Officials: 30 killed, 94 hurt in wedding attack in Turkey

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A bomb attack targeting an outdoor wedding party in southeastern Turkey killed at least 30 people and wounded 94 others, authorities said Sunday.

Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek said the “barbaric” attack in the city of Gaziantep, near the border with Syria, on Saturday appeared to be a suicide bombing. Other officials said it could have been the carried out by either Kurdish militants or Islamic State group extremists.

Photos taken after the explosion showed several bodies covered with white sheets as a crowd gathered nearby.

The Gaziantep governor’s office early Sunday raised the death toll from 22 to 30. It said the number of wounded remained at 94.

Turkey has been rocked by a wave of attacks in the past year that have either been claimed by Kurdish militants linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party — known by its acronym PKK — or were blamed on IS. In June, suspected IS militants attacked Istanbul’s main airport with guns and bombs, killing 44 people.

___

Trump calls on GOP to improve African-American outreach

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said Saturday that his party must do a better job appealing to African-American voters and that he wants the GOP to become their political home as it was in the era of Abraham Lincoln.

“I fully recognize that outreach to the African-American community is an area where the Republican Party must do better, and will do better,” Trump said during a rally in Fredericksburg, located between Richmond and Washington in the critical battleground state of Virginia.

In spite of past fiery rhetoric that alienated many minority voters, and speaking — as usual — to an overwhelmingly white crowd, Trump said that he wants “an inclusive party.” He noted that the “GOP is the party of Abraham Lincoln” and said, “I want our party to be a home of the African-American voter once again.”

Trump has been working in recent days to boost his appeal among African-American voters — declaring Friday that he could win 95 percent of the black vote at the end of his first term in office, if he is elected.

Trump’s new minority outreach efforts followed a shake-up in his campaign management in the face of falling poll numbers that quickly prompted noticeable changes to his campaigning tactics. In Fredericksburg, he spoke with the aid of a teleprompter, as he has at rallies all this week, and continued to strike a more inclusive, less caustic tone.

___

Neymar kick is gold: Brazil wins 1st Olympic soccer title

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — With a kiss of the ball and an unforgettable kick, Brazil’s biggest soccer star gave the Olympic host its biggest moment of the games.

Brazil won its first Olympic gold medal in soccer Saturday with a dramatic penalty kick by Neymar to defeat Germany, sending the nation into a frenzy after a 1-1 (5-4 shootout) victory.

Before the decisive shot, Neymar picked up the ball and kissed it before placing it on the penalty spot. With a stutter step and a smooth kick, he calmly sent a shot into the top corner and fell to his knees before being mobbed by his teammates.

“That’s it,” Neymar said. “We made history.”

It was a victory that was about more than soccer for a nation that desperately needed something to celebrate. Brazil had been battered by recession, political scandal, health scares over polluted water and the Zika virus and questions over whether it could pull off hosting the Olympics.

___

The good, the bad and the ugly of the Rio Games

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Michael Phelps won more medals than anyone else, again. And then he said farewell, also again.

Usain Bolt kissed the finish line goodbye after enhancing his Olympic legacy. Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky delivered under the burden of enormous expectations. Two strangers went from rivals to forever-linked by a display of kindness, an entire island seemed to celebrate a tennis match, and a gold medalist scampered home to avoid legal issues after a robbery story unraveled.

And then the home team won soccer gold.

The Rio de Janeiro Olympics were not perfect.

But there were moments — some great, some dreadful and some downright ugly — that will not, and should not, be forgotten.

___

What to watch at the Rio Games on Sunday

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — The final day of the Rio Games features medal action in basketball, volleyball, the marathon, boxing, wrestling and more, as well as the closing ceremonies. Here are some things to watch. (all times local):

BASKETBALL

No gold, no glory. That’s the way it is for the U.S. men’s basketball team . The Americans, the standard in the sport since winning their first 63 games after basketball debuted 80 years ago in the Olympics, are either winners or failures. But these Olympics have been way too tough to believe they will end easily against tough Serbia at 3:45 p.m. Sunday.

This U.S. team, less talented and experienced then the last two gold medalists, has already had four games decided by 10 points or less. And Serbia was one of those : The U.S. won 94-91 in pool play.

Australia faces Spain for the bronze at 11:30 a.m.

___

Clinton having a quiet August, and for her, that’s just fine

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — It’s no day at the beach, but Hillary Clinton is having the political equivalent of a quiet August.

Donald Trump may be dominating the political chatter as he reboots a trailing campaign, but it’s Clinton who’s winning positive headlines during visits to some of the most competitive states in the presidential race.

The Republican nominee’s constant state of campaign chaos is dulling the impact of stories about Clinton’s emails and allowing her to spend plenty of time raising money behind closed doors.

“I think she’s actually smart to stay quiet at this time. She’s not a popular candidate with the Democrats. She has a lot of negatives herself. There’s a lot of news that could be made about her,” said Rick Tyler, a former aide to Ted Cruz, the Texas senator and onetime Trump rival.

But, Tyler said, it’s all “getting subsumed by the black hole candidate that is Donald Trump.”

___

Trump and new team have little time to execute new strategy

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump is on the clock.

He has about 80 days to reset and rally a presidential campaign that’s done little but stagger since the close of the Republican convention. The GOP nominee’s allies say the celebrity businessman and his new leadership team are “laser-focused” and ready to direct the billionaire’s venom against Democratic Hillary Clinton.

“This has been one of the best weeks the campaign has had,” said Sean Spicer, chief strategist at the Republican National Committee.

For much of the past year, Trump has ignored the tools of modern-day presidential campaigns. That’s a big reason why Trump’s Republican critics are skeptical their party’s nominee has the time or discipline to rescue his struggling White House bid.

“The Trump campaign is at a ludicrously high disadvantage,” said Dan Senor, a former adviser to 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney and House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis. “The Democrats have something that the Republicans don’t: They have a nominee that’s built a real campaign organization.”

___

Trump’s campaign spending at half the rate of Clinton’s

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump doubled his campaign expenses last month yet was still spending at a far slower clip than Hillary Clinton.

New finance documents show the Republican presidential nominee’s campaign spent about $18.5 million in July. By comparison, the Democratic presidential nominee spent about $38 million.

Trump has continued to increase the size of his operation, putting $5 million this month into his first batch of TV ads. Clinton has been running general election ads for months.

The New York businessman gave his campaign another $2 million in July. He’d pledged to contribute as part of a fundraising pitch to small donors, telling them he’d match their efforts up to that amount.

In all, his campaign brought in $37 million. Clinton’s campaign raised $52 million.

___

Brazil wins gold in soccer; US grabs more track medals

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil won the medal it wanted the most Saturday, claiming its first Olympic gold in soccer and providing a lift to a beleaguered nation in the process.

Neymar scored the clinching goal for Brazil with a nifty penalty kick in a victory that touched off celebrations all across the soccer-obsessed nation. The win boosted the spirits of a country that has been dealing with a recession, political turmoil, health scares and rampant crime — not to mention the lingering effects of a 7-1 rout against Germany in the 2014 World Cup.

“Beloved nation, the gold is ours,” Brazilian goalie Weverton said.

The soccer championship headlined a golden day in the Rio Olympics, featuring a full slate of track and field, the future of boxing on display in a medal bout and a Hall of Fame golfer pulling off an impressive comeback. The U.S. women’s basketball team handily beat Spain 101-72 for a sixth straight title ; the American women have not lost an Olympic contest since 1992.

Brazil’s run to gold in soccer was far from easy, struggling in the first round under the intense pressure of a nation that desperately wanted an Olympic gold. In the final, Neymar not only clinched the win in penalty kicks but scored the team’s lone goal in regulation. Brazil won 1-1 (5-4 shootout).

___

Felix, Merritt help bring US medal total to 31 in track

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Allyson Felix and LaShawn Merritt are savvy track stars who’ve been around long enough to know that not everything always goes to plan.

Over the final 30 minutes of Saturday’s topsy-turvy night at the Olympic track, both Americans came away with prizes they’d been wishing for all along.

Those prizes were both golds from the 4×400 relay teams, and the United States exited the final night of action at Olympic Stadium with 31 medals — the most it has taken in a non-boycotted Olympics since 1956, when both the world and track were very different places.

“People are at home watching — watching 2012, watching 2008,” said Felix, 30, who wrapped up her fourth Olympics and now has nine total medals. “And when they get their opportunity, they’re seizing the moment.”

One of those moments looked like it might belong to 41-year-old Bernard Lagat in the 5,000 meters. He actually finished fifth, but two runners ahead of him, including American Paul Chelimo , were disqualified for interference and Lagat briefly moved to third. “Really?” he exclaimed when told about it during post-race interviews.