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Messi once held Spanish star in his arms

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Almost two decades ago, photographer Joan Monfort didn't think much of his photo shoot of a teenage Lionel Messi bathing a cute baby boy in a plastic bathtub. Not until the remarkable twist of fate became clear years later, when that infant blossomed into Lamine ...

FIFA hopes smoke clears out for final

NEW YORK (AP) — Mikel Merino can smell and see the smoke from the Canadian wildfires that are making for hazy conditions across large parts of the U.S., including northern New Jersey where he and Spain are set to face Argentina in the World Cup final on Sunday. Merino is trying not to focus on it. It remains unclear how much, if at all, the smoke will affect the final. The World Health Organization forecast calls for an improvement to "moderate" air quality in East Rutherford. "For a game that is as important as a World Cup final, you have to be able to shut out external factors ...

SPORTS BRIEFING

SCRAPPERS CALL OFF ANOTHER GAME NILES — The Mahoning Valley Scrappers canceled their second straight game on Friday due to air quality concerns caused by the Canadian wildfires. Friday's game with the State College Spikes was sold out for 717 Credit Union Financial Wellness Night. The promotion was called off at 11:20 a.m. Friday due to concerns for patrons attending, but the baseball game was not decided upon until 4:30 p.m. The sold out 717 Credit Union Financial Wellness Night will go ahead on July 24. Tickets for Friday's game can be used for entry on July 24 and do not need ...

British Open pair records major record 62s

SOUTHPORT, England (AP) — The British Open came to life Friday when Lucas Herbert and Sam Burns took their place in history by tying the major championship record with 62s, and Bryson DeChambeau was penalized two shots after his round for inadvertently improving the path of his ...

Trump doubles down on US election attacks in his primetime speech

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump used a primetime address to the nation Thursday to elevate his yearslong push to raise doubts about the legitimacy of U.S. elections and dispute his 2020 loss in an appeal for more restrictive voting laws ahead of the midterms. Trump's amplification of debunked theories about the election six years ago and his inability to accept his loss led to one of the darker moments in American history when a mob of his supporters led a violent attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in the final days of his first term. Now back in power, Trump ...

LeBron holds off on revealing next team

NEW YORK (AP) — If LeBron James knows where he will play this coming season, he's still not saying. The NBA's career scoring king and current free agent spoke publicly for the first time in weeks Thursday afternoon, indicating that a decision is close — though stopping short of revealing which team he'll choose to play for this fall, despite at least one cry from someone in a jampacked room shouting for him to "pick a team." "I won't hold you guys up too much longer," James said. The four-time NBA champion had a pair of appearances Thursday: He recorded an episode of his "Mind ...