GREEN MAG

MILAN (AP) — TheMilan Cortina Winter Gamesare themost spread-outin Olympic history.

Milan Cortina Spread Out Games Olympics

For the organizers of the Feb. 6-22 Games, it was a choice to use existing infrastructure as much as possible, but this means no central hub and strategic choices for spectators. The Games will span over 22,000 square kilometers (8,500 square miles).

Here is what it means in practical terms.

Choices and strategies

For any visitor to the Games, it would be extraordinary difficulty to see ice sports in Milan, men's Alpine skiing in Bormio, snowboarding in Livigno, cross-country skiing in Predazzo, biathlon in Anterselva and women's Alpine skiing in Cortina, before heading to the closing ceremony in Verona.

It's a circuit that covers over 850 kilometers (530 miles) and would amount to nearly 13 hours of non-stop driving.

Organizers sought to take advantage of existing infrastructure but there still been hiccups getting theCortina sliding venueand theSantagiulia ice hockey arenain the city of Milan finished on time.

Spreading out the Games reduced the number of new structures, and allowed more areas in northern Italy to benefit from the investments and tourim that come with such big events.

But it also deprives the Games of one emotional center, meaning spectators must make hard choices about which events to attend, and athletes will have difficulty cheering on teammates in far-flung disciplines.

A complex itinerary

Mona Patel, a Los Angeles-based lawyer, and her partner worked out an itinerary months in advance to attend men's downhill skiing and snowboarding in the Valtellina cluster near the Swiss border, as well as bobsled and luge in Cortina d'Ampezzo.

They hope to catch skating events in Milan on the way in and out of Italy. If they pull it all off, they will have hit three of the four Olympic clusters.

To make it work, they booked one accommodation in Valtellina and another in South Tyrol, putting them in range for their selected mountain events and allowing them to hit the slopes themselves.

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Patel said the complex itinerary was made affordable through HomeExchange — she used points she had built up by putting her own real estate in California on the exchange platform, and spending them for places in Italy.

"Our priority is to see Olympic events," Patel said. "If there is going to be a powder day, we would love to get out. Sometimes if there is an event in the afternoon or evening, we can do both. We are not daunted by the distances."

Making it a family experience

This will be Lars Thorn's sixth Olympics, but the first for his wife and two young children. Coming from southern California, he ruled out outdoor competitions because of the cold weather and decided to focus on ice sports in Milan. Distance was another factor — though he is sorry to missLindsey Vonn, who is still hoping to compete in Cortina despite a weekend knee injury.

"With two little kids, being outside in the elements doesn't lend itself to a family experience," Thorn said.

He's planning to take his 5-year-old son to long track speed skating and men's and women's hockey — all reachable by public transport in Milan — while his wife and daughter take in Milan's sights.

His next Olympics will be close to home in Los Angeles, where he will be able to walk to four venues from home and reach another seven by a quick ferry ride — a logistical contrast from Milan Cortina.

The first Olympics with 2 hub cities

The headliners of Friday's opening ceremony, likeMariah Careyand Andrea Bocelli, will perform in Milan's San Siro Stadium. But to ensure that all competitors from the far-flung venues can participate in the Parade of Athletes,elements of the ceremonywill be broadcast from Livigno, Predazzo and Cortina.

With these also being the first Olympics with two hub cities and with events clustered in four areas, organizers also had to find housing not only in Milan and Cortina, but in four other sites: Anterselva near the Austrian border, Bormio and Livigno near the Swiss border, and the Val di Fiemme in the Trentino autonomous province.

Milan is the only city getting a legacy Olympic Village, which will become housing for 1,700 students after the Games. A temporary village was built in Cortina; existing hotels and facilities were adapted in the other locations.

The last time Italy hosted the Winter Games, in Turin 2006, spectators buzzed about the medals ceremony each day in the center of the city, which became a focal point of the Olympic spirit. Because of the distances, medal ceremonies in Milan Cortina will be held at the venues immediately after the competitions.

"If you have tickets to an event, it's nice to see the crowning of the champion," Thorn said. But he added that the Olympic Plaza in Salt Lake City, as in Turin, created a unique atmosphere.

"That, I think, is one of the highlights, for the city to feel like they are part of it," Thorn said.

Defending national champion Florida and runner-up Houston are climbing in USA TODAY Sports' latest men's basketball bracketology update.

After a sluggish start that included non-conference losses to Arizona, TCU, Duke and Connecticut, theGatorshave moved to a No. 3 seed and within a half-game of first place in the SEC.

Florida has lost just twice in nearly two months and now has a combined 10 Quad 1 and 2 wins. On Sunday, the Gators shot 51.3% from the field and had a plus-16 turnover margin in a 100-77 win against Alabama.

Meanwhile, Houston steps up to the No. 2 line after rebounding from a road loss to Texas Tech with wins against TCU and Cincinnati.

After playing just four true away games to date, the Cougars are set to face a daunting Big 12 road slate down the stretch, including dates at Brigham Young, Iowa State and Kansas.

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Notable fallers in the bracket include No. 3 seed Nebraska, which has recently lost high-profile conference games against Michigan and Illinois, and No. 6 seed Arkansas, which drops a line after losing at home to Kentucky.

March Madness bracketology projection for NCAA Tournament

March Madness Last four in

UCLA, New Mexico, Ohio State, Santa Clara.

March Madness First four out

Miami (Fla.), Virginia Tech, Seton Hall, Missouri.

NCAA tournament bids conference breakdown

Multi-bid leagues:Big Ten (11), SEC (10), ACC (7) Big 12 (7), Big East (3), Mountain West (3), West Coast (3).

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:March Madness bracketology: Houston, Florida top tournament projection

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has no doubt that Bill Belichick will eventually be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

But after the longtimeNew England Patriots head coach reportedly missed out on making it this yearin his first year of eligibility, something that ended up being incredibly controversial in football circles, Goodell made it clear that neither he nor the league have anything to do with the process.

"We are not involved in it," Goodell said on Monday ahead ofSuper Bowl LX,via ESPN. "Bill Belichick's record goes without saying, same with the Patriots and Robert Kraft, who is also a candidate. They are spectacular. They have contributed so much to this game, and I believe they will be Hall of Famers."

News broke last week that Belichick, who won six Super Bowl rings during his time leading the Patriots, had not earned enough votes to make it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. That led to an outcry in the NFL world, and plenty ofspeculation as to why.

One of the theories was Belichick's role in the "Spygate" scandal in 2007. Atleast 11 of the 50 voters opted not to vote in Belichick, and one of the members in that room reportedly claimed there were voters who voiced their concerns about Spygate before voting. Others, though, have said there were few of them that Belichick not making it in was still a shock.

ESPN initially reported that Bill Polian even made the case in the room that Belichick should have to wait a year for the cheating scandals that happened under his watch, which led to a wild back-and-forth saga that finallylanded on Polian confirming he voted for Belichick.

Like Goodell mentioned, Belichick is almost certainly going to end up in the Hall of Fame eventually. He went 302-165 and won the Super Bowl six times during his 29 seasons as a head coach in the NFL, and helped build a true dynasty with Tom Brady in New England. Though there were certainly rough moments, and his split with the organization was tumultuous, Belichick is undoubtedly one of the top coaches in NFL history.

When he does end up in Canton, however, is still anybody's guess. But, at least in Goodell's eyes, he belongs.

By Nate Raymond and Andrew Chung

Feb 2 (Reuters) - A federal judge on Monday blocked the Trump administration from revoking legal protections for more than 350,000 Haitians in the U.S., preventing their potential deportation to a country that has been ravaged ​by gang violence.

U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes in Washington, D.C., halted the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's effort to terminate Haiti's ‌Temporary Protected Status. The move would have taken effect on Wednesday despite spiraling violence there that has displaced more than 1.4 million people.

Reyes, who was appointed by Democratic former President ‌Joe Biden, issued the ruling in a class-action lawsuit brought by Haitians seeking to stop the administration from exposing them to deportation by ending their legal status.

Reyes said in the ruling that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem likely violated the procedures required to terminate the protected status of Haitian immigrants in the U.S. as well as the U.S. Constitution's Fifth Amendment guarantee of equal protection under the law.

"Plaintiffs charge that Secretary Noem preordained her termination decision ⁠and did so because of hostility to nonwhite immigrants. ‌This seems substantially likely," Reyes wrote.

The law firm representing the plaintiffs, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, praised the ruling, noting that Haiti remains extremely dangerous.

"This ruling recognizes the grave risks Haitian TPS holders would face if forced to ‍return, and it ensures that they can remain here in the United States – as legislated by Congress - to continue their lives, contributing to their communities, and supporting their families," the firm said in a statement.

TPS is available to people whose home country has experienced a natural disaster, armed conflict or other extraordinary event. It ​provides eligible migrants with work authorization and temporary protection from deportation.

The Department of Homeland Security has moved to end the status for about ‌a dozen countries as part of President Donald Trump's crackdown on immigration, saying TPS was always meant to be temporary and not a "de facto amnesty program."

Department spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin indicated in a social media post that the ruling would be appealed.

"Haiti's TPS was granted following an earthquake that took place over 15 years ago, it was never intended to be a de facto amnesty program, yet that's how previous administrations have used it for decades. Temporary means temporary and the final word will not be from an activist judge legislating from the bench," McLaughlin said.

Haitians were first ⁠given TPS in 2010, after a devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck their country. The ​U.S. has repeatedly extended the status, most recently under the Biden administration in July ​2024.

The department at that time extended TPS for another 18 months through February 3, 2026, citing "simultaneous economic, security, political, and health crises" in Haiti, fueled by gangs and a lack of a functioning government.

Shortly after Trump took office, his administration ‍tried to curtail those humanitarian protections ⁠for Haitians in February 2025, when Noem moved to truncate the Biden-era extension so it would expire in August.

After a federal judge in New York in July ruled Noem lacked statutory authority to do so, her department in November moved to terminate Haiti's TPS status, ⁠saying there were "no extraordinary and temporary conditions" in the country that would prevent migrants from returning.

UNICEF estimated in October that over 6 million people - more than half the population, ‌including 3.3 million children - need humanitarian assistance.

(Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston and additional reporting by Ismail Shakil and Andrew ‌Chung; Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi, Lisa Shumaker, Cynthia Osterman and Michael Perry)

Feb 2 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department's release of millions of internal documents related to Jeffrey Epstein has revealed the late financier and sex offender's ties to many prominent people in politics, finance, academia and business - both before and after he pleaded guilty in 2008 to prostitution charges, including soliciting an underage girl. Evidence in multiple legal and criminal cases has also shed light on these connections.

Epstein was arrested again in 2019 on federal charges of sex trafficking of minors. ​His 2019 death in a Manhattan jail cell was ruled a suicide.

The Justice Department has warned that the material could include faked images or untrue allegations, as well as pornographic material. On Monday, the Department said it had removed several thousand documents ‌that inadvertently identified some of Epstein's victims.

The Justice Department's No. 2 official, Todd Blanche, has said the material did not amount to evidence of criminal sexual activity by those named in the files.

Here are some of the prominent people whose ties to Epstein are revealed in the material released by the Justice Department.

DONALD TRUMP

Trump socialized extensively with Epstein in ‌the 1990s and 2000s, and is quoted in a magazine profile during that period as saying that Epstein likes women "on the younger side." Documents released by the Justice Department include photos of Trump with several women whose faces are redacted and a suggestive note to Epstein, framed by the outline of a naked woman, which appears to bear Trump's signature. Evidence and testimony submitted in the 2021 trial of Epstein's associate Ghislaine Maxwell indicate Trump traveled on Epstein's plane multiple times. Epstein wrote in one email that Trump "knew about the girls," though it is not clear what he meant.

Trump has denied any knowledge of Epstein's crimes and says he broke off ties in the early 2000s, before Epstein's plea deal. He denies ever flying on Epstein's plane and says the suggestive note was faked.

BILL CLINTON

The former U.S. president socialized with Epstein and flew on his plane several times in the early 2000s, after Clinton ⁠left office. Photos released by the Justice Department show him swimming and posing with women whose faces ‌are redacted. Clinton has denied wrongdoing and says he regrets his past association with Epstein.

ANDREW MOUNTBATTEN-WINDSOR

The former Prince Andrew, Duke of York, maintained a social relationship with Epstein and has been stripped of his royal title due to the association. The Justice Department sought his cooperation in multiple criminal investigations but was rebuffed. He also settled a lawsuit brought by one of Epstein's victims in 2022, making an undisclosed payment without admitting wrongdoing. The ‍Justice Department files include several photos of him with women, including one where he is kneeling over a woman and another showing him lying across the laps of several women.

Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently denied any wrongdoing and has expressed regret for his friendship with Epstein. He has said he never saw any sex crimes.

HOWARD LUTNICK

Trump's Commerce Secretary apparently visited Epstein's private island for lunch in 2012 and invited him to a fundraiser in 2015 for Hillary Clinton, Trump's Democratic rival in the 2016 presidential election, emails show. That would contradict Lutnick's claim that he vowed never to "be in a room" with Epstein following a 2005 incident in which the financier ​showed Lutnick a massage table at his townhouse and made a sexually suggestive comment. The former Cantor Fitzgerald CEO lived next door to Epstein in New York at the time. A Commerce Department spokesperson said Lutnick had limited interactions with Epstein and has never been ‌accused of wrongdoing.

The billionaireTeslaCEO asked Epstein if he had any parties planned on his island in 2012 but apparently decided not to visit. Epstein responded that "the ratio on my island" might make Musk's female companion uncomfortable, without elaborating further. Musk invited Epstein to visit him for drinks on another island a few days later, but it is unclear whether they met up. Musk said on Saturday he had few interactions with Epstein and turned down repeated invitations to visit the island or fly on Epstein's plane.

LARRY SUMMERS

The former U.S. Treasury Secretary and Harvard University president flew on Epstein's jet several times as far back as 1998 and met with him to discuss economic and business matters while he served as president of Harvard. The two maintained a relationship as late as 2019, when email communications show Summers soliciting advice about a romantic interest. No evidence of wrongdoing has surfaced, but Summers stepped down from positions at Harvard,OpenAIand other prominent institutions in November following the release of those documents.

Summers said in November he was "deeply ashamed" of his actions and said he would step back from public commitments to "repair relationships with the ⁠people closest to me."

KEVIN WARSH

Trump's nominee to head the Federal Reserve appeared in an email from a publicist to Epstein listing 43 people, including celebrities such ​as Martha Stewart, headed to a Christmas gathering in 2010. It was not clear whether Warsh knew Epstein or why Epstein was sent the note, and Warsh has not ​yet responded to a request for comment.

MELANIA TRUMP

The files include a 2002 email from Trump's wife, Melania Trump, to Maxwell about a magazine piece on Epstein. "You look great," the email says.

The documents indicate Gates and Epstein met repeatedly after Epstein's prison term to discuss expanding theMicrosoftfounder's philanthropic efforts. They also include pictures of the Microsoft founder posing with women whose faces are redacted. Gates has said the relationship was confined to philanthropy-related discussions and ‍has said it was a mistake to meet with him.

The former ⁠JPMorgan and Barclays executive is listed as a participant in Epstein-hosted gatherings. He exchanged around 1,200 emails with Epstein between 2008 and 2012, some of which contained discussions about Disney characters and photographs of young women, according to court documents. Staley has denied knowing about Epstein's criminal activities. He was banned from the UK financial industry and has been sued by JPMorgan, which claims he concealed information about Epstein's misconduct.

PETER MANDELSON

UK police said Monday they are reviewing reports of alleged misconduct involving the veteran British politician, whose name ⁠surfaced more than 5,000 times in the Justice Department files. He was fired as ambassador to the U.S. last year after emails came to light that showed him calling Epstein "my best pal" and advising him on seeking early jail release. Mandelson has apologized to Epstein's victims. He has denied wrongdoing.

PETER ATTIA

The wellness influencer's name appears more than ‌1,700 times in the latest trove of documents released by the Justice Department. He said on social media he met with Epstein seven or eight times at his New York City home between 2014 and 2019, but never witnessed illegal ‌activity or saw Epstein accompanied by anyone who appeared to be underage.

(Reporting by Andy Sullivan in Washington; Editing by Craig Timberg and Matthew Lewis)