MON SIX

The staggering reward is, in some ways, a tacit admission that the investigation is entering a new phase as DNA evidence that once seemed promising hits roadblocks, and investigators acknowledge they still do not have a suspect in the kidnapping case.

Even as she said her family is "blowing on the embers of hope" that the 84-year-old will make it safely home, Savannah Guthrie acknowledged a sobering truth:

"We also know that she may be lost. She may already be gone," Guthrie said in her video Tuesday announcing the reward. "But we need to know where she is."

The tragic admission, coming more than a week after Guthrie's last appeal to her mother's captors, sparks questions as to why investigators and the family chose to wait weeks to put forward such a large and enticing reward. CNN spoke to law enforcement experts and analysts about the possible strategy behind the timing of such a compelling offer – and why it could portend a tragic turn in the investigation.

An appeal to the inner circle

In the weeks since Guthrie's disappearance, thousands of tips have poured into the investigation's hotline. But the tide began to ebb in recent days, and the Pima County 911 supervisor told CNN the number of credible tips had begun to slow.

Then, the Guthrie family offered their million-dollar reward.

Since the details of the reward were made public, a source familiar with the investigation told CNN, investigators have received more than 750 credible tips.

And while the number is significantly lower than the thousands of calls the tipline received earlier in the investigation, experts say that could be by design.

"This reward is designed to prompt somebody within the suspect's orbit" to come forward, Jonathan Wackrow, a former Secret Service agent who served under President Obama, said.

"It's not the suspect themselves that the messaging is focused on, it's this broader orbit of associates – potentially friends, family, co-conspirators – really for them to break their silence."

Someone with a personal connection to Guthrie's abductor may not have been tempted by the prior $200,000 reward for information, but the prospect of up to a million-dollar payout could mitigate some of the risk of contacting law enforcement, Wackrow said.

Why now?

A source close to the family told CNN the Guthries were willing to put forward a similar reward earlier in the investigation, but there was concern such a large amount could inundate the call center tasked with sifting through tips.

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There are a number of reasons why law enforcement may have advised the Guthries to wait before making such a large offer, CNN senior law enforcement analyst Josh Campbell said.

"Time is of the essence in a kidnapping case, and bogging down investigators with a mountain of false leads could have slowed their effort as they sorted fact from fiction," he said.

And, he added, early in an investigation, the goal is to open a line of communication with the abductor and bring the case to a fast and safe resolution.

"It can be very counterproductive to simultaneously appeal to the abductor to do the right thing, while at the same time encouraging people who might know the abductor to turn on him with the incentive of a million-dollar reward."

The FBI's crisis negotiators, Campbell said, would have likely been trying to find a balance between enticing people with direct knowledge of the kidnapping to come forward and not angering an abductor and inadvertently causing harm to the victim.

What happens next?

Sources close to both the Guthries and the investigation tell CNN the family has continued to work in lock step with authorities, and the new reward was offered in consultation with law enforcement.

Indeed, Savannah Guthrie's language around the reward appeared to align with how the FBI framed its previous offers – with one key distinction.

In recent weeks, the FBI hasofferedpayouts for information "leading to the location of Nancy Guthrie and/or the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance."

But now, after acknowledging that her mother may be "dancing in heaven," Savannah said her family is offering up to a million dollars for "any information that leads to her recovery."

The subtle shift in language indicates the Guthrie family's reward does not hinge on an arrest of Nancy's captors. It may also be a reluctant nod to an even worse tragedy.

"This is shifting to acceptance of a whole variety, or a multitude of outcomes including the fact that (Nancy) may now be deceased and they're looking for closure," Wackrow said, adding he finds it "shocking" that it took weeks to get to this point in such a high-profile investigation.

"Again, (the $1 million reward) is a tactic; I would have expected it to be earlier on in this investigation, not midway through the fourth week."

CNN's Josh Campbell, Elizabeth Hartfield and Brian Stelter contributed to this report

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Grant's death was confirmed by social media posts from several Wu-Tang members including Method Man,who wrote"Paradise my Brother safe Travels!!" under a post of the two together.

"We couldn't have done it without him," GZAwrote in his own post. "Wu wouldn't have come to fruition without Power. His passing is a profound loss to us all."

The group members' posts did not cite a cause of death. The news was first reported by outlets includingOkayplayerandHot 97.

Grant, a childhood friend of Wu-Tang co-founder RZA's older brother, was a crucial figure in the sprawling New York hip-hop collective's ascent. Though he was not a performing member of the group, he helped raise capital for early recording sessions and structured Wu-Tang's finances and record deals — no small feat for a collective with such a vast archipelago of group and solo projects.

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"We knew that if a brother got a deal for 150k, he could keep the majority of it, but it also would facilitate and help the other brothers," he toldPassion of the Weiss in 2011. "It was part of our core and movement for us to spread the money around and help brothers eat, without a project out. It was like we were trust fund babies."

His work set a precedent for autonomy and creative control as hip-hop became a commercial juggernaut in the '90s.

"Everything that we learned was hard knock life, you figure it out as you go along, and take cues from those that are actively doing things," he said. "I wasn't a rapper, but the thrill of being a part of going and where they went, it was the inspiration for how it ended up that lead us all to going back, soaking up what we'd absorbed and coming back with 'Protect Ya Neck.'"

He was also the driving force behind Wu Wear, the group's wildly popular fashion line that netted tens of millions in revenue and became a fixture of '90s hip-hop iconography. The line was later revamped as Wu-Tang Brand, and relaunched as Wu Wear in 2017. He also had cameos as an actor alongside Method Man in the 1998 hip-hop classic "Belly" and 1999's "Black and White," and served as an executive producer for the group's many LPs.

Get notified when the biggest stories in Hollywood, culture and entertainment go live. Sign up for L.A. Times entertainment alerts.

This story originally appeared inLos Angeles Times.

Gates answered questions at the twice-a-year meeting Feb. 24 on a range of issues, "including the release of the Epstein files," the foundation said. "In the townhall, Bill spoke candidly, addressing several questions in detail, and took responsibility for his actions," the foundation said.

The statement came in response toa Wall Street Journal reportthat said Gates had apologized to staff at the event over his ties to Epstein.

More:Larry Summers, Bill Gates: Fallout from Epstein files is widening

Bill Gates "took responsibility for his actions" over ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in a town hall meeting with employees of the Gates Foundation, the group said in a statement. Photos of Bill Gates were part of the Epstein files that have been released.
Bill Gates and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, stand in a handout image from the estate of the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, released by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee in Washington, DC, on Dec. 12, 2025.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bill Gates appears with a woman, whose identity has been obscured, in this image from the Epstein estate released by House Oversight Committee Democrats in Washington, DC, on Dec. 18, 2025.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bill Gates appears with a woman, whose identity has been obscured, in this image from the Epstein estate released by House Oversight Committee Democrats in Washington, DC, on Dec. 18, 2025.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Bill Gates, right, appears with Jeffrey Epstein's pilot Lawrence Visoski in this undated photo released by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee in Washington, DC, Dec. 12, 2025.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

See photos of Bill Gates from the Epstein files

Bill Gates "took responsibility for his actions"over ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in a town hall meeting with employees of the Gates Foundation, the group said in a statement. Photos of Bill Gates were part of the Epstein files that have been released.Bill Gates and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, stand in a handout image from the estate of the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, released by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee in Washington, DC, on Dec. 12, 2025.

Documentsreleasedby the Justice Department have indicated Gates and Epstein met repeatedly to discuss expanding the Microsoft founder's philanthropic efforts. The meetings came after Epstein was imprisoned for 13 months, ending in 2009, for a conviction on state charges in Florida of soliciting the prostitution involving a minor. Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while in custody on federal charges that he had sex-trafficked underage girls.

According to the Journal report, Gates told staff it was a huge mistake to spend time with Epstein and bring Gates Foundation executives into meetings with the sex offender. The report cited a recording of Gates' comments in the town hall.

"I apologize to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake that I made," he said, according to the newspaper.

More:Epstein pulled strings, paid tuition across world for kids of powerful

The Journal added Gates also acknowledged two affairs with Russian women that Epstein later discovered, but he said they did not involve Epstein's victims.

"I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit," Gates told the staff, according to the report.

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Justice Department documents from the criminal investigation of Epstein that have been released publicly include pictures of the Microsoft founder posing with women whose faces are redacted. Gates had said his relationship with Epstein was limited to philanthropy-related discussions and acknowledged it was a mistake to meet with him.

According to The Journal, Gates told the foundation's staff the images were pictures Epstein asked him to take with Epstein's assistants after their meetings.

"To be clear I never spent any time with victims, the women around him," Gates added, according to the report.

Other documents showed Epstein tried tomediate a falling-out between Gates and an adviser, Boris Nikolic, in 2013. Epstein wrote an email to himself saying Gates and his aides were mistreating him despite a friendship so close that Gates once asked for antibiotics to treat a sexually transmitted infection he had contracted from "Russian girls."

His former wife, Melinda French Gates,announced their divorcein 2021 after 27 years of marriage. She left the Gates Foundation in 2024.

"Whatever questions remain there of what I don't – can't even begin to know all of it – those questions are for those people and for even my ex-husband. They need to answer to those things, not me," French Gates said in the Feb. 5 episode ofNPR's "Wild Card" podcast.

The Gates Foundationsaidearlier in February that it did not make any payments to Epstein or employ him at any time.

The billionairecanceled plans to attend India's AI Impact Summithours before his scheduled keynote speech Feb. 19.

The Gates Foundation, chaired by Gates and started by him and his then-wife in 2000, is one of the world's largest funders of global health initiatives.

Contributing: Reuters

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Bill Gates admits to affairs, apologizes for Epstein relationship, WSJ reports

U.S. District Judge Murphy Investiture Ceremony in Boston

BOSTON, Feb 25 (Reuters) - A federal judge on Wednesday ruled that the Trump administration had adopted an unlawful policy that allows for the rapid deportation of migrants to countries other than their own without providing them a ‌chance to object and raise concerns for their safety.

U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy in Boston issued a final ruling declaring the ‌U.S. Department of Homeland Security's policy invalid in a case that the administration expects will ultimately be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The policy, which was adopted in ​March 2025 as part of Republican President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, failed to protect the due process rights of migrants who without notice could be swiftly deported to "an unfamiliar and potentially dangerous country," Murphy said.

Murphy said the administration had argued it would be "fine" for immigration officers under that policy to quickly deport people to so-called third countries they did not come from as long as DHS does not know someone is waiting to kill them upon ‌their arrival.

"It is not fine, nor is it ⁠legal," wrote Murphy, who was appointed by Democratic President Joe Biden.

DECISION ON HOLD PENDING LIKELY APPEAL

The judge set aside the policy and declared that migrants who had been subject to it had a right to meaningful ⁠notice and a chance to raise objections to being deported to third countries. But he paused his ruling from taking effect for 15 days to allow the administration time to pursue an appeal, citing the case's "importance and its unusual history."

He noted the Supreme Court's earlier interventions in the case. The court previously ​lifted ​a preliminary injunction Murphy issued in April protecting the due process rights of ​migrants facing deportation to third countries and later cleared ‌the way for eight men to be sent to South Sudan.

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While it was in effect, that earlier injunction hindered the administration's efforts to send migrants to countries other than their places of origin, including South Sudan, Libya and El Salvador.

A spokesperson for DHS, in a statement, pointed to the Supreme Court's earlier rulings in its favor in the case and said the department was "confident we will be vindicated again."

"DHS must be allowed to execute its lawful authority and remove illegal aliens to a country willing to accept them," the DHS spokesperson said.

Wednesday's ruling came ‌in a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of migrants facing deportation to countries not ​previously named in their removal orders or identified in their immigration court proceedings.

The policy allows ​migrants to be deported to such countries if immigration authorities ​either have credible diplomatic assurances they will not be persecuted or tortured if sent there, or have given ‌the migrants as little as six hours of notice that ​they are being sent to such ​a place.

Trina Realmuto, a lawyer for the plaintiffs at the National Immigration Litigation Alliance, called Murphy's ruling "a forceful statement from the court that the administration's third-country removal policy is unconstitutional."

"Under the government's policy, people have been forcibly returned to countries where U.S. immigration ​judges have found they will be persecuted or ‌tortured," Realmuto said in a statement.

Department of Justice lawyers had argued the policy satisfied immigration law requirements and due process ​standards and was essential for deporting migrants whose home countries refused them due to crimes they committed.

(Reporting by Nate ​Raymond in Boston, Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi, Nia Williams and Bill Berkrot)

The fire caused periodic lane closures due to smoke and poor visibility on the stretch of Interstate 75 known as Alligator Alley, which connects Florida's east and west coasts and runs through the vast Everglades wetlands. Wildfires are common the dry winter season.

However, the wildfire posed no threat Wednesday to the state-run "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration jail, said Stephanie Hartman, director of communications for the Florida Department of Emergency Management.

"The fire is situated 20 miles (32 kilometers) to the west of the facility and is burning in the opposite direction. Thanks to the increased humidity levels, we are seeing faster fire recovery and containment," she said.

"Alligator Alcatraz," which opened last July on a little-used airfield deep in the Everglades, has become a flashpoint in the Trump administration's sweepingimmigration crackdownand holds detainees who the federal government isseeking to deport.

Hartman said the department is in touch with local and state crews regarding the wildfires, who will give them a 24-hour notice if an evacuation at Alligator Alcatraz becomes necessary. She said evacuation procedures are well rehearsed, allowing a quick and efficient response.

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She did not immediately respond to a question about the number of detainees at the facility.

When it opened in July 2025, state officials said "Alligator Alcatraz" would have a capacity for 3,000 detainees that could be expanded to 5,000. According to recent reports revealed during a series of court hearings in Fort Myers in late January, there were about 1,500 detainees.

A strong cold front Sunday also brought dry air, which resulted in red flag warning for fire conditions across much of the state, said Anthony Reynes, a senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Miami.

The relative humidity was increasing on Wednesday, helping ease the conditions that fueled the fire, Reynes said. Still, conditions remain ripe for wildfires due to winds from the south and dry soil and grass, he said.

He said very little rain is in the forecast for the rest of the week, meaning severe drought conditions are continuing across the state.

Associated Press writer Gisela Salomon in Miami contributed.

NASCAR announced the format for this season's exhibition race, and it's complicated. The race is also 350 laps long.

The three-segment race will be divided into two 75-lap segments and a final 200-lap segment. The overall race is just 50 laps shorter than every Cup Series race held at the track since 1997.

Every team will begin the All-Star Race, too. The first two segments will contain every driver and team that entered the race. The field will then be whittled down to 26 drivers — there are 36 full-time teams in the Cup Series — for the final 200 laps.

How the 26 drivers will be decided

Here's where it gets complicated. Bear with us here.

Drivers who have won a race in 2025 and 2026 and all active Cup Series champions and All-Star Race winners are automatically in the third segment.

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Fourteen drivers won a race in 2025 and Tyler Reddick — who went winless last season — has won the first two races of the 2026 season. That's 15 drivers already with Reddick, Denny Hamlin, Shane van Gisbergen, Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney, Chase Briscoe, William Byron, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Austin Cindric, Josh Berry, Austin Dillon, Bubba Wallace, Ross Chastain and Joey Logano.

Full-time drivers who are past Cup Series champions and All-Star Race winners are in too. Kyle Busch fits that criteria. That makes it 16.

At the moment, that leaves 10 open spots for the final segment unless a winless driver from 2025 who isn't named Reddick or Busch wins a race in 2026 before the All-Star Race is held.

Those remaining spots will be filled by the driver who has the most votes in a fan vote and then via drivers' average finish in the first two segments. If seven spots are needed to fill the 26-car field, the seven drivers with the best two-stage average finish will make the field if they aren't already automatically qualified for the final segment.

Got all that? Good. There's one more wrinkle too. The top 26 finishers from the first stage will be inverted before the start of the second stage. That means the driver who wins the first stage will start 26th in the second stage.

All the machinations are NASCAR's latest attempt to inject life into the All-Star Race. The race moved to Dover in 2026 after North Wilkesboro Speedway — the site of the last three All-Star Races — was given a points race this season. The All-Star Race is Dover's only race date of the season as the concrete one-mile oval hasn't produced the most thrilling racing in recent seasons.

The funds were designated for the 11 American host cities in the Trump administration's "Big Beautiful Bill," which was passed in July.

The money is intended to "carry out the extensive security activities required to protect players, staff, attendees, venues and critical infrastructure across the host cities, strengthening them against potential terrorist attacks."

But in a Feb. 24 hearing before the House Committee on Homeland Security, representatives from Miami, Kansas City and New Jersey said that they had not yet received the funds.

With just more than 100 days until the World Cup kicks off, those who testified warned of major consequences should the money not arrive soon.

"We have to start making some really tough decisions and it starts with our fan festival," said Ray Martinez, chief operating officer of the Miami World Cup Host Committee.

"Without receiving this money, it could be catastrophic for our planning and coordination.

"The matches up at the stadium will take place, but preparing for all the impromptu events and watch parties that we are expecting to see will be in jeopardy."

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The current government shutdown is limited to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees a number of government agencies including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the agency administering the $625 million in grants.

2026 World Cup: 20 players who will get you out of your seat

Rep. Nellie Pou, a New Jersey Democrat whose district includes World Cup final venue MetLife Stadium, warned that her constituents are "running out of time" to prepare for the tournament.

"Congress has appropriated $625 million for the 11 cities hosting World Cup matches, including my district," said Pou. "With only roughly four months to go, these cities still report they have not received this funding. This is completely unacceptable this close to kickoff.

"If DHS is going to play a role in this tournament, then DHS needs to be transparent, coordinated, and timely. The World Cup is a global stage. We need to act like we are ready for it. We're running out of time."

Kansas City Deputy Police Chief Joseph Mabin echoed the concerns of others who testified.

"Right now we're in a critical stage where we need those funds committed and released," Mabin said.

He added: "The 'drop dead' date for this funding is immediate."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:World Cup host cities raise security alarms amid stalled DHS funding