bid to turn around its catastrophic ratings slide, Page Six has exclusively learned.

Also joining new moderator Chuck Todd's team will be former Republican congressman and "Morning Joe" host Joe Scarborough, who sources say "is taking on a larger role within NBC News as a senior political analyst and would be one of the regular Sunday panelists."

We're told the move is part of a plan to bring a right-leaning voice to the program to appeal to viewers turned off by the show's famously left-leaning former hosts including the ousted David Gregory.

The source added, "Chuck Todd is busily assembling the team of on-air talent that will join him on the new 'Meet the Press.' Joe will be a regular alongside Luke Russert, whose father famously moderated the show for 16-plus years."

Russert, 29, is currently NBC's congressional correspondent. Nia-Malika Henderson of the Washington Post and a few others, including NBC's chief foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell, are also said to be in the mix for a new panel. Todd's much anticipated debut as moderator is this Sunday.

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Nieuwenhuis fills in for Granderson, homers to spark Mets

MIAMI — Curtis who?

The Mets might as well keep asking that question as they ponder the downward spiral of $60 million underachiever Curtis Granderson and the long-term prognosis for their outfield.

Kirk Nieuwenhuis took the reeling Granderson's spot in right field Wednesday night and slugged a two-run homer that helped the Mets to their second straight victory, 4-3 over the Marlins.

Travis d'Arnaud's RBI double in the eighth broke a 2-2 tie, after Jacob deGrom allowed one run on five hits over six innings.

The right-hander, who remains a solid contender for NL Rookie of the Year honors, allowed a run on Casey McGehee's infield single in the third, but was close to untouchable for his final three innings.

Nieuwenhuis' blast off Tom Koehler in the fourth gave the Mets a 2-1 lead before the Marlins tied the game on Christian Yelich's RBI single in the seventh against lefty reliever Dario Alvarez in his major league debut. D'Arnaud's double in the eighth and Dilson Herrera's RBI fielder's choice scored the Mets' final runs.

Granderson, who was on the bench for a second time in four games, said he has a simple reason for not breaking bats in frustration over his second-half swoon.

"There's never been a point in breaking bats — then I've got nothing to swing with the next at-bat," he said.

Granderson's season has progressed in a manner that would leave him responsible for killing half the trees in Yellowstone Park if he were a bat breaker.

Since Aug. 1, he is 16-for-118 (.136) with only two extra-base hits. That includes a 1-for-26 (.038) free fall in his last seven games.

Manager Terry Collins has mentioned the same factors all season as possibly affecting Granderson, ranging from the adjustment to playing half his games at spacious Citi Field to trying to learn National League pitchers after spending a decade in the American League.

"I think he realizes this is part of the game and you're going to have times like this, a year like this," Collins said. "He hasn't had very many and you're looking at last year, this guy didn't play very much and he's come back and he's healthy and, cripes, he's going to play 145 games, coming back from playing [61], that's a huge jump.

"I know one thing, because of his demeanor he's going to make adjustments he thinks he's got to make to make sure next year is a better year. All I'm trying to do is make sure the next 3 ½ weeks are better."

Along the way, Granderson has been booted from the leadoff spot, giving Juan Lagares an opportunity to claim the job heading into next season. Granderson has a slash line of .210/.313/.354.

What would Granderson like to get from the remainder of this season?

"We've still got a lot of games left to play and be in a position as leader and a veteran guy on this team to play hard, have fun, enjoy," Granderson said. "The guys who get called up in September, provide any information to them as needed and go out there and continue to play 100 percent like I always do."

When the Mets signed Granderson, his potential to hit 25-30 homers a season was a significant factor. But Collins indicated that Granderson, who entered play with 16 homers, might have to change his approach.

"I still feel we've got to, as we get into spring training — or even the last month — continue to think about trying to drive those balls in the middle of the field," Collins said. "He can do that kind of damage and I saw those numbers at Comerica Park. He can become a doubles, triples [guy] and still hit home runs."

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McCann, Kuroda help Yankees snap three-game skid

To a man, almost any Yankee you talk to will say he doesn't look at the standings.

Too many games left in the season; too many other teams involved.

Maybe that's true, but after Wednesday's 5-1 victory over the Red Sox, the Yankees are 71-66, and it seems fair to say they will need to get to 89 wins to get the second AL wild card. Which means they still have a long way to go if they want to stay relevant for the rest of September.

But for one night, Brian McCann and Hiroki Kuroda helped the Yankees avoid a crippling four-game losing streak and kept them from falling to .500 at home.

McCann had four hits, including a homer, and drove in three runs and Kuroda held Boston to one run in seven innings.

"They understand what we have to do," manager Joe Girardi said of his team before the game. "I don't think it's a shock what you have to do. But that's the beauty of this game. You can go on runs in certain months, and if it's the right month, it can become the run that gets you into the postseason. And that's what we need to do. We need to go on a really good run here and it needs to start tonight."

We'll see.

McCann's two-run homer in the second was his 17th home run of the season, and 15 have come in The Bronx. The blast deep into the right-field seats provided the Yankees with a much-needed lead after the Yankees had yet another Keystone Kops routine on the basepaths in the first.

After Derek Jeter and Brett Gardner each had one-out singles, they attempted a double steal.

Gardner, though, stopped before he got to second and got caught in a rundown. Jeter then tentatively headed off third, where he was tagged out by third baseman Brock Holt before Holt fired to first baseman Allen Craig, who got Gardner as he tried to get back to second.

"How many times have you seen that happen this year, when we've run ourselves out of an inning or something like that?" hitting coach Kevin Long said beforehand, referring to the base-running miscue by Martin Prado that stifled a rally on Tuesday. "It's happened eight, 10 times. That's a lot, especially in a game like that, when that's probably what, three, four, five runs maybe if everything falls into place? We run ourselves out of an inning."

Kuroda made sure the runs he got held up.

He delivered his fourth consecutive solid start, featuring a splitter that the Red Sox couldn't touch. He fanned five of the first seven batters he faced and allowed just two singles through the first five innings.

He first ran into trouble in the sixth after drilling Jemille Weeks with one out.

Holt followed with a line drive over Gardner in left that Gardner initially turned the wrong way on and it went for a run-scoring double.

But Kuroda recovered and got Mookie Betts to fly to right before David Ortiz flied out to deep left.

"We lost a ton of our rotation," Girardi said. "And I think people thought that we would just disappear when that happened, when you lose as much as we lost, but guys stepped up and found a way."

The lineup still hasn't shown much consistency and let another opportunity slip by when the struggling Stephen Drew, filling in for the injured Prado at second, struck out with the bases loaded to end the sixth.

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Rosie Perez and Nicolle Wallace join ‘The View’

NEW YORK — Actress Rosie Perez and Republican media operative Nicolle Wallace are joining ABC's daytime chat show, "The View."

The network said Wednesday that the two will join Whoopi Goldberg and Rosie O'Donnell on the panel for the show's new season, beginning Sept. 15.

Goldberg is the only holdover on the program, where creator Barbara Walters retired from an onscreen role this spring and longtime producer Bill Geddie left after learning a new offscreen boss was taking over.

Perez is an actress and choreographer who has appeared in the movies "Do the Right Thing" and "Fearless." Wallace, a political analyst for MSNBC, was communications chief for President George W. Bush's reelection campaign and was an adviser on John McCain's 2008 campaign.

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Daily Blotter

Brooklyn

A thief snatched an 80-year-old woman's purse on a Gravesend street, authorities said Wednesday.

The coldhearted crook sneaked up behind his victim on Bay 46th Street at 7:40 a.m. Friday and grabbed the bag, according to cops.

The woman suffered minor injuries.

The thief wore a black do-rag, gray tank top, and dark pants, and carried a dark backpack.

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Cops have busted a woman in the defacement of police cars and a wall at a Williamsburg school with anti-NYPD graffiti, sources said Wednesday.

Rosella Best, 36, was caught on video surveillance tagging PS 31 at Lorimer and Mesorole streets at around 5:30 a.m. Aug. 26, cops said.

"NAZIS=NYPD," she spray-painted, with a swastika, on a marked police car, the sources said.

Other messages proclaimed, "NYPD pick on the harmless," and "NYPD pick on the innocent."

Cop-hating and anti-Semitic remarks were also plastered on vans and scooters near the school, a Rite Aid drugstore and a post office, the police sources said.

Best was charged with aggravated harassment and criminal mischief as a hate crime, cops said.

She had earlier been arrested, on July 16, after she threw a drink in a woman's face during an argument in a Brooklyn park at Kent Avenue and North 10th Street, cops said.

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Police are investigating the death of a man who was found with head wounds next to a bloody crutch inside his Brownsville apartment.

Cops discovered Anthony Freeman, 26, in the living room of his ransacked home on St. Marks Avenue near Thomas S. Boyland Street at around 3:45 p.m. Tuesday.

Freeman had suffered massive head trauma and was pronounced dead at the scene, cops said.

It was unclear if the crutch was the murder weapon or if the victim had been using it, police said.

Freeman had been arrested 17 times for a variety of offenses, including grand larceny, aggravated harassment and marijuana possession, sources said.

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A man snatched a woman's necklace aboard an L train and fled at a subway station, cops said Wednesday.

The 25-year-old victim was riding a southbound train at 12:30 p.m. Aug. 10, when the crook ripped the necklace off of her, police said.

He dashed out of the train after it rolled into the Atlantic Avenue station, but dropped the necklace as he made his getaway, authorities said.

It was found in the station. The victim was treated for minor cuts.

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An Apple-picking thief swiped three MacBook laptops and a router from a Bushwick apartment, police said Wednesday.

The burglar (pictured above) broke into the residence at Melrose Street and Evergreen Avenue between noon and 4:30 p.m. Aug. 9, and stole the three computers and an Airport Express Apple router, cops said.

The crook, wearing a Yankees cap, a gray T-shirt and jeans, was caught on surveillance.

Queens

A man crossed the perimeter fence at JFK Airport and got into a restricted area Wednesday, sources said.

William Deene, 22, was nabbed immediately by Port Authority police after his break-in at 9:30 a.m., authorities said.

He was charged with criminal trespass and evaluated by EMS medics, cops said.

Investigators do not believe he posed a security threat.

Manhattan

A burglar went on a rampage inside a Morningside Heights print shop, cops said Wednesday.

The thief threw a rock through the storefront window of the Village Copier at Amsterdam Avenue and West 118th Street at around 3:30 a.m. Monday, according to police.

He smashed the cash register onto the floor and damaged a counter before swiping $400 and fleeing, cops said.

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David Paterson, then and now

"I'll tell you what the lieutenant governor's job is. You wake up every morning at 6:30 and you call the governor's house. If he answers, you can go back to sleep."

— Then Lt.-Gov. David Paterson, circa 2007

"[My opponent Kathy Hochul] is going to play the traditional, lackey-like position of lieutenant governor, which in my view is the waste of a constitutional position that the public needs in Albany."

— Democrat Timothy Wu, characterizing the office of lieutenant governor almost the same way Paterson did seven years earlier

"Mr. Wu needs a wakeup call. Take it from me, this is not a job you can take lightly."

— Paterson now, criticizing Wu for saying almost exactly what Paterson said about the job of lieutenant governor in 2007

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Widow’s sale of $703-a-month apartment lease at center of dispute

A group of 17 state lawmakers on Tuesday urged a federal appeals court to protect one of the most treasured rights of a million New Yorkers — to pass on to family members a rent-stabilized lease even if forced to declare bankruptcy.

That right will be argued next month in a Manhattan courtroom after two judges ruled the lease of an East Village widow could be sold as any other household asset — like a car or a vacation home — to pay off creditors.

While not included in the state law that protects certain assets from a forced sale in a bankruptcy, rent-stabilized leases had been treated as such. Until now.

The current battle has drawn the attention — and ire — of tenants' rights advocates and the lawmakers.

"[Treating the lease as common property] would upset the economic, social and cultural diversity that is a hallmark of countless municipalities in New York… [and] lead to rising rates of homelessness," the lawmakers wrote in their filing.

The case centers on Mary Veronica Santiago-Monteverde, who pays $703 a month for her East 7th Street two-bedroom apartment that she has lived in since 1963.

When her husband died in 2011, she was unable to keep up with her debts and filed for bankruptcy.

In a deal with the court-appointed trustee of Santiago-Monteverde's case — whose job is to marshal assets to pay creditors — the landlord agreed to pay her $23,000 in mostly credit card debt in exchange for buying the lease.

Under the deal, the landlord, JVG Management, allowed Santiago-Monteverde to stay in the apartment she shares with her son for the rest of her life and promised to keep her rent at $703 a month.

Under the terms of the lease sale, the son would not get the apartment.

"We believe that those who are opposing the trustee's sale of the lease have lost sight of what is best for Mrs. Santiago-Monteverde," David Dantzler, the lawyer for the trustee, said.

"This solution allows her to remain in her apartment for the remainder of her life at her current rent, and have her debts paid in full," Dantzler added, noting that the law is clear and those who oppose the law should take their case to Albany — not to court.

The appeals court hearing is set for Oct. 14.

"It is fair to say," Jenny Greenberg, who is representing the tenant said, "the landlord lobby is watching this very closely."

The appellate court should avoid "granting a windfall to bankruptcy creditors (even landlords) who would ordinarily not be able to reach the lease," the lawmakers argued in their court filing Tuesday.

Landlord JVG declined to comment.

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NYers should be able to rent rooms out in homes: poll

A majority of New York City residents says they should be allowed to rent out rooms in their homes, according to a new poll — which wasn't paid for by controversial room-sharing Web site Airbnb.

More than half of respondents — 56 percent — were in favor of having city dwellers get paid by strangers to stay "a few days at a time . . . similar to a hotel," while 36 percent said the practice should be banned, Quinnipiac University reported Tuesday.

Support was strongest among the young — including 64 percent of people between 18 and 29 — and those living in Manhattan, where 61 percent endorsed the idea.

The greatest opposition came in The Bronx and Staten Island, where 50 percent and 49 percent, respectively, gave room rentals a thumbs-down.

State law currently bans any sublets shorter than 30 days when the primary tenant isn't home, and Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is investigating a slew of suspected violations committed through Airbnb. A Schneiderman spokesman declined to comment on the poll.

Airbnb, however, happily released a statement.

"This poll confirms what we've known for some time: The majority of New Yorkers support home sharing and believe they should be able to share the home in which they live,"
Airbnb exec David Hantman wrote on the company's Web site. "We look forward to continuing to educate even more people about the Airbnb community in New York and how Airbnb hosts and guests make this amazing city an even better place."

State Sen. Liz Krueger, an outspoken opponent of Airbnb, called the poll question "misleading" because city residents are already allowed to rent out rooms to strangers as long as they're home.

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Why the Brangelina wedding pics nabbed just $2M

The payday for the Brad Pitt – Angelina Jolie wedding photos was far below the $11 million paid for the first baby photo of the couple's twins, Vivienne and Knox , in 2008.

"The market has changed considerably," said one well-connected source.

Several sources guess that People paid somewhere close to $2 million for the wedding shots. Hello, which snagged European rights, may have boosted the total price.

Part of the reason may have been that the celebrity magazine market is under a lot more financial pressure than it was a decade ago.

OK!, once owned by free-spending British mogul Richard "Dirty Des" Desmond is no longer a force to bid up prices.

It was sold to American Media Inc., owner of Star and National Enquirer, after burning through nearly $100 million to get a toe-hold in the US market.

AMI has itself been under financial pressure and was sold earlier this year for only several million in cash.

People is still the market leader, generating an estimated $600 million in revenue for newly public Time Inc., but does not generate anywhere near the cash flow of even six years ago.

Us Weekly, owned by Jann Wenner at Wenner Media, virtually stopped bidding when it became apparent that People would go to extreme measures to keep its rival from landing the photos.

But there was no sign that Brangelina even tried to ignite a bidding war this time around — in part because such could have tipped off paparazzi to the secret wedding in France last week and invited lots of unwanted scrutiny.

In the past, Brangelina would donate proceeds to a charity, most recently the Jolie Pitt Foundation.

No word yet on where this money will go this time.

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Daily Blotter

Brooklyn

■ A thug threatened to kill a 63-year-old woman after they bumped shoulders in a Crown Heights subway station, authorities said.

Police said the two accidentally knocked into each other inside the IRT's Utica Avenue station on July 23 at 3 p.m. and the ruffian flew into a rage.

He threatened the woman's life before punching her in the back of the head, according to cops.

The victim was treated for minor swelling and pain.

The suspect is believed to be in his 20s and was last seen wearing a black baseball cap, a light green shirt, and a black backpack.

■ A man was shot in Gowanus on Monday night.

The 25-year-old man was in front of the Wyckoff Gardens Houses on Nevins Street around 11:45 p.m., when an unknown gunman shot him in the leg, police said.

The victim was taken to Kings County Hospital in stable condition.

He is not cooperating with police, so investigators have no information on a motive or a suspect, cops said.

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 The Bronx

■ Two people, including a 14-year-old boy, were shot in Mott Haven on Monday.

The teen and a 34-year-old man got into a heated argument with a gunman at the Mott Haven Houses on East 143rd Street near Willis Avenue at about 5:45 p.m. when the shooter opened fire, cops said.

Police said the adult was struck once in the face and the boy was grazed in the leg.

Both were taken to Lincoln Hospital in stable condition.

A description of the gunman, who fled in a dark SUV, was not immediately available.

■ A bicyclist who was riding in the wrong direction is clinging to life after being struck by a van along Van Cortlandt Park, police said.

The 47-year-old cyclist was going north in the southbound lane on Jerome Avenue near East 213th Street Monday at about 8:30 p.m., cops said.

A 43-year-old man driving a 2003 white Ford van southbound in the same lane was blinded by headlights from oncoming traffic and did not see the cyclist until the last second, according to police.

The van struck the victim, who rolled onto the hood and then slammed his head on the pavement when the vehicle stopped, cops added.

The cyclist was rushed to Jacobi Hospital in critical condition.

The driver did not appear to be at fault and was not charged, officials said.

Investigators believe the victim may have been wearing earbuds connected to an iPod at the time of the accident.

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 Manhattan

■ A man was shot in Chelsea Monday night.

The 21-year-old victim was in front of the Chelsea Houses on West 25th Street, between Ninth and Tenth avenues around 11:40 p.m., when an unknown assailant opened fire, police said.

The victim was struck once in the shoulder and did not suffer life-threatening injuries, officials said.

It was not immediately clear if the victim was the intended target or what sparked the shooting.

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 Queens

■ Three thieves robbed a 7-Eleven at gunpoint just a few blocks from a police station in Bayside, cops said.

The men, covered in black, walked into the store on Northern Boulevard and 218th Street Tuesday at about 3:10 a.m. and ordered two clerks to open the register, police said.

One of the thieves pulled out a pistol and another jumped behind the counter, snatching $600, cops said.

The gloved men demanded that one worker open the safe, but the employee said he was unable to open it, police added.

"We should shoot the safe open," one of the crooks said.

The trio, who fled the store without firing a shot, made off with cash, employees' backpacks and several packs of cigarettes, according to police.

The suspects are believed to be in their early 20s.

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 Staten Island

■ A allegedly drunken driver from Bulls Head was pulled over Tuesday for going too slowly on a public road, law enforcement sources said.

Carlos Barillas, 45, was stopped at Forest Avenue off Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Expressway at about 2:30 a.m. after an officer saw him swerving, sources said.

Barillas was going 15 mph in a 45 mph zone and failed to keep his 2005 Dodge in a straight line, sources said.

He was allegedly drunk at the time, but refused to take a Breathalyzer test, sources said.

He was charged with driving while intoxicated and refusal to submit to a breath test.

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