by Emeka ObasiLAGOS, NIGERIA -Those who use politics to confuse Nigerians must see the bond created by soccer in the last Naija Super8 Championships. At a time the polity was smeared with bloody interventions, Chief Adewunmi Ogunsanya made a bold statement.His Flykite Promotions is piloted by Jenkins Alumona. Naija Super8 brought compatriots together in Lagos. There was no ethnic colouration to the entertainment offered at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena. Football brought relief to citizens who have been pauperized these past eight years by inept leadership.Ogunsanya, the Odofin Erujaje of Ikorodu, pumped in money to bring back our football. I thought…

by Bruce Schreiner MAYFIELD, Ky.  — U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell received a rousing welcome from the party faithful Saturday at a high-profile home-state political gathering amid renewed scrutiny of his health after the 81-year-old lawmaker froze up midsentence during a recent Capitol Hill news conference. “This is my 28th Fancy Farm, and I want to assure you it’s not my last,” McConnell said at the top of his breakfast speech before the annual picnic that is the traditional jumping off point for the fall campaign season in Kentucky. It was his only reference, however vague, to his health. McConnell, who…

by Sam Mednick NIAMEY, Niger  — The deadline arrived Sunday for Niger’s military junta to reinstate the country’s ousted president, but the West Africa regional bloc that has threatened a military intervention faces prominent appeals to pursue more peaceful means. In the capital, coup leaders appeared at a stadium rally where a chicken decorated in the colors of former colonizer France was beheaded, to cheers. Neighboring Nigeria’s Senate has pushed back against the plan by the regional bloc known as ECOWAS, urging Nigeria’s president, the bloc’s current chair, on Saturday to explore options other than the use of force. ECOWAS…

by Anne M. Peterson MELBOURNE, Australia  — The United States played its best game of this Women’s World Cup and it wasn’t good enough to stop the two-time reigning champions from being eliminated in the round of 16. The Americans’ bid to win an unprecedented third consecutive title ended Sunday on penalty kicks. Megan Rapinoe, Sophia Smith and Kelly O’Hara missed with kicks from the penalty spot before Lina Hurtig converted to clinch the shootout 5-4 on Sunday as Sweden knocked the United States out of the World Cup after a scoreless draw in regulation and extra time. The Americans controlled the…

by Chinedu Asadu ABUJA, Nigeria  — Regional mediation efforts to reverse the coup in Niger and restore its democracy collapsed as soon as they started. Tensions have escalated as the Sunday deadline nears for possible military intervention by other West African countries. As its meeting ended Friday in neighboring Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, the region’s defense chiefs finalized a plan to use force against the Niger junta — needing approval by their political leaders — if Mohamed Bazoum is not reinstated as Niger’s president. An Economic Community of West African States delegation to Niger, led by Nigeria’s former head of state…

by Jill Colvin NEW YORK  — As Donald Trump was being arraigned in Washington on yet another round of criminal charges, his running mate-turned-rival Mike Pence hurried to capitalize on the news. Pence’s campaign unveiled new T-shirts and baseball caps for sale featuring the phrase “Too Honest” in big red letters — a reference to an episode in the indictment in which the former president called Pence to berate him over his refusal to go along with Trump’s scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 election. “You’re too honest,” Trump allegedly scoffed at his second-in-command on New Year’s Day. Pence’s decision to seize on the…

by Ellen Knicmeyer and Sam Mednick WASHINGTON  — Ten days into a coup in Niger, life has become more challenging for U.S. forces at a counterterrorism base in a region of West Africa known as the world’s epicenter of terrorism. Flights in and out of the country have been curtailed as coup leaders require Americans to seek permission for each flight. Fuel shortages mean the U.S. commander must sign off whenever an aircraft is refueled. And yet, as several European countries evacuate Niger, the Biden administration is showing itself intent on staying. It sees Niger as the United States’ last, best counterterrorism…

by Kimberlee Kruesi NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Nashville Democrat Justin Jones, a member of the so-called “Tennessee Three,” won back his state House seat Thursday after Republican lawmakers expelled him for his participation in a pro-gun control protest in the Capitol. Jones, 27, defeated Republican candidate Laura Nelson. Along with Jones, fellow Democrat Justin Pearson, 28, was also vying to reclaim his House seat in Memphis against independent candidate Jeff Johnston after also being expelled in April. The young Black lawmakers were reinstated by local officials after being booted from the GOP-dominated Statehouse, but only on an interim basis. They needed…

by Rebeca Santana WASHINGTON  — An appeals court Thursday allowed a rule restricting asylum at the southern border to temporarily stay in place. The decision is a major win for the Biden administration,which had argued that the rule was integral to its efforts to maintain order along the U.S.-Mexico border. The new rule makes it extremely difficult for people to be granted asylum unless they first seek protection in a country they’re traveling through on their way to the U.S. or apply online. It includes room for exceptions and does not apply to children traveling alone. The decision by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court…

by Steve Reed CHARLOTTE, N.C.  — A new era has begun for the Charlotte Hornets, raising hope that one day the struggling franchise might turn things around. Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall officially acquired the majority stake of the Hornets from six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan on Thursday, bringing new thoughts and ideas on how to rebuild a franchise that hasn’t been to the playoffs in the last seven seasons. Plotkin said he and Schnall plan to be “patient” NBA owners, but they are driven to build a winner in Charlotte. “We think ultimately this is a top-10 or top-15 franchise in the…