The most powerful capital in the world has no major fully functioning newspaper. That’s a huge absence.
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Opinion | A Lament for the Washington Post
Speedskater Lollobrigida wins host Italy’s 1st gold of Olympics
MILAN — Speedskater Francesca Lollobrigida won host Italy’s first gold medal of the Milan Cortina Games on Saturday, taking the women’s 3,000 meters in an Olympics-record time.
With fans rising to their feet and roaring for her as she competed on her 35th birthday, Lollobrigida finished in 3 minutes, 54.28 seconds, more than two seconds ahead of runner-up Ragne Wiklund of Norway.
Valerie Maltais of Canada was third.
Lollobrigida is from Frascati, a hill town just outside Rome well-known for its white wine, and her great aunt was the late Gina Lollobrigida, a star actress of the 1950s and ’60s.
This was the fourth Olympics for Francesca Lollobrigida, the mother of a 2-year-old son, and her first gold – indeed, the first for a woman from her nation in speedskating. She collected two medals at Beijing four years ago: a silver in the 3,000 and a bronze in the mass start.
As expected, she was greeted by a big cheer during the introductions before her heat, and Lollobrigida responded with a big smile and a big wave with both arms overhead, before covering her chest with her hands.
Racing with Maltais, Lollobrigida trailed at the first checkpoint. But the Italian kept gaining ground and, perhaps boosted by the loud support from her countrymen in the seats, surged on the final lap, arms swinging behind her.
How fast was she? Her time was not only much better than anyone else on the ice Saturday, it was more than 2 1/2 seconds faster than the Olympic mark set by Irene Schouten when she claimed the 3,000 gold at the 2022 Beijing Games.
There were four more skaters left to go after Lollobrigida was done, and as she waited to find out what would happen, she actually didn’t want to watch much, frequently covering her eyes with her hands.
Italian speedskater Francesca Lollobrigida wins gold at home on 35th birthday
It was a very happy birthday for Francesca Lollobrigida.
Lollobrigida, competing today on her 35th birthday, brought home the gold for Team Italy in the women’s speed skating 3000m — and set an Olympic record in the process.
The Italian crowd went wild as the hometown hero raced to the finish. Lollobrigida fought for her lead after trailing Team Canada’s Valerie Maltais, who finished with a bronze medal, for most of the race. She overtook her competitor in the final moments of the neck-and-neck race as her young son Tommaso watched from the sidelines.
Lollobrigida is the first Italian woman to ever win a speedskating gold and the first Italian athlete to win gold at the 2026 Olympics. She had previously earned a silver and bronze medal in 2022 at the Beijing Winter Olympics.
Lollobrigida finished with a time of 3:54.28, comfortably ahead of the silver and bronze medal winners. She finished more than 2 seconds faster than silver medal winner Ragne Wiklund of Norway, which is notable in a sport where competitors finish within hundredths of seconds of each other.
The Olympic record was previously held by Dutch speed skating legend Irene Schouten at 3:56.93, set previously at the 2022 Beijing Games. Lollobrigida had finished with silver in Beijing. Today, Lollobrigida shaved over two seconds off that time.
The speedskater took time away from the sports after the Beijing Games to have her son. Last week, Lollobrigida shared an Instagram post about her decision to stop competing to start her family, saying that she feels proud of her decisions.
“In the last Olympics I had reached the highest point of my career and the realization that I was in the best moment of my sporting life. Yet I chose to stop.”
Lollobrigida had considered retiring ahead of this year’s Winter Olympics, but came back for a final Olympic race in her home country. On Saturday, she tearfully stood on the podium during the Italian national anthem, while the home crowd roared in celebration of her historic win. Lollobrigida previously announced that this would be her final Olympic Games.
The result is a major surprise, with speedskating favorite Joy Beune, of the Dutch team, not making it to the podium. Dutch skaters swept the podium in 2018, and this year’s competitors were expected to continue that trend. The Milan Cortina Games mark the first time a Dutch speed skater hasn’t finished with a medal in 16 years.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni celebrated Lollobrigida’s historic win in a post on X, touting her as the pride of Italy.
“Congratulations to Francesca Lollobrigida for an extraordinary Olympic gold, the first for Italy, won with an Olympic record on her birthday,” she wrote. “Italian pride, talent and determination. Bravo!”
Lollobrigida comes from a family of Italian public figures, including her aunt, the Hollywood great Gina Lollobrigida and her father, fellow skater Maurizio Lollobrigida.
The speedskater was formerly an inline skater like her father, but switched to speed skating to have the chance of becoming an Olympian. She was inspired by U.S. speed skater Chad Hendrick, who switched from inline to ice, winning Olympic gold in the Torino 2006 5000m.
Forget B2B or B2C: It’s time for B2H
This pains me greatly to say, but: That typo in your last campaign may have made your audience more engaged.
2026 Winter Olympics security closes Leonardo’s Last Supper
Tourists to Milan during the Winter Olympics, hoping to see Leonardo da Vinci’s “ The Last Supper,” were in for an unwelcome surprise: Access to the masterpiece is closed to the public for 3 1/2 days.The painting, created between 1494 and 1498 by the Italian Renaissance artist, is located on a wall inside the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie, a church and Dominican convent still used by friars. It is a major attraction for appreciators of art and devout Catholics alike.Tourists stuck at the police cordon down the street leading to Santa Maria delle Grazie were disappointed. Antonio Rodríguez, who traveled from Spain with friends, said they would have no other chance to see the painting nor the adjacent church since they only traveled for the weekend.“We didn’t know we would face this,” said Rodríguez, adding he had no plans to attend events related to the Games. “We would have gone somewhere else in the city.”A sign on the wall outside Il Cenacolo Vinciano stated that access to the landmark would be closed all day on Feb. 5, 6 and 7, and the morning of Feb. 8, without giving any reason. Staff there told a reporter from The Associated Press they were not authorized to provide any information.VIPs still allowed in on SaturdayUnbeknownst to frustrated visitors, multiple groups of VIPs were exempt from the restrictions on Saturday.Related video above: Security tightens in Milan as dignitaries arrive for Olympic opening ceremonyAmong them were U.S. Vice President JD Vance and his family, according to a statement from the vice president’s office. They visited the morning after he met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and attended the Games’ opening ceremony.Vance converted to Catholicism in 2019, which he has said brought him a sense of spiritual fulfillment. He visited Rome and Vatican City during Holy Week last year, and was among the last world leaders to meet Pope Francis before his passing. They sat down together on Easter Sunday after a long-distance tangle over the Trump administration’s migrant deportation plans.In addition to Vance, many foreign delegations have visited The Last Supper and the Brera Art Gallery in recent days, including those of China, Poland, Hungary and Bulgaria, Angelo Crespi, the director of Grande Brera that oversees both institutions, said in a statement.“We interpret our role responsibly, not only in terms of tourism but also in terms of international relations,” he said.Traffic in the area surrounding the religious site on Saturday was diverted. People walking along nearby streets said public transportation was disrupted, as well.“The trams were changed without any notice,” said Fedeli Gioia. “This whole area is blocked because someone is going to see Il Cenacolo? And where does that leave us citizens?”A painting that — with care and luck — has survived for centuriesThe Last Supper — described by renowned writer Giorgio Vasari as “a beautiful and marvelous thing” in his writings — is preserved under strict conservation conditions.Instead of creating a fresco that would have allowed the paint to be absorbed by plaster, Leonardo used a dry technique that made it much more vulnerable to deterioration. Environmental damage and repeated restoration attempts altered its appearance and prompted ongoing conservation efforts.Nowadays, visits last about 15 minutes for a maximum number of 40 people at a time and temperature and humidity are strictly controlled.Leonardo’s painting depicts the moment after Jesus tells his apostles: “One of you will betray me.” The scene’s composition has had other interpretations by previous artists, but Leonardo reinterpreted it, placing Jesus at the center and arranging the apostles in four groups of three figures.Aside from conservation issues derived from the dry technique used by Leonardo, the mural suffered deterioration when the refectory housing it was used as a stable in the late 1700s during the French occupation of Milan by Napoleon’s troops. Later, it was severely damaged when Allied bombing struck the Santa Maria delle Grazie complex in 1943 during World War II.It made a controversial appearance, of sorts, in the Paris Olympics in 2024. A scene in the opening ceremony evoked the painting, and included DJ Barbara Butch — an LGBTQ+ icon — wearing a silver headdress resembling a halo while flanked by drag artists and dancers.France’s Catholic bishops said it mocked Christian symbolism, and the Vatican said it “deplored the offense” caused to Christians by the scene.Tourists watch from afarA group of Japanese tourists was among the would-be visitors behind the police cordon on Saturday. They photographed the church from a distance and listened to a guide’s explanation in the middle of the street.Luisa Castro, a Filipina who has lived in Milan for 20 years, was hoping to visit Santa Maria delle Grazie with friends.“We are Catholics from the Philippines and we seldom have time to visit a church like this,” she said. “Unfortunately, the vice president of America came to see the Last Supper and we could not enter.”___Associated Press writers Colleen Barry and Michelle Price in Milan contributed to this report.
MILAN —
Tourists to Milan during the Winter Olympics, hoping to see Leonardo da Vinci’s “ The Last Supper,” were in for an unwelcome surprise: Access to the masterpiece is closed to the public for 3 1/2 days.
The painting, created between 1494 and 1498 by the Italian Renaissance artist, is located on a wall inside the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie, a church and Dominican convent still used by friars. It is a major attraction for appreciators of art and devout Catholics alike.
Tourists stuck at the police cordon down the street leading to Santa Maria delle Grazie were disappointed. Antonio Rodríguez, who traveled from Spain with friends, said they would have no other chance to see the painting nor the adjacent church since they only traveled for the weekend.
“We didn’t know we would face this,” said Rodríguez, adding he had no plans to attend events related to the Games. “We would have gone somewhere else in the city.”
A sign on the wall outside Il Cenacolo Vinciano stated that access to the landmark would be closed all day on Feb. 5, 6 and 7, and the morning of Feb. 8, without giving any reason. Staff there told a reporter from The Associated Press they were not authorized to provide any information.
VIPs still allowed in on Saturday
Unbeknownst to frustrated visitors, multiple groups of VIPs were exempt from the restrictions on Saturday.
Related video above: Security tightens in Milan as dignitaries arrive for Olympic opening ceremony
Among them were U.S. Vice President JD Vance and his family, according to a statement from the vice president’s office. They visited the morning after he met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and attended the Games’ opening ceremony.
Vance converted to Catholicism in 2019, which he has said brought him a sense of spiritual fulfillment. He visited Rome and Vatican City during Holy Week last year, and was among the last world leaders to meet Pope Francis before his passing. They sat down together on Easter Sunday after a long-distance tangle over the Trump administration’s migrant deportation plans.
In addition to Vance, many foreign delegations have visited The Last Supper and the Brera Art Gallery in recent days, including those of China, Poland, Hungary and Bulgaria, Angelo Crespi, the director of Grande Brera that oversees both institutions, said in a statement.
“We interpret our role responsibly, not only in terms of tourism but also in terms of international relations,” he said.
Traffic in the area surrounding the religious site on Saturday was diverted. People walking along nearby streets said public transportation was disrupted, as well.
“The trams were changed without any notice,” said Fedeli Gioia. “This whole area is blocked because someone is going to see Il Cenacolo? And where does that leave us citizens?”
A painting that — with care and luck — has survived for centuries
The Last Supper — described by renowned writer Giorgio Vasari as “a beautiful and marvelous thing” in his writings — is preserved under strict conservation conditions.
Instead of creating a fresco that would have allowed the paint to be absorbed by plaster, Leonardo used a dry technique that made it much more vulnerable to deterioration. Environmental damage and repeated restoration attempts altered its appearance and prompted ongoing conservation efforts.
Nowadays, visits last about 15 minutes for a maximum number of 40 people at a time and temperature and humidity are strictly controlled.
Leonardo’s painting depicts the moment after Jesus tells his apostles: “One of you will betray me.” The scene’s composition has had other interpretations by previous artists, but Leonardo reinterpreted it, placing Jesus at the center and arranging the apostles in four groups of three figures.
Aside from conservation issues derived from the dry technique used by Leonardo, the mural suffered deterioration when the refectory housing it was used as a stable in the late 1700s during the French occupation of Milan by Napoleon’s troops. Later, it was severely damaged when Allied bombing struck the Santa Maria delle Grazie complex in 1943 during World War II.
It made a controversial appearance, of sorts, in the Paris Olympics in 2024. A scene in the opening ceremony evoked the painting, and included DJ Barbara Butch — an LGBTQ+ icon — wearing a silver headdress resembling a halo while flanked by drag artists and dancers.
France’s Catholic bishops said it mocked Christian symbolism, and the Vatican said it “deplored the offense” caused to Christians by the scene.
Tourists watch from afar
A group of Japanese tourists was among the would-be visitors behind the police cordon on Saturday. They photographed the church from a distance and listened to a guide’s explanation in the middle of the street.
Luisa Castro, a Filipina who has lived in Milan for 20 years, was hoping to visit Santa Maria delle Grazie with friends.
“We are Catholics from the Philippines and we seldom have time to visit a church like this,” she said. “Unfortunately, the vice president of America came to see the Last Supper and we could not enter.”
___
Associated Press writers Colleen Barry and Michelle Price in Milan contributed to this report.
Tanya Tucker Mourning Loss of One of Her ‘Very Best Friends’
Tanya Tucker turned to social media to share sad news with her fans after her longtime friend and assistant died.
“Saying goodbye is the hardest thing to do!” the Country Music Hall of Famer writes on Instagram alongside a photo of her friend, T Martin.
Who Was Tanya Tucker’s Friend Who Died, T Martin?
Martin was her assistant “for years,” Tucker writes.
Martin and her husband and stepson traveled many miles with Tucker on her tour bus, as well as overseas in Europe.
“She was a warrior and one of the hardest workers I’ve known,” Tucker states.
READ MORE: The Youngest Stars Ever to Make it in Country Music
“She was one of my very best friends. Whatever she did for me, she did with love and a kind soft voice. I treasure the years we had together. My only regret is I wasn’t there this morning when she got her wings. Goodbye my friend. I’ll see you again!”
Who Is Tanya Tucker?
Tanya Tucker is one of the most iconic female country singers of all time.
She launched her career in 1972 at the age of 13, scoring her debut hit with “Delta Dawn.”
She followed with a long string of hits in the ’70s, ’80s and even into the ’90s, including “What’s Your Mama’s Name,” “Lizzie and the Rainman,” “San Antonio Stroll” and more, scoring her most recent Top 10 hit with 1997’s “Little Things.”
Tucker has continued to tour and record in the years since, as well as filming a reality show, writing a bestselling autobiography, trying her hand at acting and more.
She was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2023.
What Is Tanya Tucker Doing in 2026?
Her official website shows a handful of tour dates for 2026.
Pictures: Country Music Hall of Fame Welcomes Tanya Tucker, Patty Loveless, Bob McDill
Tanya Tucker, Patty Loveless, Bob McDill became the newest members of the Country Music Hall of Fame on Sunday (Oct. 22) in Nashville. The three-hour-long ceremony included nine performances, by surprise guests like Bob Seger, Jamey Johnson, Brandi Carlile and more.
Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes
News Corp Revenue Rises on Growth at Dow Jones, Real-Estate Divisions
The media company’s CEO said there are ‘favorable signs’ for the second half of its fiscal year.
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Use DraftKings promo code to get $300 bonus bets by targeting North Carolina-Duke, Lakers-Warriors on Saturday
One of the best rivalries in sports takes place Saturday when North Carolina hosts Duke at 6:30 p.m. ET, another chance to claim the latest DraftKings promo code, which gives new users $300 in bonus bets if your first $5 bet wins. This is their first matchup this season, and Duke won all three of their head-to-heads last year. The SportsLine Projection Model expects a similar result this year, backing Duke as a 5.5-point favorite as one of its Saturday college basketball best bets at DraftKings.
The model is also backing the Los Angeles Lakers to cover as 2.5-point favorites against the Golden State Warriors at 8:30 p.m. ET in NBA best bets for Saturday, and one of SportsLine’s top experts has locked in a pick for No. 5 Illinois vs. No. 10 Michigan State during an evening of elite basketball competition ahead of Sunday’s Big Game. Claim the latest DraftKings promo code, where new users get $300 in bonus bets if your first $5 bet wins:
Check out our DraftKings promo code review for full details.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past eight-plus seasons. The model enters Week 16 of the 2025-26 NBA season on a sizzling 38-16 roll on top-rated NBA spread picks dating back to last season. Anyone following its NBA betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.
Saturday best bets at DraftKings Sportsbook
- Duke (-5.5) vs. North Carolina (-105)
- Illinois (+1.5) vs. Michigan State (-108)
- Lakers (-2.5) vs. Warriors (-102)
Combining the three picks into a Saturday parlay at DraftKings would result in a payout of +589 (risk $100 to win $589). Bet it at DraftKings here: (Odds subject to change)
Duke (-5.5) vs. North Carolina (-105)
Duke won all three head-to-head contests last season and is 5-2 against the Tar Heels over the previous three seasons. Two of those three wins came on the road in Chapel Hill, where Saturday’s contest takes place, including an 82-69 final last year. Duke is 21-1 overall and 10-0 in ACC play with another star-studded young roster, led by star freshman Cameron Boozer. The son of 13-year NBA forward Carlos Boozer and projected NBA lottery pick is averaging 23.3 points and 9.9 rebounds per game this season. Duke has won 10 straight, with nine of those victories coming by at least six points. The model projects Duke to cover in 54% of simulations. Back Duke to cover at DraftKings here:
Illinois (+1.5) vs. Michigan State (-108)
“Michigan State has lost its only two conference games against ranked opponents (Michigan and Nebraska),” SportsLine expert Jeff Hochman said. “They have feasted on the bottom of the Big Ten, inflating their defensive stats. When faced with a Tier-1 offense (like Michigan’s), their defense cracked. Illinois presents an even more potent offensive challenge than Michigan. Close Game Separation Metrics heavily favor Illinois. In tight games, Illinois has consistently executed in the half-court, whereas Michigan State has suffered from subpar backcourt play from everyone not named Jeremy Fears Jr. Illinois has validated these numbers away from home. Their Strength of Schedule adjusted performance includes road wins at Purdue and Nebraska — two of the toughest environments in the Big Ten. I like the road team in this spot.” Back Illinois to cover at DraftKings here:
Lakers (-2.5) vs. Warriors (-102)
Luka Doncic (hamstring) is out for the Lakers, but the model still gives the Lakers the nod in this matchup. The Lakers defeated the 76ers, 119-115, on Thursday despite losing Doncic after he played just 16 minutes. Los Angeles rallied from an eight-point halftime deficit without Doncic, led by an Austin Reaves takeover. Reaves had 35 points and LeBron James added 17 points and 10 assists Thursday. Stephen Curry (knee) is out for the Warriors as well, so both teams will be without some of their star power. The Lakers will host and they are 13-8 at home this season, while the Warriors are 11-15 on the road. The model projects the Lakers to cover in 67% of simulations. Bet the Lakers to cover at DraftKings here:
Want more NBA and college basketball on Saturday?
You’ve seen some of the model’s Saturday best bets. Now, get against the spread, total and money-line picks for all games, including NFL, NBA, college basketball, NHL, and more, all from the model that’s simulated every game 10,000 times.
