by Ronald Blum and Michelle L. Price SEATTLE  — U.S. President Donald Trump intervened on behalf of star U.S. forward Folarin Balogun, whose red-card suspension was lifted in a decision that allows him to play in a World Cup match against Belgium on Monday. Balogun, the American leader with three goals in the tournament, received a red cardfor stepping awkwardly on the right ankle of Tarik Muharemović of Bosnia-Herzegovina in a 2-0 round of 32 win on Wednesday, triggering an automatic one-game suspension. FIFA announced Sunday that the suspension had been lifted for the round of 16 match, an extraordinary…

by Ken Maguire LONDON — Serena Williams will face an opponent less than half her age when she plays 20-year-old Maya Joint in the first round at Wimbledon for her first singles match in nearly four years. The seven-time Wimbledon singles champion, who is 44, accepted a wild-card entry to the grass-court Grand Slam, where she’ll also compete in doubles with her older sister Venus, who turned 46 last week. It’s all part of a tennis comeback that started with two doubles warmup matches but kicked into high gear Sunday when the All England Club announced Serena would play singles.…

by Jay Cohen CHICAGO (AP) — Bryson Graham took over the Chicago Bulls when he was hired as executive vice president of basketball operations in May. At his introductory news conference, he referenced the acronym SLAP — size, length, athleticism, physicality. That vision is beginning to come into focus. Chicago selected Caleb Wilson and Dailyn Swain in the first round of Graham’s first draft with his new team on Tuesday night. It was part of a busy stretch for the Bulls, who reportedly acquired Nic Claxton as part of a three-team trade on Monday night. Tiago Splitter was hired as…

by Julie Carr Smyth and Michael Casey A federal judge on Wednesday permanently barred President Donald Trump’s administration from implementing most of his first executive order on elections, part of which sought to require people to show documentary proof of citizenship when they register to vote. The ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Denise Casper in Boston effectively converts a preliminary injunction she issued a year ago, in which she temporarily blocked many of Trump’s efforts to overhaul elections, into a permanent ban. Casper rejected the administration’s argument that the lawsuit to block the changes brought by Democratic state attorneys…

by Scott Bauer CHICAGO, IL- Former President Barack Obama formally opened his presidential center in Chicago on Thursday with a call to defend democracy as three former presidents joined him on stage in an extraordinary event featuring politicians, A-list celebrities, athletes and other internationally known figures. “I hope this center will serve as an affirmation of just how special, how precious our democracy truly is and remind us what we can achieve when we embrace our shared responsibilities as citizens,” the nation’s first Black president told the crowd. Bono, John Legend, Christina Aguilera, Marc Anthony and Eddie Vedder took turns…

by Scott Bauer Former President Barack Obama, joined by three former presidents, celebrated the opening of his presidential museum in Chicago in an extraordinary event Thursday that brought together politicians, A-list celebrities, athletes and other internationally known figures. Bono, John Legend, Christina Aguilera, Marc Anthony and Eddie Vedder took turns on the stage ahead of Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Wonder. “I hope this center will serve as an affirmation of just how special, how precious our democracy truly is and remind us what we can achieve when we embrace our shared responsibilities as citizens,” Obama told the crowd. President Donald…

by Kristie Rieken HOUSTON — Cristiano Ronaldo and his Portugal teammates were surprisingly held to a 1-1 draw by Congo on Wednesday in their opening match at the World Cup. Congo, which was playing at the World Cup for the first time in 52 years, became the second African nation to make a strong start in the tournament against European competition following Cape Verde’s 0-0 draw with Spain on Monday. “The World Cup is a tournament where this happens,” said Portugal coach Roberto Martínez, a Spaniard who coached Belgium to the semifinals at the 2018 tournament. “At times the performance…

by Dave Collins and Hallie Golden CHIAGO, IL – Residents in tornado-ravaged areas in Illinois and Indiana were grappling with the damage to their homes and neighborhoods on Friday, after the strong line of storms barreled through communities south of Chicago and left trails of destruction. Cleanup efforts were underway, and utility companies said power restoration efforts could extend into next week. Thursday’s storms ripped roofs off of buildings, flattened homes, brought down scores of trees and power lines and caused hundreds of thousands of power outages and major air traffic disruptions. Officials said there were no reports of deaths…

by Beth Harris INGLEWOOD, Calif.  — Folarin Balogun could have played for any one of three countries. He chose the United States, and it paid off with a splashy World Cup debut on home soil. The 24-year-old striker scored two goals as the Americans opened with a 4-1 victory over Paraguay on Friday night in front of a rabid and star-studded red, white and blue-clad sold-out crowd of 70,492 at SoFi Stadium. “I visualized my debut in the World Cup scoring, but the reality did surpass that,” Balogun said. “A very dreamy night.” With retired England captain David Beckham looking…

by Michael R. Sisak NEW YORK  — If there is a saving grace from the bedlam that is about to ensue in New York City on Saturday, with the Knicks on the verge of a championship and Brazil taking on Morocco in the World Cup, it is that Game 5 of the NBA Finals is on the road. Of course, that won’t stop orange-and-blue-blooded Knicks fans from teeming into the area near the team’s Manhattan arena to watch on bar TVs and big screens as their team — playing 1,580 miles (2,545 kilometers) away in San Antonio — looks to…