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Bad Bunny talks about his love of family, 'beautiful childhood'

February 08, 2026
Bad Bunny talks about his love of family, 'beautiful childhood'

Singer and rapperBad Bunnymay be gracing the stage as the performer at Sunday'sSuper Bowl LX halftime show, but his beginnings started thousands of miles away in Puerto Rico with his mother, father, and two brothers.

Bad Bunny, born Benito Martínez Ocasio, has shared previously with multiple outlets howgrowing up in his close-knit family outside of San Juan, Puerto Rico, has shaped his music, including his recent album "Debí Tirar Más Fotos," which took home theGrammy Award for Album of the Yearlast weekend.

Before Bad Bunny takes the stage at Super Bowl LX, here's a look at his family and how he's said they have influenced him.

<p style=Bad Bunny accepts the album of the year award for "DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS" onstage during the 68th Grammy Awards on Feb. 1, 2026, in Los Angeles

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=Bad Bunny poses with the album of the year, best música urbana album and best global music performance awards during the 68th Grammy Awards.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny performs during his Bad Bunny accepts the Album of the Year award for Bad Bunny performs onstage during the 26th Annual Latin Grammy Awards in Las Vegas on Nov. 13, 2025. <p style=Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny performs onstage during the first show of his 30-date (which ended up being 31 in total) concert residency at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on July 11, 2025.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=Bad Bunny thanked his fans for "letting me sing in my home in front of my friends, my family and my people" on what was the final night of his residency in September 2025. "Thank you for that," he said. "I love you, thank you for being a part of this."

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=On top of his Puerto Rico residency, Bad Bunny was also juggling life as a Hollywood actor attending the premiere of "Caught Stealing" on Aug. 26, 2025, in New York City.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=Bad Bunny starred alongside Austin Butler in the movie.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=Earlier in summer 2025, Bad Bunny was spotted at Netflix's "Happy Gilmore 2" premiere on July 21, 2025, in New York City, which he starred alongside Adam Sandler.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=Bad Bunny at the 2025 Met Gala Celebrating "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5, 2025. Bad Bunny gave a playful Puerto Rican twist to the Black dandy theme with a crisp espresso brown suit. He paired the custom-made Prada ensemble with a brimmed hat resembling a pava, a traditional straw hat made from leaves of the Puerto Rican hat palm.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=Bad Bunny onstage at the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on March 17, 2025.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=Bad Bunny onstage at the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on March 17, 2025.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=Bad Bunny onstage at the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on March 17, 2025.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=In February 2025, Bad Bunny attended "SNL50: The Anniversary Special" in New York City.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=Bad Bunny performs during his Most Wanted Tour at the Kaseya Center in Miami on May 24, 2024.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=Bad Bunny attends the Dior Homme Menswear spring/summer 2025 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on June 21, 2024.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> <p style=Bad Bunny performs at the Crypto.com Arena during his Most Wanted tour in Los Angeles, March 13, 2024.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny poses in the press room during the 96th Annual Academy Awards at Ovation Hollywood on March 10, 2024 in Hollywood, California. Bad Bunny performs the first stop of his Most Wanted Tour in Salt Lake City, Utah, at Delta Center on Feb. 21, 2024. For his first show of the Most Wanted Tour, Bad Bunny didn't hold back on performing all but three songs ( Bad Bunny split the show into three acts, performing first his Bad Bunny rode into the Delta Center venue on a horse on Feb. 21, 2024. Performing a total of 37 songs, not including the orchestra that introduced him at the top of the night before segueing into Bad Bunny arrives for the Billboard Latin Music Awards at the Watsco Center in Miami, Florida, on Oct. 5, 2023. Bad Bunny in his high fashion era, seen at Gucci Ancora during Milan Fashion week on September 22, 2023 in Milan, Italy. Bad Bunny turned heads at the 2023 Met Gala in a white suit and rosette-covered cape by fashion designer Jacquemus. Bad Bunny performs onstage at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 21, 2023. Bad Bunny rocks out next to a pair of neon blue bunny ears during Weekend 2 at Coachella 2023. During his Coachella performance on April 14, 2023, Bad Bunny led his fans through a gamut of emotions, dances, ballads about heartbreak and tales of bouncing back from lost love. With set designs, multiple outfits and song choices centered on the streets of Puerto Rico, Bad Bunny's set was an allusion to his journey from an austere Puerto Rican neighborhood to the highest echelons of California celebrity. In March 2023, Bad Bunny, left, was honored with the Vanguard Award at the GLAAD Media Awards by Ricky Martin. Bad Bunny put Puerto Rico front and center during his 65th Grammy Awards performance on Feb. 5, 2023. Bad Bunny was also nominated for album of the year at the 2023 Grammys. While Harry Styles took AOTY at the Grammys, Bad Bunny accepted the award for best música urbana album for To commemorate Bad Bunny's end-of-year Spotify Wrapped numbers and 3-peat title of the most streamed artist on the platform, the Puerto Rican superstar was presented with three championship-style rings designed by Jason of Beverly Hills on Dec. 10, 2022 in Mexico City. Bad Bunny concluded the U.S. leg of his  Cardi B, Chencho Corleone, Ivy Queen and reggaeton duo Jowell y Randy." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny, left, brought out rapper Cardi B on Oct. 1, where the two performed their hit song For his Sept. 30 show, Bad Bunny invited Li Saumet of Bomba Estéreo to perform Bad Bunny and Dominican American reggaeton star Arcángel hit the stage during his Oct. 1 show. Bad Bunny, left, blessed fans with a surprise performance from Puerto Rican rapper-singer Ivy Queen. She took the stage at both Inglewood shows in September and October 2022. Bad Bunny closed out Los Angeles on a historic note. The City of Los Angeles honored the megastar for his declaring Oct. 1 as the official Bad Bunny Day." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny put on a fiery performance at the Yankee Stadium in New York City during the 2022 MTV VMAs. He also shared a kiss with one of his backup dancers during the August 2022 performance. That night he made history by becoming the first Latin artist to win artist of the year at the 2022  MTV Video Music Awards. Bad Bunny poses for a portrait on August 1, 2022 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. Bad Bunny strikes a pose for USA TODAY. Bad Bunny, in his Hollywood era, strikes a pose for USA TODAY. In the action comedy Bad Bunny is the gift that keeps on giving. For three nights, from July 28-30, the Puerto Rican superstar kicked off his 2022 Fans were blessed with Bad Bunny performing the entirety of his new album and also got a chance to see special guests like Rauw Alejandro, Young Miko, RaiNao, Bomba Estéreo, Jhay Cortez, Chencho Corleone and María Zardoya from The Marías. Many of the artists were also featured in his latest album The Puerto Rican superstar revealed <a href=two new wax figures at Orlando and New York's Madame Tussauds on April 19, 2022. The figure at Madame Tussauds New York is wearing the iconic all-silver look from the Grammy-winner's 2020 Super Bowl performance alongside Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, and J Balvin, complete with the same silver jacket he wore. The wax figure in Orlando is wearing an outfit originally from his WWE Royal Rumble performance and is featured in his "Booker T" music video. For the figure, Bad Bunny donated his trenchcoat, vest, trousers, and pants." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Sony Pictures announced during April 2022's CinemaCon that <a href=Bad Bunny is set to portray the title role in "El Muerto," making history as Marvel's first Latino lead in a live-action film. He calls the film the "perfect role" for him.

Before suiting up as the super-powered wrestler, the Puerto Rican rapper will make his big-screen acting debut in the neon-drenched "Bullet Train" (in theaters July 29), doing battle with Brad Pitt." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> He's got <em>range</em>. Bad Bunny made his debut as a professional wrestler in <a href=April 2021 at WWE's WrestleMania 37. In this photo, taken Jan. 29, 2022, Bad Bunny jumped into the ring again during the Royal Rumble match at The Dome at America's Center." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> After making history with Bad Bunny is no stranger to breaking records. He was also named Spotify's most-streamed artist in the world for two consecutive years. During his During his Days prior, Bad Bunny hit the stage at MGM Grand Garden Arena on Nov. 18, 2021, to perform during the <a href=22nd Latin Grammy Awards. That night he took home the award for best rap/hip hop song for "Booker T" and best urban music album for "El Último Tour del Mundo."" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bad Bunny attends the American Music Awards on Nov. 21, 2021, rocking a monochromatic look with black and silver shades on the red carpet. Bad Bunny decked out in all leather at the Billboard Music Awards broadcast in May 2021. Bad Bunny made his debut as a professional wrestler in April 2021 at WWE's WrestleMania 37. Pictured here, he and Damian Priest face The Mix and John Morrison during a tag team match. That same night, Bad Bunny takes flight at WrestleMania. Earlier that month, Bad Bunny performed onstage during Rihanna's Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 2. Amid the peak of the pandemic in 2020, Bad Bunny gave fans a treat. That September, he performed a concert on a moving flatbed truck in New York, stopping traffic all throughout the city. His one-of-its-kind concert began at Yankee Stadium and made its way to Harlem Hospital where Bad Bunny honored front-line workers. <em>History in the making. </em>In June 2020, Bad Bunny became the first Latin urban musician to pose for the cover of Rolling Stone (his then-girlfriend, Gabriela Berlingeri, became the first Latina to shoot a Rolling Stone cover photo and Latin music editor Suzy Exposito was the first Latina to write a cover story for the magazine). Bad Bunny at the 20th annual Latin Grammy Awards in Las Vegas in November 2019. That same night, he accepted the award for best urban album at the Latin Grammys. In July 2019, Bad Bunny participated in a series of demonstrations in Puerto Rican demanding then-Gov. Ricardo Rosello's resignation. Around that time, Bad Bunny also took to social media to voice is concerns and support of the people of his hometown. Wearing a rainbow Louis Vuitton ensemble and visor-like sunglasses, Bad Bunny gave it his all at his first solo Coachella set. That same night, Bad Bunny joined Will Smith and Marc Anthony to perform Pictured here, Bad Bunny rocks his signature third eye at the 2018 American Music Awards. 2018 was a big year for Bad Bunny. The young Puerto Rican star also attended the Latin Grammy Awards that year in November at the MGM Grand Garden Area in Las Vegas. Bad Bunny made his first Coachella appearance in April 2018, when Cardi B brought him out along with J Balvin to perform their single

Bad Bunny makes history at the Grammys. The Puerto Rican star's career in photos.

Bad Bunny accepts the album of the year award for "DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS" onstage during the 68th Grammy Awards on Feb. 1, 2026, in Los Angeles

More news:Why did the NFL pick Bad Bunny for the Super Bowl? Money and ratings.

What to know about Bad Bunny's siblings, parents

Bad Bunny's immediate family consists of his mother, Lysaurie Ocasio, and father, Tito Martínez, and his two brothers, Bernie and Bysael. His mother was an English teacher while his father was a truck driver,People reported.

Bad Bunny is the eldest of the three children. He was born in 1994, while Bernie was born in 1997. Bysael, the youngest, was born in 2002.

Bysael Martinez Ocasio, Bad Bunny and Bernie Martinez Ocasio, pose backstage for the 2021 Billboard Music Awards, broadcast on May 23, 2021, at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California. Bad Bunny won the Top Latin Song Award among other awards.

Bernie has also chosen to pursue a creative career by going into the fashion industry, where he hasbecome a model. Bernie's modeling debut came during New York Fashion Week in 2023.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Bernie (@mcbernie)

Bysael, the youngest son and brother of Bad Bunny, has also joined the fashion world andstarted hisown clothing line and brand, BMO.CTI.

Bad Bunny toldApple Music in a January 2025interview that he grew up surrounded by his family, including his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Bad Bunny says he had a 'beautiful' childhood

In the same interview with Apple Music, Bad Bunny shared that he went to public school and his mother often stressed the importance of good grades. He said he remembered a happy, family-oriented childhood filled with laughter.

"If you ask me about my childhood, I remember it as a very beautiful one. I never lacked anything. Obviously, my parents…worked so we had everything we needed and I saw their effort. I saw how they worked so hard to give everything to us, to me and my brothers," Bad Bunny said in the interview.

The artist added in the interview with Apple Music that he gained important life lessons from his parents while growing up.

"I'm sure that I learned a lot of things from my parents: responsibility, punctuality, I learned that from my mom…I remember my dad was always giving and helping like the people from the neighborhood and that part of me, like to give to others, definitely I learned from my dad," he said in the interview.

Bad Bunny's family, his parents especially, are extremely proud of his music career,he told Rolling Stone in January 2025. His mother cried listening to multiple songs on his "Debí Tirar Más Fotos," including the single "PIToRRO DE COCO."

How to watch Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime performance

Bad Bunny is set to headline the Super Bowl LX halftime show on Sunday, Feb. 8, following the completion of the game's second quarter. Viewerscan catch the broadcast nationallyon NBC. There are also multiple streaming services available for the game, includingPeacock, DirecTV Stream, Sling TV, YouTube TV, Hulu with live TV, and others.

Kate Perez covers national trends and breaking news for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kperez@usatodayco.com or on X @katecperez_.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Get to know Bad Bunny's family before Super Bowl halftime show

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“The Pitt” star admits she'd never seen “Seinfeld” before booking a role on the sitcom: 'I was living under a rock'

February 08, 2026
Jerry Seinfeld and Katherine LaNasa on 'Seinfeld' NBC

BeforeKatherine LaNasawas whipping the ER into shape as Nurse Dana onThe Pitt, the actress made a memorable impression onSeinfeldviewers.

The fan-favorite season 6 episode "The Beard" sees LaNasa play a no-nonsense NYPD sergeant who goes from flirting withJerry Seinfeldto putting him through a lie detector test after he unconvincingly claims he's never seenMelrose Place. Ironically, LaNasa herself wasn't a big TV viewer at the time.

"I had never seenSeinfeld, nor had I seenMelrose Place, which is hilarious," LaNasa admitted in a recentinterview with ETalk. "Yes, I was living under a rock."

LaNasa, who was early in her acting career at the time, explained that she was too busy taking care of her young son to keep up with popular TV shows.

"I was a single mom, my son's dad was an older guy, and we didn't watchMelrose Place," she explained, referencing her marriage to late Hollywood iconDennis Hopper. "I just didn't watch a lot of TV. I know it sounds crazy, I was just starting out in television."

As fate would have it, LaNasa is now married to Grant Show, one of the stars ofMelrose Place. They wed in 2012 and welcomed a daughter two years later.

Despite going intoSeinfeldblind, LaNasa fit right in on the iconic sitcom. After deciding to put Jerry through the polygraph test, she pushes him into a complete — and hilarious — meltdown. Looking back on it now, thePittactress says she still "remembers how creative they were" while shooting the episode.

"There was a whole scene in that where Jason Alexander is talking with the rest of them about this girl that he's dating and how when she took off her wig or her wig came off and she was bald," LaNasa recalled. "He was like, 'She's bald, treeless!' This and that, and he just kept riffing and it was so funny and so magical just to see them rehearse and ad-lib."

Though she wasn't familiar withSeinfeld, LaNasa said it was immediately clear that the cast was "unbelievably talented." She added, "It was just a big bucket full of talent and I was pinching myself. I couldn't believe I was a part of it or witnessing it."

Katherine LaNasa on 'The Pitt' Warrick Page/MAX

Warrick Page/MAX

Seinfeld, which also starred Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Michael Richards, was quite the phenomenon throughout the '90s and ultimately ran for 10 seasons. LaNasa continued to find success on the small screen, appearing on such hit shows as3rd Rock From the Sun,Touched by an Angel,ER, andGrey's Anatomy.

Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with ourEW Dispatch newsletter.

Her role inThe Pitthas marked a high point in her career, with LaNasa taking home an Emmy at last year's ceremony for her work in the show's debut season.

Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

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‘We must get through the next few days’: Ukrainians face bitter cold without power

February 08, 2026
'We must get through the next few days': Ukrainians face bitter cold without power

Hundreds of thousands of civilians in Ukraine face several days of extreme cold with very little heat and light, after sustained Russian drone and missile attacks on the country's energy infrastructure.

CNN A Kyiv resident holds a plastic bag with hot meals as she leaves a tent at a government‑run humanitarian aid point during a power blackout on February 7, 2026. - Anatolii Stepanov/Reuters

In the capital, Kyiv, temperatures well below zero and bitterly cold winds are expected for the next four days at least.

"We must get through the next few days, which will be very difficult for Kyiv," the city's mayor, Vitaliy Klitschko, said Sunday. "Severe frosts are again forecast in the capital, especially at night," he said onTelegram.

Klitschko said Ukraine's energy infrastructure was in "an extremely difficult situation" and that he had issued instructions for communal "heating points," powered by generators, to be fully functional. Some of these shelters allow people to stay overnight.

According to the energy ministry, residents of the capital are receiving electricity only for one and a half to two hours a day.

Yuliia Davydenko shows a thermometer reading of just 3 degrees Celsius (about 37 degrees Fahrenheit) inside her family's apartment in Kyiv, which has no heating or hot water and experiences frequent power outages. - Alina Smutko/Reuters Residents wait for hot meals inside a tent at a government‑run humanitarian aid point, where people can warm up, charge their devices, get hot drinks and receive psychological support. - Anatolii Stepanov/Reuters

During a Russian strike in early January, one Kyiv resident who lived in an apartment at the top of a 16–story building at the time said he and his wife had lost heating, power and water.

The next Russian strike hit the power plant providing heat to the apartment block, as well as 1,100 other buildings in the capital, and he said about half of the residents had moved out of the building, including his family.

The average temperature in the apartment had fallen to just 3 degrees Celsius (37.4 degrees Fahrenheit), he added.

Residents were told that repairs could take two months – during the coldest part of the year.

A blackout in Kyiv on February 7, 2026. - Maksym Kishka/Frontliner/Getty Images

Businesses also suffer. The Backstage Beauty Salon network says it invested $400,000 in back-up systems, including generators, fuel and batteries. But a drone had hit one of its salons, shattering a heating pipe and flooding the premises.

"Despite all this spending, weather conditions and Russian attacks prevail over the system," the company posted on Instagram Saturday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said onTelegramSunday: "Almost every day, the (Russians) strike energy facilities, logistics infrastructure, and residential buildings… Over 2,000 strike drones, 1,200 guided aerial bombs, and 116 missiles of various types were launched by Russia at our cities and villages this week alone."

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Ukrenergo, the national grid company,said Sundaythat it continued dealing with the aftermath of two massive missile and drone attacks on the power grid this week.

"The level of power shortages and damage to the electricity transmission and distribution networks currently prevents the lifting of emergency blackouts in most regions," but repair work had made power cuts less severe in some regions, it said.

"Restoration work is continuing at both power plants and high-voltage substations that supply power to nuclear power plants."

Oleksandr Zinchenko, 36, an employee of an energy company, deals with an issue with voltage at a power substation after recent Russian drone and missile strikes, on February 5, 2026. - Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters

Another Ukrainian power operator, DTEK, said Saturday that damage to high-voltage substations had caused a reduction in output at nuclear power plants, leading to a significant loss of available electricity.

The latest Russian strikes followed a short-lived moratorium on attacks by each side on the other's energy infrastructure, agreed at the urging of the United States.

Zelensky said Saturday that Washington had proposed "that both sides once again support the US President's energy de-escalation initiative. Ukraine has agreed, but Russia has not yet responded."

The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said Saturday: "The fact that Russia conducted two sets of strikes with over 400 projectiles within six days of the lapse of the energy strikes moratorium demonstrates the Kremlin's determination to maximize the suffering of Ukrainian civilians and unwillingness to de-escalate the war or seriously advance the US-initiated peace negotiations."

"Russian forces have also modified their drones and missiles to inflict more damage, including by equipping Shahed drones with mines and cluster munitions, and such measures have disproportionately affected civilian and energy infrastructure," the institute added.

The consequences of Russian strikes are aggravated in many urban areas by reliance on centralized heating systems, a legacy of the Soviet era. Heat is generated at thermal or combined heat and power plants before being distributed, so if such facilities are targeted many residential blocks are impacted.

Workers prepare to lift a section of a pipe at Kyiv CHPP-4, a thermal power plant severely damaged in a massive Russian missile attack in Kyiv on the night of February 2, 2026. - Volodymyr Tarasov/Ukrinform/NurPhoto/Getty Images

The destruction of central heating pipes can affect an entire neighborhood. When temperatures drop below freezing, a long power outage can lead underground heating pipes to fracture if the water inside them freezes.

Some analysts have noted that Russia's war planners try to take advantage of this vulnerability in their targeting.

"I think the Russian military is being advised by their energy specialists and they are explaining how to cause maximum damage to the energy system," DTEK CEO Maxim Timchenko said in 2022.

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Takeaways from what the Epstein files show about the FBI investigation of possible sex trafficking

February 08, 2026
Takeaways from what the Epstein files show about the FBI investigation of possible sex trafficking

NEW YORK (AP) — The FBI collected ample proof thatJeffrey Epsteinsexually abused underage girls but found scant evidence the well-connected financier led a sex trafficking ring serving powerful men, an Associated Press review of internal Justice Department records shows.

Associated Press

Videos and photos seized from Epstein's homes in New York, Florida and the Virgin Islands didn't depict victims being abused or implicate anyone else in his crimes, a prosecutor wrote in one 2025 memo.

An examination of Epstein's financial records, including payments he made to entities linked to influential figures in academia, finance and global diplomacy, found no connection to criminal activity, said another internal memo in 2019.

Summarizing the investigation in an email last July, agents said "four or five" Epstein accusers claimed other men or women had sexually abused them. But, the agents said, there "was not enough evidence to federally charge these individuals."

The AP and other media organizations are still reviewingmillions of pages of documents, many of them previously confidential, that the Justice Department released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act and it is possible those records contain evidence overlooked by investigators.

Here are takeaways from what the documents show about the FBI investigation and why U.S. authorities ultimately decided to close it without additional charges.

Origins of the investigation

The Epstein investigation began in 2005, when the parents of a 14-year-old girl reported that she had been molested at the millionaire's home in Palm Beach, Florida. Then-Miami U.S. attorney Alexander Acostastruck a dealletting Epstein plead guilty to state charges of soliciting prostitution from an underage girl. Sentenced to 18 months in jail, Epstein was free by mid-2009.

In 2018, a series of Miami Herald stories about the plea deal prompted federal prosecutors to take a fresh look at the accusations.

Epstein wasarrested in July of 2019. One month later, hekilled himselfin his jail cell.

A year later, prosecutors charged Epstein's longtime confidant,Ghislaine Maxwell, saying she'd recruited several of his victims and sometimes joined the sexual abuse. Convicted in 2021, Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison term.

Lack of evidence for coconspirators

Prosecution memos, case summaries and other documents made public in the department's latest release of Epstein-related records show that FBI agents and federal prosecutors diligently pursued potential coconspirators. Even seemingly outlandish and incomprehensible claims, called in to tip lines, were examined.

Some allegations couldn't be verified, investigators wrote.

In 2011 and again in 2019, investigators interviewedVirginia Roberts Giuffre, who in lawsuits and news interviews had accused Epstein of arranging for her to have sexual encounters with numerous men, including Britain's formerPrince Andrew.

Investigators said they confirmed that Giuffre had been sexually abused by Epstein. But other parts of her story were problematic.

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Giuffre acknowledged writing a partly fictionalized memoir of her time with Epstein containing descriptions of things that didn't take place. She had also offered shifting accounts in interviews with investigators, they wrote.

Two other Epstein victims who Giuffre had claimed were also "lent out" to powerful men told investigators they had no such experience, prosecutors wrote in a 2019 internal memo.

Photos and video don't implicate others

Investigators seized a multitude of videos and photos from Epstein's electronic devices and homes in New York, Florida and the U.S. Virgin Islands. They found CDs, hard copy photographs and at least one videotape containing nude images of females.

No videos or photos showed Epstein victims being sexually abused, none showed any males with any of the nude females, and none contained evidence implicating anyone other than Epstein and Maxwell, then-Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey wrote in an email for FBI officials last year.

Had they existed, the government "would have pursued any leads they generated," Comey wrote. "We did not, however, locate any such videos."

Investigators who scoured Epstein's bank records found payments to more than 25 women who appeared to be models — but no evidence that he was engaged in prostituting women to other men, prosecutors wrote.

Prosecutors weighed the possibility of charging some of Epstein's close associates, including an assistant and business clients, but ultimately decided against it because of lack of evidence.

No client list found

Attorney General Pam Bondi toldFox News in February 2025that Epstein's never-before-seen "client list" was "sitting on my desk right now." But FBI agents wrote superiors saying the client list didn't exist.

On Dec. 30, 2024, about three weeks before President Joe Biden left office, then-FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate reached out through subordinates to ask "whether our investigation to date indicates the 'client list,' often referred to in the media, does or does not exist," according to an email summarizing his query.

A day later, an FBI official replied that the case agent had confirmed no client list existed.

On Feb. 19, 2025, two days before Bondi's Fox News appearance, an FBI supervisory special agent wrote: "While media coverage of the Jeffrey Epstein case references a 'client list,' investigators did not locate such a list during the course of the investigation."

Aaron Kessler in Washington contributed to this report.

___ The AP is reviewing the documents released by the Justice Department in collaboration with journalists from CBS, NBC, MS NOW and CNBC. Journalists from each newsroom are working together to examine the files and share information about what is in them. Each outlet is responsible for its own independent news coverage of the documents.

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Venezuela frees several opposition members after lengthy politically motivated detentions

February 08, 2026
Venezuela frees several opposition members after lengthy politically motivated detentions

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela's government on Sunday released from prison several prominent opposition members, including one of the closest allies of Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado, after lengthy politically motivated detentions.

Associated Press Opposition leader Juan Pablo Guanipa rides on the back of a motorcycle after his release from prison in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026.(AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez) Political activist Jesus Armas is embraced by opposition supporters after his release from prison in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez) Opposition leader Juan Pablo Guanipa speaks after his release from prison in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez) Opposition leader Juan Pablo Guanipa rides on the back of a motorcycle after his release from prison in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026.(AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez) Opposition supporters greet political activist Jesus Armas after his release from prison in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)

APTOPIX Venezuela Prisoners

Their releases come as the government ofacting President Delcy Rodríguezfaces mounting pressure to free hundreds of people whose detentions months or years ago have been linked to their political beliefs. They also follow a visit to Venezuela of representatives of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Rodríguez was sworn in as Venezuela's acting president after the Jan. 3 capture in Caracas of then-PresidentNicolás Maduroby the U.S. military. Her government began releasing prisoners days later.

"I am convinced that our country has completely changed," Juan Pablo Guanipa, a Machado ally and former governor, told reporters hours after his release. "I am convinced that it is now up to all of us to focus on building a free and democratic country."

Guanipa, who spent more than eight months in custody, was released from a detention facility in the capital, Caracas. An armored vehicle and officers appeared behind him in the video he released.

Venezuelan-based prisoners' rights group Foro Penal confirmed the release of at least 30 people on Sunday.

In addition to Guanipa, Machado's political organization said several of its members were among the released, including María Oropeza,who livestreamed her arrest by military intelligence officersas they broke into her home with a crowbar. Machado's attorney, Perkins Rocha, was also freed.

"Let's go for the freedom of Venezuela!" Machado posted on X.

Guanipa was detained in late May and accused byInterior Minister Diosdado Cabelloof participating in an alleged "terrorist group" plotting to boycott that month's legislative election. Guanipa's brother Tomás rejected the accusation, and said that the arrest was meant to crack down on dissent.

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"Thinking differently cannot be criminalized in Venezuela, and today, Juan Pablo Guanipa is a prisoner of conscience of this regime," Tomás Guanipa said after the arrest. "He has the right to think as he thinks, the right to defend his ideas, and the right to be treated under a constitution that is not being enforced today."

Her government announced on Jan. 8 it would free asignificant number of prisoners— a central demand of the country's opposition and human rights organizations with backing from the United States — but families and rights watchdogs have criticized authorities for the slow pace of the releases.

The ruling party-controlled National Assembly this week began debating an amnesty bill that could lead to the release of hundreds of prisoners. The opposition and nongovernmental organizations have reacted with cautious optimism as well as with suggestions and demands for more information on the contents of the proposal.

National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez on Friday posted a video on Instagram showing him outside a detention center in Caracas and saying that "everyone" would be released no later than next week, once the amnesty bill is approved.

Delcy Rodríguez and Volker Türk, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, spoke by phone in late January. His spokesperson, Ravina Shamdasani, in a statement said he "offered our support to help Venezuela work on a roadmap for dialogue and reconciliation in which human rights should be at the centre" and then "deployed a team" to the South American country.

Machado remains in exile after leaving Venezuela in December. After she was briefly detained in January 2025, she had not been seen in public for 11 months when she appeared in Norway after the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony.

Guanipa on Sunday said Machado "exercises undeniable leadership" and is needed in Venezuela along with other exiled political leaders to move the country forward.

Associated Press writer Jamey Keaten in Geneva contributed to this report.

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Big 12 issues $50,000 fine to Oklahoma State for anti-Mormon chants during game against BYU

February 08, 2026
Big 12 issues $50,000 fine to Oklahoma State for anti-Mormon chants during game against BYU

IRVING, Texas (AP) — The Big 12 Conference announced Sunday it fined Oklahoma State $50,000 following an investigation intoinappropriate chantsreferencing The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as the Mormons, during a men's basketball game against BYU last week.

"The Big 12 Conference will not tolerate any behavior that targets or demeans others," the conference said in a statement.

BYU coach Kevin Young said after a99-92 loss at Oklahoma Stateon Wednesday night that he heard "F--- The Mormons" chants coming out of the student section. BYU is the flagship school for the religion.

"The reference to religion did not meet our standards and expectations," the university said in a statement. "Oklahoma State respects the Big 12's decision and will not appeal the fine."

It was at least the fourth time in a year that BYU teams had been the target of anti-Mormon chants.

The Big 12 fined Colorado $50,000 in September after football fans directed expletives and religious slurs at Mormons during a game against the Cougars in Boulder.

Similar incidents occurred at an Arizona men's basketball game last season and a Cincinnati football game in November. Neither school was fined.

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