Mexico said on Wednesday it would work with Donald Trump for the benefit of both nations after his surprise US&nbsp;election win, but reiterated it would not pay for his planned border wall, which stirred up deep resentment during a fraught presidential campaign.

As Trump strode toward victory, the peso plunged 13 per cent in its biggest fall since the Tequila Crisis devaluation 22 years ago, before paring losses to trade down 8.7 per cent at 19.91 per dollar. Still, officials held back from taking action to support the peso despite it hitting lifetime lows overnight.

Trump&#39;s threats to dump the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) agreement with Mexico and Canada, and to tax money sent home by migrants to pay for the controversial wall on the southern border, have made the peso particularly vulnerable to events in the US&nbsp;presidential race.

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<h5>&#39;Very hard times are coming to Mexico,&#39; said analyst Gabriela Siller of Mexican bank BASE</h5>
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Still, President Enrique Pena Nieto said he called to congratulate Trump, and had agreed to meet the New Yorker during the transition phase to discuss joint cooperation, which he hopes would strengthen the competitiveness of North America.

Welcoming Trump&#39;s victory speech pledge to seek &quot;common ground&quot; and partnership with other countries, Pena Nieto said in a televised statement that Mexico shared the same vision.

&quot;Dialogue to make agreements is still the best route for Mexico, and my government will seek opportunities that benefit both nations in this new phase of bilateral relations,&quot; he said.

Nevertheless, Foreign Minister Claudia Ruiz Massieu reiterated that Mexico would not pay for Trump&#39;s proposed wall. The vow to make Mexico pay for the barrier was a key feature of his stump speeches.

Ratings agency Fitch said Trump&#39;s victory may add downside risks to Mexico&#39;s economic growth, while Moody&#39;s warned the government may not meet its goals of cutting its budget deficit if flows of trade or foreign investment wilt under Trump.

Growth worry

Both Moody&#39;s and Standard &amp; Poor&#39;s rating agencies put Mexico&#39;s credit rating on a negative view earlier this year.

Gabriel Casillas, an economist at Banorte, predicted Trump&#39;s victory will shave 0.3 percentage point from 2016 economic growth, and said the peso could suffer for months as the market tries to figure out what Trump could do in office.

&quot;Because of the uncertainty of what Trump could do, consumers will postpone purchases, companies will postpone investments,&quot; Casillas said, but added that he thought Trump&#39;s actual policies will fall short of his rhetoric, not least because unwinding trade with Mexico is easier said than done.&quot;I don&#39;t think Trump will do a lot of the things he said he will do,&quot; he said.

Others were more pessimistic.

Morgan Stanley analysts said in a note that the fallout from a Trump presidency would have &quot;deep ramifications&quot; for the equity market and that foreign investment could stall.

&quot;Risks of a hard landing in Mexico have clearly risen,&quot; the bank&#39;s analysts said.

But for now the market pulled back from its initial panic. The peso recovered from its low after Trump took a measured tone in his victory speech and did not invoke any of his threats against Mexico, analysts said.

Mexico&#39;s benchmark IPC stock index &lt;.MXX&gt; fell more than 3.0 percent initially, but pared losses and closed down 2.23 percent.

&quot;The market has calmed down a bit and given the benefit of doubt to a more conciliatory Trump,&quot; said Marco Oviedo, an economist at Barclays in Mexico City.

Mexican-based economists had expected a snap interest rate rise, but central bank Governor Agustin Carstens told a news conference on Wednesday morning the bank would take any necessary measures pending market conditions.

He said it would hold a monetary policy meeting as scheduled on Nov. 17, but did not announce any immediate steps to support the currency. Mexico has already raised its benchmark interest rate three times this year to support the peso.

Finance Minister Jose Antonio Meade said authorities were monitoring the situation and would act if needed.

The central bank hiked its key interest rate in September by 50 basis points to 4.75 percent to anchor inflation expectations following the peso&#39;s creeping depreciation.

Mexico has more than $175 billion in foreign reserves, and Carstens said last month he would consider using a $90 billion International Monetary Fund flexible credit line &quot;in the event of an external shock.

(Reuters)

Instead, President Enrique Pena Nieto urged the newly-elected Donald Trump to 'work together' for the development of North America

Mexico said on Wednesday it would work with Donald Trump for the benefit of both nations after his surprise US election win, but reiterated it would not pay for his planned border wall, which stirred up deep resentment during a fraught presidential campaign. As Trump strode toward victory, the peso plunged 13 per cent in its biggest fall since the Tequila Crisis devaluation 22 years ago, before paring losses to trade down 8.7 per cent at 19.91 per dollar. Still, officials held back from taking action to support the peso despite it hitting lifetime lows overnight. Trump's threats to dump the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) agreement with Mexico and Canada, and to tax money sent home by migrants to pay for the controversial wall on the southern border, have made the peso particularly vulnerable to events in the US presidential race. 'Very hard times are coming to Mexico,' said analyst Gabriela Siller of Mexican bank BASE × Still, President Enrique Pena Nieto said he called to congratulate Trump, and had agreed to meet the New Yorker during the transition phase to discuss joint cooperation, which he hopes would strengthen the competitiveness of North America. Welcoming Trump's victory speech pledge to seek "common ground" and partnership with other countries, Pena Nieto said in a televised statement that Mexico shared the same vision. "Dialogue to make agreements is still the best route for Mexico, and my government will seek opportunities that benefit both nations in this new phase of bilateral relations," he said. Nevertheless, Foreign Minister Claudia Ruiz Massieu reiterated that Mexico would not pay for Trump's proposed wall. The vow to make Mexico pay for the barrier was a key feature of his stump speeches. Ratings agency Fitch said Trump's victory may add downside risks to Mexico's economic growth, while Moody's warned the government may not meet its goals of cutting its budget deficit if flows of trade or foreign investment wilt under Trump. Growth worry Both Moody's and Standard & Poor's rating agencies put Mexico's credit rating on a negative view earlier this year. Gabriel Casillas, an economist at Banorte, predicted Trump's victory will shave 0.3 percentage point from 2016 economic growth, and said the peso could suffer for months as the market tries to figure out what Trump could do in office. "Because of the uncertainty of what Trump could do, consumers will postpone purchases, companies will postpone investments," Casillas said, but added that he thought Trump's actual policies will fall short of his rhetoric, not least because unwinding trade with Mexico is easier said than done."I don't think Trump will do a lot of the things he said he will do," he said. Others were more pessimistic. Morgan Stanley analysts said in a note that the fallout from a Trump presidency would have "deep ramifications" for the equity market and that foreign investment could stall. "Risks of a hard landing in Mexico have clearly risen," the bank's analysts said. But for now the market pulled back from its initial panic. The peso recovered from its low after Trump took a measured tone in his victory speech and did not invoke any of his threats against Mexico, analysts said. Mexico's benchmark IPC stock index <.MXX> fell more than 3.0 percent initially, but pared losses and closed down 2.23 percent. "The market has calmed down a bit and given the benefit of doubt to a more conciliatory Trump," said Marco Oviedo, an economist at Barclays in Mexico City. Mexican-based economists had expected a snap interest rate rise, but central bank Governor Agustin Carstens told a news conference on Wednesday morning the bank would take any necessary measures pending market conditions. He said it would hold a monetary policy meeting as scheduled on Nov. 17, but did not announce any immediate steps to support the currency. Mexico has already raised its benchmark interest rate three times this year to support the peso. Finance Minister Jose Antonio Meade said authorities were monitoring the situation and would act if needed. The central bank hiked its key interest rate in September by 50 basis points to 4.75 percent to anchor inflation expectations following the peso's creeping depreciation. Mexico has more than $175 billion in foreign reserves, and Carstens said last month he would consider using a $90 billion International Monetary Fund flexible credit line "in the event of an external shock. (Reuters)

We will not pay for border wall, Mexico reiterates

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is leading in three states -- Indiana, Kentucky and New Hampshire -- while his rival Hillary Clinton is projected to win Vermont.

Donald Trump is projected to win traditional Republican strongholds Indiana, Kentucky and Georgia, while Hillary Clinton is projected to bag Vermont.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, polling has closed in crucial swing states --&nbsp;Florida and Virginia.

Early reports indicate that it is tight between the two presidential contenders in Florida and Virginia.

(WION)

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump brace for election outcome after voting closes in some states

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is leading in three states -- Indiana, Kentucky and New Hampshire -- while his rival Hillary Clinton is projected to win Vermont. Donald Trump is projected to win traditional Republican strongholds Indiana, Kentucky and Georgia, while Hillary Clinton is projected to bag Vermont. Meanwhile, polling has closed in crucial swing states -- Florida and Virginia. Early reports indicate that it is tight between the two presidential contenders in Florida and Virginia. (WION)

Live US election 2016: Trump leads in Indiana, Kentucky; Clinton ahead in Vermont and Virginia

A far-right Hindu group which has been one of Donald Trump&#39;s most avid overseas cheerleaders began celebrating in New Delhi on Wednesday as the Republican pulled off a shock US presidential election victory.

Vishnu Gupta, chief of the ultra-nationalist &#39;Hindu Sena&#39; outfit, said supporters had taken to the streets to bang traditional drums even before Trump claimed victory and would also distribute celebratory sweets.

Trump&#39;s hardline rhetoric towards Muslims has found favour in some quarters in India, the world&#39;s largest democracy which has had its fair share of tensions between the majority Hindu population and its Muslim minority.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was before his 2014 election regarded as an international pariah after deadly communal riots broke out in the state of Gujarat more than a decade ago when he was chief minister. Most of the victims were Muslims.

Trump has called for a ban on all Muslims entering the United States and Gupta said his message had wide resonance.

&quot;We predicted that he would win five days ago --- there is a huge support for him, his ideas, and we could see that,&quot; Gupta told AFP.

&quot;Now terrorists will be hunted everywhere in the world, even if they go and hide in a cave. Now only God can help Pakistan. India will now have the support of the US in our efforts against terrorists. We will be together in this.

&quot;Donald Trump will do what no other US president has been able to do before. We are happy. All terrorists should now run and hide.&quot;

Gupta&#39;s group held a special prayer session for Trump in New Delhi back in May when he was seen as a long shot for the presidency, hailing him as a &quot;fighter and a saviour of humanity&quot;.

They also celebrated his birthday in June with a cake, balloons and posters.

(AFP)

 
&nbsp;

Supporters took to the streets banging on drums and would also distribute celebratory sweets

A far-right Hindu group which has been one of Donald Trump's most avid overseas cheerleaders began celebrating in New Delhi on Wednesday as the Republican pulled off a shock US presidential election victory. Vishnu Gupta, chief of the ultra-nationalist 'Hindu Sena' outfit, said supporters had taken to the streets to bang traditional drums even before Trump claimed victory and would also distribute celebratory sweets. Trump's hardline rhetoric towards Muslims has found favour in some quarters in India, the world's largest democracy which has had its fair share of tensions between the majority Hindu population and its Muslim minority. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was before his 2014 election regarded as an international pariah after deadly communal riots broke out in the state of Gujarat more than a decade ago when he was chief minister. Most of the victims were Muslims. Trump has called for a ban on all Muslims entering the United States and Gupta said his message had wide resonance. "We predicted that he would win five days ago --- there is a huge support for him, his ideas, and we could see that," Gupta told AFP. "Now terrorists will be hunted everywhere in the world, even if they go and hide in a cave. Now only God can help Pakistan. India will now have the support of the US in our efforts against terrorists. We will be together in this. "Donald Trump will do what no other US president has been able to do before. We are happy. All terrorists should now run and hide." Gupta's group held a special prayer session for Trump in New Delhi back in May when he was seen as a long shot for the presidency, hailing him as a "fighter and a saviour of humanity". They also celebrated his birthday in June with a cake, balloons and posters. (AFP)

US Election 2016: Trump's unlikely Indian fan club celebrates victory

The Mexican peso collapsed after Republican Donald Trump defied predictions and beat Democratic rival Hillary Clinton to take the US presidency in a maverick victory that wreaked havoc in global markets on Wednesday.

Trump&#39;s threats to rip up a free trade agreement with Mexico and tax money sent home by migrants to pay for building a wall on the southern US border once elected president have made the peso particularly reactive to events in the race for the White House.

The peso weakened by more than 13 per cent in after-market trading for Mexico and in Wednesday trading in Asia, breaking past 20 pesos per dollar - its biggest fall since the 1994 Tequila Crisis.

The peso pared losses to trade around 8.5 per cent weaker at 19.875 per dollar early on Wednesday, after Clinton conceded to Trump in a phone call. Mexico&#39;s central bank has called a joint press conference with the Finance ministry for 0700 local time (0800 EST/1300GMT).

&quot;There&#39;s a lot of panic in the market, it is definitely an outcome it was not expecting,&quot; said Juan Carlos Alderete, a strategist at Banorte-IXE. &quot;The movements are very strong, the market is showing higher risk aversion in search of safe-haven assets.&quot;

Three economists told Reuters they expected the central bank to raise its benchmark interest rate by an impromptu 75 to 150 basis points on Wednesday if Trump wins, while one of them said the bank could instead opt for a swap with the US Federal Reserve depending how the Peso evolves.

&quot;I don&#39;t think a Trump scenario was taken seriously in the last days by the market. Hopefully there are some contingency plans by authorities and they can take measures to protect the Mexican economy,&quot; said Ernesto Revilla, an economist at Banamex and the government&#39;s former chief economist.

Mexican central bank head Agustin Carstens last week said the country was ready in case of an &quot;adverse&quot; result in the US election, which he has said could hit Mexico like a &quot;hurricane.&quot;

Mexico has foreign reserves of $175.3 billion, and Carstens said last month he would consider using a $90 billion International Monetary Fund flexible credit line &quot;in the event of an external shock.&quot;

The central bank has already hiked its rate three times this year, lifting it to 4.75 per cent to anchor inflation expectations following a sharp depreciation of the Peso.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Mexican currency had rallied nearly 1.4 per cent before official election results began to be released, as final polls showed a Clinton advantage.

Volatility in the Mexican peso surged to its highest level since the global financial crisis in 2008. One-month implied volatility, which measures the currency&#39;s anticipated trading range over the period, jumped to 40 per cent from 27 per cent late Tuesday.

&quot;This is truly a historic moment. I don&#39;t recall such an extreme outlook on the US economy that could be so negative to the Mexican economy,&quot; said Benito Berber, an analyst at Nomura in New York.

Berber said a Trump win could drive the peso to between 23 and 26 per dollar.

(Reuters)

The peso weakened by more than 13 per cent in after-market trading for Mexico

The Mexican peso collapsed after Republican Donald Trump defied predictions and beat Democratic rival Hillary Clinton to take the US presidency in a maverick victory that wreaked havoc in global markets on Wednesday. Trump's threats to rip up a free trade agreement with Mexico and tax money sent home by migrants to pay for building a wall on the southern US border once elected president have made the peso particularly reactive to events in the race for the White House. The peso weakened by more than 13 per cent in after-market trading for Mexico and in Wednesday trading in Asia, breaking past 20 pesos per dollar - its biggest fall since the 1994 Tequila Crisis. The peso pared losses to trade around 8.5 per cent weaker at 19.875 per dollar early on Wednesday, after Clinton conceded to Trump in a phone call. Mexico's central bank has called a joint press conference with the Finance ministry for 0700 local time (0800 EST/1300GMT). "There's a lot of panic in the market, it is definitely an outcome it was not expecting," said Juan Carlos Alderete, a strategist at Banorte-IXE. "The movements are very strong, the market is showing higher risk aversion in search of safe-haven assets." Three economists told Reuters they expected the central bank to raise its benchmark interest rate by an impromptu 75 to 150 basis points on Wednesday if Trump wins, while one of them said the bank could instead opt for a swap with the US Federal Reserve depending how the Peso evolves. "I don't think a Trump scenario was taken seriously in the last days by the market. Hopefully there are some contingency plans by authorities and they can take measures to protect the Mexican economy," said Ernesto Revilla, an economist at Banamex and the government's former chief economist. Mexican central bank head Agustin Carstens last week said the country was ready in case of an "adverse" result in the US election, which he has said could hit Mexico like a "hurricane." Mexico has foreign reserves of $175.3 billion, and Carstens said last month he would consider using a $90 billion International Monetary Fund flexible credit line "in the event of an external shock." The central bank has already hiked its rate three times this year, lifting it to 4.75 per cent to anchor inflation expectations following a sharp depreciation of the Peso. Earlier on Tuesday, the Mexican currency had rallied nearly 1.4 per cent before official election results began to be released, as final polls showed a Clinton advantage. Volatility in the Mexican peso surged to its highest level since the global financial crisis in 2008. One-month implied volatility, which measures the currency's anticipated trading range over the period, jumped to 40 per cent from 27 per cent late Tuesday. "This is truly a historic moment. I don't recall such an extreme outlook on the US economy that could be so negative to the Mexican economy," said Benito Berber, an analyst at Nomura in New York. Berber said a Trump win could drive the peso to between 23 and 26 per dollar. (Reuters)

US election 2016: Mexican peso tumbles as Trump wins US presidency

Thousands of people across America took to the streets to riot in a show of protest against the thought of a Donald Trump presidency.&nbsp;

In California, at Berkeley High School, thousands of students left school to openly denounce the new president-elect.

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NOW: Thousands of students at Berkeley High School in CA walked out of class with their teachers, to say that he is not their president. <a href="https://t.co/vcKGKDPdE9">pic.twitter.com/vcKGKDPdE9</a>
&mdash; KING 5 News (@KING5Seattle) <a href="https://twitter.com/KING5Seattle/status/796405036532174848">November 9, 2016</a></blockquote>
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The LA Times reports that shortly after Trump gave his victory speech in New York, at about 3 am NY time, about 2,000 people rallied at UCLA, when two separate protests joined together, UCLA Seargeant Miguel Banuelos told the LA Times.

The UCLA protest peaked at 1 am local time, when a Trump pinata was set on fire in a trash can, the LA Times reports. There were five businesses who reported broken windows, and one incident of vandalism.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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Hundreds of students march from freshman dorms to I.V. chanting &quot;Fuck Donald Trump&quot; and &quot;Not my president.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/8wx7dU01GA">pic.twitter.com/8wx7dU01GA</a>
&mdash; Daily Nexus (@dailynexus) <a href="https://twitter.com/dailynexus/status/796270980456857600">November 9, 2016</a></blockquote>
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The Daily Nexus, the student paper at UC Santa Barbara,&nbsp;reports that students there&nbsp;waved Mexican flags and denouced&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;with profane language.

<a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-11-10/us-protests-against-trumps-election/8011454">ABC </a>reports that about 100 protesters took to the Capital Hill neighbourhood of Seatle to block roads and set garbage bins on fire.&nbsp;ABC also reports that hundreds at the University of Pittsburgh marched through the streets, mostly&nbsp;calling for unity.&nbsp;

In Pennsylvania, hundreds of University of Pittsburgh students marched through the streets, with some in the crowd calling for unity,&nbsp;according to the student-run campus newspaper, the Pitt News.

The Pitt News&#39; Twitter account posted videos of peaceful protests that took place the morning after the election results were announced.

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New Protest going down Forbes sidewalk protesting &quot;hate.&quot; Sign in front says &quot;love trumps hate&quot; <a href="https://twitter.com/StephenJ_Caruso">@StephenJ_Caruso</a> <a href="https://t.co/1511Sayu2u">pic.twitter.com/1511Sayu2u</a>
&mdash; Stephen Caruso (@StephenJ_Caruso) <a href="https://twitter.com/StephenJ_Caruso/status/796412950965784576">November 9, 2016</a></blockquote>
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At least two protests are planned for Trump&#39;s hometown New York, one in Union Square and the other in Columbus Circle. Facebook events for demonstrations in Union Square and Columbus Circle were created on Wednesday morning, with more than <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/177936919332882/">10,000&nbsp;Facebook</a> users responding that they would be present at the protests, <a href="http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Donald-Trump-New-York-City-Reaction-Protests-Union-Square-Columbus-Circle-NYC-400546271.html">NBC New York</a> reports.

The Union Square protest is hosted by a group called the Socialist Alternative, and they plan to march for over 40 blocks to picket outside the Trump Tower, NBC New York reports.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/2138893776334981/">The Columbus Circle</a> demonstration is hosted by the anti-racism group&nbsp;Answer Coalition, and so far about 1,000 people have indicated they plan to attend.

Some in New York didn&#39;t even wait for Trump to be declated winner, booing the Republican presidential candidate as he was on his way to cast his ballot.&nbsp;

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Dwn2fxuzLww" width="560"></iframe>

Meanwhile,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.teenvogue.com/story/crisis-text-line-call-volume-doubled-since-trumps-win">Teen Vogue </a>reports that calls have doubled for a teen suicide hotline, many from the LGBTQ community, with &quot;election&quot; and &quot;Trump&quot; the two words cited most by testers.&nbsp;

This is by no means an exhaustive list of all the anti-Trump protests, or negative consequences,&nbsp;since the announcement was made&nbsp;that he will be the next American president.&nbsp;No doubt there will be more protests to come --&nbsp;it has not even been a full 24 hours.

But Trump pledged to be a president for &quot;all Americans&quot;, and&nbsp;many&nbsp;don&#39;t seem to believe that will come&nbsp;true.

While Trump led in the all-important&nbsp;electoral votes, defeating Clinton&nbsp;by a high margin of 279 to 228, Clinton led the popular vote&nbsp;with about&nbsp;200,000 more votes overall.

(WION)

'Not my president!' was a common refrain in protests and in hashtags, as Americans everywhere denounced the man who will be their president

Thousands of people across America took to the streets to riot in a show of protest against the thought of a Donald Trump presidency. In California, at Berkeley High School, thousands of students left school to openly denounce the new president-elect. NOW: Thousands of students at Berkeley High School in CA walked out of class with their teachers, to say that he is not their president. pic.twitter.com/vcKGKDPdE9 — KING 5 News (@KING5Seattle) November 9, 2016 × The LA Times reports that shortly after Trump gave his victory speech in New York, at about 3 am NY time, about 2,000 people rallied at UCLA, when two separate protests joined together, UCLA Seargeant Miguel Banuelos told the LA Times. The UCLA protest peaked at 1 am local time, when a Trump pinata was set on fire in a trash can, the LA Times reports. There were five businesses who reported broken windows, and one incident of vandalism. Hundreds of students march from freshman dorms to I.V. chanting "Fuck Donald Trump" and "Not my president." pic.twitter.com/8wx7dU01GA — Daily Nexus (@dailynexus) November 9, 2016 × The Daily Nexus, the student paper at UC Santa Barbara, reports that students there waved Mexican flags and denouced Trump with profane language. ABC reports that about 100 protesters took to the Capital Hill neighbourhood of Seatle to block roads and set garbage bins on fire. ABC also reports that hundreds at the University of Pittsburgh marched through the streets, mostly calling for unity. In Pennsylvania, hundreds of University of Pittsburgh students marched through the streets, with some in the crowd calling for unity, according to the student-run campus newspaper, the Pitt News. The Pitt News' Twitter account posted videos of peaceful protests that took place the morning after the election results were announced. New Protest going down Forbes sidewalk protesting "hate." Sign in front says "love trumps hate" @StephenJ_Caruso pic.twitter.com/1511Sayu2u — Stephen Caruso (@StephenJ_Caruso) November 9, 2016 × At least two protests are planned for Trump's hometown New York, one in Union Square and the other in Columbus Circle. Facebook events for demonstrations in Union Square and Columbus Circle were created on Wednesday morning, with more than 10,000 Facebook users responding that they would be present at the protests, NBC New York reports. The Union Square protest is hosted by a group called the Socialist Alternative, and they plan to march for over 40 blocks to picket outside the Trump Tower, NBC New York reports. The Columbus Circle demonstration is hosted by the anti-racism group Answer Coalition, and so far about 1,000 people have indicated they plan to attend. Some in New York didn't even wait for Trump to be declated winner, booing the Republican presidential candidate as he was on his way to cast his ballot. Meanwhile, Teen Vogue reports that calls have doubled for a teen suicide hotline, many from the LGBTQ community, with "election" and "Trump" the two words cited most by testers. This is by no means an exhaustive list of all the anti-Trump protests, or negative consequences, since the announcement was made that he will be the next American president. No doubt there will be more protests to come -- it has not even been a full 24 hours. But Trump pledged to be a president for "all Americans", and many don't seem to believe that will come true. While Trump led in the all-important electoral votes, defeating Clinton by a high margin of 279 to 228, Clinton led the popular vote with about 200,000 more votes overall. (WION)

US Election: Trump presidency sparks riots across United States

&nbsp;Donald Trump, now the 45th President of the United States to America, delivered his victory speech at the Hilton Hotel in Manhattan, New York.

He was gracious in his speech, congratulating his rival Hillary Clinton for a &ldquo;very, very hard-fought campaign&rdquo;.

He struck a conciliatory, rather than divisive, note, saying he would bind the wounds of division and pledged to be president for all Americans.

&ldquo;I pledge to every citizen of our land that I will be president for all Americans, and this is so important to me,&rdquo; Trump said during his speech.

&ldquo;For those who have chosen not to support me in the past, of which there were a few people, I&#39;m reaching out to you for your guidance and your help so that we can work together and unify our great country,&rdquo; he added.

The real estate mogul said Clinton telephoned him to concede the race shortly after he won the state of Pennsylvania.

He also pledged to &quot;deal fairly with everyone&quot;, including &quot;all other nations&quot;.

&ldquo;We will have great relationships. We expect to have great, great relationships. No dream is too big, no challenge is too great. Nothing we want for our future is beyond our reach,&rdquo; the Republican said.

&ldquo;America will no longer settle for anything less than the best. We must reclaim our country&#39;s destiny and dream big and bold and daring. We have to do that,&rdquo; Trump told his supporters.

(WION)

'America will no longer settle for anything less than the best. We must reclaim our country's destiny and dream big and bold and daring'

Donald Trump, now the 45th President of the United States to America, delivered his victory speech at the Hilton Hotel in Manhattan, New York. He was gracious in his speech, congratulating his rival Hillary Clinton for a “very, very hard-fought campaign”. He struck a conciliatory, rather than divisive, note, saying he would bind the wounds of division and pledged to be president for all Americans. “I pledge to every citizen of our land that I will be president for all Americans, and this is so important to me,” Trump said during his speech. “For those who have chosen not to support me in the past, of which there were a few people, I'm reaching out to you for your guidance and your help so that we can work together and unify our great country,” he added. The real estate mogul said Clinton telephoned him to concede the race shortly after he won the state of Pennsylvania. He also pledged to "deal fairly with everyone", including "all other nations". “We will have great relationships. We expect to have great, great relationships. No dream is too big, no challenge is too great. Nothing we want for our future is beyond our reach,” the Republican said. “America will no longer settle for anything less than the best. We must reclaim our country's destiny and dream big and bold and daring. We have to do that,” Trump told his supporters. (WION)

US Election 2016: 'I will be president for all Americans,' says Trump

Donald Trump has become the 45th President of the United States of America, pulling off a stunning victory against his rival Hillary Clinton who a day before the election was said to have a 70 per cent chance of winning.

Trump made his victory speech at the Hilton Hotel in Manhattan, New York.&nbsp;

&quot;I pledge to every citizen of our land that I will be president for every American. And that is very important to me,&quot; Donald Trump told a jubilant crowd.&nbsp;

&quot;For those that have chosen not to support me in the past, of which there were a few people, I&#39;m reaching out to you for your guidance and you help so we can work together and unify our great country.&quot;

He was gracious to his rival, saying, &quot;Hillary has worked very hard and very hard over a very long period of time and we owe her a major debt of gratitude for her service to this country.&quot;&nbsp;

&quot;Now it is time for America to bind the wounds of division.&quot;

Local media reports said Hillary Clinton had called Trump to concede the presidency but that she would not be making a concession speech Wednesday

A stunning victory

Trump won Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, Iowa and New Hampshire -- states that were considered to be swing states -- while his rival Hillary Clinton faltered in these key states.

Trump won Florida by 130,000 votes, which imply that third-party&nbsp;votes harmed Clinton in her bid to win&nbsp;the crucial state. Third-party candidates Gary Johnson and Jill Stein won 260,000 votes in the state.

The win in the Sunshine state provided a major impetus for Trump during his stunning success.

The final blow to Clinton came when Trump won Pennsylvania well past midnight in New York.

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<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Well, Trump is winning in a lot of places that Republicans don&#39;t usually win.
&mdash; (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) <a href="https://twitter.com/ForecasterEnten/status/796179642969362432">November 9, 2016</a></blockquote>
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<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Trump&#39;s early numbers&nbsp;put Clinton on the backfoot.

Clinton won in Virginia and banked on upper Midwestern states to shore up her numbers. She managed to stay in the race with California&#39;s 55 electoral seats.&nbsp;

Clinton also won three out of four electoral votes in Maine. &nbsp;

Hillary Clinton&#39;s campaign chairman, John Podesta thanked Hillary&#39;s supporters and asked them to go home. She would not be saying anything&nbsp;tonight. . &nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/uselection2016/">Click here for detailed coverage of the US election &gt;&gt;</a>

The other states won by&nbsp;Clinton are New Mexico, Illinois, Connecticut, Vermont, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware and the District of Columbia. Trump has won Missouri, Nebraska, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky, Indiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee and West Virginia. But none of these are battleground states.

South Carolina caused a minor flutter in the Trump camp as early data showed Clinton to be in the lead. However, he later surged ahead to win the state, which has traditionally been a Republican firewall.&nbsp;

Trump&nbsp;also won Texas, Wyoming, Kansas, North Dakota and South Dakota, whereas Clinton has scooped New York.

&nbsp;

<table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1">
	<thead>
		<tr>
			<th scope="col">No.</th>
			<th scope="col" style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;States &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</th>
			<th scope="col" style="text-align: center;">Electoral Votes &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</th>
			<th scope="col">Winner &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</th>
		</tr>
	</thead>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>1</td>
			<td>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Alabama</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">9</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">2</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Alaska &nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">3</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">3</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Arizona&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">11</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">awaiting</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">4</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Arkansas</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">6</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">5</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; California &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">55</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Hillary Clinton</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">6</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Colorado</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">9</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Hillary Clinton</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">7</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Connecticut</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">7</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Hillary Clinton</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">8</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Delaware &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">3</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Hillary Clinton</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">9</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Florida &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">29</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">10</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Georgia &nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">16</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">11</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Hawaii &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">4</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Hillary Clinton</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">12</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Idaho &nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">4</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">13</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Illinois&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">20</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Hillary Clinton</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">14</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Indiana &nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">11</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">15</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Iowa &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">6</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">16</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Kansas &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">6</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">17</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Kentucky &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">8</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">18</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Louisiana&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">8</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">19</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Maine&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">4</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Hillary Clinton</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">20</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Maryland</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">10</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Hillary Clinton</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">21</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Massachusetts</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">11</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Hillary Clinton</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">22</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Michigan</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">16</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">23</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Minnesota&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">10</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Awaiting</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">24</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Mississippi &nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">6</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">25</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Missouri &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">10</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">26</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Montana &nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">3</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">27</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Nebraska &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">5</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">28</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Nevada&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">6</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Hillary Clinton</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">29</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">New Hampshire</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">4</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Awaiting</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">30</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">New Jersey&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">14</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Hillary Clinton</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">31</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">New Mexico</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">5</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Hillary Clinton</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">32</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">New York &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">29</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Hillary Clinton</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">33</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">North Carolina</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">15</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Donald Trump&nbsp;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">34</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">North Dakota</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">3</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">35</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Ohio &nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">18</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">36</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Oklahoma &nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">7</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">37</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Oregon &nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">7</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Hillary Clinton</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">38</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Pennsylvania</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">20</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">39</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Rhode Island</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">4</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Hillary Clinton</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">40</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">South Carolina</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">9</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Donald Trump&nbsp;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">41</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">South Dakota&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">3</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">42</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Tennessee&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">11</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">43</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Texas &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">38</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">44</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Utah&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">6</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">45</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Vermont &nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">3</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Hillary Clinton</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">46</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Virginia&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">13</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Hillary Clinton</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">47</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Washington &nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">12</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Hillary Clinton</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">48</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">West Virginia&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">5</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">49</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Wisconsin &nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">10</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style="text-align: center;">50</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Wyoming &nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;3</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

&nbsp;

What were the battleground states and why did they matter

In US presidential elections, a battleground state has no clear favourite&nbsp;and can gravitate towards either candidate. US presidential nominees campaign hard in these states as they are crucial in winning the presidential race.

In the 2016 US election, the swing states are Ohio, Florida, Iowa, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, Nevada and Colorado.&nbsp;

Since 2000, whichever candidate has gained ground in Ohio has won the election.&nbsp;

Oil prices slide as election numbers come in

Oil prices turned downhill on Wednesday as early counting shows&nbsp;Trump was doing better than expected in several crucial battleground states.

As vote counting advanced, trading activity shot up and prices became highly volatile.

(WION)

Trump won the presidential race on the back of major wins in battleground states

Donald Trump has become the 45th President of the United States of America, pulling off a stunning victory against his rival Hillary Clinton who a day before the election was said to have a 70 per cent chance of winning. Trump made his victory speech at the Hilton Hotel in Manhattan, New York. "I pledge to every citizen of our land that I will be president for every American. And that is very important to me," Donald Trump told a jubilant crowd. "For those that have chosen not to support me in the past, of which there were a few people, I'm reaching out to you for your guidance and you help so we can work together and unify our great country." He was gracious to his rival, saying, "Hillary has worked very hard and very hard over a very long period of time and we owe her a major debt of gratitude for her service to this country." "Now it is time for America to bind the wounds of division." Local media reports said Hillary Clinton had called Trump to concede the presidency but that she would not be making a concession speech Wednesday A stunning victory Trump won Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, Iowa and New Hampshire -- states that were considered to be swing states -- while his rival Hillary Clinton faltered in these key states. Trump won Florida by 130,000 votes, which imply that third-party votes harmed Clinton in her bid to win the crucial state. Third-party candidates Gary Johnson and Jill Stein won 260,000 votes in the state. The win in the Sunshine state provided a major impetus for Trump during his stunning success. The final blow to Clinton came when Trump won Pennsylvania well past midnight in New York. Well, Trump is winning in a lot of places that Republicans don't usually win. — (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) November 9, 2016 × Trump's early numbers put Clinton on the backfoot. Clinton won in Virginia and banked on upper Midwestern states to shore up her numbers. She managed to stay in the race with California's 55 electoral seats. Clinton also won three out of four electoral votes in Maine. Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman, John Podesta thanked Hillary's supporters and asked them to go home. She would not be saying anything tonight. . Click here for detailed coverage of the US election >> The other states won by Clinton are New Mexico, Illinois, Connecticut, Vermont, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware and the District of Columbia. Trump has won Missouri, Nebraska, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky, Indiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee and West Virginia. But none of these are battleground states. South Carolina caused a minor flutter in the Trump camp as early data showed Clinton to be in the lead. However, he later surged ahead to win the state, which has traditionally been a Republican firewall. Trump also won Texas, Wyoming, Kansas, North Dakota and South Dakota, whereas Clinton has scooped New York. No. States Electoral Votes Winner 1 Alabama 9 Donald Trump 2 Alaska 3 Donald Trump 3 Arizona 11 awaiting 4 Arkansas 6 Donald Trump 5 California 55 Hillary Clinton 6 Colorado 9 Hillary Clinton 7 Connecticut 7 Hillary Clinton 8 Delaware 3 Hillary Clinton 9 Florida 29 Donald Trump 10 Georgia 16 Donald Trump 11 Hawaii 4 Hillary Clinton 12 Idaho 4 Donald Trump 13 Illinois 20 Hillary Clinton 14 Indiana 11 Donald Trump 15 Iowa 6 Donald Trump 16 Kansas 6 Donald Trump 17 Kentucky 8 Donald Trump 18 Louisiana 8 Donald Trump 19 Maine 4 Hillary Clinton 20 Maryland 10 Hillary Clinton 21 Massachusetts 11 Hillary Clinton 22 Michigan 16 Donald Trump 23 Minnesota 10 Awaiting 24 Mississippi 6 Donald Trump 25 Missouri 10 Donald Trump 26 Montana 3 Donald Trump 27 Nebraska 5 Donald Trump 28 Nevada 6 Hillary Clinton 29 New Hampshire 4 Awaiting 30 New Jersey 14 Hillary Clinton 31 New Mexico 5 Hillary Clinton 32 New York 29 Hillary Clinton 33 North Carolina 15 Donald Trump 34 North Dakota 3 Donald Trump 35 Ohio 18 Donald Trump 36 Oklahoma 7 Donald Trump 37 Oregon 7 Hillary Clinton 38 Pennsylvania 20 Donald Trump 39 Rhode Island 4 Hillary Clinton 40 South Carolina 9 Donald Trump 41 South Dakota 3 Donald Trump 42 Tennessee 11 Donald Trump 43 Texas 38 Donald Trump 44 Utah 6 Donald Trump 45 Vermont 3 Hillary Clinton 46 Virginia 13 Hillary Clinton 47 Washington 12 Hillary Clinton 48 West Virginia 5 Donald Trump 49 Wisconsin 10 Donald Trump 50 Wyoming 3 Donald Trump What were the battleground states and why did they matter In US presidential elections, a battleground state has no clear favourite and can gravitate towards either candidate. US presidential nominees campaign hard in these states as they are crucial in winning the presidential race. In the 2016 US election, the swing states are Ohio, Florida, Iowa, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, Nevada and Colorado. Since 2000, whichever candidate has gained ground in Ohio has won the election. Oil prices slide as election numbers come in Oil prices turned downhill on Wednesday as early counting shows Trump was doing better than expected in several crucial battleground states. As vote counting advanced, trading activity shot up and prices became highly volatile. (WION)

US election 2016: Donald Trump next US President

Iran has gone over the heavy-water limit for the second time this year, The UN said Wednesday.

Heavy water is a sensitive material used in as a moderator in nuclear reactors.

The announcement came hours after Republican Donald Trump became the next president of the United States.

Trump has been scathing of the Obama administration&#39;s nuclear deal&nbsp;with Iran. Under the nuclear deal, Iran had agreed to lower its ambition of acquiring a nuclear weapon by reducing its urnanium stockpile and not fuelling its two nuclear reactors.&nbsp;

Although the agreement was hailed by many, Trump has remained a vociferous critic and has even called it the &quot;worst deal ever negotiated&quot;.

Trump was one of many dissenting voices who wanted the Arak reactor in Iran to be completely dismantled. The deal, however, did not put forth any such compulsion on Tehran as it was assured that the reactor would not be fuelled.

On Wednesday, a UN atomic watchdog said Iran currently had 130.1 tonnes of heavy-water.&nbsp;

Under the deal, Iran cannot have more than 130 toness of the material.

However, Iran has told the agency that it will transfer five tonnes of heavy water out of the country to abide by the agreement that was signed with the US, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany in January.

A US&nbsp;State Department spokesman, speaking at a regular news briefing in Washington, confirmed Iran&#39;s intention to export the excess heavy water.

&quot;It&#39;s important to note that Iran made no effort to hide this, hide what it was doing from the IAEA,&quot; spokesman Mark Toner said, referring to&nbsp;International Atomic Energy Agency.

(With inputs from Reuters)

The announcement comes hours after Donald Trump, who is a vocal critic of the agreement with Iran, was elected the new US president

Iran has gone over the heavy-water limit for the second time this year, The UN said Wednesday. Heavy water is a sensitive material used in as a moderator in nuclear reactors. The announcement came hours after Republican Donald Trump became the next president of the United States. Trump has been scathing of the Obama administration's nuclear deal with Iran. Under the nuclear deal, Iran had agreed to lower its ambition of acquiring a nuclear weapon by reducing its urnanium stockpile and not fuelling its two nuclear reactors. Although the agreement was hailed by many, Trump has remained a vociferous critic and has even called it the "worst deal ever negotiated". Trump was one of many dissenting voices who wanted the Arak reactor in Iran to be completely dismantled. The deal, however, did not put forth any such compulsion on Tehran as it was assured that the reactor would not be fuelled. On Wednesday, a UN atomic watchdog said Iran currently had 130.1 tonnes of heavy-water. Under the deal, Iran cannot have more than 130 toness of the material. However, Iran has told the agency that it will transfer five tonnes of heavy water out of the country to abide by the agreement that was signed with the US, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany in January. A US State Department spokesman, speaking at a regular news briefing in Washington, confirmed Iran's intention to export the excess heavy water. "It's important to note that Iran made no effort to hide this, hide what it was doing from the IAEA," spokesman Mark Toner said, referring to International Atomic Energy Agency. (With inputs from Reuters)

Iran breaches its nuclear deal limit, says UN watchdog

The morning after Donald Trump was elected to be the next president of the United States, the stock&nbsp;of the country&#39;s largest for-profit jail company, Corrections Corporations of America, shot up in value. It&nbsp;soared to a high of over 60 per cent, but settled down&nbsp;at just about&nbsp;34&nbsp;per cent.&nbsp;

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Look what Trump&#39;s election did to the Corrections Corporation of America&#39;s stock price. <a href="https://t.co/GppbU7v6xe">pic.twitter.com/GppbU7v6xe</a>
&mdash; Shane Bauer (@shane_bauer) <a href="https://twitter.com/shane_bauer/status/796374673587998720">November 9, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

America has&nbsp;a for-profit prison system, in which&nbsp;the government contracts a third-party to incarcerate those the court condemns&nbsp;guilty. Critics argue this incentivises and encourages the legal system to lock people up, since the government and the contractor&nbsp;make&nbsp;money the more&nbsp;inmates are&nbsp;fed into the for-profit prison system.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/christopher-petrella-private-prison-study-2014-2">This 2014 study</a> concluded that for-profit prisons in America incarcerate minorities at an even larger rate than public prisons do. The study also concluded that inmates are disproportionately&nbsp;&quot;low cost&quot; prisoners, who are young and healthy enough to not need costly health care. Since the goal of these institutions is profit, not reforming the inmate so they can be safely reintegrated into society, they are often accused of taking cost-cutting measures that threaten the inmates, like reducing training for staff, or outrightly reducing staff and even lessening food rations.&nbsp;Often these jails, in an effort to squeeze more value out of their existing space, lead to dangerous overcrowding, and&nbsp;inmates lives are in danger.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/shane_bauer">@shane_bauer</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Ansel">@Ansel</a> bit of selection of information here though right <a href="https://t.co/ykuMpa4tRU">pic.twitter.com/ykuMpa4tRU</a>
&mdash; Jordan (@jandor64) <a href="https://twitter.com/jandor64/status/796406936853880832">November 9, 2016</a></blockquote>
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The context of the second graph is important: the value of Corrections Corporation of America&nbsp;tanked after the American Department of Justice announced this summer it would no longer use&nbsp;for-profit prisons,&nbsp;and this&nbsp;was expected to continue under Clinton.&nbsp;

While Trump never talked specifically about this issue, the stock price&#39;s sharp surge&nbsp;at the news of a Trump presidency must be seen as a real&nbsp;indicator that the market suspects this industry will grow now. In other words, the market senses profits because it believes&nbsp;Trump will jail more people.

Over the course of the campaign, Trump praised waterboarding, which has been condemned as an illegal form of torture and also practically useless as a form of gaining reliable intelligence. In the third and final Presidential debate, Trump&nbsp;said to Hillary&nbsp;Clinton that if he was president, &quot;you&#39;d be in jail&quot;.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Cj1IicWHwPM" width="560"></iframe>

(WION)

America's largest for-profit prison company's stock value rose up to 60%, as the market seems to think Trump will incarcerate more people

The morning after Donald Trump was elected to be the next president of the United States, the stock of the country's largest for-profit jail company, Corrections Corporations of America, shot up in value. It soared to a high of over 60 per cent, but settled down at just about 34 per cent. Look what Trump's election did to the Corrections Corporation of America's stock price. pic.twitter.com/GppbU7v6xe — Shane Bauer (@shane_bauer) November 9, 2016 × America has a for-profit prison system, in which the government contracts a third-party to incarcerate those the court condemns guilty. Critics argue this incentivises and encourages the legal system to lock people up, since the government and the contractor make money the more inmates are fed into the for-profit prison system. This 2014 study concluded that for-profit prisons in America incarcerate minorities at an even larger rate than public prisons do. The study also concluded that inmates are disproportionately "low cost" prisoners, who are young and healthy enough to not need costly health care. Since the goal of these institutions is profit, not reforming the inmate so they can be safely reintegrated into society, they are often accused of taking cost-cutting measures that threaten the inmates, like reducing training for staff, or outrightly reducing staff and even lessening food rations. Often these jails, in an effort to squeeze more value out of their existing space, lead to dangerous overcrowding, and inmates lives are in danger. @shane_bauer @Ansel bit of selection of information here though right pic.twitter.com/ykuMpa4tRU — Jordan (@jandor64) November 9, 2016 × The context of the second graph is important: the value of Corrections Corporation of America tanked after the American Department of Justice announced this summer it would no longer use for-profit prisons, and this was expected to continue under Clinton. While Trump never talked specifically about this issue, the stock price's sharp surge at the news of a Trump presidency must be seen as a real indicator that the market suspects this industry will grow now. In other words, the market senses profits because it believes Trump will jail more people. Over the course of the campaign, Trump praised waterboarding, which has been condemned as an illegal form of torture and also practically useless as a form of gaining reliable intelligence. In the third and final Presidential debate, Trump said to Hillary Clinton that if he was president, "you'd be in jail". (WION)

US Election 2016: Corrections Corporation of America's stock surges after Trump win

Donald Trump&#39;s stunning performance in the US presidential election triggered shock and angst in Asia, where observers fretted over the implications for everything from trade to human rights and climate change.

Although the race remained too close to call, Trump has won key states in the nail-biter against Hillary Clinton, building momentum as large numbers of American voters shrugged off concerns over the billionaire&#39;s temperament and lack of experience.

Trump&#39;s rise has been keenly watched abroad as he campaigned on a platform of trashing trade agreements, restricting immigration, dismissing climate change, and otherwise disengaging from the rest of the world.&nbsp;

In often hushed scenes, viewers at election-watching events around Asia stared at giant screens tallying the returns as they digested the impact of Trump possibly heading the world&#39;s most powerful nation.

Dianita Sugiyo, 34, a university lecturer in Indonesia -- the world&#39;s most populous Muslim country -- said she was particularly concerned by Trump&#39;s calls to temporarily ban from Muslims from countries with a history of terror ties.

&quot;As a Muslim I feel very uncomfortable if Trump wins. He has always been anti-Muslim and I am afraid he will discriminate against Muslims,&quot; said Sugiyo, a member of a leading Indonesian moderate Muslim organisation.

&quot;The United States is a multicultural country and there are a lot of Muslims there, so this is very terrifying,&quot; she said at a US embassy event in Jakarta.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/uselection2016/">Click here for detailed coverage of the US election &gt;&gt;</a>

&nbsp;&#39;Dangerous&#39; for the planet&nbsp;

Financial markets registered their concern, with Tokyo&#39;s main index tumbling 5.5 per cent, leading regional stocks mostly downward.

Trump&rsquo;s tirades against global free trade were a big concern, said Clarita Carlos, a political science professor at the University of the Philippines.

&quot;The world is globalising and if the US, which is one of the economic powerhouses, is going to put up walls, I don&#39;t see that as good for the world economy,&rdquo; she said.

&quot;They can practically slow down economic growth for everybody. He is a businessman. He should know better.&quot;

Greenpeace Southeast Asia&rsquo;s executive director Yeb Sano said he was struggling to understand how Trump, who has threatened to &ldquo;cancel&rdquo; the historic UN pact struck last year to address climate change, could win.

&ldquo;In the context of a lot of other things happening around the world right now, it would be fair to ask: &ldquo;What have we become?,&rdquo; Sano said.

&ldquo;On climate change, clearly this is a massive blow to our prospects of progress and hope that the Paris Agreement had given us.&rdquo;

At election events around the region, American Democratic supporters gradually deflated throughout Wednesday morning, while Republicans were buoyed.

Bradley Jordan, a retired 59-year-old Californian in Bangkok, said a Trump win would &quot;throw the whole world upside down.&quot;

&quot;It&rsquo;s dangerous for the planet. If Trump wins, we will do nothing about climate change and the planet will be screwed. I just can&rsquo;t believe this is happening right now,&quot; he said, adding that he may renounce his US citizenship.

Even some Republicans expressed surprise.

&quot;To be honest we didn&#39;t really think he would win. The polls have all been quite clear,&quot; Kym Kettler-Paddock, a US Republican, said at an event hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong.

She said Trump&#39;s outsider status was bound to increase uncertainty abroad in the short-term over what type of president he would be.

&quot;I think after that transition period it would settle down,&quot; she added.

But Amanda Mohar, the vice chair of Democrats Abroad Hong Kong, said the overseas fears are justified given Trump&#39;s calls to tear up international agreements he doesn&#39;t like.

&quot;His instability up to this point has made his administration very unpredictable. We have no idea if he says he&#39;s going to review all of our treaties, if he&#39;s actually going to do that,&quot; Gohar said, adding that he would be a &quot;dangerous person&quot; in office.

&nbsp;

(AFP)

With Donald Trump set to win, markets took a tumble with Tokyo's main index coming by 5.5 per cent

Donald Trump's stunning performance in the US presidential election triggered shock and angst in Asia, where observers fretted over the implications for everything from trade to human rights and climate change. Although the race remained too close to call, Trump has won key states in the nail-biter against Hillary Clinton, building momentum as large numbers of American voters shrugged off concerns over the billionaire's temperament and lack of experience. Trump's rise has been keenly watched abroad as he campaigned on a platform of trashing trade agreements, restricting immigration, dismissing climate change, and otherwise disengaging from the rest of the world. In often hushed scenes, viewers at election-watching events around Asia stared at giant screens tallying the returns as they digested the impact of Trump possibly heading the world's most powerful nation. Dianita Sugiyo, 34, a university lecturer in Indonesia -- the world's most populous Muslim country -- said she was particularly concerned by Trump's calls to temporarily ban from Muslims from countries with a history of terror ties. "As a Muslim I feel very uncomfortable if Trump wins. He has always been anti-Muslim and I am afraid he will discriminate against Muslims," said Sugiyo, a member of a leading Indonesian moderate Muslim organisation. "The United States is a multicultural country and there are a lot of Muslims there, so this is very terrifying," she said at a US embassy event in Jakarta. Click here for detailed coverage of the US election >> 'Dangerous' for the planet Financial markets registered their concern, with Tokyo's main index tumbling 5.5 per cent, leading regional stocks mostly downward. Trump’s tirades against global free trade were a big concern, said Clarita Carlos, a political science professor at the University of the Philippines. "The world is globalising and if the US, which is one of the economic powerhouses, is going to put up walls, I don't see that as good for the world economy,” she said. "They can practically slow down economic growth for everybody. He is a businessman. He should know better." Greenpeace Southeast Asia’s executive director Yeb Sano said he was struggling to understand how Trump, who has threatened to “cancel” the historic UN pact struck last year to address climate change, could win. “In the context of a lot of other things happening around the world right now, it would be fair to ask: “What have we become?,” Sano said. “On climate change, clearly this is a massive blow to our prospects of progress and hope that the Paris Agreement had given us.” At election events around the region, American Democratic supporters gradually deflated throughout Wednesday morning, while Republicans were buoyed. Bradley Jordan, a retired 59-year-old Californian in Bangkok, said a Trump win would "throw the whole world upside down." "It’s dangerous for the planet. If Trump wins, we will do nothing about climate change and the planet will be screwed. I just can’t believe this is happening right now," he said, adding that he may renounce his US citizenship. Even some Republicans expressed surprise. "To be honest we didn't really think he would win. The polls have all been quite clear," Kym Kettler-Paddock, a US Republican, said at an event hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. She said Trump's outsider status was bound to increase uncertainty abroad in the short-term over what type of president he would be. "I think after that transition period it would settle down," she added. But Amanda Mohar, the vice chair of Democrats Abroad Hong Kong, said the overseas fears are justified given Trump's calls to tear up international agreements he doesn't like. "His instability up to this point has made his administration very unpredictable. We have no idea if he says he's going to review all of our treaties, if he's actually going to do that," Gohar said, adding that he would be a "dangerous person" in office. (AFP)

US Election 2016: Shock and angst in Asia as Trump rises

US stock markets tumbled more than five per cent in after-hours trading early Wednesday as Republican billionaire Donald Trump appeared poised to defeat Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in the race for the White House.

Futures markets for the S&amp;P 500 fell 5.01 per cent and the tech-heavy NASDAQ lost 5.08 per cent, reflecting the growing concerns among investors about the economic risks posed by a Trump presidency. The Dow Jones index fell 4.30 per cent.

As results came in pointing to an astonishing upset win by Trump, markets that had counted on Clinton to win were caught up in a growing wave of panic.

Stocks had risen Tuesday, with Dow Jones index up 0.40 per cent and the Nasdaq up 0.53 per cent.

Futures contracts, which fell while Wall Street was closed, reflect investor sentiment on what will happen down the road.

The wave of panic also hit Asia as markets dropped at the opening bell, mainly in Bombay, which dropped 6.08 per cent and Tokyo, 5.5 per cent.

Markets have long preferred Clinton to Trump, who is seen as unpredictable. His positions against free trade accords and immigration worry big companies and are seen as a possible curb to economic growth.

(AFP)

Markets that had counted on Clinton to win were caught up in a growing wave of panic

US stock markets tumbled more than five per cent in after-hours trading early Wednesday as Republican billionaire Donald Trump appeared poised to defeat Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in the race for the White House. Futures markets for the S&P 500 fell 5.01 per cent and the tech-heavy NASDAQ lost 5.08 per cent, reflecting the growing concerns among investors about the economic risks posed by a Trump presidency. The Dow Jones index fell 4.30 per cent. As results came in pointing to an astonishing upset win by Trump, markets that had counted on Clinton to win were caught up in a growing wave of panic. Stocks had risen Tuesday, with Dow Jones index up 0.40 per cent and the Nasdaq up 0.53 per cent. Futures contracts, which fell while Wall Street was closed, reflect investor sentiment on what will happen down the road. The wave of panic also hit Asia as markets dropped at the opening bell, mainly in Bombay, which dropped 6.08 per cent and Tokyo, 5.5 per cent. Markets have long preferred Clinton to Trump, who is seen as unpredictable. His positions against free trade accords and immigration worry big companies and are seen as a possible curb to economic growth. (AFP)

US stock futures tumble 5% on fears of Trump win

Canada&#39;s official immigration website suffered repeated outages Tuesday night as a Trump victory began to look more and more possible south of the border. &nbsp;

The Telegraph reported a surge in traffic on the website, and that a number of people in the US were googling the word &quot;emigrate&quot;.

Some users in the United States, Canada and Asia saw an error message when trying to access the http://www.cic.gc.ca/ website, Reuters reported.

Many Americans have in the recent past said, albeit often jokingly, that they would move to Canada should Trump win.&nbsp;

Several Canadian communities have reacted graciously, advertising themselves as oases of calm in a possible future Trump-ian era.&nbsp;

Immigration ministry officials could not immediately be reached for comment, Reuters reported, but the website&#39;s problems were noted by many on Twitter. &nbsp;

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People in the US are increasingly searching for the word &quot;emigrate&quot; over the last few hours <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ElectionNight?src=hash">#ElectionNight</a> <a href="https://t.co/CJCBsKKKNE">https://t.co/CJCBsKKKNE</a> <a href="https://t.co/hEH5lmPko1">pic.twitter.com/hEH5lmPko1</a>
&mdash; The Telegraph (@Telegraph) <a href="https://twitter.com/Telegraph/status/796196179361038339">November 9, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Immigration Canada&#39;s website is down. No joke. Hope <a href="https://twitter.com/Canada">@Canada</a> has construction crews on the border, building the wall. ;) <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ElectionNight?src=hash">#ElectionNight</a>
&mdash; El Canaco (@ElCanaco) <a href="https://twitter.com/ElCanaco/status/796199024416079872">November 9, 2016</a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Canada?src=hash">#Canada</a> immigration website appears to have crashed: <a href="https://t.co/v79hLsUQ5w">https://t.co/v79hLsUQ5w</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ElectionNight?src=hash">#ElectionNight</a> <a href="https://t.co/hTAzmzya5K">pic.twitter.com/hTAzmzya5K</a>
&mdash; Steve Herman (@W7VOA) <a href="https://twitter.com/W7VOA/status/796201749208006657">November 9, 2016</a></blockquote>
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(WION with inputs from Reuters)

It suffered several outages on Tuesday night, news reports said Americans were increasingly googling the word 'emigrate'

Canada's official immigration website suffered repeated outages Tuesday night as a Trump victory began to look more and more possible south of the border. The Telegraph reported a surge in traffic on the website, and that a number of people in the US were googling the word "emigrate". Some users in the United States, Canada and Asia saw an error message when trying to access the http://www.cic.gc.ca/ website, Reuters reported. Many Americans have in the recent past said, albeit often jokingly, that they would move to Canada should Trump win. Several Canadian communities have reacted graciously, advertising themselves as oases of calm in a possible future Trump-ian era. Immigration ministry officials could not immediately be reached for comment, Reuters reported, but the website's problems were noted by many on Twitter. People in the US are increasingly searching for the word "emigrate" over the last few hours #ElectionNight https://t.co/CJCBsKKKNE pic.twitter.com/hEH5lmPko1 — The Telegraph (@Telegraph) November 9, 2016 × Immigration Canada's website is down. No joke. Hope @Canada has construction crews on the border, building the wall. ;) #ElectionNight — El Canaco (@ElCanaco) November 9, 2016 × #Canada immigration website appears to have crashed: https://t.co/v79hLsUQ5w #ElectionNight pic.twitter.com/hTAzmzya5K — Steve Herman (@W7VOA) November 9, 2016 × (WION with inputs from Reuters)

US Election 2016: Canada immigration website crashes as Trump takes lead

Hillary Clinton vowed on Wednesday to work with American President-elect Donald Trump, and urged fellow Democrats to allow him the chance to lead the deeply divided country. There are still 70 days until the&nbsp;reality TV star takes office.

&quot;Last night, I congratulated Donald Trump and offered to work with him on behalf of our country,&quot; the defeated candidate told supporters, holding back tears in her first public remarks since the Republican&#39;s&nbsp;victory.

&quot;I hope that he will be a successful president for all Americans.&quot;&nbsp;

&quot;We have seen that our nation is more deeply divided than we thought,&quot; she said. &quot;We owe him an open mind and the chance to lead,&quot; the Democrats&#39; presidential candidate added.

It&#39;s going to be a tough and dangerous task. During Trump&#39;s victory speech, while he pledged to be a president for all citizens, someone in the audience yelled &quot; kill Obama!&quot;

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&quot;Kill Obama&quot; I see this is off to a fantastic start. ??<a href="https://t.co/kUryVpKENh">pic.twitter.com/kUryVpKENh</a>
&mdash; Andrew HammondAP (@ahammsportsgeek) <a href="https://twitter.com/ahammsportsgeek/status/796261596544827392">November 9, 2016</a></blockquote>
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It&#39;s unclear whether a victory speech for an American presidential nominee has ever begun with a call to murder the standing president of the United States.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

'The nation was more deeply divided than we thought,' Hillary said, in what is an incredible understatement

Hillary Clinton vowed on Wednesday to work with American President-elect Donald Trump, and urged fellow Democrats to allow him the chance to lead the deeply divided country. There are still 70 days until the reality TV star takes office. "Last night, I congratulated Donald Trump and offered to work with him on behalf of our country," the defeated candidate told supporters, holding back tears in her first public remarks since the Republican's victory. "I hope that he will be a successful president for all Americans." "We have seen that our nation is more deeply divided than we thought," she said. "We owe him an open mind and the chance to lead," the Democrats' presidential candidate added. It's going to be a tough and dangerous task. During Trump's victory speech, while he pledged to be a president for all citizens, someone in the audience yelled " kill Obama!" "Kill Obama" I see this is off to a fantastic start. ??pic.twitter.com/kUryVpKENh — Andrew HammondAP (@ahammsportsgeek) November 9, 2016 × It's unclear whether a victory speech for an American presidential nominee has ever begun with a call to murder the standing president of the United States. (With inputs from agencies)

Hillary Clinton congratulates Trump, offers to work with him

The US dollar sank and stock markets slammed into reverse in wild Asian trade on Wednesday as every new exit poll in the US presidential election showed the race to be a nail-biter, sending investors stampeding to safe-haven assets.

Sovereign bonds and gold shot higher while the Mexican peso went into near free fall as investors faced the real possibility of a shock win by Republican Donald Trump.

As of 0307 GMT, Trump had 139 Electoral College votes to Democrat Hillary Clinton&#39;s 109. It takes 270 to win.

Markets fear a Trump victory could cause economic and global uncertainty, preventing the Federal Reserve from raising interest rates in December, as long expected.

The scale of the scare was clear in the Mexican peso, where the dollar surged over 7 per cent in the biggest daily move since the global financial crisis.

The peso has become a touchstone for sentiment on the election as Trump&#39;s trade policies are seen as damaging to its export-heavy economy.

But the story was very different against the safe-haven yen with the dollar shedding 2.4 per cent to 102.72 yen. The euro gained 1 per cent to $1.1130.

The South Korean authorities were thought to have intervened to steady their currency and dealers were wondering if central banks globally could step in to calm nerves.

Asian stocks first rose only to retreat more than 1 percent as the session wore on and more election results flooded in, while US stock futures surrendered modest gains and recoiled more than 3 per cent.

Trump takes narrow lead

With voting completed in more than two-thirds of the 50 US states, the race was too close to call in Ohio, Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Virginia, states that could be vital to deciding who wins the presidency.

Trump held slight leads in Florida and Ohio, while Fox News projected Clinton would take Virginia.

Markets have tended to favour Clinton as a status quo candidate who would be considered a safe pair of hands at home on the world stage.

&quot;In contrast, a Trump victory would trigger massive uncertainty that would likely undermine risk assets at least initially, which in turn could preclude a Fed rate hike this year,&quot; warned Michelle Girard, chief US economist at RBS.

Sovereign bonds flew ahead, pushing yields on 10-year US Treasury notes down sharply to 1.77 per cent. It had briefly touched a six-month high around 1.8960 per cent.

In share markets, MSCI&#39;s broadest index of Asia-Pacific stocks outside Japan swung to a loss of nearly 2, while the Nikkei sank 2.2 per cent.

In commodity markets, gold climbed to $1,308.00 an ounce as the dollar slid.

Oil turned tail, with US crude shedding $1.34 to $43.63 a barrel, while Brent fell $1.24 to $44.80.

(Reuters)

Markets fear a Trump victory could cause economic and global uncertainty, prevent the Fed from raising interest rates in December

The US dollar sank and stock markets slammed into reverse in wild Asian trade on Wednesday as every new exit poll in the US presidential election showed the race to be a nail-biter, sending investors stampeding to safe-haven assets. Sovereign bonds and gold shot higher while the Mexican peso went into near free fall as investors faced the real possibility of a shock win by Republican Donald Trump. As of 0307 GMT, Trump had 139 Electoral College votes to Democrat Hillary Clinton's 109. It takes 270 to win. Markets fear a Trump victory could cause economic and global uncertainty, preventing the Federal Reserve from raising interest rates in December, as long expected. The scale of the scare was clear in the Mexican peso, where the dollar surged over 7 per cent in the biggest daily move since the global financial crisis. The peso has become a touchstone for sentiment on the election as Trump's trade policies are seen as damaging to its export-heavy economy. But the story was very different against the safe-haven yen with the dollar shedding 2.4 per cent to 102.72 yen. The euro gained 1 per cent to $1.1130. The South Korean authorities were thought to have intervened to steady their currency and dealers were wondering if central banks globally could step in to calm nerves. Asian stocks first rose only to retreat more than 1 percent as the session wore on and more election results flooded in, while US stock futures surrendered modest gains and recoiled more than 3 per cent. Trump takes narrow lead With voting completed in more than two-thirds of the 50 US states, the race was too close to call in Ohio, Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Virginia, states that could be vital to deciding who wins the presidency. Trump held slight leads in Florida and Ohio, while Fox News projected Clinton would take Virginia. Markets have tended to favour Clinton as a status quo candidate who would be considered a safe pair of hands at home on the world stage. "In contrast, a Trump victory would trigger massive uncertainty that would likely undermine risk assets at least initially, which in turn could preclude a Fed rate hike this year," warned Michelle Girard, chief US economist at RBS. Sovereign bonds flew ahead, pushing yields on 10-year US Treasury notes down sharply to 1.77 per cent. It had briefly touched a six-month high around 1.8960 per cent. In share markets, MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific stocks outside Japan swung to a loss of nearly 2, while the Nikkei sank 2.2 per cent. In commodity markets, gold climbed to $1,308.00 an ounce as the dollar slid. Oil turned tail, with US crude shedding $1.34 to $43.63 a barrel, while Brent fell $1.24 to $44.80. (Reuters)

Dollar, Mexican peso, stocks sink as Trump takes election lead

Catastrophe, tragedy, humiliation. The world&#39;s press reacted with shock at the astonishing election victory of Donald Trump, describing the US president-elect as &quot;dangerous&quot; and unpredictable.

Here is a round-up of some of the media reaction:

&quot;The US has elected its most dangerous leader. We have plenty to fear. The people of America have stepped into the abyss. The new president-elect is an unstable bigot, sexual predator and compulsive liar. He is capable of anything.&quot; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

The Guardian, Britain

&quot;That wasn&#39;t a campaign. That was a national crisis. And at the end was the worst possible catastrophe: Donald Trump is president of the United States. The unimaginable has become reality.&quot;&nbsp;

Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Germany

&quot;The news coming from the north is bad for Mexico and bad for the world.&quot;

Cronica del Hoy, Mexico

&quot;Trumpocalypse... Shock. A thunder bolt. And dizziness at the thought that Donald Trump will be unpacking his bags in the White House in scarcely two and a half months. The world&#39;s leading power is from now on in the hands of the far-right. Fifty percent of Americans voted in all conscience for a racist, lying, sexist, vulgar, hateful candidate.&quot;&nbsp;

Liberation, France

Revenge of the deplorables. The most extraordinary presidential campaign in modern history ends in humiliation for Hillary, the pollsters and the elites of business and show business as the voters America forgot sweep Donald to victory.&quot;&nbsp;

Daily Mail, Britain

&quot;Trump&#39;s victory confirms the vitality of American democracy, which has the ability to transform itself continuously, but the victory also produces both inside and outside the United States a deluge of uncertainty due to the winner&#39;s unpredictability. Trump has to explain what he wants to do. In the meantime, the rest of the world has to digest what has happened tonight: the people of the revolution are knocking at our doors.&quot; La Stampa, Italy

&quot;President Donald Trump will declare economic war on our biggest customer (China), wipe unprecedented amounts off global stock markets, usher in extraordinary financial instability, and risk turning the world&#39;s biggest economy into a basket case by pushing its national debt past 100 per cent of GDP.&quot;&nbsp;

The Age, Australia

&quot;Seen from Paris, Trump&#39;s victory, coming after Brexit, is an additional warning. In the world that has opened up with this election, anything is possible --- even that which we have difficulty facing up to --- an extremist party taking power.&nbsp;

Le Monde, France

Left-leaning TAZ in Germany calls Trump&#39;s win: &quot;A victory of the horror-clowns&quot;, adding: &quot;Donald Trump said in his victory speech --- as all victory speeches on election nights --- that the country must now unite. From his mouth, it&#39;s a call for the underlings to submit to him unconditionally. The horror clown has now obtained the chance to actually get serious about this.&quot;

&quot;Coarse populism has triumphed over good sense ... America&#39;s democracy stands before a major test: it is to be feared that Trump will do everything to outwit his political opponents. He threatened critical journalists during the election campaign. His supporters have shouted &#39;lock her up&#39; -&ndash; in reference to his opponent Hillary Clinton ... &nbsp;Of course there is hope that the political system is strong enough to limit a president&#39;s fantasies of omnipotence. But there is no guarantee.&quot;&nbsp;

Spiegel online, Germany

&quot;An American tragedy.&quot;&nbsp;

New Yorker, US 
&nbsp;

The world's press reacted with shock at Trump's unexpected win. A round up of reactions from popular dailies

Catastrophe, tragedy, humiliation. The world's press reacted with shock at the astonishing election victory of Donald Trump, describing the US president-elect as "dangerous" and unpredictable. Here is a round-up of some of the media reaction: "The US has elected its most dangerous leader. We have plenty to fear. The people of America have stepped into the abyss. The new president-elect is an unstable bigot, sexual predator and compulsive liar. He is capable of anything." The Guardian, Britain "That wasn't a campaign. That was a national crisis. And at the end was the worst possible catastrophe: Donald Trump is president of the United States. The unimaginable has become reality." Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Germany "The news coming from the north is bad for Mexico and bad for the world." Cronica del Hoy, Mexico "Trumpocalypse... Shock. A thunder bolt. And dizziness at the thought that Donald Trump will be unpacking his bags in the White House in scarcely two and a half months. The world's leading power is from now on in the hands of the far-right. Fifty percent of Americans voted in all conscience for a racist, lying, sexist, vulgar, hateful candidate." Liberation, France Revenge of the deplorables. The most extraordinary presidential campaign in modern history ends in humiliation for Hillary, the pollsters and the elites of business and show business as the voters America forgot sweep Donald to victory." Daily Mail, Britain "Trump's victory confirms the vitality of American democracy, which has the ability to transform itself continuously, but the victory also produces both inside and outside the United States a deluge of uncertainty due to the winner's unpredictability. Trump has to explain what he wants to do. In the meantime, the rest of the world has to digest what has happened tonight: the people of the revolution are knocking at our doors." La Stampa, Italy "President Donald Trump will declare economic war on our biggest customer (China), wipe unprecedented amounts off global stock markets, usher in extraordinary financial instability, and risk turning the world's biggest economy into a basket case by pushing its national debt past 100 per cent of GDP." The Age, Australia "Seen from Paris, Trump's victory, coming after Brexit, is an additional warning. In the world that has opened up with this election, anything is possible --- even that which we have difficulty facing up to --- an extremist party taking power. Le Monde, France Left-leaning TAZ in Germany calls Trump's win: "A victory of the horror-clowns", adding: "Donald Trump said in his victory speech --- as all victory speeches on election nights --- that the country must now unite. From his mouth, it's a call for the underlings to submit to him unconditionally. The horror clown has now obtained the chance to actually get serious about this." "Coarse populism has triumphed over good sense ... America's democracy stands before a major test: it is to be feared that Trump will do everything to outwit his political opponents. He threatened critical journalists during the election campaign. His supporters have shouted 'lock her up' -– in reference to his opponent Hillary Clinton ... Of course there is hope that the political system is strong enough to limit a president's fantasies of omnipotence. But there is no guarantee." Spiegel online, Germany "An American tragedy." New Yorker, US

Why Donald Trump's win is making world media 'dizzy'

At the time of vioting, Donald Trump appeared skeptical&nbsp;of a&nbsp;demographic he thought was secure -- his wife. It wouldn&#39;t be his second or first wife to part ways from him, but Melania seemed like a bigtime&nbsp;MAGA enthusiast.

She had done so much&nbsp;for him this election:&nbsp;falsely post&nbsp;on her website&nbsp;she graduated from&nbsp;university, deliver and write a speech&nbsp;written and delivered by Michelle Obama, nobly defend her husband for saying he grabbed other women&#39;s vaginas without asking permission.

It was&nbsp;the customary American grooming for&nbsp;every First Lady before her. So why did Trump appear to doubt Melania when it mattered most?&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Like father, like son

By sneaking a peak at his&nbsp;wife&#39;s ballot, Eric Trump also showed little faith&nbsp;his wife would vote horribly.&nbsp;He appeared to believe she might suddenly Stand With Her, or&nbsp;conscientiously&nbsp;throw&nbsp;her vote into the garbage by voting&nbsp;Stein or Johnson.

Over the course of the campaign&nbsp;two or three&nbsp;Sensitive Sallies were miffed by the Trump Campaign, only&nbsp;because Donald&nbsp;has&nbsp;been consistently racist sexist&nbsp;and a&nbsp;xenophobe&nbsp;who doesn&#39;t just lie a lot but has never said anything true despite talking ceaselessly on TV&nbsp;since 2014.

But this week, using the family&#39;s quintessential soft touch,&nbsp;Eric Trump surprised all by&nbsp;alienating&nbsp;a&nbsp;community leader&nbsp;and Trump devotee, saying KKK leader David Duke &quot;deserves a bullet&quot;.&nbsp;

Luckily for them, while the Trump&#39;s have insulted about everyone in the world&nbsp;roughly half of America still backs them! Stay tuned to see if it&#39;s the bigger or smaller half.

Disclaimer: Please get your hard facts elsewhere on WION. If this provided&nbsp;a laugh, good.&nbsp;If not, sorry.

(WION)

Eric Trump also shows little faith his wife will vote horribly

At the time of vioting, Donald Trump appeared skeptical of a demographic he thought was secure -- his wife. It wouldn't be his second or first wife to part ways from him, but Melania seemed like a bigtime MAGA enthusiast. She had done so much for him this election: falsely post on her website she graduated from university, deliver and write a speech written and delivered by Michelle Obama, nobly defend her husband for saying he grabbed other women's vaginas without asking permission. It was the customary American grooming for every First Lady before her. So why did Trump appear to doubt Melania when it mattered most? Like father, like son By sneaking a peak at his wife's ballot, Eric Trump also showed little faith his wife would vote horribly. He appeared to believe she might suddenly Stand With Her, or conscientiously throw her vote into the garbage by voting Stein or Johnson. Over the course of the campaign two or three Sensitive Sallies were miffed by the Trump Campaign, only because Donald has been consistently racist sexist and a xenophobe who doesn't just lie a lot but has never said anything true despite talking ceaselessly on TV since 2014. But this week, using the family's quintessential soft touch, Eric Trump surprised all by alienating a community leader and Trump devotee, saying KKK leader David Duke "deserves a bullet". Luckily for them, while the Trump's have insulted about everyone in the world roughly half of America still backs them! Stay tuned to see if it's the bigger or smaller half. Disclaimer: Please get your hard facts elsewhere on WION. If this provided a laugh, good. If not, sorry. (WION)

US Election 2016: Trump unsure Melania Trump will vote Trump

After a crushing defeat for the Democrats at the hands of Donald Trump, the 45th President of the United States of America, the current US President Barack Obama congratulated his newly-elected successor.

Obama called Trump to congratulate him on pulling off a stunning victory against his rival Hillary Clinton, who a day before the election was said to have a 70 per cent chance of winning.&nbsp;

The President&#39;s office said Obama invited Trump to the White House for talks on Thursday and is due to make a statement later Wednesday about the election results.

He also called Hillary Clinton, his one-time secretary of state and fellow Democrat, to express his &quot;admiration for the strong campaign she waged throughout the country,&quot; White House press secretary Josh Earnest said in a statement.

Earlier in the day, Trump made his victory speech at the Hilton Hotel in Manhattan, New York.&nbsp;

&quot;I pledge to every citizen of our land that I will be president for every American. And that is very important to me,&quot; Donald Trump told a jubilant crowd.&nbsp;

&quot;For those that have chosen not to support me in the past, of which there were a few people, I&#39;m reaching out to you for your guidance and you help so we can work together and unify our great country.&quot;

He was gracious to his rival, saying, &quot;Hillary has worked very hard and very hard over a very long period of time and we owe her a major debt of gratitude for her service to this country.&quot;&nbsp;

&quot;Now it is time for America to bind the wounds of division.&quot;

Local media reports said Hillary Clinton had called Trump to concede the presidency but that she would not be making a concession speech on Wednesday. 
&nbsp;

<table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1">
	<thead>
		<tr>
			<th scope="col">No.</th>
			<th scope="col">&nbsp;States &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</th>
			<th scope="col">Electoral Votes &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</th>
			<th scope="col">Winner &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</th>
		</tr>
	</thead>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>1</td>
			<td>Alabama</td>
			<td>9</td>
			<td>Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>2</td>
			<td>Alaska &nbsp;</td>
			<td>3</td>
			<td>Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>3</td>
			<td>Arizona&nbsp;</td>
			<td>11</td>
			<td>Awaiting</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>4</td>
			<td>Arkansas</td>
			<td>6</td>
			<td>Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>5</td>
			<td>California &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</td>
			<td>55</td>
			<td>Hillary Clinton</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>6</td>
			<td>Colorado</td>
			<td>9</td>
			<td>Hillary Clinton</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>7</td>
			<td>Connecticut</td>
			<td>7</td>
			<td>Hillary Clinton</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>8</td>
			<td>Delaware &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</td>
			<td>3</td>
			<td>Hillary Clinton</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>9</td>
			<td>Florida &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
			<td>29</td>
			<td>Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>10</td>
			<td>Georgia &nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
			<td>16</td>
			<td>Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>11</td>
			<td>Hawaii &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</td>
			<td>4</td>
			<td>Hillary Clinton</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>12</td>
			<td>Idaho &nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
			<td>4</td>
			<td>Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>13</td>
			<td>Illinois&nbsp;</td>
			<td>20</td>
			<td>Hillary Clinton</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>14</td>
			<td>Indiana &nbsp;</td>
			<td>11</td>
			<td>Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>15</td>
			<td>Iowa &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
			<td>6</td>
			<td>Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>16</td>
			<td>Kansas &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
			<td>6</td>
			<td>Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>17</td>
			<td>Kentucky &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
			<td>8</td>
			<td>Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>18</td>
			<td>Louisiana&nbsp;</td>
			<td>8</td>
			<td>Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>19</td>
			<td>Maine&nbsp;</td>
			<td>4</td>
			<td>Hillary Clinton</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>20</td>
			<td>Maryland</td>
			<td>10</td>
			<td>Hillary Clinton</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>21</td>
			<td>Massachusetts</td>
			<td>11</td>
			<td>Hillary Clinton</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>22</td>
			<td>Michigan</td>
			<td>16</td>
			<td>Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>23</td>
			<td>Minnesota&nbsp;</td>
			<td>10</td>
			<td>Awaiting</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>24</td>
			<td>Mississippi &nbsp;</td>
			<td>6</td>
			<td>Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>25</td>
			<td>Missouri &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
			<td>10</td>
			<td>Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>26</td>
			<td>Montana &nbsp;</td>
			<td>3</td>
			<td>Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>27</td>
			<td>Nebraska &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
			<td>5</td>
			<td>Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>28</td>
			<td>Nevada&nbsp;</td>
			<td>6</td>
			<td>Hillary Clinton</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>29</td>
			<td>New Hampshire</td>
			<td>4</td>
			<td>Awaiting</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>30</td>
			<td>New Jersey&nbsp;</td>
			<td>14</td>
			<td>Hillary Clinton</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>31</td>
			<td>New Mexico</td>
			<td>5</td>
			<td>Hillary Clinton</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>32</td>
			<td>New York &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</td>
			<td>29</td>
			<td>Hillary Clinton</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>33</td>
			<td>North Carolina</td>
			<td>15</td>
			<td>Donald Trump&nbsp;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>34</td>
			<td>North Dakota</td>
			<td>3</td>
			<td>Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>35</td>
			<td>Ohio &nbsp;</td>
			<td>18</td>
			<td>Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>36</td>
			<td>Oklahoma &nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
			<td>7</td>
			<td>Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>37</td>
			<td>Oregon &nbsp;</td>
			<td>7</td>
			<td>Hillary Clinton</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>38</td>
			<td>Pennsylvania</td>
			<td>20</td>
			<td>Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>39</td>
			<td>Rhode Island</td>
			<td>4</td>
			<td>Hillary Clinton</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>40</td>
			<td>South Carolina</td>
			<td>9</td>
			<td>Donald Trump&nbsp;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>41</td>
			<td>South Dakota&nbsp;</td>
			<td>3</td>
			<td>Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>42</td>
			<td>Tennessee&nbsp;</td>
			<td>11</td>
			<td>Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>43</td>
			<td>Texas &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
			<td>38</td>
			<td>Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>44</td>
			<td>Utah&nbsp;</td>
			<td>6</td>
			<td>Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>45</td>
			<td>Vermont &nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
			<td>3</td>
			<td>Hillary Clinton</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>46</td>
			<td>Virginia&nbsp;</td>
			<td>13</td>
			<td>Hillary Clinton</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>47</td>
			<td>Washington &nbsp;&nbsp;</td>
			<td>12</td>
			<td>Hillary Clinton</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>48</td>
			<td>West Virginia&nbsp;</td>
			<td>5</td>
			<td>Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>49</td>
			<td>Wisconsin &nbsp;</td>
			<td>10</td>
			<td>Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>50</td>
			<td>Wyoming &nbsp;</td>
			<td>&nbsp;3</td>
			<td>Donald Trump</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

&nbsp;

A stunning victory

Trump won Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, Iowa and New Hampshire -- states that were considered to be swing states -- while his rival Hillary Clinton faltered in these key states.

Trump won Florida by 130,000 votes, which imply that third-party votes harmed Clinton in her bid to win the crucial state. Third-party candidates Gary Johnson and Jill Stein won 260,000 votes in the state.

The win in the Sunshine state provided a major impetus for Trump during his stunning success.

The final blow to Clinton came when Trump won Pennsylvania well past midnight in New York.

Trump&#39;s early numbers put Clinton on the backfoot.

Clinton won in Virginia and banked on upper Midwestern states to shore up her numbers. She managed to stay in the race with California&#39;s 55 electoral seats.&nbsp;

Clinton also won three out of four electoral votes in Maine. &nbsp;

Hillary Clinton&#39;s campaign chairman, John Podesta thanked Hillary&#39;s supporters and asked them to go home. She would not be saying anything tonight.

The other states won by Clinton are New Mexico, Illinois, Connecticut, Vermont, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware and the District of Columbia. Trump has won Missouri, Nebraska, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky, Indiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee and West Virginia. But none of these are battleground states.

South Carolina caused a minor flutter in the Trump camp as early data showed Clinton to be in the lead. However, he later surged ahead to win the state, which has traditionally been a Republican firewall.&nbsp;

Trump also won Texas, Wyoming, Kansas, North Dakota and South Dakota, whereas Clinton has scooped New York.

(WION)

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

In a huge setback for Democrat Hillary Clinton, Trump won the presidential race after securing major wins in the battleground states

After a crushing defeat for the Democrats at the hands of Donald Trump, the 45th President of the United States of America, the current US President Barack Obama congratulated his newly-elected successor. Obama called Trump to congratulate him on pulling off a stunning victory against his rival Hillary Clinton, who a day before the election was said to have a 70 per cent chance of winning. The President's office said Obama invited Trump to the White House for talks on Thursday and is due to make a statement later Wednesday about the election results. He also called Hillary Clinton, his one-time secretary of state and fellow Democrat, to express his "admiration for the strong campaign she waged throughout the country," White House press secretary Josh Earnest said in a statement. Earlier in the day, Trump made his victory speech at the Hilton Hotel in Manhattan, New York. "I pledge to every citizen of our land that I will be president for every American. And that is very important to me," Donald Trump told a jubilant crowd. "For those that have chosen not to support me in the past, of which there were a few people, I'm reaching out to you for your guidance and you help so we can work together and unify our great country." He was gracious to his rival, saying, "Hillary has worked very hard and very hard over a very long period of time and we owe her a major debt of gratitude for her service to this country." "Now it is time for America to bind the wounds of division." Local media reports said Hillary Clinton had called Trump to concede the presidency but that she would not be making a concession speech on Wednesday. No. States Electoral Votes Winner 1 Alabama 9 Donald Trump 2 Alaska 3 Donald Trump 3 Arizona 11 Awaiting 4 Arkansas 6 Donald Trump 5 California 55 Hillary Clinton 6 Colorado 9 Hillary Clinton 7 Connecticut 7 Hillary Clinton 8 Delaware 3 Hillary Clinton 9 Florida 29 Donald Trump 10 Georgia 16 Donald Trump 11 Hawaii 4 Hillary Clinton 12 Idaho 4 Donald Trump 13 Illinois 20 Hillary Clinton 14 Indiana 11 Donald Trump 15 Iowa 6 Donald Trump 16 Kansas 6 Donald Trump 17 Kentucky 8 Donald Trump 18 Louisiana 8 Donald Trump 19 Maine 4 Hillary Clinton 20 Maryland 10 Hillary Clinton 21 Massachusetts 11 Hillary Clinton 22 Michigan 16 Donald Trump 23 Minnesota 10 Awaiting 24 Mississippi 6 Donald Trump 25 Missouri 10 Donald Trump 26 Montana 3 Donald Trump 27 Nebraska 5 Donald Trump 28 Nevada 6 Hillary Clinton 29 New Hampshire 4 Awaiting 30 New Jersey 14 Hillary Clinton 31 New Mexico 5 Hillary Clinton 32 New York 29 Hillary Clinton 33 North Carolina 15 Donald Trump 34 North Dakota 3 Donald Trump 35 Ohio 18 Donald Trump 36 Oklahoma 7 Donald Trump 37 Oregon 7 Hillary Clinton 38 Pennsylvania 20 Donald Trump 39 Rhode Island 4 Hillary Clinton 40 South Carolina 9 Donald Trump 41 South Dakota 3 Donald Trump 42 Tennessee 11 Donald Trump 43 Texas 38 Donald Trump 44 Utah 6 Donald Trump 45 Vermont 3 Hillary Clinton 46 Virginia 13 Hillary Clinton 47 Washington 12 Hillary Clinton 48 West Virginia 5 Donald Trump 49 Wisconsin 10 Donald Trump 50 Wyoming 3 Donald Trump A stunning victory Trump won Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, Iowa and New Hampshire -- states that were considered to be swing states -- while his rival Hillary Clinton faltered in these key states. Trump won Florida by 130,000 votes, which imply that third-party votes harmed Clinton in her bid to win the crucial state. Third-party candidates Gary Johnson and Jill Stein won 260,000 votes in the state. The win in the Sunshine state provided a major impetus for Trump during his stunning success. The final blow to Clinton came when Trump won Pennsylvania well past midnight in New York. Trump's early numbers put Clinton on the backfoot. Clinton won in Virginia and banked on upper Midwestern states to shore up her numbers. She managed to stay in the race with California's 55 electoral seats. Clinton also won three out of four electoral votes in Maine. Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman, John Podesta thanked Hillary's supporters and asked them to go home. She would not be saying anything tonight. The other states won by Clinton are New Mexico, Illinois, Connecticut, Vermont, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware and the District of Columbia. Trump has won Missouri, Nebraska, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky, Indiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee and West Virginia. But none of these are battleground states. South Carolina caused a minor flutter in the Trump camp as early data showed Clinton to be in the lead. However, he later surged ahead to win the state, which has traditionally been a Republican firewall. Trump also won Texas, Wyoming, Kansas, North Dakota and South Dakota, whereas Clinton has scooped New York. (WION)

US election 2016: US President Obama invites successor Donald Trump to White House

Donald Trump is leading in three states: Indiana, Kentucky and New Hampshire.

Updates to follow

(WION)

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump brace for election outcome after voting closes in Indiana & Kentucky

Donald Trump is leading in three states: Indiana, Kentucky and New Hampshire. Updates to follow (WION)

Live US election 2016: Trump leads in Indiana, Kentucky and New Hampshire

Polling stations opened Tuesday as the first ballots were cast in the long-awaited election pitting Hillary Clinton against Donald Trump.

Voters in nine states got the&nbsp;first crack at electing the new president, with the rest of the country due to get started later in the day.

The polls were open in Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Vermont and Virginia.

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump gave US voters a stark choice between her vision of unity and his promise to take back power from Washington&#39;s corrupt elites.

On the final day of the &nbsp;presidential campaign that has left a bemused world looking on in concern for its greatest power, Trump doubled down on his unabashed appeal to popular resentment.

The Democrat Clinton has had sharp words for her rival, a 70-year-old property tycoon who seized the conservative Republican Party and turned it into a vehicle for his populist bombast, but she ended the race pleading for unity. 
&nbsp;

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<h5>&#39;It&#39;s time to fight for America. I&#39;m not a politician, I can say proudly. My only special interest is you,&#39; Trump told a raucous crowd, vowing to end free trade, control immigration and &#39;bring back&#39; jobs&nbsp;</h5>
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&nbsp;

Some 40 million Americans have already cast ballots in states that allow early voting, and tens of millions more will turn out on Tuesday for what is shaping up to be a historic clash.&nbsp;

&quot;It&#39;s time to fight for America. I&#39;m not a politician, I can say proudly. My only special interest is you,&quot; Trump told a raucous crowd, vowing to end free trade, control immigration and &quot;bring back&quot; jobs.&nbsp;

&quot;But the years of betrayal will end -- they will end and they&#39;re going to end quickly. They&#39;re going to end as of the day we take office, which is going to be very, very soon.&quot;

Clinton went into Election Day as the favorite to become the first US woman president after spending eight years in the White House as the first lady in the 1990s.

A Reuters/Ipsos States of the Nation poll gave Clinton a 90 per cent chance of defeating Trump and said she was on track to win 303 electoral college votes out of 270 needed, to Trump&#39;s 235.

But the campaign has been bruising -- she has been dogged by allegations that she put US secrets at risk on her private email server while at the State Department and the race remains perilously close in a handful of key states.&nbsp;

Trump advisers said the level of his support was not apparent in the polling and believed the New York businessman was in position for an upset victory along the lines of the &quot;Brexit&quot; vote in June to pull Britain from the European Union.

&quot;We have seen enormous momentum,&quot; said deputy Trump campaign manager Dave Bossie.

Support for Trump dropped after footage emerged of him bragging about sexual assault and at least a dozen women came forward to accuse him, but polls have tightened as the big day approaches.

But a Clinton win in votes casts will mean nothing if she does not win the electoral college, fending off a last-ditch Trump bid to secure Florida and poach North Carolina, Michigan, Ohio, Nevada or New Hampshire.

Last-day blitz&nbsp;

As Election Day approached -- to the relief of the many voters left cold by the long drawn-out slog through the political mud -- both candidates maintained break-neck schedules.

Clinton made stops in three battleground states, and deployed President Barack Obama as cheerleader-in-chief in another, before they were to join up at a star-studded grand finale in Philadelphia.

&quot;The world is watching us right now. This is one of those moments. Don&#39;t let it slip away,&quot; Obama said in New Hampshire.

Trump sneered at Clinton&#39;s choice of pop stars -- Bruce Springsteen and Lady Gaga -- to attract the crowds, and stuck to his stump speech, each new version slightly more aggressive than the last. &nbsp;&nbsp;

&quot;This election will decide whether we are ruled by a corrupt political class, you&#39;re seeing what&#39;s happening. Everybody is watching. Or whether we are ruled by the people,&quot; he declared.&nbsp;

&quot;We&#39;re going to be ruled by the people, folks. That is going to be the choice. Our failed political establishment has delivered nothing but poverty, nothing but problems, nothing but losses.

&quot;It&#39;s time to reject the media and political elite that has bled our country dry,&quot; he declared, pointing to the press pen at his event, and whipping up cries of &quot;Drain the swamp!&quot; from his fervent supporters.

Market rally&nbsp;

Trump&#39;s vow to rip up America&#39;s free trade deals, build a wall on the Mexican border and renegotiate US treaty alliances has spooked world markets seeking stability after the recent global slowdown.

Last week, US stocks as measured by the S&amp;P 500 index fell for nine straight days for the first time since 1980, only to recover a little when the FBI confirmed Clinton would not face prosecution over her emails.

Global stock markets surged on Monday, with Wall Street gaining more than two percent, as hopes for a Clinton victory rose after FBI director James Comey&#39;s weekend announcement that she was in the clear.

The dollar also gained, and analyst Patrick O&#39;Hare of briefing.com said: &quot;You can certainly take for granted from today&#39;s rally that the market seems to like the idea of Mrs. Clinton being elected president.&quot;

(AFP)

Both candidates gave voters a stark choice -- she promised unity, he that he would dethrone Washington's power elite

Polling stations opened Tuesday as the first ballots were cast in the long-awaited election pitting Hillary Clinton against Donald Trump. Voters in nine states got the first crack at electing the new president, with the rest of the country due to get started later in the day. The polls were open in Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Vermont and Virginia. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump gave US voters a stark choice between her vision of unity and his promise to take back power from Washington's corrupt elites. On the final day of the presidential campaign that has left a bemused world looking on in concern for its greatest power, Trump doubled down on his unabashed appeal to popular resentment. The Democrat Clinton has had sharp words for her rival, a 70-year-old property tycoon who seized the conservative Republican Party and turned it into a vehicle for his populist bombast, but she ended the race pleading for unity. 'It's time to fight for America. I'm not a politician, I can say proudly. My only special interest is you,' Trump told a raucous crowd, vowing to end free trade, control immigration and 'bring back' jobs × Some 40 million Americans have already cast ballots in states that allow early voting, and tens of millions more will turn out on Tuesday for what is shaping up to be a historic clash. "It's time to fight for America. I'm not a politician, I can say proudly. My only special interest is you," Trump told a raucous crowd, vowing to end free trade, control immigration and "bring back" jobs. "But the years of betrayal will end -- they will end and they're going to end quickly. They're going to end as of the day we take office, which is going to be very, very soon." Clinton went into Election Day as the favorite to become the first US woman president after spending eight years in the White House as the first lady in the 1990s. A Reuters/Ipsos States of the Nation poll gave Clinton a 90 per cent chance of defeating Trump and said she was on track to win 303 electoral college votes out of 270 needed, to Trump's 235. But the campaign has been bruising -- she has been dogged by allegations that she put US secrets at risk on her private email server while at the State Department and the race remains perilously close in a handful of key states. Trump advisers said the level of his support was not apparent in the polling and believed the New York businessman was in position for an upset victory along the lines of the "Brexit" vote in June to pull Britain from the European Union. "We have seen enormous momentum," said deputy Trump campaign manager Dave Bossie. Support for Trump dropped after footage emerged of him bragging about sexual assault and at least a dozen women came forward to accuse him, but polls have tightened as the big day approaches. But a Clinton win in votes casts will mean nothing if she does not win the electoral college, fending off a last-ditch Trump bid to secure Florida and poach North Carolina, Michigan, Ohio, Nevada or New Hampshire. Last-day blitz As Election Day approached -- to the relief of the many voters left cold by the long drawn-out slog through the political mud -- both candidates maintained break-neck schedules. Clinton made stops in three battleground states, and deployed President Barack Obama as cheerleader-in-chief in another, before they were to join up at a star-studded grand finale in Philadelphia. "The world is watching us right now. This is one of those moments. Don't let it slip away," Obama said in New Hampshire. Trump sneered at Clinton's choice of pop stars -- Bruce Springsteen and Lady Gaga -- to attract the crowds, and stuck to his stump speech, each new version slightly more aggressive than the last. "This election will decide whether we are ruled by a corrupt political class, you're seeing what's happening. Everybody is watching. Or whether we are ruled by the people," he declared. "We're going to be ruled by the people, folks. That is going to be the choice. Our failed political establishment has delivered nothing but poverty, nothing but problems, nothing but losses. "It's time to reject the media and political elite that has bled our country dry," he declared, pointing to the press pen at his event, and whipping up cries of "Drain the swamp!" from his fervent supporters. Market rally Trump's vow to rip up America's free trade deals, build a wall on the Mexican border and renegotiate US treaty alliances has spooked world markets seeking stability after the recent global slowdown. Last week, US stocks as measured by the S&P 500 index fell for nine straight days for the first time since 1980, only to recover a little when the FBI confirmed Clinton would not face prosecution over her emails. Global stock markets surged on Monday, with Wall Street gaining more than two percent, as hopes for a Clinton victory rose after FBI director James Comey's weekend announcement that she was in the clear. The dollar also gained, and analyst Patrick O'Hare of briefing.com said: "You can certainly take for granted from today's rally that the market seems to like the idea of Mrs. Clinton being elected president." (AFP)

US election 2016: Polls open in nine states, historic vote pits Clinton against Trump

Win or lose, Donald Trump&#39;s campaign has changed the way countries in Asia view their relationships with Washington.

Final opinion polls suggested the most likely outcome is a victory for Hillary Clinton. But even Clinton, an architect of the US strategic pivot to Asia, has some work ahead of her in rebuilding trust, analysts and former officials in Asia said.

&quot;With or without Trump, this marks the end of US leadership, in particular, moral leadership,&quot; said a former Japanese diplomat, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the topic.

&quot;I don&#39;t think it&#39;s a question of Trump as an individual, but a question of the US society that produced this man as the Republican candidate.&quot;

Trump upended US democratic traditions during his White House campaign, drawing enthusiastic crowds where people cheered his often provocative and outrageous remarks.&nbsp;

He described a dark America, knocked to its knees by China, Mexico and the Islamic state.

Trump&#39;s harnessing of a populist backlash against immigration and global trade has challenged the ideal of benevolent American power that helped shape the global economy - and the forces of globalisation - since the fall of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s.

Now the United States faces a rising China, long an economic force and now becoming more assertive in geopolitics - building its military capability and ignoring an international tribunal&#39;s ruling against its claims to most of the South China Sea.

Trans-Pacific partnership

Asia is most worried about trade protectionism - exports make up a quarter of Asia&#39;s GDP and a fifth of them go to the United States.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal, championed by President Barack Obama in part to increase US influence in Asia, was to be an essential feature of Washington&#39;s strategic pivot to Asia - an &quot;economic NATO&quot;.

It now looks dead in the water. Both Clinton and Trump oppose the deal, which would set up a free trade zone among 12 countries that excludes China.

With US allies such as Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore among the biggest winners of an open trade regime, a more isolationist and protectionist stance will cost Washington influence in Asia.

Ironically, it would be China, the subject of many of Trump&#39;s tirades, that could emerge the big winner as uncertainty over Washington&#39;s future commitment to Asia pushes countries into dealing more closely with Beijing.

&quot;If the US pulls out of TPP, that will certainly increase China&#39;s influence in Asia,&quot; said Kanti Bajpai, Professor of Asian Studies at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore.

&quot;Already, US criticism of domestic issues in Thailand, the Philippines, and Malaysia has alienated those countries and caused them to lean towards Beijing. Pulling out of the TPP will help China geopolitically.&quot;

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has been particularly hostile towards Washington over its criticism of his lethal anti-drugs campaign, announcing a &quot;separation&quot; from the United States during last month&#39;s visit to China. 
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak came back from a visit to China last week with $34 billion worth of deals and an agreement to buy four Chinese naval vessels.

Security concerns

China has long been in Trump&#39;s sights, with promises to declare it a currency manipulator and impose punitive tariffs on imports. But any such moves could also hurt Asian exporters who ship components there for assembly and export to the United States, at a time when global trade is already weakening.

Gareth Leather, senior Asia economist at Capital Economics, said the Philippines, Taiwan and South Korea were the emerging Asia economies most vulnerable to a Trump presidency.

&quot;Perhaps the biggest risk to the region&#39;s economies, however, stems not from Trump&#39;s trade policies, but from his foreign policy,&quot; Leather said.

Trump has created doubts over his commitment to security alliances, suggesting Japan and South Korea need to pay more for a US military presence and that they should even develop their own nuclear capability to counter China and North Korea.

Clinton, who was secretary of state when the Obama administration launched its Asia pivot, is expected to maintain Obama&#39;s foreign policy, with some seeing her as being more hawkish.

The divisive US presidential campaign has already done a lot of damage to the reputation of the United States in Asia, regardless of the election outcome, according to some analysts.

&quot;The broader question is whether the United States can assert global leadership,&quot; said Jesper Koll, CEO at fund manager WisdomTree Japan.

&quot;All my Chinese friends say, &#39;We thought we would run the world in 20 years. Now it&#39;s going to be in January&#39;. This is not a joke. It&#39;s the natural state of development,&quot; Koll said

(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The divisive election campaign has caused severe damage to the reputation of the US in Asia, creating doubts over economic & security ties

Win or lose, Donald Trump's campaign has changed the way countries in Asia view their relationships with Washington. Final opinion polls suggested the most likely outcome is a victory for Hillary Clinton. But even Clinton, an architect of the US strategic pivot to Asia, has some work ahead of her in rebuilding trust, analysts and former officials in Asia said. "With or without Trump, this marks the end of US leadership, in particular, moral leadership," said a former Japanese diplomat, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the topic. "I don't think it's a question of Trump as an individual, but a question of the US society that produced this man as the Republican candidate." Trump upended US democratic traditions during his White House campaign, drawing enthusiastic crowds where people cheered his often provocative and outrageous remarks. He described a dark America, knocked to its knees by China, Mexico and the Islamic state. Trump's harnessing of a populist backlash against immigration and global trade has challenged the ideal of benevolent American power that helped shape the global economy - and the forces of globalisation - since the fall of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s. Now the United States faces a rising China, long an economic force and now becoming more assertive in geopolitics - building its military capability and ignoring an international tribunal's ruling against its claims to most of the South China Sea. Trans-Pacific partnership Asia is most worried about trade protectionism - exports make up a quarter of Asia's GDP and a fifth of them go to the United States. The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal, championed by President Barack Obama in part to increase US influence in Asia, was to be an essential feature of Washington's strategic pivot to Asia - an "economic NATO". It now looks dead in the water. Both Clinton and Trump oppose the deal, which would set up a free trade zone among 12 countries that excludes China. With US allies such as Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore among the biggest winners of an open trade regime, a more isolationist and protectionist stance will cost Washington influence in Asia. Ironically, it would be China, the subject of many of Trump's tirades, that could emerge the big winner as uncertainty over Washington's future commitment to Asia pushes countries into dealing more closely with Beijing. "If the US pulls out of TPP, that will certainly increase China's influence in Asia," said Kanti Bajpai, Professor of Asian Studies at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore. "Already, US criticism of domestic issues in Thailand, the Philippines, and Malaysia has alienated those countries and caused them to lean towards Beijing. Pulling out of the TPP will help China geopolitically." Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has been particularly hostile towards Washington over its criticism of his lethal anti-drugs campaign, announcing a "separation" from the United States during last month's visit to China. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak came back from a visit to China last week with $34 billion worth of deals and an agreement to buy four Chinese naval vessels. Security concerns China has long been in Trump's sights, with promises to declare it a currency manipulator and impose punitive tariffs on imports. But any such moves could also hurt Asian exporters who ship components there for assembly and export to the United States, at a time when global trade is already weakening. Gareth Leather, senior Asia economist at Capital Economics, said the Philippines, Taiwan and South Korea were the emerging Asia economies most vulnerable to a Trump presidency. "Perhaps the biggest risk to the region's economies, however, stems not from Trump's trade policies, but from his foreign policy," Leather said. Trump has created doubts over his commitment to security alliances, suggesting Japan and South Korea need to pay more for a US military presence and that they should even develop their own nuclear capability to counter China and North Korea. Clinton, who was secretary of state when the Obama administration launched its Asia pivot, is expected to maintain Obama's foreign policy, with some seeing her as being more hawkish. The divisive US presidential campaign has already done a lot of damage to the reputation of the United States in Asia, regardless of the election outcome, according to some analysts. "The broader question is whether the United States can assert global leadership," said Jesper Koll, CEO at fund manager WisdomTree Japan. "All my Chinese friends say, 'We thought we would run the world in 20 years. Now it's going to be in January'. This is not a joke. It's the natural state of development," Koll said (Reuters)

Asia sees changed US relationship, whoever wins

The US Supreme Court on Monday rejected an 11th-hour move by the Democratic Party in Ohio seeking to prevent Donald Trump supporters from carrying out certain actions that could be considered voter intimidation.

The legal battle, followed across the country because of its potential implications, had stemmed from Trump&#39;s assertions on the campaign trail, without providing evidence, that the election was likely to be &quot;rigged&quot; and that his supporters should watch polling sites on Tuesday.

Fearing this call would lead to Trump supporters intimidating voters, particularly minorities who are more likely to support Democrat Hillary Clinton, the Ohio Democratic Party filed a lawsuit and initially won their case in federal court on Friday.

US District Judge James Gwin had issued a ruling barring activities including following, questioning or photographing voters or their vehicles.

The Trump campaign appealed and won, with the Sixth Circuit US Court of Appeals in Cincinnati on Sunday suspending Gwin&#39;s order, saying the Ohio Democratic Party had not sufficiently substantiated their arguments.

On Monday, the shorthanded Supreme Court, with eight justices instead of the usual nine as Republicans have blocked President Barack Obama&#39;s nominee to replace the late conservative justice Antonin Scalia, sided with the appeals court.

In keeping with protocol, the high court is reluctant to intervene just before a national election.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said in a statement that she voted to deny the Democratic party&#39;s case because Ohio already has laws in place to stymie voter intimidation.

Trying to block or harass voters at the polls harkens back to the intimidation of black voters in modern US history, especially in the formerly segregated South.

After a bruising presidential campaign that has divided the country, thousands of independent observers will be fanning out Tuesday to ensure free and fair polling.

The US Justice Department said it would send more than 500 people to 28 states to observe the voting.

(AFP)

The 11th-hour move sought to prevent Donald Trump supporters from carrying out certain actions that could be considered voter intimidation

The US Supreme Court on Monday rejected an 11th-hour move by the Democratic Party in Ohio seeking to prevent Donald Trump supporters from carrying out certain actions that could be considered voter intimidation. The legal battle, followed across the country because of its potential implications, had stemmed from Trump's assertions on the campaign trail, without providing evidence, that the election was likely to be "rigged" and that his supporters should watch polling sites on Tuesday. Fearing this call would lead to Trump supporters intimidating voters, particularly minorities who are more likely to support Democrat Hillary Clinton, the Ohio Democratic Party filed a lawsuit and initially won their case in federal court on Friday. US District Judge James Gwin had issued a ruling barring activities including following, questioning or photographing voters or their vehicles. The Trump campaign appealed and won, with the Sixth Circuit US Court of Appeals in Cincinnati on Sunday suspending Gwin's order, saying the Ohio Democratic Party had not sufficiently substantiated their arguments. On Monday, the shorthanded Supreme Court, with eight justices instead of the usual nine as Republicans have blocked President Barack Obama's nominee to replace the late conservative justice Antonin Scalia, sided with the appeals court. In keeping with protocol, the high court is reluctant to intervene just before a national election. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said in a statement that she voted to deny the Democratic party's case because Ohio already has laws in place to stymie voter intimidation. Trying to block or harass voters at the polls harkens back to the intimidation of black voters in modern US history, especially in the formerly segregated South. After a bruising presidential campaign that has divided the country, thousands of independent observers will be fanning out Tuesday to ensure free and fair polling. The US Justice Department said it would send more than 500 people to 28 states to observe the voting. (AFP)

US Democrats lose suit seeking to bar voter intimidation

By&nbsp;Matthew Kolasa

Ryan Lochte is to Michael Phelps in swimming what Hillary Clinton is to Donald Trump in polarising Americans. No major party nominee save for Trump has had such strong negative opinions since opinion polling began.

While the cause for voters&rsquo; distaste for the Republican nominee is clear, the strong degree of displeasure with secretary Clinton seems more elusive. Other candidates have committed blunders, been mired in scandal, held lengthy tenures, lied and changed views for political expediency, but rarely has an American politician been so reviled by so many, even within her own party. What is so different for Hillary Clinton?

First, the usual suspects: the Benghazi incident, regardless of her level of involvement, recklessness in using her email server, voting for the 2003 invasion of Iraq, achieving power because of her husband&mdash;disregarding her own accomplishments&mdash;and staying with her husband, for which she has been accused of everything from Machiavellian calculus to anti-feminism to Stockholm syndrome. There are the Wall Street speech fees and the Clinton Foundation donations, especially by foreign nationals, her biased judgment favoring rich donors, the accusations that she is either too liberal or too conservative, her being a woman and, finally, that she has been in politics too long and it is time for a change.

Perceived Inevitability

Each reason may put off some voters, and taken together they partly explain the polarization on display in the polls, but this is not the whole story. Many of these criticisms are not new and as recently as 2013 her approval rating was 67% and her negatives were as low as 26%&mdash;comparable to Barack Obama&rsquo;s in 2008, according to The Washington Post/ABC poll.

There is one cause the media has largely ignored: her perceived inevitability in 2016. The early decision by party leaders to rally behind a candidate long before the first vote was cast in the Iowa caucus has made voters see her as chosen not by them, but by &eacute;lites in smoke-filled rooms.

Frustrated leftists tried to rally around Bernie Sanders, an independent who surprised with his performance but never rose beyond a minority protest against the organized and disciplined Clinton campaign, even after a nigh-miraculous upset in the Michigan primary.

Centrist Democrats who would have preferred a more conservative choice also felt excluded from the process. Consider one demographic supporting Sanders: poor whites, including lifelong Democrats, in the heart of coal country, felt betrayed by the Obama administration&rsquo;s aggressive approach to environmental regulation and saw Clinton as a continuation of his current policies, and thus voted for a left-wing candidate they might otherwise have never considered.

Obama 2.0

First, internal party conflict and then a &ldquo;circular firing squad&rdquo; of 17 Republican candidates allowing the rise of Trump have left many conservative Democrats and swing-voters without a viable alternative, choosing the lesser of two undesirables. A less divisive Republican nominee or a stronger opponent in the primaries would have made more Americans think of her as their choice rather than the establishment&rsquo;s next-in-line. Would people be as anti-Hillary had she beaten Joe Biden in the primaries and been leading Bobby Jindal in the general election?

Add Obama&rsquo;s popularity and anyone unhappy about electing Obama 2.0 can easily feel disenfranchised, particularly after Senator Sanders struggled to implicitly criticize the Obama administration and the Republican Party failed to rally around an alternative. In a world of Yelp reviews, reality-TV voting and instant social media feedback, voters have come to expect a feeling of empowerment. Factor in the echo-chamber effect of the blogosphere and Google and Facebook algorithms, and a Republican or a Sanders supporter may wonder how anyone could vote for Hillary at all.

Democracy is now more than ever about a feeling of empowerment, and many voters who think of her as an heir who has not earned their votes will fear she is not beholden to them, but to other identity groups, donors or party &eacute;lites.

Fair Observer - World News, Politics, Economics, Business and CultureFair Observer provides you deep and diverse insights for free. Remember that we still have to pay for servers, website maintenance and much more. So, donate now to keep us free, fair and independent.

Anti-Hillary is not only about Hillary or her policies: They may well be good reasons, but not the primary ones. It is about the system she represents. While she will probably be the next president, if the perception Trump is promoting of conniving insiders subverting democratic institutions takes root and dominates political discourse, she will enter office with little political capital.

As a result, America will only become more splintered among political, regional and ethnic factions. In an era when the US is more polarized than ever, the risk of paralysed institutions and a weaker republic after the election is a real one.&nbsp;

(This story first appeared on FairObserver.com)

The anti-Hillary sentiment is directed at the system she represents

By Matthew Kolasa Ryan Lochte is to Michael Phelps in swimming what Hillary Clinton is to Donald Trump in polarising Americans. No major party nominee save for Trump has had such strong negative opinions since opinion polling began. While the cause for voters’ distaste for the Republican nominee is clear, the strong degree of displeasure with secretary Clinton seems more elusive. Other candidates have committed blunders, been mired in scandal, held lengthy tenures, lied and changed views for political expediency, but rarely has an American politician been so reviled by so many, even within her own party. What is so different for Hillary Clinton? First, the usual suspects: the Benghazi incident, regardless of her level of involvement, recklessness in using her email server, voting for the 2003 invasion of Iraq, achieving power because of her husband—disregarding her own accomplishments—and staying with her husband, for which she has been accused of everything from Machiavellian calculus to anti-feminism to Stockholm syndrome. There are the Wall Street speech fees and the Clinton Foundation donations, especially by foreign nationals, her biased judgment favoring rich donors, the accusations that she is either too liberal or too conservative, her being a woman and, finally, that she has been in politics too long and it is time for a change. Perceived Inevitability Each reason may put off some voters, and taken together they partly explain the polarization on display in the polls, but this is not the whole story. Many of these criticisms are not new and as recently as 2013 her approval rating was 67% and her negatives were as low as 26%—comparable to Barack Obama’s in 2008, according to The Washington Post/ABC poll. There is one cause the media has largely ignored: her perceived inevitability in 2016. The early decision by party leaders to rally behind a candidate long before the first vote was cast in the Iowa caucus has made voters see her as chosen not by them, but by élites in smoke-filled rooms. Frustrated leftists tried to rally around Bernie Sanders, an independent who surprised with his performance but never rose beyond a minority protest against the organized and disciplined Clinton campaign, even after a nigh-miraculous upset in the Michigan primary. Centrist Democrats who would have preferred a more conservative choice also felt excluded from the process. Consider one demographic supporting Sanders: poor whites, including lifelong Democrats, in the heart of coal country, felt betrayed by the Obama administration’s aggressive approach to environmental regulation and saw Clinton as a continuation of his current policies, and thus voted for a left-wing candidate they might otherwise have never considered. Obama 2.0 First, internal party conflict and then a “circular firing squad” of 17 Republican candidates allowing the rise of Trump have left many conservative Democrats and swing-voters without a viable alternative, choosing the lesser of two undesirables. A less divisive Republican nominee or a stronger opponent in the primaries would have made more Americans think of her as their choice rather than the establishment’s next-in-line. Would people be as anti-Hillary had she beaten Joe Biden in the primaries and been leading Bobby Jindal in the general election? Add Obama’s popularity and anyone unhappy about electing Obama 2.0 can easily feel disenfranchised, particularly after Senator Sanders struggled to implicitly criticize the Obama administration and the Republican Party failed to rally around an alternative. In a world of Yelp reviews, reality-TV voting and instant social media feedback, voters have come to expect a feeling of empowerment. Factor in the echo-chamber effect of the blogosphere and Google and Facebook algorithms, and a Republican or a Sanders supporter may wonder how anyone could vote for Hillary at all. Democracy is now more than ever about a feeling of empowerment, and many voters who think of her as an heir who has not earned their votes will fear she is not beholden to them, but to other identity groups, donors or party élites. Fair Observer - World News, Politics, Economics, Business and CultureFair Observer provides you deep and diverse insights for free. Remember that we still have to pay for servers, website maintenance and much more. So, donate now to keep us free, fair and independent. Anti-Hillary is not only about Hillary or her policies: They may well be good reasons, but not the primary ones. It is about the system she represents. While she will probably be the next president, if the perception Trump is promoting of conniving insiders subverting democratic institutions takes root and dominates political discourse, she will enter office with little political capital. As a result, America will only become more splintered among political, regional and ethnic factions. In an era when the US is more polarized than ever, the risk of paralysed institutions and a weaker republic after the election is a real one. (This story first appeared on FairObserver.com)

Why is Hillary Clinton so unpopular?

Republican candidate Donald Trump might have just lost a vote from within his family. The morning of the crucial Election Day, Eric Trump tweeted a picture that appeared to be the vote for his father, Donald Trump.&nbsp;

&ldquo;It is an incredible honor to vote for my father! He will do such a great job for the USA! #MakeAmericaGreatAgain,&rdquo; the proud Trump scion tweeted.

But the vote is likely to be disqualified as New York is among the 18 states that have laws restricting the taking of photographs in voting booths or of completed ballots.&nbsp;

Last week, a Manhattan federal court judge ruled that the state law barring voters from taking photographs of marked ballots also applies to people sharing pictures of them on social media.&nbsp;

Eric Trump was not visible in the tweet himself but another tweet showed him leaving the polling site minutes after. The tweet was removed after a publication, Daily News inquired about the violation of law. The photograph could earn him a fine of $1000.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Proud to cast my vote for a man who has changed the game &amp; stands for &amp; w the people of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/America?src=hash">#America</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump">@realDonaldTrump</a> - today we vote to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MAGA?src=hash">#MAGA</a> <a href="https://t.co/e1FxCvupAq">pic.twitter.com/e1FxCvupAq</a>
&mdash; Lara Trump (@LaraLeaTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/LaraLeaTrump/status/795970006475567104">November 8, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

(WION) 
&nbsp;

Donald Trump's son broke the law by tweeting the selfie of his completed ballot at a polling station in New York

Republican candidate Donald Trump might have just lost a vote from within his family. The morning of the crucial Election Day, Eric Trump tweeted a picture that appeared to be the vote for his father, Donald Trump. “It is an incredible honor to vote for my father! He will do such a great job for the USA! #MakeAmericaGreatAgain,” the proud Trump scion tweeted. But the vote is likely to be disqualified as New York is among the 18 states that have laws restricting the taking of photographs in voting booths or of completed ballots. Last week, a Manhattan federal court judge ruled that the state law barring voters from taking photographs of marked ballots also applies to people sharing pictures of them on social media. Eric Trump was not visible in the tweet himself but another tweet showed him leaving the polling site minutes after. The tweet was removed after a publication, Daily News inquired about the violation of law. The photograph could earn him a fine of $1000. Proud to cast my vote for a man who has changed the game & stands for & w the people of #America, @realDonaldTrump - today we vote to #MAGA pic.twitter.com/e1FxCvupAq — Lara Trump (@LaraLeaTrump) November 8, 2016 × (WION)

US election 2016: Eric Trump violates law, tweets Election Day ballot selfie

Residents of the tiny town of Dixville Notch in the northern part of New Hampshire voted just after midnight on Tuesday (November 8) as one of the first in the United States.

Eight people cast their ballots with 4 votes going to Democrat Hillary Clinton, 2 for Republican Donald Trump and one for the Libertarian Party&#39;s Gary Johnson. A write-in vote was cast for 2012 nominee Mitt Romney, who is not running.

The midnight voting tradition started in 1960, by the father of Tom Tillotson, who was the moderator of the 2016 voting session. The tally took only several minutes, and Tillotson shared with Reuters that his vote went to libertarian Johnson.

&quot;I think a very large number of Republicans that basically feel disappointed with the process and the choices we have had, the Democrats didn&#39;t put up a better choice, and that the, I personally think it is a sign for either a third party or one of the other parties has to really remake itself to address where people really are,&quot; he said.

Clayton Smith, who was the first to cast the ballot said that he voted reluctantly for Democratic nominee Clinton.

&quot;Honestly it was the lesser of two evils which is terrible to say, but I am pretty firmly in the not-Trump side of things. And there are a lot of people on the never-Hillary side of things. ButI couldn&#39;t morally consider voting for Trump,&quot; Smith told Reuters.

The voting results in Dixville Notch are not predictive of the result of the general election. In 1960, the town voted in favour of Richard Nixon who lost the race to Democrat John F Kennedy.

In 2012, the town saw a tie between President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Romney.

Two other New Hampshire towns, Hart&#39;s Location and Millsfield also had midnight voting sessions on Tuesday, but Dixville Notch got the most media attention with reporters outnumbering voters five-fold.

(Reuters)

 
&nbsp;

Eight people voted with four going to Hillary Clinton, two to Donald Trump, and one to the Libertarian Party

Residents of the tiny town of Dixville Notch in the northern part of New Hampshire voted just after midnight on Tuesday (November 8) as one of the first in the United States. Eight people cast their ballots with 4 votes going to Democrat Hillary Clinton, 2 for Republican Donald Trump and one for the Libertarian Party's Gary Johnson. A write-in vote was cast for 2012 nominee Mitt Romney, who is not running. The midnight voting tradition started in 1960, by the father of Tom Tillotson, who was the moderator of the 2016 voting session. The tally took only several minutes, and Tillotson shared with Reuters that his vote went to libertarian Johnson. "I think a very large number of Republicans that basically feel disappointed with the process and the choices we have had, the Democrats didn't put up a better choice, and that the, I personally think it is a sign for either a third party or one of the other parties has to really remake itself to address where people really are," he said. Clayton Smith, who was the first to cast the ballot said that he voted reluctantly for Democratic nominee Clinton. "Honestly it was the lesser of two evils which is terrible to say, but I am pretty firmly in the not-Trump side of things. And there are a lot of people on the never-Hillary side of things. ButI couldn't morally consider voting for Trump," Smith told Reuters. The voting results in Dixville Notch are not predictive of the result of the general election. In 1960, the town voted in favour of Richard Nixon who lost the race to Democrat John F Kennedy. In 2012, the town saw a tie between President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Romney. Two other New Hampshire towns, Hart's Location and Millsfield also had midnight voting sessions on Tuesday, but Dixville Notch got the most media attention with reporters outnumbering voters five-fold. (Reuters)

One of first to vote, tiny town of Dixville Notch goes to Clinton

Polling stations opened Tuesday, November 8&nbsp;as the first ballots were cast in the long-awaited US election pitting Hillary Clinton against Donald Trump.

The polls first opened in Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Vermont and Virginia early morning on Tuesday.

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump gave US voters a stark choice between her vision of unity and his promise to take back power from Washington&#39;s corrupt elites.

On the final day of the presidential campaign that has left a bemused world looking on in concern for its greatest power, Trump doubled down on his unabashed appeal to popular resentment.

The Democrat Clinton has had sharp words for her rival, a 70-year-old property tycoon who seized the conservative Republican Party and turned it into a vehicle for his populist bombast, but she ended the race pleading for unity.

&#39;It&#39;s time to fight for America. I&#39;m not a politician, I can say proudly. My only special interest is you,&#39; Trump told a raucous crowd, vowing to end free trade, control immigration and &#39;bring back&#39; jobs&nbsp;

Some 40 million Americans have already cast ballots in states that allow early voting, and tens of millions more will turn out on Tuesday for what is shaping up to be a historic clash.

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<h5>&quot;It&#39;s time to fight for America. I&#39;m not a politician, I can say proudly. My only special interest is you,&quot; Trump told a raucous crowd, vowing to end free trade, control immigration and &quot;bring back&quot; jobs.&nbsp;</h5>
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&quot;But the years of betrayal will end -- they will end and they&#39;re going to end quickly. They&#39;re going to end as of the day we take office, which is going to be very, very soon.&quot;

Clinton went into Election Day as the favorite to become the first US woman president after spending eight years in the White House as the first lady in the 1990s.

A Reuters/Ipsos States of the Nation poll gave Clinton a 90 per cent chance of defeating Trump and said she was on track to win 303 electoral college votes out of 270 needed, to Trump&#39;s 235.

But the campaign has been bruising -- she has been dogged by allegations that she put US secrets at risk on her private email server while at the State Department and the race remains perilously close in a handful of key states.&nbsp;

Trump advisers said the level of his support was not apparent in the polling and believed the New York businessman was in position for an upset victory along the lines of the &quot;Brexit&quot; vote in June to pull Britain from the European Union.

&quot;We have seen enormous momentum,&quot; said deputy Trump campaign manager Dave Bossie.

Support for Trump dropped after footage emerged of him bragging about sexual assault and at least a dozen women came forward to accuse him, but polls have tightened as the big day approaches.

But a Clinton win in votes casts will mean nothing if she does not win the electoral college, fending off a last-ditch Trump bid to secure Florida and poach North Carolina, Michigan, Ohio, Nevada or New Hampshire.

Last-day blitz

As Election Day approached -- to the relief of the many voters left cold by the long drawn-out slog through the political mud -- both candidates maintained break-neck schedules.

Clinton made stops in three battleground states, and deployed President Barack Obama as cheerleader-in-chief in another, before they were to join up at a star-studded grand finale in Philadelphia.

&quot;The world is watching us right now. This is one of those moments. Don&#39;t let it slip away,&quot; Obama said in New Hampshire.

Trump sneered at Clinton&#39;s choice of pop stars -- Bruce Springsteen and Lady Gaga -- to attract the crowds, and stuck to his stump speech, each new version slightly more aggressive than the last. &nbsp;&nbsp;

&quot;This election will decide whether we are ruled by a corrupt political class, you&#39;re seeing what&#39;s happening. Everybody is watching. Or whether we are ruled by the people,&quot; he declared.&nbsp;

&quot;We&#39;re going to be ruled by the people, folks. That is going to be the choice. Our failed political establishment has delivered nothing but poverty, nothing but problems, nothing but losses.

&quot;It&#39;s time to reject the media and political elite that has bled our country dry,&quot; he declared, pointing to the press pen at his event, and whipping up cries of &quot;Drain the swamp!&quot; from his fervent supporters.

Market rally

Trump&#39;s vow to rip up America&#39;s free trade deals, build a wall on the Mexican border and renegotiate US treaty alliances has spooked world markets seeking stability after the recent global slowdown.

Last week, US stocks as measured by the S&amp;P 500 index fell for nine straight days for the first time since 1980, only to recover a little when the FBI confirmed Clinton would not face prosecution over her emails.

Global stock markets surged on Monday, with Wall Street gaining more than two percent, as hopes for a Clinton victory rose after FBI director James Comey&#39;s weekend announcement that she was in the clear.

The dollar also gained, and analyst Patrick O&#39;Hare of briefing.com said: &quot;You can certainly take for granted from today&#39;s rally that the market seems to like the idea of Mrs. Clinton being elected president.&quot;

(WION with inputs from agencies)

Clinton and Trump give US voters a stark choice between a vision of unity and a promise made to take back power from Washington respectively

Polling stations opened Tuesday, November 8 as the first ballots were cast in the long-awaited US election pitting Hillary Clinton against Donald Trump. The polls first opened in Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Vermont and Virginia early morning on Tuesday. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump gave US voters a stark choice between her vision of unity and his promise to take back power from Washington's corrupt elites. On the final day of the presidential campaign that has left a bemused world looking on in concern for its greatest power, Trump doubled down on his unabashed appeal to popular resentment. The Democrat Clinton has had sharp words for her rival, a 70-year-old property tycoon who seized the conservative Republican Party and turned it into a vehicle for his populist bombast, but she ended the race pleading for unity. 'It's time to fight for America. I'm not a politician, I can say proudly. My only special interest is you,' Trump told a raucous crowd, vowing to end free trade, control immigration and 'bring back' jobs Some 40 million Americans have already cast ballots in states that allow early voting, and tens of millions more will turn out on Tuesday for what is shaping up to be a historic clash. "It's time to fight for America. I'm not a politician, I can say proudly. My only special interest is you," Trump told a raucous crowd, vowing to end free trade, control immigration and "bring back" jobs. × "But the years of betrayal will end -- they will end and they're going to end quickly. They're going to end as of the day we take office, which is going to be very, very soon." Clinton went into Election Day as the favorite to become the first US woman president after spending eight years in the White House as the first lady in the 1990s. A Reuters/Ipsos States of the Nation poll gave Clinton a 90 per cent chance of defeating Trump and said she was on track to win 303 electoral college votes out of 270 needed, to Trump's 235. But the campaign has been bruising -- she has been dogged by allegations that she put US secrets at risk on her private email server while at the State Department and the race remains perilously close in a handful of key states. Trump advisers said the level of his support was not apparent in the polling and believed the New York businessman was in position for an upset victory along the lines of the "Brexit" vote in June to pull Britain from the European Union. "We have seen enormous momentum," said deputy Trump campaign manager Dave Bossie. Support for Trump dropped after footage emerged of him bragging about sexual assault and at least a dozen women came forward to accuse him, but polls have tightened as the big day approaches. But a Clinton win in votes casts will mean nothing if she does not win the electoral college, fending off a last-ditch Trump bid to secure Florida and poach North Carolina, Michigan, Ohio, Nevada or New Hampshire. Last-day blitz As Election Day approached -- to the relief of the many voters left cold by the long drawn-out slog through the political mud -- both candidates maintained break-neck schedules. Clinton made stops in three battleground states, and deployed President Barack Obama as cheerleader-in-chief in another, before they were to join up at a star-studded grand finale in Philadelphia. "The world is watching us right now. This is one of those moments. Don't let it slip away," Obama said in New Hampshire. Trump sneered at Clinton's choice of pop stars -- Bruce Springsteen and Lady Gaga -- to attract the crowds, and stuck to his stump speech, each new version slightly more aggressive than the last. "This election will decide whether we are ruled by a corrupt political class, you're seeing what's happening. Everybody is watching. Or whether we are ruled by the people," he declared. "We're going to be ruled by the people, folks. That is going to be the choice. Our failed political establishment has delivered nothing but poverty, nothing but problems, nothing but losses. "It's time to reject the media and political elite that has bled our country dry," he declared, pointing to the press pen at his event, and whipping up cries of "Drain the swamp!" from his fervent supporters. Market rally Trump's vow to rip up America's free trade deals, build a wall on the Mexican border and renegotiate US treaty alliances has spooked world markets seeking stability after the recent global slowdown. Last week, US stocks as measured by the S&P 500 index fell for nine straight days for the first time since 1980, only to recover a little when the FBI confirmed Clinton would not face prosecution over her emails. Global stock markets surged on Monday, with Wall Street gaining more than two percent, as hopes for a Clinton victory rose after FBI director James Comey's weekend announcement that she was in the clear. The dollar also gained, and analyst Patrick O'Hare of briefing.com said: "You can certainly take for granted from today's rally that the market seems to like the idea of Mrs. Clinton being elected president." (WION with inputs from agencies)

US election 2016: Today is the day Americans decide?Clinton or Trump

The Clinton campaign has issued cease-and-desist warnings to any TV or radio station, demanding that they refrain from airing ads from pro-Trump groups stating that his democratic rival is &quot;under investigation by the FBI&quot;, <a href="http://thehill.com/homenews/media/304854-clinton-campaign-to-media-stop-airing-ads-saying-clinton-is-under">The Hill reports.</a>

CNN reported that the letters were sent on Sunday, the same day that FBI Director James Comey anounced that the newly discovered emails would not change the FBI&#39;s original conclusion from July 5, that Clinton was innocent of any criminal wrongdoing.&nbsp;

&quot;These ads falsely claim Secretary Clinton is under investigation by the FBI,&quot; wrote Marc Elias, the general counsel for the Clinton campaign. He also writes that &quot;at no point&quot; did the FBI &quot;reopen&quot; an investiation into Clinton&#39;s emails. &quot;The claim in these ads is provably false.&quot;

The prospect of misinformation affecting&nbsp;the 2016 US election, and possibly tainting its result,&nbsp;is considerable. There are <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-fears-of-voter-intimidation-suppression-run-high-8541">already early reports </a>from advanced voting related to&nbsp;voter intimidation and voter suppression.&nbsp;

Jon Favreau, President Obama&#39;s chief speech writer from 2005-2013, pointed out that&nbsp;today&#39;s <a href="https://themoscowtimes.com/articles/moscows-news-media-helps-russians-report-vote-fraud-to-the-trump-campaign-56051">Moscow Times</a>&nbsp;reports that&nbsp;Russian news media is sending Russians living in Russia the number to a&nbsp;hotline where they&nbsp;can report so-called vote fraud to Donald Trump. While the hotline&nbsp;is primarily for Russians living in the US, there is an option to &quot;Press 1&quot; for callers located within&nbsp;Russia.

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One last push from a foreign government intervening in our election on behalf of Trump! <a href="https://t.co/0HEouhNPE6">https://t.co/0HEouhNPE6</a>
&mdash; Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) <a href="https://twitter.com/jonfavs/status/796018298324295680">November 8, 2016</a></blockquote>
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This frantic atmopshere of misinformation poses a two-fold threat: that the election result itself&nbsp;is&nbsp;tainted, and that the result is&nbsp;perceived&nbsp;to be tainted. Democracy can&#39;t be strong if its very foundations, a free voting process, is questioned.&nbsp;

(WION)

Trump supporters were airing commercials claiming the Democratic nominee for President is 'under FBI investigation', which is not true

The Clinton campaign has issued cease-and-desist warnings to any TV or radio station, demanding that they refrain from airing ads from pro-Trump groups stating that his democratic rival is "under investigation by the FBI", The Hill reports. CNN reported that the letters were sent on Sunday, the same day that FBI Director James Comey anounced that the newly discovered emails would not change the FBI's original conclusion from July 5, that Clinton was innocent of any criminal wrongdoing. "These ads falsely claim Secretary Clinton is under investigation by the FBI," wrote Marc Elias, the general counsel for the Clinton campaign. He also writes that "at no point" did the FBI "reopen" an investiation into Clinton's emails. "The claim in these ads is provably false." The prospect of misinformation affecting the 2016 US election, and possibly tainting its result, is considerable. There are already early reports from advanced voting related to voter intimidation and voter suppression. Jon Favreau, President Obama's chief speech writer from 2005-2013, pointed out that today's Moscow Times reports that Russian news media is sending Russians living in Russia the number to a hotline where they can report so-called vote fraud to Donald Trump. While the hotline is primarily for Russians living in the US, there is an option to "Press 1" for callers located within Russia. One last push from a foreign government intervening in our election on behalf of Trump! https://t.co/0HEouhNPE6 — Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) November 8, 2016 × This frantic atmopshere of misinformation poses a two-fold threat: that the election result itself is tainted, and that the result is perceived to be tainted. Democracy can't be strong if its very foundations, a free voting process, is questioned. (WION)

Clinton lawyers end ads with 'provably false' claims before election

On the campaign trail, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has explicitly warned, without foundation or evidence, that the US election will be &quot;rigged&quot; against him.

As a result, everybody from state leaders, voting experts and election advocates are preparing for an inordinate amount of confusion and chaos, the Washington Post reports, as the US election begins Tuesday after&nbsp;an unusually fierce and bitter presidential race.

In some states, advanced voters have faced lineups over four hours long. It has even been taken to court, as Democrats have filed lawsuits against&nbsp;Donald Trump&nbsp;supporters.&nbsp;

In Virginia, America&#39;s wealthiest state,&nbsp;a man with<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/armed-man-wearing-trump-shirt-confronts-woman-with-child-at-polling-station-authorities-shrug-8407"> a Trump shirt and a gun </a>stood&nbsp;outside a polling station. He was said to be cooperative with the authorities when they confronted him, and complied with the regulation about standing far enough away from the entrance of the polling station. But he had already&nbsp;asked voters which candidate they favoured, and some, who saw the gun, said they were intimidated.

Election monitors are worried this year as the prospect of voter intimidation appears to be very real after Trump&#39;s&nbsp;direct and repeated calls for his supporters to stake out other polling stations and watch out for suspicious activity.

Actually, the first example of voter fraud was committed by a<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/oct/29/voter-fraud-iowa-trump-supporter"> Trump supporter </a>who voted twice because she feared&nbsp;Trump&#39;s unsubstantiated claim&nbsp;that her vote wouldn&#39;t be counted would come true.

&nbsp;

Specific warnings and consequences

The Washington Post reports that election officials in Pennsylvania and Arizona have become so concerned about voter intimidation that they have issued specific advisories outlining what types of threatening behaviour are not permitted, and exactly what distance they need to keep&nbsp;surrounding&nbsp;polling places.

A notice issued by Pennyslvania&#39;s secretary of state reads &quot;Individuals who conspire to interfere with a person&#39;s right to vote can face up to 10 years in prison&quot;. This was posted after Trump singled out Philadelphia as a place for his supporters to scrutinise.&nbsp;

&quot;The number and tenor of calls we&#39;ve received about problems, the amounf of litigation you already see, it all reflects the moment we&#39;re in,&quot; said Kristen Clarke, president of the nonpartisan Lawyers&#39; Committe for Civil Rights Under Law, as quoted by the Washington Post.

They report that her group will be running America&#39;s largest independent effort to deal with voters complaints, concerns and questions. The nonpartisan organisation &quot;Election Protection will have as many as 4,500 legal volunteers answering calls sent to the hotline 866-OUR-VOTE, and 2,500 volunteers are stationed at polling sites around the US&quot;.

The Washington Post further states that Clarke&#39;s has set up a headquarters in Washington where hundreds of lawyers are working for free so they can attend to all the conerned calls by voters poring in.

&nbsp;

Long lines

The worst problem may not be intimidation exactly, but another form of voter suppression: long lines. By changing laws to reduce the number of polling stations available, especially in areas where minorities (who skew Democrat)&nbsp;live, it means voters need to travel longer to get to a polling station, and need to wait there for longer in order to vote. It&#39;s designed systematically to discourage would-be Democrat&nbsp;voters

On Sunday, the only early voting station in <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/republican-efforts-to-suppress-minority-votes-appear-to-be-working-8440">Cincinnati </a>was at least a quarter-mile long, with thousands of people lined up for hours. The Washington Post reports that food trucks handed out free tacos and cupcakes to encourage people to come out and vote. California, Arizona and Nevada all faced similar problems, the Washington Post reports.

There is special attention being paid to Florida and Ohio, where in 2012 some stations in Miami were so clogged that voters were still casting ballots at 1 am,&nbsp;while President Obama was giving his victory speech, the Washington Post reports.

A group called Stop the Steal, run by Republican operatives and a trump adviser named <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/ohio-judge-orders-trump-campaign-to-avoid-voter-intimidation-8368">Roger Stone</a>, has been signing up &quot;vote protectors&quot; to stand outside polling stations. As of yesterday, 3,191 had signed up, the Washington Post reports

&quot;This is our best chance to stop the Democrats from stealing the election from Donald Trump. Help us fight a rigged system,&quot; the group posted on its <a href="https://stopthesteal.org/">website</a>. In&nbsp;addition to signing people up to patrol polling stations, the group also solicits monetary donations&nbsp;from visitors.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/oct/17/man-who-cried-rigged-problem-with-trump-election-claims">The Guardian</a> reports that while 41 per cent of Americans believe the election is rigged, an independent legal expert determined that out of over a billion ballots cast, there were only 31 cases of voter fraud, nowhere near enough to alter an election even slightly.

What this fraught atmosphere this means for the 2016 election, and whether whoever loses the race will accept the result, remains to be seen. Hopefully the fears of fraud, intimidation and suppression turn out to be blown out of proportion, but only time will tell.

(WION)

Officials are taking extra measures to ensure fairness after Trump warned repeatedly, but without evidence, that the election was 'rigged'

On the campaign trail, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has explicitly warned, without foundation or evidence, that the US election will be "rigged" against him. As a result, everybody from state leaders, voting experts and election advocates are preparing for an inordinate amount of confusion and chaos, the Washington Post reports, as the US election begins Tuesday after an unusually fierce and bitter presidential race. In some states, advanced voters have faced lineups over four hours long. It has even been taken to court, as Democrats have filed lawsuits against Donald Trump supporters. In Virginia, America's wealthiest state, a man with a Trump shirt and a gun stood outside a polling station. He was said to be cooperative with the authorities when they confronted him, and complied with the regulation about standing far enough away from the entrance of the polling station. But he had already asked voters which candidate they favoured, and some, who saw the gun, said they were intimidated. Election monitors are worried this year as the prospect of voter intimidation appears to be very real after Trump's direct and repeated calls for his supporters to stake out other polling stations and watch out for suspicious activity. Actually, the first example of voter fraud was committed by a Trump supporter who voted twice because she feared Trump's unsubstantiated claim that her vote wouldn't be counted would come true. Specific warnings and consequences The Washington Post reports that election officials in Pennsylvania and Arizona have become so concerned about voter intimidation that they have issued specific advisories outlining what types of threatening behaviour are not permitted, and exactly what distance they need to keep surrounding polling places. A notice issued by Pennyslvania's secretary of state reads "Individuals who conspire to interfere with a person's right to vote can face up to 10 years in prison". This was posted after Trump singled out Philadelphia as a place for his supporters to scrutinise. "The number and tenor of calls we've received about problems, the amounf of litigation you already see, it all reflects the moment we're in," said Kristen Clarke, president of the nonpartisan Lawyers' Committe for Civil Rights Under Law, as quoted by the Washington Post. They report that her group will be running America's largest independent effort to deal with voters complaints, concerns and questions. The nonpartisan organisation "Election Protection will have as many as 4,500 legal volunteers answering calls sent to the hotline 866-OUR-VOTE, and 2,500 volunteers are stationed at polling sites around the US". The Washington Post further states that Clarke's has set up a headquarters in Washington where hundreds of lawyers are working for free so they can attend to all the conerned calls by voters poring in. Long lines The worst problem may not be intimidation exactly, but another form of voter suppression: long lines. By changing laws to reduce the number of polling stations available, especially in areas where minorities (who skew Democrat) live, it means voters need to travel longer to get to a polling station, and need to wait there for longer in order to vote. It's designed systematically to discourage would-be Democrat voters On Sunday, the only early voting station in Cincinnati was at least a quarter-mile long, with thousands of people lined up for hours. The Washington Post reports that food trucks handed out free tacos and cupcakes to encourage people to come out and vote. California, Arizona and Nevada all faced similar problems, the Washington Post reports. There is special attention being paid to Florida and Ohio, where in 2012 some stations in Miami were so clogged that voters were still casting ballots at 1 am, while President Obama was giving his victory speech, the Washington Post reports. A group called Stop the Steal, run by Republican operatives and a trump adviser named Roger Stone, has been signing up "vote protectors" to stand outside polling stations. As of yesterday, 3,191 had signed up, the Washington Post reports "This is our best chance to stop the Democrats from stealing the election from Donald Trump. Help us fight a rigged system," the group posted on its website. In addition to signing people up to patrol polling stations, the group also solicits monetary donations from visitors. The Guardian reports that while 41 per cent of Americans believe the election is rigged, an independent legal expert determined that out of over a billion ballots cast, there were only 31 cases of voter fraud, nowhere near enough to alter an election even slightly. What this fraught atmosphere this means for the 2016 election, and whether whoever loses the race will accept the result, remains to be seen. Hopefully the fears of fraud, intimidation and suppression turn out to be blown out of proportion, but only time will tell. (WION)

US Election: Fears of voter intimidation, suppression run high

In Southwest Miami, a district heavily populated with Latinos from several central and South American countries, Hillary Clinton supporters gathered for a pep talk before hitting the streets to canvass for votes in what every single one of them consider the most important presidential election ever.

Volunteers across Florida made a last-minute push to get voters to the polls ahead of Election Day on Tuesday, pitting Republican

&nbsp;

Donald Trump against Democrat Hillary Clinton

The get-out-the-vote organizer tells the volunteers what&#39;s at stake.

&quot;It&#39;s arguably the most important county in this election. We need Miami-Dade to vote for Hillary Clinton,&quot; he said. Across town in the the outskirts of Wynwood, Miami&#39;s art district, a massive mural depicts Donald Trump as a pig with a message reading, &quot;When pigs fly.&quot;

Latino voters could have an outsized influence in Tuesday&#39;s election. Early voting data shows a jump in the number of Hispanic voters this year, especially in the key swing states of Nevada and Florida -- and Clinton would likely be the biggest beneficiary.

&quot;We are seeing that in the numbers. We are seeing that particularly here with expanded voter registration here in Florida. We are also seeing it with early turnout to the polls. They are breaking records, not only here in Miami and Florida breaking records for early voter turnout but hispanic and latino turnout is coming in,&quot; said Elbert Garcia, the director of &quot;Florida`s Voice&quot;, an immigration advocacy organisation.

In Florida, the Clinton campaign estimates early Latino voting is up 139 per cent, or more than twice as much, compared to 2012, according to a field report dated Wednesday.

Despite the surge in early voting, there is no certainty about which candidate people chose for president. There is also no guarantee that the higher Latino turnout rate will continue on Election Day and that they and other minority voters will make enough of a difference to swing Florida and other states.

But even within the minority, there is could be a divide in South Florida where Cuban-Americans, who historically side with Republican candidates, could side with Trump.

In Miami&#39;s Little Havana, dueling Clinton and Trump rallies took place Monday in front of a cafe, with supporters of both sides waving signs at on-coming traffic and arguing with each other.

&quot;They (Latinos) are letting themselves be heard with the vote for the first time,&quot; said Ania Fresna, a Clinton supporter that says Cubans will side with Clinton.

&quot;We will be winners tomorrow. We will drink champagne, we will eat papa frita (French Fries) and pollo (chicken) for Hillary,&quot; added Clinton supporter Carman Santos.

But Trump supporters are convinced that Cubans will continue to side with the more conservative Trump.

&quot;I am as a woman Latina, and I don&#39;t think he (Donald Trump) has anything against Latinos. I think that he has a very good point of view which is the United States needs a boundary. It&#39;s time that everyone comes in the right way,&quot; said Linnette Lemar.

Polls show Clinton and Trump in a virtual dead heat in Florida.&nbsp;

(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

The Clinton campaign estimates early Latino voting in Florida is up 139%, or more than twice as much, compared to 2012

In Southwest Miami, a district heavily populated with Latinos from several central and South American countries, Hillary Clinton supporters gathered for a pep talk before hitting the streets to canvass for votes in what every single one of them consider the most important presidential election ever. Volunteers across Florida made a last-minute push to get voters to the polls ahead of Election Day on Tuesday, pitting Republican Donald Trump against Democrat Hillary Clinton The get-out-the-vote organizer tells the volunteers what's at stake. "It's arguably the most important county in this election. We need Miami-Dade to vote for Hillary Clinton," he said. Across town in the the outskirts of Wynwood, Miami's art district, a massive mural depicts Donald Trump as a pig with a message reading, "When pigs fly." Latino voters could have an outsized influence in Tuesday's election. Early voting data shows a jump in the number of Hispanic voters this year, especially in the key swing states of Nevada and Florida -- and Clinton would likely be the biggest beneficiary. "We are seeing that in the numbers. We are seeing that particularly here with expanded voter registration here in Florida. We are also seeing it with early turnout to the polls. They are breaking records, not only here in Miami and Florida breaking records for early voter turnout but hispanic and latino turnout is coming in," said Elbert Garcia, the director of "Florida`s Voice", an immigration advocacy organisation. In Florida, the Clinton campaign estimates early Latino voting is up 139 per cent, or more than twice as much, compared to 2012, according to a field report dated Wednesday. Despite the surge in early voting, there is no certainty about which candidate people chose for president. There is also no guarantee that the higher Latino turnout rate will continue on Election Day and that they and other minority voters will make enough of a difference to swing Florida and other states. But even within the minority, there is could be a divide in South Florida where Cuban-Americans, who historically side with Republican candidates, could side with Trump. In Miami's Little Havana, dueling Clinton and Trump rallies took place Monday in front of a cafe, with supporters of both sides waving signs at on-coming traffic and arguing with each other. "They (Latinos) are letting themselves be heard with the vote for the first time," said Ania Fresna, a Clinton supporter that says Cubans will side with Clinton. "We will be winners tomorrow. We will drink champagne, we will eat papa frita (French Fries) and pollo (chicken) for Hillary," added Clinton supporter Carman Santos. But Trump supporters are convinced that Cubans will continue to side with the more conservative Trump. "I am as a woman Latina, and I don't think he (Donald Trump) has anything against Latinos. I think that he has a very good point of view which is the United States needs a boundary. It's time that everyone comes in the right way," said Linnette Lemar. Polls show Clinton and Trump in a virtual dead heat in Florida. (Reuters)

Clinton supporters mobilise Latino voters to win Florida, US election

FBI Director James Comey was under attack from some of his own agents and members of Congress on Monday over his handling of an inquiry into Hillary Clinton&#39;s emails, but the White House was remaining supportive, for now.

In stunning fashion, Comey has injected the Federal Bureau of Investigation, meant to be politically neutral, into the thick of the 2016 US&nbsp;presidential race, making a series of announcements on the inquiry.

The latest was on Sunday, when he said the FBI stood by a July decision not to recommend criminal charges against the Democratic presidential candidate. Sunday&#39;s announcement came days after Comey disclosed the FBI was examining a trove of newly discovered emails.

With the election coming on Tuesday, Comey&#39;s statements and the FBI&#39;s overall handling of the emails controversy has drawn fire from congressional Democrats, who criticised the agency for clouding Clinton&#39;s campaign so close to the election, while Republicans questioned why the new inquiry ended so quickly.

FBI &quot;field agents have felt the derivative impact of the criticism fired at Director Comey as a result of the Clinton email scandal,&quot; said Jon Adler, president of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association Foundation, which represents more than 3,500 FBI agents.

He said some agents disapprove of Comey&#39;s handling of the investigation and think he should resign, while others support him, but do not appreciate being in a political crossfire.

A spokesman for the FBI Agents Association said the more than 13,000 active and former special agents it represents have become the victims of &ldquo;unwarranted attacks&rdquo; on their integrity.

&quot;Implications that agents do not respect the confidentiality of those investigations is simply false,&quot; said the association&rsquo;s president Thomas O&rsquo;Connor.

Comey has so far kept the support of President Barack Obama, who has the power to fire the FBI director. &quot;The president views Director Comey as a man of integrity, a man of principle,&quot; White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters in a briefing on Monday. &quot;The president&#39;s views of him have not changed ...he continues to have confidence in his ability to run the FBI.&quot;

The White House has said it will not criticise or defend Comey over his handling of the Clinton email investigation.

Charles Schumer, a close Clinton ally and expected Senate majority leader should Democrats regain control of the chamber, said on October&nbsp;30 that he was &ldquo;appalled at what Director Comey did&rdquo; and owes an explanation to Clinton and the American people.

FBI directors are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate to serve 10 years, unless they are fired or resign.

Only one FBI director in recent history has been fired. William Sessions was fired by President Bill Clinton in 1993 after a report emerged about Sessions using an FBI airplane for personal travel and other unethical practices. FBI Director Louis Freeh resigned in 2001, two years short of the end of his term, amid a scandal over Robert Hanssen, a senior FBI official charged with spying for the Soviet Union and Russia undetected for 15 years.

If Clinton wins the election, as polls suggest, she would also be in the position to fire Comey, but might not do so to avoid being portrayed as seeking political retaliation.

&quot;I don&rsquo;t know what her view will be, but ...you just cannot have an FBI director in place who believes he is accountable to neither the rules nor the attorney general,&rdquo; said Matthew Miller, former chief spokesman for the Obama Justice Department.

Under the federal Hatch Act, Justice Department employees may not engage in partisan political activity while on duty.

On Sunday, Democratic Representative Adam Schiff said Comey&#39;s &quot;original letter&quot; telling Congress that Clinton&#39;s emails were once again under investigation &quot;should never have been sent so close to an election&quot;.

Republican Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley called on the Justice Department&#39;s inspector general on Novemeber&nbsp;2 to examine the FBI&#39;s investigation.

(Reuters)

The FBI Director has drawn the Republican's ire for ending the Clinton email investigation so quickly, and Democrats' for starting it at all

FBI Director James Comey was under attack from some of his own agents and members of Congress on Monday over his handling of an inquiry into Hillary Clinton's emails, but the White House was remaining supportive, for now. In stunning fashion, Comey has injected the Federal Bureau of Investigation, meant to be politically neutral, into the thick of the 2016 US presidential race, making a series of announcements on the inquiry. The latest was on Sunday, when he said the FBI stood by a July decision not to recommend criminal charges against the Democratic presidential candidate. Sunday's announcement came days after Comey disclosed the FBI was examining a trove of newly discovered emails. With the election coming on Tuesday, Comey's statements and the FBI's overall handling of the emails controversy has drawn fire from congressional Democrats, who criticised the agency for clouding Clinton's campaign so close to the election, while Republicans questioned why the new inquiry ended so quickly. FBI "field agents have felt the derivative impact of the criticism fired at Director Comey as a result of the Clinton email scandal," said Jon Adler, president of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association Foundation, which represents more than 3,500 FBI agents. He said some agents disapprove of Comey's handling of the investigation and think he should resign, while others support him, but do not appreciate being in a political crossfire. A spokesman for the FBI Agents Association said the more than 13,000 active and former special agents it represents have become the victims of “unwarranted attacks” on their integrity. "Implications that agents do not respect the confidentiality of those investigations is simply false," said the association’s president Thomas O’Connor. Comey has so far kept the support of President Barack Obama, who has the power to fire the FBI director. "The president views Director Comey as a man of integrity, a man of principle," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters in a briefing on Monday. "The president's views of him have not changed ...he continues to have confidence in his ability to run the FBI." The White House has said it will not criticise or defend Comey over his handling of the Clinton email investigation. Charles Schumer, a close Clinton ally and expected Senate majority leader should Democrats regain control of the chamber, said on October 30 that he was “appalled at what Director Comey did” and owes an explanation to Clinton and the American people. FBI directors are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate to serve 10 years, unless they are fired or resign. Only one FBI director in recent history has been fired. William Sessions was fired by President Bill Clinton in 1993 after a report emerged about Sessions using an FBI airplane for personal travel and other unethical practices. FBI Director Louis Freeh resigned in 2001, two years short of the end of his term, amid a scandal over Robert Hanssen, a senior FBI official charged with spying for the Soviet Union and Russia undetected for 15 years. If Clinton wins the election, as polls suggest, she would also be in the position to fire Comey, but might not do so to avoid being portrayed as seeking political retaliation. "I don’t know what her view will be, but ...you just cannot have an FBI director in place who believes he is accountable to neither the rules nor the attorney general,” said Matthew Miller, former chief spokesman for the Obama Justice Department. Under the federal Hatch Act, Justice Department employees may not engage in partisan political activity while on duty. On Sunday, Democratic Representative Adam Schiff said Comey's "original letter" telling Congress that Clinton's emails were once again under investigation "should never have been sent so close to an election". Republican Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley called on the Justice Department's inspector general on Novemeber 2 to examine the FBI's investigation. (Reuters)

FBI agents, lawmakers hammer Comey over Clinton emails inquiry

Rudy Giuliani and Newt Gingrich are in consideration for major positions in Trump's cabinet should he win the presidency, NBC reports

As the 2016 American presidential election finally winds up, a picture is emerging of what the White House will look like should Donald Trump win. NBC reports that the names being considered, according to three campaign advisers who requested anonymity, are Rudy Giuliani for attorny general, Newt Gingrich for secretary of state, retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn for defense secretary or national security adviser, Trump's finance chairman Steve Mnuchin for Treasury secretary, and Republican National Chairman Committee finance chair Lew Eisenberg for commerce secretary. NBC reports that Trump has not particiapted much in planning the transition, as he is superstitious. NBC says that Trump fears that planning before a victory will "jinx" the campaign. Trump has openly warred with many figures of the Republican establishment, so speculation suggests that he'll promote those who remained loyal to him while the media and political opponents berated him for bragging about sexaully assualting women, stirring up xenophobia by telling lies about immigrants, spreading racist lies on social media and in campaign speeches, and more. Salon characterises Newt Gingrich's tenure as secretary of state duringt he 90s as pushing right on a number of social, economic and foreign policy issues. Giuliani was viewed with considerable sympathy and admiration, as he was New York's mayor during 9/11, but, as Salon claims, he became notorious for "expanding policing powers at the expense of civil rights of poor and non-white citizens". He has consistently defended Trump all throughout the 2016 election. As a pronent of the "broken windows" theory of policing, Giuliani's guiding philosophy is that arresting everyday criminals, rather than addressing the root causes of crime, will rid the city of crime. LiberationNews reports that, citing the NYPD's own statistics, the year before Giuliani took office, 720 New Yorkers were arrested for misdemeanor marijuana-related charges. In his last year as mayor, that number jumped to 60,000. NBC reports that the conservative Heritage Foundation is helping to vet names, along with members of Mitt Romey's presidential run and George W Bush's administration. It will be interesting to note how many veteran Republicans make it into Trump's inner clique, given that the theme of his campaign has been "drain the swamp" and that he's positioned himself as an outsider without Washington inner-circle connections. NBC reports that running mate Mike Pence is heavily involved in the selection process, and is expected to play as active a role in a Trump administration as Joe Biden and Al Gore played while they were vice presidents. A possible barometer to tell whether Trump will strengthen or destroy bridges with established Republicans is how he will appoint the current Republican National Chairman, Reince Priebus, who is currently under consideration to be Trump's chief of staff. Priebus didn't object to Trump, and was his dependable defender, while other Republicans distanced themselves over the course of the 2016 presidential campaign. (WION)

Donald Trump likely to install loyalists in White House, if elected

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