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3.2.26

McCourty: 'Travesty' Bill Belichick's Hall snub will steal spotlight from others

4:22:00 PM
McCourty: 'Travesty' Bill Belichick's Hall snub will steal spotlight from others

SAN FRANCISCO -- Devin McCourty agrees that his long-time coach should be enshrined into the Hall of Fame this summer, but said the real impact of Bill Belichick not getting voted in this year will be the attention stolen from those who are.

Belichick won a record six Super Bowl titles as head coach of the New England Patriots before parting ways with the team after the 2023 season. Eligible for the Hall of Fame for the first time this year, news broke last week that he will not be part of the 2026 Hall of Fame class that will be announced Thursday night.

Belichick was up for selection alongside Patriots owner Robert Kraft and three senior player candidates in Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson, 49ers running back Roger Craig and Steelers defensive end L.C. Greenwood. Kraft reportedly also did not make the final cut.

The widespread speculation is that voters did not support Belichick being a "first-ballot" Hall of Famer because of the 2007 Spygate scandal and the Deflategate drama that resulted in a suspension for quarterback Tom Brady. Other voters have said they prioritized what is viewed as a backlog of worthy candidates whose windows to be voted into the Hall of Fame are running out.

McCourty took issue with the various requirements, including that at least four -- but no more than nine -- candidates can be elected annually.

"Shouldn't the Hall of Fame just be, 'Is this guy a Hall of Famer, yes or no?' And then we move forward," McCourty said on Tuesday ahead of working Super Bowl LX as a commentator for NBC Sports.

McCourty was a first-round pick in 2010 by the Patriots and went on to win three Super Bowl titles while playing 13 seasons for Belichick. He believes his former coach will reach the hallowed halls of Canton one day, but is concerned that his omission this year will be a storyline that overrides the induction of others.

"I think the travesty of all of this is this summer, there's gonna be a Hall of Fame induction and there's gonna be guys who are deserving of being in the Hall of Fame. And we can probably all bet that the top topic is gonna be Bill Belichick not being there," McCourty said. "And I think that's unfortunate because there are going to be players, coaches, contributors that are Hall of Fame worthy, but because this feels like a huge mistake, the only talk is going to be about the guys that didn't get into the Hall of Fame."

--Field Level Media

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Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant to team up at All-Star Game. Kawhi Leonard added to roster

4:22:00 PM
Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant to team up at All-Star Game. Kawhi Leonard added to roster

Stephen Currywill be joiningOlympic teammatesLeBron James and Kevin Durant once again, this time at the All-Star Game.

Associated Press Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard descends after making a dunk during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Philadelphia 76ers Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry celebrates scoring a three point shot during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Tyler Tate) Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James walks up court during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the New York Knicks, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/John Munson)

76ers Clippers Basketball

The NBA announced the rosters for this season's midseason showcase event on Tuesday night, splitting 25 names onto three squads. It's the debut of another new All-Star format — this oneU.S. vs. The World, on Feb. 15 at the Los Angeles Clippers' home in Inglewood, California.

It's a concept that Commissioner Adam Silver thinks will tap into national pride for the players and comes at a fitting time. The game will be aired on NBC, which is also broadcasting theMilan Cortina Olympicsthat start later this week and run through Feb. 22.

The U.S.-vs.-World concept was talked about for years beforebecoming a realitythis season. The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association unveiledthe long-awaited planin theirlatest attemptto spark renewed interest in the game following a largely panned tournament format last season.

The Clippers' Kawhi Leonard, likely the most deserving name left offthe original list of 24 All-Stars,was added to the pool of U.S. players Tuesday shortly before the rosters were unveiled. And that move likely was what sent New York's Karl-Anthony Towns to the World team.

Towns was born in New Jersey but has played international basketball for the Dominican Republic — his late mother's homeland.

The NBA had said in recent months that it would adjust roster sizes as needed to ensure all three teams had at least eight players, the minimum required under the new format. Giannis Antetokounmpo is not expected to play for the World team because of injury, which is why that squad has nine players.

The U.S. teams were split by age: The older players were assigned to USA Stripes, the younger ones to USA Stars.

The rosters:

USA Stripes

Jaylen Brown, Boston; Jalen Brunson, New York; Stephen Curry, Golden State; Kevin Durant, Houston; LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers; Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers; Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland; Norman Powell, Miami.

Coach: Mitch Johnson, San Antonio.

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Scottie Barnes, Toronto; Devin Booker, Phoenix; Cade Cunningham, Detroit; Jalen Duren, Detroit; Anthony Edwards, Minnesota; Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City; Jalen Johnson, Atlanta; Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia.

Coach: J.B. Bickerstaff, Detroit.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee; Deni Avdija, Portland; Luka Doncic, Los Angeles Lakers; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City; Nikola Jokic, Denver; Jamal Murray, Denver; Pascal Siakam, Indiana; Karl-Anthony Towns, New York; Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio.

Coach: Darko Rajakovic, Toronto.

All games will be 12 minutes.

— Game 1: USA Stars vs. World.

— Game 2: USA Stripes vs. winning team of Game 1.

— Game 3: USA Stripes vs. losing team of Game 1.

— Game 4: Championship (top two teams from round-robin play). If all three teams finish 1-1 after the round-robin games, the first tiebreaker will be point differential across each team's games.

AP NBA:https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

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Worst to first: 5 non-playoff NFL teams that could take the leap next season

4:22:00 PM
Worst to first: 5 non-playoff NFL teams that could take the leap next season

Nate Tice, Matt Harmon & Charles McDonald are LIVE from San Francisco for Super Bowl LX as they break down which teams could pull a Seahawks or Patriots next season and make a deep playoff run after missing the postseason this year.

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The trio start with their reactions to the latest coaching hires, as the Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders got their head coaches, while the New York Giants hired OC Matt Nagy.

Next, the three hosts dive into their teams that could take a big leap after missing the playoffs this season. Matt shouts out the New Orleans Saints, Charles dives in on the Cincinnati Bengals and Tennessee Titans and Nate shouts out the Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys.

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(3:40) - Coaching hires: Kubiak, LaFleur, Nagy

(21:40) - Teams that could take the leap: Saints, Bengals, Ravens

(41:40) - Teams that could take the leap: Titans & Cowboys

CINCINNATI, OH - JANUARY 04: Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) runs onto the field before the game against the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals on January 4, 2026, at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, OH. (Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

🖥️Watch thisfull episode on YouTube

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Russia resumes night strikes on major Ukrainian cities, ending brief reprieve agreed between Putin and Trump

3:42:00 PM
Smoke billows from an apartment building after it was struck by a drone during Russian missile and drone attacks, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on February 3, 2026. - Thomas Peter/Reuters

Russia launched its biggest missile and drone attack on Ukraine so far this year on Tuesday, according to Ukrainian authorities, cutting heat to tens of thousands of people and ending a brief reprieve agreed to by Moscow and Washington as Ukrainians grapple with plummeting winter temperatures.

CNN staff in the capital Kyiv reported hearing several strong explosions in the city and authorities in Dnipro, Kharkiv, Sumy, Zaporizhzhia and Odesa reported Russian strikes.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that Ukraine is waiting for US reaction to Russia's latest wave of attacks on Ukraine's power grid.

"We are expecting the United States to respond about the Russian strikes. It was America's proposal to suspend strikes on energy facilities during this period of diplomacy and cold winter weather," Zelensky said in his nightly address.

Russian President Vladimir Putin last week agreed to pause attacking major Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure until Sunday, following a "personal request" from US President Donald Trump, according to the Kremlin.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump was unsurprised about Russia's recent attacks on Ukraine.

While Trump said he would have wanted Putin to extend the pause and end the war, he said the Russian president kept his word by not attacking Ukrainian cities for a week.

"It was Sunday to Sunday, and it opened up and he hit 'em hard last night," Trump said in the Oval Office when asked about the latest Russian barrage.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Leavitt said planned negotiations between Russia and Ukraine would proceed later this week in Abu Dhabi, with the US in a mediating role.

The pause also came following trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine and the US in Abu Dhabi, the first such talks since Moscow's invasion in February 2022.

Zelensky said Russia's attack was focused on energy facilities across at least six regions and involved 70 missiles and 450 attack drones, which according to a CNN tally, is the largest attack of the year so far.

"Taking advantage of the coldest days of winter to terrorize people is more important to Russia than turning to diplomacy," Zelensky said Tuesday.

"The Russian army exploited the US proposal to briefly halt strikes not to support diplomacy, but to stockpile missiles and wait until the coldest days of the year, when temperatures across large parts of Ukraine drop below -20°C (-4°F)," Zelensky later added in a social media post.

Almost 1,200 high-rise buildings across two districts in the capital Kyiv were left without heat due to the strikes, according to mayor Vitaliy Klitschko.

Several multi-storey residential buildings and a kindergarten had been damaged and six people were injured, according to Tymur Tkachenko, the head of the Kyiv military administration.

One resident of a building in Kyiv that was damaged overnight told CNN that she felt Russia's attacks on residential infrastructure were "all being done on purpose to make people kind of give up."

"I couldn't imagine that in such cold weather they could hit residential buildings," said Tetyana, who gave her first name only.

Residents take shelter inside a metro station during a Russian overnight missile and drone strike, with temperatures falling below –20°C (about -4 degrees Fahrenheit), amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on February 3, 2026. - Alina Smutko/Reuters

Video posted by the State Emergency Service shows flames billowing out of a high-rise residential block and response teams working through the night in freezing conditions.

In southern Ukraine's Odesa, more than 50,000 people were left without power, the regional military administration said. The country's second largest city Kharkiv was attacked by Russian missiles and drones that targeted the city's energy infrastructure, causing damage that will leave at least 820 high-rise buildings without heat supply, Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov said on Telegram. And Dnipro, in eastern Ukraine, was attacked by ballistic missiles, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.

"The goal is obvious: to cause maximum damage and leave the city without heat in severe frost," Terekhov said.

Kyiv residents spent 7 hours under an air raid alert, and the attack came as Ukrainians contend with some of the coldest temperatures this winter. On early Tuesday morning local time, the temperature in Kyiv was -20 Celsius ( - 4 Fahrenheit) and in Kharkiv -25 C (-13 F).

Residents could be seen taking shelter at the Kyiv metro bundled up in thick coats and hats, and huddled under sleeping bags and blankets.

This is the first time that strikes have been reported on energy facilities and major cities since last Thursday, according to Ukrainian authorities, though Russia continued to strike logistics routes and transport infrastructure during that time, withdeadly results.

"This is not a side effect of war. It is Russian strategy. Winter temperatures (being) used as a weapon. Heat and electricity as targets," EU Ambassador to Ukraine, Katarina Mathernova, wrote in a statement, alongside a photo of herself sheltering overnight in her bathroom. "Every night, I think of the millions of people across the country shivering in their homes."

Other attacks on Tuesday extended beyond power stations. In Zaporizhzhia, drone strikes damaged a building, cars and shops. The strikes killed two teenagers and injured eight others, according to Ivan Fedorov, the head of the region's military administration.

"The air raid alert in Zaporizhzhia has been in effect for 23 hours straight," Fedorov wrote in a post on Telegram. "As soon as the security situation allows, we will begin assessing the damage. But, unfortunately, human lives cannot be brought back."

'Survival mode'

A drone hits an apartment building during a Russian missile and drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on February 3, 2026. - Gleb Garanich/Reuters

Before the Abu Dhabi talks, Russia had stepped up attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, leaving swaths of the country facing power shortages and outages in the depths of winter.

The Kremlin has confirmed that the next round of trilateral talks between Ukraine, Russia and the United States aimed at ending the war will take place on Wednesday and Thursday in Abu Dhabi.

Ukraine's biggest private energy company DTEK said the attack early Tuesday hit thermal power plants, damaging critical energy infrastructure and equipment "at a time when heat and electricity are essential."

DTEK's CEO Maxim Timchenko postedfootageTuesday showing the aftermath of an attack on a power plant at an undisclosed location, where the energy facility had been reduced to a pile of mangled metal and charred concrete.

The company is in "survival mode," Timchenko earlier told CNN, with the next few weeks critical as the country grapples with plummeting temperature and the "worst condition of our energy system in modern history."

DTEK currently operates five thermal power plants in Ukraine, of which two are currently offline and the other three are functioning at low capacity, Timchenko told CNN Monday in an interview from Dnipro.

Residents take shelter inside a metro station during a Russian overnight missile and drone strike, with temperatures falling below –20°C (about -4 degrees Fahrenheit), amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on February 3, 2026. - Alina Smutko/Reuters

He said the company was working to repair the damage from repeated Russian attacks, but it's often not possible in freezing weather conditions.

His biggest hope right now is that the energy ceasefire announced last week, which he says brought a five-day reprieve in attacks on DTEK's thermal power plants, is extended in talks in Abu Dhabi this week.

DTEK said Sunday that Moscow had launched a "large-scale attack" on its coal mines in the region, striking a bus carrying miners who had just finished their shift killing at least 12.

CNN's Helen Regan, Lauren Kent, Clare Sebastian, Max Saltman and Kevin Liptak contributed reporting.

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L.A. stopped a couple from demolishing Marilyn Monroe's home. Now, they're suing

3:42:00 PM
Marilyn Monroe's Brentwood home

A Brentwood couple is suing the city of Los Angeles and Mayor Karen Bass, claiming their constitutional rights were violated when city officials blocked them from demolishing the home where Marilyn Monroe died in 1962.

In a 37-page complaint that accuses the city of collusion and bias,the lawsuitfiled by homeowners Brinah Milstein and Roy Bank claims L.A. "deprived Plaintiffs of their intended demolition of the house and the use and enjoyment of their Property without any actual benefit to the public."

It's yet another chapter in a saga surrounding the fate ofthe famous property, which began in 2023 when Milstein, a wealthy real estate heiress, and Bank, a reality TV producer with credits including "The Apprentice" and "Survivor," bought the home for $8.35 million. They own the property next door and hoped to tear down Monroe's place to expand their estate.

The pair quickly obtained demolition permits from the Department of Building and Safety, but once their plans became public, an outcry erupted. A legion of historians, Angelenos and Monroe fans claimed the 1920s haunt, where the actor died in 1962, is an indelible piece of the city's history.

Councilmember Traci Park, who represents L.A.'s 11th Council District where the home is located, said she received hundreds of calls and emails urging her to protect it. In September 2023, sheheld a news conferencedressed as Monroe — bright red lipstick, bobbing blond hair — urging the City Council to declare it a landmark.

The Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commissionstarted the landmark application processin January 2024, barring the owners from destroying the house in the meantime. L.A. City Council unanimously voted to designate it as a historic cultural monument a few months later, officially saving it from destruction.

It's not the first legal challenge brought by Milstein and Bank. The pairsued the cityin 2024, accusing the city of "backdoor machinations" in preserving a house that doesn't deserve to be a historic cultural monument.

An L.A. Superior Court Judge threw out the suit in September 2025, calling it "an ill-disguised motion to win so they can demolish the home."

The latest lawsuit includes a variety of damages, claiming the property's monument status has turned it into a tourist attraction, bringing trespassers who leap over the walls surrounding the property. In November, burglars broke into the home searching for memorabilia, the suit alleges.

The lawsuit accuses the city of taking no efforts to stop trespassers and failing to compensate the owners for their loss of use and enjoyment of the property. It also notes that the homeowners offered to pay to relocate the home, but the city ignored them.

An aerial view of two houses, each with a pool and lush greenery

The feud has stirred up a larger conversation on what exactly is worth protecting in Southern California, a region loaded with architectural marvels and Old Hollywood haunts swirling with celebrity legend and gossip.

Fans claim the house, located on 5th Helena Drive, is too iconic to be torn down. Monroe bought it for $75,000 in 1962 and died there six months later, the only home she ever owned by herself. The phrase "Cursum Perficio" — Latin for "The journey ends here" — adorns tile on the front porch, adding to the property's lore.

Milstein and Bank claim it has been remodeled so many times over the years, with 14 different owners and more than a dozen renovation permits issued over the last 60 years, that it bears no resemblance to its former self. Some Brentwood locals consider it a nuisance because fans and tour buses flock to the address for pictures, even though the only thing visible from the street is the privacy wall.

"There is not a single piece of the house that includes any physical evidence that Ms. Monroe ever spent a day at the house, not a piece of furniture, not a paint chip, not a carpet, nothing," their previous lawsuit claimed.

With their latest lawsuit, Milstein and Bank are seeking a court order allowing them to demolish the house and compensation for the decline in property value after the city's decision to declare it a monument.

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This story originally appeared inLos Angeles Times.

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