MILAN (AP) — The Winter Olympics are a land of snow and frozen water — no “ice,” though, at least not at the hospitality house being hosted by U.S. sports teams in Milan for the Games.

The Ice House has been officially renamed the Winter House, in a nod to the tension surrounding the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, commonly known as ICE.

“Our hospitality concept was designed to be a private space free of distractions where athletes, their families, and friends can come together to celebrate the unique experience of the Winter Games,” said a release from the house sponsors, USA Hockey, US Speedskating and US Figure Skating.

Protests against ICE have broken out in Minnesota and across America after immigration officers killed two people.

The issue also sparked demonstrations in Italy when news broke that ICE was sending a handful of agents to assist with some Olympic-related security measures. The ICE agents will be working on computers inside, not in the streets, and are not part of the same unit that is cracking down in the U.S.

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The Winter House is the closest thing these Games will have to a USA House — the usual hangout for athletes and their families typically hosted by the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. The USOPC didn’t open a USA House because of the spread-out nature of these Olympics and inability to bring all athletes to one location.

“I think it’s wise,” U.S. figure skater Amber Glenn said when asked about the name change. “It’s unfortunate that the term ICE isn’t something we can embrace because of what’s happening and the implications of what some individuals are doing.”

Asked about the name change, moguls skier Tess Johnson, who is in Milan this week before she competes hours away in Livigno, said she has thought a lot “about what it means to represent the States in this Games.”

“I personally don’t stand for any hate or violence,” she said. “I am a huge proponent of what the Olympic and Paralympic movement stands for, which is connection, respect, unity, love, compassion. I think actions and conversations around those words are very meaningful to me.”

By MAE ANDERSON, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — As Super Bowl Sunday approaches, the battle off the field for advertisers to win over 120 million-plus viewers will be just as heated as the rivalry between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks.

Dozens of advertisers are pulling out all the stops for Super Bowl 60, airing Sunday on NBC. They’re hoping that audiences tuning in will remember their brand names as they stuff their ads with celebrities ranging from Kendall Jenner (Fanatics Sportsbook) to George Clooney (Grubhub), tried-and-true ad icons like the Budweiser Clydesdales, and nostalgia for well-known movie properties such as “Jurassic Park” (Comcast Xfinity).

Each year Super Bowl ads offer a snapshot of the American mood — as well as which industries are flush with cash that particular year: from the “Dot-Com Bowl” of 2000 to the “Crypto Bowl” of 2022.

This year’s trends include health and telehealth companies advertising weight loss drugs and medical tests, tech companies showing off their latest gadgets and apps and advertisers showcasing AI in their ads.

Villanova University marketing professor Charles Taylor said because of the heavy headlines in the news lately — from the immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota to conflicts abroad — he expects advertisers to stick to a light and silly tone.

“Because of the Super Bowl’s status as a pop culture event with a fun party atmosphere, the vast majority of brands will avoid any dark or divisive tone and instead allow consumers to escape from thinking about these troubled times,” he said.

This undated image provided by Meta shows Marshawn Lynch in a scene from the Oakley Meta 2026 Super Bowl NFL football spot. (Meta via AP)

Record-breaking prices

Advertisers flock to the Super Bowl each year because so many people watch the big game. In 2025, a record 127.7 million U.S. viewers watched the game across television and streaming platforms.

Demand is higher than ever, since live sporting events are one of the few remaining places in the fractured media landscape where advertisers can reach a large audience. NBC sold out of ad space in September.

Space sold for an average of $8 million per 30-second unit, but a handful of spots sold for $10 million-plus, a record, said Peter Lazarus, executive vice president, sports & Olympics, advertising and partnerships for NBCUniversal. He said he was calling February, with the Super Bowl, Olympics and the NBA All-Star Game, “legendary February.”

Lazarus said 40% of advertisers bought across all of NBC’s major sports properties, and 70% of Super Bowl advertisers bought the Olympics as well.

This undated image provided by TurboTax shows Adrien Brody in a scene from the TurboTax 2026 Super Bowl NFL football spot. (TurboTax via AP)

Celebrities galore

Featuring celebrities is a tried-and-true way advertisers can get goodwill from viewers. This year, Fanatics Sportsbook enlists Kendall Jenner to talk about the “Kardashian Kurse,” in which bad things happen to basketball players she dates.

George Clooney appears in a Grubhub add to promote a deal that the delivery app offers to “Eat the Fees” on orders of $50 or more.

Several ads feature more than one celebrity or sports star. Michelob Ultra shows Kurt Russell training actor Lewis Pullman, as Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim and hockey player T.J. Oshie watch on a ski slope.

Xfinity reunites Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum in a tongue-in-cheek reimagining of “Jurassic Park” that shows an Xfinity tech bringing power back to the island so nothing goes awry.

And Uber Eats enlists Matthew McConaughey for the second year in a row to convince celebrities — this year it is Bradley Cooper and Parker Posey — that football is a conspiracy to make people hungry so they order food.

This undated image provided by Xfinity shows a scene from the Xfinity 2026 Super Bowl NFL football spot. (Xfinity via AP)

AI takes the stage

For the second year in a row, AI is making waves in Super Bowl ads.

Oakley Meta touts their AI-enabled glasses in two action-packed spots showing Spike Lee, Marshawn Lynch and others using the glasses to film video and answer questions.

Wix Harmony debuted an ad that features its web design software that uses AI tools. Wix is also airing an add for Base44, an AI app builder. And OpenAI will advertise during the game with a yet-to-be revealed ad.

Svedka Vodka enlisted Silverside AI, an AI studio, to help create their ad, which features their robot mascot FemBot along with a male counterpart, BroBot. They took that approach because of Svedka’s positioning as the “vodka of the future,” said Sara Saunders, chief marketing officer at Sazerac, which bought the Svedka brand in 2025.

“We reimagined the robot via AI,” Saunders said. “It took us many, many months to rebuild her, to give her functionality, to give her that human spirit that we wanted to show up on behalf of the brand.”

This undated image provided by SVEDKA on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, shows a scene from the SVEDKA 2026 Super Bowl NFL football spot. (SVEDKA via AP)

Health and telehealth

Health and telehealth providers are everywhere during Super Bowl 60. Two pharma companies are advertising tests: Novartis touts a blood test to screen for prostate cancer with the tagline “Relax your tight end,” featuring football tight ends relaxing. Boehringer Ingelheim’s ad stars Octavia Spencer and Sofia Vergara, who encourage people to screen for kidney disease.

Liquid I.V., which makes an electrolyte drink mix, has teased an ad about staying hydrated.

Telehealth firm Ro is using Serena Williams in their ad for GLP-1 weigh loss drugs. Novo Nordisk, which makes Wegovy and Ozempic, has teased that it will have a spot as well.

Hims & Hers — another company that offers GLP-1 weight loss drugs — has an ad that says the company gives people better access to health care that usually only rich people get.

“You could call this the GLP-1 Super Bowl,” said Tim Calkins, a clinical professor of marketing at Northwestern University. “Often you don’t see a lot from pharmaceutical companies on the Super Bowl, but this year we’re going to see quite a few showing up.”

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Tried-and-true themes

Some advertisers are sticking to the tried and true. Budweiser’s heartwarming ad shows a Clydesdale foal growing up with a bald eagle to the tune of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird.” The ad celebrates Budweiser’s 150th anniversary.

And Pepsi tries to reignite the Cola wars with their ad showing polar bears — Coca-Cola’s famous mascots — picking Pepsi Zero Sugar over Coke Zero in a blind taste test. The ad ends with the bears being caught on a “kiss cam.”

Surprises

While the majority of Super Bowl advertisers release their ad early to try to capitalize on buzz, some hold back until game day to reveal their ad.

Pepsi-owned soft drink Poppi teased that pop star Charli XCX and actress Rachel Sennott will star in their ad.

Ben Affleck is back in an ad for Dunkin’ Donuts. A teaser spot showed him with ’90s sitcom legends Jennifer Aniston and Matt LeBlanc of “Friends” and Jason Alexander from “Seinfeld.”

And there are fewer car advertisers this year, but Cadillac is hinting that it will show off its new Formula 1 car in an ad.

By SARAH BRUMFIELD

Authorities are looking for the 84-year-old mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie after they say she was taken from her home in Tucson, Arizona, against her will over the weekend.

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It’s imperative that Nancy Guthrie, who was last seen Saturday night, is found soon because she could die without her medication, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said.

The sheriff held a news conference Tuesday and urged the public to offer tips, but revealed few new details about the investigation. Officials have finished combing through Nancy Guthrie’s home and turned it back over to the family, Nanos said.

He declined to say whether Guthrie’s disappearance was thought to be random or targeted or to describe the evidence found at her home. Investigators still do not have a suspect or person of interest, the sheriff’s department said in a statement Wednesday morning.

There were signs of forced entry at Nancy Guthrie’s home, according to a person familiar with the investigation, who was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the case and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of an anonymity. Investigators also found specific evidence in the home showing there was a nighttime kidnapping, the person said.

Here’s what to know about the case:

Nancy Guthrie reported missing after she didn’t go to church

Nancy Guthrie was last seen Saturday night at the affluent Catalina Foothills area home where she lived alone. She was reported missing Sunday. Someone at a church called a family member to say Guthrie wasn’t there, leading family to search her home and then call 911, Nanos said.

Initially, searchers used drones and dogs and were supported by volunteers and Border Patrol, Nanos said. But by Monday morning, he said search crews were pulled back.

“We don’t see this as a search mission so much as it is a crime scene,” the sheriff said.

There were signs of forced entry at the home and several personal items, including Guthrie’s cellphone, wallet and car, were all still at the home, the person familiar with the investigation said. Investigators were reviewing surveillance video from nearby homes and information from area license plate cameras and analyzing local cellphone towers data, according to the person.

The motive remains a mystery. Investigators do not believe the abduction was part of a robbery, home invasion or kidnapping-for-ransom plot, the person said early Tuesday.

Later Tuesday, multiple media organizations reported receiving purported ransom notes that they handed over to investigators. The sheriff’s department said it’s taking the notes and other tips seriously but declined to comment further.

Asked Tuesday whether officials were looking for her alive, Nanos said “we hope we are.”

DNA samples have been gathered and submitted for analysis as part of the investigation. “We’ve gotten some back, but nothing to indicate any suspects,” the sheriff said.

Savannah Guthrie asks for prayers to help bring her mom home

This week, Savannah Guthrie has been in Arizona and hasn’t appeared at the anchor’s desk. In a social media post late Monday, she asked supporters to “raise your prayers with us and believe with us that she will be lifted by them in this very moment. Bring her home.”

Savannah Guthrie grew up in Tucson, the youngest of three siblings and her father died of a heart attack when she was just 16. She graduated from the University of Arizona and previously worked as a reporter and anchor at KVOA-TV in Tucson. She joined “Today” in 2011 and became co-anchor the following year.

Nancy Guthrie held her family together after husband’s death

Before the woman’s disappearance, viewers got to know Nancy Guthrie through her daughter’s show. Savannah Guthrie credited her mom with holding their family together after her father’s death.

“When my dad died, our family just hung onto each other for dear life because it was such a shock. We were just trying to figure out how to become a family of four when we’d always been a family of five,” she said on “Today” in 2017.

During an appearance in a story Savannah Guthrie did about her hometown late last year, she was asked what made the family want to plant roots in Tucson in the 1970s.

“It’s so wonderful. Just the air, the quality of life,” Nancy Guthrie said. “It’s laid back and gentle.”

Associated Press writer Mike Balsamo in Washington contributed to this report