By JACQUELYN MARTIN

Lying breathless on the floor next to a pool table, Mary Bocock pulls a stretchy exercise band in tandem with Keely Cashman. Laughing, they encourage each other to keep going. Next to them, Ava Sunshine cycles through sets of heavy barbell weights in a makeshift gym in the Copper Mountain condo where the U.S. women’s ski team is staying.

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“When I first came on, I was a little nervous about how it was going to be, but everyone was super welcoming especially the older girls,” says Sunshine, 23, who has been on the team since 2022. “It was very, ‘‘let’s lift up these rookies.’”

Veteran racer Nina O’Brien even wrote welcoming notes to all the newcomers. “That was super nice,” Sunshine says. “We have a mentor-mentee program. It’s less getting advice and more like having an automatic friend.”

This collection of U.S. ski racers has become a close-knit group, bonded by traveling together, playing pool, working out — and the constant desire to get faster on skis.

The closer they become, the more they want to inspire each other. That’s the feeling for Lauren Macuga, out for the season after recently tearing her ACL.

“One person does well one week and then everyone comes along with them,” Macuga says. “It’s so cool to see. I think we have this really healthy relationship of wanting each other to do well. … We just keep building all together.”

Lindsey Vonn, 41, the legendary racer who came out of retirement last season and will compete at her fifth Olympic Games in Italy, may have instant name recognition, but on the U.S. Women’s Ski Team she is also just part of the crew. Even as the three-time Olympic medal winner gets swamped by excited kids holding out their helmets for autographs, she’s willing to dispense advice to the next generation.

“It’s so cool to have people like Lindsey to ask tactical advice on the course … who I grew up admiring in ski racing,” says Bocock, 22.

Jackie Wiles, 33, also takes others under her wing. “As a veteran, I remember experienced teammates helping me,” Wiles says. “I’m lucky to be able to continue that for the young ones.”

At the top of Copper Mountain in Colorado, many essential items are on hand to assist the athletes training for the World Cup season and, down the road, the Winter Olympics.

There are items for stretching, warming up and a key ingredient to help power them down the mountain — Sour Patch Kids candy. Handfuls were dispensed into waiting gloves while team members prepared for practice on a sunny but brisk recent day.

One rule the team tries to live by: making sure no one feels left out. If, for instance, two team members go out to dinner, they always make sure everyone receives an invitation.

“It’s a hard and lonely and frustrating sport,” says teammate Tricia Mangan, “so to have a good environment around you is so important.”

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

Skier Lauren Macuga, left, looks at her cell phone with ski technician Rok Javor and skier Jackie Wiles as they take the chairlift up the hill for U.S. Women’s Ski Team practice at Copper Mountain, Colo., Nov. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Mary Bocock waves at a teammate after arriving for practice with the U.S. Women’s Ski Team at Copper Mountain, Colo., Nov. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Members of the U.S. Women’s Ski Team including Lindsey Vonn, center, with Tricia Mangan, of Buffalo, NY, left, joke together after making a dancing video for social media at Copper Mountain, Colo., Nov. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Skier Bella Wright, 28, of Salt Lake City, poses for a photograph by the team photographer in a makeshift studio inside an underground parking garage at Copper Mountain, Colo., Nov. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Skier Jackie Wiles, left, of Portland, jumps for a fun photo being taken by skier Bella Wright, 28, of Salt Lake City, between shoots by the team photographer in a makeshift photo studio in an underground parking garage at Copper Mountain, Colo., Nov. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Her nails painted in an ode to Japanese nail art, skier Bella Wright, 28, of Salt Lake City, waits for her turn for a portrait by the team photographer at a makeshift photo studio in an underground parking garage at Copper Mountain, Colo., Nov. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Skier Jackie Wiles, of Portland, Ore., skateboards while waiting for her turn for a photo shoot by the team photographer in a makeshift photo studio in an underground parking garage at Copper Mountain, Colo., Nov. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Members of the U.S. Women’s Ski Team have a team meeting with coaches after a full day of practice at Copper Mountain, Colo., Nov. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Skier Lauren Macuga, 23, of Park City, Utah, laughs while playing pool with members of the U.S. Women’s Ski Team after practice at Copper Mountain, Colo., Nov. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Members of the U.S. Women’s Ski Team, Mary Bocock, 22, of Salt Lake City, left, and Keely Cashman, 26, of Strawberry, Calif., right, who is sporting a tattoo of the Olympic rings on her forearm, do arm exercises as part of “dryland training” after ski practice at Copper Mountain, Colo., Nov. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
U.S. Women’s Ski Team skier Lauren Macuga, 23, of Park City, Utah, is high-fived by U.S. Women’s Alpine Speed Team Physical Therapist Shannon Colleton, right, during Macuga’s physical therapy session at Copper Mountain, Colo., Nov. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
After lunch in the condo they share during training, skiers Jackie Wiles, of Portland, Ore., left, and Bella Wright, of Salt Lake City, leave to meet members of the U.S. Women’s Ski Team at Copper Mountain, Colo., Nov. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Skier Keely Cashman, 26, of Strawberry, Calif., rides the chairlift up for practice with the U.S. Women’s Ski Team at Copper Mountain, Colo., Nov. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Skier Allison Mollin, right, watches as Foreste Peterson, a strength coach, demonstrates an exercise during U.S. Women’s Ski Team practice in Copper Mountain, Colo., Nov. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Skier Bella Wright, 28, of Salt Lake City, heads down the hill for a practice run with members of the U.S. Women’s Ski Team at Copper Mountain, Colo., Nov. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Skier Lindsey Vonn chats with fan Lauren Krip, 9, of Puerto Rico, after members of the U.S. Women’s Ski Team took a team photo after practice at Copper Mountain, Colo., Nov. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Members of the U.S. Women’s Ski Team, including Lindsey Vonn, bottom right, and Breezy Johnson, top left, joke together while gathering for a team photo at Copper Mountain, Colo., Nov. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Skier Allison Mollin takes a run during practice with the U.S. Women’s Ski Team at Copper Mountain, Colo., Nov. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

By JENNIFER McDERMOTT

Three energy developers are in court this week challenging the Trump administration’s freeze of their offshore wind projects, while President Donald Trump says his goal is to not let any “windmills” be built.

Danish energy company Orsted, Norwegian company Equinor, and Dominion Energy Virginia each sued to ask the courts to vacate and set aside the administration’s Dec. 22 order to freeze five big projects on the East Coast over national security concerns. Orsted’s hearing is first, scheduled for Monday on its Revolution Wind project. Orsted is building Revolution Wind with partner Skyborn Renewables to provide power to Rhode Island and Connecticut.

The administration did not reveal specifics about its national security concerns, but Trump said Friday while meeting with oil industry executives about investing in Venezuela that wind farms are “losers.” He said they lose money, destroy the landscape and kill birds.

“I’ve told my people we will not approve windmills,” Trump said. “Maybe we get forced to do something because some stupid person in the Biden administration agreed to do something years ago. We will not approve any windmills in this country.”

The Biden administration sought to ramp up offshore wind as a climate change solution. Trump began reversing the country’s energy policies his first day in office with a spate of executive orders aimed at boosting oil, gas and coal.

The Trump administration paused leases for the Vineyard Wind project under construction in Massachusetts, Revolution Wind, Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, and two projects in New York: Sunrise Wind and Empire Wind. New York’s attorney general sued the Trump administration on Friday over Empire Wind and Sunrise Wind.

Revolution Wind and Sunrise Wind are both major offshore wind projects by Orsted. Rhode Island and Connecticut filed their own request in court to try to save Revolution Wind.

Equinor owns Empire Wind. Its limited liability company, Empire Wind LLC, said the project faces “likely termination” if construction can’t resume by this Friday because the order disrupts a tightly choreographed construction schedule dependent on vessels with very limited availability. Its hearing is Wednesday.

Molly Morris, Equinor’s senior vice president overseeing Empire Wind, said they want to build this project, the construction is advanced and it will deliver a major new and essential source of power for New York. Morris said federal officials have not given them any explanation of the national security concerns or how to mitigate them.

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“I would like to think that offshore wind is, and will continue to be, part of an all-of-the-above energy solution, which our country desperately needs,” she said.

Dominion Energy Virginia, which is developing Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, was the first to sue. It’s asking a judge to block the order, calling it “arbitrary and capricious” and unconstitutional. Its hearing is Friday.

Associated Press writer Matthew Daly contributed to this report.

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

By COLLEEN BARRY, Associated Press

MILAN (AP) — Crossover tenor Andrea Bocelli will be among the headline performers for the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics opening ceremony on Feb. 6, joining the previously announced pop diva Mariah Carey, organizers said Sunday.

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The opening ceremony will be centered in Milan’s landmark San Siro soccer stadium, featuring the Parade of Athletes and entertainment over the course of the three-hour spectacle that is expected to be the most widely viewed moment of the Games.

Reflecting the Milan Cortina Games’ status as the most spread-out Olympics in history, elements of the opening ceremony will also be conducted in three other locations, allowing athletes from all far-flung disciplines to participate. Moments will be beamed to the televised audience from Cortina in the heart of the Dolomite mountains, Livigno in the Italian Alps as well as Predazzo in the autonomous province of Trento.

The ceremony will also include a tribute to the late Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani, who died in September at the age of 91. Armani has long designed the Italian team’s Olympic uniforms, and his legacy as one of the founders of Italian ready-to-wear is tightly tied to Milan, where he left his mark with the Armani theater, Silos museum and sponsorship of the EA7 Emporio Armani Milano basketball team.

Bocelli, a classically trained singer whose recordings include classical and pop music, has performed for the coronation of King Charles III and for the 75th anniversary of the Italian Constitution in Rome. In a career-spanning release titled “Duets” (30th Anniversary ), Bocelli sings in Italian, English, French and Spanish, collaborating with musicians ranging from Karol G to Chris Stapleton.

He will appear at the Olympic ceremony during a break from a world tour, according to his official calendar, traveling the next day to perform at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio on Feb. 7, followed by six other U.S. dates.

Bocelli’s performance “will constitute one of the most iconic moments of the event, uniting the spectacle with the essence of Olympic values,’’ organizers said in a statement, adding that Bocelli’s inclusion will “contribute a contemporary and global tone to the narrative.’’

Details about the ceremony, which is being produced by Marco Balich, a veteran of more than a dozen Olympic ceremonies, have been trickling out over recent months.

Carey, the first international star named to perform at San Siro, adds some American pop-star pedigree to the opening event. The six-time Grammy award winner announced her participation in an Instagram post saying, “Ci vediamo a Milano,’’ Italian for “See you in Milan.”

Italian actors Sabrina Impacciatore, who appeared in the second season of HBO’s “The White Lotus,” and Matilde De Angelis, who starred in the Netflix series “The Law According to Lydia Poet,’’ will also participate in the opening ceremony, organizers have announced.

A crowd of 60,000 spectators is expected with millions more watching on television.

Internationally acclaimed ballet star Roberto Bolle will headline the closing ceremony, which is slated for Verona’s ancient Roman Arena on Feb. 22.

By SOPHIE BATES and MIKE SCHNEIDER

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The FBI says that a suspect in the arson fire at a Mississippi synagogue admitted to targeting the institution because of its “Jewish ties.”

Stephen Spencer Pittman was charged Monday with maliciously damaging or destroying a building by means of fire or an explosive. In an affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Mississippi on Monday, the FBI said the suspect confessed to lighting a fire inside the building “due to the building’s Jewish ties.”

The weekend fire ripped through the Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson shortly after 3 a.m. on Saturday. No congregants or firefighters were injured in the blaze. Security camera footage released Monday by the synagogue showed a masked and hooded person using a gas can to pour a liquid on the floor and a couch in the building’s lobby.

In an interview with law officers, Pittman referred to the synagogue as the “synagogue of Satan,” according to an affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Mississippi.

During that interview with representatives of the Jackson Fire Department and Hinds County Sheriff’s Office, Pittman “admitted to starting a fire inside the Beth Israel Congregation/ISJL building,” the affidavit states.

During his interview with investigators, Pittman said he stopped at a gas station on his way to the synagogue to purchase the gas used in the fire. He also took the license plate off of his vehicle at the gas station. He then used an ax to break out a window of the building, poured gas inside and used a torch lighter to start the fire, the affidavit states.

The FBI later recovered a burned cell phone believed to be Pittman’s, and recovered a hand torch a member of the congregation found and turned over to authorities.

With just a few hundred people in the community, it was never particularly easy being Jewish in Mississippi’s capital city, but members of Beth Israel took a special pride in keeping their traditions alive in the heart of the Deep South.

But the fire badly damaged the historic synagogue’s library and administrative offices, making it much harder and harkened back to an era more than a half-century earlier when the Ku Klux Klan bombed the synagogue because of its rabbi’s support for civil rights.

One Torah that survived the Holocaust was behind glass and was not damaged in the fire, according to the congregation. Five Torahs — the sacred scrolls with the text of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible — located inside the sanctuary were being assessed for smoke damage. Two Torahs inside the library, where the most severe damage was done, were destroyed, according to a synagogue representative.

The suspect’s father contacted the FBI and said that his son confessed to setting the building on fire, the affidavit states. Data on the suspect’s cell phone corroborated that information, the agent wrote.

Yellow police tape on Monday blocked off the entrances to the synagogue building, which was surrounded by broken glass and soot. Bouquets of flowers were laid on the ground at the building’s entrance — including one with a note that said, “I’m so very sorry.”

Security camera footage released Monday by the synagogue showed a masked and hooded person using a gas can to pour a liquid on the floor and a couch in the building’s lobby.

The congregation’s president, Zach Shemper, vowed to rebuild the synagogue and said several churches had offered their spaces for worship during the rebuilding process.

“As Jackson’s only synagogue, Beth Israel is a beloved institution, and it is the fellowship of our neighbors and extended community that will see us through,” Shemper said.

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With the exception of the cemetery, every aspect of Jewish life in Jackson was under Beth Israel’s roof. The midcentury modern building not only housed the congregation but also the Jewish Federation, a nonprofit provider of social services and philanthropy that is the hub of Jewish institutional life in most U.S. cities. The building also was home to the Institute of Southern Jewish Life, which provides resources to Jewish communities in 13 southern states. A Holocaust memorial was outdoors behind the synagogue building.

Because Jewish children throughout the South have attended summer camp for decades in Utica, Mississippi, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) southwest of Jackson, many retain a fond connection to the state and its Jewish community.

“Jackson is the capital city, and that synagogue is the capital synagogue in Mississippi,” said Rabbi Gary Zola, a historian of American Jewry who taught at Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati. “I would call it the flagship, though when we talk about places like New York and Los Angeles, it probably seems like Hicksville.”

Beth Israel as a congregation was founded in 1860 and acquired its first property where it built Mississippi’s first synagogue after the Civil War. In 1967, the synagogue moved to its current location where it was bombed by local Ku Klux Klan members not long after relocating. Two months after that, the home of the synagogue’s leader, Rabbi Perry Nussbaum, was bombed because of his outspoken opposition to segregation and racism.

At a time when opposition to racial segregation could be dangerous in the Deep South, many Beth Israel congregants hoped the rabbi would just stay quiet, but Nussbaum was unshakable in believing he was doing the right thing by supporting civil rights, Zola said.

“He had this strong, strong sense of justice,” Zola said.

Jeff Martin in Atlanta contributed to this report.

Schneider reported from Orlando, Fla. Follow him on the social platform Bluesky: @mikeysid.bsky.social