CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Axel Brown, the pilot of Trinidad and Tobago’s bobsled team, came to the Milan-Cortina Winter Games with a simple goal.

“Just don’t come last,” he said. “We know that there is a 0% chance of us contending for medals. It doesn’t matter if we have the absolute best day we’ve ever had.

“That’s just the reality of it. It’s not defeatist, it’s not negative. It’s just being realistic.”

But it’s also realistic to believe that Trinidad, just by being in the competition, is furthering something of a revolution in the Winter Olympics in general, and in bobsledding in particular.

When Jamaica debuted in the event in 1988, it was so novel it inspired the 1993 Disney movie “Cool Runnings.” Now, it’s no longer unusual to see a team from a tropical climate competing in the Winter Games; there are 11 Caribbean and South American countries, plus Puerto Rico, competing in the Milan-Cortina Olympics.

When the bobsled competition in Cortina begins Sunday, Trinidad will have teams in the two- and four-man events for the first time, while Jamaica will compete in both those events as well as the monobob. Brazil will also be there.

And Brown says it’s only a matter of time — and money — before others join and start contending for medals.

“There’s a very deep talent pool in Caribbean bobsled, one that could make a world-class bobsled program without a doubt,” he said.

That’s because bobsled races are often won or lost at the start, where speed, explosive power and acceleration are vital in getting the 400-pound sled moving. Sprinters have all those traits.

“Even more specific, it’s usually big sprinters,” said Curtis Tomasevicz, a former football player at Nebraska who won Olympic gold and silver medals in the bobsled before becoming a coach with the U.S. team. “They’ve got just an athleticism that is very applicable to pushing sleds.”

Jamaica takes part in a training run at the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games on Friday.

(Al Bello / Getty Images)

And the best sprinters in the world come from the Caribbean — so many, in fact, that trying to make a national team for the Summer Olympics can seem like trying to win the lottery. The Winter Games offer another path.

“In Trinidad and Tobago, there’s a wealth of sprinting talent. So an athlete that in another nation may be the best in the country doesn’t necessarily get a look in Trinidad,” Brown said. “What we’ve been able to do is kind of give those athletes that were maybe on the fringe an option at achieving all of their sporting goals, just doing it in a different way.

“They’ve been training for bobsled their entire lives. They just didn’t know it.”

The transition can be difficult just the same. The first time Trinidad’s Micah Moore, a former sprinter, rode a sled, he said he thought he was going to die.

“I was scared out of my mind,” he said. “I was legitimately feeling, ‘I just want this to be over.’

“After that feeling came off, I was like, ‘Let’s go again.’ It’s an adrenaline rush. There’s no amount of words I could put to say how it felt in that moment.”

If Caribbean bobsledders are deep in talent, what they lack are world-class facilities and funding. In the former they’re hardly alone, said Tomasevicz.

“There are a lot of other nations that obviously don’t have a home track to practice on,” he said. “Even Great Britain, they don’t have a track in their country. So they have to spend time in other nations actually training for the sport.”

Trying to find the money is an even bigger problem — especially for Trinidad, which Brown said was the only team in Cortina that didn’t receive government funding.

“Bobsled is an expensive sport,” Trinidad’s Xaverri Williams said. “We’ve been trying to negotiate with our [national Olympic committee], our Ministry of Sport, reaching out to individuals who are willing to help us.”

Trinidad doesn’t even have a decent sled; it will be racing Sunday with an old secondhand one the team owes money on. Getting a new one that would be competitive with the best in the world could easily cost $250,000 or more.

“You need the funds to further develop the broader program, the recruitment, the [research and development] of the equipment. Everything that there is involved in bobsled,” said Brown, was born in England to a Trinidadian mother, which allows him to compete for the island in the Olympics. “And you need to be able to sustain that.”

You also need the belief that it’s possible to succeed in an icy winter sport even though you’re from a sun-washed country where the average annual temperature is 80 degrees. Jamaica provided that.

“We do in fact look up to them,” Williams said. “When those guys initially slided, it was an eye-opener for the rest of the world, that a Caribbean nation could actually compete. They inspired us.”

“I’m very proud of that,” said Chris Stokes, a four-time Olympian and member of the “Cool Runnings” team who is now president of the country’s bobsled federation.

The next step is to outgrow the novelty and become medal contenders, something Stokes says Jamaica can do by the 2034 Games in Salt Lake City. A top-12 finish in Cortina would keep them on pace to do that, he said.

As for Trinidad and Tobago, Brown said they faced so many challenges just getting to Italy that they considered it a victory when they checked into the Olympic village.

“Our gold medal,” he said “was qualifying.”

England beat Scotland by five wickets in India to recover position in group at 2026 T20 World Cup.

Tom Banton’s unbeaten 63 led England to a five-wicket T20 World Cup victory over Scotland in Kolkata on Saturday that kept Harry Brook’s side on course for the Super Eights.

Victory in their final Group C match against Italy on Monday at the same Eden Gardens stadium will see England safely into the next round.

After bowling Scotland out for 152, England racked up 155-5 in 18.2 overs, with Jacob Bethell scoring 32, Sam Curran 28 and Will Jacks (16 off 10 balls) hitting a six and a four to finish the job.

England wobbled at the start of their chase as the new white ball swung under the floodlights with the sun going down.

Phil Salt fell third ball to Brandon McMullen for just two and when Jos Buttler picked out McMullen off Brad Currie, they were 13-2.

Scotland bowled tightly until Bethell broke the shackles by hitting McMullen for a six and two fours in the fifth over.

Spinner Mark Watt also came in for some punishment, conceding 22 off his first over as Banton took him for three huge sixes.

A 66-run partnership ended when the left-handed Bethell, on 32, helped a leg-side delivery from Oliver Davidson into the grateful hands of Brad Wheal at short fine leg.

Captain Brook did not last long, scooping Michael Leask over his shoulder to Wheal to make it 86-4, but England were always in control and got home with 10 balls to spare.

Earlier, England’s bowlers found their mojo and vindicated Brook’s decision to field on winning the toss.

After being smacked to all parts of Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium in conceding 196 to the West Indies on Wednesday, England’s attack exerted much more control at Eden Gardens.

Captain Richie Berrington top-scored for Scotland with 49 off 32 balls with five fours and two sixes.

He and Tom Bruce put on 71 for the fourth wicket, but it was their only notable partnership.

Spinner Liam Dawson ended it in the 13th over when Bruce was caught for 24, Curran providing the safe hands at deep square leg.

When Adil Rashid trapped Berrington lbw in the next over, Scotland collapsed, losing their last seven wickets for 39 runs from 113-3.

Jofra Archer had been expensive in the two previous outings but made the early breakthroughs before finishing with a brilliant 2-24 off his four overs.

In his second over, he hurried George Munsey into top-edging to Banton and two balls later had McMullen caught by Salt in the deep.

Michael Jones (33) holed out to Bethell off Curran, and Scotland were 42-3 at the end of the six-over power play and never threatened a competitive total.

Rashid was the best of the England bowlers with 3-36 from his four overs, while Dawson took 2-34.

HAVING travelled to 41 countries, as well as presented travel shows including A Place in the Sun, its safe to say I’ve learned a few money saving tricks along the way.

And as a mum trying to pinch the pennies on a family holiday, I realised two huge mistakes people make when it came to booking hotels – and it saved me hundreds.

A big way to save money is hotel hopping – and this isn’t just for the luxury travellers and celebrities.

The money hack means you can save if instead of one hotel for a week, you try two.

This works by booking the more expensive place midweek, as this is when rates are lower.

You then move to the cheaper hotel when prices go up, which is usually at the weekend.

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I realised this when travelling as a family of four, in Göcek, Turkey.

The small marina town is full of expensive boutique hotels, so prices can easily spiral when trying to find space for both parents and kids.

Instead, we split our Turkey trip between Dalaman and Göcek, as midweek, we spotted a suite in a five-star area for £105 a night, hundreds cheaper than a weekend stay.

But don’t just stop there as it isn’t the only way to get a bargain.

We saved even more by calling the hotel, rather than just clicking the book button.

When I call a hotel, I don’t haggle — I just ask one simple question: “What’s the best price you can do if we book direct?”

After chatting to them, not only did they drop the price from £105 to £80 a night, but they also threw in free breakfast for all four of us, which would cost £15 each per night.

Over five nights, that alone would have added up fast.

In the end we paid just £400 for five nights midweek, while the exact same suite at the weekend would have cost £200 a night alone.

Had we stayed on for the full week, the total would have jumped sharply — for the same room.

So instead, we packed up and moved on, and got a mini-adventure out of it.

Once you realise hotel prices change by the night, you stop booking holidays by the week and start booking them properly.

We used the same approach in Spain, where we booked a five-star hotel on the Costa del Sol midweek, then a smaller hotel in Cádiz at the weekend for £95 a night.

ONE EXTRA HACK: “five-star location” without five-star prices

We also save money by staying in an apartment or Airbnb in a five-star area, instead of an all-inclusive resort.

For a family of four, we found an apartment to fit us all for £110 a night, compared to a nearby resort suite which was £280 a night.

We travel as a family of four for 12 weeks of the year and It’s the one habit that’s saved our family the most money — and given us our best memories.

IT was when my eight-year-old son Reggie returned to our table – holding a plate of 20 Turkish delights and grinning from ear to ear – that I caved in.

“OK, we are on holiday,” I said as he merrily dished them out to his twin brother Teddie and 12-year-old sister Frankie-Beau.

In fairness, my wife Kayleigh and I had hardly set an example, because the 5-star Liberty Lykia family resort in Oludeniz, on the south-west coast of Turkey, is an all- inclusive foodies’ fantasyland.

Its huge main restaurant offers more than 100 options at breakfast, lunch and dinner, and snacks throughout the day.

On several evenings of our seven-day stay we opted to dine at one of the six sensational paid-for a la carte restaurants, starting from just €5 per child, while watching the sun set across the Mediterranean Sea.

The star of the show was an interactive, flame-fuelled, theatrical dinner of lobster and steak at the open-grill Teppanyaki.

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At the outdoor Pinara Turkish restaurant, you even get a side order of belly dancing.

And all that is just, well, for starters.

A selection of snack shacks, including a well-stocked patisserie, will tempt you throughout the day.

And there’s self-serve draft beer and wine beside the pools and the private beach.

The biggest of the many bars, Apollon, at the heart of the resort, serves more than 30 indulgent cocktails, 24/7.

Thankfully you can easily burn off the over-indulgence.

Within the 400-acre resort, which is set in a tranquil cove among pine forests and overlooked by the majestic Babadag Mountain, are tennis, padel and sandy volleyball courts, an archery area, mini-golf course, ping-pong tables, a climbing wall and two AstroTurf football pitches.

There’s also a gym and exercise classes, as well as all manner of watersports.

Look up in the sky at any time of day and you will be mesmerised by paragliders drifting down to the hotel’s landing strip.

But don’t worry, there’s no need to strap the kids in for the ride, as their every whim can be taken care of at the brilliantly welcoming and free Mini Club, which has endless activities for all age groups.

There’s even a free babysitting service.

With the young’uns entertained, we enjoyed a few hours at the more peaceful adults-only pool and bar.

There you’ll find the luxurious Ocean Spa, where you can pamper yourself with a massage while you gaze out at the Turquoise Coast, so-called because of the striking clear-blue sea. W

hen we were then finally ready to reunite with the family, we headed to the beautiful beach area designed for youngsters, complete with a wave breaker made from rocks and stones.

But the jewel in Liberty Lykia’s crown is its very own waterpark — aptly called Children’s Paradise, with its numerous slides for kids and adults.

It’s a truly vast resort, set into the hilly mountainside.

Steps are steep but there are plenty of slopes and more than enough lifts.

And if little legs are tired after a long day of thrills, on-site shuttle buses taxi you around.

You can even call reception for a golf buggy to take you to and from your room day or night.

Bands and DJs

Our room was a modern sea-view Deluxe Family Suite with walk-in shower, air-conditioning, a superking-sized bed, two single beds and a sofa bed.

The free mini bar is restocked daily so you can enjoy a drink on the balcony.

We were just a two-minute walk from the resort’s main square — a beautiful Mediterranean plaza with a wine bar, shops selling clothes, trainers, sunglasses and souvenirs, an arcade, a craft coffee shop and a boutique for handbags and shoes.

After the sun sets, the main swimming pool hosts illuminated remote-controlled boats, and the stunning outdoor amphitheatre delivers an impressive variety of West End-like productions.

The main square is the lively entertainment venue for bands and DJs taking to the stage until midnight.

It’s not quiet, so do request a room a little farther away if you have very young children.

For anyone who wants to keep the party going, there’s an underground nightclub open until 2am.

And you can stagger out into the nearby snack bar that’s open until 7.30am if, somehow, you are still hungry.

After a week of family fun and feasting in the sun, none of our clothes fit — and the dentist will have some choice words for our kids.

But we left with the wonderful aftertaste of a holiday that was, in the words of my daughter, one big Turkish delight.

The U.S. Air Force is exploring new ways to protect aerial refueling tankers and other high-value support aircraft by physically defeating incoming threats rather than trying to jam them or otherwise throw them off course. The service says a “kinetic” self-defense option could provide a valuable last line of defense against anti-air interceptors that might be resistant or even immune to certain kinds of electronic warfare attacks or decoys.

Kevin Stamey, the Air Force’s Program Executive Officer (PEO) for Mobility and the Director of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s (AFLCMC) Mobility Directorate, talked about kinetic self-protection capability in an official interview published earlier this week. The service’s current “mobility” portfolio includes the KC-46 and KC-135 tankers and the C-130, C-17, and C-5 cargo aircraft. Aviation Week was first to report on Stamey’s remarks.

“Some technology that we are really looking at is kinetic self-protection for our high-value airborne assets,” Stamey said. “Because the threat is evolving, we are trying to develop a capability to protect the tanker that is independent of that threat.”

“We consider kinetic self-defense to be sort of a last line of protection. If all else fails and a threat somehow breaks the kill chain, we’ll still have a means to protect the tanker,” he added. “Whether it’s an IR seeker or a radar seeker, if we have a means of taking it out kinetically, we don’t have to electronically attack it or use decoys that are effective against some things, but not others.”

Stamey did not elaborate in the interview on what a “kinetic self-protection” system might entail, but a design capable of launching some type of miniature missile is one especially likely option. The Air Force has already been working on exactly this kind of capability, at least on the experimental level, for years now.

In 2015, an Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) project dubbed the Miniature Self-Defense Munition (MSDM) emerged publicly. At that time, AFRL said it was looking for an “extremely agile, highly-responsive” miniature missile with a “very-low-cost passive seeker” and overall length of around 3.3 feet (one meter). For comparison, this is roughly one-third of the length of an AIM-9X Sidewinder, and even shorter proportionally than an AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM).

AFRL initially hired both Raytheon and Lockheed Martin to work on the MSDM program. In 2020, Raytheon received an additional contract for what was described then as a “miniature self-defense missile.” The stated scope of work for the new deal included “research and development of a flight-test ready missile.” This all seemed very much to be a continuation of the previously announced MSDM effort, despite the slight name change. To date, Raytheon does not appear to have shown even a concept for an MSDM interceptor publicly.

It’s also worth noting that Northrop Grumman received a patent in 2017 for a kinetic aircraft protection system based around a miniature interceptor. Accompanying drawings, some of which are seen below, depicted the system installed on a conceptual “futuristic” combat aircraft. TWZ had explored the potential benefits and limitations of such a system in detail at the time.

In 2018, the U.S. Navy also put out a largely open-ended call for information about potential options for a Hard Kill Self Protection Countermeasure System (HKSPCS) for transport, tanker, and other combat support aircraft. It also suggested the system could be used on future drones. The HKSPCS notice raised the possibility of a system designed to launch a salvo of miniature, highly maneuverable interceptor missiles, and that could offer an “alternative and/or adjunct to more conventional electronic self-protection solutions.”

Other concepts for kinetic self-protection for aircraft have been put forward in the past that do not involve firing a miniature missile at another missile. In 2012, Israeli firm Rafael demonstrated what was essentially an armored vehicle hard-kill active protection system designed to be integrated onto a helicopter. For a time, at least in the 2010s, the U.S. Navy also had a program called Helicopter Active RPG Protection, which seemed centered on a similar, if not identical, concept.

Lastly, in recent years, the Air Force has been testing the ability of its KC-135 tankers to launch small drones for self-protection and a variety of other purposes. Compared to a miniature missile, an unmanned aerial system could offer valuable loitering capability, giving it different options for engaging or re-engaging incoming threats, especially if they are fired in salvos. This, in turn, could help prevent interceptors from being wasted if the target they are fired at initially is destroyed by something else first.

Magazine depth remains one of the bigger challenges facing kinetic self-protection systems for aircraft, as well as platforms down below. An installation on a larger aircraft would open up different possibilities for reloading in flight from within the fuselage. The aforementioned drone launchers that the Air Force has been testing on the KC-135 notably offer that capability through the use of standardized Common Launch Tubes (CLT), which can be loaded with a wide array of payloads.

Directed energy capabilities could also be part of the future ecosystem of self-protection capabilities, which could also help address magazine depth concerns. Laser-based directional infrared countermeasures (DIRCM) systems are already found on tankers and airlifters across the U.S. military, but are designed to blind and confuse heat-seeking missiles, rather than destroy them. They have no impact on radar-guided interceptors. Efforts to develop aerial directed energy weapons capable of destroying targets, including incoming missiles, have faced significant challenges and have yet to produce an operational capability.

DIRCM Live Fire

The Air Force has also been developing self-protection systems for tankers and other high-value aircraft contained within modified Multipoint Refueling System (MPRS) pods normally used to send gas to receivers via the probe-and-drogue method. Repurposed MPRS pods configured to provide additional airborne communications and data-sharing capabilites are also in service now.

Any kinetic self-protection would also have to be tied to sensors, including infrared search and track systems (IRST) and/or radars, to spot incoming threats, which could be moving very fast, and cue interceptors to engage them. Ever-improving networking capabilities, which are another top Air Force priority for its mobility fleets, could enable the use of a distributed sensor network spread across multiple platforms. The use of loyal wingman-type drones is another area the Air Force has already been exploring to help protect tankers, in particular.

Regardless, the Air Force has clearly identified an ongoing desire for a kinetic self-protection capability for tankers and other valuable support aircraft. Though Mobility PEO Stamey did not explicitly say it in his interview, his remarks certainly hint at concerns that work on new and improved electronic warfare capabilities and decoys are having trouble keeping up with adversaries developing and fielding ever-more capable anti-air missiles.

Weapons that use imaging infrared seekers are notably immune to radiofrequency electronic warfare jamming, as well as radar cross-section-reducing design features. They are also passive in nature, meaning that they don’t pump out signals that can alert aircraft crews to the fact that they are under attack. Increased use of infrared sensor capabilities on aircraft and as part of surface-to-air missile systems only creates further challenges when it comes to detecting threats, let alone responding to them.

Air defense systems that rely on traditional radars have their own ways of creating challenges, including just by modulating the signals they emit in unexpected ways. TWZ regularly highlights the complexities surrounding the need to constantly tune and retune electronic warfare suites as threats change and evolve. The Air Force, among others, has also been pursuing so-called cognitive electronic warfare capabilities to help speed up those processes. The absolute ‘holy grail’ of the concept would be a system capable of adapting autonomously in real-time, even right in the middle of a mission.

Questions about the right mix of active and passive defenses are also likely to be central in the Air Force’s ongoing refinement of plans for future tankers and airlifters.

“We are working on the Next Generation Air Refueling System, NGAS, as it’s effectively known. Put the finishing touches on that last year. And that was a really wide look at how we would do air refueling in the future,” Air Force Gen. John Lamontagne, head of Air Mobility Command (AMC), told TWZ and other outlets at the Air & Space Forces Association’s main annual conference last September. “When I say a wide look, looking at conventional tankers [as] we know it today, you know something like a [KC-]135 or KC-46 as is; something with a bunch of mission systems added to it, with a defense systems [sic], connectivity, intelligence and more; a business jet; a blended wing body; or a signature-managed [stealthy] tanker.”

Central to those discussions is also the expectation that future opponents, especially in high-end fights, will have much greater anti-air reach, including with missiles able to hit targets up to 1,000 miles away. China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has been making especially significant investments in longer-range air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles.

This, in turn, only raises the prospect that critical supporting assets like tankers will find themselves at risk, even if they are flying far from where the main fighting is occurring.

“The [kinetic self-protection] technology is necessary if we’re going to be successful in pushing tankers into what we call the weapons engagement zone,” Mobility PEO Stamey said in the interview published this week. “Our adversaries are building long-range threats specifically to push assets like our tankers further back. They believe it’s easier to target and shoot a tanker than an F-35 or F-47.”

Stamey’s comments make clear that the Air Force is still very interested in making it harder for adversaries to do that by adding kinetic self-defense systems to the mix.

Contact the author: joe@twz.com

THE desperate search for Nancy Guthrie is nearing a gut-wrenching two weeks after investigators said she was taken from her home against her will in the dark of night during the early hours of February 1.

The baffling case of the apparent kidnapping of the mother of popular Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie has captivated the country, making her rural Catalina Foothills community ground zero for news outlets and true crime influencers.

Investigators believe Nancy Guthrie disappeared sometime after 2:28am on February 1 after her pacemaker disconnected from her phone, which was left behind.

In the days since her family reported her missing, Pima County and FBI investigators have conducted repeated searches at both Nancy’s and her daughter Annie’s homes, which are located about 4 miles from each other.

The mounting pressure to locate Nancy has reportedly led to clashes between Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos and the FBI.

Nanos has reportedly blocked federal agents from obtaining key evidence, including gloves and other DNA found inside Nancy’s home, according to Fox News.

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Federal investigators have reportedly asked Nanos for the items to be processed at the FBI’s national crime laboratory in Quantico, Virginia.

However, Nanos sent the evidence for testing at a private lab in Florida, according to the outlet.

Nanos disputed the claims, telling NBC affiliate KVOA that the reports were “not even close to the truth.”

But it has been Nancy’s unlit, secluded desert neighborhood that has made the investigation challenging for law enforcement.

Secluded area

The U.S. Sun was on the ground in Tucson and experienced first-hand the rugged stretch of desert terrain that surrounds Nancy’s home and those of her neighbors.

Nancy’s property is located on a roughly mile-long road with no street lights or cameras, dense vegetation, and away from hotels and commercial businesses.

The community is roughly 44.6 miles of desert, according to the Arizona Republic.

The affluent area is popular for hikers due to its mountainous terrain and hilly roads.

Unlit roads

At night and without a flashlight, it is impossible to see where you’re walking or what is in front of you.

Locals, who for decades have called the Catalina Foothills home, relayed to The U.S. Sun that the lack of lights in the community is to protect astronomical research at various observatories in Tucson.

A neighbor told The U.S. Sun that homeowners in the area are encouraged not to have landscape lights on their properties.

“If you have lights, landscape lights on your house, don’t point them up. You want them to point at the wall or down on the ground, not the sky,” said the woman, who asked not to be named.

The sound of chirping crickets and coyotes howling in the night is the only sign of life when you’re standing on the dark remote roads.

The same neighbor told The U.S. Sun that at night she often hears barking and whooping from coyotes around the neighborhood.

“Sometimes we have bobcats. But overall, we don’t have a lot of noise,” she added.

Off-road homes

Unlike traditional neighborhoods where homes are situated closely to one another, the layout of the Catalina Foothills is starkly different.

There are no sidewalks, and neighboring most homes is a desert environment with skin-tearing cacti and thick shrubs.

Most of the residential homes are spaced out off main roads, only have a ground level, and are tucked in behind long driveways.

Due to the dense shrubs, the darkness of unlit roads, and where many of the homes sit; even if doorbell camera footage is available from neighbors, they would not capture activity on local streets.

The lack of surveillance cameras on main roads has forced local and federal investigators to go door-to-door to nearby residences for any home security camera footage they may have.

Desperate search

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department has laid out a timeline of what they believe were Nancy’s final hours before she was allegedly kidnapped.

On the afternoon of January 31, Nancy took an Uber to her daughter Annie and her son-in-law Tommaso Cionni’s house for dinner.

At 9:48pm that evening, Sheriff Nanos said Cionni dropped off his mother-in-law at her home.

In the early hours of February 1, Nancy’s doorbell camera disconnected at 1:47am.

At 2:12am, software from one of Nancy’s cameras on her property detected a person.

Then, at 2:28am, Nancy’s pacemaker disconnected from her phone.

By 11:56am, Nancy’s family arrived at her home after being alerted by a friend that their mother missed Sunday mass.

After not being able to locate Nancy, the family calls Pima County deputies to report her missing.

Roughly 10 minutes later, deputies arrive at the scene and uncover “concerning” evidence, including a trail of blood on the porch outside the home and Nancy’s missing doorbell camera.

The FBI has since obtained the doorbell camera footage from the night of Nancy’s disappearance, which showed a man wearing a ski mask using a plant from the lawn to obscure the camera’s lens.

Federal investigators described the man as average build, between 5’9′ and 5’10’, wearing a black, 25-liter Ozark Trail Hiker Pack backpack.

The FBI is offering $100,000 for any information leading to the man’s arrest.

Timeline of Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance

Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of Today show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, disappeared from her home on February 1, 2026.

Timeline:

• January 31: Nancy is last seen by her family
  • 5:32pm: Nancy travels to her daughter’s home for dinner, about 11 minutes from her own house.
  • 9:48pm: Family members drop off Nancy Guthrie at her home in Tucson. Her garage door closes two minutes later.
• February 1: Nancy is reported missing and a search begins
  • 1:47am: Nancy’s doorbell camera disconnects
  • 2:12am: Camera software detects a person moving in range of the camera. There is no video, and Nancy does not have a storage description.
  • 2:28am: Nancy’s pacemaker app disconnects from her phone, which is later found still at her house.
  • Around 11am: A parishioner at Nancy’s church calls the mom’s children and says she failed to show up for service.
  • 11:56am: Family members arrive at Nancy’s house to check on her.
  • 12:03pm: The family calls 911 to report Nancy missing.
  • 8:55pm: The Pima County Sheriff’s Office gives its first press conference and reveals some clues found at Nancy’s home caused “grave concern.” Sheriff Chris Nanos says helicopters, drones, and infrared cameras are all being utilized in the search.
• February 2: Search crews pull back. Nancy’s home is considered a crime scene. Savannah releases a statement thanking supporters for their prayers, which her co-hosts read on Today.
• February 3: A trail of blood is pictured outside Nancy’s home, where there were reportedly signs of forced entry. Nanos admits they have no suspects, no leads, and no videos that could lead to Nancy’s recovery. He and the FBI beg for more tips and accounts.
• February 4, 8pm: Savannah and her siblings release a heartbreaking video directed at their mother’s abductors asking for proof she is alive and saying they’re willing to work with them to get her back.
• February 5: FBI offers $50,000 reward for information on the case.
  • 5pm: First ransom demand deadline for millions in Bitcoin passes. Guthrie family releases demand to speak “directly” to the kidnappers, saying, “We want to talk to you and we are waiting for contact.”
• February 9, 5pm: Second ransom demand deadline, reportedly with “much more serious” conditions.

Faced with numerous complaints about broken streetlights that have plunged neighborhoods into darkness, two Los Angeles City Council members unveiled a plan Friday to spend $65 million on installing solar-powered lights.

With 1 in 10 streetlights out of service because of disrepair or copper wire theft, Councilmembers Katy Yaroslavsky and Eunisses Hernandez launched an effort to convert at least 12% of the city’s lights to solar power — or about 500 in each council district.

Broken streetlights emerged as an hot-button issue in this year’s election, with council members scrambling to find ways to restore them. Councilmember Nithya Raman, now running against Mayor Karen Bass, cited the broken lights as an example of how city agencies “can’t seem to manage the basics.”

By switching to solar, the streetlights will be less vulnerable to theft, said Yaroslavsky, who represents part of the Westside.

“We can’t keep rebuilding the same vulnerable systems while copper theft continues to knock out lights across Los Angeles,” she said.

Three other council members — Traci Park, Monica Rodriguez and Hugo Soto-Martínez — signed on to the proposal. All five are running for reelection.

Miguel Sangalang, director of the Bureau of Street Lighting, said there are 33,000 open service requests to fix streetlights across L.A., although some may be duplicates. The average time to fix a streetlight is 12 months, he said.

Repair times have increased because of a rise in vandalism, the department’s stagnant budget and a staff of only 185 people to service the city’s 225,000 streetlights, he said.

About 60,000 street lights are eligible to be converted to solar, according to Yaroslavsky.

Council members also are looking to increase the amount the city charges property owners for streetlight maintenance. Yaroslavsky said the assessment has been unchanged since 1996, forcing city leaders to rely on other sources of money to cover the cost.

Last month, Soto-Martínez announced he put $1 million into a streetlight repair team in his district, which stretches from Echo Park to Hollywood and north to Atwater Village. Those workers will focus on repairing broken lights, hardening lights to prevent copper wire theft and clearing the backlog of deferred cases.

On Monday, city crews also began converting 91 streetlights to solar power in Lincoln Heights and Cypress Park. Hernandez tapped $500,000 from her office budget to pay for the work. The shift to solar power should save money, she said, by breaking the cycle of constantly fixing and replacing lights.

“This is going to bring more public safety and more lights to neighborhoods that so desperately need it and that are waiting a long time,” she said.

In recent years, neighborhoods ranging from Hancock Park and Lincoln Heights to Mar Vista and Pico Union have been plagued by copper wire theft that darkens the streets. On the 6th Street Bridge, thieves stole seven miles’ worth of wire.

Yaroslavsky and Park spoke about the problem Friday at a press conference in the driveway of a Mar Vista home. Andrew Marton, the homeowner, pointed to streetlights around the block that have been targeted by thieves.

Many surrounding streets have been dark since shortly after Christmas, Marton said. He has changed his daily routines, trying not to walk his dog late at night and worrying for the safety of his family.

He said he reported the problem to the city and was told it would take 270 days to fix. He then reached out to Park, who contacted the police department, he said.

A couple of neighboring streets had their lights restored, he said, but his street remains dark at night.

Park said she and Yaroslavsky identified $500,000 in discretionary funds to pay for a dedicated repair team to fix streetlights, either by adding solar or by reinforcing the existing copper wire, in their respective Westside districts.

It’s time to pay tribute to Birmingham High senior Henry Aslikyan, who makes his bid for a fourth consecutive City Section wrestling championship on Saturday night at Roybal. No Birmingham athlete has won four individual titles.

He has continued to get stronger, bigger and better from the time he arrived as a freshman. He’s been dominating the City lower weight classes while becoming a two-time state champion.

He’ll be competing in perhaps the toughest weight class in the state — 120 pounds. He’s a Michigan commit. There’s likely to be three state champions in that weight class in two weeks in Bakersfield.

Birmingham has already won City titles in boys’ and girls’ duals competition. This time he is qualifying for the state championships in Bakersfield and individual titles.

Adelaida Fernandez of Birmingham is trying for her third straight City title in girls’ wrestling. Greg Torosian and Arno Vardanyan are also seeking third titles for the Patriots in boys.

In the heavyweight division, Monroe’s Abraham Datte is a two-time City champion.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

Two of curling’s best men’s teams, Sweden and Canada, involved in fiery and controversial match at Winter Olympics.

The often sedate world of curling has gotten heated at the Winter Olympics as cheating allegations and audible swear words overshadowed a feisty match between two of the best men’s teams.

Canada’s Marc Kennedy got offended when he was accused by Swedish rival Oskar Eriksson of “double-touching” – essentially, touching the rock again after initially releasing it down the sheet of ice – during Canada’s 8-6 win in round-robin play late on Friday.

Kennedy repeatedly used expletives to deny he broke any rules. The match came to a brief standstill as fingers were pointed and Kennedy argued with members of the Swedish team across the ice.

“I don’t like being accused of cheating after 25 years on tour and four Olympic Games,” the 44-year-old Kennedy said.

“So,” he added, “I told him where to stick it. Because we’re the wrong team to do that to.”

Eriksson said he simply wanted everyone to “play by the same rules”.

“We want a game that is as sportsmanlike, honest and clean as possible,” he said, “so we call it out as soon as I see that the Canadian No 2 is, in my eyes, there poking the stone.”

The rules state that a stone must be delivered using the handle that sits on top of the rock and that it must be released from the hand before it reaches the hog line. At the Olympics, that is the thick green line at each end.

Replays appeared to show Kennedy releasing the stone using the handle, then touching it again with an outstretched finger as it approached the hog line.

In the early ends of the match, Sweden notified the officials of their complaints. An official then remained at the hog line to monitor Canada’s curlers, and no action was taken. Curling does not use video replays.

World Curling did not take any action against either team.

Colombo, Sri Lanka — Almost 30 years ago today, India and Pakistan formed a combined cricket team to take on Sri Lanka ahead of the 1996 Cricket World Cup in an unprecedented moment of unity in the sport’s history.

The two age-old rivals put aside their differences and came together in an act of solidarity to support a fellow South Asian team, who faced the threat of match boycotts in a tournament they had battled hard to host.

India versus Pakistan is the most highly marketed fixture at every multination tournament – the World Cup, Asia Cup or Asian Games – whether it’s a men’s, women’s or Under-19 event.

Few sporting events globally carry the weight and anticipation of an India-Pakistan cricket match. So, when Pakistan’s government ordered its team not to face India at the ongoing T20 World Cup, the tournament was briefly pushed into a state of chaos.

It also left Sri Lanka, the designated host of the fixture, holding its collective breath.

A week of negotiations led to a dramatic late U-turn by the Pakistani government and the match will now take place as scheduled on Sunday at the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo.

But what if the boycott had gone ahead? The impact could have been catastrophic, not just for Pakistan, but also for the International Cricket Council (ICC), as well as Sri Lanka.

With the crisis seemingly averted, the island nation stands poised to reap the benefits in its financial landscape, diplomatic standing and community.

‘Massive impact’ on tourism

For a country that is still grappling with the aftermath of the economic crisis of 2022, an India-Pakistan cricket fixture at a World Cup could prove to be a godsend.

The tourism and hospitality industry was one of the hardest hit during Sri Lanka’s financial meltdown and this match will see an enormous influx of fans from India and Pakistan coming into the country.

Hotels in and around Colombo were fully booked out well ahead of the tournament but the industry braced itself for heavy losses after Pakistan threatened a boycott.

“There’s been a massive impact since the boycott was announced,” Sudarshana Pieris, who works in Sri Lanka’s hospitality sector, told Al Jazeera.

“All major hotels in Colombo were fully booked by Indian travel agencies well ahead [of the match] and once the boycott was announced, we lost almost all of those bookings,” he said.

“But after Pakistan reversed their decision, hotel room rates shot up by about 300-400 percent at five-star establishments in Colombo.”

It’s not just hotels but several other local businesses – from street vendors to high-end restaurants – who are hoping for an increased footfall and spending over the weekend.

These short trips and the experiences they offer could influence visitors to extend their stay or return to Sri Lanka on holiday, long after the game has ended, in a potential long-term benefit to the industry.

Another relatively underestimated impact of the game would be the employment opportunities it creates, albeit temporarily, in the media, event management, security and transportation industries.

Asanka Hadirampela, a freelance journalist and broadcaster currently working as a Sinhala language commentator for the World Cup, recognises the marquee match as a great opportunity from a personal standpoint.

“This is my first World Cup as a broadcaster,” Hadirampela said.

“The India-Pakistan fixture is the biggest and most-watched game of the tournament. So to get to work on such a match is exciting and I consider it a special achievement.”

A geopolitical win

The lines are always blurred between sport and politics in South Asia.

So while the financial gains are expected to be significant, the fixture’s impact on the region’s geopolitical environment cannot go amiss.

Pakistan’s boycott, too, was explicitly political, as confirmed by the country’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif when he said that they were offering support to Bangladesh after the Tigers were kicked out of the tournament by the ICC.

The reversal of Pakistan’s decision, which they said came after requests to reconsider the boycott by several regional “friends”, was steeped in politics, too.

Sri Lanka’s President Anura Kumara Dissanayake reportedly had a phone conversation with PM Sharif, urging his government to rethink their decision to boycott the game as the successful staging of this encounter would not only position Sri Lanka as a capable host of global sporting events but also reinforce its standing as a neutral mediator in a region fraught with geopolitical complexities.

Sri Lanka and Pakistan have always maintained strong diplomatic relations, which have extended to the cricket field as well.

Sri Lanka were one of the first teams to travel to Pakistan following their 10-year ostracisation from international cricket, which came as a result of a terrorist attack targeting the Sri Lankan team in March 2009.

When Al Jazeera reached out to Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), its vice president Ravin Wickramaratne confirmed that SLC did, indeed, reach out to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after the boycott was announced.

“We asked them to reconsider the decision,” Wickramaratne said.

“It [boycott] would have impacted Sri Lanka economically, whether directly or indirectly.

“We have always had a good relationship with the PCB and we have always supported them, so we’re happy with their decision.”

A little over 24 hours ahead of the match in Colombo, there is a sense of palpable excitement and a growing buzz around the fixture as it returns from the brink of cancellation.

As of Saturday morning, 28,000 tickets had been sold for the game but local organisers expect a capacity crowd of 40,000 to make it into the stands.

Come Sunday, thousands more will line the streets in and around Maligawatte, the bustling Colombo suburb that houses the famous Premadasa Stadium.

GORDON Ramsay has hailed David and Victoria Beckham as fantastic parents — and said time will help Brooklyn heal their heartbreaking family feud.

The Michelin-starred restauranteur, 59, said he loves the aspiring chef, 26, and has been in contact offering support.

He also spoke for the first time about that dance at Brooklyn’s 2022 wedding to Nicola Peltz – which he attended alongside wife Tana.

Loyal Gordon, a long-time family friend, said: “It’s a very difficult situation.

“Victoria is upset, and I know 24/7, seven days a week, just how much David loves Brooklyn.

“Brooklyn and I have messaged a little bit, our relationship is solid. I love him – his heart is incredible.

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“But it’s hard, isn’t it, when you’re infatuated? Love is blind. It’s easy to get up on that rollercoaster, and get carried away. But it will come back.

I know just how many times they have got Brooklyn out of the s***

Gordon on David and Victoria’s parenting

“I’ve seen first-hand just how good parents they are. David as a dad is just incredible.

“They’ve both put so much energy into their kids, and I know just how many times they’ve got Brooklyn out of the s***.

“I think it’s going to be a matter of time before Brooklyn takes a good look at himself and understands just what his parents mean to him.

“He’s desperate to forge his own way, and I respect that from him. It’s such a good thing to do.

“But remember where you came from. And honestly, one day you’re not going to have your mum and dad, and you need to understand that.

“That penny will drop.

“I just want Brooklyn to take a moment to himself. And remember: you’re half mum, half dad. And you’re an amazing young man.

“But, boy, they’ve done more for you than anyone did in your entire life.

‘Time the best healer’

”Time’s going to be the best healer, and David will absolutely get that relationship back on track.”

While Brooklyn has blocked many of his relatives on Instagram, he and Gordon still follow one another.

The chef, who has almost 20million followers, has backed Brooklyn’s cooking endeavours where others were quick to mock.

Meanwhile, Posh and Becks and Gordon and Tana have been pals for nearly 2½ decades.

Of course, Gordon knows about family feuds in the wake of his recent troubles with new son-in-law Adam Peaty’s clan.

He and Tana also went through hell when her dad, Chris Hutcheson, was jailed for six months in 2017 for hacking company computers.

Gordon says: “Tana and I sat them down, and we buried the hatchet with her parents. It’s family, it’s what you do.”

In his damning statement last month, Brooklyn accused his mum of “dancing inappropriately” on him at his wedding.

His friends allege that she “grinded” on the groom. She has since become victim to hundreds of mocking memes.

However unnamed “friends” of the Beckhams hit back at the allegations. Over to Gordon, then, to set the record straight.

He says: “There was nothing salacious. There was nothing inappropriate. Everyone was having fun, having a dance.”

But, Gordon, DID SHE GRIND?

He says: “No! Nothing of the sort. It was fun. I haven’t seen any of the memes, I heard about them of course, but Victoria’s got a great sense of humour.

“She’s great. She’s right to be upset (about the wedding) but she can bat that other s*** away in a heartbeat.

“Victoria and Tana have spoken a lot, they are probably closer than ever – they’re like two peas in a pod, those two.”

When Gordon isn’t playing ace therapist/mediator, he’s been pretty busy on his own terms.

On Wednesday his new six-part Netflix documentary Being Gordon Ramsay airs, detailing his efforts to launch his latest ambitious project.

Britain’s highest eaterie, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay High is on the 60th floor of skyscraper 22 Bishopsgate in the City of London.

I never ever watch myself on telly because it’s just incredibly nerve-wracking.

Gordon Ramsay

The intimate 12-seater chef’s table experience has already earned him another Michelin star. 

I’ve seen the show, and it’s brilliant, giving a fly-on-the-wall look into Gordon’s frenetic and fabulous home life – he and Tana have six kids – as well as the hell of getting a new business off the ground.

He smiles: “I won’t watch it. I never ever watch myself on telly because it’s just incredibly nerve-wracking.

“When you’ve done it and lived it, the last thing you want to do is sit there with lots of popcorn. There’s a level of embarrassment.”

‘Getting softer with age’

Even without Gordon’s viewership, it is sure to be another Netflix smash. Contrary to his bravado, away from the kitchen, and whisper it, but Gordon is a bit of a pussycat, and definitely “getting softer with age”.

He regularly cries, he admits.

He turns 60 in November but in the doc we see super-fit Gordon running outdoors with his young son, Oscar, in the gym and pumping weights. He is ripped.

Wife Tana also recently smashed a Half Ironman in Greece, breezily qualifying for the World Championships in the process. They are a truly impressive power duo, and very clearly still massively in love.

Having trained under Marco Pierre White at the age of 35 Gordon set up his first restaurant, winning three Michelin stars shortly after. He now has eateries across the globe, and is arguably the planet’s most famous chef.

His work ethic is relentless – possibly a result of his humble upbringing. In one episode, Gordon gets emotional recalling his own childhood struggles, growing up on a council estate near Glasgow, and relying on school vouchers to eat.

Today, he has teamed up with a fantastic charity, Feeding Britain, to provide 800,000 kids in poverty with affordable food. Gordon has quietly donated “very heavily” to it.

He recalls: “I was hungry all the time, there was no food in the house.

“I was sometimes too embarrassed to use my vouchers to get my free shepherd’s pie in case, you know, aged 15 or 16, a girl I fancied saw me. I was a skinny f***ng bean.

I remember eating toothpaste thinking that was delicious because there were multiple nights where we never ate. It is appalling that we’re in this situation now.”

Meanwhile, Gordon has been a rock for 26-year-old daughter Holly’s new husband, Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty.

Last weekend Gordon said he’d treated the Peaty family “like royalty”, prompting a furious robust from Adam’s estranged mum, Caroline, who was not invited to his and Holly’s December wedding.

She labelled the Ramsays “bullies”. ”I am certainly not a bully, and it is so appalling to even suggest there was any bullying,” he sighs.

“That’s absolute nonsense. It was sad to see that barrage of negativity that was self-propelled by them.

“But Adam is an incredible young lad and he and Holly are a wonderful, happy, young couple.”

So, would Gordon fancy being a grandad?

He says: “Jesus Christ. They’re still on their f***ing honeymoon!

“But I do laugh sometimes when I’m in the park with [two-year-old son] Jesse.

“I was taking him to a football match last Saturday, and then this lady said, ‘Oh, it must be so nice to have the grandkids at the weekend!’

“And I’m like, ‘Are you f***ing serious woman? Grandkids?! That’s my son!’”

• Being Gordon Ramsay is available on Netflix from Wednesday.

60th WILL BE ADELE OF A PARTY

THE very sweary superstar — I counted 27 f***s in the new documentary’s first episode – hopes superstar singer Adele will bring birthday cheer on his 60th in November.

Obviously, for a man not feted for his thriftiness, there will be a huge party, also celebrating his 30th anniversary with Tana.

“We are hoping Adele will sing,” he grins. “Tana loves Adele and I saw her in Vegas when she was playing the Colosseum, and she was a customer of ours in Chelsea.

“She is an incredibly gracious, talented woman, and a real foodie. She loves that kind of fine dining style.”

IMPERIAL BEACH, Calif. — Mike and Patricia McCoy answered the door of their cozy cottage in Imperial Beach, a short stroll from crashing waves and several blocks from the Tijuana River Estuary, where California meets Mexico and the hiking trails are named for them.

They offered me a seat in a living room filled with awards for their service and with books, some of them about the wonders of the natural world and the threat to its survival. The McCoys are the kind of people who look you in the eye and give you their full attention, and Patricia’s British accent carries an upbeat, birdsong tone.

A sign shows coastal conservationists Mike and Patricia McCoy as young adults “Making a Difference” at the estuary.

(Hayne Palmour IV / For The Times)

In the long history of conservation in California, few have worked as long or as hard as the McCoys.

Few have achieved as much.

And they’re still at it. Mike at 84, Patricia at 89.

The McCoys settled in Imperial Beach in the early 1970s — Mike was a veterinarian, Patricia a teacher — when the coastal protection movement was spreading across the state amid fears of overdevelopment and privatization. In 1972, voters approved Proposition 20, which essentially laid down a hallmark declaration:

The California coast is a public treasure, not a private playground.

Four years later, the Coastal Act became state law, regulating development in collaboration with local government agencies, guaranteeing public access and protecting marine and coastal habitats.

During that time, the McCoys were locked in a fight worth revisiting now, on the 50th anniversary of the Coastal Act. There had been talk for years about turning the underappreciated Tijuana River Estuary, part of which was used as a dumping ground, into something useful.

Mike McCoy knew the roughly 2,500-acre space was already something useful, and vitally important. It was one of the last major undeveloped wetlands in Southern California and a breeding and feeding site for 370 bird species, along with fish, reptiles, rabbits, foxes, coyotes and other animals.

In McCoy’s mind, it needed to be restored, not repurposed. And certainly not as a giant marina, which would have destroyed a habitat that was home to several endangered species. At a 1977 Imperial Beach meeting packed with marina supporters, Mike McCoy drew his line in the sand.

The Tijuana Estuary in Imperial Beach is seen on Friday.

(Hayne Palmour IV / For The Times)

“I went up there,” McCoy recalled, pausing to say he could still feel the heat of the moment, “and I said, ‘You people, and I don’t care who you are, you’re not going to put a marina in that estuary. That’s sacrosanct. You don’t mess with that. That’s a fantastic system, and it’s more complex than you’d ever believe.’”

The estuary won, but the McCoys weren’t done. As I began talking with them about the years of advocacy that followed, Patricia’s modesty blushed.

“We don’t want to be blowing our own trumpet,” she said.

They don’t have to. I’m doing it for them, with the help of admirers who were happy to join the symphony.

Patricia went on to become a member of the Imperial Beach City Council and served for two years on the Coastal Commission, which oversees implementation of the Coastal Act. She also helped Mike and others take the estuary restoration fight to Sacramento, to Washington, D.C., and to Mexico.

“This is what a real power couple looks like,” said Sarah Christie, legislative director of the Coastal Commission. “They wield the power of nature and the power of the people. You can’t overstate their contribution to coastal protection.”

The McCoys’ signature achievement has been twofold, said Jeff Crooks, a San Diego wetlands expert. They helped establish the estuary as a protected wildlife refuge, and they also helped build the framework for the estuary to serve as a research center to monitor, manage and preserve the habitat and collaborate with other managed estuaries in the U.S.

“It’s been a living laboratory for 40-some years,” said Crooks, research coordinator for the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve.

Sewage and debris flow from Tijuana are an ever-present threat and decades-long source of frustration and anger in Imperial Beach, where beaches have been closed and some residents have planted “Stop the Stink” yard signs. Crooks said there’s been some progress on infrastructure improvements, with a long way to go.

Coastal conservationist Mike McCoy looks at a new interpretive sign at the Tijuana Estuary in Imperial Beach on Friday.

(Hayne Palmour IV / For The Times)

But “even though we’re beating it up,” Crooks said of the pollution flowing into the estuary, it’s been amazingly resilient in part because of constant monitoring and management.

Chris Peregrin, who manages the Tijuana Estuary for the state park system, said the nonprofit Tijuana Estuary Foundation has been a good partner, and the president of the foundation board is guess who:

Mike McCoy.

The foundation ”fills gaps that the state cannot,” Peregrin said. “As one example, they run the research program at the reserve.”

For all their continued passion about the mission in their own backyard, the McCoys fret about the bigger picture — the alarming increase in greenhouse gases and the biodiversity decline. Through the estuary window, they see a planet in peril.

“They both think big like that,” Crooks said. “Mike especially comes from the mindset that this is a ‘think globally and act locally’ kind of thing.”

“Restoration is the name of the game, not intrusion,” Mike told me, and he wasn’t talking just about the estuary.

On the very week I visited the McCoys, the Trump administration delivered a crushing blow to the environmental movement, repealing a government finding that greenhouse gas pollution is a threat to the planet and public health. He called those claims, backed by overwhelming scientific consensus, “a giant scam.”

It’s easy to throw up your hands at such knuckle-dragging indifference, and Mike told me he has to keep reaching for more stamina.

But Serge Dedina, a former Imperial Beach mayor who was inspired by the McCoys’ activism as a youngster, sees new generations bringing fresh energy to the fight. Many of them work with him at Wildcoast, the international coastal conservation nonprofit he founded, with Patricia McCoy among his earliest collaborators.

“I wouldn’t be a conservationist and coastal activist without having worked with Patricia and Mike and being infused with their passion,” said Dedina. ”I think sometimes they underestimate their legacy. They’ve had a huge impact on a whole generation of scientists and conservationists and people who are doing work all along the coast.”

We can’t underestimate the legacy of the citizen uprising of 1972, along with the creation of an agency dedicated to coastal conservation. But it’s only fair to note, on the 50th anniversary of the Coastal Act, that not everyone will be reaching for a party hat.

The Coastal Act has been aggressively enforced, at times to a fault in the opinion of developers, homeowners, commercial interests and some politicians. Former Gov. Jerry Brown, who signed the act into law, once referred to Coastal Commission agency staffers as “bureaucratic thugs” for tight restrictions on development.

There’s been constant friction, thanks in part to political pressure and the clout of developers, and one of the many future threats to the core mission is the need for more housing throughout the state. The balance between new construction and continued conservation is sure to spark years of skirmishes.

Coastal conservationists Mike and Patricia McCoy on a trail named after them at the Tijuana Estuary Visitor Center in Imperial Beach.

(Hayne Palmour IV / For The Times)

But as the Coastal Commission website puts it in marking the anniversary, the major achievements of the past 50 years include the “wetlands not filled, the sensitive habitats not destroyed, the access trails not blocked, the farms and ranches not converted to urban uses, the freeways and gated communities and industrial facilities not built.”

In the words of the late Peter Douglas, who co-authored Proposition 20 and later served as executive director of the Coastal Commission, the coast is never saved, it’s always being saved.

Saved by the likes of Mike and Patricia McCoy.

I had the pleasure of walking through the estuary with Mike, past the plaque dedicated to him and his wife and “all who cherish wildlife and the Tijuana Estuary.” We also came upon one of the new interpretive signs that were to be dedicated Friday, including one with a photo of Mike and Patricia as young adults “Making a Difference.”

Mike pointed a finger here and there, explaining all the conservation projects through the year. We saw an egret and a rabbit, and when I heard a clacking sound, Mike brightened.

“That’s a clapper rail,” Mike said, an endangered bird that makes its home in the estuary.

The blowing of the trumpet isn’t just for the McCoys.

It’s a rallying call to those who might follow in their footsteps.

steve.lopez@latimes.com

Pat Haden, Vince Evans, Sean Salisbury, Rodney Peete, Matt Cassel, Todd Marinovich, Rob Johnson, Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, Mark Sanchez, Caleb Williams. Just a few of the great USC quarterbacks who went on to have NFL careers, yet never won a Super Bowl. Congratulations to Sam Darnold, the first USC quarterback to win the Super Bowl. I will always remember Sam’s amazing performance in the 2017 Rose Bowl game against Penn State. Sam was a redshirt freshman that year. He had the heart of a champion then and still does now.

Dave Ring
Manhattan Beach

Sam Darnold’s odyssey, from first-round bust to Super Bowl champion, is straight out of a Hollywood movie. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Darnold proved success in football, like life, is not always linear. He has now won more Super Bowls than his 2017 draft class colleagues, Baker Mayfield, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, combined.

Mark S. Roth
Playa Vista

Feb. 13 (UPI) — All four people aboard a single-engine aircraft died when it crashed shortly after midnight local time on Friday in a remote location on the southern side of Emerald Mountain near Steamboat Springs, Colo.

Routt County Sheriff Doug Scherar confirmed their deaths in a prepared statement shared with The Denver Post.

“All four victims have been recovered from the scene, and the Routt County Coroner’s Office is working to notify their families today,” Sherar said.

The Epic Aircraft E1000 in which the four were flying is a high-end turboprop aircraft that is owned by ALC Aviation LLC in Franklin, Tenn., which bought the plane in 2024.

The aircraft crashed at 12:20 a.m. while approaching the Steamboat Springs Airport, and the crash site was located near the top of Emerald Mountain, which is 8,252 feet tall.

Franklin is about 20 miles south of Nashville and is home to many country music stars and other celebrities. The flight originated in Nashville and made a stop in Kansas City before proceeding to Steamboat Springs.

The names of the deceased have not been released pending notification of their next of kin.

The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the plane crash.

Poor Sylvia Plath has found little rest in the afterlife.

The New Yorker’s Janet Malcolm had choice words for the army of Plath’s biographers. She likened this species of writer to “the professional burglar, breaking into a house, rifling through certain drawers that he has good reason to think contain the jewelry and money, and triumphantly bearing his loot away.”

Plath, the deserted wife of fellow poet Ted Hughes, mother of two young children, died by suicide at age 30, leaving behind a collection of poems that anatomized her mental descent in scorching language that secured a permanent place in American letters. More than 60 years have passed since her death in 1963, yet the literary myth that has taken the name Sylvia Plath lives on.

I confess I’m not impervious to the posthumous allure. When visiting friends who were staying in the Primrose Hill area of London a few years ago, I would pass by the flat that Plath shared with her husband there and stare wonderingly at the town house, adorned with a blue plaque commemorating its former resident.

“Sylvia Sylvia Sylvia,” a new play by Beth Hyland that opened Thursday at the Geffen Playhouse, is set in a different apartment that the couple shared. This cozily claustrophobic home is located in Boston’s historic Beacon Hill district in the period before they had children and were striving anxiously to realize their early promise.

As Sylvia (Marianna Gailus) and Ted (Cillian O’Sullivan) confront the problems that will eventually drive them apart, two contemporary married writers who have taken up residence at the Boston address grapple with many of the same issues (marital discord, competitive egos and mental health woes) as their more famous literary predecessors.

World premieres are risky, and the writing for this one hasn’t yet settled. The play’s split focus, moving between 1958 and the present, is a sign of conceptual ambition. But Hyland struggles to find the pacing and rhythm of her complicated vision.

Sally (Midori Francis), a writer whose first book was a big hit but whose second book is long overdue, and Theo (Noah Keyishian), who just found out he won a major literary prize for his first novel and is now up for a game-changing job at Columbia University, are at different points in their careers. Sally is processing both the shock of a miscarriage and her ambivalence about her marriage.

She’s also worried that her publisher is going to make her pay back the advance for the book about Plath and Hughes that she’s been unable to make any headway on. “I have to finish the draft,” she tells Theo. “If I can’t do that when I’m living in their apartment, I should honestly just kill myself.”

Clearly, Sally is having a hard time holding it together. The precarious state of her mind forces us to question whether Sylvia and Ted are ghosts, hallucinations or literary inventions sprung to life. But these characters are initially presented as objectively real. We meet them before we meet Sally and Theo, and whether they are figments or not, they are unmistakably haunting the new occupant who’s writing about them.

Unfortunately, these illustrious figures are badly written and stiffly played. O’Sullivan can’t keep Ted’s accent straight, and Gailus seems to be offering a Ryan Murphy version of Plath.

Marianna Gailus, left, and Cillian O’Sullivan in “Sylvia Sylvia Sylvia” at Geffen Playhouse.

(Jeff Lorch)

Sally may be struggling to give Sylvia and Ted life on the page, but Hyland is having her own trouble ushering them to the stage. The word “factitious” kept coming to mind. Artificiality might be the point, but it’s not one that gives much pleasure in the theater.

Who wants to sit through a fictitious novelist’s clumsy drafts? The scenes between Sally and Theo are more convincing, but the dynamic between them grinds on snappishly. Theo tries his best to be a sensitive and supportive husband, but Sally can’t seem to get what she needs from him. And as her marriage and literary career fall apart, her psychiatric problems intensify.

Writing in a desperate junk-food-fueled all-nighter, Sally appears to have entered a manic phase. Theo, terrified that she might make another suicide attempt, looks on helplessly. Their small, spare yet tasteful apartment (the work of the collective Studio Bent) turns into a marital pressure cooker as Theo’s fortunes rise and Sally’s self-belief craters.

Hyland captures the parallels between the two couples. Her Ted is a patriarchal monster, controlling, moody and sexually malignant. Theo is far more psychologically evolved, but he has his own blind spots that provoke Sally, who’s more emancipated than Sylvia but less professionally assured and just as unstable.

The times are vastly different, but the balance of power between these married writers remains precarious. There might be a fascinating play here, but the amorphous scenes that Hyland provides lack a dramatic through line.

As the play flounders, director Jo Bonney casts about for solutions. A playful ghost story that has Sylvia entering and exiting through the refrigerator takes a bloody turn. As Sally spirals, the set turns crimson. This detour into horror is only temporary, but there’s no clear destination in sight.

The unstoppable force of Sally’s resentment and the immovable object of Theo’s perseverance are not an ideal dramatic combination. Francis bravely doesn’t soften Sally’s prickly nature, but she doesn’t give us much reason to sympathize with her character either. Keyishian’s gentle Theo is so solicitous that Sally’s abrasiveness begins to feel abusive, not to say theatrically off-putting. Perhaps that too is intentional. But just as there’s a difference between depicting chaos and depicting chaotically, there’s a difference between presenting theatergoers with a realistic image of mental illness and driving an audience nuts.

Ted is a cartoon creep with an Oxbridge hauteur, but Theo’s shortcomings may be too subtly rendered for a play that cries out for more definition. (Even his betrayal, involving the use of private marital material for literary purposes, seems equivocal.)

Hyland can’t resolve her shapeless play, so she has Sally talk her way into the future in a rambling monologue that’s a complete cop-out.

Sylvia warned Sally that if she tried to write about her, she would do everything in her power to stop her. The ghost of Plath, however, has nothing to worry about. “Sylvia Sylvia Sylvia” conks out on its own.

This article explores the historical roots and cultural evolution of Valentine’s Day, tracing its origins to a blend of ancient Roman rituals and early Christian martyrology. The text highlights various legends surrounding Saint Valentine, a figure who allegedly defied imperial law to perform clandestine weddings or sent the first romantic message from prison. It also explains how the holiday likely absorbed the pagan festival of Lupercalia, which involved fertility traditions and the ritualistic pairing of young couples. Over time, these practices transformed through the Middle Ages, influenced by the belief that mid-February signaled the start of the avian mating season. Ultima … 

History is once again unfolding at the Milan-Cortina Winter Games as Team USA members break records and score dominant triumphs.

But as the Games move into their second week, a different and more provocative history is starting to repeat itself, casting a politically charged shadow over the event.

Champion skier Mikaela Shiffrin, snowboarder Chloe Kim, and freestyle skiers Hunter Hess and Chris Lillas are among the top athletes who have been vocal about their uneasiness in representing their home country during a period of deep political crisis revolving several volatile issues, including the violent federal crackdown in Minnesota by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and the Trump administration’s attacks nationwide on immigrants and the LGBTQ+ community.

“It brings up mixed emotions to represent the U.S. right now,” Hess said at a press conference last week. “Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.”

Trump blasted Hess’ comments in a Truth Social post, calling him “a real Loser,” adding, “He says he doesn’t represent his Country … If that’s the case, he shouldn’t have tried out for the Team, and it’s too bad he’s on it. Very hard to root for someone like this.”

Commenting on the athletes in an interview with CNN, Vice President JD Vance, who was attending the Games, said the athletes who are critical should expect “some pushback.”

Vance, who was booed when he was shown on a large screen during the opening ceremonies, added, “You’re there to play a sport, you’re there to represent the country and hopefully win a medal. Most Olympic athletes, whatever their politics, are doing a great job, certainly enjoy the support of the entire country, and I think recognize that the way to bring the country together is not to show up in a foreign country and attack the president of the United States, but it’s to play your sport and to represent the country well.”

Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha at the Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Milan on Feb. 6. Vance said athletes should expect pushback if they criticize the country.

(Natacha Pisarenko/AP)

The outspokenness of the Winter Olympic athletes echoes a dramatic protest by Olympians Tommie Smith and John Carlos which electrified the 1968 Summer Games in Mexico City. The sprinters, who placed first and third respectively in the 200 meter race, spoke not with words but with black-gloved raised fists on the victory stand, producing one of the most iconic images in Olympic history.

As the national anthem played following their victories, Smith and Carlos expressed their anger about racial injustice in America by bowing their heads and raising their fists. The gesture provoked a seismic reaction internationally while infuriating Olympic officials who claimed Smith and Carlos used the world stage to humiliate their home country.

Smith and Carlos’ salute to Black Power is explored in HBO Max’s documentary “Fists of Freedom: The Story of the ’68 Summer Games.” The 1999 Peabody Award-winning film chronicles the fiery moment and its aftermath for Smith and Carlos, who earned both heroic praise and pointed condemnation.

George Roy, who produced and directed “Fists of Freedom,” said “there are similarities between what happened in 1968 and what’s going on now. The similarities are it’s the Olympics and the United States, and in both cases there are athletes saying they wish they could be a little prouder given the current state of things.”

U.S. athletes Tommie Smith, center, and John Carlos, right, hold their fists up in protest after winning medals at the 1968 Summer Olympic games.

(AP)

However, Roy, who has won multiple Emmys and is the founder of Jersey Line Films, added that there are marked differences.

“What Smith and Carlos did was so consequential because it affected them directly,” he said. “They were protesting along with millions in their community. Their point was that they were good enough to represent their country. But when they got back to the real world, they would have trouble getting into restaurants or finding an apartment.”

He added, “It was just more personal than what is happening now.”

In an interview included in the documentary, Smith said the gesture by him and Carlos was often misinterpreted.

“As soon as the national anthem was playing, my glove is going toward God,” said Smith. “The Black fist in the air was only in recognition of those who had gone. It was a prayer of solidarity. It was a cry for help by my fellow brothers and sisters in the country who had been shot, who had been bitten by dogs … It was a cry for freedom.”

He added, “I don’t like the idea of people looking at it as negative. It was nothing but a raised fist in the air and a bowed head to the American flag. Not symbolizing a hatred for it.”

Though he heard cheers, he also heard boos and jeers.

“Fists of Freedom” contains several interviews from sports and media figures who were present or covered the proceedings and had strong opinions about the gesture.

Bob Paul, who was the press secretary for the United States Olympic Committee in 1968, said, “[Smith and Carlos] were wrong. You are supposed to observe due order and decorum to the nth degree at every victory ceremony.”

Veteran TV sportscaster Brent Musburger, who at the time was a columnist with the Chicago American newspaper, wrote: “Airing one’s dirty laundry before the entire world during a fun and games tournament was no more than a juvenile gesture. Smith and Carlos looked like a couple of Black-skinned storm troopers.”

Incensed, Olympic committee head Avery Brundage ordered the sprinters to be expelled from the Games.

Despite the uproar, experts said the salute by Smith and Carlos was a defining moment for Black people, galvanizing the Civil Rights Movement. However, the two men encountered personal and professional difficulties when they returned home.

Both Smith and Carlos have participated in speaking engagements in recent years. They could not be reached for comment.

“We’re not Antichrists,” said Smith in “Fists of Freedom.” “We’re just human beings who saw a need to be recognized.”

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — The Puerto Rican team at the Milan-Cortina Winter Games isn’t large.

In fact, Kellie Delka stands just 5-foot-3 and weighs about 120 pounds. That’s it; that’s Puerto Rico’s entire team.

Her only event is skeleton, in which athletes travel at about 80 mph down an icy mile-long track with 16 turns. And she won’t be in the hunt for a medal in Saturday’s final rounds after finishing 24th of 25 athletes in Friday’s two heats.

Yet her presence is important just the same because it means Puerto Rico has a team here, even if it was just one person. For most of the century, that wasn’t the case.

“I was approached by the federation. They’re like, ‘hey, they’re trying to grow their winter federation. Maybe that would be something you’d be interested in helping,” she said. “So in 2018, I dropped everything, and I’ve been living on the island ever since.”

That was the first step of what Puerto Rico hopes will be a rebirth of a Winter Olympics program that had been razed to the ground.

In 2002, the island was set to send a bobsled team to the Winter Games in Salt Lake City but one of its sledders couldn’t prove he met Puerto Rico’s residency requirement. Embarrassed, the local Olympic committee didn’t just withdraw its two-man team, it ended recognition for all of the island’s winter sports.

No athlete would represent the territory in the Winter Games for another 16 years, until Charles Flaherty, a teenage American-born skier who moved to Puerto Rico when he was nine, competed in the 2018 Winter Games. A year later an ice hockey federation was established and in 2023 a curling federation.

In between those two things Delka, 38, made her Olympic debut, carrying the Puerto Rican flag with William Flaherty, Charles’ younger brother, in the opening ceremony in Beijing.

She carried it by herself in Italy.

Kellie Delka waves the flag of Puerto Rico during the Winter Olympic opening ceremony on Feb. 6.

(Misper Apawu / Associated Press)

Because Puerto Rico is an unincorporated U.S. territory, its residents are citizens of the U.S., but to represent the island in the Olympics, you must be born in Puerto Rico, have a parent or grandparent who was born there or live there for at least two years.

It was that final requirement that Delka, a native Texas, was seeking to fulfill when she moved to the island.

“I love the island, I love the people,” she said. “I’ll probably live there forever.”

A pole vaulter and cheerleader at the University of North Texas, Delka was introduced to skeleton by Johnny Quinn, a fellow North Texas alum who competed in the bobsled. She made her international debut in 2013 and was competing for the U.S. through the end of 2017, when Puerto Rico’s federation called.

Leaving a team to go it alone was more difficult than she expected.

“That was the hardest part,” she said. “When you go by yourself, like, it’s a pretty lonely journey. And then not having a coach the whole time, because you have to pay for that as well.

“I love the sport. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t love it, because you definitely don’t make money from it.”

Eight years later, Delka speaks no Spanish but says she feels intensely Puerto Rican. She gets some financial support from an International Olympic Committee scholarship fund and small, intermittent assistance from the federation. But mostly she supports herself in the sport, in part by selling bikinis she designed on the beach in Luquillo, the tiny community on the northeast tip of the island where she lives.

Puerto Rico’s Kellie Delka hopes she can inspire other athletes to represent the island in the Winter Olympics.

(Alessandra Tarantino / Associated Press)

“I love to sew, I like to make jewelry. I like to make bikinis, and I like to be involved in the community,” she said. “That’s how you meet people.”

Next she wants to inspire them. Because there’s no use in starting an Olympic team if no one else wants to join.

“I would love a teammate,” she said. “I don’t want it to just be me forever, like right now it is.

“I want to start mentoring younger people because I want kids to know that you don’t have to have everything to make it. I don’t have anything. I’m doing this by myself. I’m going to the gym by myself, I’m going to the track by myself, I’m traveling by myself.

“You can do it too, and I can help you do it.”

Sometimes all you need is one person to get started.

Cable seen by Al Jazeera says the US ‘strongly objects’ to the island nation seeking support for ICJ’s landmark climate ruling.

The United States is urging governments to pressure Vanuatu to withdraw a United Nations draft resolution supporting a landmark International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling that countries have a legal obligation to act on climate change.

A US State Department cable seen by Al Jazeera on Saturday says that the Trump administration “strongly objects” to the proposed resolution being circulated by the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu in support of last year’s ruling by the ICJ – the UN’s top court.

The Associated Press news agency, which also reported on the cable, said that it was circulated to all US embassies and consulates this week, shortly after Vanuatu announced it was putting forward the draft UN resolution for consideration.

“We are strongly urging Vanuatu to immediately withdraw its draft resolution and cease attempting to wield the Court’s Advisory Opinion as a basis for creating an avenue to pursue any misguided claims of international legal obligations,” a copy of the cable seen by Al Jazeera states.

The ICJ’s 15 judges considered tens of thousands of pages of written submissions and two weeks of oral arguments during the court’s biggest-ever case, before delivering their verdict last year that states have a legal obligation to act on the “existential threat” of climate change.

The ICJ case took place after Vanuatu won the support of 132 countries in the UN General Assembly, which can request opinions from The Hague-based court.

It also came as the Trump administration has sought to undo US action on climate change, both at home and at the UN.

The US cable claims that Vanuatu’s proposed UN resolution in support of the ICJ opinion was based on “speculative climate models to fabricate purported legal obligations that seek to assign blame and encourage baseless claims”.

Louis Charbonneau, Human Rights Watch’s director at the UN, urged support for Vanuatu’s draft resolution on Friday, saying “governments should live up to their obligation” to protect human rights around the world by protecting the environment.

“Responsible governments shouldn’t allow themselves to be bullied by those that reject the global scientific consensus and continue to support reliance on harmful fossil fuels,” he said.

Vanuatu’s UN Ambassador Odo Tevi, who said his country wants a vote on the resolution by the end of March, has stressed that it would ensure that the clarity in the ICJ ruling “strengthens global climate action and multilateral cooperation”.

An article in Vanuatu’s Daily Post newspaper said that the draft resolution has been endorsed by countries including Barbados, Burkina Faso, Colombia, Jamaica, Kenya, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, the Netherlands, Palau, the Philippines, Singapore and Sierra Leone.

Many of these countries are already experiencing the worsening effects of climate change, including increasingly severe storms.

Trump, who has promised to “drill, baby drill” for oil in his second term, has withdrawn the US from UN climate bodies, including the UN’s top climate change treaty body, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Trump has also threatened to impose sanctions on diplomats who voted for a levy on polluting shipping fuels at the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio has addressed European leaders at the Munich Security Conference (MSC) in an address seen as more conciliatory than in previous years.

Rubio on Saturday said Washington and Europe “belong together”, adding: “We want Europe to be strong. We believe that Europe must survive.”

He also said the US under Trump wants to lead global “renewal and restoration … and that while we are prepared, if necessary, to do this alone, it is our preference and it is our hope to do this together with you, our friends here in Europe”.

Rubio’s speech on Saturday was seen as more conciliatory than remarks made by US Vice President JD Vance last year, who used his appearance at the event to attack European policies on immigration and free speech, shocking European allies.

Despite the softer tone, Rubio still criticised Europe on migration. He warned of “civilisational erasure” caused by mass migration and said it is “destabilising” the West – a line that has been frequently repeated by US officials, including the president.

Other divisions remain between the once-ironclad allies. European leaders remain bruised by Trump’s desire to take control of Greenland, an autonomous territory of NATO-member Denmark.

European leaders have used the MSC as an opportunity to pledge to shoulder more of the burden of shared NATO defences. Leaders said this is essential for Europe to counter a hostile Russia, with NATO chief Mark Rutte saying “a strong Europe in a strong NATO means that the transatlantic bond will be stronger than ever.”

“This is the right time for a strong Europe,” said French President Emmanuel Macron, who stressed on Friday that the continent was “clear in the support of Ukraine” and “building its own architecture of security”.

“This Europe will be a good ally and partner for the United States of America,” the French leader said.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told the conference that Europe “must be ready to fight, to do whatever it takes to protect our people, our values and our way of life,” and added that the continent should focus on decreasing “some dependencies” and focus on creating a “more European NATO”.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz acknowledged a “rift” had opened up between Europe and the US, prompted by culture wars, but issued an appeal to Washington: “Let’s repair and revive transatlantic trust together.

“In the era of great power rivalry, even the United States will not be powerful enough to go it alone,” said the conservative leader, who has ramped up defence spending in the top European Union economy.

Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine is set to enter its fifth gruelling year.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has been in Munich since Friday and meeting multiple allies, was expected to address the meeting on Saturday.

No Russian officials have been invited, but Foreign Minister Wang Yi of China has been invited and will deliver a key speech.

A US official said Rubio will meet with Zelenskyy at the conference. US officials have worked for months to try to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, with little success.

At the White House on Friday, Trump urged Zelenskyy to “get moving” to end the war. “Russia wants to make a deal… He has to move,” the US leader said.

Speaking at the MSC, however, Rubio said he did not know if Russia was serious about ending its war against Ukraine.

A German government source said Merz and Rubio met at the conference on Friday and discussed “Ukraine, the status of negotiations with Russia and further support for the country, particularly in terms of military aid”.

They also discussed Europe’s role in NATO, and “Rubio praised Germany’s steps to strengthen the alliance,” the source added.

Macron said a new framework was needed to deal with “an aggressive Russia” once the fighting in Ukraine ends.

At the conference, the US secretary of state also touched on issues outside Europe.

On China, he said the US owes it to the world to manage its relations with China, even when the national interests of the two superpowers do not align. Speaking about Iran, he said President Trump’s preference is to reach a deal with Tehran, but said that’s “very hard to do”.