MON SIX

Greg Brown, a founding member ofthe 90sslacker rock bandCake, has died. The band, behind such songs as "The Distance," "Frank Sinatra," and "Short Skirt, Long Jacket," announced his passing on Feb. 7.

"It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of Greg Brown's passing after a brief illness," the band posted toInstagram. "Greg was an integral part of CAKE's early sound and development. His creative contributions were immense, and his presence—both musical and personal—will be deeply missed. Godspeed, Greg."

Fans grieved the loss of the beloved guitarist, with his daughter,Adri Brown, writing that Greg was "the best dad I could've asked for." Another fan commented. "One of the greatest guitar players, in my personal opinion. He will live on in the history he's made and the musicians he's inspired."

Greg Brown Wrote Cake's Biggest Hit, 'The Distance'

Greg co-founded the band in 1991 along with singerJohn McCrea,bassistShon Meckfessel,drummerFrank Frenchand trumpeterVince DiFiore. He played on their first two albums, 1994'sMotorcade of Generosityand what would become their breakthrough album, 1996'sFashion Nugget. Greg was the sole writer behind the album's lead single, "The Distance."

Opening with John McCrea's deadpan vocals ("Reluctantly crouched and the starting line…"), the song became a staple of alternative rock radio, reaching No. 4 on the US Alternative Airplay charts and No. 38 on the Mainstream Rock charts. It's undeniably their most successful song: theRIAAcertified it 2x Platinum in 2022.

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The song was recorded in one take. It's one of the very few Cake originals that didn't involve John McCrea in the writing process. "[McCrea] took to it right away, and I didn't really understand what he saw in it so much," said Brown in 2021, speaking in aFashion Nugget25th anniversary feature forBillboard. "I liked the way it sounded and everything, but I thought 'Frank Sinatra' was a much stronger choice for the single. But the record label chose it, and it worked out."

"It is a song aboutsuccessand failure, and failure of success, really," McCrea said when appearing onProfessor of Rock. "It's a sad song, because there is no success. You can explode into the world with great magnificence, and still feel like the guy underneath theMickey Mousehead, with the fan batteries that have stopped working properly, and it's dark under there, and everybody wants your autograph."

Greg Brown left Cake in 1997. "I might have told you one thing back when I was 27 years old, and I left hot headed and mad about what I considered to be irreconcilable personality problems or whatever," Brown toldBillboardin 2021.. "As 51-year-old me, I see a much larger context of what was going on in my life. Rather than get into all of it, I would just say there was a lot of turmoil at the time, and I felt like leaving Cake would be a decision that would be good for my health."

After Cake, Greg Brown played in bandsDeathrayandHomie. In recent years, Greg repaired his relationship with the band, even playing on Cake's 2011 album,Showroom of Compassion.

Related: Beloved Alternative Rock Frontman Dies at 47 After Courageous Cancer Battle

This story was originally published byParadeon Feb 8, 2026, where it first appeared in theNewssection. Add Parade as aPreferred Source by clicking here.

Get excited—there's another New York Times game to add to your daily routine! Those of us word game addicts who already playWordle,Connections,Strandsand theMini Crosswordnow haveConnections Sports Editionto add to the mix.So, if you're looking for some hints and answers for today's Connections Sports Edition on Sunday, February 8, 2026, you've come to the right place.

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What Is Connections Sports Edition?

Connections Sports Edition is just like the regular Connections word puzzle, in that it's a game that resets at 12 a.m. EST each day and has 16 different words listed. It's up to you to figure out each group of four words that belong to a certain category, with four categories in total.

This new version is sports-specific, however, as a partnership between The New York Times and The Athletic.

As the NYT site instructs, for Connections Sports Edition, you "group sports terms that share a common thread."

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Related:The 26 Funniest NYT Connections Game Memes You'll Appreciate if You Do This Daily Word Puzzle

Hints for Today's Connections Sports Edition Categories on February 8, 2026

Here are some hints about the four categories to help you figure out the word groupings.

• Yellow: Signal-caller's numbers.

• Green: Prince rocked it in the rain.

• Blue: Best player in the big game.

• Purple: Comes after this event's name.

Here Are Today's Connections Sports Edition Categories

OK, time for a second hint…we'll give you the actual categories now. Spoilers below!

• Yellow: STATS FOR A QB

• Green: SUPER BOWL HALFTIME SHOW PERFORMERS

• Blue: SUPER BOWL MVPs

• Purple: SUPER BOWL ____

If you're looking for the answers, no worries—we've got them below. So, don't scroll any further if you don't want to see the solutions!The answers to today'sConnections Sports Edition #503are coming up next.Related:15 Fun Games Like Connections to Play Every Day

What Are the Answers to Connections Sports Edition Today?

• STATS FOR A QB: COMPLETIONS, INTERCEPTIONS, TOUCHDOWNS, YARDS

• SUPER BOWL HALFTIME SHOW PERFORMERS: GAGA, LAMAR, MARS, PETTY

• SUPER BOWL MVPs: BRANCH, HURTS, MONTANA, RICE

• SUPER BOWL ____: LX, MVP, SQUARES, SUNDAY

Don't worry if you didn't get them this time—we've all been there.

Up next,catch up on the answers to recent Wordle puzzles.

Related: Pizza Hut Announces That It's Closing Hundreds of Locations This Year—Here's Why

This story was originally published byParadeon Feb 8, 2026, where it first appeared in theLifesection. Add Parade as aPreferred Source by clicking here.

Hollywood continues to pay tribute to the late, greatCatherine O'Harafollowing her recent and unexpected passing.

That includes the latest ceremony held during a competitive awards season, this one hosted by the Directors Guild of America on Saturday, Feb. 7. Among the high-profile winners were co-winnersSeth RogenandEvan Goldbergfor their work onThe Studio.

As fans of the celebrated Apple TV show are award, the cast is seemingly endless stream of big names — and at the front of the line for season 1 was O'Hara, who died on Jan. 30 at age 71.

During their acceptance speech on Saturday at the2026 DGA Awards, Goldberg, 43, and Rogen, 43, took time to honor the beloved co-star, according to media outletsincludingDeadline.

"Honestly, there's no one we wish we could thank in person at this moment more than we would love to thankCatherine O'Hara," said Rogen, perDeadline, with Goldberg adding, "We grew up in Canada, and she is and was quite literally our idol since we were children."

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In addition to her recent small-screen work — which also includesSchitt's Creek, of course — O'Hara might be best remembered for her role in a certain holiday movie.

"Home Alonehonestly is the movie that made me want to makemoviesin a lot of ways," Rogen also said during his acceptance speech on Saturday, perDeadline. "And I mean, in that movie she's always yelling, 'Kevin, Kevin!' And on set, she would always be yelling, 'Evan, Evan!' And every time she did it, we were like, 'It's likeHome Alone.'"

Goldberg added, "The best part of her is she showed that you can be an utter genius and also the nicest person in the entire world."

Interestingly, two weeks before O'Hara's death,Rogen had shown love for herin a joint social media post with Apple TV, which featured a series of behind-the-scenes and stills from The Studio. See below.

This story was originally published byParadeon Feb 8, 2026, where it first appeared in theNewssection. Add Parade as aPreferred Source by clicking here.

Traffic was stopped, but not for construction.

Police in Commerce City,Colorado, say they were just as surprised as motorists this week after a fire-juggling unicyclist turned a busy intersection into an impromptu street performance — a moment the department joked was "certainly not on our Bingo card."

The Commerce City Police Department shareddrone footageand photos of the unusual scene after receiving multiple calls from drivers who encountered the man juggling flaming torches while riding a unicycle in traffic near U.S. 85 and 60th Avenue.

"This post was certainly not on our Bingo card, yet here we are," the department wrote in a social media post. "The intersection of U.S.-85 and 60th isn't exactly the Las Vegas Strip… or is it?"

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According to police, the performer rode through the median and crosswalk while traffic waited at the light, drawing both attention and concern from motorists.

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"We got numerous calls the other day when drivers were treated to a littlestoplight entertainmentcourtesy of this fire-juggling unicyclist," police said.

Officerscaptured the scene using a drone, which showed the man balancing on the unicycle as flames flickered just feet from passing vehicles. While acknowledging the skill involved, saying it was "quite good," police made clear the stunt crossed a legal line.

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"Our drone caught his act, which was both quite good and quite illegal," the department wrote, citing trespassing in the median and impeding traffic by failing to clear the crosswalk in time.

Police said they regularly conduct enforcement efforts at the intersection to ensure pedestrians selling wares or services are not interfering with traffic, noting that reports like this are rare.

"We don't often get reports like this anymore… well to be fair… we have NEVER gotten a report quite like this one," the post said.

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The department ended its message on a lighthearted note, while still reminding the public that juggling fire in traffic is not encouraged.

"So let's all take a moment to appreciate this man's talents," police wrote, before adding: "Then all agree that we aren't going to do stuff like this. Mmkay?"

Original article source:Fire-juggling unicyclist caught on camera blocking traffic in major roadway as police intervene

LONDON/TORONTO/FRANKFURT, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Swiss wealth giant UBS opened accounts for Ghislaine Maxwell in 2014 just months after JPMorgan Chase decided to end its relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and helped her manage as much as $19 million in the years leading to her sex-trafficking conviction, documents show.

The documents, part of a cache released by the U.S. Justice ​Department last month, provide fresh insights into the extent of UBS' banking relationship with Maxwell, who was arrested in 2020 and found guilty in 2021 for her role in ‌helping Epstein sexually abuse teenage girls. She is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence.

The documents, which include emails and bank statements, show the Swiss lender opened personal and business accounts for Maxwell holding cash, shares and investments in hedge funds. UBS ‌assigned her two relationship managers, who then helped Maxwell move millions of dollars and accorded her other benefits the bank reserves for its wealthy clients.

In 2014, after JPMorgan closed Epstein's accounts, UBS provided him with a credit card, an email shows. Epstein had been jailed and pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting prostitution from an underage girl.

That account was closed in September that year. Epstein's accountant told him UBS had taken the decision because of the "reputational risk," an email shows. But the bank continued its relationship with Maxwell even though her proximity to Epstein had been reported by several media, including in an interview with the ⁠financier.

UBS declined to respond to Reuters questions for this article, including why ‌it took on a client deemed high risk by another bank. There is no evidence of any wrongdoing on the part of UBS or its advisers, and some documents show the bank conducted due diligence before transferring her accounts from JPMorgan. Reuters could not learn details of the diligence the bank did.

A ‍lawyer for Maxwell did not respond to a request for comment.

MAXWELL IS INTRODUCED TO UBS

Epstein and Maxwell had banked with JPMorgan for years, but the biggest U.S. lender started getting concerned about risks of dealing with them in the years following Epstein's 2008 conviction.

In 2011, while conducting know-your-customer checks, JPMorgan advised internally that Maxwell be flagged as a "High Risk Client" over her links to Epstein, separate U.S. court documents show. In 2013, JPMorgan decided ​to close Epstein's account.

JPMorgan flagged in Epstein's history that "[p]er bank policy, felons [like Epstein] are considered high risk and require additional approval," according to a court submission by the U.S. Virgin Islands against ‌JPMorgan in federal court in New York. JPMorgan settled the case for $75 million in 2023.

JPMorgan, which has denied knowledge of Epstein's crimes, declined to comment. The bank declined to say when and why it closed Maxwell's accounts.

In December 2013, David Wassong, then a partner at Soros Private Equity Partners, introduced Maxwell to UBS, according to an email exchange.

"I have cced one of my best friends named Ghislaine maxwell (sic). She is looking for a new wealth manager, and I told her she had to meet you," Wassong wrote.

On February 14, 2014, an email with the names redacted urges UBS to "expedite this transition from JPMorgan."

"Ghislaine is leaving for over a month next week so she really needs to get this moved over / paperwork signed before her departure. Also, she would like to speak to you to introduce ⁠herself, etc," the email reads.

In response, UBS representatives said they had reviewed documents submitted by her and had ​some follow-up questions as they processed the move to the bank.

Wassong did not respond to a request for comment about ​his dealings with Maxwell.

Soon after, UBS had opened an account and Maxwell used it for her personal expenses and businesses, including her charity TerraMar Project, as well as for entities called Ellmax, Pot & Kettle, Max Foundation and Max Hotel Services, the documents show. As early as February 2014, Maxwell had nearly $2 million in one ‍of her UBS accounts.

Maxwell instructed the bank on how ⁠to move her cash. In one request in 2016, Maxwell asked the bank to make a $2.5 million payment to Scott Borgerson, to whom she was married that year.

On July 22, 2019, 16 days after Epstein's arrest, UBS moved $130,000 on Maxwell's request from her savings to her checking account to help pay an American Express card bill, the documents show.

Borgerson did not ⁠reply to a LinkedIn message requesting comment.

On August 16, 2019, the month after Epstein's arrest, UBS received a Grand Jury Subpoena on Maxwell, according to a letter from UBS to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. UBS provided the FBI with ‌information on wire transfers, according to the letter.

Reuters could not determine when – and if – UBS had closed Maxwell's accounts.

(Reporting by Elisa Martinuzzi, Nivedita Balu and John O'Donnell. ‌Additional reporting by Tatiana Bautzer. Editing by Tommy Reggiori Wilkes, Editing by Paritosh Bansal and Anna Driver)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran's top diplomat insisted Sunday that Tehran's strength came from its ability to "say no to the great powers," striking a maximalist position justafter negotiations with the United Statesover its nuclear program and in the wake of nationwide protests.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking to diplomats at a summit in Tehran, signaled that Iran would stick to its position that it must be able to enrich uranium — a major point of contention with President Donald Trump, whobombed Iranian atomic sitesin June during the 12-day Iran-Israel war.

While Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian praised the talks Friday in Oman with the Americans as "a step forward," Araghchi's remarks show the challenge ahead. Already, the U.S. movedthe aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, ships and warplanes to the Middle East to pressure Iran into an agreement and have the firepower necessary to strike the Islamic Republic should Trump choose to do so.

"I believe the secret of the Islamic Republic of Iran's power lies in its ability to stand against bullying, domination and pressures from others," Araghchi said. "They fear our atomic bomb, while we are not pursuing an atomic bomb. Our atomic bomb is the power to say no to the great powers. The secret of the Islamic Republic's power is in the power to say no to the powers."

'Atomic bomb' as rhetorical device

Araghchi's choice to explicitly use an "atomic bomb" as a rhetorical device likely wasn't accidental. While Iran has long maintained its nuclear program is peaceful, the West and the International Atomic Energy Agency say Tehran had an organized military program to seek the bomb up until 2003.

Iran had been enriching uranium up to 60% purity, a short, technical step to weapons-grade levels of 90%, the only non-weapons state to do so. Iranian officials in recent years had also been increasinglythreatening that the Islamic Republic could seek the bomb, even while its diplomats have pointed to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's preachings as a binding fatwa, or religious edict, that Iran wouldn't build one.

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Pezeshkian, who ordered Araghchi to pursue talks with the Americans after likely getting Khamenei's blessing, also wrote on X on Sunday about the talks.

"The Iran-U.S. talks, held through the follow-up efforts of friendly governments in the region, were a step forward," the president wrote. "Dialogue has always been our strategy for peaceful resolution. ... The Iranian nation has always responded to respect with respect, but it does not tolerate the language of force."

It remains unclear when and where, or if, there will be a second round of talks. Trump, after the talks Friday, offered few details but said: "Iran looks like they want to make a deal very badly — as they should."

Aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea

During Friday's talks, U.S. Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of the American military's Central Command, was in Oman. Cooper's presence was likely an intentional reminder to Iran about the U.S. military presence in the region. Cooper later accompanied U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, tothe Lincoln out in the Arabian Seaafter the indirect negotiations.

Araghchi appeared to be taking the threat of an American military strike seriously, as many worried Iranians have in recent weeks. He noted that after multiple rounds of talks last year, the U.S. "attacked us in the midst of negotiations."

"If you take a step back (in negotiations), it is not clear up to where it will go," Araghchi said.

Kingston Flemings heated up at the right time on his way to 19 points, Chris Cenac Jr. chipped in 16 points and No. 8 Houston prevailed 77-66 over No. 16 BYU on Saturday nigh in Provo, Utah.

Houston (21-2, 9-1 Big 12) had another standout defensive performance as the 66 points were a season low for BYU (17-6, 5-5), which entered with the Big 12's second-best offense at 86.7 points per game.

BYU star AJ Dybantsa shined with a game-high 28 points and Robert Wright III finished with 17 points, but those were the only BYU players to score in double figures. Along with Flemings and Cenac, Houston's Emanuel Sharp (14 points) and Joseph Tugler (10 points) reached double figures.

It was a tight battle most of the night. With less than 10 minutes left, the game was tied 54-54.

Houston then pulled away with a 14-5 run.

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The stretch started with a 5-0 spurt with Flemings scoring every point on a jumper and a three-point play. Flemings went on to score nine of the 14 points, including a layup to give Houston a 67-59 lead with 4:06 left. Kalifa Sakho made 1 of 2 free throws a minute later to extend Houston's lead to 68-59.

It stayed a multiple-possession game after that as Houston won its fourth straight over BYU. Houston finished shooting 47.5% from the field compared to BYU's 39.6%. Houston also won the rebounding battle 40-36 and had a 30-24 edge in points in the paint.

In the first half, Houston led by as many as 11, taking a 31-20 lead on a 3 by Isiah Harwell at the 3:12 mark. BYU responded with a 9-2 spurt, capped with a 3 by Dybantsa to pull within 33-29 with 1:12 left. Houston went on to take a 37-31 lead into the locker rooms.

Both teams return to action Tuesday. Houston travels to Utah while BYU travels to Baylor.

--Field Level Media