Luigi Mangione spoke out in court Friday against the prospect of back-to-back trials over the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, telling a judge: Its the same trial twice. One plus one is two. Double jeopardy by any commonsense definition.

Mangione, 27, made the remarks as court officers escorted him out of the courtroom after a judge scheduled his state murder trial to begin June 8, three months before jury selection in his federal case.

Judge Gregory Carro, matter-of-fact in his decision after a lengthy discussion with prosecutors and defense lawyers at the bench, said the state trial could be delayed until Sept 8 if an appeal delays the federal trial.

Mangiones lawyers objected to the June trial date, telling Carro that at that time, they'll be consumed with preparing for the federal trial, which involves allegations that Mangione stalked Thompson before killing him.

Mr. Mangione is being put in an untenable situation," defense lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo said. "This is a tug-of-war between two different prosecution offices.

The defense will not be ready on June 8," she added.

Be ready, Carro replied.

RELATED STORY | Judge dismisses federal murder charge, death penalty off table for Mangione

Mangione has pleaded not guilty to state and federal charges, both of which carry the possibility of life in prison. Last week, the judge in the federal case ruled that prosecutors cant seek the death penalty.

Jury selection in the federal case is set for Sept. 8, followed by opening statements and testimony on Oct. 13.

Wearing a tan jail suit, Mangione sat quietly at the defense table until his outburst at the end of the hearing.

As the trial calendar began to take shape, Assistant District Attorney Joel Seidemann sent a letter to Carro asking him to begin the New York trial on July 1.

The prosecutor argued that the states interests would be unfairly prejudiced by an unnecessary delay until after the federal trial. Under the law, he said, the state has priority of jurisdiction for purposes of trial, sentencing and incarceration" because Mangione was arrested by New York City police, not federal authorities.

When Mangione was arrested, federal prosecutors said anticipated that the state trial would go first. Seidemann told Carro on Friday that Thompsons family has also expressed a desire to see the state trial happen first.

It appears the federal government has reneged on its agreement to let the state, which has done most of the work in this case, go first, Carro said Friday.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | A man impersonating an FBI agent tried to get Luigi Mangione out of jail, authorities say

Scheduling the state trial first could help Manhattan prosecutors avoid double jeopardy issues. Under New York law, the district attorneys office could be barred from trying Mangione if his federal trial happens first.

The states double jeopardy protections kick in if a jury has been sworn in a prior prosecution, such as a federal case, or if that prosecution ends in a guilty plea. The cases involve different charges but the same alleged course of conduct.

Mangione isnt due in court again in the state case until May, when Carro is expected to rule on a defense request to exclude certain evidence that prosecutors say connects Mangione to the killing.

Those items include a 9 mm handgun that prosecutors say matches the one used to kill Thompson and a notebook in which they say he described his intent to wack a health insurance executive.

Last week, Garnett ruled that prosecutors can use those items at that trial.

In September, Carro threw out state terrorism charges but kept the rest of the case, including an intentional murder charge.

Thompson, 50, was killed on Dec. 4, 2024, as he walked to a midtown Manhattan hotel for UnitedHealth Groups annual investor conference.

Surveillance video showed a masked gunman shooting him from behind. Police say delay, deny and depose were written on the ammunition, mimicking a phrase used to describe how insurers avoid paying claims.

Mangione, a University of Pennsylvania graduate from a wealthy Maryland family, was arrested five days later at a McDonalds in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 230 miles (about 370 kilometers) west of Manhattan.

Matthew Stafford walked away with the AP NFL Most Valuable Player award and a declaration that he's returning to the Los Angeles Rams for another season.

Stafford edged Drake Maye for the MVP award on Thursday night in the closest race since Peyton Manning and Steve McNair were co-winners in 2003.

Stafford received 24 of 50 first-place votes while Maye got 23. But Maye has a chance to go home this week with a Vince Lombardi Trophy. He leads the New England Patriots against the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl on Sunday.

Stafford, who turns 38 on Saturday, wants another opportunity to try to win his second Super Bowl ring with the Rams.

Oh yeah, I'll be back. It was such an amazing season and I play with such a great group of guys and great group of coaches that I was lucky enough to finish this season healthy, and I wanna make sure that I go out there and see what happens next year," Stafford told the AP.

Stafford brought his four daughters all dressed in identical black-and-white dresses to the stage to accept the award.

He thanked his team and saved his wife and daughters for last: Youre unbelievable cheerleaders for me. I appreciate it. I am so happy to have you at the games on the sideline with me, and I cant wait for you to cheer me on next year when were out there kicking (butt).

It was Staffords way of announcing he will be back next season after contemplating retirement.

Myles Garrett was a unanimous choice for the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year award after setting a season record for sacks with 23.

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All-Pro wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba beat out Christian McCaffrey for the AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year award.

New Englands Mike Vrabel beat out Jacksonvilles Liam Coen for the AP NFL Coach of the Year award, becoming the seventh coach to win it with two different teams.

McCaffrey became the first running back to win the AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year award in 24 years.

Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger was a runaway winner for the AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan ran away with the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels won the AP NFL Assistant Coach of the Year award in the first season of his third stint with the team.

A nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league completed voting before the playoffs began. Votes were tabulated by the accounting firm Lutz and Carr.

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Voters selected a top 5 for the eight AP NFL awards. First-place votes were worth 10 points. Second- through fifth-place votes were worth 5, 3, 2 and 1 points.

Josh Allen, the 2024 NFL MVP, received two first-place MVP votes, and Justin Herbert got the other one.

Stafford, who earned first-team All-Pro honors for the first time in his 17-year career, finished with 366 points to Mayes 361. Allen placed third with 91 points, Christian McCaffrey (71) was fourth and Trevor Lawrence (49) came in fifth.

Its McCaffreys second top-five finish in three years, more than any other non-quarterback since the weighted point system was implemented in 2022.

Stafford led the NFL with 4,707 yards passing and 46 TDs. He threw eight picks and finished second to Maye with a 109.2 passer rating. Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams lost to Seattle in the NFC championship game.

Maye had 4,394 yards passing, 31 TDs and eight picks. The second-year pro led the league in passer rating (113.5) and completion percentage (72).

Artificial intelligence is quickly making its way into city halls across the country, helping local governments sort service requests, manage information and communicate with residents.

"There was general enthusiasm at first, particularly from elected officials, to try to integrate these tools quickly, to get more organizational efficiency out of them, and to try and scale," said Chris Jordan, program manager for AI and innovation at the National League of Cities.

Jordan helps city leaders navigate AI development through his work at the National League of Cities, which has found that AI tools can be most effective in enhancing city services, supporting employee tasks and helping cities make sense of their data.

With 96% of mayors expressing interest in using generative AI, Jordan said building public trust often comes down to establishing clear, uniform standards, including AI-specific privacy policies and labeling when AI is used in public-facing content.

"Public listening sessions or task forces can also be appropriate for cities to use if there's a general sentiment of anxiety or distrust about certain technologies," he said.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | Teaching skills and safety on the cutting edge of artificial intelligence

Some cities are going further when it comes to transparency. Lebanon, New Hampshire, posts a public list of every AI tool it uses, while San Jose conducts an annual review examining how its algorithms affect residents.

"For the most part, constituents want faster and more effective city services that make them feel good about how their tax dollars are being spent," said Joe Scheidler, who is building Helios, an AI tool designed for policy work.

A major hurdle, however, is both the perception and reality that AI systems can make mistakes.

"Workforces do not trust generative AI outputs in many contexts and sensitive use cases. And so we've been really laser focused from a product mission perspective on solving the issue of hallucination, AI drift and baking verification, traceability and provenance into the user experience," Scheidler said.

Despite those concerns, successful use cases are already emerging. Dearborn, Michigan, uses a translation bot to better serve non-English-speaking residents. Washington has tested an AI tool to make its open-data portals easier to search. And Tucsons water department in Arizona uses AI to identify which pipes are most likely to fail before problems occur.

For residents curious about how their city is using artificial intelligence, experts recommend asking questions, attending public meetings and paying close attention to how those tools are explained.

A New Mexico grand jury has indicted actor Timothy Busfield on four counts of criminal sexual contact with a child.

Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman announced the indictment Friday in a social media post.

Authorities had issued an arrest warrant for Busfield over allegations of misconduct from when he was working as a director on the set of the TV series The Cleaning Lady.

RELATED STORY | Actor Timothy Busfield granted release in New Mexico child sex abuse case

Busfield has denied the allegations. He turned himself in to authorities and later was released from jail.

Busfield is best known for appearances in The West Wing, Field of Dreams and Thirtysomething.

Larry Stein, an attorney for Busfield, did not comment on the sexual contact charge in the indictment but said the grand jury declined to endorse grooming charges sought by prosecutors.

RELATED STORY | Director Timothy Busfield turns himself in to face child sex abuse charges in New Mexico

He said in a statement that a detention hearing already exposed fatal weaknesses in the states evidence gaps that no amount of charging decisions can cure.

It just wouldn't feel like the Super Bowl for them if they weren't all there. And this might be the last time they all do it.

That's what three old friends were coming to grips with just before this year's Super Bowl. The trio of octogenarians are the only fans left in the exclusive "never missed a Super Bowl" club.

Don Crisman of Maine, Gregory Eaton of Michigan and Tom Henschel of Florida were back for another big game this year. But two of them are grappling with the fact that advancing years and decreasing mobility mean this is probably the last time.

This year's game pits the Seattle Seahawks against the New England Patriots at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on Sunday. Crisman, a Patriots fan since the franchise started, was excited to see his team in the game for a record-setting 12th time.

"This will definitely be the final one," said Crisman, who made the trip with his daughter, Susan Metevier. "We made it to 60."

Getting older, scaling back

Crisman, who first met Henschel at the 1983 Super Bowl, turns 90 this year. Meanwhile, Henschel, 84, has been slowed by a stroke. Both said this is the last time they'll make the increasingly expensive trip to the game, although members of the group have said that before. For his part, Eaton, 86, plans to keep going as long as he's still physically able.

Eaton, who runs a ground transportation company in Detroit, is the only member of the group not retired. And he'd still like to finally see his beloved Detroit Lions make it to a Super Bowl.

Even so, all three said they've scaled back the time they dedicate each year to the trip. Crisman used to spend a week in the host city, soaking in the pomp and pageantry. These days, it's just about the game, not the hype.

"We don't go for a week anymore, we go for three or four days," Crisman said.

Eaton, too, admits the price and hype of the big game have gotten to be a lot.

"I think all of them are big, they're all fun. It's just gotten so commercial. It's a $10,000 trip now," he said.

Friendly rivalries over the years

Henschel said this year's Super Bowl would be the most challenging for him because of his stroke, but he was excited to see Eaton and Crisman one more time.

Eaton met Crisman and Henschel in the mid-2010s after years of attending the Super Bowl separately. And Henschel and Crisman have a long-running rivalry: Their respective favorite teams the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots are AFC rivals.

The fans have attended every game since the first AFL-NFL World Championship Game, as the first two Super Bowls were known at the time, in 1967. They have sometimes sat together in the past, but logistics make it impossible some years.

But this year it was just about being able to go to the game at all, Henschel said.

"I don't talk or walk good," he said.

An ever-shrinking club

The club of people who have never missed a Super Bowl once included other fans, executives, media members and even groundskeepers, but as time has passed, the group has shrunk. Photographer John Biever, who has shot every Super Bowl, also plans to let his streak end at 60.

The three fans spin tales of past games that often focus less on the action on the field than on the different world where old Super Bowls took place. Henschel scored a $12 ticket for the 1969 Super Bowl the day of the game. Crisman endured a 24-hour train ride to Miami for the 1968 Super Bowl. Eaton, who is Black, remembers the many years before Doug Williams became the first Black quarterback to win a Super Bowl in 1988.

Metevier, Crisman's daughter, was born the year of the first Super Bowl and grew up with her dad's streak as a fixture in her life. She's looking forward to going to one last game with him.

"It's kind of bittersweet. It's about the memories," Metevier said. "It's not just about the football, it's something more."

Crisman's son, Don Crisman Jr., said he's on board with his dad making the trip for as long as he's still able, too.

"You know, he's a little long in the tooth, but the way I put it, if it was me and I was mobile and I could go, I would damn sure go," he said.

A key participant in the deadly 2012 attack on the U.S. compound in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans has been taken into custody and will be prosecuted in their deaths, Attorney General Pam Bondi said Friday

Bondi said in a news conference that Zubayr Al-Bakoush had landed at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland at 3 a.m. on Friday.

We have never stopped seeking justice for that crime against our nation, Bondi said.

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U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said that an eight-count indictment charged Al-Bakoush with crimes including the murders of Ambassador Chris Stevens and State Department employee Sean Smith. It was unclear if Al-Bakoush had an attorney representing him.

The 2012 attack on the U.S. compound immediately emerged as a divisive political issue as Republicans challenged President Barack Obama and then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on security at the facility, the military response to the violence and the administrations changing narrative about who was responsible and why.

A final report by a Republican-led congressional panel faulted the Obama administration for security deficiencies at the Libyan outpost and a slow response to the attacks. The report, however, found no wrongdoing by Clinton.

Clinton dismissed the report as an echo of previous probes with no new discoveries, saying it was time to move on. Other Democrats denounced the Republicans report as a conspiracy theory on steroids."

On the night of Sept. 11, 2012, U.S. officials have said, at least 20 militants armed with AK-47s and grenade launchers breached the gate of the consulate compound and set buildings on fire.

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The fire led to the deaths of Stevens and Smith. Other State Department personnel escaped to a nearby U.S. facility known as the annex.

A large group assembled for an attack on the annex. That attack, including a precision mortar barrage, resulted in the deaths of security officers Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty.

A Libyan militant suspected of being a mastermind of the attacks, Ahmed Abu Khattala, was captured by U.S. special forces in 2014 and was brought to Washington for prosecution. He was convicted and is serving a prison sentence. His attorneys argued that the evidence was inconclusive and that he was singled out because of his ultra-conservative Muslim beliefs.

President Donald Trump is facing backlash after posting a racist video that depicts former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes.

The minute-long clip includes Trumps repeated, unfounded claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged. It ends with the heads of the Obamas superimposed on the bodies of apes.

RELATED STORY | Critics see Trump attacks on the 'Black Smithsonian' as an effort to sanitize racism in US history

Using apes or monkeys to portray Black people is widely recognized as a racist trope, rooted in centuries-old stereotypes used to dehumanize Black Americans.

After White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt initially defended the post, it appears the video was deleted by midday Friday. The White House later blamed a "staffer."

A "White House staffer erroneously made the post. It has been taken down," the White House said.

Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, the only Black Republican in the Senate, said he hoped Trump would delete the post.

Praying it was fake because its the most racist thing Ive seen out of this White House. The president should remove it, Scott said prior to its removal.

The NAACP also condemned the post, which remained on Trump's Truth Social account until Friday morning.

"Trump posting this video especially during Black History Month is a stark reminder of how Trump and his followers truly view people. And well remember that in November," the organization stated.

Leavitt defended Trumps post, calling it an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from The Lion King. She added: Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public.

RELATED STORY | Trump hosts Black History Month celebration amid DEI rollbacks

The video Trump shared appeared to be edited from a longer clip that placed the heads of several Democratic figures on African animals while the 1961 song The Lion Sleeps Tonight played. The portion Trump posted featured only the Obamas.

Step inside the desperate search for Savannah Guthries missing mother.

Watch this live Court TV & Scripps News Special Report Where is Nancy Guthrie? tonight at 8 p.m. ET. Find out how to stream online or on your favorite app.

READ THE LATEST | Son of missing 84-Year-Old Nancy Guthrie urges captors to make contact

A Colorado funeral home owner who stashed 189 decomposing bodies in a building over four years and gave grieving families fake ashes will be sentenced Friday on corpse abuse charges.

Jon Hallford owned Return to Nature Funeral Home in Colorado Springs with his then-wife Carie. They pleaded guilty in December to nearly 200 counts of corpse abuse under an agreement with prosecutors.

Jon Hallford faces between 30 and 50 years in prison. Carie Hallford faces 25 to 35 years in prison at sentencing on April 24.

The Hallfords stored the bodies in a building in the small town of Penrose, south of Colorado Springs, from 2019 until 2023, when investigators responding to reports of a stench from the building discovered the corpses.

RELATED STORY | Corpse, cremated remains found after ex-funeral home owner evicted

Bodies were found throughout the building, some stacked on top of each other, with swarms of bugs and decomposition fluid covering the floors, investigators said. The remains including adults, infants and fetuses were stored at room temperature. Investigators believe the Hallfords gave families dry concrete that mimicked ashes.

The bodies were identified over months with fingerprints, DNA and other methods.

Families learned the ashes they had been given, and then spread or kept at home, weren't actually their loved ones' remains. Many said it undid their grieving process, others had nightmares and struggled with guilt that they let their relatives down.

The funeral home owners also pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges after prosecutors said they cheated the government out of nearly $900,000 in pandemic-era small business aid.

Jon Hallford was sentenced to 20 years in prison in that case. He told the judge he opened Return to Nature to make a positive impact in people's lives, "then everything got completely out of control, especially me."

"I still hate myself for what I've done," he said at his sentencing last June.

Carie Hallford's federal sentencing is set for March 16.

Attorneys for the Hallfords did not respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press.

During the years they were stashing bodies, the Hallfords spent lavishly, according to court documents. That included purchasing a GMC Yukon and an Infiniti worth over $120,000 combined, along with $31,000 in cryptocurrency, luxury items from stores like Gucci and Tiffany & Co., and laser body sculpting.

One of the recovered bodies was that of a former Army sergeant first class who was thought to have been buried at a veterans' cemetery, said FBI agent Andrew Cohen.

When investigators exhumed the wooden casket at the cemetery, they found the remains of a person of a different gender inside, he said. The veteran, who was not identified in court, was later given a funeral with full military honors at Pikes Peak National Cemetery, he said.

The corpse abuse revelations spurred changes to Colorado's lax funeral home regulations.

The AP previously reported that the Hallfords missed tax payments, were evicted from one of their properties and were sued for unpaid bills, according to public records and interviews with people who worked with them.

In a rare decision, state District Judge Eric Bentley last year rejected previous plea agreements between the Hallfords and prosecutors that called for up to 20 years in prison. Family members of the deceased said the agreements were too lenient.

The search entered its sixth day Friday for Nancy Guthrie, the missing mother of Today show anchor Savannah Guthrie and her siblings.

On Thursday, the 84-year-olds son, Cameron Guthrie, issued a plea for direct contact with whoever may be holding his mother. He asked for proof that she is alive and in their custody.

This is Cameron Guthrie. Im speaking for the Guthrie family. Whoever is out there holding our mother, we want to hear from you. We havent heard anything directly. We need you to reach out and we need a way to communicate with you so we can move forward. But first, we have to know that you have our mom. We want to talk to you and we are waiting for contact, he said.

RELATED STORY | Blood found on front porch confirmed to be Nancy Guthries as search continues

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said authorities are continuing to investigate the case under the assumption that Nancy Guthrie is still alive.

"We believe Nancy is still out there," he said.

Nanos said DNA testing confirmed that blood found on Nancy Guthries front porch belonged to the 84-year-old. Other DNA evidence collected at the scene, however, did not produce significant investigative leads, he said.

Meanwhile, a man accused of sending a fake ransom demand to Nancy Guthries family is expected in federal court Friday. Derrick Callella faces two charges for allegedly sending text messages to two members of the Guthrie family.

The complaint says Callella wanted to see if the family would respond. His messages have not been connected to an earlier ransom demand sent to a local TV station.

A driver was rescued after their car slid onto the icy Clinton River near Yates Cider Mill early Friday morning.

According to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, the sheriff's search and rescue team responded to the 1900 block of Avon Rd. for a report of a car that ran off the roadway and onto the ice.

Crews responded and were able to safely remove the 27-year-old man from Auburn Hills from the car. Tow truck crews were able to safely remove the vehicle from the ice.

Deputies say that alcohol does not appear to be a factor in the incident

The U.S. military said Thursday that it has carried out another deadly strike on a vessel accused of trafficking drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

U.S. Southern Command said on social media that the boat was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. It said the strike killed two people. A video linked to the post shows a boat moving through the water before exploding in flames.

The strike was announced just hours after U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declared that some top cartel drug-traffickers in the region "have decided to cease all narcotics operations INDEFINITELY due to recent (highly effective) kinetic strikes in the Caribbean. However, Hegseth did not provide any details or information to back up this claim, made in a post on his personal account on social media.

RELATED STORY | Families of 2 men killed in boat strike sue Trump administration over attack they call 'unlawful'

Neither U.S. Southern Command nor the Pentagon would answer follow-up questions about Hegseths claim.

The boat attacks, which began in September 2025, have slowed in frequency since January a month that only saw one strike after the raid that captured Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro. By contrast, the Pentagon struck more than dozen boats in December 2025.

Thursday's attack raises the death toll from the Trump administrations strikes on alleged drug boats to 128 people. Last week, the military said that figure was up to 126 people, with the inclusion of those presumed dead after being lost at sea. That figure included 116 people who were killed immediately in at least 36 attacks carried out since early September in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, U.S. Southern Command said. Ten others are believed dead because searchers did not locate them following a strike.

RELATED STORY | Congress questions admiral about alleged illegal follow-up attack on drug boat survivors

Meanwhile, the families of two Trinidadian nationals killed in a Trump administration boat strike in Octobersued the federal government last week, calling the attack a war crime and part of an unprecedented and manifestly unlawful U.S. military campaign. The suit is believed to be the first wrongful death case arising from the campaign and will test the legal justification of the attacks, which many experts say are a brazen violation of the laws of armed conflict.

President Donald Trump has said the U.S. is in armed conflict with cartels in Latin America and has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs. But his administration has offered little evidence to support its claims of killing narcoterrorists.

An unprecedented four-site, dual-cauldron Winter Olympics opening ceremony replete with references to Italian icons and culture plus American pop diva Mariah Carey was scheduled to officially start the Milan Cortina Games on Friday as the sports spectacle returns to a nation that last hosted the event 20 years ago.

This is the most spread-out Olympics Summer or Winter in history, with competition venues dotting an area of about 8,500 square miles (more than 22,000 square kilometers), roughly the size of the entire state of New Jersey.

RELATED STORY | Vance says Olympics unite the entire country as he meets US athletes in Milan

The main hub Friday is in Milan at San Siro soccer stadium, which is home to Serie A titans AC Milan and Inter Milan, opened a century ago and is due to be razed and replaced in the next few years. There also will be three other places where athletes can march, some carrying their country's flag: Cortina d'Ampezzo in the heart of the Dolomite mountains; Livigno in the Alps; Predazzo in the autonomous province of Trento.

That allows up-in-the-mountains sports such as Alpine skiing, bobsled, curling and snowboarding to be represented in the Parade of Nations without needing to make the several-hours-long trek to Milan, the country's financial capital, and back.

For good measure, the Feb. 22 closing ceremony will be held in yet another locale, Verona, where Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet was set.

Another symbol of how far-flung things are this time: Instead of the usual one cauldron that is lit and burns throughout the Olympics, there will be two, both intended as an homage to Leonardo da Vincis geometric studies. One is in Milan, 2 miles (4 kilometers) from San Siro, and the other is going to be 250 miles (400 kilometers) away in Cortina.

The people given the honor of lighting both was a closely guarded secret, as is usually the case at any Olympics. At the Turin Winter Games in 2006, it was Italian cross-country skier Stefania Belmondo.

Other links to Italy's heritage scheduled to be a part of Friday's festivities include a performance by tenor Andrea Bocelli; classically trained dancers from the academy of the famed Milan opera house, Teatro alla Scala; a tribute to the late fashion designer Giorgio Armani, who died last year at 91. Armani designed the Olympic and Paralympic uniforms for the Italian national team for decades, and was a personal friend of the former president of the Italian National Olympic Committee, Giovanni Malag.

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Plenty more planned for Friday was being kept under wraps by organizers who said they sought to convey themes of harmony and peace, seeking to represent the city-mountain dichotomy of the particularly unusual setup for these Olympics while also trying to appeal to a sense of unity at a time of global tensions.

Another unknown: What sort of reception would greet U.S. Vice President JD Vance when he attended the ceremony in Milan? And what about the American athletes?

When new International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry was asked this week what sort of greeting the U.S. delegation would get when they enter San Siro in the Parade of Nations, she replied: I hope the opening ceremony is seen by everyone as an opportunity to be respectful.

Three dogs from Michigan will compete in the annual Puppy Bowl on Sunday! Also, for the first time ever, 15 adorable special needs pups will take the field.

This year's Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet will feature some updates that will make it even cuter.

For the first time ever, 15 adorable special needs pups will take the field in the annual event.

There will also be an exhibition match featuring senior dogs whoa re ready for adoption.

In all, the Puppy Bowl will highlight 15 dogs from more than 70 shelters. That includes three from Michigan.

They are: Dan from the SPCA of Southwest Michigan, and Mia Muffin and Shi-Shi from Big Lake Humane Society in Muskegon!

The Puppy Bowl will be simulcast across Animal Planet and more on Sunday at 2 p.m.

The Detroit Curling Club is experiencing unprecedented growth as the Olympic sport of curling captures the imagination of metro Detroit residents. What was once a struggling organization on the brink of closure in the 1990s has transformed into a thriving community with a waiting list.

See the full story in the video below

Curling thrives in metro Detroit as Olympic sport gains popularity at local club

"Our club is almost at capacity because we have 400 members that's about all we can hold," said Mike Grudzinski, vice president and membership director of the Detroit Curling Club.

The sport, often called "chess on ice," involves teams strategically moving 44-pound stones across an ice sheet toward a target. Players either throw stones, sweep to control their speed and direction, or serve as the "skip" who calls the shots from the target end.

"The team agrees on the shot and has an idea of how much force should be behind it, how fast it should be traveling down the ice," Grudzinski said.

The club's remarkable turnaround from near-closure to maximum capacity reflects growing interest in curling across Michigan. The welcoming atmosphere helps attract newcomers to the sport.

"Whenever we talk to people we're not just welcoming them in, we're encouraging them to just try the sport," Grudzinski said. "We love this sport so much."

The Detroit Curling Club demonstrates that Olympic sports can find passionate communities far from the international stage, bringing people together through friendly competition and shared enthusiasm for this unique winter sport.

Those looking to take a learn to curl class can sign up on the Detroit Curling Club's website.

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"This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy."

Community members packed a Washtenaw County town hall Thursday night as Sheriff Alyshia Dyer addressed immigration enforcement and residents' rights.

"There's kids that can't go to school because they're scared and parents who are terrified to put their kids on the bus," said Evette Dziedzic, an Ypsilanti resident who attended with her 7-year-old daughter.

Watch Tiarra Braddock's video report below: Washtenaw County sheriff hosts town hall on immigration enforcement Tiarra Braddock is 7 News Detroit's Washtenaw County beat reporter. If you have a story idea for her, email her at Tiarra.Braddock@wxyz.com

Dziedzic said her daughter has been affected by news coverage of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Minneapolis and other areas.

"We were at her therapist office and there was a guy that came in just with warm weather gear and she got scared and she's like 'it's ICE, it's ICE,' and it was just a patient that was coming in from the cold," Dziedzic said.

During the town hall, Dyer explained residents' rights when dealing with ICE agents.

"Opening a door can imply consent, so the advice is if you see ICE do not open the door unless you consent to them coming in. And if they have a warrant, you can ask to have them slide it under the door," Dyer said.

Ramiro Martinez, co-founder of the Washtenaw County-based organization Movement for Immigration Rights Action, attended the town hall and shared his own experience with ICE enforcement from last April.

"I was telling them that they got the wrong person they just ignored me," Martinez said.

State Rep. Carrie Rheingans was among the local leaders and state and federal representatives who attended the packed town hall.

"In our office, we've introduced bills to protect people's rights of due process and bills to protect rights against unlawful searches and seizures," Rheingans said.

However, not everyone supported the sheriff's approach. Brian Szmytke from the Oakland County Republican Party criticized Dyer's town hall. In a statement to 7 News Detroit, he said:

As a law-enforcement official, Sheriff Dyer has a responsibility to her badge and to the public to act with integrity and to respect the enforcement of laws that have been on the books for years. Disparaging or undermining lawful federal action from a position of authority, as she did tonight at her town hall, does not educate the public - it misleads them. Unfortunately, Sheriff Dyer has a recent history of stoking unfounded fears about ICE and federal law enforcement. When dangerous messaging comes from elected or sworn officials like the Sheriff, the damage caused is often irreparable in the short term. Sheriff Dyer should either do her job and cooperate with federal authorities or resign so someone that will can take her place.

Dyer said her goal for the town hall was to inform residents about their rights and ensure they know what resources are available to them.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

Employees at a Sterling Heights Wendy's say they've been working without heat for years, forcing them to wear multiple layers and coats while serving customers.

Alexis Martin, who works at the Wendy's near 18 Mile and Ryan roads, said the restaurant has been without proper heating for two to three years.

Watch Carli Petrus' video report below: Sterling Heights Wendy's employees say they've worked without heat for years

"Every time I come in here, I always have my hoodie on, I have a shirt on underneath my work shirt, I always wear my coat and gloves if I have it," Martin said.

Martin said the cold conditions are so severe that employees can see their breath in the bathroom. She said complaints have been made to the franchise owners multiple times over the years, but nothing has been done.

"It's every day that people are complaining about us not having heat," Martin said.

The situation prompted Martin's mother, Angel, to contact 7 News Detroit for help. Angel Martin previously worked at the restaurant and said she's concerned about her daughter's safety.

"I don't want her to get frostbite, you know. I know the temperatures have been crazy lately and I worried about her all the last couple weeks working," Angel Martin said.

When contacted about the issue, a Wendy's corporate spokesperson said ensuring a safe and comfortable work environment is their highest priority.

"We are aware heat is partially working at this restaurant, and our teams have been on-site today to address the issue," the spokesperson said.

However, when I asked Alexis Martin if corporate representatives had visited the restaurant as promised, she said no one had come in.

"No, I spoke to my manager about that and several other employees that have been here all day and they've said nobody has come in at all," Martin said.

When I visited the restaurant to speak with the manager, he said he wasn't allowed to speak with me. Calls to the franchise owners have not been returned.

Angel Martin said she hopes the issue gets resolved quickly for all the employees trying to make a living.

"I just hope that it gets fixed and they can correct it as soon as possible. I mean, I know things like that aren't cheap but you still have people trying to make a living," she said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

If you've got little ones at home, you know how expensive diapers can be.

Nearly half of families with young kids can't afford enough diapers. That's where MiSide Community Impact Network is stepping in.

They're running their Cupid's Care Diaper Drive all month long for families enrolled in the EarlyYears program. The goal is to collect 10,000 diapers for local families.

We understand that diapers are a necessity for families, but SNAP and WIC do not provide the funds for families to use those resources to purchase diapers, said Rhonda Mallory-Burns, the director of early head start and head start. With the price of diapers going up, this helps us to support the families.

Diapers in all sizes can be dropped off at 15 locations across metro Detroit through Feb. 28. You can also donate online.

Drop-off locations are listed below:

McKenny Community Center at 19750 Burt Road In Detroit MiSide EarlyYears at 19176 Northrop Street in Detroit MiSide Health at 5716 Michigan Avenue in Detroit MiSide Health at 1700 Waterman Street in Detroit MSUFCU Sashabaw Branch at 6051 Sashabaw Road in Clarkston MSUFCU Auburn Hills Branch at 3220 University Drive in Auburn Hills MSUFCU Berkley Branch at 1833 Coolidge Highway in Berkley MSUFCU Congress St. Branch at 243 W. Congress Street in Detroit MSUFCU Novi Branch at 43420 Grand River Avenue in Novi MSUFCU Brighton Branch at 8510 W Grand River Avenue in Brighton MSUFCU Ortonville Branch at 4 South Street in Ortonville Omega Coney Island at 22501 W. 8 Mile Road in Detroit Java House at 17336 Lahser Street in Detroit Jessica Blair Beauty Supply at 18724 Grand River Avenue in Detroit Vernor Food Center at 8801 W. Vernor Hwy. in Detroit

A federal jury in Arizona on Thursday found that Uber must pay out $8.5 million to a plaintiff who alleged a driver working for the company raped her in 2023.

The verdict may open the way for similar cases to proceed. The trial concluded Thursday was the first of six test cases that could show whether thousands more may be argued or decided in a similar fashion.

More than 3,000 women have sued Uber, claiming the company failed to properly vet drivers. Uber says 99.9% of trips in 2021 and 2022 ended without any safety reports.

That comes to a total of 2,717 incidents of sexual assault or misconduct between 2021 and 2022. Uber says that represents about one out of every 700,000 trips.

The lawsuits accuse the company of inadequate background checks and failing to train drivers on sexual harassment prevention.

RELATED STORY | Arizona trial could shape thousands of Uber sexual assault cases

But the jury on Thursday did not find that Uber's decisions had caused serious risk.

In a statement following the verdict, Uber said the decision shows that it "acted responsibly and has invested meaningfully in rider safety."

The company plans to appeal the verdict.