ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — The state of New York is forming an exploratory committee to consider whether Lake Placid and New York City should bid to co-host a future Winter Olympics.
The announcement Monday from Gov. Kathy Hochul's office suggested a dual-hosting format, the likes of which Milan and Cortina pulled off at this year's Olympics.
It does not mention a year, though with the 2034 Games going to Salt Lake City and with Switzerland tabbed as the preferred bidder for 2038, the first likely available spot for New York to host would be 2042.
“The time is now to return the Olympic flame back to New York,” Hochul said.
Lake Placid hosted the Winter Olympics in 1932 and 1980 — the year of the “Miracle on Ice” when the underdog U.S beat the Soviet Union in men's hockey on home ice. It also spent time in the mix as an emergency backup for this year's sliding sports when the venue in Cortina was riddled with construction delays.
The exploratory committee will take about a year to complete its work. The formation of the committee does not mean New York is officially involved in a bid process. The chair of the committee will be Ashley Walden, president and CEO of the Olympic Regional Development Authority.
Also among those on the committee is Assemblyman Robert Carroll, who was in Italy for the Games in February and often has said how the Milan Cortina model is one that could work in New York.
Lake Placid is among the few former hosts expected to have reliable enough weather to be able to host the Games by 2050, according to a recent climate change study.
The 2030 Olympics will be held in the French Alps.
https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
FILE - The Olympic rings stand above the course during the cross country skiing women's 50km mass start classic at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Tesero, Italy, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File)
A federal judge has blocked an attempt by the Trump administration to subpoena Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and other state officials, calling it an effort to “harass and retaliate against them.”
In a ruling unsealed Monday, U.S. District Judge Patrick Schlitz found the “dominant purpose” of the subpoenas was to “coerce Minnesota officials into assisting the federal government with enforcing civil immigration law and to harass and retaliate against them for failing to do so.”
The subpoenas seeking records were served in January as part of an investigation into whether Walz and other officials obstructed or impeded law enforcement during a sweeping immigration operation in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. They were sent to the offices of Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her and officials in Ramsey and Hennepin counties.
The ruling is the latest rebuke by the federal judiciary of Justice Department efforts to aggressively implement the Trump administration agenda in courts and target the president’s political adversaries through subpoenas and similar demands.
The judge ruled that there appeared to be “extremely weak to nonexistent” connections between the information sought in the subpoenas and any possible criminal violation. The subpoenas seek materials “that largely if not entirely relate to constitutionally protected conduct,” the judge wrote, noting that Minnesota has the legal right not to devote its resources to enforcing federal immigration law.
The Justice Department “is not conducting a criminal investigation,” the judge wrote, “but is instead using the grand jury process for other (unlawful) purposes.”
The evidence that the subpoenas were issued for unlawful reasons is overwhelming, the judge said, arguing that the Justice Department “has struggled — without success — to identify a single plausible investigatory justification” for them.
The Justice Department didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
Walz, in a statement, called the ruling “a victory for the rule of law and our democracy.”
“The U.S. Justice Department is pursuing criminal investigations into the President’s political opponents,” said Walz, the 2024 Democratic nominee for vice president. “This case was just one example of that, but we are seeing daily reminders of this administration’s lawlessness — in Minnesota and around the country. We all must continue to seek justice and uphold the rule of law.”
Ellison said “it should disturb every American that Donald Trump is weaponizing the criminal justice system against people he disagrees with.”
The subpoenas “a politically motivated retaliation against our city for lawfully standing up to ICE and fighting for our residents,” Her said in a statement, referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Frey said the investigation was “never about justice, law, and order, but the absence of it."
“Subpoenaing political opponents because they spoke on behalf of their constituents violates the core tenets of our democracy and human decency,” he said.
Frey also observed that criticizing government action is not a crime.
“One of the defining strengths of our democracy is the ability to challenge those in power without fear of retribution. Elected officials have both the right and the responsibility to speak honestly about how government decisions affect the people they serve,” he said.
Over the last year, judges have dismissed indictments against two prominent Trump foes, former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, and grand juries have repeatedly refused to return indictments sought by the Justice Department.
The moves reflect mounting public concerns that the Justice Department, an institution meant to make investigative and prosecution decisions independent of the White House, is being politicized under the current Trump administration.
Vice President JD Vance has separately called on the Justice Department to investigate Walz and Ellison over allegations they failed to stop widespread social services fraud, though the department has not said whether it will open an investigation. Walz and Ellison have described those allegations as politically motivated and defended their efforts to combat fraud in Minnesota.
FILE - Protesters demonstrate against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer earlier, Jan. 12, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jen Golbeck, File)
FILE - Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey speaks during the 94th Winter Meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Jan. 29, 2026 in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf, File)
CORRECTS PRETTY TO PRETTI - Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, right, and Attorney General Keith Ellison discuss the shooting of Alex Pretti during a news conference in Blaine, Minn., Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
FILE - Federal immigration officers deploy tear gas at protesters after a shooting Jan. 24, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr, File)
