Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych was barred from competing in the Milan Cortina Winter Games after refusing to remove a helmet honoring athletes killed in the war with Russia, according to CBS News. The incident occurred Thursday morning, just 75 minutes before the start of the men's skeleton race, when International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry asked Heraskevych to use a different helmet. He declined and will appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The 2026 Winter Olympics are underway in Italy, six hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time, with competition beginning on February 4 and scheduled to continue through the closing ceremony on February 22, according to CBS News. The Paralympics will follow in March. Norway currently leads the medal count, followed by the United States and Italy.
Heraskevych's helmet, which displayed the names of Ukrainian athletes killed in the ongoing conflict, was deemed unacceptable by the IOC. Coventry met with the athlete in a private area, but was unable to change his mind, according to CBS News. Heraskevych expressed his disappointment, saying, "It's hard to say or put into words. It's emptiness."
In other news, a panel of judges in New York appointed a new top federal prosecutor in Albany on Wednesday, but the Justice Department fired the appointee hours later, according to CBS News. The judges had appointed former prosecutor Donald T. Kinsella, citing a law that allows them to temporarily name someone to the role when an interim U.S. attorney's term has expired. This action followed months of friction between the Trump administration and the federal judiciary over who is allowed to lead U.S. attorney's offices.
Also, six people were found dead in a cross-state murder spree in Florida, according to CBS News. The suspect, who was also found dead, committed the murders in Sarasota and Fort Lauderdale. The Fort Lauderdale Police Department found two adults, Larisa Blyudaya, 46, and Ben Azivov, 18, dead in a home after receiving a well-being check. The property manager confirmed that Azivov was Blyudaya's son.
Finally, Attorney General Pam Bondi told members of Congress on Tuesday that Ghislaine Maxwell "will hopefully die in prison," according to ABC News. Bondi made the statement after being questioned about allegations that Jeffrey Epstein's co-conspirator was receiving special treatment, including a controversial transfer to a minimum security prison. Maxwell, 64, has been incarcerated since July 2020. Bondi could not say who ordered the prison transfer.
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