by Nandita Bose, Jarrett Renshaw and Jeff Mason WASHINGTON -Vice President Kamala Harris wasted no time launching her 2024 presidential campaign, seeking the support of fellow Democrats with the backing of President Joe Biden after he pulled out of the race amid concerns about his age and health. Her campaign officials and allies made hundreds of calls on behalf of Harris on Sunday, urging delegates to the Democratic Party convention next month to join in nominating her for president in the Nov. 5 election against Republican Donald Trump. Multiple sources said the calls, aimed at blocking would-be Democratic challengers, began…

by James Oliphant, Helen Coster, Nathan Layne Analysis: -Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump will try to show swing voters that his likely new rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, has her fingerprints all over two issues he is counting on for victory in November: immigration and the cost of living. Sources within the Trump campaign said it will cast Harris, the likely Democratic candidate after President Joe Biden quit the race on Sunday, as the “co-pilot” of administration polices it says are behind both sources of voter discontent. Biden’s sudden exit and endorsement of Harris has upended the race, just eight…

WASHINGTON -State Democratic party chairs on Sunday threw their weight behind Vice President Kamala Harris to be the party’s new presidential nominee to run against Republican nominee and former president, Donald Trump. The chairs held a conference call after President Joe Biden announced he was stepping aside as the party’s candidate. “Following President Biden’s announcement, our members immediately assembled to unite behind the candidate who has a track record of winning tough elections, and who is a proven leader on the issues that matter to Americans: reproductive freedom, gun violence prevention, climate protection, justice reform, and rebuilding the economy,” said…

NEW YORK (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign on Sunday after fellow Democrats lost faith in his mental acuity and ability to beat Donald Trump, leaving the presidential race in uncharted territory. Here are comments from investors: DAVID WAGNER, PORTFOLIO MANAGER AT APTUS CAPITAL ADVISORS LLC, FAIRHOPE, ALABAMA: “We may see a bit of reversal in what has worked in the market over the last two weeks, with smaller capitalization stocks running, but by no means would I expect the market to give all those gains up. “The bigger event for the market will be who will…

by Jeff Mason, Jarrett Renshaw and Steve Holland REHOBOTH BEACH, Delaware (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden abandoned his reelection bid on Sunday under growing pressure from his fellow Democrats and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s candidate to face Republican Donald Trump in the November election. Biden, who at 81 is the oldest person ever to have occupied the Oval Office, said he would remain in the presidency until his term ended on Jan. 20, 2025, and would address the nation this week. Biden, who has not been seen in public since testing positive for COVID-19 last week,…

By John Kruzel WASHINGTON – Donald Trump’s former physician Ronny Jackson said on Saturday that the former president is recovering as expected from a gunshot wound to his ear that he suffered last week, but noted intermittent bleeding and said Trump may require a hearing exam. The bullet fired by a would-be assassin at a July 13 Trump rally in Pennsylvania came “less than a quarter of an inch from entering his head” before striking the top of Trump’s right ear, said Jackson, a Republican congressman from Texas who served as physician to Presidents Trump and Barack Obama. Five days…

LAGOS, – Nigeria’s Dangote refinery will hit production of 550,000 barrels per day (bpd) this year, equivalent to 85% of capacity, but it is having to increase crude imports due to insufficient domestic supplies, the plant’s CEO said on Saturday. Chief Executive Aliko Dangote said the 650,000-bpd capacity refinery, which is the largest in Africa, had only received five crude cargoes from state oil firm NNPC since it started operating earlier this year, instead of the 15 it expected. “That is why we went ahead and bought some Brazilian crude, we also got U.S. crude. Anytime we go to IOCs…

by Trevor Hunnicutt and Jeff Mason The U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will headline a fundraiser in Massachusetts on Saturday as President Joe Biden faces continued pressure from fellow Democrats and big money donors to end his floundering campaign. Biden and top aides on Friday vowed to continue with the campaign, even as major donors signaled they were unwilling to open their checkbooks unless the 81-year-old president stepped aside. The crisis of confidence in Biden’s ability to win the Nov. 5 election has placed a huge spotlight on Harris, widely believed to be the most likely replacement if he steps…

by Nandita Bose WASHINGTON, July 18 (Reuters) – Former House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi has told President Joe Biden she believes he cannot win the Nov. 5 election and backed California lawmaker Adam Schiff’s call for him to step aside, a top White House source with direct knowledge of the matter said. But a source close to Pelosi – one of the most influential members of Biden’s Democratic Party – said that Schiff’s comments “came as news” to the former speaker and that he did not consult with Pelosi before making his concerns public. A spokesman for the former…

by Felix Onuah ABUJA, July 18 (Reuters) – Nigeria’s main labour unions agreed on a new minimum wage of 70,000 naira ($44) a month on Thursday after talks with the government, ending months of deadlock and the threat of strikes. Africa’s most populous nation is grappling with the worst cost of living crisis in a generation, stoking fears of Kenyan-style protests that have rocked that country for nearly a month. Nigeria’s two biggest union federations, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), have argued that soaring prices and a weakening currency caused by reforms instituted by…