by Bill Barrow NEW ORLEANS — As President Joe Biden tries to revive his embattled reelection bid, Vice President Kamala Harris led a parade of Black Democrats who warned Saturday that the threat of another Donald Trump presidency remains the most important calculation ahead of November. Yet in more than 20 minutes on stage at the Essence Festival of Culture, Harris did not acknowledge Biden’s dismal debate performance or calls for the 81-year-old president to end his reelection bid. In fact, she barely mentioned Biden at all – a stark contrast to the Congressional Black Caucus members who forcefully and…

by Chinedu Asadu ABUJA, Nigeria — West Africa’s divided regional bloc Sunday asked Senegal’s President Basirou Diomaye Faye to have a dialogue with the three military junta-led member states to try to reunite the region whose stability has been under threat following their decision to leave the group in January. At its summit in Nigeria’s capital Abuja, the bloc — known as ECOWAS — appointed Faye as its envoy to meet with Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, which formed their separate union after their respective coups fractured relations with neighbors. It was not immediately clear what the terms of the…

by Tim Reynolds Antetokounmpo is heading to the Olympics for the first time, after he scored 23 points and Greece held off Croatia 80-69 on Sunday in one of the four men’s basketball qualifying tournament finals being held to determine the final spots in the 12-team field for the Paris Games. “The best athletes in the world compete in the Olympic Games,” Antetokounmpo said. “We have nothing to lose. … I really believe we have an incredible team and we can accomplish something special.” Georgios Papagiannis scored 19 points for Greece, which got 14 from Nick Calathes and earned an…

by Tim Reynolds LAS VEGAS — He first played on the U.S. Olympic team as a 19-year-old. He did it again in his 20s, twice. And now, a few months from turning 40, he’s back for one more run. LeBron James didn’t need another Olympic experience to complete some missing box on his resume or add to a legacy that was secured long, long ago. He decided to play this summer for one simple reason — because he wants to. Taking his first steps toward becoming the first U.S. men’s basketball player to compete at the Olympics in three different…

by John Raby CHICAGO – The Fourth of July historically is one of the nation’s deadliest days of the year. A flurry of shootings around the holiday a year ago left more than a dozen people dead and over 60 wounded. And a year before that, seven people died in a mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade near Chicago. Violence and mass shootings often increase in the summer months, with more people gathering for social events, teens out of school and hotter temperatures. Chicago ‘in state of grief’ In Chicago alone, 11 people had been killed and 55…

by Jade Lozada UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille told the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday that recently deployed Kenyan police will be crucial to helping control the country’s gangs and moving toward democratic elections — and he called feedback from their initial days in the capital “extremely, extremely positive.” He said his government will focus on addressing gang violence and food insecurity, ensuring free elections through constitutional and political reform, and rebuilding public trust in the police. On June 25, the initial contingent of 200 Kenyan police arrived in Port-au-Prince. Kenya has pledged 1,000 police to…

by Will Weissert WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden ‘s halting debate performance on Thursday night has led some in his own party to begin questioning whether he should be replaced on the ballot before November. The latest on the Biden-Trump debate The debate was a critical moment in Joe Biden and Donald Trump’s presidential rematch to make their cases before a national television audience. Take a look at the facts around false and misleading claims frequently made by the two candidates. Both candidates wasted no time sparring over policy during their 90-minute faceoff. These are the takeaways. There is…

by Zeke Miller, Michelle L. Price, Will Weissert, Bill Barrow and Darlene Superville ATLANTA (AP) — A raspy and sometimes halting President Joe Biden tried repeatedly to confront Donald Trump in their first debate ahead of the November election, as his Republican rival countered Biden’s criticism by leaning into falsehoods about the economy, illegal immigration and his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection. Biden’s uneven performance, particularly early in the debate, crystallized the concerns of many Americans that, at 81, he is too old to serve as president. It sparked a fresh round of calls for the Democrat…

by Evelyne Musambi NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenya’s president called the storming of parliament on Tuesday a national security threat and vowed that such unrest won’t happen again “at whatever cost,” after thousands of protesters against a new finance bill pushed their way in, burning part of the building and sending legislators fleeing. It was the most direct assault on the government in decades. Journalists saw at least three bodies outside the complex where police had opened fire, and medical workers reported five others killed. Clashes spread to other cities. There was no immediate word on arrests. “Today’s events mark a…

by  Jintamas Sarkornchai, Alanna Durkin Richer Eric Tucker BANGKOK — A plane believed to be carrying Julian Assange landed Tuesday in Bangkok, as the WikiLeaks founder was on his way to enter a plea deal with the U.S. government that will free him and resolve the legal case that spanned years and continents over the publication of a trove of classified documents. Chartered flight VJT199 landed after noon at Don Mueang International Airport, north of the Thai capital. Airport officials told The Associated Press the plane was only in Bangkok for refueling and was scheduled to depart Tuesday evening for…