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JERUSALEM (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump'sBoard of Peaceisset to meetfor the first time on Thursday in Washington, an early test of whether one of his marquee foreign policy initiatives can gain broad support and advance the shaky ceasefire agreementin the Gaza Strip.

Board of Peace Explainer

Trump'sballooning ambitionsfor the board extend from governing and rebuilding Gaza as a futuristic metropolis to challenging the United Nations Security Council's role in solving conflicts. But they could be tempered by the realities of dealing with Gaza, where there has so far been limited progress in achievingthe narrower aimsof the ceasefire.

Palestinians, including many civilians, are still being killed innear-daily strikesthat Israel says are aimed at militants who threaten or attack its forces. Hamas hasn't disarmed, no international forces have deployed, and a Palestinian committee meant to take over from Hamas is stuck in neighboring Egypt.

"If this meeting does not result in fast, tangible improvements on the ground — and particularly on the humanitarian front — its credibility will quickly crumble," said Max Rodenbeck, Israel-Palestine Project Director at the International Crisis Group, a global think tank.

A new international body

More than two dozen nations have signed on as the board'sfounding members.

The list includes Israel and other regional heavyweights involved in ceasefire negotiations, as well as countries from outside the Middle East whose leaders support Trump or hope to gain his favor. U.S. allies like France, Norway and Swedenhave so far declined.

Israelis are suspicious of the involvement of Qatar and Turkey, which have longstanding relations with Hamas. Palestinians object because their representatives weren't invited to the board, even as it weighs the future of a territory that is home to some 2 million of them.

Trump, the self-appointed chairman of the board, said earlier this week that member countrieshad pledged $5 billiontoward rebuilding Gaza and would commit thousands of personnel to peacekeeping and policing. No financial pledges — or an agenda for this week's meeting — have been made public.

"We want to make it successful. I think it has the chance to be the most consequential board ever assembled of any kind," Trump told reporters on Monday. He reiterated his criticism of the U.N.'s record on resolving international disputes.

Ambitious plans

Trump — along with son-in-law Jared Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff — has laid out ambitious plans for rebuilding Gaza with international investment.

In Davos last month,Kushner suggestedreconstruction could be complete in a matter of three years, even though U.N. forecasts suggest that clearing rubble and demining alone could take much longer.

Kushner's slides showed a reconstructed Gaza with a coastal tourism strip, industrial zones and data centers. He conceded that rebuilding would begin only in demilitarized areas and that security would be essential to attract investment.

The latest joint estimate by the U.N., European Union and World Bank says reconstruction will cost about $70 billion.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said there will be no reconstruction until Hamas disarms, leaving Palestinians in limbo among the widespread devastation.

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Halting progress

The ceasefire deal has halted major military operations,freed the last hostagesheld by Hamas and ramped up aid deliveries to Gaza. But a lasting resolution to the two-year war ignited byHamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attackinto Israel remains elusive.

The deal envisions Hamas handing over its weapons and Israeli forces withdrawing from Gaza as international forces deploy. Itleft some questions unanswered and set no timelineto secure buy-in and defer confrontation over those issues.

Israel and the U.S. say Hamas' disarmament is key to progress on the other fronts. Arab and Muslim members of the Board of Peace have accused Israel of undermining the ceasefire with its daily strikes and want the U.S. to rein in its close ally. They have called on Hamas to disarm but say Israel's withdrawal is just as important.

Israel defines demilitarization as extending from heavy weapons like rocket-propelled grenades all the way down to rifles. Netanyahu said Sunday that Hamas would have to give up roughly 60,000 automatic rifles.

Despite accepting the agreement, Hamas has made only vague or conditional commitments to disarm as part of a process leading to the establishment of a Palestinian state. Senior Hamas officials have saidtheir security forcesneed to retain some weapons in order to maintain law and order during the transition.

Some of the ideas under discussion include Hamas "freezing" its arms by placing them in sealed depots under outside supervision or giving up heavy weapons while keeping some handguns for policing, according to two regional officials involved in the negotiations. One official said disarmament is a complicated process that could take months. The officials requested anonymity to discuss the negotiations.

It's far from certain that Israel or the United States would agree to such ideas.

A stabilization force

The ceasefire deal also calls for a temporary International Stabilization Force made up of soldiers from Arab and Muslim-majority countries to vet, train and support to a new Palestinian police force. Its mandate is not spelled out in detail, but would include securing aid deliveries and preventing weapons smuggling.

Countries being asked to contribute to the force insist that any deployment be framed as a peacekeeping mission. They have refused to take part in the disarmament of Hamas, a job that could put them in harm's way. Another concern is the presence ofarmed groups allied with Israel.

Indonesia has begun training a contingent ofup to 8,000 soldiersfor the force, though its foreign minister said last week that they would not take part in disarmament.

Postwar governance

Under the ceasefire agreement, Hamasis to hand over powerto a transitional committee of politically independent Palestinian administrators. The U.S. has named a 15-member committee and tapped former U.N. envoy Nickolay Mladenov to oversee them as the board's envoy to Gaza.

The committee, led by former Palestinian Authority deputy minister Ali Shaath, has not yet been granted Israeli permission to enter Gaza from Egypt. Israel hasn't commented on the matter.

Mladenov said last week that the committee will not be able to work unless Hamas hands over power and ceasefire violations stop.

"We're only embarrassing the committee and ultimately making it ineffective," he said at the Munich Security Conference. "All of this needs to move very fast."

__ Magdy reported from Cairo. Aamer Madhani in West Palm Beach, Fla. contributed reporting.

An ecological crisis of "historic proportion" is underwayin the Potomac Riverafter a massive sewer pipe collapse north of Washington, D.C., the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday.

The millions of gallons of diseased waste polluting the major waterway that winds through the nation's capital is one of the largest sewage spills in U.S. history, according to theUniversity of Maryland.

E.coli bacteria levels in the Potomac were hundreds of times higher than the level the EPA considers safe when the water was tested this week at the site of the spill, officials from utility company DC Water said Tuesday.

Some 243.5 million gallons of raw sewage have poured into the Potomac since the Jan. 19 mishap, DC Water said.

But the waters near the capital city's Georgetown neighborhood fell within the EPA's safety limits when tested on Monday and weren't a risk for gastrointestinal illness and skin infections — largely because the river has been frozen over for weeks.

DC Water has told area residents to avoid the untreated sewage. They urge anyone who comes into contact with the wastewater to leave the area immediately, wash exposed skin thoroughly with soap and clean water, and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.

Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Squad in Maryland is warning their first responders to treat any emergency calls in or near the Potomac River spill site as "Hazmat calls," NBC Washington reports. Responders should wear personal protective equipment during those calls due to the dangerous levels of E. coli and other contaminants in the water.

As for the politics around the water crisis, those continued to be toxic.

"The Potomac Interceptor overflow is a sewage crisis of historic proportion," the EPA said in their first statement on the disaster. "Never should any American family, community, or waterway ever have to experience this level of extensive environmental damage."

The EPA, it said, has "the experience and track record to fulfill President Trump's strong desire to get this mess cleaned up as fast as humanly possible."

But, the EPA says, neither officials in Maryland, where the sewage pipe burst, nor in Washington, D.C., have sought the EPA's help.

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The EPA's claim came on the same day that Trumpposted on Truth Socialthat the spill is "not at all" handled by the federal government and that if the governors of Maryland and Virginia, and the D.C. mayor — all three of whom are Democrats — want federal assistance, they will have to ask "politely" for help.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore rejected the president's claims and said it was indeed the federal government's responsibility.

"I know this is breaking news to everyone, but the President is not telling the truth," Moore said.

Moore said it's been the job of the federal government to maintain that pipe "for the past century" and that thus far, Maryland's Department of the Environment has been fixing the pipe and cleaning-up the mess while the EPA has done nothing.

"Now that it is essentially 99% contained," Moore said, "the President of the United States is finally realizing that this was his job, and he hasn't been doing it for the past month."

The 54-mile Potomac Interceptor carries about 60 million gallons of wastewater every day from as far away as Dulles Airport in Sterling, Virginia, to the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant in Southwest D.C. for treatment.

By Jan. 24, crews from DC Water were able to complete a bypass to reroute wastewater around the collapsed section of pipe and back into the sewer system.

The remaining emergency repairs to the pipe will be complete by mid-March, according to DC Water.

The long-term fixes to ensure that this pipe remains functional in the years to come will take 9 to 10 months, they said.

"The next critical step is to install a steel bulkhead gate later this week to isolate the damaged pipe section,"DC Water said in a statement. "Once the gate is in place, crews will work to pump out any remaining wastewater at the collapse site and start excavation to remove the rock dam that has been blocking inspection and repair."

It's also safe to drink the water in the nation's capital.

"There is no impact to the drinking water supply," DC Water Spokesperson Sherri Lewis told NBC Washington. "The sewer system, the water system are completely separate."

Dozens of abortion clinics closed in the US after the Supreme Court Dobbs decision revoked the federal right to an abortion in June 2022 — mostly in states that enacted bans. But the churn has continued, leaving even states with some of the most protective abortion policies to do more with less.

There were 753 brick-and-mortar abortion clinics in the US at the end of 2025, according toa new reportby the Guttmacher Institute — ​54 fewer than in ​2020, including a net loss of 12 abortion clinics since March 2024.

"Running a clinic in an environment like we have today is oftentimes not sustainable," said ​Brittany Fonteno, president and CEO of the National Abortion Federation. Both financial and community support play critical roles, she said.

In New York, abortion is legal and protected; voters enshrined the right to abortion in the state's constitution in 2024. But the state has eight fewer abortion clinics than it did at the start of 2024, Guttmacher data shows, one of the most significant decreases in that timeframe nationwide.

Among the clinics that closed last year was a Planned Parenthood in New York City, the nonprofit's only location in Manhattan.

The closure was "a big blow," said Chelsea Williams-Diggs, executive director of the New York Abortion Access Fund.

"All clinic closures are a travesty," she said. "But the Planned Parenthood on Bleecker Street was a powerhouse of a clinic that was able to do so much for folks."

Planned Parenthood typically accepts a wider set of insurance coverage than smaller independent clinics can, and locations in New York could often enroll eligible patients in Medicaid on the same day as their appointment. The clinic in Manhattan was also one of a small and shrinking number that provide abortions after the first trimester, which can be particularly expensive.

"That has direct impacts on abortion access and on abortion funds," Williams-Diggs said. "If more folks don't have health insurance, if more folks are strained economically, that means more folks will be calling NYAAF to help them pay for an essential health care service."

In a statement about the closure, the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Greater New York said that "the gap between inflation and stagnant reimbursement rates has forced us to make difficult but necessary decisions."

Additionalmoves by the Trump administrationhave further strained clinics, including a block on Medicaid reimbursement to large abortion providers. Planned Parenthood closed more than 50 health centers last year, some of which provided abortion care.

Clinics are left with "unsustainable financial realities," said Angela Vasquez-Giroux, vice president of communications for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

"When a health center is forced to close, all patients lose access to their trusted provider, and entire communities are left unable to get high-quality reproductive health care, including abortion in many places," she said. "These are not easy decisions to make."

It's important to track changes to the number of brick-and-mortar abortion clinics in the US, said ​Rachel Jones, a principal research scientist with Guttmacher and lead author of the new report. But the overall change in the number of clinics is only one measure of abortion access that can mask a lot of nuance, she said.

"If it's a place that doesn't advertise that they provide abortion care, then it's not really accessible to a lot of people. If it's a place that only takes private health insurance or you have to be a pre-existing client, that's not necessarily going to make abortion care accessible to people," Jones said. "If you want a procedural abortion and they only offer medication abortion then you might still have to travel outside of your community or even to another state to access care."

Since the Dobbs decision, the number of people who travel out-of-state for abortion care each year has doubled — and about a quarter of those who travel go to Illinois.

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The state has become a critical access point for abortion care, welcoming tens of thousands of patients from other states each year — but there are fewer clinics to serve this surge in patients. Illinois had 31 brick-and-mortar abortion clinics at the end of 2025, two fewer than in March 2024, according to the new Guttmacher report.

However, experts say that a strong network of support from the community and policymakers make Illinois particularly resilient. So while number of clinics in the state dropped overall, there were some important additions.

Hope Clinic opened a second location in Illinois last summer, offering abortions up to 34 weeks and other reproductive health care services in the uptown neighborhood of Chicago.

Clinic co-owner Julie Burkhart said that the team started talking about where another clinic might be needed in the country soon after the Dobbs decision, but it took nearly three full years to open their doors in Chicago. About half of that time was spent on construction after purchasing a building.

"We took a look around the country to see where abortion care, specifically later in pregnancy, would be needed and essential for people in this country, and it seemed that Chicago, was the best point for us to locate a new clinic," Burkhart said. "But these projects definitely don't happen overnight."

Telehealth abortion — with medication abortion provided to patients through the mail — has become increasingly common since it first became an option in late 2021.

In the first half of 2025, more than a quarter of all abortions within the US health care system were provided via telehealth, up from less than 10% in the first half of 2023, according todata from #WeCount, a project sponsored by the Society of Family Planning.

But the vast majority of abortions still happen in person, sometimes because of individual preference and sometimes because it's necessary.

And experts say that later abortions that require in-person care are becoming more common amid post-Dobbs restrictions.

"When there are abortion bans and people can't get access to the care they need earlier in pregnancy, that doesn't necessarily stop their need for that care," Fonteno said. "So one of the outcomes of abortion bans is seeing people be pushed further into their pregnancy by the time they get the care that they need, so we are seeing more providers focus on sort of this specialty form of abortion care."

Hope Clinics in Illinois have seen patients from 28 different states, Burkhart said.

"I think that that really illustrates how critical our clinics are," she said.

There is also concern among abortion advocates that the federal government may put new limits on access to medication abortion, which could further strain clinic resources.

The Trump administration isconducting its own reviewabout the safety and efficacy of one of the drugs used in medication abortion to investigate how it can be safely dispensed, despite clinical studies and decades of use that have established the drug's safety and effectiveness.

But providers are already thinking through possible contingency plans, Fonteno said.

"One of the things that is so incredible about abortion providers is that there's a lot of resilience and a lot of energy to continue to innovate and think about different ways to provide care," Fonteno said. "Brick-and-mortar clinics will always have a place in communities across the country."

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LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — The Chicago Bears have promoted pass game coordinator Press Taylor to offensive coordinator to replace the departed Declan Doyle, one of four coaching moves announced by the team on Wednesday.

Bears Offensive Coordinator Football

Taylor was Jacksonville's offensive coordinator from 2022 to 2024. His promotion comes after Doyle left to call plays in Baltimore undernew Ravens coach Jesse Minter.

Coach Ben Johnson will continue to call plays after the Bears made the playoffs in his first season. Chicago's offense ranked sixth overall, with quarterbackCaleb Williams making big stridesin his second year. The No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft, he threw for a franchise-record 3,942 yards with 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

The Bears were third in rushing, with D'Andre Swift and rookie Kyle Monangai leading the way. Chicago also committed a league-low 11 turnovers.

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The Bears also hired Eric Studesville as running backs coach, Will Lawing as offensive analyst and Isaiah Ford as offensive quality control coach. A 29-year NFL coaching veteran, Studesville was a Bears assistant in the late 1990s and spent the past eight seasons in Miami, working alongside Johnson for part of that time. Studesville takes over forEric Bieniemy, who left to become Kansas City's offensive coordinator.

Chicago went 11-6 and won its first NFC North title since 2018 after finishing last the previous season. The Bears advanced in the playoffs for the first time in 15 years, rallying to beat Green Bay in a wild-card thriller before losing to the Los Angeles Rams in overtime in the divisional round.

AP NFL:https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Elite athletes are often praised for their resilience, grit and mental toughness. But Steve Mesler, 2010 Olympic gold medalist in the bobsled, explains how those same qualities can quietly become barriers to mental health support.

Olympic bobsledder Steve Mesler on vulnerability, depression and redefining mental health for elite athletes

In a recent episode ofLifeStance Health'sConvos from the Couchpodcast, Mesler shared candid insights into why vulnerability is so difficult for elite athletes, how depression nearly cost him his life and how he is now working to support future generations through the non-profit organizationClassroom Champions.

Why vulnerability feels unsafe at the Olympic level

At the highest level of sport, competition is relentless and vulnerability can feel risky. Mesler described elite athletics as a true meritocracy, where athletes are constantly evaluated and replaced if they appear weak.

"When you're at that level, the concept of vulnerability as an athlete is dangerous," Mesler explained. "If you're going to ask for help, it means you need help. It means you need something."

In bobsledding, where team selection includes subjectivity, Mesler knew there were dozens of athletes waiting for his seat.

"There were 20 guys that would've done anything to be in my seat, and I knew that. So, the concept of vulnerability was something that was just foreign."

Subsequently, this fiercely competitive environment conditions athletes to suppress pain, especially mental and emotional pain.

"If you were sick or if you were hurt, the sharks would circle," he said. "From a mental aspect, you didn't let it go there."

While this perseverance and masking of emotions can drive performance, they may also create long-term harm. Mesler emphasized that athletes are rarely taught which mental skills serve them in sport and which ones need to be re-examined once competition ends. The result is a culture where asking for help feels incompatible with success, even when mental health challenges are mounting beneath the surface.

Living with depression after Olympic success

Despite achieving an Olympic gold medal, leadership roles, professional success and a growing family, Mesler found himself facing severedepressionafter his athletic career.

He shared that he reached a point where simply getting through the day felt impossible. The inner drive that once fueled his athletic success had gone quiet. His sense of purpose flattened. Even activities that once brought energy and joy no longer did. At the worst point of his depression, he even contemplated suicide.

"I've competed in the Olympic Games with six guys. I've had to bury two of them from taking their own lives," he said. "And then I myself have been five steps from stepping in front of a train."

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In sports fashion, Mesler described depression as an injury that affected his brain just as a torn muscle would affect the body. Yet unlike physical injuries, mental health struggles don't automatically remove expectations or responsibilities. He continued working, leading and showing up in his post-Olympic life, even as he felt broken internally.

What helped Mesler heal from depression

What ultimately helped Mesler begin to heal from his depression was a combination of professional support and intentional life changes:

• Therapy and prescription medication: Working with a counselor helped him personally understand what he was experiencing and gave him tools to support his recovery. Medication, taken as prescribed, played an important role during his healing process too.

• Reconnecting with people: He intentionally deepened relationships, reached out to friends and allowed himself to have more honest conversations, which was something he had rarely done as an athlete.

• Reclaiming purpose and achievement: Mesler recognized that humans need goals and pursuits beyond a single identity. He reintroduced daily physical activity, learning and personal growth into his life. "I needed something that I was chasing and pursuing," he explained. "I needed to find achievement again. Waking up every morning and working out helped."

• Managing the inner monologue: One of Mesler's most powerful insights in his personal mental health journey was recognizing the impact of self-talk. He learned to interrupt negative thought spirals and consciously reframe them. He now shares these concepts with younger athletes, impressing his personal perspective that, "Being critical of yourself is okay, but if you do that all the time, the negativity that will come back to you is overwhelming."

• Learning and curiosity: By committing to learning something new regularly, he reengaged his curiosity and sense of vitality.

Advice for today's Olympians and athletes

For athletes, Mesler offers guidance rooted in both experience and compassion.

• Worth is not defined by performance or medals. Goals are important, but identity should not be singular. In Mesler's experience, athletes benefit from pursuing other interests and passions alongside sport, not as distractions, but as protective buffers for mental health. For Mesler, limiting himself to "I am an Olympian," was harmful once the Games ended. He recommends shifting to a humanistic identity perspective like, "I am a person who does hard things," so it can apply to multiple areas and experiences.

• Pay attention to inner dialogue. The way athletes speak to themselves matters, especially over time. Learning to reframe setbacks, balance self-criticism with self-support and recognize emotions as tools rather than threats may make a meaningful difference.

• Use vulnerability intentionally. Mesler emphasizes that vulnerability is not something athletes must abandon forever. Instead, embrace it and use it thoughtfully. Knowing when to be tough and when to ask for help is part of long-term resilience.

Supporting the next generation through Classroom Champions

Today, Mesler channels his experience into impact throughClassroom Champions, a nonprofit he co-founded to support students and educators across the U.S. and Canada.

Classroom Champions connects elite athletes with classrooms through a structured, research-based curriculum focused on goal setting, emotional regulation, perseverance, teamwork and leadership. Rather than one-time motivational talks, the program creates ongoing mentorship relationships that allow students to see what pursuing a dream (with challenges included), really looks like.

"Kids learn through people they trust," Mesler explained. "And technology allows us to create an ongoing relationship between athletes and classrooms."

By engaging athletes in meaningful work beyond competition, Classroom Champions also supports the athletes themselves. Mesler believes having purpose outside of sport strengthens mental health and ultimately enhances performance rather than detracting from it.

"When you give athletes something else they can pursue, it actually makes all these other parts of their life better," Mesler said.

Through this work, Mesler is helping redefine success not just for students, but for athletes who are learning that strength and support can coexist.

A new definition of strength

Steve Mesler's story challenges longstanding assumptions about mental toughness in elite sports. His message is clear: Vulnerability, when understood and used wisely, is often a pathway to sustainability, connection and healing.

By speaking openly about depression, identity and recovery, Mesler is helping create space for athletes and all high achievers to seek support without shame. In this way, Mesler is helping normalize mental health conversations that were once unthinkable at the Olympic level.

The experiences shared in this article reflect one individual's personal story and may differ from those of others. Approaches to care, including therapy and medication, should be considered and used only in partnership with a qualified provider. This information is intended for general understanding and is not a substitute for professional medical guidance.

This storywas published byLifeStance Healthand reviewed and distributed byStacker.

MADRID (AP) — Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni has denied racially insulting Real Madrid forwardVinícius Júniorduring a Champions League match when he covered his mouth with his jersey.

Portugal Champions League Soccer

"I have never been racist with anyone and I regret the threats that I received from Real Madrid players," the 20-year-old Argentina forward, who faces a potential 10-match ban if found guilty of racial abuse in UEFA's disciplinary code, said on X. The European soccer governing body said Wednesday it has appointed a special investigator to gather evidence.

Benfica said Prestianni was the victim of a "defamation campaign."

TheChampions Leagueplayoff game at Benfica's Stadium of Light was halted for nearly 10 minutes on Tuesday after the referee initiated the anti-racism protocol, which is the standard procedure when a player alleges being abused. Cameras picked up Vinícius telling French referee François Letexier that Prestianni called him a "monkey."

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said he was "shocked and saddened to see the incident of alleged racism" and praised the referee for activating the anti-racism protocol.

"There is absolutely no room for racism in our sport and in society," Infantino said on X. "We need all the relevant stakeholders to take action and hold those responsible to account."

Benficashowed supportfor Prestianni on Wednesday, with the Portuguese club claiming that Madrid players who said they heard the insult were too far away.

Benfica later released a statement saying it welcomed UEFA's investigation and that it "fully supports and believes the version presented" by Prestianni, "whose conduct while with the club has always been guided by respect" toward everyone.

Benfica fans had reacted angrily to Vinícius celebrating his 50th-minute goal by dancing by the corner flag, throwing bottles and other objects toward the Madrid players. Prestianni then confronted Vinícius and said something while covering his mouth with his jersey.

Madrid, which won 1-0, hosts the second leg on Feb. 25 with the overall winner advancing to the round of 16 in European club soccer's top competition.

'Racists are cowards'

After the match, Vinícius posted a photo on Instagram of him celebrating by the Benfica corner flag. He wrote: "Racists are, above all, cowards. They need to cover their mouths with their shirts to show how they are weak. ... Nothing that happened today is new to me in my life and in my family's life. I was shown a yellow card for celebrating a goal. I still don't know why."

Madrid players said they considered leaving the field but eventually decided to continue playing.

Vinícius covered his mouth with his hands several times, as many players do, while talking to teammates and opponents.

Benfica posted a video on X.

"As the images show, given the distance, the Real Madrid players couldn't have heard what they have been saying that they heard," Benfica said.

Benfica had already postedPrestianni's statementalong with the words: "Together, by your side."

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Prestianni defends himself

Prestianni insisted that Vinícius misunderstood what was said, while Benfica players after the match reportedly said the Argentine provoked the Brazil forward but never racially insulted him.

"I want to clarify that at no time did I direct racist insults at the player Vinícius Júnior, who unfortunately misinterpreted what he thought he had heard," Prestianni said.

He did not say why he covered his mouth.

The referee appeared to show that he did not hear anything and gestured that Prestianni had the shirt over his mouth. Vinícius, who is Black and has been repeatedly subjected to racist abuse in Spain, went to the sideline and sat in the dugout while play was stopped.

Prestianni was not shown a yellow card and continued playing. He was substituted in the 81st and was applauded by Benfica fans.

Kylian Mbappé was among the Madrid players who strongly defended Vinícius andposted on X: "Dance, Vini, and please never stop. They will never tell us what we have to do or not."

The France great also said Prestianni should never play in the Champions League again.

Some online videos on Wednesday appeared to show a few Benfica fans doing monkey gestures from the stands.

Kick It Out criticizes Mourinho's remarks

Benfica coach José Mourinho criticized Vinícius for celebrating by the Benfica flag. He spoke with both players and said he did not want to say he believed one over the other.

Mourinho said he told Vinícius that the greatest player in Benfica's history — Eusébio — was also Black, but seemed to question why the Madrid player was so frequently targeted by racist abuse.

Anti-discrimination groupKick It Outcriticized Mourinho's remarks.

"When anyone reports discrimination in football, or anywhere, the first priority is that they are listened to and feel supported," it said.

"Focusing on Vinicius Jr.'s goal celebration or the history of the club, instead of acknowledging the report, is a form of gaslighting.

"This approach not only harms the individual affected but also sends the wrong message to others around the world who may have experienced similar situations."

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

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary is suspending its shipments of diesel to neighboring Ukraine until interruptions to Russian oil supplies via a pipeline that crosses Ukrainian territory are resolved, Hungary's foreign minister said Wednesday.

Russianoil shipments to Hungaryand Slovakia have been interrupted since Jan. 27 after what Ukrainian officials say wereRussian attacksthat damaged the Druzhba pipeline, which carries Russian crude into Central Europe.

Hungary and Slovakia, which have both received a temporary exemption from a European Union policyprohibiting imports of Russian oil, have accused Ukraine — without providing evidence — of deliberately holding up supplies.

In a video posted on social media Wednesday, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said the interruption to oil deliveries was "a political decision made by the Ukrainian president himself."

Ukraine has denied such accusations.

Szijjártó added that Hungary has enough oil reserves to last more than three months, and that its energy security was assured.

As nearly every country in Europe has significantly reduced or entirely ceased Russian energy imports, Hungary — an EU and NATO member — has maintained and even increased its supply of Russian oil and gas since Moscow launched itswar in Ukrainein February 2022.

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Hungary's nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has long argued Russian fossil fuels are indispensable for its economy and that switching to energy sourced from elsewhere would cause animmediate economic collapse— an argumentsome experts dispute.

Widely seen as the Kremlin's biggest advocate in the EU, Orbán has vigorously opposed the bloc's efforts to sanction Moscow over its invasion, and blasted attempts to hit Russia's energy revenues that help finance the war.

Facing what promises to be themost challenging election of his last 16 years in powerin April, Orbán has launched an aggressiveanti-Ukraineandanti-EUcampaign, seeking to convince voters that the neighboring country poses an existential risk to Hungary and that he is the only guarantor of its safety.

Following the interruption to Druzhba oil supplies at the end of January, Hungary's government asked neighboring Croatia to allow Russian oil delivered by sea to be pumped to refineries in Hungary and Slovakia via the Adria pipeline.

Croatia's Economy Minister Ante Šušnjar has said his country would not allow energy supplies in Central Europe be threatened, but pushed back on Hungary's request.

Writing on social media site X on Monday, Šušnjar said there are "no technical excuses left for staying tied to Russian crude for any EU country."

"A barrel bought from Russia may appear cheaper to some countries, but helps fund war and attacks on Ukrainian people," he wrote.