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13.2.26

Former skater Surya Bonaly says scoring 'has to be changed' after Chock, Bates upset

12:22:00 AM
Former skater Surya Bonaly says scoring 'has to be changed' after Chock, Bates upset

MILAN —Madison ChockandEvan Batesstoically accepted their silver medals followingtheir shocking upset in the ice dance finalat the2026 Winter Gameson Thursday despite tying in a season-best free skate.

The moment sent chills through French figure skaterSurya Bonaly, she told USA TODAY Sports. The three-time Olympian tuned in thousands of miles away in her Minnesota home, but she could clearly see past Chock and Bates' stoic smiles and gracious waves. Bonaly resonated with the frustration and heartbreak simmering beneath.

"When I was watching the podium and I see everyone super excited except (Chock) and (Bates), I can see they are ... forced to smile for the camera. And I'm like, 'Oh, I feel I've been there," Bonaly told USA TODAY Sports on Feb. 12.

Figure skating has long been a subjective sport, where judging is open to personal interpretation and sometimes implicit bias. It has greatly impacted Bonaly's international career and the conversation was renewed following Chock and Bates' stunning defeat by gold-medal winnersLaurence Fournier BeaudryandGuillaume Cizeronof France.

"I'm French, I do support my French team, but obviously the Americans...I feel so sad for them," Bonaly added. "They lost it for so less than (two) points. And it's sad, but I guess it's figure skating, because some people like you, some don't and they can just change the rest of your life just for one second in a competition just like that."

<p style=Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron of France won gold in figure skating ice dance at the 2026 Winter Olympics. The U.S. ice dance pair Madison Chock and Evan Bates won the silver medal with a total of 224.39 points after scoring a 134.67 in their free dance.
Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron of France perform during the Ice Dance Free Dance during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 11, 2026 in Milan.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=Madison Chock and Evan Bates of United States perform during the Ice Dance Free Dance during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 11, 2026 in Milan.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=Piper Gilles and partner Paul Poirier of Team Canada compete in the during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 11, 2026 in Milan.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson of Britain perform during the Ice Dance Free Dance during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 11, 2026 in Milan.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri of Italy perform during the Ice Dance Free Dance during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 11, 2026 in Milan.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> USA's Vadym Kolesnik and Emilea Zingas compete in the Ice Dance Free Dance during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 11, 2026 in Milan. Allison Reed and partner Saulius Ambrulevicius of Team Lithuania compete in the Ice Dance Free Dance during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 11, 2026 in Milan. Evgeniia Lopareva and partner Geoffrey Brissaud of Team France compete in the Ice Dance Free Dance during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 11, 2026 in Milan. <p style=Canada's Zachary Lagha and Marjorie Lajoie compete in the figure skating ice dance-free dance final during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan on Feb. 11, 2026.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Spain's Olivia Smart and Tim Dieck compete in the figure skating ice dance-free dance final during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan on Feb. 11, 2026. USA's Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko compete in the figure skating ice dance-free dance final during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 11, 2026 in Milan. Finland's Juulia Turkkila and Finland's Matthias Versluis compete in the figure skating Ice Dance Free Dance during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 11, 2026 in Milan. Diana Davis and partner Gleb Smolkin of Team Georgia compete in the Ice Dance Free Dance during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 11, 2026 in Milan. Natalie Taschlerova and partner Filip Taschler of Team Czechia compete in the Ice Dance Free Dance during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 11, 2026 in Milan. Marie-Jade Lauriault and partner Romain le Gac of Team Canada compete in the Ice Dance Free Dance during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 11, 2026 in Milan. Phebe Bekker and partner James Hernandez of Team Great Britain compete in the Ice Dance Free Dance during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 11, 2026 in Milan. Katerina Mrazkova and partner Daniel Mrazek of Team Czechia compete in the Ice Dance - Free Dance during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 11, 2026 in Milan. Holly Harris and Jason Chan of Australia skate during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena onFeb. 11, 2026. Sweden's Nikolaj Majorov (R) and Sweden's Milla Reitan compete in the figure skating ice dance-free dance final during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 11, 2026 in Milan. Sofia Val and partner Asaf Kazimov of Team Spain compete in the Ice Dance - Free Dance during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 11, 2026 in Milan.

All eyes on Ice Dance finals as Team USA chases Olympic gold

Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron of France won gold infigure skating ice danceat the2026 Winter Olympics. The U.S. ice dance pairMadison ChockandEvan Bateswon the silver medalwith a total of 224.39 points after scoring a 134.67 in their free dance.Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron of France perform during the Ice Dance Free Dance during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 11, 2026 in Milan.

Bonaly, a three-time World silver medalist, recalls her own podium moment. At the 1993 World Championship in Prague, Bonaly was awarded silver after landing seven triple jumps and a triple combination. Oksana Baiul had five triple jumps and no combinations in her program, but was awarded the gold over Bonaly.

The following year, Bonaly believed she did enough to claim an elusive World gold. But she narrowly missed the top of the podium again. During the medal ceremony, Bonaly removed the silver medal from around her neck as a symbol of protest.

"It was difficult to fight all the time against all those barrier against me," Bonaly added.

The crowd booed and the removal of her medal was viewed as poor sportsmanship, but Bonaly said she was tired of the unfair treatment and a system that undervalued her athleticism and skill.

"Our sport is so subjective. It's not like with a swimming time, you just click your time ... and can see exactly what the number was," Bonaly said. "In skating, it all depends ... look at (Thursday) at the competition with ice dance."

Surya Bonaly is a French retired figure skater and coach best known as the only Olympic athlete to land a backflip on one blade, a move she performed at the 1998 Winter Olympics. Born on December 15, 1973, in Nice, she became one of the most decorated skaters of her time, earning…pic.twitter.com/RUd1KlwsU3

— Fascinating (@fasc1nate)February 4, 2026

In the free skate, Chock and Bates finished with a 76.75 technical elements score and a 57.92 program components score following a clean skate that many perceived as flawless. France's Beaudry and Cizeron finished with a higher technical elements score of 77.06 and a program components score of 58.58 despite several missteps.

"Within competition ... the top performance will win. We don't care which one, but it has to be the top," Bonaly said. "For me ... we know it was American team. (Cizeron), even though I'm a big fan of him and he is a great dancer and he has a perfect technique, he did make some mistakes and somehow the judge didn't acknowledge (the) mistakes ... I saw two mistakes."

Bonaly isn't sure how judging can be improved to be more objective, but she declared that "something has to be changed," because the system that failed her decades ago is still flawed: "It has to be more fair and that's it ... I'm sick and tired of seeing some people who should have won miss it and just lose ... It has to be more clear."

Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States skate after receiving silver medals during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena.

Bonaly was featured on a 2019 episode ofNetflix's "Losers,"where she shared some advice to a group of young Black skaters breaking into a sport that is both beautiful, but unforgiving. The episode is titled "Judgment," which Bonaly faced throughout her entire career. Yet, it gave her perspective she teaches to her skating students.

"Sometime it's hard. Many days you feel like crying, but winning a competition, it's not the important thing in life," Bonaly said in the episode. "You don't have to wait for a medal to make your life different ... A medal is nice, but ... it's superficial. It's not real. If you give 100% and you know there was no other way, you did the best, well, feel good about it."

It's a philosophy Chock and Bates have embraced. After the ice dance free skate result brought them to tears on Thursday, Chock and Bates said their perfromance, likely the last dance of their Olympic careers, was a "gold medal performance."

"We did what we had to do," Chock said. "Sometimes you do your very best and it's not always what you hope in the result, but we feel confident in knowledge that we did our job and we wouldn't change anything about what we've done or how we went about doing it."

Contributing: Jordan Mendoza

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast.Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Surya Bonaly reacts to Chock, Bates upset: Americans were top team

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Deion Sanders and girlfriend reveal Valentine's Day plans — no Red Lobster

12:22:00 AM
Deion Sanders and girlfriend reveal Valentine's Day plans — no Red Lobster

Colorado football coachDeion Sanderswon't be going to Red Lobster for Valentine's Day, as he might prefer, but he otherwise does have a special weekend planned withhis girlfriend Karrueche Tran.

USA TODAY Sports

It includes an early dinner at 4:30 p.m. because Tran says he gets "cranky" after 6:30. It also includes a date at a spa. Just don't expect Sanders to sit there while Tran gets a massage from another man.

"That's not gonna happen," Sanders said.

Tran and Sanders revealed these Valentine's details Thursday, Feb. 12, on"We Got Time Today,"a weekly talk show on Tubico-hosted by Sanders and Rocsi Diaz. Sanders put Tran on the phone during the show to talk about it.

"If I left it up to you, we would be at Red Lobster," Tran told Sanders.

"For the seafood lover in me," Sanders replied.

OOPS:Why Devin Hester's help was among two Colorado NCAA violations

In lieu of that, Tran said, "We have a cute little weekend planned."

They plan to enjoy "jazz night" at 6 p.m. Friday, which comes after "linner," a meal that comes in the traditional time between lunch and dinner — about 4:30.

"I have to eat linner," said Sanders, who likes to go to bed early and alsohates late football games. "I can't do dinner. Because if I do dinner, it ain't gonna be no more. So we do linner, like a late lunch."

"You get cranky after like 6:30," Tran told him.

The couple also plans a train ride through the mountains this weekend, plus another dinner and a "beautiful hotel at an undisclosed place."

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"And I'm forcing you to go to the spa," Tran told Sanders. "Because he doesn't love the spa."

"I don't need nobody rubbing on me, I'm straight, I'm good" Sanders said.

"OK, but you're gonna get a facial," Tran said.

"I don't mind a facial, but ain't nobody rubbing on me," Sanders told Tran. "Like, you want to get a couples massage? So… you want me to sit there and watch a dude rub on you? That's not gonna happen…. I don't get down like that."

"He's just doing his job," Tran said.

"He won't do his job while I'm sitting there," Sanders said. "You buck naked right beside me, and a dude rubbing on you. And I supposed to be good with that? You lost your mind."

"I feel like every man has had this conversation when it comes to massages," Diaz said.

Tran tried to reassure Sanders.

"You're my man," she said.

"She better be a woman," Sanders replied.

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer@Schrotenboer. Email: bschroten@usatoday.com

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:What is Deion Sanders doing for Valentine's Day? His date has plans

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12.2.26

Indonesia readies up to 8,000 troops in first firm commitment to Gaza peacekeeping force

11:42:00 PM
Indonesia readies up to 8,000 troops in first firm commitment to Gaza peacekeeping force

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia has begun training a contingent of up to 8,000 soldiers it plans to send as part of an international peacekeeping force toGaza, the first firm commitment to a critical element of U.S. President Donald Trump's postwarreconstruction plan.

Indonesia has experience in peacekeeping operations as one of the top 10 contributors to United Nations missions,including in Lebanon, and has been deeply involved in providing humanitarian aid to Gaza, including funding a hospital.

But many Indonesians are skeptical of PresidentPrabowo Subianto's plans to joinWashington's proposed Board of Peaceand participate in the International Security Force with only vague details so far on how they will operate, seeing it as simply kowtowing to Trump's agenda as the two countries negotiate a trade deal.

"We need to be careful to ensure that our military personnel are not supporting the Israeli military forces," said Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat, a Middle East expert with Jakarta's Center of Economic and Law Studies. "We need to be careful that our military forces are not fighting against wrong actors."

The ISF's mandate remains unclear

U.N. peacekeeping forces all have clear and strict mandates, but since the Board of Peace and ISF will operate outside the U.N., many wonder how the troops will be used, and who will pay for them. Last year's ceasefire agreement broadly says that the ISF will "provide support to vetted Palestinian police forces in Gaza" and will "work with Israel and Egypt to help secure border areas."

Indonesia currently is paid by the U.N. for the troops it sends to serve as peacekeepers, but people fear it will have to pick up the tab for the troops sent to Gaza, as well asa possible $1 billion payment for a permanent placeon the Board of Peace, as outlined in a draft charter.

Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim country and firmly supports a two-state solution in the Mideast, and officials have justified joining the Board of Peace by saying it was necessary to defendPalestinian interestsfrom within, since Israel is included on the board but there is no Palestinian representation.

"Indonesia sees the importance of the involvement of the parties to the conflict as part of the process towards peace," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Yvonne Mewengkang said this week.

She said Indonesia would use its membership to "ensure that the entire process remains oriented towards the interests of Palestine and respects the basic rights of the Palestinian people, as well as encouraging the realization of a two-state solution."

The Jakarta Post slammed that kind of reasoning in an editorial, however, saying that an "independent Palestinian state, if it emerges at all, is likely decades away."

"Indonesia will end up paying $1 billion long before any meaningful outcome is achieved," Abdul Khalik wrote. "And if Indonesia eventually withdraws in frustration, it will have already spent vast resources; financial, diplomatic and political, for nothing."

Trump seen as overstepping the UN

The Board of Peace was initially envisioned as a small group of world leaders overseeing Trump'splan for Gaza's future. But the U.S. president has since said he sees the board as a mediator of worldwide conflicts, sidestepping the mandate of the U.N.

Prabowo, a former army general who has been keen to raise Indonesia's profile on the world stage, quickly accepted Trump's offer for a place on the Board of Peace and made an initial pledge of 20,000 Indonesian troops as peacekeepers during his speech at theUnited Nations General Assembly.

An online petition started by a group of Muslim scholars and activists questions joining a body that ostensibly promotes peace, but whose proposed chairman for life will be Trump, citing his threats to take Greenland, the seizure ofthen-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and the American veto of a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for a Gaza ceasefire last year.

"In our belief, peace will be difficult to achieve by a country or a leader of a country who repeatedly uses his veto power to prevent the occurrence of peace itself," reads the petition, which calls for Indonesia to withdraw from the Board of Peace and has gotten more than 9,000 signatures so far.

"The BoP faces serious legitimacy problems, both normatively, structurally and morally."

Indonesia's military readies troops despite lack of guidance

About 100 protesters against Indonesia's involvement gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta on Friday, holding signs with slogans like "Bored of peace?" and "Free Gaza."

Earlier this week, Indonesian Army Chief of Staff Gen. Maruli Simanjuntak said that training had begun for the peacekeepers, even though Indonesia has yet to receive any guidance on what types of personnel were needed.

He said Indonesia now envisions sending between 5,000 to 8,000 troops.

"We have started training personnel who might later serve as peacekeepers," he said. "So that means engineering, medical units - the types often deployed."

Despite the skepticism at home, the idea of Indonesians serving as peacekeepers in Gaza is seen in the region as a good one, said Hassan Jouni, a Qatar-based analyst who was formerly a Lebanese army general. Indonesia, he said, is viewed as an "honest and acceptable broker" by both sides in the conflicts in Lebanon and Gaza.

"Indonesia is a Muslim country... and its religious identity gives it a large distinction in its security participation as part of the peacekeeping forces in the Arab region," he said. "At the same time, it does not pose a strategic threat to Israel."

While Indonesia and Israel do not have formal diplomatic ties and Indonesia has been supportive of the rights of the Palestinians, it has not taken a directly confrontational stance toward Israel similar to some other Muslim-majority powers such as Turkey and Iran.

"From this point of view, the participation of Indonesian forces in southern Lebanon comes in a balanced and effective manner," he said, and it may be expected to do the same in Gaza.

Many are looking for clarity toward the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace next week in Washington, where other countries are expected to announce troop commitments of their own.

Prabowo plans to attend in person and is expected to also sign the new trade deal while there, and the Center of Economic and Law Studies' Rakhmat said he didn't think he would be swayed by public sentiment.

"I don't think the domestic opposition would significantly change the decision of Indonesia in joining the BoP," he said.

Rising reported from Bangkok. Abby Sewell in Beirut contributed to this story.

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UN approves 40-member scientific panel on the impact of artificial intelligence over US objections

11:42:00 PM
UN approves 40-member scientific panel on the impact of artificial intelligence over US objections

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly Thursday to approve a 40-member global scientific panel on theimpacts and risks of artificial intelligence, with the United States strongly objecting.

Associated Press

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who established the panel, called the adoption "a foundational step towardglobal scientific understanding of AI."

"In a world where AI is racing ahead," he said, "this panel will provide what's been missing — rigorous, independent scientific insight that enables all member states, regardless of their technological capacity, to engage on an equal footing."

He has described it as the first fully independent global scientific body dedicated to bridging the knowledge gap in AI and assessing its real-world economic and social impacts.

The vote in the 193-member assembly was 117-2, with the United States and Paraguay voting "no" and Tunisia and Ukraine abstaining. America's allies in Europe, Asia and elsewhere voted in favor along with Russia, China and many developing countries.

U.S. Mission counselor Lauren Lovelace called the panel "a significant overreach of the U.N.'s mandate and competence" and said "AI governance is not a matter for the U.N. to dictate."

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As the world leader in AI, the United States is resolved to do all it can to accelerate AI innovation and build up its infrastructure, she said, andthe Trump administrationwill support "like-minded nations working together to encourage the development of AI in line with our shared values."

"We will not cede authority over AI to international bodies that may be influenced by authoritarian regimes seeking to impose their vision of controlled surveillance societies," Lovelace said, adding that the Trump administration is concerned about "the non-transparent way" the panel was chosen.

Guterres said the 40 members were selected from more than 2,600 candidates after an independent review by the International Telecommunications Union, the U.N. Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies and UNESCO, the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. They will serve for three-year terms.

Members are predominantly AI experts but also come from other disciplines and include Maria Ressa, a Filipino journalist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate in 2021.

There are two Americans on the panel: Vipin Kumar, a University of Minnesota professor focusing on AI, data mining and high-performance computing research, and Martha Palmer, a retired University of Colorado professor and linguistics expert whose research includes capturing the meaning of words for complex sentences in AI.

There are two Chinese experts on the panel: Song Haitao, dean of Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Research Institute, and Wang Jian, an expert in cloud-computing technology at the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

Ukraine said it abstained because it objected to Russia's Andrei Neznamov, an expert in AI regulation, ethics, and governance, being on the panel.

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Jeanine Pirro files a $250,000 negligence suit in New York over a trip-and-fall

11:42:00 PM
Jeanine Pirro files a $250,000 negligence suit in New York over a trip-and-fall

RYE, N.Y. (AP) —Jeanine Pirro,the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, has filed a $250,000 negligence lawsuit against her suburban hometown north of New York City and a power utility after claiming she tripped and fell while out walking.

Pirro said she tripped over a large wooden block protruding from a steel plate in a roadway on Aug. 28 in the Westchester County city of Rye, just weeks after she wasconfirmed as the Trump administration's top prosecutorfor the District of Columbia.

The plate was covering excavation related to gas-main work for Consolidated Edison, according to an amended complaint filed Wednesday in state court.

"As a result of defendants' negligence, Ms. Pirro sustained serious personal injuries, including but not limited to bruises and contusions to the head, eye, face, and shoulder areas, together with pain, discomfort, and limitation of movement," according to the complaint, initially filed last month.

The 74-year-old former Fox News host was confined to bed, required medical attention and "continues to experience pain and suffering," according to the filing.

Representatives for Pirro, Con Ed and Rye declined to comment on the pending litigation Thursday.

In a motion to dismiss the claim, an attorney for Rye wrote that it "can hardly be said that the City was negligent in a duty to pedestrians at a location that was not a pedestrian walkway." An attorney for Con Ed wrote in a separate court filing seeking dismissal that all the dangers and risks related to the incident "were open, obvious and apparent."

Pirro has served as both a judge and the district attorney for Westchester County.

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