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Even thoughPunxsutawney Philhas predicted six more weeks of winter weather, ballparks in Florida and Arizona are prepared to provide a compelling counterargument.

Spring (training) is just around the corner for the two-time defending World Series championLos Angeles Dodgersand the 29 other MLB teams looking to knock them off their pedestal in 2026.

In addition to a month's worth of exhibition games in the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues, this spring will also include the return of theWorld Baseball Classic, where we last sawShohei Ohtani striking out Mike Troutfor the final out ofJapan's thrilling 3-2 victory over Team USAin the 2023 final.

Exhibition games are set to begin on Friday, Feb. 20.

2026 spring training report dates: Arizona and Florida

First date listed is for pitchers and catchers to report to camp. Second date is for position players.

NOTE:Pitchers/catchers participating in the 2026 World Baseball Classic will report to their respective MLB camps no later than Wednesday, Feb. 11. Position players participating in the event will report no later than Thursday, Feb. 12.

American League

• Athletics (AZ): Feb. 11; Feb. 16

• Baltimore Orioles (FL): Feb. 11; Feb. 16

• Boston Red Sox (FL): Feb. 10; Feb. 15

• Chicago White Sox (AZ): Feb. 10; Feb. 15

• Cleveland Guardians (AZ): Feb. 12; Feb. 17

• Detroit Tigers (FL): Feb. 11; Feb. 15

• Houston Astros (FL): Feb. 11; Feb. 16

• Kansas City Royals (AZ): Feb. 11; Feb. 16

• Los Angeles Angels (AZ): Feb. 11; Feb. 16

• Minnesota Twins (FL): Feb. 12; Feb. 16

• New York Yankees (FL): Feb. 12; Feb. 16

• Seattle Mariners (AZ): Feb. 12; Feb. 17

• Tampa Bay Rays (FL): Feb. 12; Feb. 17

• Texas Rangers (AZ): Feb. 10; Feb. 15

• Toronto Blue Jays: (FL) Feb. 11; Feb. 16

National League

• Arizona Diamondbacks (AZ): Feb. 10; Feb. 15

• Atlanta Braves (FL): Feb. 10; Feb. 15

• Chicago Cubs (AZ): Feb. 11; Feb. 16

• Cincinnati Reds (AZ): Feb. 11; Feb. 16

• Colorado Rockies (AZ): Feb. 12; Feb. 17

• Los Angeles Dodgers (AZ): Feb. 13; Feb. 17

• Miami Marlins (FL): Feb. 11; Feb. 16

• Milwaukee Brewers (AZ): Feb. 12; Feb. 17

• New York Mets (FL): Feb. 11; Feb. 16

• Philadelphia Phillies (FL): Feb. 11; Feb. 16

• Pittsburgh Pirates (FL): Feb. 11; Feb. 16

• St. Louis Cardinals (FL): Feb. 12; Feb. 16

• San Diego Padres (AZ): Feb. 11; Feb. 15

• San Francisco Giants (AZ): Feb. 10; Feb. 15

• Washington Nationals (FL): Feb. 11; Feb. 16

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:When does MLB spring training start? 2026 dates for Florida, Arizona

MILAN — For decades, the hierarchy at the top of women's hockey has mostly been Canada, the U.S. and then everyone else.

Nothing happened Thursday that would suggest the gap is closing.

The U.S. women began their quest for Olympic gold with a dominant 5-1 victory over Czechia in the opening game of group play for both teams at the Milan Cortina Winter Games. Hayley Scamurra scored twice and three other Americans found the back of the net once,delighting Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, both of whom were seated a few rows up in the stands across the ice from the U.S. bench.

In theory, Czechia figured to provide the U.S. one of its toughest non-Canada tests at these Olympics. The Czechs have finished no worse than fourth at any of the previous four World Championships and arrived in Milan vowing to "create some chaos," as forward Kristyna Kaltounkova put it on Wednesday.

In reality, Czechia proved to be little more than a speed bump. The U.S. controlled the game from the opening faceoff, outshooting Czechia 42-14 and keeping the puck in the attacking zone for long stretches of each period.

"I think our forecheck is pretty dangerous," U.S. defender Megan Keller said. "We have a fast group. We can hunt, be relentless, turn pucks over. I think that's going to drive a lot of our offense."

The impressive showing added to the momentum the U.S. built coming into these Olympics. The Americans secured the No. 1 spot in the IIHF global rankings by capturing the 2025 women's ice hockey world championship and by following that up by sweeping Canada in the four-game Rivalry Series by a combined score of 24-7.

The U.S. opened the scoring late in the first period on Thursday with some help from Czechia's Dominika Lásková. The physical Czechia defender drew a two-minute penalty for an illegal check to the head of American forward Abbey Murphy.

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Only 30 seconds into the ensuing U.S. power play, Keller and Alex Carpenter took advantage. Carpenter redirected Keller's laser shot through the legs of Czechia goalie Klara Peslarova for the first American goal of these Olympics.

"When you see Megan Keller shoot, you just go to the net and try to do anything you can to either get a stick on it or take the eyes away," Carpenter said. "She's got a rocket from up there."

Early in the second period, the U.S. struck again, this time with two goals within 83 seconds, both assisted by Penn State senior Tessa Janecke. On the first goal, Janecke fought to win a loose puck, skated around the back of the net and found Joy Dunne wide open in the slot. Barely a minute later, Janecke set up Scamurra, whose wrist shot trickled through the legs of Peslarova with the help of a screen to block the goalie's vision.

The U.S. might have secured a shutout were it not for an ill-timed second-period giveaway at the exact moment Czechia's Barbora Jurickova emerged from the penalty box. Jurickova received a pass just outside the attacking zone and beat U.S. goalie Aerin Frankel stickside for a breakaway goal, briefly giving Czechia life.

It didn't last long.

Five-time U.S. Olympian Hilary Knight scored late in the second period to increase the U.S. lead to 4-1. Scamurra struck again early in the third.

By then, the outcome was a foregone conclusion.

Vance, Rubio and their security detail exited with more than six minutes left in the third period, no doubt confident the U.S. women were on their way to victory.

The fight for eligibility for the2026 football seasoncontinues forOle MissquarterbackTrinidad Chambliss.

TheNCAA denied Chambliss' sixth-year eligibility waiver appealon Wednesday, Feb. 4. The denial upholds theNCAA's initial denial of the eligibility waiverissued on Jan. 9.

Chambliss ― represented by attorneys Tom Mars and William Liston ― will take their lawsuit for the former Division II Ferris State star's eligibility to state court in Mississippi.

REQUIRED READING:College football must avoid NFL and run CFP like billion-dollar business

The Rebels' 2025 starter of multiple games was seeking a medical hardship waiver for his 2022 season, in which he was affected by sickness and respiratory problems, according to theJackson Clarion Ledger, part of the USA TODAY Network.

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Ole Missresponded to the NCAA Athletics Eligibility subcommittee's decision by calling it "indefensible." The school said it would stand behind Chambliss in his fight for eligibility.

"Trinidad's representatives will continue to pursue all available legal remedies, and we will publicly stand behind Trinidad while holding the NCAA accountable for a decision that fails to align with its own rules, precedent and the documented medical record," the statement said.

According toYahoo's Ross Dellenger, Chambliss has a deal with Ole Miss for the 2026 season worth in excess of $5 million. He stands to make more returning to school than he would as a potential mid-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Ole Miss football is coming off a semifinal appearance in the 2025 College Football Playoff. If Chambliss returns, the Rebels would have strong odds to return to the CFP. If he does not, Ole Miss would have to figure out the quarterback position to get back into such a position.

The Rebels did add a former five-star and Auburn signal-caller Deuce Knight in the portal this offseason.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Trinidad Chambliss eligibility appeal denied by the NCAA

Zydus Pharmaceuticals has recalled 22,896 bottles of Icosapent Ethyl capsules

• The products were available via prescription and distributed across the U.S.

• Here's a list of impacted medication.

Over 22,000 bottles of cholesterol medication have beenrecalled, according to a U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA)report. Certain lots of the medication have been deemed "a subpotent drug."

Zydus Pharmaceuticals initiated the voluntary recall at the end of December, warning consumers that 22,896 bottles of Icosapent Ethyl capsules may have leaked and caused oxidation, ultimately decreasing the drug's strength. Additionally, the leakage may cause the capsules to offer "inconsistent therapeutic effects and an increase in potential gastrointestinal side effects in some patients."

Late last month, the FDA classified the recall as aClass II, meaning that it may have temporary or reversible negative health effects. The likelihood of serious health problems caused by the recalled products is "remote." Still, if you believe you have any of the recalled pills, consult your physician before stopping any medication.

Which products are affected?

The specific Icosapent Ethyl capsules that are a part of the recall were manufactured by Softgel Healthcare, issued via prescription only, and were distributed across the U.S. in 120-count bottles.

You can check to see if you have one of the affected products by matching up the following lot numbers and expiration dates:

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Lot number: S2520304

• Expiration date: 2/28/2027

Lot number: S2520333

• Expiration date: 2/28/2027

Lot number: S2540186

• Expiration date: 4/30/2027

This particular recall comes on the heels of anothercholesterol medication, atorvastatin calcium, being pulled from shelves. Over 140,000 bottles of the drug were recalled by Ascend Laboratories back in October for concerns over dissolution problems.

What to do with the recalled product

No specific guidelines for discarding the product were provided by the FDA. However, if you have one of the recalled products, you should consult with a medical professional, as continuing to take the drug could result in inefficient treatment.

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For much of two decades, police, FBI agents and prosecutors investigated allegations thatJeffrey Epsteinsexually abused underage girls. Now, the Justice Department has released much of what they found to the public.

Justice Department Jeffrey Epstein

The millions of documents comprise the most detailed look yet at the inner workings of the multiple investigations into Epstein and his longtime confidant Ghislaine Maxwell.

Those documents include some of the earliest police reports taken by police in Palm Beach, Florida, as well as recordings of some of Epstein's victims speaking on the phone and to investigators. And it includes internal Justice Department emails from as recently as a few months ago.

Here is a timeline of the Epstein investigations and the efforts to open up the government's files:

The investigation begins

March 2005: Palm Beach police begin investigating Epstein after the family of a 14-year-old girl reports she was molested at his mansion. Multiple underage girls, many of them high school students, would later tell police that Epstein hired them to give sexual massages.

May 2006: Police officials sign paperwork to charge Epstein with multiple counts of unlawful sex with a minor, but the county's top prosecutor, State Attorney Barry Krischer, takes the unusual step of sending the case to a grand jury.

July 2006: Epstein is arrested after a grand jury indicts him on a count of soliciting prostitution. The relatively minor charge upsets Palm Beach police leaders, whopublicly accuse Krischerof giving Epstein special treatment. The FBI begins an investigation.

2007: Federal prosecutors prepare an indictment, but for a year Epstein's lawyers engage in talks withthe U.S. attorney in Miami, Alexander Acosta, about a deal that would avoid federal prosecution. Epstein's lawyers decry his accusers as unreliable.

Secret deal leads to a light jail term

June 2008: Epstein pleads guilty to state charges: one count of soliciting prostitution and one count of soliciting prostitution from someone under the age of 18. He is sentenced to 18 months in jail.Under a secret arrangement, the U.S. attorney's office agrees not to prosecute Epstein for federal crimes. Epstein serves most of his sentence in a work-release program that allows him to leave jail during the day.

May 2009: One of Epstein's accusers, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, files a lawsuit claiming Epstein and Maxwell arranged for her to have sexual encounters with "royalty, politicians, academicians, businessmen" and others. The lawsuit doesn't name the men.

July 2009: Epstein is released from jail. For the next decade, Epstein's accusers wage a legal fight to get his federal non-prosecution agreement voided.

News media and lawsuits keep public interest high

March 2, 2011: The Daily Mail publishes an interview with Giuffre in which she describes traveling with Epstein to London at age 17 and spending a night dancing with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, then known asPrince Andrew. The story and a photo of the prince with his arm around Giuffre creates a crisis for the royal family. FBI agents subsequently interview Giuffre.

Dec. 30, 2014: Giuffre's lawyers file court papers claiming she had sexual encounters with Mountbatten-Windsor and other men, including "foreign presidents, a well-known Prime Minister, and other world leaders." All those men deny the allegations.

November 2018: The Miami Heraldrevisits the handling of Epstein's casein a series of stories focusing partly on the role of Acosta — who by this point is President Donald Trump's labor secretary. The coverage intensifies public interest in Epstein.

New York prosecutors revive case

Dec. 6, 2018: FBI agents and the U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan begin a new investigation into Epstein.

July 6, 2019: Epstein isarrested on new sex trafficking chargesbrought by the prosecutors in New York, who have concluded they aren't bound by the earlier non-prosecution agreement with Epstein in Florida. Days later, Acosta resigns as labor secretary.

Aug. 10, 2019:Epstein kills himself in his jail cellin New York.

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July 2, 2020: Federal prosecutors in New Yorkcharge Maxwell with sex crimes, saying she helped recruit and abuse Epstein's victims.

Dec. 30, 2021: After a monthlong trial,a jury convicts Maxwellof sex trafficking and other crimes.

June 28, 2022: Maxwell is sentenced to 20 years in prison.

January, 2024: Public interest in the Epstein case surges again aftera judge makes more court records publicin a related lawsuit.

A new president and a fresh political crisis

Jan. 20, 2025: Trump, who was friends and neighbors with Epstein for years, becomes president again. During his 2024 campaign, he had suggested that he'd seek to open more government files on Epstein.

February 2025: Attorney General Pam Bondisuggests in a Fox News Channel interviewthat an Epstein "client list" is sitting on her desk. The Justice Department distributes binders marked "declassified" to far-right influencers, but much of the informationhad long been public.

April 25, 2025:Giuffre dies by suicide.

July 7, 2025: The Justice Department says Epsteindidn't maintain a "client list"and it won't make any more files related to his sex trafficking investigation public.

July 15, 2025: Reps. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., introducethe Epstein Files Transparency Act, which would force the Justice Department to make its investigative files on Epstein public.

July 17, 2025: The Wall Street Journal describes a sexually suggestive letter that thenewspaper says bore Trump's nameand was included in a 2003 album for Epstein's 50th birthday. Trump denies writing the letter andsues the newspaper.

July 24-25, 2025: In an effort to puta political crisis to rest, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche interviews Maxwell. She denies wrongdoing and says she never saw Trump involved in any sexually inappropriate activity. Afterward, she ismoved from a low-security prison in Floridato a minimum-security prison camp in Texas.

A prince loses his royal title

Oct. 21, 2025: Giuffre'sposthumous memoir is published. In it, she revisits her claims that Epstein and Maxwell sexually trafficked her to powerful men, including Mountbatten-Windsor.

Oct. 30, 2025:King Charles III strips Mountbatten-Windsorof his remaining titles, meaning he can no longer be referred to as "prince," and evicts him from his royal residence.

Nov. 12, 2025: A House committee releases a trove of email correspondence between Epstein and others, including Mountbatten-Windsor, Trump ally Steve Bannon, ex-Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman. In one 2019 email to a journalist, Epstein wrote that Trump"knew about the girls"but didn't explain what he meant by that.

Nov. 14, 2025: At Trump's urging, Bondi announces that the U.S. attorney in Manhattan willinvestigate Epstein's tiesto some of the Republican president's political foes, including former President Bill Clinton, a Democrat; Summers; and Hoffman, a prominent Democratic donor. None of those men has been accused of misconduct by Epstein's accusers.

Nov. 18, 2025: Congresspasses the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Trump signs it into law the next day.

Dec. 19, 2025: The Justice Department begins releasing records. The batch includes snapshots that Epstein kept in his home of various famous people he met over the years, including Trump and Clinton. After releasing just a sliver of the available documents, though, the Justice Department halts disclosures, saying it needs more time to review the records.

Jan. 30, 2025.: The Justice Department begins releasing what Blanche says are more than 3 million pages of documents, 2,000 videos and 180,000 images. The files are posted to the department's website.

Follow the AP's coverage of Jeffrey Epstein athttps://apnews.com/hub/jeffrey-epstein.

WASHINGTON, Feb 5 (Reuters) - The U.S. military said that Washington and Moscow on Thursday agreed to ​reestablish high level military-to-military dialogue, following talks in ‌Abu Dhabi, a move which could signal a move towards normalizing ‌some ties between the United States and Russia.

The United States halted military-to-military communication with Moscow just before Russia invaded Ukraine. The conflict, which began in 2022, is the ⁠deadliest war in Europe ‌since World War Two and the biggest confrontation between Moscow and the West since ‍the depths of the Cold War.

In a statement, the U.S. military said the aim of reestablishing the mechanism was to avoid ​miscalculation and escalation by either side.

"Maintaining dialogue between ‌militaries is an important factor in global stability and peace, which can only be achieved through strength, and provides a means for increased transparency and de-escalation," the statement added.

The reestablishment comes after the commander of U.S. European ⁠Command, General Alexus Grynkewich, held ​talks with senior Russian and Ukrainian ​military officials in Abu Dhabi.

Even after high-level military talks were halted between the United States ‍and Russia, they ⁠maintained an emergency deconfliction line.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have directly spoken with ⁠each other on several occasions.

(Reporting by Idrees Ali and Phil ‌Stewart in Washington, Shubham Kalia in BengaluruEditing by ‌Ros Russell and Chizu Nomiyama )

Richard T Gagnon/Getty

NEED TO KNOW

• Gavin McKenna has been charged with felony aggravated assault

• The projected No. 1 pick for this year's NHL draft was arraigned on four charges related to an altercation on Jan. 31 with another man

• The incident resulted in the victim, a 21-year-old, to require facial "corrective surgery"

Gavin McKenna has been charged with aggravated assault.

Widely projected to be the first overall pick in the NHL draft this coming June, the 18-year-old Penn State forward was arrested and charged with four total counts, according to a press release from the State College Police Department on Feb. 4.

The charges, which include felony aggravated assault, all relate to an alleged altercation between McKenna and another man on Jan. 31.

The Pennsylvania criminal code defines felony aggravated assault — which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and/or a $25,000 fine — as an action that "attempts to cause serious bodily injury" or causes injury with "extreme indifference."

Additionally, the Canadian native has also been charged with misdemeanor simple assault, summary harassment and summary disorderly conduct.

Chris Coduto/Getty

According to the release, the incident took place in the 100 block of South Pugh Street in State College around 8:45 p.m local time.

"It is alleged that McKenna struck a 21-year-old male in the face during the altercation resulting in facial injuries requiring corrective surgery," police stated of the incident.

The 21-year-old lost a tooth in the altercation and had his jaw wired shut, reported Penn State's student newspaper,The Daily Collegian,which cited the criminal complaint.

McKenna was arraigned on the charges and released on $20,000 bail, according to the statement. He is set to appear in court on Feb. 11 at 8:30 a.m. at the Centre County Courthouse in the neighboring town of Bellefonte.

"We are aware that charges have been filed; however, as this is an ongoing legal matter, we will not have any further comment," a spokesperson for Penn State said, according toESPNandSports Illustrated.

Jonathan Kozub/Getty

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On the same day as the alleged incident, McKenna joined the Nittany Lions at PSU's Beaver Stadium for a game against Michigan State. The home team last 5-4 to Michigan in overtime, and McKenna had a goal and two assists, ESPN reported.

The outlet reported NHL Central Scouting ranks McKenna as first out of all North American skaters. The NHL is aware of the charges, the organization told ESPN, but declined to comment as McKenna is not affiliated with them.

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