GREEN MAG

Russia's invasion of Ukrainefour years ago launched Europe's biggest conflict since World War II, causingimmense suffering for civiliansand harrowing ordeals for soldiers while rewriting thepost-Cold War security order.

Russia Ukraine War Anniversary

Thefighting enters its fifth yearon Tuesday, and it shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.

The U.S. hasbrokered talkswith delegations from Moscow and Kyiv as part of the Trump administration's yearlongpush for peace. But reconcilingkey differences, such as the future of Russian-occupied Ukrainian land and postwar security for Ukraine, has thwarted progress.

Meanwhile, thousands of each countries' troops havedied on the battlefield, and Ukrainian civilians have been battered byRussian aerial strikesthat have brought years of power outages and water cuts.

Here's a look at the conflict, by the numbers, since the full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022.

1.8 million

The upper end of the estimated number of soldierskilled, wounded or missingon both sides, according to a report last month by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank.

It estimated that Russia suffered 1.2 million casualties, including up to 325,000 troop deaths, between February 2022 and December 2025 — what it said was the largest number of troop deaths for any major power in any conflict since World War II.

Russia has not released figures on battlefield deaths since January 2023, when it said more than 80 soldiers were killed in a Ukrainian strike, bringing the total military deaths Moscow has confirmed to just over 6,000.

CSIS estimated that Ukraine has seen 500,000 to 600,000 military casualties, including up to 140,000 deaths.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier this month that 55,000 Ukrainian troops have died in the war. Many are missing, he said.

Neither Moscow nor Kyiv gives timely data on military losses. Independent verification is not possible.

14,999

The U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission's count for civilian deaths in Ukraine since Russia's all-out invasion, though it says that is likely an underestimate. More than 40,600 civilians were injured over the same period, it said in a December report.

The war has killed at least 763 children, according to the U.N.

Last year was the deadliest for civilians in Ukraine since 2022. The conflict killed 2,514 civilians and injured 12,142 in the country in 2025 — a 31% increase in civilian casualties over 2024, it said.

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19.4%

The percentage of Ukrainian land occupied by Russia, according to the Institute for the Study of War.

Over the past year, Russia has gained just 0.79% of Ukraine's territory in the grinding war of attrition, the Washington-based think tank said in calculations provided earlier this month to The Associated Press, underscoring the little progress Moscow's forces have made despite huge costs in troops and armor.

Before Russia's all-out invasion, it controlled nearly 7% of Ukraine, including Crimea and parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in the east, as Moscow-backed separatists fought the Ukrainian army, according to Ukrainian officials and Western analysts.

The percentage drop in foreign military aid to Kyiv last year compared with the annual average between 2022 and 2024, according to Germany's Kiel Institute, which tracks assistance to Kyiv.

U.S. President Donald Trump stopped sending American weapons paid for by the U.S. to Ukraine after he took office just over a year ago. European countries, striving to make up the difference, increased their military aid last year by 67% compared with the 2022-2024 period, the institute said in a report this month.

Foreign humanitarian and financial aid to Ukraine fell by 5% last year in comparison with the average in the previous three years, it said.

5.9 million

The number of Ukrainian civilians who have left their country.

Some 5.3 million of those people have found refuge in Europe, according to a report this month from the U.N. office in Ukraine.

Additionally, around 3.7 million Ukrainians forced out of their homes have moved elsewhere within the country, the U.N. said in December.

Ukraine's prewar population was more than 40 million.

2,851

The number of Russian attacks that affected the provision of medical care in Ukraine, according to the World Health Organization. The figure covers the period from the full-scale invasion through Feb. 11.

The attacks include 2,347 strikes on health care facilities, as well as ones that damaged vehicles and the storage of medical supplies.

Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine athttps://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Nemesio"El Mencho"Oseguera Cervantes was a feared Mexican drug lord and the leader of a ruthless cartel accused of masterminding efforts to push fentanyl into the United States.

Once a police officer, Oseguera went on to become one of the world's most wanted fugitives, with the United States alone offering a $15 million bounty for information leading to his arrest.

Oseguera, who formed and led the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), was an elusive figure who had been considered Mexico's most powerful cartel boss since Sinaloa kingpin Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán was arrested last decade.

Born in July 1966 in the western state of Michoacán, Oseguera later moved to the US and was deeply involved in drug trafficking from the 1990s, according to the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). In 1994, he was convicted in California for conspiracy to distribute heroin and served three years in a US prison.

After he returned to Mexico, he worked as a police officer in the western state of Jalisco but soon resumed his criminal activities, building his influence in the shadowy world of narcotics and rising to become the head of one of the country's most powerful and ruthless criminal empires.

Wanted by authorities in Mexico and the US, Oseguera or "El Mencho" kept a low profile – so much so that only a handful of photographs of him exist.

His death on Sundayin a Mexican military operation in Tapalpa, in the western coastal state of Jalisco, has triggered widespread unrest across parts of the country.

On the most-wanted list

Oseguera had a long career in brutality before forming CJNG. For a time, he served as chief of hitmen, or key enforcer, for the Milenio Cartel, before overseeing security and operational violence for the famed Sinaloa Cartel, whose former leader Guzmán is serving a life sentence in a US prison.

According to the DEA, CJNG emerged in the 2010s from the remnants of the Milenio Cartel, which splintered amid a power vacuum after its leader Óscar Nava Valencia was captured in 2009.

Oseguera built the group with Abigael González Valencia, leader of Los Cuinis – a family-based cartel operating in Michoacán, which served as the financial and logistical arm of CJNG and oversaw its "diverse network of money laundering operations," according to the DEA.

But it was only through marriage to Abigael's sister, Rosalinda González Valencia, that Oseguera gained real influence in the new entity.

"In reality, El Mencho reached the cartel's leadership through a strategy of diplomacy via marriage," public security analyst David Saucedo told CNN en Español. "He was indeed the chief of hitmen for 'Nacho' Coronel (a Sinaloa Cartel leader), but he lacked the lineage that Rosalinda, his wife, possessed," Saucedo added.

The burgeoning cartel quickly grew its sphere of influence to claim a significant presence across Mexico and became a key player in the global drug trade.

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It is a brutally violent operation responsible for assassination attempts on Mexican government officials and homicides against rival trafficking groups and Mexican law enforcement officers, according to the US State Department.

The cartel demonstrated its firepower in May 2015, when it responded to a security operation with simultaneous roadblocks across several municipalities and shot down a military helicopter. Three soldiers were killed in the clashes.

The following year, the gang was credited with abrazen kidnapping of Guzman's sonfrom a trendy restaurant in Puerto Vallarta. He was released a week later.

It wasn't long before the DEA added El Mencho to its most wanted list.

Sweeping drug network

CJNG is heavily involved in the production and trafficking of methamphetamine and fentanyl, with links to suppliers of chemical precursors in China, and controls several seaports for importing chemicals, according to US authorities.

The cartel is "a key supplier of illicit fentanyl" to the US, reaping "billions of dollars in profit," as well being one of the main suppliers of cocaine, according to the DEA.

The group has contacts in over 40 countries, including the Americas, as well as in Australia, China and Southeast Asia, according to the US State Department.

Mexico had been under pressure from US President Donald Trump to do more to limit the flow of drugs to the US.

The US designated CJNG as a terrorist organization in February 2025, and Oseguera had already been indicted multiple times in the United States, including being charged in 2022 with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine, cocaine and fentanyl for importation into the United States.

The death of "El Mencho" on Sunday has created turmoil across the country. But it won't necessarily cripple the JNGC's multi-billion drug trade.

The DEA says the gang is structured like a franchise business, and according to Eduardo Guerrero, director of Mexican consulting group Lantia Intelligence, it is composed of around 90 organizations.

"This fragmentation has meant that you'll need a more complex, more sophisticated strategy to weaken and dismember them," Guerrero told CNN earlier this year.

The Mexican military and police, backed by US intelligence and equipment have tried taking out kingpins before. But others emerged to take their place, and tons of drugs continued to flow over the US border.

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The Justice Department's release ofmillions of filesrelating to its investigation into the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has shaken the upper echelons of power across the globe, resulting in high-profile firings and resignations in the U.S. and abroad and a number of active criminal investigations overseas.

Here's a look at those who've been affected to date by the information released under theEpstein Files Transparency Act, the law that shone a light on the surprisingly wide network of rich and powerful people who interacted with the politically connected convicted sex offender, who died in 2019 while awaiting trial on trafficking charges.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor

The former Prince Andrew was officially stripped of his royal titles in late 2025 as a result of his ties with Epstein, given new scrutiny after the House Oversight Committee released a trove of files last year. His reputational collapse plunged to lower depths on Thursday, when authorities saidhe was arrestedon suspicion of misconduct while in office.

The arrest came after the Thames Valley Police said this month that the department was looking into a claim that the then-prince had shared confidential documents with Epstein while he was serving as U.K. trade envoy in 2010.

The claim emerged from an email chain in the latest Epstein files release. Mountbatten-Windsorappears to have forwarded Epstein"visit reports for Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shenzhen" in relation to a trip he'd made to Southeast Asia.

Trade envoys are typically barred from sharing sensitive or commercial documents under confidentiality rules.

Mountbatten-Windsor has denied wrongdoing in connection with Epstein, but has not commented on the latest batch of files or his arrest.He was released approximately11 hours after being attested, meaning he has been neither charged nor cleared of wrongdoing, the Thames Valley Police said in a statement.

In a statement Thursday,King Charles III vowedto cooperate with any investigation and said that "the law must take its course."

Peter Mandelson, former British ambassador to the U.S.

Peter Mandelson wasfired as British ambassadorto the U.S. last year after documents released by the House Oversight Committee showed he had a much closer relationship with Epstein than was previously known.

Documents released by the Justice Department in January, however, touched off an investigation byLondon's Metropolitan Police"for misconduct in public office offences." As was the case with the former prince, the documents showed exchanges he had with Epstein where heappeared to sharesensitive government information.

In one 2010 exchange, while Mandelson was business secretary, he notified Epstein in advance thatPrime Minister Gordon Brownwas going to resign following his loss in the general election, writing, "finally got him to go today."

Mandelson stepped down from the governing Labour Party on Feb. 1 and as amember of the House of Lordson Feb. 3. On Feb. 6, his former lobbying company announced it had severed all ties with him.

Mandelson has denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein. In an interview thatThe Times of London published Feb. 2, Mandelson said the new release showed a "handful of misguided historical emails, which I deeply regret sending" and compared Epstein to "muck that you can't get off your shoe."

Thorbjørn Jagland, former prime minister of Norway

Thorbjørn Jagland, who was prime minister of Norway in the 1990s and went on to head the Nobel Committee and the Council of Europe, wascharged last weekwith "aggravated corruption" following searches of his home in Norway in connection with Epstein file disclosures.

Emails in the files show Jagland taking repeated trips to Epstein's properties, including stays at his island. Epstein paid for Jagland and his family's travel there in 2014, according toone of the emails.

After the emails became public, Jagland was stripped of his diplomatic immunity and three of his properties were searched by Norwegian authorities.

"As a consequence of the search, Jagland has now been charged with gross corruption," the police said in a statement.

Jagland hasdenied any wrongdoing.He told the Norwegian paper Aftenposten he is "very glad that the matter is being clarified" and plans to fully cooperate with the authorities.

Thomas Pritzker, chairman of Hyatt Hotels

Billionaire Tom Pritzker announced this week he wasstepping downfrom his role as executive chairman of Hyatt Hotels Corp. because of revelations in the files about his long associations with Epstein and Epstein's co-conspiratorGhislaine Maxwell.Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence on sex trafficking charges.

Emailsreleased by the Justice Departmentshow Pritzker and Epstein socializingfor yearsafter his 2008 conviction.

"Good stewardship also means protecting Hyatt, particularly in the context of my association with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell which I deeply regret. I exercised terrible judgment in maintaining contact with them, and there is no excuse for failing to distance myself sooner," Pritzker said in a statement announcing his resignation as chair, a post he'd held since 2004.

"I condemn the actions and the harm caused by Epstein and Maxwell and I feel deep sorrow for the pain they inflicted on their victims."

He has not been accused of any wrongdoing by law enforcement.

Kathy Ruemmler, former chief legal officer at Goldman Sachs

Kathy Ruemmler, a former White House counsel in the Obama administration, announced last week she wasresigning from her jobas chief legal officer at Goldman Sachs after newly released emails showed she and Epstein had had a friendly relationship.

Ruemmler told theFinancial Times, "I made the determination that the media attention on me, relating to my prior work as a defense attorney, was becoming a distraction."

Ruemmler's name appears in the files in scores of email exchanges with Epstein and his assistant, some of which show her offering public relations and legal advice and others showing he bought herlavish gifts, including a Fendi bag and an Apple Watch.

"I adore him. It's like having another older brother!" Ruemmler told Epstein's assistant in a 2015 email.

Ruemmler said in a statement this month that "I got to know him as a lawyer and that was the foundation of my relationship with him. One of his clients became my client too, we regularly worked together, and he asked me for advice as many people do."

"I had no knowledge of any ongoing criminal conduct on his part, and I did not know him as the monster he has been revealed to be," the statement said. She has not been accused by law enforcement of any wrongdoing.

Brad Karp, former chairman of Paul, Weiss

Brad Karp, who was head of the prestigious law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, announced on Feb. 4 that he wasstepping down as chairmanin the wake of newly disclosed emails between him and Epstein.

"Recent reporting has created a distraction and has placed a focus on me that is not in the best interests of the firm," Karp said in a statement released by the firm.

A separate statement from the firm indicated he wasn't going far. "Mr. Karp will continue to focus his full-time attention to client service at the firm," the statement said.

Documents posted by the Justice Department's website show dozens of email exchanges between Karp and Epstein or Karp and Epstein's assistant spanning multiple years, including 2015 through 2019.

In one 2015 email, he thanked Epstein for "an evening I'll never forget."

"It was truly 'once in a lifetime' in every way," Karp wrote, calling Epstein "an extraordinary host." More details about the event were not known.

Karp has not been accused of any wrongdoing by law enforcement. His firm toldThe New York Timesthis month, "Mr. Karp attended two group dinners in New York City and had a small number of social interactions by email, all of which he regrets."

George J. Mitchell, former U.S. senator

George J. Mitchell, the 92-year-old formerDemocratic senatorfrom Maine and envoy to Northern Ireland during the Clinton administration, resigned from his position as honorary chair of the Mitchell Institute this month.

The institute, which provides scholarships for college students in Maine, announced its founder's resignation after his name appeared over 300 times in the files. Many of the mentions showed Epstein trying to meet with him, and it's unclear if the meetings happened.

The file also includesan interviewthe FBI conducted with a woman in 2020 who said Epstein had trafficked her to Mitchell in the early 2000s.

A spokesman for Mitchell could not be reached, but one toldThe Irish Timesthis month that he never had "any contact of any kind" with "any underage women," and "at no time did Senator Mitchell observe, suspect, or have any knowledge of Epstein engaging in illegal or inappropriate conduct with underage women."

"He learned of Epstein's criminal activity only through media reports related to Epstein's Florida prosecution," the statement said, and "to the best of Senator Mitchell's recollection, during the 12-year period between Epstein's conviction and his death, members of Epstein's staff extended a small number of invitations to the Senator, all of which he declined or deflected."

The senator "profoundly regrets ever having known Jeffrey Epstein and condemns, without reservation, the horrific harm Epstein inflicted on so many women," the statement said.

The Mitchell Institutestatementsaid it had accepted Mitchell's resignation, adding: "We also agree that this is an appropriate time to initiate a thoughtful, responsible process to consider a potential name change."

Authorities have not accused him of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.

Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem

Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, an influentialEmirati businessman, was replaced as chair of one of the world's largest logistics companies days after his name appeared in the files.

Some ofthe emailsbetween the sultan and Epstein referenced porn, sexual massages and escorts. Epstein wrote him in 2009 saying, "I loved the torture video." The email included no other context and it's unclear what video he was referring to.

A representative for bin Sulayem's company, DP World, did not respond to a request for comment from NBC News last week. The statement announcing the sultan's replacement did not mention Epstein or the sultan himself. Authorities have not accused bin Sulayem of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.

Casey Wasserman, CEO of Wasserman Media Group

Hollywood mogul Casey Wasserman last week informed staff members at his talent agency that he was putting the companyup for salein the wake of backlash from his previous correspondence with Epstein co-conspirator Maxwell.

In a memo to Wasserman Media Group staff obtained by NBC News, Wasserman wrote he believed he had "become a distraction" at the firm, which represents high-profile musicians and athletes.

"I'm deeply sorry that my past personal mistakes have caused you so much discomfort," Wasserman wrote.

Wasserman exchanged emails with Maxwell back in 2003, saying in one, "I think of you all the time."

Singer Chappell Roan announced she was cutting ties with the firm after the emails were released, as did former U.S. women's soccer star Abby Wambach.

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Wasserman has said the correspondence with Maxwell "took place over two decades ago, long before her horrific crimes came to light," and he did not have a "personal or business relationship" with Epstein.

Authorities have not accused him of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein. The LA28 Olympic Committee, which Wasserman leads as chairman,has dismissed calls for his resignation.

Peter Attia, wellness influencer

Wellness influencer Peter Attia lost two positions after it emerged that he'd been in regular correspondence with Epstein, sometimes discussing Epstein's medical results with him and sometimes discussing women incrude terms.

"The biggest problem with becoming friends with you? The life you lead is so outrageous, and yet I can't tell a soul," Attia wrote in one June 2015 email.

After the messages became public, Attiaparted wayswith a company called AG1, where he had been a scientific adviser, and another company called David, where he had been chief science officer.

Attia acknowledged his relationship with Epstein in alengthy post on X butasserted he wasn't involved in criminal activity. "I apologize and regret putting myself in a position where emails, some of them embarrassing, tasteless, and indefensible, are now public, and that is on me," he wrote on Feb. 2.

Authorities have not accused him of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.

Sarah Ferguson, former duchess

Sarah Ferguson, Mountbatten-Windsor's ex-wife, announced she was shutting down her U.K.-based charity Sarah's Trust this month after emails shed more light on her already well-known ties to Epstein.

"Our chair Sarah Ferguson and the board of trustees have agreed that with regret the charity will shortly close for the foreseeable future," a spokesperson for the trust said this month.

Previous releases had shown that Ferguson had taken money from Epstein because she said she was in financial distress, and that she also sent him an apology for having distanced herself from him in a 2011 interview.

The newly released emails show her gushing over Epstein, including one2010 emailwhere she told him, "Just marry me."

A spokesperson for Ferguson said last year she was "taken in" by Epstein's lies. "As soon as she was aware of the extent of the allegations against him, she not only cut off contact but condemned him publicly," the spokesperson said.

She has not been accused by law enforcement of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.

Mona Juul, Norway's former ambassador to Jordan and Iraq

Mona Juul resigned as Norway's ambassador to Jordan and Iraq this month after the DOJ files revealed she and her husband, politician Terje Rød-Larsen, had more extensive ties to Epstein than previously known.

"This is the right and necessary decision. It follows discussions with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs this week. Juul's contact with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein revealed a serious lapse in judgment. The situation makes it difficult to restore the trust that the role requires," said Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide.

Norway's National Authority for Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crime is investigating the couple on allegations of corruption,The Associated Pressreported. Rød-Larsen is a former president of the International Peace Institute, "and his contacts with Epstein are extensive and deeply troubling. There is no doubt that Rød-Larsen exhibited poor judgment in this matter," Eide said.

Juul said in a statement to Norwegian news agency NTB last week that it had been "imprecise" to describe her contact with Epstein as minimal, but that the contact originated via her husband's relationship with Epstein and she had no independent social or professional relationship with him. A lawyer for Rød-Larsen toldThe Guardianhis client is "confident" he would be cleared of wrongdoing.

Miroslav Lajčák, former Slovakia national security adviser

Miroslav Lajčák, the national security adviser to Slovakia's prime minister, resigned after his relationship with Epstein was exposed through the release of the files. Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico said in a Facebook video that he accepted Lajčák's resignation.

Documents show Lajčák and Epstein texting each other in 2018, with Epstein talking about women who were with him. "Why don't you invite me for these games?" he asked Epstein.

In an interview with Euronews, Lajčák said, "When I read those messages today, I feel like a fool. It was a private conversation. Let's be honest, who would be happy if the whole nation were reading their messages? At the very least, I exercised poor judgment."

Authorities have not accused Lajčák of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.

Jack Lang, former French culture minister

Former French Culture Minister Jack Lang is under investigation in France andresigned this monthas president of the Arab World Institute because of his ties to Epstein.

Lang, 86, is being investigated by the National Financial Prosecutor's Office in connection with suspected "laundering of the proceeds of tax evasion" following reporting from French investigative outlet Mediapart, which cited DOJ records, about a company set up jointly by Epstein and Lang's daughter in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Caroline Langtold France TVthat she was friendly with Epstein and knew him as an art collector. She said Epstein suggested she start a fund to sponsor young artists and that his associates set up the offshore company, Prytanee. She said she was aware of his 2008 arrest but that he told her he regretted it and she believed he had moved past it. She said she never saw him behave improperly.

"In 2019, when Jeffrey Epstein was arrested, and I learned who he really was, of course, I was beside myself," she said. "I was horrified."

She resigned aspresident of the Independent Production Union this month.

"The accusations leveled against me are baseless, and I will demonstrate this, beyond the sound and fury of the media and digital courts," Jack Lang said in a Feb. 7statement on X.

Mohamed Waheed Hassan, former president of the Maldives

Mohamed Waheed Hassan, a former president of the Maldives, resigned his post as special envoy to the current president after the latest files release showed him trading emails andseeking financial guidancefrom Epstein numerous times between 2012 and2015.

Hassan was the Maldives' president in 2012 and 2013.

Days after the additional emails were released, showing Hassan was mentioned over 600 times, the current president's office announced Hassan would no longer serve as a special envoy to the president.

"Mohamed Waheed Hassan has tendered his resignation today. President Dr Mohamed Muizzu received Dr Waheed's letter of resignation earlier this morning," the president's office said in aFeb. 3 statement.

In an email to NBC News, Hassan said he'd been unaware of Epstein's 2008 conviction. "Though I only ever sought advice on professional and finance matters, I regret not only any association, but any legitimacy I may have inadvertently afforded him through my engagement with him," he wrote, adding: "I never witnessed any illicit activity and was only ever cordial with him in the context of a professional relationship."

"During my time with UNICEF, in Yemen and Afghanistan especially, I operated in active war zones, and knowingly engaged with tribal leaders in service of my respective mandates," he said. "I would have never guessed it would be a purported New York City financier that I would be most ashamed of engaging with."

He has not been accused of any wrongdoing by law enforcement.

David A. Ross, School of Visual Arts

David A. Ross resigned from his post as chair of the MFA art practice program at New York's School of Visual Arts after the release of emails showing him offering his support to Epstein for a number of years.

"It is depressing to see how you are once again being dragged through the mud. I'm still proud to call you a friend," Ross emailed him in 2015.

In 2009, weeks after Epstein was released from jail on charges he solicited a minor for prostitution, heemailed Rossto say, "I might want to fund an exhibition entitled statutory.. girls and boys ages 14 — 25..where they look nothing like their true ages. Juvenile mug shots. ,photo shop, make up. some people go to prison because they can't tell true age. controversial . fun."

Ross responded, "You are incredible."

In a statement this month, the school said it was "aware of the correspondence" and "accepted Mr. Ross's resignation on February 3."

Ross said in an email toArtNewsthat Epstein "told me that he had been the subject of a political frame-up because of his support of former President Clinton. At the time, I believed he was telling me the truth."

"When the reality of his crimes became clear, I was mortified and remain ashamed that I fell for his lies. Like many he supported with arts and education patronage, I profoundly regret that I was taken in by his story. I continue to be appalled by his crimes and remain deeply concerned for its many victims," he said.

Authorities have not accused Ross of any wrongdoing.

Larry Summers, former Harvard University president

Larry Summers, the former president of Harvard University who served as treasury secretary during the Clinton administration and head of the National Economic Council in the Obama administration, was revealed in anearlier release of documentsfrom the House Oversight Committee to have had closer ties to Epstein than previously known.

The documents, which were released in November, showed years of emails betweenSummers and Epstein,including the day before Epstein's 2019 arrest on sex trafficking charges.

In oneMarch 2019 exchange, Summers and Epstein had a conversation about a woman Summers was interested in.

"I said what are you up to. She said 'I'm busy'. I said awfully coy u are," Summers wrote to Epstein. He responded, "shes smart. making you pay for past errors."

Summers announced in November that he wouldstep awayfrom his teaching duties at Harvard while the school investigated, and he stepped down from the board of directors at OpenAI. He also resigned his membership with theAmerican Economic Association, which hit him with a lifetime ban.

Trump in Novemberdirected the Justice Departmentto investigate Summers after the emails' release. The status of that investigation is unclear.

Summers has denied any wrongdoing and said he feels regret for "my past associations with Mr. Epstein."

Jes Staley, former CEO of Barclays

The newly released emails include thousands of mentions of Jes Staley, who stepped down asBarclays CEOin November 2021 after the release of preliminary results of a regulatory probe in the U.K. into his relationship with Epstein.

The probe began after regulators received emails from JPMorgan, where Staley had previously worked, showing that he and Epstein were much closer than Staley had claimed, according toThe Financial Times.

JPMorgansued Staleyin 2023, alleging he'd "thwarted" the bank's efforts to cut ties with Epstein. Staley argued the bank was using him as a "public relations shield" in lawsuits it was facing for allegedly enabling Epstein's trafficking.

JPMorgan settled one of the suits in September 2023, agreeing topay $75 millionto the U.S. Virgin Islands for victim assistance while not admitting liability. The bank said at the same time it had reached a confidential agreement with Staley. Staley has denied wrongdoing and said he regrets his association with Epstein.

Leon Black, former head of Apollo Global Management

Geopoliticaltensionsbetween India and Pakistan might be spilling over into English cricket.

Britain England New Zealand Cricket

Four of the eight franchises in England's newest cricket competition —The Hundred— are at least part-owned by Indianinvestorswho also control teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

No Pakistan player has featured in the IPL since the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008, and the BBC reported last week that the IPL-owned franchises in The Hundred — Manchester Super Giants, MI London, Southern Brave and Sunrisers Leeds — would not be considering any Pakistan cricketers when the player auction takes place across March 11-12. None of those four teams have officially commented on the BBC report.

Last year, Richard Gould, chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board, said the governing body was "aware" of playing restrictions on Pakistani players in the IPL and other cricket leagues where there are Indian investors, but insisted that "won't be happening" in The Hundred.

On Sunday, the ECB sent an email to the eight franchises in The Hundred, reminding them of their responsibilities and warning them that action would be taken if there is any evidence of discrimination, including ignoring players based on nationality, the British Press Association reported.

The Press Association also reported that if any proof was forthcoming, the matter would likely be referred to the Cricket Regulator — an independent body responsible for monitoring compliance with the game's regulations — while the ECB may take separate action, too.

The ECB has retained full ownership of the 100-ball competition and its regulations, but has sold stakes in it to big-business investors from India and the United States to generate hundreds of millions of pounds to safeguard the financially stricken domestic game in England.

The Associated Press has contacted the ECB for comment. There was no immediate response.

Of the 964 players up for auction in The Hundred, a total of 67 players — 63 men and four women — are from Pakistan.

There were no Pakistan players selected at last year's auction — made before the new investors got involved in The Hundred franchises — although pacer Mohammad Amir and allrounder Imad Wasim featured as replacements.

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Most of Pakistan's highest-profile players were unavailable for some of the 2025 tournament because of Pakistan's international schedule. This year, Pakistan has two tests in the West Indies during The Hundred tournament and begins a three-test series against England soon after the final.

Previously, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf (Welsh Fire), Shadab Khan (Birmingham Phoenix), Wasim (Trent Rockets) and Amir (Oval Invincibles) have been among the leading Pakistani players to have featured in The Hundred.

Harry Brook, who captains England's limited-overs teams, will play for Sunrisers Leeds after being signed as the highest-paid player in The Hundred and said it would be "a shame" if Pakistan players were excluded from franchises.

"Pakistan have been a great cricket nation for many years and have some awesome players, some of the best players in the world," said Brook, speaking while representing England at the T20 World Cup being held in India and Sri Lanka.

The 2026 edition of The Hundred is scheduled to run from July 21-Aug. 16. The competition, created to attract younger fans to the sport in England, has been running since 2021.

Political tension between Pakistan and India has meant there has been no bilateral cricket between the two nations since Pakistan toured India for a white-ball series in 2012.

AP Sports Writer Rizwan Ali contributed to this story.

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

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Aside from towering over most of hisAthleticsteammates at 6-foot-5, Nick Kurtz blends in at his locker in the middle of the clubhouse — and that's just the way he prefers it.

Athletics Spring Baseball

Even now with the extra fanfare and attention on him this spring asreigning AL Rookie of the Yearat just 22. Kurtz stuck with his usual offseason routine of returning home to North Carolina, where he likes to "chill," play video games and watch movies when he's not busy training.

"First of all, I'm excited for Year 2. I kind of know what to expect and what it's like to play inthe big leagues," Kurtz said Sunday before his first Cactus League game, against Cleveland. "Am I embracing the spotlight? Not so much. I'm a guy who likes to be out there, but obviously there's a lot more eyes, a lot more expectations, which I'm all about. I use that as our team, we have higher expectations of ourselves and what we think that we can do, so it's a good thing."

A'smanager Mark Kotsaywill consider Kurtz for the leadoff spot — where he was hitting Sunday and went 0 for 3 with a strikeout in his team's 6-0 loss to the Guardians — to maximize the slugger's at-bats.

After such a special 2025, Kurtz continues to come to work and praise all of his teammates who helped him achieve the spectacular year he had, Kotsay said.

"The same way like he's 13 years old, he's never going to change," Kotsay said at Hohokam Stadium. "It's awesome to watch him in the clubhouse, on the back field, he comes in the same way, the same guy, just feels blessed to be here, and I don't think that's ever going to change for him."

Kurtz batted .290 with 36 home runs, 86 RBIs and a 1.002 OPS in 117 games and became the eighth rookie since 1901 to finish with an OPS over 1.000 while making at least 400 plate appearances. In July, he became the first major league rookieto hit four homersin a game, leading the A's to a 15-3 victory over the Houston Astros.

So, what's it like watching him day to day?

"It's extremely annoying, not fun, because I know whatever I do I can never hit it opposite field that far, so I would say annoying," joked locker mate Zack Gelof, a second baseman rehabbing from surgery last September on his left shoulder. "Not as fun."

The 22-year-old Kurtz is counting on the A's carrying their momentum from late last year in a 76-86 finish and having a faster start this season to become a contender again in the AL West. He loves the young core of this group — many of whom have been locked up on long-term contracts — and hopes to be part of turning the club into a winner ahead of its scheduled move to Las Vegas for the start of the 2028 campaign.

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"My plan is to be here for as long as I can," Kurtz said. "I'll be here for the next six years, minimum, so it's really exciting to know that when we go to Vegas we have guys that we'll be super familiar with and some of my best friends I've made for life, so it's really fun."

Many of those very faces were all together on the island of Maui in Hawaii for left fielder Tyler Soderstrom's wedding in November when the AL Rookie of the Year award was announced, so they celebrated Kurtz's first shining moment of what is expected to just be the start of great things to come in his career.

Still, it wasn't anything outrageous by any means. That wouldn't be Kurtz's way.

"Not a whole lot, maybe a couple beers, just hanging out," he said.

The left-handed hitter then spent the winter focused on making sure he did everything necessary to keep his body strong and healthy for another full year in the major leagues — one he hopes ends with a playoff berth this time. He started swinging a little later, in December, and increased his workload in the weight room, but noted, "I'm not a big changing guy. If it worked last year let's do it again this year."

Center fielder Denzel Clarke appreciates how the understated Kurtz handles his business. The first baseman offered a quick greeting to Guardians catcher David Fry when he stepped into the batter's box in the first inning and grounded out to third on four pitches.

"I don't know how under the radar you can be at 6-5, but he's just a very calm, very chill guy who's going to go about his day-to-day life," Clarke said. "Nothing too crazy, nothing too flashy, he's just going to be him."

Selected No. 4 in the first round of the 2024 amateur draft out of Wake Forest, Kurtz impressed the A's with his maturity from the moment he arrived and made his debut last April. He will turn 23 on March 12.

"I think he learned it really quickly when he got to us, and he mentioned that," Kotsay said. "He did go through a little bit of failure but he found his routines and his processes pretty quickly and recognized you can't get caught in the results, you just get caught in your process, and I think for a young player to realize that as quickly as he did, it showed in the success that he had."

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