U.S.

MILAN — Laila Edwards finally got out from under the spotlight and onto the ice for the U.S. women’s hockey team Thursday. It was a simple act, but one that made history.

Yet for Edwards, it was just another day at the office.

“It didn’t feel different at all,” she said. “It’s still hockey at the end of the day. Even though it’s the highest level, it’s still hockey.”

With her first shift in Thursday’s 5-1 win over Czechia, on the first day of hockey at the Milan-Cortina Winter Games, Edwards became the first Black woman to play for the U.S. national team in an Olympic tournament. On a team full of record-breakers, it was a significant milestone, one that has become a storyline for the world’s top-ranked team.

“Cameras constantly in her face. She does a good job of whatever she needs to do,” said teammate Tessa Janecke, who had two second-period assists. “It’s very inspiring for us as her teammates, but as well as the next generation.”

And that, of course, is the point.

“Representation matters,” Edwards said. “There’s been a lot of young kids or parents of young kids who have reached out or I’ve run into that say, ‘You know, my daughter plays sports because of you. And she feels seen and represented,’ and that’s just really motivating.”

Just 22, Edwards is already accustomed to breaking barriers and being the youngest this or the first that.

In 2023, she became the first Black player on the women’s senior national team in any competition; a year later, she became, at 20, the youngest player to win the MVP award in the World Championship.

But if doing that has been easy, talking about it has taken some work.

“I could not do interviews or not talk about it, but then the story doesn’t get out there,” she said. “And maybe a little girl doesn’t see me, who looks like her. So I think that’s what’s more important.”

On Thursday, playing before Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and a packed house at the Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena, Edwards marked her Olympic debut by helping put the Americans ahead to stay, feeding Megan Keller in the high slot for a slap shot that Alex Carpenter redirected in a first-period power-play goal.

Second-period goals from Joy Dunne and Hayley Scamurra — both on assists from Janecke — and third-period goals from Scamurra and Hilary Knight, sandwiched around one from Czechia’s Barbora Jurickova, accounted for the final score in a game in which the top-ranked Americans outshot the fourth-ranked Czechs 42-14.

Still, the night belonged to Edwards, a player Knight calls “the future of the sport.” But she’s doing pretty well in the present too, having already won two national championships with Wisconsin and two world championship medals with Team USA.

Edwards started skating shortly after she learned to walk, then switched to hockey before starting kindergarten, when her father Robert, who played the game as a child, enrolled her and three siblings in a youth hockey program. By 8, she was so advanced she was playing with boys’ teams and for high school she left her native Cleveland Heights, Ohio, for the elite girls’ hockey program at Bishop Kearney High School in Rochester, N.Y.

Although she was a high-scoring forward in high school and college — she led the nation with 35 goals as a junior at Wisconsin — she’s proven versatile enough to play on the blue line in the Olympics. That’s a little like playing a running back at right guard.

“I couldn’t even imagine that,” forward Abbey Murphy said of Edwards, who skated a team-high 25 shifts Thursday. “She took it and she just kind of ate it up and she made defenseman look easy. She’s magic on the blue line.”

At 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds — making her the biggest and most physical player on the U.S. team — Edwards was well-suited for the move.

“She’s so dynamic, so athletic, you could put her in goal and she would perform,” said Caroline Harvey, a teammate in high school, college and now with the national team. “She’s just adjusted so well. It’s seamless. It doesn’t even seem like she’s switched positions.”

Edwards hasn’t made her journey to the Olympics alone, however, a fact she acknowledged after Thursday’s game. Although her father is responsible for her start in hockey, it looked like he wouldn’t be able to travel to Milan to see his daughter make history. So Edwards’ parents started a crowdfunding campaign to pay for flights and accommodations.

Jason and Travis Kelce, brothers and former Super Bowl players who also grew up in Cleveland Heights, learned of the campaign and quickly kicked in $10,000, allowing 14 members of Edwards’ family to come to Italy — where their cheers were audible every time her name was announced.

“They show support,” Edwards said. “And they’re really cool guys.”

After her Olympic debut Thursday, there are a lot of little girls who can say the same about Edwards.

BUENOS AIRES — Argentina and the United States said they reached an expansive trade deal Thursday, boosting President Javier Milei as he moves to open up the South American nation’s notoriously protectionist economy and reflecting the close alliance between the radical libertarian and President Trump.

Argentina’s foreign minister, Pablo Quirno, posted a selfie on social media showing him and several diplomats beaming after emerging from a meeting in Washington where he said they’d signed the pact.

“Congratulations to our team and thanks to the U.S. Trade Representative’s team for building this great agreement together,” Quirno wrote. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative also confirmed the deal.

The countries announced a framework for the agreement in November, saying Argentina would ease restrictions on a range of American imports, including cattle, dairy products, medicines, chemicals, machinery, medical devices and vehicles. Those were key concessions for Argentina, where local industries long protected by steep tariffs have expressed concern about their ability to compete with American manufacturers.

The U.S., for its part, would remove reciprocal tariffs on imports of “certain unavailable natural resources” and ingredients for pharmaceutical goods from Argentina, according to the framework.

At the time, the White House reached similar frameworks with Ecuador, Guatemala and El Salvador — part of what it described as an effort to improve the ability of American firms to sell industrial and agricultural products in Latin American countries and bring down food prices for U.S. consumers.

Officials did not immediately offer details about the final version of the U.S.-Argentina deal signed Thursday.

The agreement marks the latest development in the close alliance between Trump and Milei, who has reshaped Argentine foreign policy to align with the U.S., earned Trump’s praise for stabilizing his nation’s crisis-prone economy and traveled to the U.S. more than a dozen times in the last two years. Milei is scheduled to appear at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate next week to speak at a gala.

Trump supported Milei’s fiscal program last year with a $20-billion credit line that succeeded in calming markets and boosting Milei’s prospects in a crucial midterm election in October. The U.S. Treasury also directly purchased U.S. dollar-denominated Argentine bonds that ratings agencies were classifying as “junk” at the time and snapped up the volatile local currency that Argentines were dumping in droves.

The extraordinary intervention drew backlash from across the U.S. political spectrum.

Trump’s MAGA base questioned the need to bail out a far-flung country that’s not only of little importance to the U.S. but also directly competes with its exports of corn, wheat, meat and oil.

Democratic lawmakers expressed outrage that Trump was staking taxpayer money on a political gift to an ideological soulmate.

That criticism has continued, with U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, on Thursday appealing to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to end the $20-billion lifeline.

In a letter, she wrote that even though the Treasury promised its credit line for Argentina “was for an acute, short-term, and urgent purpose, it appears … to have left open the possibility of continued use.”

Debre writes for the Associated Press. AP writer Josh Boak in Washington contributed to this report.

Feb. 5 (UPI) — The number of U.S. non-farm job openings trended downward to 6.5 million in December, while hiring and job separations remained steady, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Thursday.

The number of job openings in December was down by 386,000 in December and 966,000 for the year, while hiring and job separations remained steady at 5.3 million each in December, the bureau reported.

While the number of job openings was down in December, the rate remained steady at 3.9%.

Openings among the professional and business services sector decreased by 257,000, while retail trade jobs decreased by 195,000 and finance and insurance by 120,000.

The rate for new-hires stayed steady in December at 3.3%, as hiring rose by 28,000 in the real estate and rental and leasing sector and by 36,000 in state and local government — but not including education — and decreased by 11,000 in the federal government.

December’s rate of job separations, which the bureau defines as those quits, layoffs, discharges and other separations, also remained steady at 3.3%, while the number and rate of quits were steady at 3.2 million and 2%, respectively.

Within the professional and business services sector, the number of quits decreased by 151,000, while those in the education services sector declined by 19,000.

The number of quits in the retail trade sector rose by 87,000, while information-sector quits increased by 28,000.

Layoffs and discharges in December changed little, at 1.8 million and a rate of 1.1%, while transportation, warehousing and utilities sectors recorded 103,000 layoffs and discharges in December.

Finance and insurance reported 20,000 fewer layoffs and discharges for the month, and other separations stayed unchanged at 285,000.

Among the size of respective job providers, those with between one and nine employees and those with 5,000 or more reported virtually no change in numbers and rates of job openings, hirings and separations, according to the bureau.

The federal agency also adjusted November’s reported job openings down by 218,000 to 6.9 million, while the number of hirings was revised up by 6,000 to 5.1 million.

Total separations in November also were revised, with 64,000 more than initially reported for a total of 5.1 million, including 32,000 more quits, 14,000 more layoffs and discharges, and 17,000 more other separations reported.

The November changes for quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations increased the month’s totals to 3.2 million, 1.7 million and 249,000, respectively.

The bureau’s report comes a day after the ADP National Employment Report indicated private sector employment reportedly rose by 22,000 in January, which was about half the anticipated number.

Feb. 5 (UPI) — The White House is expected to launch its new prescription drug platform, TrumpRx, on Thursday evening, showcasing the president’s new “most favored nation” drug pricing policy.

President Donald Trump initially announced his plan in September with the launch of the TrumpRx website.

The idea is to sell prescription drugs at lower prices via the website, so that people without insurance can pay less. But users have to pay in cash because the site will not accept insurance.

The White House said at the time in a fact sheet, “foreign nations can no longer use price controls to freeride on American innovation by guaranteeing MFN prices on all new innovative medicines Pfizer brings to market.”

At the time, Pfizer was the only company on board. Since then, Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck, Amgen, Gilead, GSK, Sanofi, Roche’s Genentech, Boehringer Ingelheim, AstraZeneca, EMD Serono and Novartis have joined.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced the event on X.

“TONIGHT AT 7PM: President Trump, Dr. Oz, and National Design Studio Director Joe Gebbia will be officially unveiling TrumpRx — a state of the art website for Americans consumers to purchase low cost prescription drugs. This historic announcement will save millions of Americans money. You won’t want to miss it! Tune in.”

Feb. 5 (UPI) — The FBI on Thursday announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to the return of Tucson, Ariz., resident Nancy Guthrie, 84, as the search for the mother of Today show anchor Savannah Guthrie enters its fifth day.

The reward is also available for information leading to “the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance,” the FBI said.

Local law enforcement officials said no suspects have been identified in Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, which happened in the early hours of Sunday.

“They just hurt. Understandably so,” Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said of the missing woman’s family during a Thursday afternoon news conference. “The community is hurting with you. We really just want mom back.”

He said investigators “believe Nancy is still out there” and that local police and the FBI are “working around the clock” to find her.

“We just want her home and to find a way to get to the bottom of all of this,” Nanos said.

A larger regional team of Tucson-area law enforcement has been added to the task force that includes a large team of FBI personnel to investigate her suspicious disappearance.

“We’re sharing every piece of information — all the data that we can — to get this solved,” he said.

He also confirmed that blood found on the porch of Nancy Guthrie’s home is hers.

FBI Phoenix Special Agent in Charge Heigh Janke confirmed that ransom notes have been received, including one seeking an Apple watch and another asking for a floodlight.

He said investigators were limiting the amount of facts released because some people might use them to profit from the case.

Janke said one “imposter” has been arrested, and investigators were working on the ransom note that was shared with media.

No proof of life has been provided, Janke said, but Nanos told reporters that they are investigating based on Nancy Guthrie still being alive until evidence shows that she is not.

One of the ransom notes included “facts associated with a monetary value they were asking for,” Janke said.

Nancy Guthrie was reported missing by her family on Sunday afternoon after they received a call from her church saying that she was not at home.

Before her disappearance, investigators said Nancy Guthrie visited with family members at 5:32 p.m. on Saturday and returned to her home at 9:48 p.m., NBC News reported.

She obtained a ride both ways from the Uber ride-hailing service, and investigators spoke with the driver who took her home.

Investigators said a doorbell camera on her home was disabled at 1:47 a.m. on Sunday, but its software detected movement at 2:12 a.m

Her pacemaker disconnected from her personal device at 2:28 a.m., and her family arrived at the home to check on her several hours later at 11:56 a.m.

They placed a 911 call minutes later at 12:03 p.m., and Pima County Sheriff’s deputies arrived about 10 minutes later.

MILAN — Alysa Liu wore a hollow smile on the ice. She had achieved a dream, skating at the Beijing Olympics at just 16, but in a mostly empty arena, few were there to see the moment.

Perhaps that was what Liu secretly wanted.

“It’s not that I didn’t want to be seen,” Liu said. “It’s just I had nothing to show.”

The 20-year-old now proudly presents Alysa Liu 2.0.

Four years after shocking the sport by retiring as a teenage phenom, the Oakland native could win two gold medals at the Milan-Cortina Olympics. She is a title contender in her individual event that begins Jan. 17 as the United States tries to end a 20-year Olympic medal drought in women’s singles figure skating, and she will skate Friday in the women’s short program of a team competition the United States is favored to win.

Armed with a new perspective from her two-year retirement, Liu now smiles genuinely on and off the ice, no matter if there’s a medal around her neck or not.

“I have so much I want to express and show, whether that’s through skating or just through my presence,” said Liu, who placed sixth in Beijing. “It’s exciting to think about that being seen.”

When she made her Olympic debut, Liu didn’t feel like her career belonged to her. Her father, Arthur, was a driving force in her skating career. In a sport where coaches and choreographers often call the shots for young athletes, Liu entered the Olympic stage with programs she didn’t like and clothes she didn’t pick. She was behind a mask and couldn’t express herself. She barely knew how to.

Skating had consumed her entire life. She felt “trapped and stuck” in the sport. So she left.

After retiring following the 2022 world championships — where she won a bronze medal — Liu got her driver’s license. She hiked to Mount Everest base camp with friends. She went shopping for not-skating clothes, played Fortnite until 4 a.m. with her siblings and enrolled at UCLA. She loved studying psychology.

“I found what I like and what I didn’t like,” said Liu, who took time off from UCLA to prepare for the Olympics but hopes to return before her friends graduate. “Really got to know myself, because [when] I had skating, I didn’t really know myself. I couldn’t know myself. I only ever did one thing.”

Alysa Liu practices in Milan on Thursday ahead of the Olympic team competition, which starts Friday.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

After a casual ski trip reminded her of the joys of skating, Liu made the decision to return to the sport that shaped, and nearly stole, her childhood. But she would only do it on her terms.

The choreography, the music and the costumes would all be her choice. She doesn’t compete to win. She skates to show her art, she said.

In the process, she’s winning more than ever.

She won the world championship in 2025, becoming the first U.S. woman to win the world title since 2006. She won the Grand Prix final in Japan in December, the last major international competition before the Milan-Cortina Games to announce herself as a potential Olympic champion.

The day before her last performance at the U.S. championships, the final competition that would decide her Olympic bid, Liu ran to a St. Louis salon to dye her hair to match a new skating dress. Unbothered by the pressure of the moment, she debuted a Lady Gaga free skate that brought fans to their feet and earned her a silver medal.

“When you are an Olympic athlete that has a chance in front of the world every four years, it literally is your life’s work that’s on the line,” NBC analyst and two-time Olympian Johnny Weir said. “And she has found a way to compartmentalize that and put it down. … I just think it’s so wonderfully healthy and brave and strong to be doing what she is, because it takes a lot of bravery to put down the pressure that the sport naturally has.”

Liu is just a natural talent in the sport, 2022 Olympian Mariah Bell said. Bell remembered during the Stars on Ice tour in 2022 when the skaters rolled into a new city, tired, groggy and sore from the long bus ride, Liu, dressed in a baggy hoodie and billowing sweatpants, could go on the ice and throw perfect jumps without warning. Bell stood in awe.

U.S. figure skater Alysa Liu practices on Thursday in Milan.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

After Liu’s short program at the U.S. championships last month set a national championship record, Bell was blown away for different reasons.

“She’s so sophisticated and mature and emotional,” Bell said. “When she was younger, she was incredible. But when you’re 13, you don’t skate the way that you do like how she did the short program [at the U.S. championships].”

Skating to Laufey’s “Promise,” a haunting piano ballad, Liu glided through a flawless short program that she said nearly moved her to tears. Fans showered her with stuffed animals.

Liu has always commanded attention in the sport. She was the youngest skater to perform a triple axel in international competition at 12, became the youngest U.S. champion at 13 and followed with another national title at 14. She was the first U.S. woman to complete a quad lutz in competition, doing so in the 2019 Junior Grand Prix in Lake Placid, N.Y.

Six years later, back in that same arena for Skate America in 2025, Liu told her coaches she didn’t remember her historic accomplishment.

“It feels like I’m watching or I got someone else’s memories,” said Liu, who had similar, disconnected, but overall positive memories of her Olympic experience in Beijing. “It feels like a totally different person, but we are definitely the same person.”

U.S. figure skater Alysa Liu practices in Milan on Thursday as she prepares for the team competition, which starts Friday.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Exchange the delicate, ballerina-like skating dresses with bold, modern asymmetrical designs. Undo the tight, slicked back bun and bring in halo dyed hair, dark eyeliner and the piercing she did herself on the inside of her upper lip. With three horizontal stripes dyed into her hair, each layer represents a year of the new life Liu is finally happy to put on display.

“I want to be seen more because I like what I have going on,” Liu said. “I like what I’m doing.”

COLLINGSWOOD, N.J. — The shawarma, falafel wraps and baklava at Jersey Kebab are great, but many of its patrons are also there these days for a side of protest.

A New Jersey suburb of Philadelphia has rallied around the restaurant’s Turkish owners since federal officers detained the couple last February because they say their visas had expired.

In fact, business has been so good since Celal and Emine Emanet were picked up early in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown that they have moved to a bigger space in the next town over. Their regulars don’t seem to mind.

The family came to the U.S. seeking freedom

Celal Emanet, 52, first came to the U.S. in 2000 to learn English while he pursued his doctorate in Islamic history at a Turkish university. He returned in 2008 to serve as an imam at a southern New Jersey mosque, bringing Emine and their first two children came, too. Two more would be born in the U.S.

Before long, Celal had an additional business of delivering bread to diners. They applied for permanent residency and believed they were on their way to receiving green cards.

When the COVID-19 pandemic began and the delivery trucks were idled, Celal and Emine, who had both worked in restaurants in Turkey, opened Jersey Kebab in Haddon Township. Business was strong from the start.

It all changed in a moment

On Feb. 25, U.S. marshals and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested the couple at the restaurant. Celal was sent home with an ankle monitor, but Emine, now 47, was moved to a detention facility more than an hour’s drive away and held there for 15 days.

With its main cook in detention and the family in crisis, the shop closed temporarily.

Although the area is heavily Democratic, the arrests of the Emanets signaled to many locals that immigration enforcement during President Trump’s second term wouldn’t stop at going after people with criminal backgrounds who are in the U.S. illegally.

“They were not dangerous people — not the type of people we were told on TV they were looking to remove from our country,” Haddon Township Mayor Randy Teague said.

Supporters organized a vigil and raised $300,000 that kept the family and business afloat while the shop was closed — and paid legal bills. Members of Congress helped, and hundreds of customers wrote letters of support.

Space for a crowd

As news of the family’s ordeal spread, customers new and old began packing the restaurant. The family moved it late last year to a bigger space down busy Haddon Avenue in Collingswood.

They added a breakfast menu and for the first time needed to hire servers besides their son Muhammed.

The location changed, but the restaurant still features a sign in the window offering free meals to people in need. That’s honoring a Muslim value, to care for “anybody who has less than us,” Muhammed said.

Judy Kubit and Linda Rey, two friends from the nearby communities of Medford and Columbus, respectively, said they came to Haddon Township last year for an anti-Trump “No Kings” rally and ate a post-protest lunch at the kebab shop.

“We thought, we have to go in just to show our solidarity for the whole issue,” Kubit said.

Last month, with the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis dominating the headlines, they were at the new location for lunch.

The legal battle hasn’t ended

The Emanets desperately want to stay in the U.S., where they’ve built a life and raised their family.

Celal has a deportation hearing in March, and Emine and Muhammed will also have hearings eventually.

Celal said moving back to Turkey would be bad for his younger children. They don’t speak Turkish, and one is autistic and needs the help available in the U.S.

Also, he’d be worried about his own safety because of his academic articles. “I am in opposition to the Turkish government,” he said. “If they deport me, I am going to get very big problems.”

The groundswell of support has shown the family they’re not alone.

“We’re kind of fighting for our right to stay the country,” Muhammed Emanet said, “while still having amazing support from the community behind us. So we’re all in it together.”

Mulvihill writes for the Associated Press.

Feb. 5 (UPI) — Though still awaiting Senate confirmation, Jennifer Wicks McNamara is preparing to land in Hanoi not with a ceremonial bouquet, but with a tariff ledger in hand instead.

The ambassador-designate steps into a newly minted “comprehensive strategic partnership” now defined less by warship visits and more by a $144 billion trade gap, market-economy disputes and rising economic friction between Washington and one of its most pivotal Asian partners.

Her posting follows the Trump administration’s unusual mass recall of career diplomats, a move that rattled U.S. embassies worldwide and signaled the White House impatience with the slow, methodical pace of traditional diplomacy.

McNamara’s mandate appears blunt: recalibrate a relationship the administration views as fundamentally lopsided. While security cooperation has expanded in response to shared concerns over China’s maritime pressure in the South China Sea, trade has become the gravitational center of U.S.-Vietnam relations — and it is pulling both sides toward confrontation even as they speak of partnership.

At her December confirmation hearing, McNamara adopted a notably hard line. She told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the trade relationship is “imbalanced” and pledged to press for “equitable market access” for U.S. goods and services.

The phrasing echoed the administration’s “America First” doctrine, which treats tariffs not as economic distortions, but as instruments of leverage — diplomatic tools by other means.

“In my view, this rhetoric reflects McNamara’s political calculations and a sober recognition that she had better adapt to the administration she is being nominated to serve in order to succeed in her post,” said Hunter Marston, a foreign policy analyst at the Center For Strategic &International Studies Southeast Asia Program.

Marston said he believes this single-minded attention to the trade dispute risks eroding trust upending the extraordinary progress in bilateral relations which brought the United States and Vietnam to the level of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership under the Biden administration.

That philosophy is already in motion. Since August, most Vietnamese exports have faced a 20% tariff, with a 40% duty imposed on goods deemed to be transshipped from third countries such as China.

U.S. officials describe these measures as necessary to prevent Vietnam from becoming a backdoor for Chinese manufacturing, but in Hanoi, they are widely seen as collective punishment that risks undermining two decades of economic integration.

Yet, the coercive power of tariffs has, so far, produced little correction. Vietnam’s trade surplus with the United States surged to $144.2 billion between January and October 2025, at times rivaling — and even surpassing — China’s surplus in key sectors such as electronics, textiles and consumer goods.

The data suggest that U.S. demand for Vietnamese production remains stubbornly inelastic, a reflection of deeply embedded supply chains that cannot be easily rerouted.

“Vietnam and the U.S. will have to navigate the trade issue to propel the relationship forward,” said Khang Vu, a visiting scholar in the Political Science Department at Boston College.

For McNamara, the test will be whether she can translate tough rhetoric into tangible changes in market access, investment rules and industrial policy, or whether she will preside over a continuing cycle of tariffs, retaliation and rhetorical sparring that leaves the underlying imbalance largely intact.

“Jennifer Wicks is a very senior and respected official within the State Department. U.S. tariff policies have been central to the U.S.-Vietnam relations since President Trump announced tariffs last April, so [she] will likely continue efforts to complete a U.S.-Vietnam trade agreement,” said Ambassador Brian McFeeters, president & CEO of the US-ASEAN Business Council.

At the core of the dispute lies Vietnam’s designation as a “non-market economy” by the U.S. Department of Commerce. That label allows Washington to calculate anti-dumping duties using surrogate prices from third countries — often higher-cost economies, such as Bangladesh or India — that inflates the “fair value” of Vietnamese shrimp, furniture and steel in the American market.

Hanoi has long argued that the classification is outdated and politically motivated. In September 2023, Vietnam formally requested a review of its status, pointing to reforms in pricing, competition policy and state enterprise governance.

But in August 2024, Commerce reaffirmed the non-market economy designation, citing continued “significant government involvement” in the economy despite acknowledging “substantive reforms.”

McNamara steps into an escalating legal and diplomatic standoff. While Hanoi has floated concessions on U.S. autos, medical devices and farm goods, Washington has made clear that limited tariff adjustments are not enough. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has called for broader structural reforms that would steer Vietnam toward a more market-driven system – a demand that challenges the core of its state-led economic model.

For Vietnam, shedding the non-market ecomony label is a matter of prestige and a multibillion-dollar economic imperative.

In practical terms, U.S. officials are expected to press Hanoi on several politically sensitive fronts. Currency policy is emerging as another point of tension. The officials question Vietnam’s management of the dong, citing limited convertibility and opaque reserve practices they say bolster export competitiveness.

Labor policy presents another fault line. A key metric for market economy status is whether wages are determined by free bargaining between independent unions and employers.

While Vietnam has introduced a revised Labor Code that allows more space for worker representation, U.S. officials question whether unions are truly independent from the ruling Communist Party. McNamara will almost certainly raise these concerns, even as Hanoi insists its model is evolving.

Equally contentious is the role of state-owned enterprises, which dominate sectors such as energy, telecommunications and transportation. Washington is likely to demand a faster pace of “equitization” — Vietnam’s term for partial privatization — along with tighter limits on state-backed financing.

U.S. negotiators also argue that government controls over land and energy prices distort production costs, giving Vietnamese manufacturers an unfair advantage. Addressing this would require Hanoi to relinquish a degree of control over core economic inputs — a politically fraught move that could unsettle domestic constituencies and state-linked elites.

Aware of the stakes, Vietnam appears to be preparing its own strategy: concessions rather than confrontation.

Diplomats in Hanoi say officials are preparing limited market-opening steps to ease pressure from Washington without reshaping Vietnam’s state-led economy. The measures could include selective tariff cuts and increased purchases of U.S. goods, offering visible trade concessions, while leaving core political and economic structures intact.

Vietnam is weighing major purchases of U.S. liquefied natural gas as it expands energy capacity to fuel industrial growth. Long-term LNG deals worth billions could help narrow the trade gap with Washington, while tying Hanoi more closely to U.S. energy supplies.

Agriculture could become another friction point. Vietnam enforces strict health standards on U.S. pork, poultry and grain imports, citing food safety concerns. McNamara is expected to press for science-based regulatory changes to expand access for American farm exports – a sensitive issue in a country where small farmers wield political influence.

Aviation is emerging as a highly visible battleground. Vietnam Airlines, VietJet and Bamboo Airways are all in the midst of fleet expansions. U.S. officials are keen for these multibillion-dollar orders to go to Boeing rather than European manufacturers, viewing aircraft sales as a concrete way to offset the trade deficit and demonstrate goodwill.

If Vietnam resists deeper reforms, it risks entrenching itself under punitive U.S. trade barriers that could discourage investment and slow export growth. If it moves too far, too fast, it could destabilize its own state-led development model and alienate domestic power centers that benefit from the current system.

For Hanoi, the challenge is even more delicate: proving it can behave like a market economy while remaining a one-party state — a contradiction that Washington is now probing with far sharper tools than before.

How McNamara navigates this dilemma will not only shape her legacy in Hanoi, but could redefine the future trajectory of U.S.-Vietnam relations in an era in which geopolitics and geo-economics are increasingly inseparable.

Friday’s live TV and streaming broadcasts unless noted (subject to change). All events stream live on Peacock or NBCOlympics.com with a streaming or cable login. All times Pacific.

OPENING CEREMONY: 11 a.m.| NBC, Peacock
(replay at 8 p.m. on NBC)

MULTIPLE SPORTS
7 p.m. — “Primetime in Milan” (delay): Figure skating, curling, hockey, skiing and more.| NBC

ALPINE SKIING
2:30 a.m. — Men’s downhill, training | Peacock
2:30 a.m. — Women’s downhill, training | Peacock

CURLING
Mixed doubles (round robin)
1:05 a.m. — U.S. vs. Canada | Peacock
1:05 a.m. — Italy vs. Switzerland | Peacock
1:05 a.m. — Sweden vs. Britain | Peacock
5:35 a.m. — Czechia vs. U.S. | Peacock
5:35 a.m. — Estonia vs. Italy | Peacock
5:35 a.m. — South Korea vs. Britain | Peacock
5:35 a.m. — Sweden vs. Norway | Peacock
5:55 a.m. — Czechia vs. U.S. (in progress) | USA

FIGURE SKATING
Team competition
1 a.m. — Rhythm dance | USA
2:35 a.m. — Pairs, short program | USA
4:35 a.m. — Women, short program | USA

HOCKEY
Women (group play)
3:10 a.m. — France vs. Japan | Peacock
5:40 a.m. — Czechia vs. Switzerland | Peacock

From Kevin Baxter: Many of the officials supporting the nearly 250 U.S. athletes competing in this month’s Winter Olympics arrived in Italy last weekend to a greeting they may not have expected: Hundreds of demonstrators packed a square in central Milan to protest the reported plan to deploy U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during the Games.

The first events in the 18-day competition, which will be shared by Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Italian Alps, begin Thursday and the opening ceremony is scheduled for Friday. Against that background, International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry called the agents’ involvement “distracting” and “sad.”

“This is a militia that kills. They are not welcome in Milan,” Mayor Giuseppe Sala said on local radio ahead of the protests, which took place beneath the neoclassical Porta Garibaldi arch in the Piazza XXV Aprile, named for the date of Italy’s liberation from Nazi fascism in World War II.

Many demonstrators blew whistles and carried signs of the five Olympic rings rendered as handcuffs above the words “No ICE in Milan.” One woman held a handmade poster featuring photos of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, the two Minnesotans killed by federal agents last month, alongside Liam Conejo Ramos, the 5-year-old boy in the blue bunny hat who was taken from his home in Minneapolis to a detention facility in Texas.

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Teamwork makes the dream work

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: Amber Glenn achieved a lifelong goal, sealing her Olympic bid by winning her third consecutive U.S. championship last month. Her first celebration came with her opponents.

“We all deserve it,” Glenn said with her arms wrapped around national silver medalist Alysa Liu and bronze medalist Isabeau Levito.

The spirit of collaboration has brought U.S. figure skating into a new golden age. The 16-athlete team the United States sent to Milan may be the country’s strongest Olympic team in decades. With three reigning world champions and three current Grand Prix final champions, the United States is poised for one of its best Olympic Games ever in figure skating.

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IOC continues to have ‘full trust’ in Casey Wasserman and L.A. Olympic committee

Olympics newsletter

Starting Saturday, you will receive a separate newsletter containing all the Olympics news from our reporters in Italy, including a medal count and TV listings. Sports Report subscribers will automatically get this newsletter, and it should arrive around 3 a.m. in your inbox.

Thursday’s Oly TV/streaming schedule

Thursday’s live TV and streaming broadcasts. All times Pacific.

The first day of full competition begins Saturday.

ALPINE SKIING
2:30 a.m. — Men’s downhill, training | Peacock

CURLING
Mixed doubles (round robin)
1:05 a.m. — Norway vs. U.S. | Peacock
1:05 a.m. — Britain vs. Estonia | Peacock
1:05 a.m. — South Korea vs. Italy | Peacock
1:05 a.m. — Sweden vs. Czechia | Peacock
5:35 a.m. — U.S. vs. Switzerland | USA
5:35 a.m. — Norway vs. Canada | Peacock
10 a.m. — Canada vs. Italy | USA
10:05 a.m. — Czechia vs. Britain | Peacock
10:05 a.m. — Estonia vs. Sweden | Peacock
10 a.m. — Switzerland vs. South Korea | Peacock
2 p.m. — Norway vs. U.S. (delay) | CNBC

HOCKEY
Women (group play)
3:10 a.m. — Sweden vs. Germany | Peacock
5:40 a.m. — Italy vs. France | Peacock
7:40 a.m. — U.S. vs. Czechia | USA
12:45 p.m. — Finland vs. Canada | USA

SNOWBOARDING
10:30 a.m. — Men’s big air, qualifying | USA

Checking in on Dodgers’ commitment

From Bill Shaikin: Not long after Pacific Palisades and Altadena had burned, Gov. Gavin Newsom summoned reporters and television cameras to Dodger Stadium. Newsom stepped behind a podium dropped within a stadium parking lot, with a commanding view of Los Angeles as the backdrop.

He was there to unveil LA Rises, a signature initiative under which the private sector and philanthropists could unite to help Southern California rebuild and recover.

The most valuable player that day: Mark Walter, the Dodgers’ chairman and controlling owner. The big announcement: Walter and two of his associated charities — his family foundation and the Dodgers’ foundation — would contribute up to $100 million as “an initial commitment” to LA Rises.

One year later, Newsom’s initiative has struggled to distinguish itself amid a panoply of wildfire relief efforts. LA Rises has delivered $20 million to date, including $7.8 million from Walter’s family foundation, according to Newsom’s office.

Continue reading here

Dodger Stadium tour guides failed to unionize. Here’s why they’re getting raises anyway

Les Snead has a lot on his plate

From Gary Klein: If he returns for an 18th NFL season, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford will almost certainly demand a significant raise. And receiver Puka Nacua is positioned to potentially break the bank with an extension.

Those are just two issues Rams general manager Les Snead will deal with in the coming weeks and months as the franchise retools for the 2026 season.

Snead, who along with coach Sean McVay signed extensions this week, said Wednesday during a videoconference with reporters that the “opportunity to continue shouldering my responsibility” along with McVay and other executives for owner Stan Kroenke was “the opportunity of a lifetime.”

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Angels sign Trey Mancini

Former Baltimore slugger and cancer survivor Trey Mancini is taking another shot at a major league comeback after agreeing to a minor league contract with the Angels that includes an invitation to big league spring training.

The Angels on Wednesday listed the infielder among their 27 non-roster invitees to camp in Tempe, Ariz.

The 33-year-old Mancini has batted .263 with 129 homers and 400 RBIs over parts of seven seasons, but he hasn’t played in the major leagues since 2023. He began his career by playing parts of six seasons with the Orioles, hitting a career-high 29 homers in 2019.

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Jaxson Hayes suspended for one game

From Broderick Turner: Lakers center Jaxson Hayes has been suspended one game without pay for pushing a Washington Wizards mascot during pregame introductions, the NBA announced Wednesday.

The Lakers played the Wizards at Capital One Arena on Friday night.

Hayes will miss the Lakers’ game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena.

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Darius Garland discusses joining Clippers

Darius Garland could not have been more in transition than he was Wednesday night on his first day with his new team.

Officially traded earlier in the day from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Clippers for 11-time All-Star James Harden, Garland talked about his upheaval during halftime of Wednesday’s game between his current and former teams, a game the Cavaliers won, 124-91.

“I knew about it. It wasn’t a shock, though,” the two-time All-Star said. “It’s the business of basketball. Cleveland was great to me and my family, and I have respect for all of those guys over there. … Seven years was a really long time, and it was great. I’m glad I’m here now. The next chapter in my book.”

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Clippers box score

NBA standings

UCLA women rout Rutgers by 40

Headlined by first and third quarter dominance, No. 2 UCLA women’s basketball picked up a 86-46 win over Rutgers (9-14, 1-11) at Pauley Pavilion on Wednesday night.

Kiki Rice led the Bruins (22-1, 12-0 Big Ten) with 17 points and seven rebounds, while Gabriela Jaquez got things started, scoring 10 of her 14 points in the first quarter.

Rutgers, playing without its two leading scorers in Nene Ndiaye and Imani Lester, committed 18 turnovers that the Bruins converted into 25 points.

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UCLA box score

Big Ten standings

Kings acquire Artemi Panarin

The Kings acquired high-scoring left wing Artemi Panarin from the New York Rangers on Wednesday for a conditional third-round draft pick and prospect Liam Greentree.

The Kings then signed Panarin to a two-year, $22-million contract that will keep the Russian forward in Los Angeles through the 2027-28 season.

The trade ends weeks of uncertainty around the future of the 34-year-old Panarin, who hadn’t played since Jan. 26 while the Rangers held him out in anticipation of trading their top scorer in each of the past seven consecutive seasons. He currently leads New York with 57 points in 52 games.

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Kings lose to Kraken

Shane Wright scored twice to lead the Seattle Kraken to a 4-2 win over the Kings on Wednesday night.

Vince Dunn and Adam Larsson also scored and Chandler Stephenson and Frederick Gaudreau each had two assists for the Kraken, who have won five of their last six games. Joey Daccord made 25 saves.

Andrei Kuzmenko scored both of the Kings’ goals and Darcy Kuemper made 19 saves.

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Kings summary

NHL standings

Super Bowl

Sunday
at Santa Clara
Seattle vs. New England
3:30 p.m. PT, NBC, Peacock, Telemundo, KLAC AM 570
Halftime show: Bad Bunny
National anthem: Charlie Puth
Odds: Seahawks favored by 4.5 points
Over/Under: 45.5 points

This day in sports history

1913 — The New York State Athletic Commission bans boxing matches between fighters of different races.

1919 — Charges against Cincinnati’s Hal Chase of throwing games and betting against his team are dismissed by National League president John Heydler. Two weeks later, Chase is traded to the New York Giants.

1948 — After landing the first double axel in Olympic competition, Dick Button becomes the first American to win the Olympic gold medal in figure skating. Gretchen Fraser becomes the first U.S. woman Olympic slalom champion.

1960 — Bill Russell grabs 51 rebounds in the Boston Celtics’ 124-100 victory over the Syracuse Nationals. Russell is the first player in NBA history to pull in 50 or more rebounds.

1972 — Bob Douglas is the first Black person elected to Basketball Hall of Fame. Known as “The Father of Black Professional Basketball,” Douglas owned and coached the New York Renaissance from 1922 until 1949.

1976 — Austrian Franz Klammer wins the Olympic gold medal in the downhill at Innsbruck, Austria. Bill Koch wins a silver in the 30-kilometer cross-country race to become the first American to win a medal in a Nordic event.

1980 — Gordie Howe plays his 23rd and final All-Star Game. Howe doesn’t score, but sets up the final goal of the game, by Real Cloutier, in the Wales Conference’s 6-3 win against the Campbell Conference at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.

1990 — Notre Dame bucks the College Football Association and becomes the first college to sell its home games to a major network, agreeing to a five-year contract with NBC beginning in 1991.

1991 — Dave Taylor of the Kings has two assists in a 3-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers to become the 29th player in NHL history with 1,000 points.

1999 — Patrick Roy, at 33, becomes the youngest goalie in NHL history to earn 400 wins when he makes 26 saves in the Colorado Avalanche’s 3-1 win against the Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena.

2003 — Bode Miller of the United States captures his first major title, winning the gold medal in the combined at the world championships in St. Moritz, Switzerland.

2006 — Pittsburgh wins a record-tying fifth Super Bowl, but its first since 1980 with a 21-10 win over the Seattle Seahawks.

2009 — Tennessee’s Pat Summitt becomes the first Division I basketball coach — man or woman — to win 1,000 games after her Lady Vols beat Georgia 73-43.

2011 — Dejen Gebremeskel of Ethiopia wins the men’s 3,000 at the Boston Indoor Grand Prix, after losing his right shoe at the start of the race. Gebremeskel stays close to the lead throughout the race and takes over on the final lap to finish in 7:35.37. Britain’s Mo Farah finishes second in 7:35.81.

2012 — Eli Manning and the Giants one-up Tom Brady and the Patriots again, coming back with a last-minute score to beat New England 21-17 for New York’s fourth Super Bowl title.

2017 — Tom Brady leads one of the greatest comebacks in sports, let alone Super Bowl history, lifting New England from a 25-point hole to the Patriots’ fifth NFL championship in the game’s first overtime finish. The Patriots score 19 points in the final quarter, including a pair of two-point conversions, then marches relentlessly to James White’s two-yard touchdown run in overtime beating the Atlanta Falcons 34-28.

2022 — Six days before his 50th birthday, 11-time world surfing champion Kelly Slater wins his eighth Pipeline title beating 22-year old Hawaiian Seth Moniz in the final.

Compiled by the Associated Press

Until next time…

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

The defense ministry has proposed to the United States that South Korea’s military jointly manage parts of the southern half of the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, a source said Thursday.

The proposal came as the South Korean government aims to secure control of civilian access to the 250-kilometer-long, 4-km-wide stretch of the DMZ. Currently, the U.S.-led U.N. Command (UNC) administers the military buffer zone as the south-side enforcer of the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War.

Amid the UNC’s outright objection to Seoul’s move, the defense ministry proposed a measure under which South Korea’s military oversees entry to parts of areas located south of the barbed-wire fence within the DMZ.

The South’s fence technically runs alongside the southern boundary of the DMZ, or the Southern Limit Line (SLL), located 2 km south of the Military Demarcation Line, the inter-Korean border.

But parts of the fence were installed north of the SLL to overcome geographic limitations for surveillance operations. The size of the area is known to account for roughly 30 percent of the southern half of the DMZ.

In addition to making the request to the UNC, the ministry also seeks to include the issue as an agenda item in bilateral defense talks, such as the Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue and the Security Consultative Meeting, the source said.

The issue of DMZ access control has come into the spotlight since Unification Minister Chung Dong-young voiced his support for pending bills seeking to grant the South Korean government control of nonmilitary access to the DMZ.

Chung has also vowed to restore three sectors of the DMZ Peace Trail, which are situated within the DMZ, as part of the Lee Jae Myung government’s push to restore inter-Korean trust.

The UNC has voiced strong opposition against the pending bills, saying they are “completely at odds” with the armistice agreement.

“If the legislation passes, a rational, logical, legal interpretation is that the ROK government has removed itself from the armistice and is no longer bound by it,” a UNC official told reporters last month, referring to South Korea by the acronym of its formal name, the Republic of Korea.

In a rare statement issued in December, the UNC also stressed that it has been the “successful administrator” of the DMZ since 1953 to ensure that “military and civilian movements within the DMZ and other activities uphold the terms and the spirit of the armistice in the interest of stability.”

Copyright (c) Yonhap News Agency prohibits its content from being redistributed or reprinted without consent, and forbids the content from being learned and used by artificial intelligence systems.

Four days after a KC-46 Pegasus aerial refueling tanker made an aborted takeoff at Moron Air Base in southern Spain, the runway at the installation remain closed and will be for several more days, according to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Notice To Airman (NOTAM). The base is a key logistics hub for military aircraft, equipment and personnel heading east from the U.S. to Europe and the Middle East. The incident came as the U.S. is building up its forces in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility amid growing tensions with Iran.

We were the first to report about the mishap at Moron and related problems.

The jet, callsign GOLD71, is still blocking the runway, according to online flight trackers. According to a firsthand account provided to The War Zone, the incident started after the KC-46 experienced an engine failure on Saturday while taking off. That resulted in rejected takeoff with hard braking that reportedly blew out eight tires. What damage was done to the runway remains unclear. We have reached out to U.S. Air Forces Central-U.S. Air Force Africa (USAFE) and Air Mobility Command for more details.

The following video shows the aftermath of the aborted takeoff as the jet came to a halt.

“It was a routine takeoff of a Pegasus KC46 with an RTO (rejected takeoff) due to engine failure, emergency braking sequence and everything that involves braking a loaded tanker,” Pepe Jimenez, the aircraft spotter who took the video, told The War Zone on Tuesday morning. “AB Morón result blocked for days.”

Additional images taken by Jimenez after the mishap show damaged landing gear and base emergency crews responding.

Jimenez also shared images showing personnel near the KC-46A’s starboard engine.

After the mishap, the FAA issued an initial NOTAM on Jan. 31 notifying pilots that there was a disabled jet on the runway. That NOTAM expires Feb. 7.

“AERODROME CAUTION: DISABLED AIRCRAFT LOCATED ON THE RUNWAY 1935 FT FROM RWY 02 THRESHOLD (SOUTH END),” it read. 

On Monday, the FAA issued two more NOTAMs, notifying pilots that both the military and civilian runways at the facility would be closed until Feb. 6.

Jimenez told us that the incident left several aircraft at the base unable to take off. The list includes one KC-135 Stratotanker, another KC-46, one C-17 Globemaster III cargo jet, “and the entire 11th Wing with Eurofighters from the Spanish Air Force,” Jimenez told us.

Another image Jimenez shared with us shows the Globemaster III and another Pegasus at the base. The War Zone cannot verify the current status of the aircraft at Moron.

It is unclear at the moment how badly U.S. logistics are affected by Moron’s closure. At the time of the incident, GOLD71 was part of an effort to take Air Force F-35A stealth fighters to the Middle East, according to online flight trackers. The F-35As, from the Vermont National Guard, were moving east from the Caribbean after taking part in the operation to capture Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro. The fighters were diverted to Rota Air Base in Spain after the KC-46 mishap, and it remains unclear when the flight will resume to its ultimate destination. We were the first to report that they landed in Lajes, Portugal, and were possibly slated to head to Jordan.

Further highlighting the importance of Moron, a F/A-18G Growler electronic warfare (EW) jet left Moron and landed at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan on Jan 31. Just like the F-35As, these aircraft departed from their assignment to the Caribbean before crossing the Atlantic. It is unclear if the Growlers took off before or after the KC-46 incident. Jimenez also captured an image of a Growler at Moron.

“Morón Air Base is a vital link in any operation moving east from the United States due to its strategic location close to the Mediterranean and the Middle East, its massive flight line, long runaway, aircraft refueling systems and excellent weather,” according to the 465 Air Refueling Squadron, the facility’s host unit.

In addition to serving as a transit hub, Moron also hosts temporary deployments of strategic aviation, like the B-52J Stratotankers from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana. The B-52s arrived in November in support of Bomber Task Force Europe 26-1.

B1-B Lancer bombers have also flown BTF missions to Moron from Dyess Air Force Base in Texas.

While the U.S. has other bases in the region, like Rota some 50 miles to the southwest, the KC-46 incident at Moron highlights the complexities of large-scale logistic maneuvers like the one taking place now. The U.S. is flowing forces to the Middle East as U.S. President Donald Trump continues to pressure Iran to end its nuclear ambitions. This has required many cargo flights to move materiel and personnel, as well as tankers to keep them refueled along the way. The situation at Moron shows how one incident can slow a global operation for days.

Yesterday, we reported that U.S. and Iranian officials were scheduled to meet on Friday for negotiations. Tuesday morning, Axios reported that Iran wants to change the venue from Istanbul to Oman.

The Iranians “also now want to hold them in a bilateral format, only with the U.S., rather than with several Arab and Muslim countries attending as observers,” Axios added.

Should the negotiations not happen or breakdown, Trump has options in the region for carrying through on his threat to attack Iran, even if there are not yet enough tactical aircraft in the region for a sustained military operation. We will keep an eye out to see when Moron reopens to continue assisting U.S. military logistics.

Update: 8:11 AM Feb. 4 –

The KC-46 has been moved to a taxiway, and the runway at Moron has reopened, according to the FAA’s latest NOTAM. However, Taxiway Alpha, where the jet was moved to, remains closed. It is unclear at the moment whether flights have resumed. The NOTAM is in effect through April 30.

Morón’s RWY02/20 is open again (with limitations). Personally I see a problem with the #KC46 just outside the runway strip penetrating obstacle limitation surfaces, but who am I… 😉🤷‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/1C1THXCUL4

— Sir Listenalot (@SirListenalot) February 4, 2026

Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com

Feb. 4 (UPI) — The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a federal lawsuit seeking information regarding allegations of discrimination against athletic shoemaker Nike Inc.

The EEOC has received complaints of systemic race discrimination against white workers via Nike’s diversity, equity and inclusion programs and other mechanisms, the federal agency said in a news release on Wednesday.

The EEOC filed its request for a court order for information on the matter in the U.S. District Court for Eastern Missouri, which is located in St. Louis.

“When there are compelling indications, including corporate admissions in extensive public materials, that an employer’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion-related programs may violate federal prohibitions against race discrimination or other forms of unlawful discrimination, the EEOC will take all necessary steps — including subpoena enforcement actions — to ensure the opportunity to fully and comprehensively investigate,” said EEOC Chairwoman Andrea Lucas.

“Title VII’s prohibition of race-based employment discrimination is colorblind and requires the EEOC to protect employees of all races from unlawful employment practices,” Lucas said.

The federal agency is investigating claims that accuse Nike of engaging in a “pattern or practice of disparate treatment against white employees, applicants and training program participants in hiring, promotion, demotion or separation decisions,” the EEOC said in a news release.

The alleged discrimination includes selections for layoffs, internship programs and mentoring, leadership development and other career development programs, according to the EEOC.

The agency’s investigation and subsequent subpoena seek information involving allegations dating back to 2018, including the criteria used when choosing which workers would be laid off and the company’s tracking and use of worker race and ethnicity data.

The EEOC wants information on 16 Nike programs that are said to have provided race-restricted mentoring, leadership and career development opportunities.

Agency officials initially sought voluntary cooperation from Nike while undertaking the investigation.

Lacking cooperation, the EEOC filed the legal action seeking a federal court subpoena that compels Nike officials to provide the sought-after information.

Feb. 4 (UPI) — Savannah Guthrie, a Today show co-host, and her two siblings said Wednesday night that they are “willing to talk” to the person who may have taken their 84-year-old mother, as authorities search for a suspect.

In a video posted on Instagram, Savannah, reading a prepared statement flanked by her two siblings, Annie and Camron, said they are aware of a ransom letter sent to media outlets, but they need proof that the person has their mother, Nancy.

“We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you, and we are ready to listen,” she said. “Please reach out to us.”

Savannah thanked the public for its support and prayers, describing her mother as “a kind, faithful, loyal and fiercely loving woman of goodness and light” who has “grandchildren who adore her and cover her in kisses.”

She said her mother’s “health, her heart, is fragile” and she lives in “constant pain,” requiring medicine that she now doesn’t have.

Speaking directly to Nancy, Savannah said that people are looking for her and will not rest until “we are together again.”

“We love you, Mom,” she said.

President Donald Trump, in a statement published after the video from the Guthries went public, said on his Truth Social platform that he spoke with Savannah and told her “I am directing ALL Federal Law Enforcement to be at the family’s, and Local Law Enforcement’s, complete disposal IMMEDIATELY.”

“We are deploying all resources to get her mother home safely,” the president said. “The prayers of our Nation are with her and her family.”

Law enforcement officials in Arizona said earlier Wednesday that they have not identified a suspect as they enter the fourth day of the search for Nancy.

In a statement posted to X, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said investigators also haven’t identified any people of interest in the case. Officials believe Nancy was kidnapped from her Tucson-area home in the early hours of Sunday. She was last seen around 9:45 p.m. MST Saturday and was reported missing after she failed to attend church the next day.

“Detectives continue to speak with anyone who may have had contact with Mrs. Guthrie,” Nanos said in the statement.

“Detectives are working closely with the Guthrie family. While we appreciate the public’s concern, the sharing of unverified accusations or false information is irresponsible and does not assist the investigation.”

NBC News reported that the FBI joined about 100 detectives from the Pima County Sheriff’s Office in the search for Nancy. Trump earlier committed to sending additional federal agents to participate in the investigation.

Federal officials were assisting by analyzing cellphone data and cell towers in the area. Investigators said there was a technical problem with the surveillance cameras at Nancy’s home and they were trying to determine if neighbors had any footage of her abduction on their cameras.

Three media outlets reported they received ransom notes asking for millions of dollars in cryptocurrency for Nancy’s safe return. TMZ said the note it received mentioned a specific item damaged at the woman’s home. KOLD-TV in Tucson said it forwarded the email it received to the sheriff’s office and KGUN-TV, also in Tucson, said the note it received threatened to kill Nancy.

The sheriff’s department said it was aware of the alleged ransom notes and that it’s investigating their validity.

Nanos said that while Nancy does have difficulties with mobility — making it unlikely she wandered off by herself — she does not have any mental or memory issues that may explain her disappearance.

Investigators said Nancy has a pacemaker that last connected to her iPhone around 2 a.m. Sunday. The phone was left behind at her home, CNN reported.

Savannah issued a statement thanking supporters.

“Thank you for lifting your prayers with ours for our beloved mom, our dearest Nancy, a woman of deep conviction, a good and faithful servant,” she said. “Raise your prayers with us and believe with us that she will be lifted by them in this very moment.”

Feb. 4 (UPI) — Ryan Routh, who was convicted for an attempted assassination attempt on President Donald Trump in Florida, was sentenced to life in prison plus seven years Wednesday.

Before announcing the sentence, Judge Aileen Cannon called Routh an “evil” man.

Routh, 60, was convicted of hiding in the bushes at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach in September 2024. He pointed a military-grade SKS rifle toward Trump, who was then a candidate running for his second term, and a Secret Service agent.

He defended himself in the trial that ended in September. When the verdict was read, he stabbed himself in the neck with a pen.

Prosecutors argued in a court filing that Routh deserved a life sentence.

“Routh’s crimes undeniably warrant a life sentence — he took steps over the course of months to assassinate a major presidential candidate, demonstrated the will to kill anybody in the way, and has since expressed neither regret nor remorse to his victims.

“Routh’s crimes of conviction reflect careful plotting, extensive premeditation, and a cowardly disregard for human life,” prosecutors wrote. “Routh’s motive for his crimes was unconscionable — preventing the American people from electing the candidate of their choice for President. Routh’s gloss on his crimes has always been that anything he may have done was justified by events in Ukraine or American domestic politics.”

Since the conviction, Routh has been represented by court-appointed attorney Martin Roth. He requested a 27-year sentence and argued that he didn’t get a fair trial because he represented himself.

“Defendant recognizes that he was found guilty by the jury but asserts that the jury was misled by his inability to effectively confront witnesses, use exhibits, or affirmatively introduce impeachment evidence designed to prove his lack of intent to cause injury to anyone,” Roth wrote.

Routh had a psychiatric evaluation before the trial, which showed he had bipolar disorder and narcissistic personality disorder.

His family submitted letters of support to the court.

Routh’s son Adam wrote that his father “wants to move forward in the right way and continue to be someone who contributes to our family and his community.” He said, “we still need him, and he still has people who love and support him.”

Routh’s sister Nancy Meyers asked the court to consider placing her brother in a prison in North Carolina. She said the family was devastated by his actions but “committed to assisting him with his rehabilitative efforts.”

Feb. 4 (UPI) — Fulton County, Georgia, filed a motion in federal court on Wednesday demanding the return of election materials taken from the county by the FBI.

The motion was filed under seal, said Jessica Corbitt, a spokesperson for the county, to The New York Times. It also asks for the affidavit filed in support of the search warrant to be unsealed.

Robb Pitts, chair of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners, said at a press conference Wednesday that the motion was a way to uphold the Constitution and the rights of Fulton County voters.

“We will fight using all resources against those who seek to take over our elections,” he said. “Our Constitution itself is at stake in this fight.”

Fulton County Commissioner Marvin Arrington Jr. said the motion is important to the people of his county because “actions like this mass seizure risk sowing seeds of distrust in the election process.”

“This morning’s filing could not have come fast enough; justice delayed is justice denied,” Arrington said in a statement to USA Today. “The people of Fulton County deserve justice now, and that’s why I pushed so hard to get this motion filed as soon as possible.”

On Jan. 28, the FBI seized large quantities of materials from the Election Hub and Operations Center in Union City, Ga., just outside of Atlanta. They specifically took items from the 2020 election, which President Donald Trump has claimed he won, despite a lack of evidence.

Fulton County, which makes up a large portion of Atlanta, is a strongly Democratic county and is the most populous in the state.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was present at the raid, and lawmakers have demanded to know why. She responded that Trump had requested that she be there.

In a letter to Rep. James Himes, D-Conn., and Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., Gabbard defended her presence.

“My presence was requested by the President and executed under my broad statutory authority to coordinate, integrate and analyze intelligence related to election security, including counterintelligence, foreign and other malign influence and cybersecurity,” she said.

The Times reported that a day after the raid, Gabbard facilitated a phone call between her, Trump and the FBI agents involved.

“Tulsi Gabbard has no legal role in domestic law enforcement, yet 5 days ago she participated in an FBI raid of Fulton County, Georgia’s, election office — the center of Trump’s 2020 election conspiracy theories,” Warner said on X on Monday.

“And now we find out that she orchestrated a call between Trump and the FBI agents conducting the raid? Something’s not passing the smell test …,” he said.

Trump has recently said that he wants to “nationalize” the upcoming midterm elections, though he has no legal authority to do so.

The FBI agents loaded three box trucks of evidence from the election facility. Fulton County officials said that more than 20 pallets of ballots, election tape and equipment were taken, but they don’t have a list of items from the Department of Justice, The Times reported.

“We don’t even have copies of what they took, so it’s a problem,” Pitts said. He added that the county wants the items back “so we can take an inventory” of what was taken.

“We don’t know where they are. We don’t know, really, who has them,” The Times reported he said. “We don’t know what they’re doing with them. Are they being tampered with? I can use my imagination, and I would certainly hope not. But we just – we don’t know.”

Pitts mentioned Trump’s comments about taking over the elections in about 15 states.

“We’ll be the test case,” he said. “If they’re successful in Georgia — Fulton County, Georgia, in particular — the others on that list of 15 plus states, they should be aware.”

He said the raid was “probably the first step in whatever they’re going to do in order to depress voter participation, voter registration, making whatever changes they think are necessary to help their case in 2026, but more importantly, in 2028.”

Feb. 4 (UPI) — The United States has sent a warship to Port Au Prince, Haiti, ahead of the Haitian government’s transition to new leadership on Saturday.

The USS Stockdale arrived off the coast of Haiti on Tuesday, U.S. Southern Command said on X. It joins two U.S. Coast Guard ships already in place: the USCGC Stone and USCGC Diligence.

“Their presence reflects the United States’ unwavering commitment to Haiti’s security, stability and brighter future,” U.S. Southern Command said in a post.

On Saturday, Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council’s mandate is scheduled to end, giving way to the installation of new elected leaders. However, it remains unclear who the country’s new leaders will be as a president has not been elected.

Discussions continue over what is next for Haiti after the council voted to oust Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime last week. Three of the five council members were then sanctioned by the United States over attempting to remove Fils-Aime.

Antoine Rodon Bien-Aimé, former member of Haiti’s Lower House of Deputies, said in an interview that all members of the council must step down. The council has agreed with some members explicitly saying they will step down, though other members have continued to be involved in discussions about the government transition.

The council has been in place since 2024 to lead the country until a new president is elected. Haiti is set to hold elections in the summer but gang violence threatens the process.

“Their time is up. They did not give results,” Bien-Aimé said. “They did not respect their accord, what they signed. They have to leave. This is why we were present and will be present to continue to ask for their departure.”

Feb. 3 (UPI) — Sen. Mitch McConnell was hospitalized Monday night after experiencing what his spokesperson said were “flu-like symptoms” over the weekend.

The 83-year-old Republican of Kentucky checked himself into a local hospital out of “an abundance of caution,” his spokesperson, David Popp, told Axios in a statement on Tuesday.

“His prognosis is positive and he is grateful for the excellent care he is receiving,” Popp said. “He is in regular contact with his staff and looks forward to returning to Senate business.”

Popp issued the statement after McConnell missed Senate votes on Monday and Tuesday.

The longtime Republican leader, a polio survivor who turns 84 later this month, announced nearly a year ago that he would not seek re-election in 2026 and would retire at the end of his term.

The health of McConnell has raised concerns about his future in the Senate following a series of falls and hospitalizations over the last few years.

In August 2019, McConnell suffered a fractured shoulder from a fall at his Kentucky home.

In March 2023, he was hospitalized for a concussion sustained in a fall at a Washington, D.C., hotel.

Prior to announcing his retirement, McConnell froze twice during press conferences, leading to concerns about him suffering from possible medical issues. He has not frozen in such a public manner since, but Politico reported that he is often seen needing assistance moving about the Capitol.

At more than 40 years of service, McConnell is the 10th longest-serving senator in U.S. history.

WASHINGTON — One of the brothers of Renee Good, the 37-year-old mother of three who was shot and killed by an immigration agent in Minneapolis, told congressional Democrats on Tuesday that he needed their help.

Luke Ganger said their family had taken some consolation in the thought that his sister’s death might spark a change.

“It has not,” he said.

That is why Ganger and people who had been violently detained by immigration agents gathered to share their experiences with ICE and to ask the government to rein in an agency they described as lawless and out of control.

Tuesday’s forum — not an official hearing because Republicans did not agree to it — was led by Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Long Beach), the top Democrat of the House Oversight Committee, and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), the top Democrat of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. It was held not in the Capitol, but a nearby Senate office building.

Garcia and Blumenthal convened the forum to gather testimony “on the violent tactics and disproportionate use of force by agents of the Department of Homeland Security.”

All of the incidents referenced in the forum were captured on video.

Democrats heard from three U.S. citizens who are residents of San Bernardino, Chicago and Minneapolis. Also present were Good’s two brothers and an attorney representing their family.

Good’s killing on Jan. 7 has led to a wave of national protests — further inflamed after agents fatally shot ICU nurse Alex Pretti, 37, two weeks later. Protesters have called on federal agents to stop using violence in pursuit of the Trump administration’s mass deportation effort.

From left, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Luke Ganger and Brent Ganger arrive to a public forum on violent use of force by Department of Homeland Security personnel.

(Win McNamee / Getty Images)

“Let’s be very clear: these stories are not just about Minneapolis,” Blumenthal said. “These stories span the country.”

Blumenthal called for a “complete overhaul, a rebuilding” of the Department of Homeland Security and its sub-agencies. Such an overhaul, he said, would require body-worn cameras, that officers wear identification and rigorous use-of-force training and policies; acts of violence would require full investigations under the supervision of an independent monitor. Without those reforms, he said he wouldn’t support more funding for DHS.

Ganger said the “surreal scenes” taking place in Minneapolis and beyond are not isolated and are changing many lives.

“The deep distress our family feels because of Renee’s loss in such a violent and unnecessary way is complicated by feelings of disbelief, distress and desperation for change,” he said.

Ganger said his family is “a very American blend” that votes differently and rarely agrees fully on the details of what it means to be a citizen of the U.S. Despite those differences, he said, they have always treated each other with love and respect.

“We’ve gotten even closer during this very divided time in our country,” he said. “We hope that our family can be even a small example to others not to let political ideals divide us.”

The panel heard from Martin Daniel Rascon, of San Bernardino, and three others who described harrowing experiences with immigration agents. Rascon was in a truck with two family members last August when they were stopped by more than a dozen federal agents who pointed rifles at them, shattered a window and then shot at the car multiple times.

Francisco Longoria, the man driving the truck and Rascon’s father-in-law, was later arrested and charged by federal authorities, who alleged he had assaulted immigration officers with his truck during the incident. Longoria’s attorneys said he drove off because he feared for his safety. The charges were dropped a month later.

Marimar Martinez, 30, of Chicago, was shot five times by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents and then labeled a domestic terrorist and charged with assaulting the agents who shot her. Those charges were also later dropped.

“I’m angry on your behalf, Miss Martinez,” said Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Fremont). “Tell me, what do you want this government to do to apologize to you?”

“I’m sorry. You’re not a domestic terrorist,” she said. “That’s it. For them to admit that they were wrong about everything that they said about me. I just want accountability.”

Aliya Rahman, of Minneapolis, was dragged from her car on the way to a doctor’s appointment and detained by ICE agents after telling them she has a disability. Rahman has autism and is recovering from a traumatic brain injury.

DHS said Rahman was arrested because she ignored multiple commands. Rahman said it takes time for her to understand auditory commands.

Rahman said agents yelled threats and conflicting instructions that she couldn’t process while watching for pedestrians. As she hit the ground face first, she said, she felt shooting pain as agents leaned on her back. She thought of George Floyd, who was killed four blocks away.

Rahman said she was never told she was under arrest or charged with a crime. The agents taking her to the federal Whipple Building referred to detainees as “bodies.” She said she received no medical screening, phone call or access to a lawyer, and was denied a communication navigator when her speech began to slur.

Eventually, she became unable to speak.

“The last sounds I remember before I blacked out on the cell floor were my cellmate banging on the door, pleading for a medic and a voice outside saying, ‘We don’t want to step on ICE’s toes,’” she said.

Rahman said she later woke up at a hospital, where doctors told her she had suffered a concussion.

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Long Beach) speaks during a public forum on violent use of force by Department of Homeland Security personnel.

(Win McNamee / Getty Images)

Garcia called the forum a step toward accountability because Congress has the right to step in when constitutional rights are violated. He said Democrats have tracked at least 186 incidents of problematic uses of force by federal immigration agents.

“It’s important for the public to recognize that this administration has lied, has defamed and has smeared people that have been peacefully protesting,” he said.

Antonio Romanucci, the attorney representing Good’s family, and who also represented the family of George Floyd, said that while he has handled excessive force cases for decades, “this is an unprecedented and deeply unsettling time.” Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020.

“The occupation by ICE and CBP in our cities is way beyond their mission, leading to unnecessary provocation that causes needless harm and death,” he said. “These operations in multiple states have routinely and consistently included violations of the Constitution.”

The current path to hold federal officers accountable is narrow, he said. Congress could pass legislation to add language making it easier for people to file civil lawsuits in cases such as Good’s.

Feb. 3 (UPI) — A federal judge denied bail for Anthony Kazmierczak, who is accused of disrupting a town hall by Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., in Minneapolis on Jan. 27 by spraying her with water and vinegar.

U.S. District Court of Minnesota Magistrate Judge David Schultz on Tuesday denied a motion by Kazmierczak, 55, to be released from custody while his case is active.

He is charged with assaulting and interfering with a member of Congress when he approached Omar, 43, while she stood at a lectern and used a plastic syringe to spray her midsection with what later was determined to be a mixture of apple cider vinegar and water.

He could be sentenced to a year in prison if he is convicted.

Kazmierczak interrupted Omar after she called for Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem to resign and accused the congresswoman of “splitting Minnesotans apart.”

Omar’s security staff tackled Kazmierczak and kept him detained until local police arrived to arrest him.

An FBI affidavit indicates that Kazmierczak has a history of making threatening comments toward Omar and years ago allegedly suggested “somebody should kill her.”

He also has been arrested many times during the past 40 years and was convicted in 1989 on a felony charge for vehicle theft.

Omar was born in Somalia and spent part of her childhood in a refugee camp in Kenya before her family migrated to the United States in the 1990s.

The congresswoman is a central figure in allegations of widespread fraud among the Somali community in Minneapolis and other parts of Minnesota.

President Donald Trump has accused Omar of profiting from the fraud and suggested that she have her citizenship status revoked.

He also wants Omar to be jailed and deported for alleged fraud after she recently reported her family has up to $30 million in assets, despite reporting a much lower amount two years ago.

On Tuesday, the president on social media posted a photo of U.S. forces striking ISIS and Somali leaders in a cave in Somalia in February 2025.

He prefaced the photo with the question: “Was Ilhan Omar there to protect her corrupt ‘homeland?'”

Omar also is a prominent opponent of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection efforts to remove “undocumented migrants” from the United States.

Omar became a U.S. citizen in 2000 and is the first Somali-American to be elected to Congress.

Feb. 3 (UPI) — Enrique Lores will be the new chief executive officer of PayPal Holdings Inc., and David Dorman is the digital payment processor’s new independent board chairman, the company announced Tuesday.

Lores previously was the tech firm’s chairman and served on the independent board for five years, and he replaces Alex Chriss as its chief executive officer, PayPal announced.

Lores won’t immediately take the reins as PayPal’s top executive. Instead, Chief Financial and Operating Officer Jamie Miller will serve as interim chief executive until Lores is ready to take the helm.

While Lores won’t immediately become PayPal’s chief executive, Dorman immediately becomes chairman of its independent board.

“Enrique is widely recognized as a visionary leader who prioritizes customer-centric innovation with demonstrable impact,” Dorman said.

“His strong track record leading complex transformations and disciplined execution on a global basis will ensure PayPal maintains its leadership of the dynamic payments industry now and into the future,” Dorman said of Lopes.

“I look forward to continuing to work with the board and supporting Enrique as he takes on the CEO role,” he added.

“We will further strengthen the culture of innovation necessary to deliver long-term transformation and balance this with near-term delivery, executing with greater speed and precision and holding ourselves accountable for consistent delivery quarter on quarter to further assert PayPal’s industry leadership position,” Lores said.

“The payments industry is changing faster than ever, driven by new technologies, evolving regulations, an increasingly competitive landscape and the rapid acceleration of AI that is reshaping commerce daily,” he explained.

“PayPal sits at the center of this change, and I look forward to leading the team to accelerate the delivery of new innovations and to shape the future of digital payments and commerce,” Lores said.

PayPal’s board of directors evaluated Lores’ qualifications for the new position before appointing him as the new chief executive.

PayPal officials said the change is needed to enable the company to better address industry-wide changes and competition.

Lores has more than 30 years of technology and commercial experience and “is widely recognized as a visionary leader who prioritizes customer-centric innovation with demonstrable impact,” Dorman said.

“His strong track record leading complex transformations and disciplined execution on a global basis will ensure PayPal maintains its leadership of the dynamic payments industry now and into the future,” he added.

PayPal’s board said the company’s future success will be as a global services provider whose strengths are its consumer, merchant and partner relationships.

The chief executive position opened when Chriss vacated the position after 2.5 years.

Feb. 3 (UPI) — House Republicans gave former President Bill Clinton and former first lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton a deadline of noon Tuesday to clarify the terms under which they plan to testify in an investigation into sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The former first couple agreed Monday evening to testify in the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee probe. Committee Chairman James Comer of Kentucky and the Clintons have repeatedly butted heads as they negotiate the details of the testimony.

The Clintons have “been so dishonest about the negotiation process, and their attorneys have been so dishonest about the negotiation process,” Comer told The Hill on Tuesday.

“We sent the terms, which are the basic standard terms of a congressional deposition … They have to sign it, and then if they sign it, then we agree to terms, and we’ll be deposing the Clintons in the month.”

Angel Urena, a spokesperson for former President Clinton, called Comer disingenuous amid the negotiations Monday.

The Clintons “negotiated in good faith. You did not. They told you under oath what they know, but you don’t care,” Urena said in a post on X. “But the former President and former Secretary of State will be there.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson said if the Clintons don’t sign the terms by the noon deadline, Republicans will move forward with holding them in criminal contempt of Congress.

“We’re holding off until noon,” Johnson said. “They have a deadline until noon to work out the details, and if it’s not done satisfactorily, then we’ll proceed with the contempt.”

Republican leader Steve Scalise said Republicans would hold a contempt vote Wednesday if need be.

Unnamed sources familiar with the negotiations told Politico and The Hill that the committee wants the Clintons to accept the terms under which they were initially subpoenaed in the case — transcribed, filmed depositions with no time limits.

Bill Clinton, however, seeks to narrow the focus of the testimony to “matters related to the investigations and prosecutions of Jeffrey Epstein.” He also didn’t want a transcribed interview, but instead a deposition under oath, and sought a 4-hour time limit.

Hillary Clinton sought a secondary sworn declaration instead of appearing in person for a deposition.

The committee issued subpoenas in August compelling the Clintons to testify. Bill Clinton is a former associate of the late Epstein but said he broke off relations with the disgraced financier in the early 2000s before his crimes became publicly known. Hillary Clinton has said she doesn’t recall ever speaking with Epstein.

Democrats have accused the Republican-led committee of trying to focus on the Clintons as part of President Donald Trump‘s pursuit of investigations of political rivals and to deflect from Epstein’s relationships with notable Republicans, including the sitting president.