By JAMES ELLINGWORTH

Former U.S. Open tennis champion Daniil Medvedev has indicated he’s one of what the ATP Tour calls “a small number of players and team members” it is trying to help leave Dubai as the war in the Middle East causes a widespread travel shutdown that has also caused issues for athletes heading to the Paralympics.

Medvedev’s Instagram account reposted on Monday a report from a Russian-language tennis outlet, Bolshe, which said he was safe and staying at a friend’s apartment in Dubai, amid flight cancellations after winning the ATP event there last week.

“The health, safety and wellbeing of our players, staff and tournament personnel is our priority. We can confirm that a small number of players and team members remain in Dubai following the conclusion of the recent ATP 500 event,” the ATP Tour said in a statement Monday.

“They and their teams are being accommodated in the tournament’s official hotels, where their immediate needs are being fully supported.”

FILE – Daniil Medvedev of Russia plays a forehand return to Learner Tien of the U.S. during their fourth round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake, file)

Medvedev and others are due to play at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, California, where main-draw matches start Wednesday.

“We are in direct communication with those affected, as well as with tournament organizers and security advisors,” the ATP said. “At this stage, travel assessments remain subject to ongoing assessment in line with airline operations and official guidance. We will continue to provide appropriate support to ensure players and their teams can depart safely when conditions allow.”

The Winter Paralympics open in Italy on Friday and some athletes are facing travel difficulties, the International Paralympic Committee said.

“We are in close contact with all delegations competing at the Games as well as other stakeholders. Many of the teams are already in Europe attending training or holding camps, but the closure of airspace in the Middle East is impacting the arrival of some stakeholders,” the IPC said in a statement.

The IPC confirmed to The Associated Press that the affected stakeholders include athletes.

“We would prefer not to comment on the status of individual delegations or stakeholders at this stage but can provide assurance that we are working diligently with Milano Cortina 2026 to find solutions for those affected,” the IPC added.

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Iran has one cross-country skier expected to compete at the March 6-15 Paralympics.

Cricketers from England and Pakistan’s men’s developmental teams were in the United Arab Emirates at the weekend ahead of Sunday’s game that was cancelled.

Youth basketball players also faced travel issues when a EuroLeague tournament there was canceled at the weekend.

Numerous sports events in the region have shut down, with Asian Champions League soccer games and the Qatari league on hold. The governing body which oversees Formula 1 said Monday it will focus on “safety and wellbeing” as it considers upcoming races in the region.

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office has created an online portal for community members to upload photos, videos and write-ups of incidents that may involve unlawful activity by federal agents.

The portal is part of the office’s Transparency and Accountability Project, which was announced by Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty on Monday.

The project is intended to identify and investigate potential misconduct by federal agents. The project staff includes prosecutors and a civilian investigator from the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.

According to Moriarty, the team is currently investigating 17 incidents, including one on Jan. 21 involving Border Patrol Cmdr. Greg Bovino. In that incident, federal agents deployed chemical irritants against protesters and observers in Mueller Park in the Lowry Hill East neighborhood of Minneapolis, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported.

In January, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office also created evidence submission portals for the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. The office collaborated with the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office to investigate and collect evidence for each incident, and these portals are now closed.

In Ramsey County, instead of opening an online portal, County Attorney John Choi is asking people to file a police report if they believe they’ve been a victim of a felony at the hands of federal agents in St. Paul or suburban Ramsey County. Choi said in an interview Monday that the office currently has two active investigations and a number of preliminary investigations.

More information and a link to Hennepin County’s Transparency and Accountability Project portal are available at hennepinattorney.org.

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By PATRICK WHITTLE and KIMBERLEE KRUESI

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Democrats are split over the best way to defeat Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins in Maine, a critical race that will help determine whether the party wins back control of the Senate in this year’s midterm elections.

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Although Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and other establishment figures have lined up behind Maine Gov. Janet Mills, first-time candidate Graham Platner continues to pick up support.

On Monday, the oyster farmer and combat veteran was endorsed by Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego, considered one of Democrats’ potential candidates in the next presidential race. It was another sign of Platner’s political resiliency after a series of controversies involving old social media posts and a tattoo he covered up because it resembled a Nazi symbol.

“Since I met Graham a couple of months ago, and from talking to my non-political friends and Marine Corps buddies from Maine, I know Graham can draw people into politics right now who have been really unhappy with the two parties and feel forgotten,” Gallego said in a statement. “Those are the people we need to come out in an election year, and I believe Graham is the only candidate who can really do it.”

Gallego also cited the outbreak of war with Iran, saying the Senate “needs to reflect the experiences and expertise of those who have been the boots on the ground.”

The backing follows endorsements from Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, and New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich, another Democrat.

Mills’ team said the two-term governor remains better positioned to deliver victory for Democrats in November.

“Governor Mills has broad support from leaders who know what it takes to win tough races because they know she is the leader for this moment, has a record of delivering real progress for Maine people, and is the best candidate to defeat Susan Collins in November,” said Mills spokesman Tommy Garcia in a statement.

Mills also has the backing of numerous other figures in the Democratic Party, including Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, as well as Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey and three of his predecessors.

The dueling endorsements for Platner and Mills are “emblematic of the divisions we’re really seeing nationwide among Democrats,” said Mark Brewer, a professor and chair of the political science department at the University of Maine. He said some factions of the party are willing to take risks on a candidate like Platner in the current unsettled political environment.

“Platner is definitely the insurgent candidate. His supporters are not only willing to support that kind of unconventional candidate, but willing to embrace that kind of unconventional candidate,” he said.

Platner, 41, and Mills, 78, are vying for the chance to unseat Collins, 73, a five-term incumbent who announced last month that she was running for another term. The Democratic Party needs to net four seats to retake the Senate majority, and they are aiming to do that in Maine, North Carolina, Alaska and Ohio.

Platner has gained traction with his anti-establishment image and economic equality message. He’s also faced questions about a skull-and-crossbones tattoo reminiscent of a Nazi symbol.

According to Platner, he got the tattoo on his chest during a night of drinking while he was on leave in Croatia. He has maintained that he was unaware until recently that the image had been associated with Nazis, and he has since covered the tattoo with a different design.

Mills referenced the controversy Friday, posting on social media that “for what it’s worth, I don’t have any tattoos.”

Platner has received renewed scrutiny recently after reposting and then deleting a comment made on social media by Stew Peters, a radio host who has promoted antisemitism, Holocaust denial claims and conspiracy theories.

Peters had posted about the looming conflict with Iran during President Donald Trump’s recent State of the Union address, criticizing that the war could have bipartisan support.

FILE – Sen. Ruben Gallego D-Ariz., speaks during the “People’s State of the Union” rally outside of the U.S. Capitol, Feb. 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, file)

Platner shared Peters’ comment and added a similar sentiment by writing, “As always, there’s one thing that brings Republican and Democratic politicians together: sending other people’s children to die in stupid wars in the Middle East.” He later deleted his post.

Separately, Platner has been questioned for being a guest on Nate Cornacchia’s podcast in late January. Cornacchia, a retired Green Beret, has also been accused of sharing antisemitic views.

During the Jan. 27 conversation, Cornacchia and Platner largely focused on labor issues and immigration enforcement activities amid the death of Alex Pretti in Minnesota.

Gallego is among the Democrats named as possible 2028 presidential contenders. Last fall, he stumped in New Jersey, Virginia and Florida, where he campaigned for Democrats who went on to win their elections. Gallego was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2014.

“I have an immense amount of respect for him and I’m looking forward to joining him as a fellow Marine and combat infantryman in the U.S. Senate,” Platner said in a statement.

Kruesi reported from Providence, Rhode Island.

By MEG KINNARD

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Across the country, progressives are lighting a fire that they hope will catapult Democrats back to power in Congress this year. But here in a hotel ballroom, the party’s beleaguered moderates have another message — not so fast.

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Leaders at Third Way’s conference talked over and over about how Democrats can’t swing too far left in the midterms, or when picking their next presidential nominee, if they have any hope of winning back the White House.

The title of the two-day, invite-only conference: “Winning the Middle.” And there was plenty of advice on how to do that.

Be plainspoken, not lofty or academic. Don’t live online, but be authentic on social media. Loosen up, and be patriotic without fear that something like the American flag or Pledge of Allegiance has been co-opted by conservatives.

Matt Bennett, co-founder of Third Way, said the organization of moderate Democrats plans to meet repeatedly as the next presidential campaign approaches, convening people who will be influencing and working for Democratic candidates.

“We’re doing it early, and we’re doing it much, much more aggressively than we did last time,” Bennett said. “We’ve got a team in place that is talking every day to the 2028ers.”

Jim Messina, who managed Barack Obama’s reelection campaign in 2012, said Democrats still need to find their footing with voters.

“In 2026, we’re going to win, because we have one great nominee, and his name is Donald Trump,” he said, meaning Trump’s unpopularity sets the stage for Democratic wins in his view. “But we’re going to lose the presidential election in 2028 if we can’t find an economic message that identifies with most people.”

Asked to give Democrats the “brutal truth,” Messina said, “We have no economic message, and if we don’t get one, we’re not going to win.”

The location of the conference was no accident. South Carolina has been pivotal in Democratic presidential primaries, including boosting Joe Biden to victory in 2020. Although a new calendar from the Democratic National Committee won’t be ready for several months, Bennett said Democrats expect the state to remain influential.

“We need to socialize these ideas immediately, so that they can begin to take hold and be widely shared by the time we get to the main part of their primary cycle,” Bennett said.

There was no shortage of stylistic tips at the conference.

“Democrats come across as like professors, academics, elites — I mean, my God, rip off your freaking sport coat and talk to me,” said Joe Walsh, who was a tea party Republican when he represented Illinois in the U.S. House but became a Democrat last year. “Voters in general are just crying out for authenticity.”

But to Walsh, that doesn’t mean taking a cue from those like California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has begun visiting early presidential primary states, including South Carolina. In critiquing Trump on social media, Newsom has taken to imitating the president’s tone, trolling Trump in his all-caps style.

“I think the mimicking and the copying a lot of the Trumpism isn’t the way you’re actually going to reach a lot of folks,” Walsh said. “Voters in general are just crying out for authenticity.”

There were recommendations on the issues, too. A smattering of the more than 100 people in the audience raised hands when asked how many had worked the word “affordability” — the buzziest of campaign buzzwords — into messaging materials.

“I think some of you are lying,” joked Gabe Horwitz, who leads Third Way’s economic program, intimating that the actual number was much higher.

Melissa Morales of Somos Votantes, a Latino voter and civic engagement organization, said Democrats should cut the word out of their campaign vocabulary.

“It barely makes sense in English, and it is a nightmare to translate into Spanish, so can we please call it something else?” she asked.

“They’re not asking us for economic theory, they’re asking us for a set of everyday solutions,” Morales added. “And if we want to connect with them, that’s how we’re going to have to do it.”

Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP