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The protesters "demonstrate 'against the Olympics,' causing these images to end up on televisions around the world. After others cut the railway cables to prevent the trains from leaving," Meloni said in a statement on Facebook, adding that thousands of Italians are working to keep the Games running smoothly, many of whom are volunteers.

"Solidarity, once again, with the police, the city of Milan, and all those who will see their work undermined by these gangs of criminals," she said.

Italy's transport ministry said it has opened a terrorism investigation into the synchronized sabotage of railway lines in northern Italy on Saturday, the first day of the Games.

No one has claimed responsibility, Italian news agency ANSA reported.

The alleged sabotage first hit the central Bologna hub, which governs rail traffic between northern and southern Italy, around 6 a.m. Saturday when it was still dark out, ANSA reported. It then struck Pesaro-area trains along the Adriatic coast.

Infrastructure was burned or cut to cause the sabotage in both cases, the news agency said.

The transport ministry didn't provide details, but said it would seek millions of euros in compensation from the perpetrators. Thousands of passengers were impacted by the hourslong delays.

In Milan, Italian police fired tear gas and a water cannon on Saturday evening at dozens of protesters who threw firecrackers and tried to access a highway near aWinter Olympicsvenue. The brief confrontation came at the end of a peaceful march by thousands against the environmental impact of the Games and the presence ofU.S. agents in Italy.

The skirmish comes days after Meloni's governmentapproved a security decreethat allows police to detain people for up to 12 hours when there are reasonable grounds to believe they may act as agitators and disrupt peaceful protests. Opposition lawmakers criticized the measure as an attack on freedom of expression.

Peaceful protest is legitimate, but "we draw a line at violence," International Olympic Committee spokesperson Mark Adams said during the IOC's daily media briefing. "That has no place at the Olympic Games."

Police on Saturday held off the violent demonstrators, who appeared to be trying to reach the Santagiulia Olympic ice hockey rink, after the skirmish. By then, the larger peaceful protest, including families with small children and students, had dispersed.

At the earlier, larger demonstration, which police said numbered 10,000, people carried cardboard cutouts to represent trees felled to build the new bobsled run in Cortina. A group of dancers performed to beating drums. Music blasted from a truck leading the march, one a profanity-laced anthem against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.

Beforehand, a group of masked protesters had set off smoke bombs and firecrackers on a bridge overlooking a construction site about 800 meters (a half-mile) from the Olympic Village that's housing around 1,500 athletes.

The demonstration coincided with U.S. Vice President JD Vance's visit to Milan as head of the American delegation. Vance and his family visitedLeonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper"closer to the city center, far from the protest, which also was against the deployment of ICE agents to provide security to the U.S. delegation.

U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, an ICE unit that focuses on cross-border crimes, frequently sends its officers to overseas events like the Olympics to assist with security. The ICE arm at theforefront of the immigration crackdownin the U.S. is known as Enforcement and Removal Operations, and there is no indication its officers are being sent to Italy.

The demonstration on Saturday followedanother one last week, when hundreds protested the deployment of ICE agents.

Like last week, demonstrators Saturday said they were opposed to ICE agents' presence, despite official statements that a small number of agents from an investigative arm would be present in U.S. diplomatic territory, and not operational on the streets.

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

Morgan McSweeney said he took responsibility for advising Starmer to appoint Mandelson, 72, to Britain's most important diplomatic post in 2024.

"The decision to appoint Peter Mandelson was wrong. He has damaged our party, our country and trust in politics itself," McSweeney said in a statement. "When asked, I advised the Prime Minister to make that appointment and I take full responsibility for that advice."

Starmer is facing a political storm and questions about his judgement after newly published documents, part ofa huge trove of Epstein filesmade public in the United States, suggested that Mandelson sent market-sensitive information to the convicted sex offender when he was the U.K. government's business secretary during the 2008 financial crisis.

Starmer's government has promised to release its own emails and other documentation related to Mandelson's appointment, which it says will show that Mandelson misled officials.

The prime minister apologized this week for "having believed Mandelson's lies."

He acknowledged that when Mandelson was chosen for the top diplomat job in 2024, the vetting process had revealed that Mandelson's friendship with Epstein continued after the latter's 2008 conviction. But Starmer maintained that "none of us knew the depth of the darkness" of that relationship at the time.

A number of lawmakers said Starmer is ultimately responsible for the scandal.

"Keir Starmer has to take responsibility for his own terrible decisions," said Kemi Badenoch, leader of the opposition Conservative Party.

Mandelson, a former Cabinet minister, ambassador and elder statesman of the governing Labour Party, has not been arrested or charged.

Metropolitan Police officers searched Mandelson's London home and another property linked to him on Friday. Police said the investigation is complex and will require "a significant amount of further evidence gathering and analysis."

The U.K. police investigation centers on potential misconduct in public office, and Mandelson is not accused of any sexual offenses.

Starmer hadfired Mandelsonin September from his ambassadorial job over earlier revelations about his Epstein ties. But critics say the emails recently published by the U.S. Justice Department have brought serious concerns about Starmer's judgment to the fore. They argue that he should have known better than to appoint Mandelson in the first place.

The new revelations include documents suggesting Mandelson shared sensitive government information with Epstein after the 2008 global financial crisis. They also include records of payments totaling $75,000 in 2003 and 2004 from Epstein to accounts linked to Mandelson or his husband Reinaldo Avila da Silva.

Aside from his association with Epstein, Mandelson previously had to resign twice from senior government posts because of scandals over money or ethics.

Starmer had faced growing pressure over the past week to fire McSweeney, who is regarded as a key adviser in Downing Street and seen as a close ally of Mandelson.

Starmer on Sunday credited McSweeney as a central figure in running Labour's recent election campaign and the party's 2004 landslide victory. His statement did not mention the Mandelson scandal.

Martin Chivers, soccer, 1945-2026

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Sports figures we lost in 2026

Wilburn was 62.

Television station WMC in Memphis reportsthat the Memphis Fire Department responded to a fire call in Orange Mound, Tenn., around 2 a.m. Friday morning. Firefighters found a victim unresponsive in a rear hallway. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

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A standout defensive back at Ole Miss, Wilburn was selected in the eighth round of the 1985 NFL draft. He spent the first five years of his NFL career in Washington, where he led the NFL with nine interceptions in 1987 and was named first-team All-Pro.

Wilburn recorded an interception of Denver quarterback John Elway in Washington's 42-10 victory over the Broncos in Super Bowl 22.

Wilburn also played for theCleveland Brownsin 1992 and for two seasons with thePhiladelphia Eaglesin 1995 and 1996.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Super Bowl champion DB Barry Wilburn dies in Tennessee house fire

Atlanta Falcons linebacker James Pearce Jr. was arrested in Miami Saturday following a domestic dispute with Los Angeles Sparks forward Rickea Jackson, according to police.

Pearce crashed his car during a police chase while trying to avoid arrest, according to Doral Police Chief Edwin Lopez.

Following the police chase, Pearce was arrested Saturday evening and charged with two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and aggravated stalking, all connected to domestic violence, according to online records. He was also charged with aggravated battery of an officer, fleeing or eluding police with lights and siren and resisting an officer without violence to his person.

The nature of Pearce and Jackson's relationship was not immediately clear.

Pearce is an NFL rookie who was picked in the first round of the 2025 draft by the Falcons. In a statement, the Falcons said they were "aware of an incident" involving Pearce in Miami.

"We are in the process of gathering more information and will not have any further comment on an open legal matter at this time," the statement read.

Video circulating on social media and confirmed by the Doral Police Department showed Pearce being tackled to the ground and taken into custody by multiple officers.

Representatives for Jackson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Jackson was selected by the Los Angeles Sparks as the fourth overall pick in 2024, going on to create a name for herself in the WNBA averaging 14.7 points in 38 games in the 2025 season.

Pearce is being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center and is expected to have his first court appearance on Sunday.

Tatum is still recovering from rupturing his Achilles tendon last May during a playoff series with the New York Knicks. Tatum still has several benchmarks to clear from his recovery and there remains no timetable for his return, ESPN reported. NBA insider Chris Haynes reported on Jan. 29 thatTatum is considering sitting outfor the entire 2025-2026 season.

Charania reported that Tatum wants to come back as close to 100 percent as possible. Last season, Tatum averaged 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 6.0 assists.

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Part of Tatum's reluctance to return has been how well the Celtics have played without him. The Celtics are second in the East at 34-18 and currently on a five-game winning streak.

"That's something I contemplate every day," Tatum said on thePivot Podcast. "More so about the team, if or when I do come back this season, they would've played 50 some-odd games without me. So they have an identity this year or things that they felt have clicked for them, and it's been successful, right, third or second team in the East up to this point. So there is a thought in my head that's like, how does that work or hows does that look with me integrating myself off an injury and 50-60 games into a season? There could obviously be some challenges and it is a thought, like damn? Do I come back or should I wait? It's something that I honestly, recently in the last two weeks or so, just kind of contemplate every single day."

Jaylen Brown is also in the midst of a career season. He is averaging 29.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists. Brown was recently selected for his fifth All-Star Game.

Derrick White and Payton Pritchard have also increased their scoring numbers, with both guards scoring over 17 points per game. The team also acquired big man Nikola Vučević in a trade with the Chicago Bulls.

The controversial documentary aboutfirst lady Melania Trumpgrossed another $2.37 million in North American theaters in its second weekend of release, according to estimates shared Sunday, Feb. 8, by Amazon MGM Studios. This represents a decline of 67% from the movie's first weekend, bringing its domestic total to date to $13.35 million.

A 67% decline is considered a fairly large drop at the box office, generally indicating that devoted fans prioritized seeing the film early on and that there may not be a huge audience beyond that in theaters. But the second weekend of "Melania" also fell on Super Bowl weekend, which is traditionally a slow period for movie theaters.

The horror-thriller "Send Help," which debuted Jan. 30, repeated at No. 1 at the North American box office this weekend with another $10 million, according to Comscore estimates. "Melania" was in 10th place, below a pair of 2025 releases: Disney's animated smash "Zootopia 2" grossed $4 million, and the sci-fi epic "Avatar: Fire and Ash" collected an additional $3.5 million. Two new horror titles, "Dracula" and "The Strangers – Chapter 3," took in $4.5 million and $3.5 million, respectively.

"Melania," which follows the first lady in the 20 days leading up toPresident Donald Trump's2025 inauguration, is coming off a surprising theatrical debut of $7 million. "Melania" had been tracking to make $3 million to $5 million in its opening weekend.

Jeff Bock, senior media analyst for Exhibitor Relations, told USA TODAY ahead of the movie's release that any opening above $1 million would be a "huge number," suggesting "that a lot of folks who don't normally go to the movies went to this."

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Amazon MGM Studiospurchased "Melania" and a companion docuseries for $40 millionand reportedly spent$35 millionon marketing. The film is far from being profitable just yet, though Amazon will recoup some of its costs through ads and streaming service sign-ups.

The new "Melania" documentary had a splashy premiere at the Trump Kennedy Center in Washington on Jan. 29, 2026. See which celebrities and political figures walked the red carpet, starting with President Donald Trump first lady Melania Trump.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> The first couple steps out for the world premiere.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> First lady Melania Trump

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> "Melania" director Brett Ratner

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Lisa Oz (from left), Mehmet Oz, Oliver Oz and Daphne Oz.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> "Melania" producer and first lady adviser Marc Beckman

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> House Speaker Mike Johnson and his wife Kelly.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Jennifer Rauchet

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Pete Hegseth kisses Jennifer Rauchet.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz and his wife, former U.S. Homeland Security adviser Julia Nesheiwat.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Christie Mullin and Sen. Markwayne Mullin

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Special Presidential Envoy for Special Missions of United States Richard Grenell

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Kathryn Burgum and Doug Burgum

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Kelly Loeffler and Jeffrey Sprecher

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Doug Collins and Lisa Collins

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Lee Zeldin and Diana Zeldin

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Brett Ratner (left) and Marc Beckman

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

Melania Trump is chic in black at movie's Kennedy Center premiere

Thenew "Melania" documentaryhad a splashy premiere at the Trump Kennedy Center in Washington on Jan. 29, 2026. See which celebrities and political figures walked the red carpet, starting with President Donald Trumpfirst lady Melania Trump.

In a statement, Kevin Wilson, Amazon MGM Studios' head of domestic theatrical distribution, hailed the documentary's "strong theatrical performance" and said the release has built "momentum ahead of the film's eventual debut on Prime Video."

Directed byBrett Ratner, who was ousted from Hollywood in 2017 after six women accused him of sexual harassment, "Melania" wasalmost universally pannedby critics.USA TODAY's Brian Truittwrote that "while it does offer an extremely flattering view of all things Melania, outside of a few candid glimpses, you're not going to learn a lot about who she really is."

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, "Melania"received a dismal approval ratingof just 8% from critics. Audiences, though, have embraced it. "Melania" earned a Rotten Tomatoes score of 99% from moviegoers who could verify that they purchased a ticket to see it, and audiences polled by the market research firm CinemaScoregave it a grade of A.

Contributing: Brian Truitt

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:'Melania' movie box office – How it performed in second weekend