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NEED TO KNOW

• Alysa Liu explained the backstory behind her "smiley" lip piercing that was on full display at the 2026 Winter Olympics

• The Team USA figure skater's lip jewelry is only visible when she grins wide enough to reveal her gums

• Liu won a gold medal in the women's single and team event at the 2026 Winter Olympics

Alysa Liuhas a golden smile!

The 20-year-old Team USA figure skater showed off some medal even before winning her medals (two gold medals, to be clear) at the2026 Winter Olympics, where fans got a close-up look at her lip piercing. The athlete also shared the unexpected origin of her look.

During an interview, Liu — who's become synonymous for her incomparable athletic abilities, her perky personality and unique fashion flair — toldtold NBC affiliate TMJ4 Newsabout her lip bling, which is technically known as a frenulum piercing.

Jamie Squire/Getty

"I pierced it a little over two years ago now," she told the outlet ahead of the Winter Games, where she placed first in women's singles and team programs. "I had my sister hold up my lip, and I was looking in the mirror, and I had my piercing needle and then — yeah, I just put it through."

A frenulum piercing passes through a small, thin fold of tissue — aka, the frenulum — connecting two parts of the body, in this case the upper lip to the gums. The jewelry is only seen when the wearer grins wide enough to reveal the gum line, hence the "smiley" nickname.

The piercing isn't the only fashion-forward move Liu rocked at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Her hair also caught the attention of many due to thebold, bleached rings— or as she calls them, "halos" — that wrap around her dark brown locks.

Liu explained the significance behind her unique hairstyle when speaking with media at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships prior to the Winter Games. When asked about whether she plans to keep the look for the Olympics, she confirmed "it'll be the same."

Xue Yuge/Xinhua via Getty

Then Liu shared why she chooses to bleach her dark brown locks in "ring" formation.

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"I do this every year. I add a stripe, so it's going to be like this for a year. Then next year wintertime, like end of December, I do another ring," she said when speaking withNBC New York, who asked about her 'do.

The decorated athlete said her current hairstyle has been three years in the making, which explains why she has three bleached rings in her hair.

"So this one I did at the end of 2023, then did another one in 2024 and 2025," she shared, pointing to each ring as she proudly broke it down.

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Before winning gold at the 2026 Winter Games, Liu — who retired from figure skating in 2022 before finding joy in the sport again in 2024 — has become a fan favorite of Team USA, beloved for her bold personality and transparency with her fans.

Some may consider her a role model, though Liu said she's not totally convinced, telling PEOPLE, "I don't know if I really want to be a role model, I would say, but I guess I am."

Still, she's fully on board with those who find her alt style iconic: "That's really awesome."

"I'm just doing me," Liu continued, "so, it's cool if I'm inspiring any other people. I just have a certain fashion sense and I'm kind of stubborn with it, so it'll always come through."

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The NFL may be getting closer to allowing replay officials to throw penalty flags during games.

The league's competition committee is discussing this week in Indianapolis the possibility of allowing replay officials to throw flags for non-football acts during games,according to ESPN.

"You don't just want to be expanding the Pandora's box, but we believe that things like the non-football act, you can really, really restrict what that is," NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent said. "That's something that we believe that potentially there's a little bit of tweaking in the language, that may be the first step."

Though the chance would be extremely limited, and wouldn't be able to change anything football-related, Vincent noted a pair of incidents from last season in which the rules official would have been able to throw a flag if this were in place.

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The most notable incident came during Super Bowl LX, when New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs and Seattle Seahawks cornerback Josh Jobe got into it on the sideline.Jobe threw a punch that drilled Diggs in the facemaskin the fourth quarter of that game.

The contest continued once the two were separated, and no flag was thrown.

Had the on-site replay official been allowed, they could have thrown a penalty or even ejected Jobe for the punch in the moment. Instead, as nothing was assessed in real time, neither Jobe nor Diggs were penalized.

Vincent was admittedly hesitant about the possible change and knows how frustrating it could be for a player to be hit with a delayed penalty like that during a game.

"That may be the first step in getting to putting flags on the field," he said. "I just think in the era of legalized sports betting, just as a former player, I would've found it very difficult to be at Lincoln Financial [Field], a big play occurred, nothing happened real-time in the stadium and then all of a sudden, 10, 12 or 25 seconds later before the ball snapped again, I see [a flag] on the field before the next snap. I don't know."

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Seth Trimble scored a career-high 30 points and hit two key free throws with 12.3 seconds left to help No. 18 North Carolina hold off No. 24 Louisville 77-74 on Monday night.

Louisville North Carolina Basketball

Trimble's free throws made it a two-possession game after Louisville had chopped UNC's 16-point second-half lead all the way down to 74-71.

Freshman Mikel Brown Jr. hit a desperation 3-pointer with 1.3 seconds left to pull Louisville within 76-74. The Cardinals were able to foul Derek Dixon to extend the game with 0.8 seconds left, but Dixon made the second of his two free throws. Louisville had a final chance but Ryan Conwell couldn't get off the tying shot in time after catching a long inbounds heave.

Henri Veesaar and Luka Bogavac each added 12 points for the Tar Heels (22-6, 10-5 Atlantic Coast Conference), who again played without injured freshman starCaleb Wilson.

North Carolina shot 53.6% for the game but had a white-knuckle finish for the home fans by going just 7 of 13 from the foul line after halftime. UNC ran off a 17-2 run out of halftime to build a 56-40 lead on Trimble's steal and dunk that he punctuated with a triumphant scream.

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Brown, a high-end NBA prospect, scored 24 points while Conwell added 23 for the Cardinals (20-8, 9-6). Louisville shot 38.8% and went 14 of 39 from 3-point range. But Louisville missed its first 10 shots out of halftime and had to battle uphill the rest of the night.

Louisville led by 10 before UNC rallied to take a 39-38 lead at the break.

Up next

Louisville: The Cardinals visit Clemson on Saturday.

UNC: The Tar Heels host Virginia Tech on Saturday.

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By Julie Steenhuysen and Chad Terhune

Feb 24 (Reuters) - A dozen public health experts are arriving in South Carolina to help the state contain the largest U.S. measles outbreak in more than 30 years, but they're not coming from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The South Carolina Department of Public Health told Reuters it has ‌requested personnel from the nonprofit CDC Foundation instead. The foundation is an independent entity created by Congress to support the CDC through charitable contributions and grants from individuals, corporations ‌and other organizations.

Dr. Linda Bell, South Carolina's epidemiologist, said the foundation will provide at least 12 infectious disease experts to work full-time in the state for several months, "increasing our capacity for case investigation, contact tracing and data management." Some staff ​began working with South Carolina last week, according to the foundation, and more are scheduled to start next week.

The foundation is typically used as an auxiliary group to bolster the CDC response to an outbreak, but does not usually replace CDC staff, three former agency officials said. Under the administration of President Donald Trump, the CDC has faced a diminished role and has been without a permanent director since August.

In South Carolina, childhood immunization rates have declined in recent years as local political leaders and parents criticized the CDC's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and pushed back against COVID-related lockdowns and vaccine mandates. Amid the ‌current measles outbreak, South Carolina's Republican governor, Henry McMaster, has championed ⁠personal choice on vaccines.

Seeking assistance from the CDC Foundation "may be much more politically palatable than asking CDC to help," said Dan Jernigan, former director of the CDC's National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases.

In response to a large measles outbreak in Texas last year, a CDC official said the agency had ⁠deployed at least 15 personnel to assist state health officials. The CDC Foundation said Texas didn't request additional support.

Bell told Reuters the CDC generally provides scientists and medical officers for brief deployments of a few weeks. "This level of expertise does not necessarily fulfill our needs for support for daily job functions," she said.

South Carolina's measles outbreak has quickly become the nation's largest since 1992 with 973 cases reported as of Friday. At least 20 ​adults ​and children have been hospitalized.

During previous major outbreaks, the federal government has led the charge to encourage widespread vaccination ​and coordinate efforts among states to curb the spread of disease.

U.S. Health Secretary ‌Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has a history of anti-vaccine activism, has not made any major statements regarding the measles outbreak in South Carolina.

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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said it sent $1.4 million last month to South Carolina to aid in its measles response.

HHS in a statement said the "CDC continues to investigate transmission patterns and work closely with South Carolina health officials, including through regular coordination meetings," adding: "Vaccination remains the most effective way to prevent measles."

FOUNDATION ASSIST FOLLOWS FUNDING CUTS

Last year, South Carolina's public health department lost about $100 million in federal funding when HHS cut billions of dollars in COVID-era grants nationwide. Some of those federal grants supported childhood immunizations and laboratory testing for infectious diseases in South Carolina, according to the state.

Bell told Reuters that "CDC crisis response funds" were used ‌to hire some temporary staff to conduct case investigations and perform other outbreak-related activities. She also credited the ​CDC with providing assistance with testing, clinical advice and free vaccines.

When asked whether state officials directed the public health department ​not to request CDC personnel, Bell said her agency determined its staffing needs and ​that the CDC Foundation option best serves those needs.

Overall, there are about 90 public health department staff spending a majority of their time on the outbreak ‌response, according to Bell.

She said local staff are better suited when it comes ​to persuading residents to get vaccinated. "CDC cannot provide staff ​well known to the impacted community," she said.

The CDC Foundation said it would provide "12 public health professionals for a short-term surge" that could last up to six to eight months. The foundation said it is funding epidemiologists and data analysts who can help strengthen disease surveillance and accelerate case investigation.

The CDC's last permanent director, Susan Monarez, was fired in August ​after a series of clashes with Kennedy over vaccine policy and ‌dismissal of senior CDC staff. Last week, National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya was also named acting director of the CDC.

At a press briefing last week, Bell ​said it was encouraging that the number of new cases being reported in South Carolina had slowed. However, she warned, "we are not out of the woods."

(Reporting by ​Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago and Chad Terhune in Los Angeles; Editing by Caroline Humer and Bill Berkrot)

President Donald Trump is set to give the first State of the Union address of his second term on Tuesday amid a backdrop of looming midterm elections and lingering questions about the economy, immigration and foreign policy.

Trump's address comes aslawmakers are still at an impasseover funding for the Department of Homeland Security amid the administration's immigration crackdown -- and with the partial government shutdown in its second week. The United States'tensions with Iran,affordability and the economy, the upcoming high-impact midterm elections and theSupreme Court's recent rebuke of his tariffswill likely be topics the presidents touches on as well.

Though his allies have called Trump's second term transformative and historic on many fronts, his address comes as majorities of Americans disapprove of how the president is handling inflation, tariffs, relations with other countries, immigration and the economy, according to a recently releasedABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll.

Most Americans disapprove of Trump on issues; Americans don't trust Dems in Congress more to handle problems: Poll

Trump last delivered ajoint address to Congress in March-- the longest in history. On Monday, Trump previewed that this year's address with be "a long speech because we have so much to talk about."

Here's what you need to know about the speech and how to watch.

When is the State of the Union address?

Trump will speak before Congress at the Capitol on Tuesday at 9 p.m. EST.

The State of the Union is a presidential duty mandated in the Constitution, which calls for the president "from time to time to give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union."

Speaker Mike Johnsoninvited Trumpto speak before the joint session of Congress last month.

How to watch and stream the State of the Union

ABC News will air the State of the Union live at 9 p.m. EST, ABC News Live will stream special coverage starting at 7 p.m. EST and ABC News Digital will have a live blog with up-to-the-minute updates, key takeaways of the address and analysis.

"World News Tonight" Anchor and Managing Editor David Muir will lead coverage from Washington, featuring ABC News' political team, including "World News Tonight" Sunday and ABC News Live "Prime" Anchor Linsey Davis, Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce, "This Week" Co-anchor and Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz, "This Week" Co-anchor and Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl, Chief Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas, Senior Political Correspondent Rachel Scott and Correspondent Jay O'Brien.

Contributors Donna Brazile and Chris Christie along with former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy will provide analysis across ABC News' platforms, too.

Majority of Americans disapprove of how Trump is handling tariffs: ABC/Post/Ipsos poll

Muir will anchor a special edition of "World News Tonight with David Muir" from Washington on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. EST. "Good Morning America," "GMA3" and "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" will have pre- and post-show coverage of the State of the Union.

The speech is also set to stream live on the White House website, its YouTube and social media platforms.

An estimated 36.6 million people watched Trump's speech to Congress last year -- a 13% increase over former President Joe Biden's 2024 State of the Union address, according to Nielsen.

What is Trump expected to say?

While we don't yet know what Trump will say or announce during his address, it is expected that he will touch on tensions with Iran amidABC News' reportsthat he is considering a range of options for military strikes against Iran, including a possible limited strike aimed at enhancing the United States' negotiating position.

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When asked last week about the president's thinking on potentially striking Iran and whether he would address the topic during his State of the Union address, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt implied more information will become clear during his speech.

"I will say with respect to the State of the Union you'll be hearing more about what is to come from the president's speech very soon at the appropriate time. It is going to be a very good and powerful speech," Leavitt said.

Trump's role in global conflicts was the focus of a video theWhite House posted on Sunday, saying that the "the State of the Union is STRONG because America is RESPECTED again on the world stage."

Trump has claimed credit for ending a number of conflicts during his second term and taking limited military action to effect change.

Trump may also discuss his new tariff policy after the Supreme Court struck down most of his global tariffs, a key part of his economic policy, as illegal. Trump will face the Supreme Court justices in person on Tuesday night when he delivers his State of the Union address. The justices who attend are typically seated in front of the president in the first few rows.

Immigration, another key issue for the administration, will likely be discussed as Democrats demand changes to Immigration and Customs Enforcement after the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti -- both U.S. citizens -- at the hands of federal law enforcement in Minneapolis. Democrats' demands and the ongoing negotiations with Republicans and the White House have held up funding for DHS, causing an ongoing shutdown of the agency.

Trump continues to lash out at Supreme Court after tariff ruling

Who will be there?

The State of the Union marks one of the rare times all branches of government are under the same roof. The president, members of Congress and Supreme Court justices attend -- although all may not be there.

The speaker of the House and vice president sit behind the president while he speaks.

The White House and members of Congress typically invite guests with specific backgrounds and stories that are important to them both personally and politically -- people they want to thank, to honor or even to highlight a particular issue.

Democratic Reps. Jamie Raskin and Suhas Subramanyam shared their guests would be Sky and Amanda Roberts -- the brother and sister-in-law, respectively, of the late Virginia Roberts Giuffre, a survivor of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Who is speaking for the Democratic Party?

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger willdeliver the Democratic responseto Trump's State of the Union address.

Spanberger's 2025 win, which flipped control of the governor's mansion from red to blue, marked the first time a woman has held the position in Virginia.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said last week that in her speech, Spanberger "will lay out a clear path forward: lower everyday costs, protect healthcare, and defend the freedoms that define who we are as a nation."

California Sen. Alex Padilla will deliver the Spanish-language response.

Who is Abigail Spanberger? Virginia governor to deliver Democratic response to Trump's State of the Union address

Dozens of Democrats are poised to skip Trump's State of the Union address, opting instead to attend a counterprogram sponsored byMoveOn.orgon the National Mall. The optics of their absence may not be apparent inside the chamber, as the Senate, Cabinet, Supreme Court and other dignitaries fill the already-crowded space.

The majority of congressional Democrats are expected to attend. As Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said, "you don't let anyone ever run you off of your block." He has made the case for his caucus to show its presence without any shenanigans or outbursts after Democratic Rep. Al Greenwas ejectedandultimately censuredfor shaking his cane and shouting at Trump during last year's joint address.

ABC News' John Parkinson, Lauren Peller and Lalee Ibssa contributed to this report.