GEAR MAG

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas judge is hearing evidence Wednesday on whether the youth camp where 25 girls and two counselors were killed incatastrophic floods last yearshould remain closed while a lawsuit filed by one of the girls' families is pending.

Texas Floods-Camp Mystic-Lawsuit

The family of 8-year-old Cile Steward, who was swept away during the flooding and whose body still has not been recovered, has asked a Travis County judge to prevent Camp Mystic's owners from reopening the camp and to halt any construction while the lawsuit is pending. Their request for a temporary injunction maintains that any changes at the camp could destroy evidence needed for their lawsuit.

"It now falls to this Court to protect the public, plaintiffs' search for answers, and the evidence at the Camp Mystic site," the attorneys wrote.

The camp's decision last year to partially open and to construct a memorial on the groundsdrew outragefrom many of the girls' families who are mourning their loved ones and who said they weren't consulted on the plans.

"We call on Camp Mystic to halt all discussions of reopening and memorials," CiCi and Will Steward wrote to Camp Mystic officials after the camp's decision was announced.

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Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has asked Texas regulatorsnot to renew the licensefor Camp Mystic while the deaths are being investigated and cited legislative probes that are expected to begin in the spring.

Families of several of the girls who died havesued the camp's operators, arguing that camp officials failed to take necessary steps to protect the campers as life-threatening floodwaters approached.

Attorneys for Camp Mystic have expressed sympathy toward the girls' families but maintained there was little they could have done during the catastrophic flooding that quickly overcame the camp.

"Nobody had every seen a prior flood anything like we saw in 2025," said Mikal Watts, an attorney for Camp Mystic and its family of owners.

Murphy reported from Oklahoma City

By Annett Rios and Alien Fernandez

Mass blackout cuts power across most of Cuba amid US oil chokehold

HAVANA, March 4 (Reuters) - A power outage struck most of Cuba including Havana, the state electric utility said on Wednesday, as ‌the communist-run government grapples with increased pressure from the Trump administration that has curtailed ‌oil shipments.

State media Cubadebate said the blackout was caused by an unexpected outage at Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant about ​100 km (62 miles) east of Havana, cutting electricity from Pinar del Rio in the far west to the eastern Las Tunas province.

Cuba has experienced a series of major blackouts in recent years, even before U.S. actions to cut off oil shipments, particularly from top supplier Venezuela after Washington's ‌ouster of leader Nicolas Maduro in ⁠early January.

Cuba's government has attributed its economic crisis to decades of economic sanctions from the U.S.

People in Havana, accustomed to rolling power outages associated ⁠with state rationing, mostly took the blackout in stride. Some traffic lights and businesses were operational due to solar panels or power generators.

"The SEN (electrical grid) going dark should not be considered normal," Arian ​Mendoza, ​28, an engineer living in Havana told Reuters. "I don't ​think it's right."

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The outage briefly took ‌Cuban state TV off the air. Its 1 p.m. national news broadcast started more than half an hour after the normal air time, with a presenter explaining the delay was due to the blackout.

"We can't communicate, we don't know what's on the news because we can't turn on the TV," added Angeli Aviles, 18, a student in Havana.

The electricity utility, UNE, said it ‌was working to restore services.

The Felton 1 thermoelectric power ​plant, located in Holguin province in eastern Cuba, remains ​online and recovery protocols have been ​activated, Cuba's energy ministry said.

The fuel scarcity has caused Cuba's government to ‌ration key services, such as trash collection ​and transportation. Some residents have ​installed solar panels on homes and vehicles to keep power running amid soaring fuel prices.

Mexico, an alternate supplier to Venezuela, said it would halt supplies after the U.S. ​threatened tariffs on countries supplying ‌Cuba with oil.

(Reporting by Annett Rios, Alien Fernandez and Daniel Trotta in Havana, ​Sandra Gaillard in Buenos Aires and Sarah Morland in Mexico City; Editing by ​Brendan O'Boyle, Daina Beth Solomon and Andrea Ricci )

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A U.S. submarinesank an Iranian warshipin the Indian Ocean, as Washington and Israelintensified their bombardmentWednesday of Iran's security forces and other symbols of power. Iran launched more missiles and drones and warned of the destruction of military and economic infrastructure across the Middle East.

APTOPIX Iran US Israel

The tempo of the strikes on Iran was so intense that state television announced the mourning ceremony forIranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the start of the conflict, would be postponed. Millions attended the funeral of his predecessor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in 1989.

The U.S. and Israel launched the war Saturday, targeting Iran's leadership, missile arsenal and nuclear program while suggesting that toppling the government is a goal. But the exact aims and timelines have repeatedly shifted, signaling an open-ended conflict.

President Donald Trump praised the U.S. military Wednesday for "doing very well on the war front, to put it mildly."

Israel also traded fire with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon, while Iranfired on Bahrain, Kuwait and Israel. As the conflict spiraled, Turkey said NATO defenses intercepted a ballistic missile launched from Iran before it entered Turkey's airspace.

The war has killed more than 1,000 people in Iran, more than 70 in Lebanon and around a dozen in Israel, according to officials in those countries. It has disrupted the supply of the world's oil and gas, snarled international shipping and stranded hundreds of thousands of travelers in the Middle East.

Both sides are unrelenting

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said a torpedo from an American submarine sank an Iranian warship Tuesday night in the Indian Ocean.

Sri Lankan authorities said 32 people were rescued from the ship, which they said had 180 people on board and sank outside Sri Lanka's territorial waters. The country's navy said it recovered 87 bodies.

Israel said it hit buildings associated with Iran's Basij, the all-volunteer force of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard that conducted a bloody crackdown on protesters in January. Thousands of people were killed and tens of thousands detained.

The Israeli military hit buildings associated with Iran's internal security command. Israel and the U.S. have said they want to see Iranians overthrow the country's theocracy, and strikes against Iran's internal security forces may be aimed at hastening that.

However, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said over the weekend that its forces have decentralized leadership, with units acting largely on their own according to general orders, which could blunt the effect of attacks on top command and control hubs.

Iranian state television showed the ruins of buildings in Tehran, with interviewees saying the attacks damaged their homes. Strikes have also been reported in the Shiite seminary city of Qom targeting a building associated with a clerical panel set to pickIran's next supreme leader. Iranian media said it was empty at the time.

Shifting timelines for U.S. operations

During his Pentagon briefing, Hegseth did not give a definitive timeline for U.S. operations.

"You can say four weeks, but it could be six. It could be eight. It could be three," he said. "Ultimately, we set the pace and the tempo. The enemy is off balance, and we're going to keep them off balance."

Adm. Brad Cooper, the top U.S. military commander in the Middle East, said American forces have damaged Iran's air defenses and taken out ballistic missiles, launchers and drones. Israeli military spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said such damage has led to a decline in launches from Iran.

Still, air-raid sirens and explosions could be heard across central and northern Israel on Wednesday. Israel's military said Iran launched missiles toward the country. Hezbollah also fired rockets, asIsrael pounded targetsin the suburbs of the Lebanese capital, Beirut.

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Iran has also struck around the region, and air sirens sounded Wednesday across Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet.

At least 1,045 people have been killed in Iran, the country's Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs said Wednesday. Eleven people have been killed in Israel and more than 70 in Lebanon.Six U.S. troopshave been killed.

Israel says its offensive had been planned for mid-year

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the offensive against Iran was originally planned for mid-2026, but "the need arose to bring everything forward to February."

He listed events inside Iran, Trump's positions "and the whole possibility of creating a combined operation here," as reasons.

The protests in Iran put unprecedented pressure on its leadership. Trump threatened military action in response to the crackdown beforeshifting his attentionto Iran's disputed nuclear program.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday that the U.S. launched its operation partly out of concern Iran might strike American personnel and assets in the region first. A phone call between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before the airstrikes began was also "important with respect to the timeline," she said.

Energy supplies in the crosshairs

Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard issued its most-intense threat yet, saying the strikes against it would result in "the complete destruction of the region's military and economic infrastructure."

A Maltese-flagged container ship was attacked Wednesday while passing through theStrait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of thePersian Gulfthrough which about a fifth of the world's oil is shipped. The ship was hit by two missiles, sparking a fire, according to Malta's transport minister, Chris Bonett. Its 24 crew members were rescued.

Tanker traffic through the strait has fallen by around 90% compared to prewar levels, shipping tracker MarineTraffic.com said Wednesday.

Oil prices have soared as Iranian attacks have disruptedtraffic through the strait, andglobal stock marketshave been hammered over worries that the spike in oil prices may grind down the world economy.

Iran's clerics are choosing a new supreme leader

Iran's leaders are scrambling to replaceKhamenei, who ruled the country for 37 years. It's only the second time sincethe 1979 Islamic Revolutionthat a new supreme leader is being chosen.

Potential candidates range from hard-liners committed to confrontation with the West to reformists who seek diplomatic engagement.Mojtaba Khamenei, Khamenei's son, has long been considered among them — though he has never been elected or appointed to a government position.

In a sign that Iran's leadership will only seek to consolidate its power as it faces its biggest crisis in decades, the head of the judiciary warned that "those who cooperate with the enemy in any way will be considered an enemy."

The Israeli defense minister threatened whoever Iran picks to be the country's next supreme leader.

"Every leader appointed by the Iranian terror regime to continue and lead the plan to destroy Israel, to threaten the United States and the free world and the countries of the region, and to suppress the Iranian people — will be a target for elimination," Katz wrote on X.

Becatoros contributed from Athens, Greece, and Magdy from Cairo. Associated Press writers David Rising in Bangkok; Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel; Julia Frankel in Jerusalem; Bassem Mroue in Beirut; Elaine Kurtenbach in Bangkok; Simina Mistreanu in Taipei, Taiwan; Bharatha Mallawarachi in Colombo, Sri Lanka; Giovanna Dell'Orto in Miami and Kevin Schembri Orland in Valletta, Malta, contributed to this report.

NEW YORK (AP) — It took until noon on Saturday, less than 12 hours before showtime, for the script to arrive.

APTOPIX Milan Cortina Olympics Ice Hockey

The opening monologue for "Saturday Night Live," of all things, was about to become a turning point in a national celebration that had somehow gone sideways in the week after the U.S. won Olympic gold in men's and women's hockey. Instead of basking in the glory of twice beating rival Canada in overtime, players like Hilary Knight and Megan Kelleron the women's sideand Jack and Quinn Hugheson the men's sidewere fielding questions about politics and sexism.

Executive producer Lorne Michaels told the players the show was going to have some fun with the situation.

President Donald Trump joking on a call with the men that he'd get impeached if he didn't also invite the women to the White House drew laughter from some of the players andplenty of criticism. Their appearance at the State of the Union address — after thewomen's team declinedfor logistical reasons — alsoderailed the headlines and conversation further into politics.

The celebration limped along to the weekend, where"Heated Rivalry"star Connor Storrie was hosting "SNL." Late in the monologue, he told the hockey stars how cool it was that they were all there together andKnight delivered a linefor the ages:

"It was going to be just us," Knight said, "but we thought we'd invite the guys, too."

Applause and laughter lit up the studio along with wide smiles —Jack's gap-toothed version, too— from those on stage. Two nights later, the Hughes brothers and Knight shared a couple of fist-bumps on"The Tonight Show" after Jimmy Fallonreminded them they all just won gold at the Olympics.

The good humor helped reset a national narrative that had threatened to taint the milestone moment as the U.S. celebrated its first twin hockey golds in history.

Getting from awkwardness to relief took a lot of work, according to interviews by The Associated Press, with dozens of people at multiple agencies, leagues and networks coordinating a a plan to put the focus back on the teams' accomplishments in Milan.

The path to prime time started long before gold was assured

On Feb. 19, a couple of hours afterKeller's overtime goal beat Canada, employees with the Professional Women's Hockey League reached out to NBC — the major rights holder for the Olympics in the United States, to gauge possibilities for a well-deserved victory lap. USA Hockey, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Wasserman, the agency that represents Knight, quickly got involved.

One night later, whenthe U.S. and Canada reachedthe men's final, NHL VP of corporate communications Nirva Milord finalized a grid of every player on the two teams and his schedule for the following two weeks. While the Games were ongoing in Italy, Milord was plotting out how to move fast after Sunday's gold medal game with the NHL schedule resuming on Wednesday back in North America.

"We had to know when they were going to be off because obviously they're not going miss a game," NHL president of content and events Steve Mayer said.

Jack Hughes' OT goalcame just before 11 a.m. Eastern Sunday. Pat Brisson, who represents all three Hughes brothers as a key agent for Creative Arts Agency, was swamped with requests.

"When Jack scored the goal, we got so many calls," Brisson said, estimating somewhere between 50 and 75 requests for appearances.

Among them on that busy day was an ask from "Saturday Night Live," which wanted the golden goal-scorer. Jack Hughes alongside brother Quinn was a perfect fit, and so was the combination of Knight and Keller.

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"Nirva had the relationship at 'Saturday Night Live' and immediately put it into action because we knew right off the bat, 'Hey, let's take this and run with it,'" Mayer said. "These are moments that when you have those opportunities, you seize on them."

There were plenty of unforeseen roadblocks along the way

Before flying home, men's and women's players enjoyed a moment back in the dining hall at the athletes' village following the closing ceremony, with gold medals hanging around all their necks.

"We're telling stories, have a few drinks and just countless laughs," forward Matthew Tkachuk said. "It's been unbelievable, celebrating with them — them winning firstwas a great motivator for us— and just becoming close with a lot of the girls on the team."

The plan all along was for everyone to fly from Milan to New York, the perfect place for mainstream media attention for a sport that often takes a back seat to the NFL and NBA in the U.S.

Mother Nature had other plans, with a blizzard bearing down on parts of the East Coast. The U.S. women were diverted to Atlanta and a decision was made to shift the destination ofthe charter flights carrying the NHL playersto Miami. By then, Trump's comment had become a talking point along with his invite to Tuesday night's State of the Union speech.

A majority of the U.S. men's team decided to go to Washington for a visit to the White House and the speech, throwing another wrench into the post-party planning. The women had long made plans to head home and were not going. Suddenly, scheduling was more complicated than anyone anticipated.

How it all went down

After Trump's speech, the players scattered to their teams with games to play, but the stars also had to keep some attention on media obligations.

Keller and Jack Hughes each did "The Pat McAfee Show" on ESPN, with their agencies working to get them booked. Knight appeared on "CBS Mornings," along with llona Maher's podcast, "House of Maher."

NBC had agreed quickly about "SNL" and "The Tonight Show." It was just a matter of making sure it could happen.

Quinn Hughes and the Minnesota Wild played Friday night in Utah, so he had some breathing room.Knight was on the injured listafter tearing a ligament in one of her knees during the Olympics, but she still wanted to be there Friday night for the return of her PWHL team, the Seattle Torrent, after the break, so she took a red eye to New York.

Jack Hughes and the New Jersey Devils played Saturday afternoon in St. Louis, then was whisked out of the arena and on to owner David Blitzer's private plane for a flight to Teterboro Airport in New Jersey. Then came a helicopter ride into the city and a ride to Rockefeller Center.

Keller and the Boston Fleet were playing in Ottawa. She managed to make it in time, thanks to some transportation fortune.

Lights, camera and a spectacular save of hockey's moment on the global stage followed. Knight and Keller did a costume change for the end of the show from "USA" to their PWHL jerseys, the Hughes family got to spend time with Michaels, and much of the angst melted away.

"The best couple weeks of my life," Jack said. "To be on that and share it with the women's team, the men's team was just a pretty cool moment."

AP Winter Olympics:https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday hosted Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó for talks in Moscow, with oil and gas supplies high on the agenda, as Hungary has maintained its reliance on Russian fossil fuels, despitethe war in Ukraine.

Russia Hungary

Szijjártó said earlier on Wednesday that he was in Moscow seeking guarantees from Russian authorities that Hungary would continue to have access to Russian oil and gas amid disruptions caused bythe war in the Middle Eastand interruptions to Russian oil flows through the Druzhba pipeline.

The Hungarian government has recentlyaccused Kyivof deliberately holding back Russian oil deliveries through the pipeline, which crosses Ukraine's territory. Ukrainian officials have denied the allegations, saying the pipeline, which feeds refineries in Hungary and Slovakia, was hit in a Russian drone attack.

Putin assured Szijjártó at the meeting that the Russian authorities "have always fulfilled all our obligations, and, of course, we intend and are ready to do so."

"I understand that this is of concern to you, particularly oil supplies. We see what's happening in the global and European gas markets. We'll be happy to discuss all these issues," Putin said.

"Not everything is in our power," he said.

Szijjártó, in turn, said that the Russian president was "well aware that Ukraine has been blocking oil shipments to Hungary on the Druzhba oil pipeline for weeks, solely for political reasons and based on a political decision."

He said that he'd come to Moscow to ensure Hungary's continued access to Russian fossil fuels "at an unchanged price," despite the disruption to pipeline deliveries and soaring energy prices in the wake of the war in the Middle East.

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Putin also announced that Russia was releasing two ethnic Hungarian prisoners of war who fought in the Ukrainian armed forces. Putin said that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán asked him to consider releasing them in a phone call on Tuesday, and that Szijjártó will be able to bring them home "right on the plane that brought you here and that you will return to Budapest on."

Szijjártó thanked him in Russian. The minister has previously accused Ukraine of forcibly conscripting members of a roughly 75,000-strong community of ethnic Hungarians residing in the western Ukrainian region of Zakarpattia. Many in that minority group hold dual Hungarian and Ukrainian citizenship, and so do the two released POWs, according to Putin.

The agreement to release the two ethnic Hungarian prisoners of war comes as Orbán escalates anaggressive anti-Ukraine campaignbefore tough elections scheduled for next month.

Trailing in most polls to a center-right challenger who has promised to restore Hungary's Western alliances and end its dependence on Russian energy, Orbán has ramped up unfounded accusations that Kyiv and the European Union seek to bankrupt Hungary by forcing it to financially assist Ukraine.

He has also sought to convince voters that if his party loses the election, his opponent will send Hungarian youth to die on the front lines of the war.

Last week, Hungaryblocked a new package of EU sanctionson Russia in response to interruptions in Russian oil supplies that pass through Ukraine, and vowed to block a major, 90-billion euro ($106 billion) EU loan destined for Kyiv until oil flows resume.

Justin Spike contributed to this report from Budapest, Hungary.

Tennessee women's basketball reserve Kaiya Wynn announced Tuesday that she has left the program, citing how she was treated during last week's senior day game as a "breaking point."

Wynn, who is finishing her fifth season with the Volunteers, has appeared in nine games this season after missing the entire 2024-25 season with an Achilles injury. She did not appear in the home finale, an 87-77 loss to No. 5 Vanderbilt on Sunday, although she claims she was asked to sub in for the final seconds and refused.

"This decision was not made lightly or instantly," Wynn wrote on social media. "For the past five years I have given my all for Tennessee and have not regretted doing so once. Obviously, my last two seasons on the team have been less than ideal for many reasons, but the one night I was most looking forward to was senior night.

"As someone who has never started a career game, l was hoping to start in my last appearance in Thompson-Boling. That obviously did not happen, and to be asked to check into the game with 15 seconds left while losing was not how I wanted to spend my final moments in my arena after five years. Although that was not the sole reason, it was the breaking point for me. I have the utmost love and respect for my teammates and this program and wish everyone nothing but the best."

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Wynn has appeared in 102 games for Tennessee, averaging 2.6 points and 1.8 rebounds per game. She averaged career highs of 4.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 13.4 minutes per game in 2023-24.

The guard originally signed to play for Kellie Harper, who was fired after the 2023-24 season and replaced by Kim Caldwell. The school nor coach have commented on Wynn's departure.

Tennessee (16-12, 8-8 Southeastern Conference) is the No. 6 seed in this week's SEC tournament in Greenville, S.C. The Volunteers having lost their last six games and nine of their last 11 since starting the season with a 14-3 (6-0) record.

--Field Level Media

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) — Iraq's hopes of World Cup qualification are being impacted bythe Iran warbecause players cannot get visas for the playoff tournament in Mexico and the team's coach is stranded in the United Arab Emirates.

"Because of airspace closures, our head coach, Graham Arnold, is unable to leave the United Arab Emirates," the Iraqi soccer federation said in a statement on Instagram on Wednesday. "In addition, several embassies remain closed at the present time, preventing several professional players, technical and medical staff members from obtaining entry visas to Mexico."

Iraq is scheduled to play Bolivia or Suriname in Monterrey, Mexico on March 31 for one of the last two qualification places for the World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

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The federation said it is in "constant communication with FIFA regarding the arrangements for our national team's participation" in the match. It said the Asian Football Confederation is also "fully aware of every development regarding our team's situation."

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