Hillary expected the Filipino immigrant to handle state secrets, further opening her to criticism that she played fast with national securit

Hillary Clinton routinely asked her Filipino maid to print out sensitive government emails and classified documents when she was the secretary of state, according to a media report. Clinton's maid Marina Santos, lacked the security clearance to handle such material, was called on so frequently to receive emails that she may hold the secrets to E-mailgate, the New York Post reported. Clinton entrusted far more than the care of her Washington DC residence, known as Whitehaven, to Santos. She expected the Filipino immigrant to handle state secrets, further opening the 69-year-old former Democratic presidential nominee to criticism that she played fast and loose with national security, the report said. The report came just before the FBI gave a clean chit to Clinton, saying she should not face criminal charges after a review of new emails, an 11th-hour respite for her. Trump lashed out at the FBI for the clean chit, saying, "Right now, she is being protected by a rigged system". According to the report, Clinton would first receive highly sensitive emails from top aides at the State Department and then request that they, in turn, forward the messages and any attached documents to Santos to print out for her at the home. Among other things, Clinton requested Santos to print out drafts of her speeches, confidential memos and "call sheets" --- background information and talking points prepared for the secretary of state in advance of a phone call with a foreign head of state. "Pls ask Marina to print for me...," Clinton emailed top aide Huma Abedin regarding a redacted 2011 message marked sensitive but unclassified. In a classified 2012 email dealing with the new president of Malawi, another Clinton aide, Monica Hanley, advised Clinton, "We can ask Marina to print this". "Revisions to the Iran points" was the subject line of a classified April 2012 email to Clinton from Hanley. In it, the text reads, "Marina is trying to print for you". Both classified emails were marked "confidential" the tier below "secret" or "top secret". Santos also had access to a highly secure room called an SCIF (sensitive compartmented information facility) that diplomatic security agents set up at Whitehaven, according to FBI notes from an interview with Abedin. From within the SCIF, Santos --- who had no clearance --- "collected documents from the secure facsimile machine for Clinton," the FBI notes revealed. A 2012 "sensitive" but unclassified email from Hanley to Clinton refers to a fax the staff wanted Clinton "to see before your Netanyahu mtg. Marina will grab for you". (PTI)

Hillary Clinton routinely asked maid to handle sensitive information: Report

Voter turnout among African American and Hispanic voters in the United States is surging, and this swell of minority participation could spell trouble for Donald Trump&#39;s White House hopes.

On Sunday -- the last day of early voting before Election Day on November 8 -- hundreds of people attended &quot;Souls to the Polls&quot; events, aimed at encouraging churchgoers to vote across the key swing state of Florida.

Some came straight from morning worship, wearing three-piece suits and dresses as they made their way past dozens of campaigners hoisting signs for local candidates and urging support for solar energy and education issues.&nbsp;

At one event in central Miami, people held hands and prayed outside an early voting site, while at another in southern Miami-Dade County, about 20 African American men rolled in together on motorcycles.

For some, the vote they cast was as much for Democrat Hillary Clinton as it was against her Republican billionaire challenger.

&quot;I&#39;m scared if Trump wins,&quot; said Ines Curbelo, 57, a nurse who described herself as Afro-Cuban and was handing out Democratic flyers at a polling place Cutler Bay, south of Miami.

As speakers blared gospel and R&amp;B music, a line formed near a smoky barbecue pit and several young boys jousted with inflatable swords on the grassy lawn behind her.

&quot;He would set back politics and set back race relations and set back women&#39;s fight for equality in the workplace -- everything is going to get set so far back,&quot; Curbelo said.

100 per cent increase in Hispanic voters&nbsp;

 
Hispanics make up a powerful voting bloc in the battleground state of Florida, and are widely expected to lean toward Clinton, particularly since Trump has described Mexicans as rapists, repeatedly vowed to build a border wall and promised to deport masses of illegal immigrants.

As of Saturday, 565,000 Hispanics have voted in person in Florida, a 100 per cent increase over the close of early voting in 2012, according to Daniel Smith, a University of Florida professor who tracks voter turnout.

In another sign of voter enthusiasm, of the 911,000 Hispanics who have already voted this year -- whether in person or by mail -- 36 per cent did not vote in the last presidential election.

Nationwide, about 12 per cent of voters are Hispanic, or about 27.3 million people, according to Pew Research Center projections.

Four million more Hispanics are eligible to vote this year compared to 2012, and high turnout has been seen in other states such as Nevada.

&quot;The Hispanic community is coming out,&quot; teacher Marcela Stewart, 37, told AFP at the Souls to the Polls event.

&quot;I think as far as the black community, we need to work a little harder,&quot; she added.

&quot;Some people are just discouraged and feel they cannot impact the election, so we want to let them know that their voices will be heard and they need to come out.&quot;

&nbsp;Black turnout &#39;explodes&#39;&nbsp;

 
Indeed, when early voting in the United States started two weeks ago, African American turnout was low.

According to Tornell Jenkins, a 37-year-old student, President Barack Obama&#39;s historic victory as the first black president in 2008 &quot;really drove the black vote.&quot;

&quot;Now there is confusion. Some blacks feel that both parties are bad,&quot; he added, predicting that many in his community would wait for Election Day to vote.

Early last week, Smith said black turnout was &quot;lackluster&quot; -- at about 14 per cent of early voters -- compared to 26 per cent in 2012, the last time Obama was elected.

But that changed, after Obama made a series of appeals for black voters to support Clinton, and Clinton herself appeared at a campaign event with Beyonce and Jay-Z.

&quot;Over the past few days, we&#39;ve seen black turnout explode, with more African-Americans voting early in-person than in 2012, and we still have &#39;Souls to the Polls&#39; numbers from today to add to the running total,&quot; Smith told AFP.

A total of 777,000 blacks have already voted in Florida, he said.

And more are coming to vote in person -- 25,000 more as of Saturday, compared to all eight days of early voting in 2012.

Mixing religion and politics on the last Sunday of early voting can be an important draw for the working class, according to Namita Waghray, an organiser with the American County of Federal, State and County Employees (AFSCME), a 1.6-million-member union that includes bus drivers, garbage collectors and more.

&quot;In African American communities, this is when people vote,&quot; she said, recalling about 800 people came out for Souls to the Polls events in 2012 and a dozen were held statewide this year.

&quot;The reason we partner with churches and people of faith is because they have such belief in their community.&quot;

&nbsp;

(AFP)

They fear that if Donald Trump wins, he will set back politics, race, and women's rights back to what it used to be

Voter turnout among African American and Hispanic voters in the United States is surging, and this swell of minority participation could spell trouble for Donald Trump's White House hopes. On Sunday -- the last day of early voting before Election Day on November 8 -- hundreds of people attended "Souls to the Polls" events, aimed at encouraging churchgoers to vote across the key swing state of Florida. Some came straight from morning worship, wearing three-piece suits and dresses as they made their way past dozens of campaigners hoisting signs for local candidates and urging support for solar energy and education issues. At one event in central Miami, people held hands and prayed outside an early voting site, while at another in southern Miami-Dade County, about 20 African American men rolled in together on motorcycles. For some, the vote they cast was as much for Democrat Hillary Clinton as it was against her Republican billionaire challenger. "I'm scared if Trump wins," said Ines Curbelo, 57, a nurse who described herself as Afro-Cuban and was handing out Democratic flyers at a polling place Cutler Bay, south of Miami. As speakers blared gospel and R&B music, a line formed near a smoky barbecue pit and several young boys jousted with inflatable swords on the grassy lawn behind her. "He would set back politics and set back race relations and set back women's fight for equality in the workplace -- everything is going to get set so far back," Curbelo said. 100 per cent increase in Hispanic voters Hispanics make up a powerful voting bloc in the battleground state of Florida, and are widely expected to lean toward Clinton, particularly since Trump has described Mexicans as rapists, repeatedly vowed to build a border wall and promised to deport masses of illegal immigrants. As of Saturday, 565,000 Hispanics have voted in person in Florida, a 100 per cent increase over the close of early voting in 2012, according to Daniel Smith, a University of Florida professor who tracks voter turnout. In another sign of voter enthusiasm, of the 911,000 Hispanics who have already voted this year -- whether in person or by mail -- 36 per cent did not vote in the last presidential election. Nationwide, about 12 per cent of voters are Hispanic, or about 27.3 million people, according to Pew Research Center projections. Four million more Hispanics are eligible to vote this year compared to 2012, and high turnout has been seen in other states such as Nevada. "The Hispanic community is coming out," teacher Marcela Stewart, 37, told AFP at the Souls to the Polls event. "I think as far as the black community, we need to work a little harder," she added. "Some people are just discouraged and feel they cannot impact the election, so we want to let them know that their voices will be heard and they need to come out." Black turnout 'explodes' Indeed, when early voting in the United States started two weeks ago, African American turnout was low. According to Tornell Jenkins, a 37-year-old student, President Barack Obama's historic victory as the first black president in 2008 "really drove the black vote." "Now there is confusion. Some blacks feel that both parties are bad," he added, predicting that many in his community would wait for Election Day to vote. Early last week, Smith said black turnout was "lackluster" -- at about 14 per cent of early voters -- compared to 26 per cent in 2012, the last time Obama was elected. But that changed, after Obama made a series of appeals for black voters to support Clinton, and Clinton herself appeared at a campaign event with Beyonce and Jay-Z. "Over the past few days, we've seen black turnout explode, with more African-Americans voting early in-person than in 2012, and we still have 'Souls to the Polls' numbers from today to add to the running total," Smith told AFP. A total of 777,000 blacks have already voted in Florida, he said. And more are coming to vote in person -- 25,000 more as of Saturday, compared to all eight days of early voting in 2012. Mixing religion and politics on the last Sunday of early voting can be an important draw for the working class, according to Namita Waghray, an organiser with the American County of Federal, State and County Employees (AFSCME), a 1.6-million-member union that includes bus drivers, garbage collectors and more. "In African American communities, this is when people vote," she said, recalling about 800 people came out for Souls to the Polls events in 2012 and a dozen were held statewide this year. "The reason we partner with churches and people of faith is because they have such belief in their community." (AFP)

US election 2016: Increase in voter turnout among African Americans, Hispanics

<a href="http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/11/07/us/politics/donald-trump-presidential-race.html">The New York Times</a> published an account of the final days of Donald Trump&#39;s 2016 presidential campaign.

The theme was that his aides were keeping him under tighter leash, to keep on message and&nbsp;prevent another&nbsp;meltdown from sabotaging his chances to become the next president so close to the November 8 election.

One of the most noteworthy things was the report&#39;s claim that Trump&nbsp;no longer has&nbsp;control of his Twitter account. So often over the last 16 months, sometimes in the very dead of night, Trump&nbsp;used Twitter to bully opponents, peddle conspiracy theories, and basically to vent rage.&nbsp;

It is easy to see the contrast in his tweets of the last few days, compared to his earlier unfiltered ones.

The recent ones are generically about the campaign, and highly uncontroversial:

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Thank you Reno, Nevada. 
NOTHING will stop us in our quest to MAKE AMERICA SAFE AND GREAT AGAIN! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AmericaFirst?src=hash">#AmericaFirst</a><a href="https://t.co/N8EFAQDhnt">https://t.co/N8EFAQDhnt</a> <a href="https://t.co/OoM3hsDWS1">pic.twitter.com/OoM3hsDWS1</a>
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/795084117192810496">November 6, 2016</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

Contrast that with one from a few months ago, still during the campaign:&nbsp;

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Dwyane Wade&#39;s cousin was just shot and killed walking her baby in Chicago. Just what I have been saying. African-Americans will VOTE TRUMP!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/769571710924263424">August 27, 2016</a></blockquote>
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There is a lot wrong with this tweet: it suggests Trump sees African Americans as props to benefit his campaign, not as people to be comforted in a time of grief. There is more to be said of this, and there are many other tweets that could have been sampled as examples of a man who needs to be controlled, but&nbsp;rather than dissect it further&nbsp;the point here is to appreciate the new discipline and focus.&nbsp;

The New York Times writes: &quot;Aides to Mr Trump have finally wrested away the Twitter account that he used to colourfully -- and often counterproductively -- savage his rivals. But offline, Mr Trump still privately muses about all o the ways he will punish his enemies after Election Day, including a threat to fund a &quot;super PAC&quot; with vengeance as its core mission.&quot;

The New York Times report paints a picture of an unchanged man struggling to operate&nbsp;under tighter control. No presidential candidate runs a campaign completely unfiltered, to say the least. There are polling companies consulted and other experts guide the campaign in various ways. Trump appeared to challenge that, but no longer does.

From the above quote, it appears his urge for instant revenge has not diminished just because it doesn&#39;t have immediate expression on social media.

In a couple days, the voters will decide if it is wise to&nbsp;empower&nbsp;a man with weapons that can wipe out countries when his&nbsp;aides do not trust him to post on his&nbsp;own Twitter account.&nbsp;&nbsp;

(WION)

The New York Times reports that the man who may soon be trusted with the nuclear codes cannot be trusted to run his own Twitter account

The New York Times published an account of the final days of Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. The theme was that his aides were keeping him under tighter leash, to keep on message and prevent another meltdown from sabotaging his chances to become the next president so close to the November 8 election. One of the most noteworthy things was the report's claim that Trump no longer has control of his Twitter account. So often over the last 16 months, sometimes in the very dead of night, Trump used Twitter to bully opponents, peddle conspiracy theories, and basically to vent rage. It is easy to see the contrast in his tweets of the last few days, compared to his earlier unfiltered ones. The recent ones are generically about the campaign, and highly uncontroversial: Thank you Reno, Nevada. NOTHING will stop us in our quest to MAKE AMERICA SAFE AND GREAT AGAIN! #AmericaFirsthttps://t.co/N8EFAQDhnt pic.twitter.com/OoM3hsDWS1 — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 6, 2016 × Contrast that with one from a few months ago, still during the campaign: Dwyane Wade's cousin was just shot and killed walking her baby in Chicago. Just what I have been saying. African-Americans will VOTE TRUMP! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 27, 2016 × There is a lot wrong with this tweet: it suggests Trump sees African Americans as props to benefit his campaign, not as people to be comforted in a time of grief. There is more to be said of this, and there are many other tweets that could have been sampled as examples of a man who needs to be controlled, but rather than dissect it further the point here is to appreciate the new discipline and focus. The New York Times writes: "Aides to Mr Trump have finally wrested away the Twitter account that he used to colourfully -- and often counterproductively -- savage his rivals. But offline, Mr Trump still privately muses about all o the ways he will punish his enemies after Election Day, including a threat to fund a "super PAC" with vengeance as its core mission." The New York Times report paints a picture of an unchanged man struggling to operate under tighter control. No presidential candidate runs a campaign completely unfiltered, to say the least. There are polling companies consulted and other experts guide the campaign in various ways. Trump appeared to challenge that, but no longer does. From the above quote, it appears his urge for instant revenge has not diminished just because it doesn't have immediate expression on social media. In a couple days, the voters will decide if it is wise to empower a man with weapons that can wipe out countries when his aides do not trust him to post on his own Twitter account. (WION)

Trump campaign unwilling to let presidential candidate Tweet unfiltered: NYT

White House candidate Donald Trump was bundled off stage by security officers Saturday after an apparently false gun scare during a campaign appearance.

US media cited law enforcement sources reporting that no gun had been found after a cry of alarm in the crowd, and Trump swiftly resumed his speech in Reno, Nevada.

The 70-year-old Republican tycoon reappeared just minutes after being led away by three Secret Service officers, who shielded his body with their own.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash">#WATCH</a> Donald Trump was rushed off stage during his Reno, Nevada campaign rally; one man escorted out in handcuffs by police. <a href="https://t.co/YJb2i705wa">pic.twitter.com/YJb2i705wa</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/795081275308507136">November 6, 2016</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

Minutes later, he reappeared to cheers, declaring: &quot;Nobody said it was going to be easy for us, but we will never be stopped, never ever be stopped. I want to thank the Secret Service. These guys are fantastic. They don&#39;t get enough credit. They don&#39;t get enough credit. They are amazing people.&quot;

There were signs of a fracas in the audience as the agents led Trump away, but once a suspect was in custody Trump returned to resume his stump speech.

Television footage showed a suspect pinioned on the ground by officers and searched, before he was led away by local law enforcement, including an armed response team in tactical dress with rifles. The US Secret Service confirmed there was never a gun.

The Guardian says that man who was feared to have a gun claims to&nbsp;be a Republican supporter opposed to Trump. He held a sign that said &quot;Republicans against Trump&quot;.

Initially, his sign elicited boos, &quot;And then all of a sudden people next to me are starting to get violent; they&#39;re grabbing at my arm, trying to rip the sign out of my hand,&quot; he said. While he said he couldn&#39;t be positive, he it &quot;it looked like Trump was pointing at him. Next, the crowd piled on him, he told the Guardian, kicking, punching, holding him on the ground and grabbing his testicles.

He used his training as a wrestler to turn his head to the side and keep his airway open, as a man was choking him in a headlock hold. &quot;But there weer people wrenching on my neck they could have strangled me to death,&quot; he said.

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Here is video of the detained man being taken away. It happened minutes after Trump was rushed from stage. Video provided to me by witness. <a href="https://t.co/SisR9v539H">pic.twitter.com/SisR9v539H</a>
&mdash; Paul Lewis (@PaulLewis) <a href="https://twitter.com/PaulLewis/status/795082819273793536">November 6, 2016</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

The candidate appeared unrattled and spoke with his usual self-confidence, finishing his planned remarks and accepting applause before returning to his campaign plane safely. &nbsp; &nbsp;

&quot;I would like to thank the United States Secret Service and the law enforcement resources in Reno and the state of Nevada for their fast and professional response,&quot; he said in a campaign statement.

Eric Trump, Donald&#39;s son, retweeted a message saying &quot;Hillary ran away from rain today. Trump is back onstage minutes after an assassination attempt&quot;. He appears to have deleted the retweet from his account. It was pointed out on <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/videos/politics/2016/11/06/kellyanne-conway-trump-rushed-off-stage-campaign-retweets-sot-sotu.cnn">CNN </a>that there was no assassination attempt.

Trump campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, attributed the speading of misinformation to Eric being &quot;rattled&quot;, after seeing what appeared to be an attempt on his father&#39;s life. <a href="http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2016/11/6/13540206/donald-trump-assassination-attempt">She herself </a>had reiterated claims that the protester was a&quot;democratic plant or operative&quot;.

Critics are scared about the Trump campaign&#39;s reaction to a peaceful protest:

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A politician who blatantly lies by describing a peaceful protest as an &quot;assasination attempt&quot; will do the same to his opponents once elected
&mdash; Amir Tibon (@amirtibon) <a href="https://twitter.com/amirtibon/status/795112909688836096">November 6, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Reporters at the venue had earlier cited unnamed local law enforcement sources and witnesses in the crowd as saying there had been a report of a gun among the Trump supporters.

(With inputs from AFP)

The report of a gun in the crowd was false. A pro-Republican anti-Trump protestor held a sign, not a gun, and got beat up by a mob

White House candidate Donald Trump was bundled off stage by security officers Saturday after an apparently false gun scare during a campaign appearance. US media cited law enforcement sources reporting that no gun had been found after a cry of alarm in the crowd, and Trump swiftly resumed his speech in Reno, Nevada. The 70-year-old Republican tycoon reappeared just minutes after being led away by three Secret Service officers, who shielded his body with their own. #WATCH Donald Trump was rushed off stage during his Reno, Nevada campaign rally; one man escorted out in handcuffs by police. pic.twitter.com/YJb2i705wa — ANI (@ANI_news) November 6, 2016 × Minutes later, he reappeared to cheers, declaring: "Nobody said it was going to be easy for us, but we will never be stopped, never ever be stopped. I want to thank the Secret Service. These guys are fantastic. They don't get enough credit. They don't get enough credit. They are amazing people." There were signs of a fracas in the audience as the agents led Trump away, but once a suspect was in custody Trump returned to resume his stump speech. Television footage showed a suspect pinioned on the ground by officers and searched, before he was led away by local law enforcement, including an armed response team in tactical dress with rifles. The US Secret Service confirmed there was never a gun. The Guardian says that man who was feared to have a gun claims to be a Republican supporter opposed to Trump. He held a sign that said "Republicans against Trump". Initially, his sign elicited boos, "And then all of a sudden people next to me are starting to get violent; they're grabbing at my arm, trying to rip the sign out of my hand," he said. While he said he couldn't be positive, he it "it looked like Trump was pointing at him. Next, the crowd piled on him, he told the Guardian, kicking, punching, holding him on the ground and grabbing his testicles. He used his training as a wrestler to turn his head to the side and keep his airway open, as a man was choking him in a headlock hold. "But there weer people wrenching on my neck they could have strangled me to death," he said. Here is video of the detained man being taken away. It happened minutes after Trump was rushed from stage. Video provided to me by witness. pic.twitter.com/SisR9v539H — Paul Lewis (@PaulLewis) November 6, 2016 × The candidate appeared unrattled and spoke with his usual self-confidence, finishing his planned remarks and accepting applause before returning to his campaign plane safely. "I would like to thank the United States Secret Service and the law enforcement resources in Reno and the state of Nevada for their fast and professional response," he said in a campaign statement. Eric Trump, Donald's son, retweeted a message saying "Hillary ran away from rain today. Trump is back onstage minutes after an assassination attempt". He appears to have deleted the retweet from his account. It was pointed out on CNN that there was no assassination attempt. Trump campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, attributed the speading of misinformation to Eric being "rattled", after seeing what appeared to be an attempt on his father's life. She herself had reiterated claims that the protester was a"democratic plant or operative". Critics are scared about the Trump campaign's reaction to a peaceful protest: A politician who blatantly lies by describing a peaceful protest as an "assasination attempt" will do the same to his opponents once elected — Amir Tibon (@amirtibon) November 6, 2016 × Reporters at the venue had earlier cited unnamed local law enforcement sources and witnesses in the crowd as saying there had been a report of a gun among the Trump supporters. (With inputs from AFP)

Trump rushed off stage, returns to finish speech

A man clad in a Donald Trump&nbsp;shirt stood&nbsp;outside a Loudun Country, Virginia polling station Friday carrying a 357 magnum, the Huffington Post reports.&nbsp;There is apparently nothing the authorities can do about it.

Erika Cotti told the Huffington Post that she encountered the man when she went to vote at the county&#39;s registrar&#39;s office.

&quot;I had my 9-year-old son with me. I felt intimidated,&quot; she said. &quot;And I had to explain to my 9-year-old why a man with a 357 magnum is standing outside the polling station.&quot;

Cotti said that she rejected the Republican sample ballot she was offered.&nbsp;&quot;He&#39;s like, &#39;Who are you going to vote for, crooked Hillary?&#39; And I was like, that&#39;s really none of your business.&quot; Cotti added that the man was standing on the sidewalk outside of the office when they left, and blocked their path.

A local registrar,&nbsp;Judy Brown, confirmed that the man was standing outside her office, handing out Republican Party literature. He had a holstered gun in an open carry state, so law enforcement was powerless to do anything, Brown told Huffington Post.

Virginia is the wealthiest county in America.&nbsp;

In the US, while there is broad national legislation bearing on guns, the laws concerning open-carry versus concealed-carry vary from&nbsp;state to state.

Brown told the Huffington post that the man was &quot;being nice&quot; to people, and appeared to be observing the rule forbiding canvassing within forty feet zone of the polling station entrance.

Next, Brown said her office contacted the local Republican Party, which spoke to the man and convinced him to pull his Trump shirt over the weapon, blocking it from sight.

The Loudon County Republican Committee Chairman, Will Estrada, told the Huffington Post that the man was a former law enforcement official, and also a veteran with a perrmit to carry a concealed weapon. Estrada specifically said that he doesn&#39;t want to ban volunteers from carrying weapons, even at polling stations.

CNN reports that on Friday, a federal judge warned Trump&#39;s campaign, and Republican operative Roger Stone, against any &quot;voter intimidation&quot; activity in Ohio. The Democrats have brought several cases&nbsp;

A federal judge Friday warned Donald Trump&#39;s campaign and Republican operative Roger Stone against any &quot;voter intimidation&quot; activity in Ohio, the result of one of several cases brought by Democrats before Election Day.

The Huffington Post&nbsp;pointed to a pretty startling&nbsp;inconsistency; while a&nbsp;man outside a polling station carrying a gun doesn&#39;t bother them this time, their tolerance appears to be selective.

Conservative media outlets and Republican politicians spent significant time and money attacking Obama&#39;s administration over how the Justice Department handled a 2008&nbsp;incident involving a man standing outside a polling place carrying a nightstick. But, the Huffington Post points out, what&#39;s interesting is the man who promoted and condemned the video of the nightstick-wielder is a man named Mike Roman, who reports say has been working on so-called election protection efforts related to the Trump campaign.

Despite all of Donald Trump&#39;s rhetoric about the election being rigged, it&#39;s unlikely that&nbsp;Republicans will&nbsp;be galvanised to protect the freedom from voter intimidation over this latest incident in Virginia.

(WION)

&nbsp;

'Who are you going to vote for, Crooked Hillary?' he asked. 'That's really none of your business'

A man clad in a Donald Trump shirt stood outside a Loudun Country, Virginia polling station Friday carrying a 357 magnum, the Huffington Post reports. There is apparently nothing the authorities can do about it. Erika Cotti told the Huffington Post that she encountered the man when she went to vote at the county's registrar's office. "I had my 9-year-old son with me. I felt intimidated," she said. "And I had to explain to my 9-year-old why a man with a 357 magnum is standing outside the polling station." Cotti said that she rejected the Republican sample ballot she was offered. "He's like, 'Who are you going to vote for, crooked Hillary?' And I was like, that's really none of your business." Cotti added that the man was standing on the sidewalk outside of the office when they left, and blocked their path. A local registrar, Judy Brown, confirmed that the man was standing outside her office, handing out Republican Party literature. He had a holstered gun in an open carry state, so law enforcement was powerless to do anything, Brown told Huffington Post. Virginia is the wealthiest county in America. In the US, while there is broad national legislation bearing on guns, the laws concerning open-carry versus concealed-carry vary from state to state. Brown told the Huffington post that the man was "being nice" to people, and appeared to be observing the rule forbiding canvassing within forty feet zone of the polling station entrance. Next, Brown said her office contacted the local Republican Party, which spoke to the man and convinced him to pull his Trump shirt over the weapon, blocking it from sight. The Loudon County Republican Committee Chairman, Will Estrada, told the Huffington Post that the man was a former law enforcement official, and also a veteran with a perrmit to carry a concealed weapon. Estrada specifically said that he doesn't want to ban volunteers from carrying weapons, even at polling stations. CNN reports that on Friday, a federal judge warned Trump's campaign, and Republican operative Roger Stone, against any "voter intimidation" activity in Ohio. The Democrats have brought several cases A federal judge Friday warned Donald Trump's campaign and Republican operative Roger Stone against any "voter intimidation" activity in Ohio, the result of one of several cases brought by Democrats before Election Day. The Huffington Post pointed to a pretty startling inconsistency; while a man outside a polling station carrying a gun doesn't bother them this time, their tolerance appears to be selective. Conservative media outlets and Republican politicians spent significant time and money attacking Obama's administration over how the Justice Department handled a 2008 incident involving a man standing outside a polling place carrying a nightstick. But, the Huffington Post points out, what's interesting is the man who promoted and condemned the video of the nightstick-wielder is a man named Mike Roman, who reports say has been working on so-called election protection efforts related to the Trump campaign. Despite all of Donald Trump's rhetoric about the election being rigged, it's unlikely that Republicans will be galvanised to protect the freedom from voter intimidation over this latest incident in Virginia. (WION)

Armed man wearing Trump shirt confronts woman with child at polling station, authorities shrug

According to a new report by <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/u-s-hackers-ready-hit-back-if-russia-disrupts-election-n677936">NBC</a>, US military hackers have already penetrated Russia&#39;s electric grid, telecommunications network and the Kremlin&#39;s command systems, making them susceptible to an attack by secret American cyber weapons if the US feels it is necessary. This revelation was provided bya senior intelligence official and by top-secret documents NBC reviewed.

The Clinton campaign has stated&nbsp;that Russia is behind the hacks of Demorat outlets, despite the assertions of WikiLeaks founder, <a href="http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/304243-dnc-hack-investigator-despite-assanges-comments-attack-was-russan">Julian Assange</a>. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has asked Russia to hack and release Clinton&#39;s emails. A presidential candidate calling on a foreign goverment to spy on another presidential candidate and disrupt the election process has been called &quot;treasonous&quot;.

But the purpose of this latest cyber infiltration appears to be different.

American officials have stated&nbsp;publicly that Russia, China and other countries&nbsp;have penetrated&nbsp;and left hidden malware on parts of US critical infrastructure&nbsp;for cyber attacks that could turn out the lights, or turn off the internet across major cities, NBC reports.

It&#39;s been widely assumed that the US&nbsp;has done the same thing to its adversaries. The documents reviewed by NBC News,&nbsp;along with remarks by a senior US&nbsp;intelligence official,&nbsp;confirm that&nbsp;in the case of Russia.

US&nbsp;officials have warned lately that Russia will disrupt the 2016&nbsp;presidential election via cyber attacks. NBC reports that American intelligence officials don&#39;t expect Russia to go so far as to attack critical infrastructure, which could be interpreted as an act of war, but do expect &quot;cyber mischief&quot;.&nbsp;This includes&nbsp;the possible release of fake documents and bogus social media accounts meant to spread misinformation, NBC reports.

On Friday the hacker known as &quot;Guccifer 2.0&quot;,&nbsp;which US&nbsp;officials say is a front for Russian intelligence,&nbsp;tweeted a threat to monitor the US&nbsp;elections &quot;from inside the system&quot;.

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I&#39;ll be an independent observer at the U.S. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Elections2016?src=hash">#Elections2016</a> 
I call on other hackers to monitor the elections from inside the system
&mdash; GUCCIFER 2.0 (@GUCCIFER_2) <a href="https://twitter.com/GUCCIFER_2/status/794575269604589568">November 4, 2016</a></blockquote>
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The US&nbsp;government is&nbsp;combatting the threat in a way that is without precedent for a presidential election. NBC reports that the cyber weapons would only be deployed in the unlikely event the US&nbsp;was first attacked in a significant way, they quote officials as saying.

(WION)

US military hackers have already penetrated Russia's electric grid, telecommunications network and the Kremlin's command systems

According to a new report by NBC, US military hackers have already penetrated Russia's electric grid, telecommunications network and the Kremlin's command systems, making them susceptible to an attack by secret American cyber weapons if the US feels it is necessary. This revelation was provided bya senior intelligence official and by top-secret documents NBC reviewed. The Clinton campaign has stated that Russia is behind the hacks of Demorat outlets, despite the assertions of WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has asked Russia to hack and release Clinton's emails. A presidential candidate calling on a foreign goverment to spy on another presidential candidate and disrupt the election process has been called "treasonous". But the purpose of this latest cyber infiltration appears to be different. American officials have stated publicly that Russia, China and other countries have penetrated and left hidden malware on parts of US critical infrastructure for cyber attacks that could turn out the lights, or turn off the internet across major cities, NBC reports. It's been widely assumed that the US has done the same thing to its adversaries. The documents reviewed by NBC News, along with remarks by a senior US intelligence official, confirm that in the case of Russia. US officials have warned lately that Russia will disrupt the 2016 presidential election via cyber attacks. NBC reports that American intelligence officials don't expect Russia to go so far as to attack critical infrastructure, which could be interpreted as an act of war, but do expect "cyber mischief". This includes the possible release of fake documents and bogus social media accounts meant to spread misinformation, NBC reports. On Friday the hacker known as "Guccifer 2.0", which US officials say is a front for Russian intelligence, tweeted a threat to monitor the US elections "from inside the system". I'll be an independent observer at the U.S. #Elections2016 I call on other hackers to monitor the elections from inside the system — GUCCIFER 2.0 (@GUCCIFER_2) November 4, 2016 × The US government is combatting the threat in a way that is without precedent for a presidential election. NBC reports that the cyber weapons would only be deployed in the unlikely event the US was first attacked in a significant way, they quote officials as saying. (WION)

US ready to hack Kremlin if Russia interferes with presidential election: NBC

According to Trump's version, Obama 'was screaming at him, really screaming at him'

President Barack Obama chastised supporters at a rally for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in North Carolina on Friday, as tensions spiked when a supporter of Republican opponent Donald Trump began protesting. But that didn't stop Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, campaigning a few states away at the time, from telling a completely opposite version of what happened, condemning Obama for screaming at the protester. The incident happened in clear view of reporters covering the rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where a predominantly African American crowd was jammed into a gym at a state university to hear Obama stump for Clinton. Obama had just said Trump was unfit to lead the country when he was interrupted by a white-haired white man in a beret and suit jacket with what appeared to be military patches, who stood up in the stairwell of the bleachers, waving a Trump campaign sign. The crowd turned its attention to the protester, screaming and booing at the man. Obama repeatedly told the irate crowd to "focus" and to "settle down". You Make The Call: https://t.co/62pm8bNWVO pic.twitter.com/oU1Tjbg5Uu — Deadspin (@Deadspin) November 5, 2016 × "Everybody sit down and be quiet for a second!" Obama said. "You've got an older gentleman who is supporting his candidate," he said as the protester was led away. "We live in a country that respects free speech," he said. "It looks like he might have served in our military – we’ve got to respect that." In Trump's version, Obama scolded the protester, not the crowd. "He was talking to the protester, screaming at him, really screaming at him," Trump said. "By the way, if I spoke the way Obama spoke to that protester they would say, ‘He became unhinged,’” Trump said. (Reuters)

US election: Obama asks crowd to respect elderly Trump supporter, Trump derides him

The state-owned media was seen aggressively pushing for Trump and showed reports that Clinton had the backing of 'oligarchic' corporations

As the race for the White House is hotting up, the Russian state-owned media is devoting most of its time elaborating Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's allegations that his rival Democract candidate Hillary Clinton is corrupt and the "rigged elections". "Clinton has a choice. Either she gets the presidency or she goes behind bars," pro-Kremlin journalist Dmitry Kiselyov said during his flagship Sunday program on the state-controlled Vesti channel, news agency PTI reported. The state media did little to hide its preference in the upcoming US election, telling viewers that Clinton had the full backing of the US security services, "oligarchic" corporations and the media. Several other reports highlighted concerns about Clinton's health, linked her to sex scandals and suggested that the Democratic Party is "panicking" over recent polls, PTI said. However, the Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly denied claims that the Kremlin would like to see Trump win the elections. But he did not fail to point out the string similarities between their positions on major foreign policy issues, including Syria and Ukraine. The Russian media is widely covering the presidential battle and is pushing for Trump's candidacy aggressively, according to a European Union official. (WION with inputs from PTI)

Russian media backs Trump, questions US democracy

US presidential foes Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump brandished rival visions of America on Friday and the world held its breath as they headed into a fierce final weekend of campaigning.

Forecasts based on polling averages still give the Democrat an edge over the 70-year-old property mogul but the Republican has been buoyed by signs that he is closing the gap in key swing states.

So both headed Friday to the industrial northeast, where blue-collar voters that were once reliable Democrats may be tempted by Trump&#39;s protectionist promise to repatriate jobs from Mexico and China.

The prospect that the November 8 vote will be close or that a once unlikely Trump victory could presage instability and recession has rocked markets.&nbsp;

The S&amp;P 500 stock index closed down for the ninth straight day Friday, and the leaders of America&#39;s friends and foes alike are watching in amazement as the world&#39;s most powerful nation turns on itself. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Clinton was in Detroit, where supporters booed her populist rival when she attacked his affinity for Russian President Vladimir Putin and &quot;dark vision&quot; of an America mired in poverty and corruption.

&quot;When I hear my opponent talking about America I don&#39;t recognize it,&quot; she declared, touting her own &quot;confident, optimistic, inclusive&quot; vision, building on President Barack Obama&#39;s legacy.

Jokes were thin on the ground in her speech, but the crowd laughed in delight when she mocked the New York billionaire, who avoided the Vietnam War draft, for wearing a camouflage baseball cap.

Trump has run one of the most aggressive and populist campaigns in history -- browbeating his Republican primary rivals into submission before launching into Clinton, &quot;such a nasty woman.&quot;

Trump was in Hershey, Pennsylvania bidding to use his popularity with the white, male working class to smash a hole in the &quot;firewall&quot; pollsters once thought Clinton enjoyed in Democrat-leaning states.

&quot;I want the entire corrupt Washington establishment to hear the words we&#39;re about to say. When we win on November 8 we&#39;re going to &#39;drain the swamp&#39;,&quot; he said, as the 13,000-strong crowd took up the chant.&nbsp;

He predicted that Clinton will face prosecution after an FBI inquiry into her inappropriate use of private email when she was secretary of state, and vowed to tear up current US free trade deals.

&quot;We are gonna win Pennsylvania big,&quot; he said, mocking Hillary&#39;s celebrity endorsements. &quot;And by the way, I didn&#39;t have to bring J-Lo or Jay-Z. I&#39;m here all by myself.&quot;

The rapper Jay-Z and his superstar singer wife Beyonce were to join Clinton at an event later on Friday.

&nbsp;&#39;As corrupt as they come&#39;&nbsp;

An average of Pennsylvania polls compiled by tracker RealClearPolitics gives Clinton a 2.6 percentage point edge in the state, but the huge crowd Trump drew was clearly in tune with his message.

&quot;Hillary is about as corrupt as they come,&quot; declared 27-year-old welder Logan Sechrist, who came to Hershey from Lebanon, Pennsylvania with his pregnant wife to hear Trump&#39;s plan for jobs.

&quot;I think honestly we need somebody who&#39;s a businessman and not a politician,&quot; Sechrist said. &quot;The country&#39;s falling apart. &quot;We&#39;re ready for something different.&quot;

Zach Rehl, a 31-year-old Marine veteran, said previous Republican candidates had failed to speak up for factory workers who have seen their jobs head abroad under global trade rules.

&quot;This thing hits people at home,&quot; he said, predicting that election night on Tuesday in Pennsylvania will be &quot;pretty close.&quot;

Some of Clinton&#39;s supporters have a similar feeling -- or in their case a creeping dread.&nbsp;

Clinton&#39;s supporters were getting tense. &quot;It&#39;s nerve-racking that Trump&#39;s gotten this far,&quot; said Rachel Zeolla, 27, who works in marketing, at an earlier rally in Pittsburgh.

For the first time some pollsters agree with them.

Pennsylvania, Michigan and perhaps Ohio were once seen as low hanging fruit for Clinton, guaranteeing her victory even if she doesn&#39;t pick off a prize like Florida -- but the race has tightened.&nbsp;

Nationwide polls still give the Democrat the lead, and she has some influential supporters on her side as she attempts to lock in victory in the closing days.

&nbsp;&#39;C&#39;mon!&#39;&nbsp;

Obama himself has hit the trail, and on Friday the outgoing president fired up a crowd in swing state North Carolina with a warning not to let Trump&#39;s negative vision overwhelm his legacy.

&quot;I need you to vote. Don&#39;t choose fear, choose vote,&quot; an exasperated Obama told the crowd, whipping up votes for fellow Democrat Clinton.

Intervening to stop supporters booing a pro-Trump protester, he resorted to the new catchphrase he uses to signal his mounting disbelief: &quot;C&#39;mon!&quot;&nbsp;

&quot;I want you to pay attention. If we lose focus, we could have problems,&quot; he warned.

Trump struggled to recover ground after footage emerged of showing him boasting of committing sexual assault and a dozen women came forward to allege he had groped them or otherwise engaged in sexual misconduct.

But, as the race nears its conclusion and with Clinton mired in the ongoing email scandal, profound Republican skepticism about his controversial candidacy appears to be ebbing.&nbsp;

&quot;I think Republicans are coming home,&quot; Congressman Jason Chaffetz told CNN.

(AFP)

Forecasts still give Clinton an edge over Trump but the Republican has been buoyed by signs that he is closing the gap in key states

US presidential foes Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump brandished rival visions of America on Friday and the world held its breath as they headed into a fierce final weekend of campaigning. Forecasts based on polling averages still give the Democrat an edge over the 70-year-old property mogul but the Republican has been buoyed by signs that he is closing the gap in key swing states. So both headed Friday to the industrial northeast, where blue-collar voters that were once reliable Democrats may be tempted by Trump's protectionist promise to repatriate jobs from Mexico and China. The prospect that the November 8 vote will be close or that a once unlikely Trump victory could presage instability and recession has rocked markets. The S&P 500 stock index closed down for the ninth straight day Friday, and the leaders of America's friends and foes alike are watching in amazement as the world's most powerful nation turns on itself. Clinton was in Detroit, where supporters booed her populist rival when she attacked his affinity for Russian President Vladimir Putin and "dark vision" of an America mired in poverty and corruption. "When I hear my opponent talking about America I don't recognize it," she declared, touting her own "confident, optimistic, inclusive" vision, building on President Barack Obama's legacy. Jokes were thin on the ground in her speech, but the crowd laughed in delight when she mocked the New York billionaire, who avoided the Vietnam War draft, for wearing a camouflage baseball cap. Trump has run one of the most aggressive and populist campaigns in history -- browbeating his Republican primary rivals into submission before launching into Clinton, "such a nasty woman." Trump was in Hershey, Pennsylvania bidding to use his popularity with the white, male working class to smash a hole in the "firewall" pollsters once thought Clinton enjoyed in Democrat-leaning states. "I want the entire corrupt Washington establishment to hear the words we're about to say. When we win on November 8 we're going to 'drain the swamp'," he said, as the 13,000-strong crowd took up the chant. He predicted that Clinton will face prosecution after an FBI inquiry into her inappropriate use of private email when she was secretary of state, and vowed to tear up current US free trade deals. "We are gonna win Pennsylvania big," he said, mocking Hillary's celebrity endorsements. "And by the way, I didn't have to bring J-Lo or Jay-Z. I'm here all by myself." The rapper Jay-Z and his superstar singer wife Beyonce were to join Clinton at an event later on Friday. 'As corrupt as they come' An average of Pennsylvania polls compiled by tracker RealClearPolitics gives Clinton a 2.6 percentage point edge in the state, but the huge crowd Trump drew was clearly in tune with his message. "Hillary is about as corrupt as they come," declared 27-year-old welder Logan Sechrist, who came to Hershey from Lebanon, Pennsylvania with his pregnant wife to hear Trump's plan for jobs. "I think honestly we need somebody who's a businessman and not a politician," Sechrist said. "The country's falling apart. "We're ready for something different." Zach Rehl, a 31-year-old Marine veteran, said previous Republican candidates had failed to speak up for factory workers who have seen their jobs head abroad under global trade rules. "This thing hits people at home," he said, predicting that election night on Tuesday in Pennsylvania will be "pretty close." Some of Clinton's supporters have a similar feeling -- or in their case a creeping dread. Clinton's supporters were getting tense. "It's nerve-racking that Trump's gotten this far," said Rachel Zeolla, 27, who works in marketing, at an earlier rally in Pittsburgh. For the first time some pollsters agree with them. Pennsylvania, Michigan and perhaps Ohio were once seen as low hanging fruit for Clinton, guaranteeing her victory even if she doesn't pick off a prize like Florida -- but the race has tightened. Nationwide polls still give the Democrat the lead, and she has some influential supporters on her side as she attempts to lock in victory in the closing days. 'C'mon!' Obama himself has hit the trail, and on Friday the outgoing president fired up a crowd in swing state North Carolina with a warning not to let Trump's negative vision overwhelm his legacy. "I need you to vote. Don't choose fear, choose vote," an exasperated Obama told the crowd, whipping up votes for fellow Democrat Clinton. Intervening to stop supporters booing a pro-Trump protester, he resorted to the new catchphrase he uses to signal his mounting disbelief: "C'mon!" "I want you to pay attention. If we lose focus, we could have problems," he warned. Trump struggled to recover ground after footage emerged of showing him boasting of committing sexual assault and a dozen women came forward to allege he had groped them or otherwise engaged in sexual misconduct. But, as the race nears its conclusion and with Clinton mired in the ongoing email scandal, profound Republican skepticism about his controversial candidacy appears to be ebbing. "I think Republicans are coming home," Congressman Jason Chaffetz told CNN. (AFP)

US elections: As they enter final stretch, Trump & Clinton tout rival visions of America

A US&nbsp;judge in Ohio ordered Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump&#39;s campaign on Friday not to intimidate voters, in a victory for Democrats who sought to prevent Election Day harassment in one of the nation&#39;s most politically competitive states.

The order also deals a blow to a Trump-allied &quot;exit poll&quot; that aims to mobilise supporters to ask voters whether they had cast a ballot for the Republican real-estate mogul or Democrat Hillary Clinton.

On the campaign trail, Trump has said the election will be &quot;rigged&quot;. He has called on supporters to keep an eye on voting activity for possible signs of fraud in large cities.

The ruling does not prevent the state Republican Party from sending trained volunteers into polling places to make sure election laws are being followed. However, it does apply to Trump supporters who may take it on themselves to monitor voting activity independent of the party. It prevents them from verbally harassing voters near polling stations, or taking pictures of them.

Trump&#39;s vague call for&nbsp;supporters to go to &quot;other&quot; polling stations and watch out for funny activity was widely interpreted as a dog whistle encouraging white supporters to intimidate minority voters. Trump has invoked the threat of voter fraud and a &quot;rigged election&quot;. While there isn&#39;t a complete absence of it, the notion that the kind of fraud Trump talks about influences the election even slightly has been repeatedly debunked in numerous studies.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/11/01/opinion/voting-suppression-videogame.html?_r=3">As the New York Times</a> writes in their introduction to an interactive video game aimed at showing users what voter suppression looks like for different people, &quot;thanks to laws passed by Republicans to fight&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/08/06/a-comprehensive-investigation-of-voter-impersonation-finds-31-credible-incidents-out-of-one-billion-ballots-cast/">the nonexistent threat of voter fraud</a>, the perils will be great.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.brennancenter.org/publication/election-day-long-lines-resource-allocation">Long lines</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/17/us/some-republicans-acknowledge-leveraging-voter-id-laws-for-political-gain.html">voter ID laws,</a>&nbsp;not to mention&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/oct/18/donald-trump-volunteer-election-observers-voter-intimidation">pro-Trump election observers</a>, will try to keep these voters from the polls&quot;.&nbsp;

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From chair of Maricopa County (AZ) Democratic Party... <a href="https://t.co/Ri1VLz4zJd">pic.twitter.com/Ri1VLz4zJd</a>
&mdash; Andrei Cherny (@AndreiCherny) <a href="https://twitter.com/AndreiCherny/status/794675151849721856">November 4, 2016</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

Democrats have said that could encourage Trump supporters to harass minority voters and have launched a legal blitz in six states to prevent that from happening.

Democrats declared the judge&#39;s decision a victory, saying it would prevent Trump supporters from interfering with voters in one of the most competitive US&nbsp;states during the November&nbsp;8 election.

&quot;We&#39;re pleased that the judge announced he will be issuing an order to prevent any harassment of voters along the lines that have been suggested by the Trump campaign,&quot; Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper said in a prepared statement. The ruling also applies to groups supporting Clinton&#39;s presidential bid.

It also shuts down an exit poll organised by former Trump aide and Republican operative&nbsp;Roger Stone, who said he aims to uncover examples of vote manipulation. Stone told Reuters on Monday that participants are trained not to harass voters. Some 118 people in Ohio have signed up to participate through a web site called Stop the Steal. Stone did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Stone&#39;s name has been&nbsp;in connection with&nbsp;another important and seemingly&nbsp;related incident. The&nbsp;FBI is&nbsp;reviewing&nbsp;a seven-page electronic document that has been identified as a fake by the Clinton campaign, but&nbsp;carries the logos of Democratic pollster Joel Benenson&rsquo;s firm, the Benenson Strategy Group, and the Clinton Foundation, a person with knowledge of the matter said.

The fake document&nbsp;claims poll ratings had plunged for Clinton and called for &ldquo;severe strategy changes for November&rdquo; that could include &ldquo;staged civil unrest&rdquo; and &ldquo;radiological attack&rdquo; with dirty bombs to disrupt the vote.

Where the document originated from or how it begun to circulate is not immediately clear, but on October&nbsp;20,&nbsp;Stone&nbsp;linked to a copy of it on Twitter with the tag, &ldquo;If this is real: OMG!!&rdquo;&nbsp;Stone did not respond to emails from Reuters requesting comment.

Ohio Republicans and the Trump campaign also did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

(With inputs from Reuters)

The candidate talking of 'rigged elections' and 'make America Great again' has been close to sketchy, un-American voter suppression efforts

A US judge in Ohio ordered Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's campaign on Friday not to intimidate voters, in a victory for Democrats who sought to prevent Election Day harassment in one of the nation's most politically competitive states. The order also deals a blow to a Trump-allied "exit poll" that aims to mobilise supporters to ask voters whether they had cast a ballot for the Republican real-estate mogul or Democrat Hillary Clinton. On the campaign trail, Trump has said the election will be "rigged". He has called on supporters to keep an eye on voting activity for possible signs of fraud in large cities. The ruling does not prevent the state Republican Party from sending trained volunteers into polling places to make sure election laws are being followed. However, it does apply to Trump supporters who may take it on themselves to monitor voting activity independent of the party. It prevents them from verbally harassing voters near polling stations, or taking pictures of them. Trump's vague call for supporters to go to "other" polling stations and watch out for funny activity was widely interpreted as a dog whistle encouraging white supporters to intimidate minority voters. Trump has invoked the threat of voter fraud and a "rigged election". While there isn't a complete absence of it, the notion that the kind of fraud Trump talks about influences the election even slightly has been repeatedly debunked in numerous studies. As the New York Times writes in their introduction to an interactive video game aimed at showing users what voter suppression looks like for different people, "thanks to laws passed by Republicans to fight the nonexistent threat of voter fraud, the perils will be great. Long lines and voter ID laws, not to mention pro-Trump election observers, will try to keep these voters from the polls". From chair of Maricopa County (AZ) Democratic Party... pic.twitter.com/Ri1VLz4zJd — Andrei Cherny (@AndreiCherny) November 4, 2016 × Democrats have said that could encourage Trump supporters to harass minority voters and have launched a legal blitz in six states to prevent that from happening. Democrats declared the judge's decision a victory, saying it would prevent Trump supporters from interfering with voters in one of the most competitive US states during the November 8 election. "We're pleased that the judge announced he will be issuing an order to prevent any harassment of voters along the lines that have been suggested by the Trump campaign," Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper said in a prepared statement. The ruling also applies to groups supporting Clinton's presidential bid. It also shuts down an exit poll organised by former Trump aide and Republican operative Roger Stone, who said he aims to uncover examples of vote manipulation. Stone told Reuters on Monday that participants are trained not to harass voters. Some 118 people in Ohio have signed up to participate through a web site called Stop the Steal. Stone did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Stone's name has been in connection with another important and seemingly related incident. The FBI is reviewing a seven-page electronic document that has been identified as a fake by the Clinton campaign, but carries the logos of Democratic pollster Joel Benenson’s firm, the Benenson Strategy Group, and the Clinton Foundation, a person with knowledge of the matter said. The fake document claims poll ratings had plunged for Clinton and called for “severe strategy changes for November” that could include “staged civil unrest” and “radiological attack” with dirty bombs to disrupt the vote. Where the document originated from or how it begun to circulate is not immediately clear, but on October 20, Stone linked to a copy of it on Twitter with the tag, “If this is real: OMG!!” Stone did not respond to emails from Reuters requesting comment. Ohio Republicans and the Trump campaign also did not immediately respond to requests for comment. (With inputs from Reuters)

Ohio judge orders Trump campaign to avoid voter intimidation

The FBI and US&nbsp;intelligence agencies are examining faked documents aimed at discrediting the Hillary Clinton campaign as part of a broader investigation into what US&nbsp;officials believe has been an attempt by Russia to disrupt the presidential election, people with knowledge of the matter said.

US&nbsp;Senator Tom Carper, a Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security Committee, has referred one of the documents to the FBI for investigation on the grounds that his name and stationery were forged to appear authentic.

In a document forged to appear as though Carper was writing a letter to Clinton, Carper is quoted as saying the Department of Homeland Security had advised him of a risk that a &quot;massive&quot; cyber attack &quot;could change the election results in favour of a specific candidate&quot;. The document dated October 3 was reviewed by Reuters.

It concludes, &quot;Any suspicious incident will be immediately reported to your assistants so that a recount of votes could be timely organised. You will not lose the election because of some compromised electronic voting systems.&quot; The fake Carper letter is one of several documents presented to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the US&nbsp;Department of Justice for review in recent weeks, the sources said.

Carper spokeswoman Meghan Pennington confirmed on Friday that the senator had sent a copy of the letter to the FBI and the Senate&rsquo;s chief law enforcement officer.

&quot;Our office became aware of a fake letter on Senator Carper&rsquo;s official letterhead and immediately referred it to federal law enforcement to investigate its genesis,&quot; Pennington said.

As part of an investigation into suspected Russian hacking, FBI investigators have also asked Democratic Party officials to provide copies of other suspected faked documents that have been circulating along with emails and other legitimate documents taken in the hack, people involved in those conversations said.

A spokesman for the FBI confirmed the agency was &ldquo;in receipt of a complaint about an alleged fake letter&rdquo; related to the election but declined further comment. Others with knowledge of the matter said the FBI was also examining other fake documents that recently surfaced.

US&nbsp;intelligence officials have warned privately that a campaign they believe is backed by the Russian government to undermine the credibility of the US&nbsp;presidential election could move beyond the hacking of Democratic Party email systems. That could include posting fictional evidence of voter fraud or other misinformation in the run-up to voting on November&nbsp;8, US&nbsp;officials have said.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Russian officials deny any such effort.&nbsp;

In addition to the Carper letter, the FBI has also reviewed a seven-page electronic document that carries the logos of Democratic pollster Joel Benenson&rsquo;s firm, the Benenson Strategy Group, and the Clinton Foundation, a person with knowledge of the matter said.

The document, identified as a fake by the Clinton campaign, claims poll ratings had plunged for Clinton and called for &ldquo;severe strategy changes for November&rdquo; that could include &ldquo;staged civil unrest&rdquo; and &ldquo;radiological attack&rdquo; with dirty bombs to disrupt the vote.

Like the Carper letter, it was not immediately clear where the fraudulent document had originated or how it had begun to circulate. &nbsp;&nbsp;

On October&nbsp;20, Roger Stone, a former Trump aide and Republican operative, linked to a copy of the document on Twitter with the tag, &ldquo;If this is real: OMG!!&rdquo;&nbsp;Stone did not respond to emails requesting comment.

Benenson&rsquo;s firm had no immediate comment. Craig Minassian, a spokesman for the Clinton Foundation, said the document was &ldquo;fake.&rdquo; He said he did not know if the FBI had examined it.

A spokesman for the Clinton campaign, Glen Caplin, said the document was a fake and part of a &ldquo;desperate stunt&rdquo; to capitalise on the leak of Democratic emails by Wikileaks. &nbsp;

The developments highlight the unusually prominent role US&nbsp;law enforcement and intelligence agencies have played in a contentious election and an ongoing debate about how public they can or should be about their inquiries.

FBI Director James Comey, a Republican appointed by President Obama, touched off an outcry from Democrats last week when he alerted Congress that agents had found other emails that could be linked to an inquiry into Clinton&rsquo;s use of a private email server when she was Secretary of State, effectively re-opening an investigation he had closed in July.

(Reuters)

Investigators believe it's part of a broader campaign conducted by Russia to disrupt the US election, those with knowledge of the matter say

The FBI and US intelligence agencies are examining faked documents aimed at discrediting the Hillary Clinton campaign as part of a broader investigation into what US officials believe has been an attempt by Russia to disrupt the presidential election, people with knowledge of the matter said. US Senator Tom Carper, a Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security Committee, has referred one of the documents to the FBI for investigation on the grounds that his name and stationery were forged to appear authentic. In a document forged to appear as though Carper was writing a letter to Clinton, Carper is quoted as saying the Department of Homeland Security had advised him of a risk that a "massive" cyber attack "could change the election results in favour of a specific candidate". The document dated October 3 was reviewed by Reuters. It concludes, "Any suspicious incident will be immediately reported to your assistants so that a recount of votes could be timely organised. You will not lose the election because of some compromised electronic voting systems." The fake Carper letter is one of several documents presented to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the US Department of Justice for review in recent weeks, the sources said. Carper spokeswoman Meghan Pennington confirmed on Friday that the senator had sent a copy of the letter to the FBI and the Senate’s chief law enforcement officer. "Our office became aware of a fake letter on Senator Carper’s official letterhead and immediately referred it to federal law enforcement to investigate its genesis," Pennington said. As part of an investigation into suspected Russian hacking, FBI investigators have also asked Democratic Party officials to provide copies of other suspected faked documents that have been circulating along with emails and other legitimate documents taken in the hack, people involved in those conversations said. A spokesman for the FBI confirmed the agency was “in receipt of a complaint about an alleged fake letter” related to the election but declined further comment. Others with knowledge of the matter said the FBI was also examining other fake documents that recently surfaced. US intelligence officials have warned privately that a campaign they believe is backed by the Russian government to undermine the credibility of the US presidential election could move beyond the hacking of Democratic Party email systems. That could include posting fictional evidence of voter fraud or other misinformation in the run-up to voting on November 8, US officials have said. Russian officials deny any such effort. In addition to the Carper letter, the FBI has also reviewed a seven-page electronic document that carries the logos of Democratic pollster Joel Benenson’s firm, the Benenson Strategy Group, and the Clinton Foundation, a person with knowledge of the matter said. The document, identified as a fake by the Clinton campaign, claims poll ratings had plunged for Clinton and called for “severe strategy changes for November” that could include “staged civil unrest” and “radiological attack” with dirty bombs to disrupt the vote. Like the Carper letter, it was not immediately clear where the fraudulent document had originated or how it had begun to circulate. On October 20, Roger Stone, a former Trump aide and Republican operative, linked to a copy of the document on Twitter with the tag, “If this is real: OMG!!” Stone did not respond to emails requesting comment. Benenson’s firm had no immediate comment. Craig Minassian, a spokesman for the Clinton Foundation, said the document was “fake.” He said he did not know if the FBI had examined it. A spokesman for the Clinton campaign, Glen Caplin, said the document was a fake and part of a “desperate stunt” to capitalise on the leak of Democratic emails by Wikileaks. The developments highlight the unusually prominent role US law enforcement and intelligence agencies have played in a contentious election and an ongoing debate about how public they can or should be about their inquiries. FBI Director James Comey, a Republican appointed by President Obama, touched off an outcry from Democrats last week when he alerted Congress that agents had found other emails that could be linked to an inquiry into Clinton’s use of a private email server when she was Secretary of State, effectively re-opening an investigation he had closed in July. (Reuters)

FBI examining fake documents targeting Clinton campaign

We don&rsquo;t know who is going to win the race to the White House - Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. We have no idea which&nbsp;all industries and sectors are actually going to be benefited after the next US president is chosen. It could range from hospitality to defence to aviation to health, or could be all of them. But technology, we doubt.

In fact, we believe that the technology sector is going to bear the brunt of it. Because unfortunately, both the leading presidential candidates in the US election, time and again, have brought embarrassment upon themselves on issues that deal with technology. In other words, both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are clearly not tech-savvy. And we have all the reasons to believe so. Watch it for yourself.
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<div class="embed-container"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IuPt8kDRc74"></iframe></div>

Watch the video here to know who beats the other

We don’t know who is going to win the race to the White House - Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. We have no idea which all industries and sectors are actually going to be benefited after the next US president is chosen. It could range from hospitality to defence to aviation to health, or could be all of them. But technology, we doubt. In fact, we believe that the technology sector is going to bear the brunt of it. Because unfortunately, both the leading presidential candidates in the US election, time and again, have brought embarrassment upon themselves on issues that deal with technology. In other words, both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are clearly not tech-savvy. And we have all the reasons to believe so. Watch it for yourself.

Donald Trump vs Hillary Clinton: Who is more technologically challenged?

Slovenian-born Melania Trump appealed to her husband&#39;s soft side on Thursday in Pennsylvania state.

This was the former model&#39;s first solo appearance. Melania is the real estate mogul&#39;s third wife and mother to Donald&#39;s youngest child.

&quot;He will make a fantastic president,&quot; Melania told voters in Berwyn, an area outside Philadelphia, AFP reported.&nbsp; 
Pennsylvania is a crucial state for her Republican husband, where Hillary Clinton holds an average 3.4 percent lead according to RealClearPolitics.

Her husband was running to improve the lives of suffering workers and struggling parents, she said.

&quot;Every time my husband learned of a factory closing in Ohio or North Carolina or here in Pennsylvania I saw him get very upset,&quot; she said, reeling off three vital swing states in the November 8 ballot, AFP reported.

She said that the media had gotten &quot;too mean and too rough&quot; and that she would focus on internet bullying and help women in poverty as First Lady.&nbsp;Melania in her speech touched on family, her marriage, the campaign experience and the goals she has as first lady.

&quot;It is never OK when a 12-year-old girl or boy is mocked, bullied or attacked. It is terrible when it happens on the playground, and it is absolutely unacceptable when it is done by someone with no name hiding on the internet. We have to find a better way to talk to each other,&quot; she said, Press Trust of India reported.

The 46-year-old had dismissed Donald Trump&#39;s 2005 video in which he bragged about groping women as &quot;boy talk,&quot; in October.

In July, Melania was caught up in a plagiarism scandal as her prime-time speech to a Republican National Convention was similar to Michelle Obama&#39;s speech at the 2008 Democratic convention. A Trump staffer apologised later for using Michelle Obama&#39;s remarks.

&quot;We&#39;ll see about that,&quot; campaign manager Kellyanne Conway told CNN on Wednesday when asked if she would do more.

If Trump wine, Melania would be America&#39;s first foreign-born first lady since Louisa Adams, wife of John Quincy Adams, who was president from 1825-1829.

(With inputs from agencies)

'He will make a fantastic president,' Melania told voters in Berwyn

Slovenian-born Melania Trump appealed to her husband's soft side on Thursday in Pennsylvania state. This was the former model's first solo appearance. Melania is the real estate mogul's third wife and mother to Donald's youngest child. "He will make a fantastic president," Melania told voters in Berwyn, an area outside Philadelphia, AFP reported. Pennsylvania is a crucial state for her Republican husband, where Hillary Clinton holds an average 3.4 percent lead according to RealClearPolitics. Her husband was running to improve the lives of suffering workers and struggling parents, she said. "Every time my husband learned of a factory closing in Ohio or North Carolina or here in Pennsylvania I saw him get very upset," she said, reeling off three vital swing states in the November 8 ballot, AFP reported. She said that the media had gotten "too mean and too rough" and that she would focus on internet bullying and help women in poverty as First Lady. Melania in her speech touched on family, her marriage, the campaign experience and the goals she has as first lady. "It is never OK when a 12-year-old girl or boy is mocked, bullied or attacked. It is terrible when it happens on the playground, and it is absolutely unacceptable when it is done by someone with no name hiding on the internet. We have to find a better way to talk to each other," she said, Press Trust of India reported. The 46-year-old had dismissed Donald Trump's 2005 video in which he bragged about groping women as "boy talk," in October. In July, Melania was caught up in a plagiarism scandal as her prime-time speech to a Republican National Convention was similar to Michelle Obama's speech at the 2008 Democratic convention. A Trump staffer apologised later for using Michelle Obama's remarks. "We'll see about that," campaign manager Kellyanne Conway told CNN on Wednesday when asked if she would do more. If Trump wine, Melania would be America's first foreign-born first lady since Louisa Adams, wife of John Quincy Adams, who was president from 1825-1829. (With inputs from agencies)

Melania Trump defends husband in solo speech

Voters who support 3rd party candidates in crucial states are swapping their votes across state lines in a bid to prevent Trump from winning

As the race for the US presidency between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump narrows, several social media sites are urging voters who support third party candidates in crucial battleground states to swap their vote across states. Apps like #NeverTrump to TrumpTraders.org and MakeMineCount.org are working full swing to prevent Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump from entering the White House, Reuters reported. Trump trading is based on the "honour system" where voters express their political preference publicly. Some people find trading partners the old-fashioned way through word-of-mouth. John Stubbs, co-founder of the site Republicans for Clinton and Trump Traders, told Reuters that while he is no fan of Democrat Hillary Clinton, but he believes Trump would be a "catastrophe" and voting for third party candidates could inevitably help Trump win. So, for him Hillary Clinton is the only viable alternative. "Once we all come to that realization, then you see Republicans who don't like Trump, people who support Gary Johnson, or Jill Stein, or Evan McMullin or the man on the moon, are all aligned around the exact same idea, which is that the worst case scenario for the country is Donald Trump," Stubbs said. He claims that more than 15,000 participants have enrolled on his site where voters in the swing states can trade their third party candidate vote with a Clinton supporter from a "safe state." A safe state is one where voters have little chance of influencing the outcome in America's electoral college system. The battleground states are where no single party or candidate has overwhelming support include Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas. Sites like "Swing Vote Swap" are non-partisan, Reuters reported. Bret Lehne has agreed to vote for Green Party candidate Jill Stein in New York state in exchange for his cousin's friend voting for Clinton in the key swing state of Pennsylvania. "Our vote doesn't really matter," he said of living in Democrat-leaning New York. "So if we can use it to further some other goal to trade it to Iowa, to trade it to Florida, that would be just making our democracy go a little further in this electoral college we're stuck in." This is not the first time that vote trading has been attempted. In 2000, several vote trading websites emerged to try to prevent left-leaning third party candidate Ralph Nader from taking Democrat Al Gore's vote share. Gore ultimately won the national popular vote, while Republican George W Bush won many of the smaller states and Florida, which gave him the majority in the electoral college. "If those sites had been successful in switching just 538 more people [in Florida], Al Gore would've been president. And that fact I think showed the power that these exchanges could potentially have," Stubbs told Reuters. He cited the example of last year's Canadian election where strategic voting helped Justin Trudeau's Liberals win the elections. Vote trading 'undemocratic': Critics A host of critics online have slammed the practice as "undemocratic" and say it amounts to "rigging the election." "It sort of instinctively has a little odour about it, but it isn't a rigging of the election," said Kenneth Gross, an election law expert and partner with Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom. "It's just not anything that arises to the level of a legally actionable offense, because that sort of an agreement, really an informal agreement, is not quote, 'something of value,' like giving somebody dinner." He, however, predicts that if vote trading were to become a major force in influencing outcomes, it could prompt challenges to previous court rulings. The one thing vote traders will have to worry about is whether their trading partner will honour their end of the bargain when they enter that voting booth. There is always the option of ballot selfies though. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

US elections 2016: Vote trading websites aim to block Trump presidency

Arson was blamed on Wednesday for a blaze that destroyed an African-American church in Mississippi where a slogan for Donald Trump had been spray-painted on the exterior.

&nbsp;

A person of interest was being interrogated, officials said, after the historically black Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church in Greenville, a city of 35,000 people, burned Tuesday night.

&nbsp;

&quot;The church was vandalised with the words &#39;Vote Trump&#39; on the side,&quot; said mayor Errick Simmons at a press conference, describing the blaze as &quot;a hateful and cowardly act.&quot;

&nbsp;

Fire officials said the century-old church was fully engulfed in flames, and sustained heavy heat, smoke and water damage, according to Greenville fire chief Ruben Brown, Sr.

&nbsp;

&quot;The fire was intentionally set,&quot; Brown told AFP.

&nbsp;

An investigation into the fire as a possible hate crime was underway by local, state and federal officials.

&nbsp;

&quot;This matter is a direct assault on people&#39;s right to freely worship,&quot; said Simmons.

&nbsp;

Police chief Delando Wilson said investigators are &quot;currently interviewing one person of interest,&quot; to see if he had any involvement.

&nbsp;

Wilson declined to give any further details in order to preserve the integrity of the investigation.

&nbsp;

&quot;We are still in the preliminary stages to try and determine the motive of this crime,&quot; Wilson added.

&nbsp;

&quot;We want to investigate every angle to determine why this act was committed.&quot;

&nbsp;

Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers&#39; Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, described the church as &quot;a cornerstone of this majority-Black community located in the heart of the Mississippi Delta.&quot;

&nbsp;

She also expressed concern that the church was vandalized so close to the November 8 presidential election.

&nbsp;

&quot;The toxic rhetoric of this election cycle continues to cast a dark cloud over this election cycle,&quot; Clarke said.

&nbsp;

A crowdfunding drive on the Gofundme platform aiming to raise $10,000 to restore the church had attracted more than $115,000 by Wednesday evening.

&nbsp;

(AFP)&nbsp;

'The church was vandalised with the words 'Vote Trump' on the side,' said mayor Errick Simmons

Arson was blamed on Wednesday for a blaze that destroyed an African-American church in Mississippi where a slogan for Donald Trump had been spray-painted on the exterior. A person of interest was being interrogated, officials said, after the historically black Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church in Greenville, a city of 35,000 people, burned Tuesday night. "The church was vandalised with the words 'Vote Trump' on the side," said mayor Errick Simmons at a press conference, describing the blaze as "a hateful and cowardly act." Fire officials said the century-old church was fully engulfed in flames, and sustained heavy heat, smoke and water damage, according to Greenville fire chief Ruben Brown, Sr. "The fire was intentionally set," Brown told AFP. An investigation into the fire as a possible hate crime was underway by local, state and federal officials. "This matter is a direct assault on people's right to freely worship," said Simmons. Police chief Delando Wilson said investigators are "currently interviewing one person of interest," to see if he had any involvement. Wilson declined to give any further details in order to preserve the integrity of the investigation. "We are still in the preliminary stages to try and determine the motive of this crime," Wilson added. "We want to investigate every angle to determine why this act was committed." Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, described the church as "a cornerstone of this majority-Black community located in the heart of the Mississippi Delta." She also expressed concern that the church was vandalized so close to the November 8 presidential election. "The toxic rhetoric of this election cycle continues to cast a dark cloud over this election cycle," Clarke said. A crowdfunding drive on the Gofundme platform aiming to raise $10,000 to restore the church had attracted more than $115,000 by Wednesday evening. (AFP)

Mississippi African-American church defaced by Trump graffiti was destroyed by arson: Officials

Hillary Clinton began her presidential campaign by promising to do what it takes to rein in Wall Street.

Boosted by Wall Street&#39;s toughest critics, US senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, the Democratic candidate has declared &quot;the deck is still stacked in favor of those at the top&quot; and said she would raise bank fees and tighten banking regulations. She has encouraged regulators to break up too-risky banks.

And yet, Wall Street appears unperturbed by the prospect of a Clinton presidency. In fact, the banking industry has supported Clinton with buckets of cash and stocks have sold off on days when the Clinton campaign stumbles. Privately, bankers say that they trust her to remain a pragmatist who will keep the current regulatory regime laid down by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform legislation passed in 2010.

&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think Clinton wakes up thinking about Wall Street,&quot; one senior banking industry lobbyist said.

There are hints in apparently leaked email discussions among Clinton&#39;s campaign staff that bankers are not far off the mark when they count on her to tread lightly.&nbsp;

Pressed during the campaign by progressive Democrats to call for a revival of the Glass-Steagall Act that would require separation of commercial and investment banking, Clinton ultimately refused. She also weighed another progressive favourite --- a tax on financial transactions --- but instead recommended a far narrower plan to tax only canceled orders by high speed traders.

Ultimately, what bankers most like about Clinton is that she is not Donald Trump.&nbsp;

Many financiers fear her unorthodox Republican rival could disrupt global trade, damage geopolitical relationships and rattle markets, industry analysts and participants say.

&ldquo;Those are the kind of things that corner offices think about,&rdquo; said Karen Shaw Petrou of Federal Financial Analytics Inc, whose firm advises financial firms about US regulatory policy. &ldquo;The overriding concern about Trump has dominated people&rsquo;s thinking.&quot;

Trump&#39;s candidacy has upended traditional political alliances and bankers that usually contribute more to the Republicans have been flinging money at Clinton.

Employees of the 17 largest bank holding companies and their subsidiaries have been sending her $10 for every $1 they contributed to Trump, according to a Reuters analysis. In 2012, the same group contributed twice as much to Republican candidate Mitt Romney as it did to President Barack Obama`s re-election campaign.&nbsp;

People who work for hedge funds and private equity firms have contributed more than $56 million to Clinton&rsquo;s presidential campaign and the supporting groups that face no legal cap on donations. Trump&rsquo;s campaign and related groups received just $243,000 from donors in the same sector, according to data from the Center for Responsive Politics.

&quot;It&rsquo;s basically going with the devil you know over the devil you don&rsquo;t,&rdquo; said Brian Gardner, a managing director of New York investment firm Keefe Bruyette &amp; Woods. What also helped, he said, was the familiarity with Hillary and Bill Clinton dating back to the 1990s when her husband was president and ushered in a period of financial deregulation.

&ldquo;There is a closeness and a comfort level between the titans on Wall Street and the Clintons,&quot; he said.

For bankers, the biggest worry is a scenario where Clinton wins and the Democrats take control of the House and the Senate, with progressives such as Warren and Sanders holding sway over everything from new tax laws to appointments of regulators.

Already, Warren has called for immediate dismissal of the Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Mary Jo White. Last year, Warren successfully led a movement to derail Obama&rsquo;s plan to appoint banker Antonio Weiss to the top job at Treasury.

Warren and other progressives will press Clinton to be tough on Wall Street in return for their campaign support.&nbsp;

Clinton &quot;leaned heavily on Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, and progressive ideas, when she needed to excite voters,&rdquo; Adam Green with the Progressive Change Campaign Committee said. &ldquo;Elizabeth Warren has proven she&rsquo;s a very powerful ally to have on your side. And it&rsquo;s well known she&rsquo;s also a formidable opponent to have against you,&rdquo; Green said.&nbsp;

However, recent polls suggest it is unlikely that Democrats will take the House and the future of the Senate is far from certain. Even if the Senate goes Democratic, it is likely to be led by New York Senator Chuck Schumer, a moderate who has represented Wall Street with the industry`s backing.

Clinton has said she will propose a &quot;risk fee&quot; on the largest financial firms and tighten up rules which allow banks to circumvent bans on proprietary trading by investing in hedge funds. Like Trump, she has proposed to end the tax break that private equity investors enjoy, termed &quot;carried interest.&quot;

Yet such provisions will be probably tied up in a much larger tax initiative that will involve months, if not a year or more, of horse trading in Washington. Ultimately, it could end up overshadowed by other progressive goals, such as infrastructure funding, college affordability, or raising the minimum wage.

Those are the causes that Clinton has prioritized and they are likely to supersede her anti-bank rhetoric, say bankers. One industry trade group representative said: &quot;We&#39;re not in her top 10 to take care of.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

Why the banking industry prefers Hillary Clinton as president over Donald Trump

Hillary Clinton began her presidential campaign by promising to do what it takes to rein in Wall Street. Boosted by Wall Street's toughest critics, US senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, the Democratic candidate has declared "the deck is still stacked in favor of those at the top" and said she would raise bank fees and tighten banking regulations. She has encouraged regulators to break up too-risky banks. And yet, Wall Street appears unperturbed by the prospect of a Clinton presidency. In fact, the banking industry has supported Clinton with buckets of cash and stocks have sold off on days when the Clinton campaign stumbles. Privately, bankers say that they trust her to remain a pragmatist who will keep the current regulatory regime laid down by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform legislation passed in 2010. “I don’t think Clinton wakes up thinking about Wall Street," one senior banking industry lobbyist said. There are hints in apparently leaked email discussions among Clinton's campaign staff that bankers are not far off the mark when they count on her to tread lightly. Pressed during the campaign by progressive Democrats to call for a revival of the Glass-Steagall Act that would require separation of commercial and investment banking, Clinton ultimately refused. She also weighed another progressive favourite --- a tax on financial transactions --- but instead recommended a far narrower plan to tax only canceled orders by high speed traders. Ultimately, what bankers most like about Clinton is that she is not Donald Trump. Many financiers fear her unorthodox Republican rival could disrupt global trade, damage geopolitical relationships and rattle markets, industry analysts and participants say. “Those are the kind of things that corner offices think about,” said Karen Shaw Petrou of Federal Financial Analytics Inc, whose firm advises financial firms about US regulatory policy. “The overriding concern about Trump has dominated people’s thinking." Trump's candidacy has upended traditional political alliances and bankers that usually contribute more to the Republicans have been flinging money at Clinton. Employees of the 17 largest bank holding companies and their subsidiaries have been sending her $10 for every $1 they contributed to Trump, according to a Reuters analysis. In 2012, the same group contributed twice as much to Republican candidate Mitt Romney as it did to President Barack Obama`s re-election campaign. People who work for hedge funds and private equity firms have contributed more than $56 million to Clinton’s presidential campaign and the supporting groups that face no legal cap on donations. Trump’s campaign and related groups received just $243,000 from donors in the same sector, according to data from the Center for Responsive Politics. "It’s basically going with the devil you know over the devil you don’t,” said Brian Gardner, a managing director of New York investment firm Keefe Bruyette & Woods. What also helped, he said, was the familiarity with Hillary and Bill Clinton dating back to the 1990s when her husband was president and ushered in a period of financial deregulation. “There is a closeness and a comfort level between the titans on Wall Street and the Clintons," he said. For bankers, the biggest worry is a scenario where Clinton wins and the Democrats take control of the House and the Senate, with progressives such as Warren and Sanders holding sway over everything from new tax laws to appointments of regulators. Already, Warren has called for immediate dismissal of the Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Mary Jo White. Last year, Warren successfully led a movement to derail Obama’s plan to appoint banker Antonio Weiss to the top job at Treasury. Warren and other progressives will press Clinton to be tough on Wall Street in return for their campaign support. Clinton "leaned heavily on Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, and progressive ideas, when she needed to excite voters,” Adam Green with the Progressive Change Campaign Committee said. “Elizabeth Warren has proven she’s a very powerful ally to have on your side. And it’s well known she’s also a formidable opponent to have against you,” Green said. However, recent polls suggest it is unlikely that Democrats will take the House and the future of the Senate is far from certain. Even if the Senate goes Democratic, it is likely to be led by New York Senator Chuck Schumer, a moderate who has represented Wall Street with the industry`s backing. Clinton has said she will propose a "risk fee" on the largest financial firms and tighten up rules which allow banks to circumvent bans on proprietary trading by investing in hedge funds. Like Trump, she has proposed to end the tax break that private equity investors enjoy, termed "carried interest." Yet such provisions will be probably tied up in a much larger tax initiative that will involve months, if not a year or more, of horse trading in Washington. Ultimately, it could end up overshadowed by other progressive goals, such as infrastructure funding, college affordability, or raising the minimum wage. Those are the causes that Clinton has prioritized and they are likely to supersede her anti-bank rhetoric, say bankers. One industry trade group representative said: "We're not in her top 10 to take care of." (Reuters)

Hillary Clinton: Wall Street's favourite enemy

A week short of the presidential poll in the US, Hillary Clinton has released a new advertisement. Building up on the deluge of sexual harassment accusations against Donald Trump, the ad highlights his attitude towards women. In her speeches and social media engagement, Clinton has been steadily building a case against Trump on the basis of the accounts of his alleged victims as well as own statements.

As much as fourteen women have gone on record to say that they were sexually harassed by Trump at some point in their lives. The Republican candidate also has an upcoming hearing for a child rape case against him. On a recent TV show, Trump&rsquo;s campaign manager Kellyane Conway refused to acknowledge on the rape case as a serious concern. She has also predicted that Trump will win as the undecided voter has now decided against Clinton. FBI Director James Comey&rsquo;s announcement about the existence of a new batch of emails with a connection to Clinton&rsquo;s server seems to have rocked her campaign trail a bit.

Will leveraging herself as an upholder of women&rsquo;s rights and dignity give Clinton the much-needed thrust to outscore her Republican counterpart? How does Clinton&rsquo;s own track record on this issue during her husband&rsquo;s presidency play out now?

Fifteen women from South Asia weigh on whether sexual harassment accusations could be the game changer in an election seeing two of the most controversial Presidential candidates in the history of American democracy.

Priyanka Chaturvedi, National Spokesperson, India National Congress

@priyankac19

Sexual harassment accusations have created a dent but I doubt it would change the minds of those who have decided on him. As much as I personally think he should be thrown out for his nonsense, I do not think the outcome will be significantly impacted.

Gul Panag, Politician (Aam Aadmi Party), Actor, Entrepreneur

@GulPanag

No, it won&rsquo;t be a significant factor for the outcome of the election.

Shilpi Tewari, Architect, Bhartiya Janta Party volunteer

@shilpitewari

I hope so. I would be shocked if not. Though, Hillary&rsquo;s track record isn&#39;t great either. Yet she benefits because she is a woman and wouldn&#39;t be the one assaulting. Basically, I am glad I am not an American voter and don&#39;t have to choose amongst them.

Rupa Subramanya, Columnist and Author

@rupasubramanya

If you go by the polls, his support among women is on the decline. But I don&#39;t think he ever had their overwhelming support anyway. I&#39;ve met women who support Trump and they say this happened a long time ago so what&#39;s the big deal and this is meant to distract from Hillary&#39;s misdemeanours. I don&#39;t think anyone really thinks Trump is the greatest but I think most folks I&#39;ve met hate Hilary more.

Arati Kumar Rao, Photographer

@AratiKumarRao

I would say he sure is winning the race to the bottom.

Maryam Reshii, Food Critic

@reshii

Nopes. Nahi. Nyet. Right wingers will vote for him. Lefties won&#39;t. Simple.

Maitreyi Bordia Das, Global Lead for Social Inclusion, World Bank

@DasMaitreyi

It is hard to say. There was already a negative wind. I think his comments have marred more than the women coming out. But these things are hard to say in real time. In hindsight, we will have a better picture.

Mehr Tarar, Columnist, Pakistan

@MehrTarar

Trump was doomed even before the sexual harassment thing. But the fact that women have reacted after the revelations is a manifestation of women standing up against &quot;accepted&quot; behaviour by men that is not right, never has been. Silence endorses things and that&#39;s what happens when it comes to men touching women and saying things they shouldn&#39;t.

Namita Bhandare, Journalist

@namitabhandare

It&#39;s a long answer and the US has a very long history of puritanism that makes the sex life of people in power very relevant. This is different though&nbsp;because here you have a sexual predator. It would be interesting to compare public reaction to Trump versus public reaction to Gary Hart.

[On the &ldquo;pussy-grab&rdquo; clip] This is not sexualising the US election, nor is this innuendo: this is clearly sexual assault caught on video. Of course, Trump has a point when he says Hillary turned a blind eye to Bill&#39;s gross abuse of power for sexual favours while in the Oval.

Rama Lakshmi, Social Media Editor, Washington Post

@RamaNewDelhi

That pussy-grab audio was a shift.

Aditi Malhotra, PhD Scholar

@aditi_malhotra_

I have a mixed opinion on this one. The cases about sexual harassment are indeed hampering his prospects but mainly only in cases of undecided voters. It&#39;s sad but one continues to see many Trump women supporters persistently cheering for him despite his misogynistic views and actions. However, one needs to realise that it is the swing states and swing voters who can make or break the Nov 8 election. It is in this context women voters can make a huge difference and showcase their power as an electoral base. As Michelle Obama said, &quot;High time women stand up and say, enough is enough!&quot;

Nilanjana Roy, Novelist

@nilanjanaroy

There has been an attitudinal shift in the society. It is difficult to get away with impunity. People like Trump are increasingly being held accountable for their misdemeanours. Victim shaming is not all that rampant and those indulging in it are getting called out.

Yes, Hillary is hawkish. But that&rsquo;s how most politicians are. This is a time in the history of the USA where somebody like her is needed. A purely leftist candidate will not be able to handle a fast polarising world.

Rana Safvi, Historian

@iamrana

Yes, I think the harassment charges are going to significantly mar Trump&rsquo;s prospects.

Atiya Zaidi, Publisher

@atiyaz

Ultimately, and sadly, not much.

Vidyut, Blogger, Entrepreneur

@vidyut

It is a toss-up. But I think Trump is a lot like (Narendra) Modi. His core voter base is unlikely to be bothered by bad revelations about him.

Fifteen women from South Asia share their views on the likely impact of the sexual harassment charges faced by Donald Trump

A week short of the presidential poll in the US, Hillary Clinton has released a new advertisement. Building up on the deluge of sexual harassment accusations against Donald Trump, the ad highlights his attitude towards women. In her speeches and social media engagement, Clinton has been steadily building a case against Trump on the basis of the accounts of his alleged victims as well as own statements. As much as fourteen women have gone on record to say that they were sexually harassed by Trump at some point in their lives. The Republican candidate also has an upcoming hearing for a child rape case against him. On a recent TV show, Trump’s campaign manager Kellyane Conway refused to acknowledge on the rape case as a serious concern. She has also predicted that Trump will win as the undecided voter has now decided against Clinton. FBI Director James Comey’s announcement about the existence of a new batch of emails with a connection to Clinton’s server seems to have rocked her campaign trail a bit. Will leveraging herself as an upholder of women’s rights and dignity give Clinton the much-needed thrust to outscore her Republican counterpart? How does Clinton’s own track record on this issue during her husband’s presidency play out now? Fifteen women from South Asia weigh on whether sexual harassment accusations could be the game changer in an election seeing two of the most controversial Presidential candidates in the history of American democracy. Priyanka Chaturvedi, National Spokesperson, India National Congress @priyankac19 Sexual harassment accusations have created a dent but I doubt it would change the minds of those who have decided on him. As much as I personally think he should be thrown out for his nonsense, I do not think the outcome will be significantly impacted. Gul Panag, Politician (Aam Aadmi Party), Actor, Entrepreneur @GulPanag No, it won’t be a significant factor for the outcome of the election. Shilpi Tewari, Architect, Bhartiya Janta Party volunteer @shilpitewari I hope so. I would be shocked if not. Though, Hillary’s track record isn't great either. Yet she benefits because she is a woman and wouldn't be the one assaulting. Basically, I am glad I am not an American voter and don't have to choose amongst them. Rupa Subramanya, Columnist and Author @rupasubramanya If you go by the polls, his support among women is on the decline. But I don't think he ever had their overwhelming support anyway. I've met women who support Trump and they say this happened a long time ago so what's the big deal and this is meant to distract from Hillary's misdemeanours. I don't think anyone really thinks Trump is the greatest but I think most folks I've met hate Hilary more. Arati Kumar Rao, Photographer @AratiKumarRao I would say he sure is winning the race to the bottom. Maryam Reshii, Food Critic @reshii Nopes. Nahi. Nyet. Right wingers will vote for him. Lefties won't. Simple. Maitreyi Bordia Das, Global Lead for Social Inclusion, World Bank @DasMaitreyi It is hard to say. There was already a negative wind. I think his comments have marred more than the women coming out. But these things are hard to say in real time. In hindsight, we will have a better picture. Mehr Tarar, Columnist, Pakistan @MehrTarar Trump was doomed even before the sexual harassment thing. But the fact that women have reacted after the revelations is a manifestation of women standing up against "accepted" behaviour by men that is not right, never has been. Silence endorses things and that's what happens when it comes to men touching women and saying things they shouldn't. Namita Bhandare, Journalist @namitabhandare It's a long answer and the US has a very long history of puritanism that makes the sex life of people in power very relevant. This is different though because here you have a sexual predator. It would be interesting to compare public reaction to Trump versus public reaction to Gary Hart. [On the “pussy-grab” clip] This is not sexualising the US election, nor is this innuendo: this is clearly sexual assault caught on video. Of course, Trump has a point when he says Hillary turned a blind eye to Bill's gross abuse of power for sexual favours while in the Oval. Rama Lakshmi, Social Media Editor, Washington Post @RamaNewDelhi That pussy-grab audio was a shift. Aditi Malhotra, PhD Scholar @aditi_malhotra_ I have a mixed opinion on this one. The cases about sexual harassment are indeed hampering his prospects but mainly only in cases of undecided voters. It's sad but one continues to see many Trump women supporters persistently cheering for him despite his misogynistic views and actions. However, one needs to realise that it is the swing states and swing voters who can make or break the Nov 8 election. It is in this context women voters can make a huge difference and showcase their power as an electoral base. As Michelle Obama said, "High time women stand up and say, enough is enough!" Nilanjana Roy, Novelist @nilanjanaroy There has been an attitudinal shift in the society. It is difficult to get away with impunity. People like Trump are increasingly being held accountable for their misdemeanours. Victim shaming is not all that rampant and those indulging in it are getting called out. Yes, Hillary is hawkish. But that’s how most politicians are. This is a time in the history of the USA where somebody like her is needed. A purely leftist candidate will not be able to handle a fast polarising world. Rana Safvi, Historian @iamrana Yes, I think the harassment charges are going to significantly mar Trump’s prospects. Atiya Zaidi, Publisher @atiyaz Ultimately, and sadly, not much. Vidyut, Blogger, Entrepreneur @vidyut It is a toss-up. But I think Trump is a lot like (Narendra) Modi. His core voter base is unlikely to be bothered by bad revelations about him.

Sexual harassment charges against Donald Trump: What South Asian women think

Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton lashed out at rival Donald Trump on Tuesday, calling him a bully for making sexist comments against women. &nbsp;

Trump has a 30-year history of &quot;demeaning, degrading, insulting and assaulting&quot; women, &nbsp;Clinton said while addressing a rally &nbsp;in Florida with former Miss Universe Alicia Machado, BBC reported.&nbsp;

Attacking Trump over his &#39;Miss Piggy&#39; remark that he made over Machado, Clinton said she had &quot;learned way back in elementary school that it&#39;s not OK to insult people&quot;.

In the run-up to the presidential election slated for November 8, the war of words between Clinton and Trump is getting fiercer.&nbsp;

Trump retaliated to the remark and branded Clinton &quot;corrupt&quot; and said she would &quot;destroy American healthcare forever&quot;, the report said.&nbsp;

He also urged the early voters, who chose Clinton, to change their ballots before Thursday&#39;s deadline.

&nbsp;

(WION)&nbsp;

In the run-up to the presidential election slated for November 8, the war of words between Clinton and Trump is getting fiercer

Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton lashed out at rival Donald Trump on Tuesday, calling him a bully for making sexist comments against women. Trump has a 30-year history of "demeaning, degrading, insulting and assaulting" women, Clinton said while addressing a rally in Florida with former Miss Universe Alicia Machado, BBC reported. Attacking Trump over his 'Miss Piggy' remark that he made over Machado, Clinton said she had "learned way back in elementary school that it's not OK to insult people". In the run-up to the presidential election slated for November 8, the war of words between Clinton and Trump is getting fiercer. Trump retaliated to the remark and branded Clinton "corrupt" and said she would "destroy American healthcare forever", the report said. He also urged the early voters, who chose Clinton, to change their ballots before Thursday's deadline. (WION)

Trump has a 30-year history of 'insulting and assaulting' women: Clinton

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton launched bitter attacks on each other&#39;s character Tuesday as a new poll suggested the White House race has tightened in the final week.&nbsp;

Trump stormed into Democratic territory in Wisconsin to try to use suspicion generated by an FBI probe into Clinton&#39;s emails to open an unlikely path to victory on November 8.

But, with political tension spilling over into financial markets, 69-year-old Clinton was determined not to lose her advantage, firing up Florida crowds with attacks on Trump&#39;s attitude to women.

Polling forecasts suggest the 70-year-old Republican property mogul faces a battle to win enough states to secure an electoral college victory over his Democratic rival.

But he received a boost Tuesday when an ABC News/Washington Post tracking poll showed him leading Clinton by 46 to 45 per cent.

He boasted about the new numbers as he addressed a raucous crowd -- chanting &quot;Lock her up!&quot; and &quot;Drain the swamp!&quot; -- in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, before turning the knife.

&quot;The Clintons are the sordid past and we will be the bright and clean future,&quot; he announced, to rapturous roars.

But if Clinton was rattled by the poll -- or by the renewed interest in her email server -- she did not show it at a barnstorming rally in the swing state of Florida.

&nbsp;&#39;Insults half the population&#39;

Clinton was introduced by Alicia Machado, a former Miss Universe whom Trump, then the owner of the pageant, publicly humiliated by mocking her post-victory weight gain.

&quot;Can we just stop for a minute and reflect on the absurdity of Donald Trump finding fault with Miss Universe?&quot; Clinton snorted.

Trump&#39;s doctor says he is more than overweight at 236 pounds (107 kilograms).

&quot;What about our girls? What happens to their confidence, their sense of self-worth?&quot; she demanded, warning against a president &quot;who insults more than half the population.&quot;

And she pivoted to the notorious tape where Trump is overheard on a hot mic bragging about being able to grope women and get away with because he is a star.

&quot;And I have to tell you, since that tape came out, 12 women have come forward to say: &#39;What he said on that tape is what he did to me,&#39;&quot; Clinton said. Trump denies these allegations.

The close poll spooked the markets, which had expected the former secretary of state to comfortably defeat a populist who economists fear could plunge the world into recession.&nbsp;

US stocks closed down 0.7 per cent and the Vix Volatility or &quot;fear index&quot; jumped to its highest level since Britain voted to leave the European Union.

But no matter how close the popular vote, in order to win the White House, Trump must take at least one normally Democratic state, the swing states and the Republican heartland.

Wisconsin backed President Barack Obama in 2012, but if Trump can win its 10 votes, it could put him over the 270 threshold and win him the keys to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

But this remains a long shot. The New York Times statistical model gives Clinton an 88 per cent chance of winning, while respected data tracking website FiveThirtyEight says she has a 74 per cent chance of victory.

Nevertheless, the tumultuous presidential race -- which has featured footage showing Trump boasting of sexual assault and claims of Russian interference in the contest -- may have a few twists and turns left in store.

On Monday, Trump was hit by fresh allegations in a detailed report by The New York Times that he not only dodged paying income tax but did so in a way that has since been outlawed.

&nbsp;Big stakes

This may not be enough to turn public attention away from a revived FBI investigation into whether Clinton put US secrets at risk by using a private email server while serving as secretary of state.

Clinton&#39;s campaign has spent three days berating FBI Director James Comey for revealing to lawmakers that the bureau is looking anew at her use of a private email server while at the State Department.

Team Clinton was furious that Comey made his announcement without any new evidence of wrongdoing, but insists the scandal has not torpedoed her candidacy.

&quot;We do not see any evidence that the Comey story has had an impact on our polling,&quot; a senior aide told reporters.

&quot;If anything, it&#39;s angered our supporters and been a motivating factor, but it doesn&#39;t seem to be affecting the overall vote,&quot; he said, writing off what he dubbed &quot;bad polling.&quot;

Obama and Vice President Joe Biden both hit the campaign trail for Clinton on Tuesday and have a full schedule for the week, hoping to push her past Trump in the home stretch.

Obama -- who was in Ohio -- is having what his spokesman called a &quot;heck of a good time&quot; making the case for Clinton, calling his full schedule &quot;an indication of exactly how big he thinks the stakes are in this election.&quot;

(AFP)

An ABC News/Washington Post tracking poll showed Trump leading Clinton 46 to 45%

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton launched bitter attacks on each other's character Tuesday as a new poll suggested the White House race has tightened in the final week. Trump stormed into Democratic territory in Wisconsin to try to use suspicion generated by an FBI probe into Clinton's emails to open an unlikely path to victory on November 8. But, with political tension spilling over into financial markets, 69-year-old Clinton was determined not to lose her advantage, firing up Florida crowds with attacks on Trump's attitude to women. Polling forecasts suggest the 70-year-old Republican property mogul faces a battle to win enough states to secure an electoral college victory over his Democratic rival. But he received a boost Tuesday when an ABC News/Washington Post tracking poll showed him leading Clinton by 46 to 45 per cent. He boasted about the new numbers as he addressed a raucous crowd -- chanting "Lock her up!" and "Drain the swamp!" -- in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, before turning the knife. "The Clintons are the sordid past and we will be the bright and clean future," he announced, to rapturous roars. But if Clinton was rattled by the poll -- or by the renewed interest in her email server -- she did not show it at a barnstorming rally in the swing state of Florida. 'Insults half the population' Clinton was introduced by Alicia Machado, a former Miss Universe whom Trump, then the owner of the pageant, publicly humiliated by mocking her post-victory weight gain. "Can we just stop for a minute and reflect on the absurdity of Donald Trump finding fault with Miss Universe?" Clinton snorted. Trump's doctor says he is more than overweight at 236 pounds (107 kilograms). "What about our girls? What happens to their confidence, their sense of self-worth?" she demanded, warning against a president "who insults more than half the population." And she pivoted to the notorious tape where Trump is overheard on a hot mic bragging about being able to grope women and get away with because he is a star. "And I have to tell you, since that tape came out, 12 women have come forward to say: 'What he said on that tape is what he did to me,'" Clinton said. Trump denies these allegations. The close poll spooked the markets, which had expected the former secretary of state to comfortably defeat a populist who economists fear could plunge the world into recession. US stocks closed down 0.7 per cent and the Vix Volatility or "fear index" jumped to its highest level since Britain voted to leave the European Union. But no matter how close the popular vote, in order to win the White House, Trump must take at least one normally Democratic state, the swing states and the Republican heartland. Wisconsin backed President Barack Obama in 2012, but if Trump can win its 10 votes, it could put him over the 270 threshold and win him the keys to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. But this remains a long shot. The New York Times statistical model gives Clinton an 88 per cent chance of winning, while respected data tracking website FiveThirtyEight says she has a 74 per cent chance of victory. Nevertheless, the tumultuous presidential race -- which has featured footage showing Trump boasting of sexual assault and claims of Russian interference in the contest -- may have a few twists and turns left in store. On Monday, Trump was hit by fresh allegations in a detailed report by The New York Times that he not only dodged paying income tax but did so in a way that has since been outlawed. Big stakes This may not be enough to turn public attention away from a revived FBI investigation into whether Clinton put US secrets at risk by using a private email server while serving as secretary of state. Clinton's campaign has spent three days berating FBI Director James Comey for revealing to lawmakers that the bureau is looking anew at her use of a private email server while at the State Department. Team Clinton was furious that Comey made his announcement without any new evidence of wrongdoing, but insists the scandal has not torpedoed her candidacy. "We do not see any evidence that the Comey story has had an impact on our polling," a senior aide told reporters. "If anything, it's angered our supporters and been a motivating factor, but it doesn't seem to be affecting the overall vote," he said, writing off what he dubbed "bad polling." Obama and Vice President Joe Biden both hit the campaign trail for Clinton on Tuesday and have a full schedule for the week, hoping to push her past Trump in the home stretch. Obama -- who was in Ohio -- is having what his spokesman called a "heck of a good time" making the case for Clinton, calling his full schedule "an indication of exactly how big he thinks the stakes are in this election." (AFP)

US elections 2016: Trump, Clinton go on attack as new poll suggests race has tightened

The two-story brick house where Hillary Clinton grew up still stands at a street corner in the Chicago suburb of Park Ridge.&nbsp;

Nearby, a sign reads &quot;Rodham Corner&quot;, an acknowledgment of the place in history occupied by this small hamlet near the city&#39;s O&#39;Hare airport.&nbsp;

It is a place that impacted and shaped a young Hillary Rodham, before she went off to college, married Bill Clinton, and became the Democratic Party&#39;s presidential nominee in 2016.&nbsp;

&quot;My childhood in the 1950s and the politics of the 1960s awakened my sense of obligation to my country and my commitment to service,&quot; Clinton wrote in her 2003 memoir &quot;Living History.&quot;

During that period after World War II, Park Ridge,a suburb that was all-white, Republican and conservative,was the center of Clinton&#39;s world.

&quot;My parents felt comfortable in Park Ridge among all the other veterans who chose it for its excellent public schools, parks, tree-lined streets, wide sidewalks and comfortable family homes,&quot; Clinton wrote.&nbsp;

As a child, she was exposed to both traditional Republican beliefs and competing viewpoints from the outside,especially from the civil rights movement.&nbsp;

&quot;My favorite memory is walking home from school with Hillary, and the many opportunities we had to talk,&quot; said Ernest Ricketts, who attended kindergarten through high school with the former secretary of state.&nbsp;

&quot;She was always very interested in current events. She was interested in history.&quot;&nbsp;

Clinton&#39;s critics often criticise her consistency on issues, saying she is a chameleon who changes her beliefs based on the prevailing political winds.&nbsp;

But her childhood in Park Ridge offers a clue into Clinton&#39;s worldview, which evolved through discussions and debates with those on both sides of the ideological spectrum.&nbsp;

&nbsp;Clinton&#39;s parents

Clinton&#39;s father Hugh Rodham was a staunch Republican. The owner of a drapery business and the product of a working-class family, he believed in small government, individual responsibility and working hard for what you get.

Clinton&#39;s mother Dorothy Rodham was a Democrat. Abandoned by her parents as a child and forced to start working at the age of 14, Dorothy instilled in Clinton empathy for people caught up in circumstances outside their control.&nbsp;

At the dinner table, Clinton&#39;s parents debated the issues, with young Hillary often politically in the middle.&nbsp;

&quot;I grew up between the push and tug of my parents&#39; values, and my own political beliefs reflect both,&quot; Clinton wrote in her memoir.&nbsp;

She admired her father&#39;s sense of &quot;rugged individualism,&quot; she told The Washington Post in 2007, during her first run for president, a primary battle she lost to Barack Obama.

&quot;But it didn&#39;t explain enough for me about the world, or the world as I would want it to be,&quot; she said. &nbsp;

&nbsp;Mother a &#39;huge influence&#39;

Clinton&#39;s mother was a voracious consumer of books, and encouraged the same intellectual curiosity in her daughter.&nbsp;

&quot;Hillary&#39;s mom was a huge influence,&quot; said Clinton&#39;s childhood friend Judy Osgood. &quot;Her mom was just always there and interested in what we were doing.&quot;&nbsp;

Clinton&#39;s parents encouraged their daughter to think beyond the narrow path young women of their time were expected to pursue.&nbsp;

She was pushed to follow her intellectual interests, as well as play sports, an endeavor dominated by boys. &nbsp;

Her mother&#39;s difficult past inspired Clinton&#39;s work as a politician. &nbsp;

&quot;Learning about my mother&#39;s childhood sparked my strong conviction that every child deserves a chance to live up to her God-given potential,&quot; Clinton said in her memoir. &nbsp;

Another big influence was her childhood minister Don Jones, who exposed Clinton to the social issues of the day &mdash; taking her and her church youth group in 1962 to hear civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. speak in Chicago.&nbsp;

&quot;He gave us a worldview that we didn&#39;t have before,&quot; Ricketts said of Jones&#39; efforts to expose Park Ridge&#39;s middle class children to the larger world. &nbsp;

Clinton maintained ties with Jones until his death in 2009, and considered him a major influence. She also still maintains contact with several of her childhood friends in Park Ridge.&nbsp;

&quot;She&#39;s very much the same person, especially with all of her high school friends,&quot; said Mike Andrews, who attended Maine South High School with Clinton.&nbsp;

But the impact of decades in the public eye, and the various controversies swirling around her including the revived FBI interest in her use of a private email server while at the State Department, have taken a toll on her image, even in the city where she grew up.

Earlier this year, in her first visit to Park Ridge in more than a decade, Clinton drew hundreds of supporters, but also some protesters.&nbsp;

&quot;Traditionally, this has been a Republican town, and there are people here who are diehard Republicans,&quot; longtime resident Teresa Nuccio told the Chicago Tribune at the time.&nbsp;

&quot;Being from Park Ridge doesn&#39;t necessarily mean everyone will support you.&quot;&nbsp;

(AFP)

Her father was a staunch Republican, her mother a Democrat abandoned by her parents as a child and forced to start working at the age of 14

The two-story brick house where Hillary Clinton grew up still stands at a street corner in the Chicago suburb of Park Ridge. Nearby, a sign reads "Rodham Corner", an acknowledgment of the place in history occupied by this small hamlet near the city's O'Hare airport. It is a place that impacted and shaped a young Hillary Rodham, before she went off to college, married Bill Clinton, and became the Democratic Party's presidential nominee in 2016. "My childhood in the 1950s and the politics of the 1960s awakened my sense of obligation to my country and my commitment to service," Clinton wrote in her 2003 memoir "Living History." During that period after World War II, Park Ridge,a suburb that was all-white, Republican and conservative,was the center of Clinton's world. "My parents felt comfortable in Park Ridge among all the other veterans who chose it for its excellent public schools, parks, tree-lined streets, wide sidewalks and comfortable family homes," Clinton wrote. As a child, she was exposed to both traditional Republican beliefs and competing viewpoints from the outside,especially from the civil rights movement. "My favorite memory is walking home from school with Hillary, and the many opportunities we had to talk," said Ernest Ricketts, who attended kindergarten through high school with the former secretary of state. "She was always very interested in current events. She was interested in history." Clinton's critics often criticise her consistency on issues, saying she is a chameleon who changes her beliefs based on the prevailing political winds. But her childhood in Park Ridge offers a clue into Clinton's worldview, which evolved through discussions and debates with those on both sides of the ideological spectrum. Clinton's parents Clinton's father Hugh Rodham was a staunch Republican. The owner of a drapery business and the product of a working-class family, he believed in small government, individual responsibility and working hard for what you get. Clinton's mother Dorothy Rodham was a Democrat. Abandoned by her parents as a child and forced to start working at the age of 14, Dorothy instilled in Clinton empathy for people caught up in circumstances outside their control. At the dinner table, Clinton's parents debated the issues, with young Hillary often politically in the middle. "I grew up between the push and tug of my parents' values, and my own political beliefs reflect both," Clinton wrote in her memoir. She admired her father's sense of "rugged individualism," she told The Washington Post in 2007, during her first run for president, a primary battle she lost to Barack Obama. "But it didn't explain enough for me about the world, or the world as I would want it to be," she said. Mother a 'huge influence' Clinton's mother was a voracious consumer of books, and encouraged the same intellectual curiosity in her daughter. "Hillary's mom was a huge influence," said Clinton's childhood friend Judy Osgood. "Her mom was just always there and interested in what we were doing." Clinton's parents encouraged their daughter to think beyond the narrow path young women of their time were expected to pursue. She was pushed to follow her intellectual interests, as well as play sports, an endeavor dominated by boys. Her mother's difficult past inspired Clinton's work as a politician. "Learning about my mother's childhood sparked my strong conviction that every child deserves a chance to live up to her God-given potential," Clinton said in her memoir. Another big influence was her childhood minister Don Jones, who exposed Clinton to the social issues of the day — taking her and her church youth group in 1962 to hear civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. speak in Chicago. "He gave us a worldview that we didn't have before," Ricketts said of Jones' efforts to expose Park Ridge's middle class children to the larger world. Clinton maintained ties with Jones until his death in 2009, and considered him a major influence. She also still maintains contact with several of her childhood friends in Park Ridge. "She's very much the same person, especially with all of her high school friends," said Mike Andrews, who attended Maine South High School with Clinton. But the impact of decades in the public eye, and the various controversies swirling around her including the revived FBI interest in her use of a private email server while at the State Department, have taken a toll on her image, even in the city where she grew up. Earlier this year, in her first visit to Park Ridge in more than a decade, Clinton drew hundreds of supporters, but also some protesters. "Traditionally, this has been a Republican town, and there are people here who are diehard Republicans," longtime resident Teresa Nuccio told the Chicago Tribune at the time. "Being from Park Ridge doesn't necessarily mean everyone will support you." (AFP)

Hillary Clinton's childhood, and how it shaped her politics

World stocks, the dollar and oil fell on Wednesday, while safe-haven assets such as gold and the Swiss franc rose as investors were rattled by signs the US presidential race was tightening just days before the vote.

Investors were beginning to rethink their long-held bets of a November 8 victory for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton amid signs her Republican rival Donald Trump could be closing the gap, deepening the recent decline across major stock markets.

Asian stocks hit a seven-week low on Wednesday, while European bourses followed Wall Street&#39;s lead overnight and slid to a four-month low.

Bonds rose alongside gold, the Swiss franc and Japanese yen, with the yield on 10-year US Treasuries falling for the third day in a row. British gilts, which have recently been slammed by uncertainty surrounding the post-Brexit UK outlook, surged too.

&quot;The lead up to the US presidential election was always expected to be lively but the events of the last couple of days have seriously taken their toll on investor sentiment,&quot; said Craig Erlam, senior market analyst at Oanda in London.

Investor anxiety has deepened in recent sessions over a possible Trump victory given uncertainty on the Republican candidate&#39;s stance on key issues including foreign policy, trade relations and immigrants, while Clinton is viewed as a candidate of the status quo.

Europe&#39;s index of leading 300 shares was last down 0.4 per cent, having earlier hit a four-month low of 1,313 points. Britain&#39;s Britain&#39;s FTSE and Germany&#39;s DAX fell 0.4 and 0.7 per cent, respectively.

MSCI&#39;s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan dropped 1.1 per cent to seven-week lows while the yen&#39;s rise to a two-week high helped push Japan&#39;s Nikkei down 1.8 percent.

US stock futures recovered earlier losses, pointing to a fall of only 0.1 per cent at the open. This would still signify a fresh four-month low for Wall Street.

Pricing a Trump victory

The tumultuous presidential race appeared to tighten after news that the Federal Bureau of Investigation was reviewing more emails as part of a probe into Clinton&#39;s use of a private email server.

While Clinton held a five-percentage-point lead over Trump, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Monday, some other polls showed her Republican rival ahead by 1-2 percentage points.

Barclays strategists estimate that a rise in Trump&#39;s polling odds to 50 per cent could see the S&amp;P 500 fall 4-5 percent, and potentially as much as 10-11 percent if he wins.

This has unnerved markets and the CBOE volatility index, often seen as investors&#39; fear gauge, rose to a two-month high above 20 percent.

The tension in markets came as the Federal Reserve holds its two-day policy meeting, with its statement due later on Wednesday. While traders do not expect a rate hike just a week ahead of the presidential election, they are looking for signs that the Fed will move in December.

Investors have grown increasingly confident in recent weeks that the Fed will follow through next month, attaching an 80 percent probability to such a move, according to fed funds futures pricing.

But currency traders have sold the dollar this week in part because they suspect Trump would prefer a weaker dollar given his protectionist stance on international trade, and in part because the uncertainty surrounding a Trump win might lead to a more dovish stance from the Fed in the months ahead.

The dollar fell again on Wednesday, after posting its biggest one-day fall on Tuesday in two months.

The euro rose 0.4 per cent to touch $1.11 for the first time in more than three weeks. It is up about two per cent from its 7-1/2-month low of $1.0851 hit last week.

Against the yen, the dollar fell 0.8 percent to 103.24 yen from three-month high of 105.54 yen set on Friday.

&quot;If you had a long dollar position on the view that the dollar would gain because Clinton would win, you would surely close that position because her victory is less certain,&quot; said Koichi Yoshikawa, executive director of financial markets at Standard Chartered Bank.

Other safe-haven assets also rose. The Swiss franc hit a four-month high of 1.0750 francs per euro, its highest level since late June, while gold reached a four-week high of $1,297 per ounce.

Oil prices fell for the fourth day in a row, sliding to one-month lows. Brent crude futures fell more than 1 percent to $47.53 per barrel, and US crude was down as low as $46.06. Oil has lost 10 percent in the last two weeks.

(Reuters)

Investors fear Trump's victory because of his uncertain stance on issues of foreign policy, trade relations and immigrants

World stocks, the dollar and oil fell on Wednesday, while safe-haven assets such as gold and the Swiss franc rose as investors were rattled by signs the US presidential race was tightening just days before the vote. Investors were beginning to rethink their long-held bets of a November 8 victory for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton amid signs her Republican rival Donald Trump could be closing the gap, deepening the recent decline across major stock markets. Asian stocks hit a seven-week low on Wednesday, while European bourses followed Wall Street's lead overnight and slid to a four-month low. Bonds rose alongside gold, the Swiss franc and Japanese yen, with the yield on 10-year US Treasuries falling for the third day in a row. British gilts, which have recently been slammed by uncertainty surrounding the post-Brexit UK outlook, surged too. "The lead up to the US presidential election was always expected to be lively but the events of the last couple of days have seriously taken their toll on investor sentiment," said Craig Erlam, senior market analyst at Oanda in London. Investor anxiety has deepened in recent sessions over a possible Trump victory given uncertainty on the Republican candidate's stance on key issues including foreign policy, trade relations and immigrants, while Clinton is viewed as a candidate of the status quo. Europe's index of leading 300 shares was last down 0.4 per cent, having earlier hit a four-month low of 1,313 points. Britain's Britain's FTSE and Germany's DAX fell 0.4 and 0.7 per cent, respectively. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan dropped 1.1 per cent to seven-week lows while the yen's rise to a two-week high helped push Japan's Nikkei down 1.8 percent. US stock futures recovered earlier losses, pointing to a fall of only 0.1 per cent at the open. This would still signify a fresh four-month low for Wall Street. Pricing a Trump victory The tumultuous presidential race appeared to tighten after news that the Federal Bureau of Investigation was reviewing more emails as part of a probe into Clinton's use of a private email server. While Clinton held a five-percentage-point lead over Trump, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Monday, some other polls showed her Republican rival ahead by 1-2 percentage points. Barclays strategists estimate that a rise in Trump's polling odds to 50 per cent could see the S&P 500 fall 4-5 percent, and potentially as much as 10-11 percent if he wins. This has unnerved markets and the CBOE volatility index, often seen as investors' fear gauge, rose to a two-month high above 20 percent. The tension in markets came as the Federal Reserve holds its two-day policy meeting, with its statement due later on Wednesday. While traders do not expect a rate hike just a week ahead of the presidential election, they are looking for signs that the Fed will move in December. Investors have grown increasingly confident in recent weeks that the Fed will follow through next month, attaching an 80 percent probability to such a move, according to fed funds futures pricing. But currency traders have sold the dollar this week in part because they suspect Trump would prefer a weaker dollar given his protectionist stance on international trade, and in part because the uncertainty surrounding a Trump win might lead to a more dovish stance from the Fed in the months ahead. The dollar fell again on Wednesday, after posting its biggest one-day fall on Tuesday in two months. The euro rose 0.4 per cent to touch $1.11 for the first time in more than three weeks. It is up about two per cent from its 7-1/2-month low of $1.0851 hit last week. Against the yen, the dollar fell 0.8 percent to 103.24 yen from three-month high of 105.54 yen set on Friday. "If you had a long dollar position on the view that the dollar would gain because Clinton would win, you would surely close that position because her victory is less certain," said Koichi Yoshikawa, executive director of financial markets at Standard Chartered Bank. Other safe-haven assets also rose. The Swiss franc hit a four-month high of 1.0750 francs per euro, its highest level since late June, while gold reached a four-week high of $1,297 per ounce. Oil prices fell for the fourth day in a row, sliding to one-month lows. Brent crude futures fell more than 1 percent to $47.53 per barrel, and US crude was down as low as $46.06. Oil has lost 10 percent in the last two weeks. (Reuters)

Global stocks fall over chances of Trump's victory in US elections

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been investigating Donald Trump&rsquo;s former campaign manager&rsquo;s foreign business connections, NBC news reported.&nbsp;

Paul Manafort&nbsp;is being investigated for his alleged business ties with Russia and Ukraine, NBC news reported on Monday night. &nbsp;

In August, Politoco reported&nbsp;that Manafort&nbsp;resigned from&nbsp;the Trump campaign amid revelations of his&nbsp;work lobbying for pro-Russian Ukrainian&nbsp;oligarchs, which Politico&nbsp;was at odds with Trump&#39;s claim to be free of moneyed interests.

NBC news further reported that the inquiry is only preliminary and not a criminal investigation.

Manafort told NBC news, &ldquo;None of it is true. There&#39;s no investigation going on by the FBI that I&#39;m aware of.&quot;

&quot;This is all political propaganda, meant to deflect,&quot; he added.

In that August article, Politico&nbsp;reported&nbsp;that a source close to the Trump campaign said the Trump family was particularly troubled by reports that Manafort was involved with Russia, activities which he reportedly&nbsp;hadn&#39;t disclosed.

The same source added that the Trump family was also unhappy about changes made to the Republican platform that were seen as beneficial to Russia, in which they felt Manafort played a role.

The Manafort inquiry comes just days after FBI director James Comey announced a reopened investigation into Hillary Clinton&rsquo;s emails mere days before the November 8 election.&nbsp;

The <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/oct/31/james-comey-fbi-clinton-trump-email-investigation-russia-hack">Guardian reports</a> that the Clinton campaign has been especially vocal of late,&nbsp;blasting Comey&#39;s decision as a &quot;jaw-dropping&quot; double standard after claims emerged that he had sought to withhold evidence of Russian support for Donald Trump, out of fear that it could influence the outcome of the US election.

(WION)

Manafort, who denies all,?resigned from?the campaign in August?amid revelations of his?work lobbying for pro-Russian Ukrainian oligarchs

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been investigating Donald Trump’s former campaign manager’s foreign business connections, NBC news reported. Paul Manafort is being investigated for his alleged business ties with Russia and Ukraine, NBC news reported on Monday night. In August, Politoco reported that Manafort resigned from the Trump campaign amid revelations of his work lobbying for pro-Russian Ukrainian oligarchs, which Politico was at odds with Trump's claim to be free of moneyed interests. NBC news further reported that the inquiry is only preliminary and not a criminal investigation. Manafort told NBC news, “None of it is true. There's no investigation going on by the FBI that I'm aware of." "This is all political propaganda, meant to deflect," he added. In that August article, Politico reported that a source close to the Trump campaign said the Trump family was particularly troubled by reports that Manafort was involved with Russia, activities which he reportedly hadn't disclosed. The same source added that the Trump family was also unhappy about changes made to the Republican platform that were seen as beneficial to Russia, in which they felt Manafort played a role. The Manafort inquiry comes just days after FBI director James Comey announced a reopened investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails mere days before the November 8 election. The Guardian reports that the Clinton campaign has been especially vocal of late, blasting Comey's decision as a "jaw-dropping" double standard after claims emerged that he had sought to withhold evidence of Russian support for Donald Trump, out of fear that it could influence the outcome of the US election. (WION)

FBI investigating former Trump campaign manager's ties to Russia

The latest Washington Post-ABC News Tracking Poll has found supporters of Hillary Clinton slipping behind in enthusiasm.

Although there is no major change in Clinton&#39;s overall support, strong enthusiasm among her supporters fell behind Trump in combined Saturday and Sunday interviews.

While Trump&#39;s edge was negligible in the Thursday and Friday interviews (53 per cent versus 51 per cent), the Saturday and Sunday interviews pointed to 53 per cent and 43 per cent for Trump and Clinton respectively.

In 2012, at this stage of the elections, 64 per cent of Obama supporters had said that they were &quot;very enthusiastic&quot; about him while Romney was narrowly behind at 61 per cent.

Clinton has a 54-41 per cent edge among early voters in an average of the three most recent tracking poll waves, while Trump leads by a 50-39 per cent margin among those who will vote on Election Day.

A good 38 per cent of senior likely voters said that they had already voted while 18 per cent of middle-aged and 17 per cent of young voters have done so.

The daily tracking poll suggests that Trump&#39;s previously lagging support among core Republican groups now almost matches Clinton&#39;s wide support on the left.

Trump holds 78 per cent support among white evangelical Protestants, 77 per cent among conservatives, 68 per cent among rural voters and 59 per cent among white men. Clinton&#39;s stands at 81 per cent among liberals, 67 per cent among those identifying with no religion, 60 per cent among urban dwellers and 72 per cent among non-whites, the poll states.

Trump has an 18-point edge among political independents, quite higher than what Republicans have held in recent elections.

(WION)

The poll seems to show that only a week before the election, voters aren't madly excited to vote for their candidate

The latest Washington Post-ABC News Tracking Poll has found supporters of Hillary Clinton slipping behind in enthusiasm. Although there is no major change in Clinton's overall support, strong enthusiasm among her supporters fell behind Trump in combined Saturday and Sunday interviews. While Trump's edge was negligible in the Thursday and Friday interviews (53 per cent versus 51 per cent), the Saturday and Sunday interviews pointed to 53 per cent and 43 per cent for Trump and Clinton respectively. In 2012, at this stage of the elections, 64 per cent of Obama supporters had said that they were "very enthusiastic" about him while Romney was narrowly behind at 61 per cent. Clinton has a 54-41 per cent edge among early voters in an average of the three most recent tracking poll waves, while Trump leads by a 50-39 per cent margin among those who will vote on Election Day. A good 38 per cent of senior likely voters said that they had already voted while 18 per cent of middle-aged and 17 per cent of young voters have done so. The daily tracking poll suggests that Trump's previously lagging support among core Republican groups now almost matches Clinton's wide support on the left. Trump holds 78 per cent support among white evangelical Protestants, 77 per cent among conservatives, 68 per cent among rural voters and 59 per cent among white men. Clinton's stands at 81 per cent among liberals, 67 per cent among those identifying with no religion, 60 per cent among urban dwellers and 72 per cent among non-whites, the poll states. Trump has an 18-point edge among political independents, quite higher than what Republicans have held in recent elections. (WION)

New poll points to declining enthusiasm among Clinton supporters

PoliticusUSA reports that the United States District Court in New Jersey ordered discovery on both Donald Trump and the Republican National Committee&#39;s&nbsp;(RNC)&nbsp;poll monitoring efforts. The hearing will be on November 4th, just days before the November 8 election.

Read the full court ruling<a href="http://electionlawblog.org/wp-content/uploads/dnc-rnc-discovery.pdf">&nbsp;here.</a>

Donald Trump, his running mate Mike Pence, a campaign spokesman Kellyanne Conway have all made statements encouraging Trump supporters to guard the polls because, they say, the 2016 US election could be rigged. There is no statistical evidence&nbsp;to support this contention. While election fraud isn&#39;t literally zero, all evidence suggests that it is statistically negligible.&nbsp;

The concerted, repeated efffort to say otherwise&nbsp;has been widely perceived as a theat that could undermine&nbsp;America&#39;s democractic integrity.

<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/oct/29/voter-fraud-iowa-trump-supporter">The Guardian</a>&nbsp;reports that according to a study by the Loyola Law School, there have been 31 cases of voter impersonation in more than a billion ballots cast from the year 2000 to 2014. The Guardian also reports&nbsp;that Trump&#39;s assertions of voter fraud in Philadelphia in 2012 have also been debunked, by no less than Republican officials in the city.

<a href="http://www.factcheck.org/2016/10/trumps-bogus-voter-fraud-claims/">Here</a> is an updated and thorough debunking&nbsp;of Donald Trump&#39;s claims related to voter fraud.

While voter fraud is pretty close to non existent, a <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2016/10/poll-41-percent-of-voters-say-the-election-could-be-stolen-from-trump-229871">Politico/Morning Consult poll</a> suggests that Trump&#39;s repeated assertion that the elections will be &quot;rigged&quot; are taking hold in the American populace: As many as 73 per cent of Republicans think the election could be stolen from him, while 17 per cent of Democrats agree with the basic idea that there could be massive voter fraud.

 
Perhaps because it takes this threat seriously, the court order demands affidavits from several parties, including those with personal knowledge of the Republican National Committee&#39;s effort with the Trump campaign to monitor voting stations around America, &quot;as indicated by Kellyanne Conway.&quot;

The Court ordered affidavits from several Republican operatives from various states who are said to be planning to enact&nbsp;state-wide &quot;voter fraud&quot; monitoring and poll monitoring. These include RNC member Rob Gleason&#39;s efforts to recruit persons to act as poll watchers in Philadelphia, and another RNC member Ronna Romney McDaniel&#39;s attempt in Michigan to prepare, in her words, a &quot;massive statewide anti-voter fraud effort&quot;.

Republicans must also answer in court for Governor Mike Pence&#39;s remarks, that the Trump campaign is working with state officials to ensure &quot;ballot integrity&quot;.

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) failed a lawsuit against the RNC for violating a court order from 1982 intended to prevent voter indimidation. Donald Trump&#39;s baseless assertion that the election and rigged and that supporters need to go to other polling stations was widely-considered to be barely-veiled call&nbsp;to intimidate voters.

(WION)

Republicans will have to explain comments inciting their base to monitor polls to guard against 'voter fraud'

PoliticusUSA reports that the United States District Court in New Jersey ordered discovery on both Donald Trump and the Republican National Committee's (RNC) poll monitoring efforts. The hearing will be on November 4th, just days before the November 8 election. Read the full court ruling here. Donald Trump, his running mate Mike Pence, a campaign spokesman Kellyanne Conway have all made statements encouraging Trump supporters to guard the polls because, they say, the 2016 US election could be rigged. There is no statistical evidence to support this contention. While election fraud isn't literally zero, all evidence suggests that it is statistically negligible. The concerted, repeated efffort to say otherwise has been widely perceived as a theat that could undermine America's democractic integrity. The Guardian reports that according to a study by the Loyola Law School, there have been 31 cases of voter impersonation in more than a billion ballots cast from the year 2000 to 2014. The Guardian also reports that Trump's assertions of voter fraud in Philadelphia in 2012 have also been debunked, by no less than Republican officials in the city. Here is an updated and thorough debunking of Donald Trump's claims related to voter fraud. While voter fraud is pretty close to non existent, a Politico/Morning Consult poll suggests that Trump's repeated assertion that the elections will be "rigged" are taking hold in the American populace: As many as 73 per cent of Republicans think the election could be stolen from him, while 17 per cent of Democrats agree with the basic idea that there could be massive voter fraud. Perhaps because it takes this threat seriously, the court order demands affidavits from several parties, including those with personal knowledge of the Republican National Committee's effort with the Trump campaign to monitor voting stations around America, "as indicated by Kellyanne Conway." The Court ordered affidavits from several Republican operatives from various states who are said to be planning to enact state-wide "voter fraud" monitoring and poll monitoring. These include RNC member Rob Gleason's efforts to recruit persons to act as poll watchers in Philadelphia, and another RNC member Ronna Romney McDaniel's attempt in Michigan to prepare, in her words, a "massive statewide anti-voter fraud effort". Republicans must also answer in court for Governor Mike Pence's remarks, that the Trump campaign is working with state officials to ensure "ballot integrity". The Democratic National Committee (DNC) failed a lawsuit against the RNC for violating a court order from 1982 intended to prevent voter indimidation. Donald Trump's baseless assertion that the election and rigged and that supporters need to go to other polling stations was widely-considered to be barely-veiled call to intimidate voters. (WION)

US court orders discovery on Donald Trump and Republican's 'poll monitoring' efforts

Republican White House hopeful Donald Trump warned of a &quot;constitutional crisis&quot; in the United States if Hillary Clinton won next week&#39;s presidential election.

&quot;Hillary is likely to be under investigation for a very long time,&quot; the Republican told supporters in Grand Rapids, Michigan, news agency AFP reported.

&quot;She&#39;s unfit and unqualified to be the president of the United States,&quot; Trump said. &quot;Her election would mire our government and our country in a constitutional crisis that we cannot afford.&quot;

Trump said that the American people would be under the leadership of a president facing criminal charges if Clinton were elected. 
&quot;We would have a criminal trial for a sitting president.&quot;

Republicans have seized every opportunity to attack Clinton since FBI director James Comey announced the reopening of the&nbsp;probe into Clinton&#39;s use of a private server while in office after the&nbsp;discovery of new emails. Agents reportedly seized a laptop used by Clinton&#39;s close aide, Huma Abedin, and her now estranged husband Anthony Weiner, AFP reported.

Trump praised Comey for his latest announcement and said, &quot;he (Comey) brought back his reputation&quot;. The Republican candidate had criticised the FBI director for deciding not to recommend prosecution against Clinton in July.

The FBI&#39;s renewed focus reportedly stems from a probe of Weiner, a disgraced former congressman who is under investigation over allegations he sent sexual overtures to a 15-year-old girl, AFP said.

&quot;Thank you Huma. Good job Huma. Thank you Anthony Weiner,&quot; Trump said, to a roar and applause by the rowdy crowd.

Clinton expressed no qualms over FBI checking her aide&#39;s emails at a rally in Kent, Ohio.

&quot;They should look at them and I&#39;m sure they&#39;ll reach the same conclusion they did when they looked at my emails for the past year: there is no case here,&quot; Clinton said, BBC reported.

Comey has faced flak from the Democrats for reopening the probe so close to the Nov 8 election.

The White House gave a cautionary statement over the matter. Spokesman Josh Earnest said he would &quot;neither defend nor criticise&quot; Comey.

(With inputs from AFP)

Trump said that the American people would be under the leadership of a president facing criminal charges if Clinton won

Republican White House hopeful Donald Trump warned of a "constitutional crisis" in the United States if Hillary Clinton won next week's presidential election. "Hillary is likely to be under investigation for a very long time," the Republican told supporters in Grand Rapids, Michigan, news agency AFP reported. "She's unfit and unqualified to be the president of the United States," Trump said. "Her election would mire our government and our country in a constitutional crisis that we cannot afford." Trump said that the American people would be under the leadership of a president facing criminal charges if Clinton were elected. "We would have a criminal trial for a sitting president." Republicans have seized every opportunity to attack Clinton since FBI director James Comey announced the reopening of the probe into Clinton's use of a private server while in office after the discovery of new emails. Agents reportedly seized a laptop used by Clinton's close aide, Huma Abedin, and her now estranged husband Anthony Weiner, AFP reported. Trump praised Comey for his latest announcement and said, "he (Comey) brought back his reputation". The Republican candidate had criticised the FBI director for deciding not to recommend prosecution against Clinton in July. The FBI's renewed focus reportedly stems from a probe of Weiner, a disgraced former congressman who is under investigation over allegations he sent sexual overtures to a 15-year-old girl, AFP said. "Thank you Huma. Good job Huma. Thank you Anthony Weiner," Trump said, to a roar and applause by the rowdy crowd. Clinton expressed no qualms over FBI checking her aide's emails at a rally in Kent, Ohio. "They should look at them and I'm sure they'll reach the same conclusion they did when they looked at my emails for the past year: there is no case here," Clinton said, BBC reported. Comey has faced flak from the Democrats for reopening the probe so close to the Nov 8 election. The White House gave a cautionary statement over the matter. Spokesman Josh Earnest said he would "neither defend nor criticise" Comey. (With inputs from AFP)

Trump: 'Constitutional crisis' if Clinton elected

Republican presidential candidate&nbsp;Donald Trump warned&nbsp;an Albuquerque, New Mexico&nbsp;rally that&nbsp;Hillary Clinton&#39;s &quot;open borders&quot; policy could permit as many as 650 million immigrants in a week.

He said, &quot;You could have 650 million people pour in and we do nothing about it. Think of it, that&#39;s what could happen. You triple the size of your country in one week. Once you lose control of the borders you have no country.&quot;

It&#39;s hard to say what aspect of this claim is the most outlandish: The figure of 650 million is beyond preposterous. CNN says that in 2014, the US had just over one million legal immigrants, nowhere near Trump&#39;s 650 million. The insinuation that there are mobs of dangerous people trying to enter the US in order to fatally undermine it is unsubstantiated. The US is not at risk of losing its borders, its country is not on the brink of disaster.

Trump has claimed that Mexico is deliberately sending rapists into the US, and has compared Syrian refugees fleeing war to Greek soldiers hiding in the Trojan Horse to kill their wartime enemies. Trump has invoked the Trojan Horse multiple times, but his analogy is backwards. It is unlikely&nbsp;has has ever&nbsp;read Homer or Virgil. At the very least, he is rusty.

The Guardian reports that Clinton is on&nbsp;record for favouring comprehensive immigration reform, to provide a way for&nbsp;undocumented immigrants currently living in the country to become legal citizens. She has never said anything about increasing the population by roughly 200 per cent in one week.

&nbsp;

Election fraud

The comments come after Trump has repeatedlt&nbsp;fanned the flames of paranoia over election fraud. In a presidential debate, Trump refused to say whether or not he would accept the result of the election. This was widely-condemned as an unprecedented repudiation of the basic tenets of American democracy.

The Guardian claims that a recent study found 31 cases of in-person voter fraud out of one&nbsp;billion ballots cast between 2000-2014.

Trump has repeatedly called on supporters to patrol election booths to watch out for so-called&nbsp;fraud, which both Democrats and Republicans have denied exists and which was widely considered to be a call to intimidate voters.

Actually, a Trump supporter from&nbsp;Des Moines was charged with voter&nbsp;fraud,&nbsp;saying she voted twice because she believed&nbsp;Trump&#39;s claim that the election was rigged, and&nbsp;feared her vote for Trump would be changed&nbsp;to a vote for Clinton. (If it was actually rigged, then logically, she&nbsp;voted twice for Clinton.)

What Trump&#39;s&nbsp;dog whistles mean for an intimidation-free election vary from state to state: Bloomberg news reports that&nbsp;in&nbsp;Texas guns aren&#39;t allowed in polling centres, while they are in Pennsylvania.

Trump&#39;s has told his followers that after they vote on November 8, it&#39;s their duty to go to &quot;some other place&quot; to make sure there&#39;s no voter fraud. &quot;Go sit there with your friends and make sure it&#39;s on the up-and-up.&quot;&nbsp;

The call to go to &quot;some other place&quot; was interpreted by many as telling white people to go non-white communities, while &quot;...make sure it&#39;s on the up-and-up&quot; is way of telling them to fight against the impending fraud, but without&nbsp;uttering those&nbsp;exact words aloud.

Bloomberg reports that US federal law prohibits conduct that could be perceived as intimidating to voters on the basis of race or ethnicity. They cited&nbsp;New York University&#39;s Brennan Center for Justice, which claims this includes a direct&nbsp;confrontation with voters, using threatening language or raised voices, and disseminating misleading information on election.

(WION)

In his latest rally, Trump stoked immigration paranoia, again, while also fanning the flames of election fraud, again

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump warned an Albuquerque, New Mexico rally that Hillary Clinton's "open borders" policy could permit as many as 650 million immigrants in a week. He said, "You could have 650 million people pour in and we do nothing about it. Think of it, that's what could happen. You triple the size of your country in one week. Once you lose control of the borders you have no country." It's hard to say what aspect of this claim is the most outlandish: The figure of 650 million is beyond preposterous. CNN says that in 2014, the US had just over one million legal immigrants, nowhere near Trump's 650 million. The insinuation that there are mobs of dangerous people trying to enter the US in order to fatally undermine it is unsubstantiated. The US is not at risk of losing its borders, its country is not on the brink of disaster. Trump has claimed that Mexico is deliberately sending rapists into the US, and has compared Syrian refugees fleeing war to Greek soldiers hiding in the Trojan Horse to kill their wartime enemies. Trump has invoked the Trojan Horse multiple times, but his analogy is backwards. It is unlikely has has ever read Homer or Virgil. At the very least, he is rusty. The Guardian reports that Clinton is on record for favouring comprehensive immigration reform, to provide a way for undocumented immigrants currently living in the country to become legal citizens. She has never said anything about increasing the population by roughly 200 per cent in one week. Election fraud The comments come after Trump has repeatedlt fanned the flames of paranoia over election fraud. In a presidential debate, Trump refused to say whether or not he would accept the result of the election. This was widely-condemned as an unprecedented repudiation of the basic tenets of American democracy. The Guardian claims that a recent study found 31 cases of in-person voter fraud out of one billion ballots cast between 2000-2014. Trump has repeatedly called on supporters to patrol election booths to watch out for so-called fraud, which both Democrats and Republicans have denied exists and which was widely considered to be a call to intimidate voters. Actually, a Trump supporter from Des Moines was charged with voter fraud, saying she voted twice because she believed Trump's claim that the election was rigged, and feared her vote for Trump would be changed to a vote for Clinton. (If it was actually rigged, then logically, she voted twice for Clinton.) What Trump's dog whistles mean for an intimidation-free election vary from state to state: Bloomberg news reports that in Texas guns aren't allowed in polling centres, while they are in Pennsylvania. Trump's has told his followers that after they vote on November 8, it's their duty to go to "some other place" to make sure there's no voter fraud. "Go sit there with your friends and make sure it's on the up-and-up." The call to go to "some other place" was interpreted by many as telling white people to go non-white communities, while "...make sure it's on the up-and-up" is way of telling them to fight against the impending fraud, but without uttering those exact words aloud. Bloomberg reports that US federal law prohibits conduct that could be perceived as intimidating to voters on the basis of race or ethnicity. They cited New York University's Brennan Center for Justice, which claims this includes a direct confrontation with voters, using threatening language or raised voices, and disseminating misleading information on election. (WION)

Trump falsely claims Clinton could triple US population in one week

White House frontrunner Hillary Clinton on Friday challenged the FBI to defend its renewed probe into emails sent to her private account, declaring herself confident it would find no wrongdoing.

&nbsp;

The Democratic candidate, who is seeking to be elected America&#39;s first female president on November 8, launched a blistering fightback after the Federal Bureau of Investigation revived its probe, citing new evidence.

&nbsp;

&quot;We are 11 days out from, perhaps, the most important national election of our lifetime,&quot; &nbsp;Clinton told reporters, complaining that the FBI announcement posed more questions than answers.

&nbsp;

&quot;The American people deserve to get the full and complete facts immediately,&quot; she said. &quot;We don&#39;t know the facts, which is why we are calling on the FBI to release all the information that it has.&quot;

&nbsp;

But her defiant words came after Republican rival Donald Trump had seized on the news, declaring Clinton unfit for office as a jubilant crowd of supporters in New Hampshire chanted: &quot;Lock her up!&quot;

&nbsp;

Concern that the renewed probe would damage Clinton&#39;s seemingly unstoppable momentum rocked the markets, with US stocks, the Dollar and oil prices tumbling lower on the prospect of a close vote.

&nbsp;

FBI Director James Comey dropped his bombshell in a letter to congressional committees investigating allegations that Clinton had put US secrets at risk during her time at the state department.

&nbsp;

Classified information&nbsp; 
In July, Comey told lawmakers the FBI had not found any criminal wrongdoing in Clinton&#39;s unusual decision to use a private server instead of a government email account while serving as secretary of state.

&nbsp;

But on Friday he wrote to congressional leaders to reveal that &quot;in connection with an unrelated case, the FBI has learned of the existence of emails that appear to be pertinent to the investigation.&quot;

&nbsp;

The FBI will thus take &quot;appropriate investigative steps&quot; to decide whether the new batch of mails contains classified information &quot;as well as to assess their importance to the investigation,&quot; Comey wrote.

&nbsp;

Clinton&#39;s campaign was outraged&nbsp;and quick to imply that Comey&#39;s intervention could be politically-tinged because, in Clinton&#39;s words, the letter was only sent to &quot;Republican members of the House.&quot;

&nbsp;

&quot;We have not been contacted by anyone,&quot; she complained. &quot;The American people deserve to get the full and complete facts immediately.&quot;

&nbsp;

Clinton noted that Comey had said he himself does not know whether the emails are significant or not.

&nbsp;

&quot;I&#39;m confident, whatever they are, they will not change the conclusion reached in July,&quot; she added.

&nbsp;

According to the New York Times, the newly discovered mails emerged after agents seized electronic devices used by Clinton&#39;s closest aide, Huma Abedin, and her husband, Anthony Weiner.

&nbsp;

Weiner, a former congressman who resigned in 2011 after he was exposed for sending explicit online messages, is under investigation over allegations he sent sexual messages to a 15-year-old girl.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

According to NBC News, the newly discovered emails were sent by Abedin to Clinton from a laptop used by Weiner, who also saw a bid to become mayor of New York founder over similar claims in 2013. &#39;Criminal scheme&#39;&nbsp;

Meanwhile, Trump, trailing in polls both nationally and in the swing states he must win to secure the White House, seized triumphantly on the news.

&quot;We must not let her take her criminal scheme into the Oval Office,&quot; the 70-year-old billionaire told cheering crowds at a campaign rally in Manchester, New Hampshire.

&quot;I have great respect for the fact that the FBI and the Department of Justice are now willing to have the courage to right the horrible mistake that they made,&quot; he added.

(AFP)

The Democratic presidential nominee called for disclosure of all facts by the FBI

White House frontrunner Hillary Clinton on Friday challenged the FBI to defend its renewed probe into emails sent to her private account, declaring herself confident it would find no wrongdoing. The Democratic candidate, who is seeking to be elected America's first female president on November 8, launched a blistering fightback after the Federal Bureau of Investigation revived its probe, citing new evidence. "We are 11 days out from, perhaps, the most important national election of our lifetime," Clinton told reporters, complaining that the FBI announcement posed more questions than answers. "The American people deserve to get the full and complete facts immediately," she said. "We don't know the facts, which is why we are calling on the FBI to release all the information that it has." But her defiant words came after Republican rival Donald Trump had seized on the news, declaring Clinton unfit for office as a jubilant crowd of supporters in New Hampshire chanted: "Lock her up!" Concern that the renewed probe would damage Clinton's seemingly unstoppable momentum rocked the markets, with US stocks, the Dollar and oil prices tumbling lower on the prospect of a close vote. FBI Director James Comey dropped his bombshell in a letter to congressional committees investigating allegations that Clinton had put US secrets at risk during her time at the state department. Classified information In July, Comey told lawmakers the FBI had not found any criminal wrongdoing in Clinton's unusual decision to use a private server instead of a government email account while serving as secretary of state. But on Friday he wrote to congressional leaders to reveal that "in connection with an unrelated case, the FBI has learned of the existence of emails that appear to be pertinent to the investigation." The FBI will thus take "appropriate investigative steps" to decide whether the new batch of mails contains classified information "as well as to assess their importance to the investigation," Comey wrote. Clinton's campaign was outraged and quick to imply that Comey's intervention could be politically-tinged because, in Clinton's words, the letter was only sent to "Republican members of the House." "We have not been contacted by anyone," she complained. "The American people deserve to get the full and complete facts immediately." Clinton noted that Comey had said he himself does not know whether the emails are significant or not. "I'm confident, whatever they are, they will not change the conclusion reached in July," she added. According to the New York Times, the newly discovered mails emerged after agents seized electronic devices used by Clinton's closest aide, Huma Abedin, and her husband, Anthony Weiner. Weiner, a former congressman who resigned in 2011 after he was exposed for sending explicit online messages, is under investigation over allegations he sent sexual messages to a 15-year-old girl. According to NBC News, the newly discovered emails were sent by Abedin to Clinton from a laptop used by Weiner, who also saw a bid to become mayor of New York founder over similar claims in 2013. 'Criminal scheme' Meanwhile, Trump, trailing in polls both nationally and in the swing states he must win to secure the White House, seized triumphantly on the news. "We must not let her take her criminal scheme into the Oval Office," the 70-year-old billionaire told cheering crowds at a campaign rally in Manchester, New Hampshire. "I have great respect for the fact that the FBI and the Department of Justice are now willing to have the courage to right the horrible mistake that they made," he added. (AFP)

Clinton email probe: Hillary hits back at FBI, confident it would find no wrongdoing

Donald Trump is the Republican Party nominee for the President of the United States in the 2016 election.

A business magnate, Trump is at the helm of Trump Organization, focusing mainly on real estate ventures.

Trump&#39;s presidential campaign has brought forth his strong position against unlawful immigration.

To make America safe, Trump argues for stringent refugee policy, limiting entry of Muslims from countries with a proven history of terrorism.

Trump wants re-negotiation of fair trade deals to create American jobs, increase American wages and reduce America&#39;s trade deficit.

He has been particularly critical of NAFTA and US&#39;s current trade dynamics with China.

He proposes a &nbsp;pro-growth tax plan and envisions an energy-independent US that will feel no need to import energy from the OPEC cartel or any nations hostile to American interests.

Increasing the size of the US army and enhancing the country&#39;s cyber defence capacity have been core planks of Trump&#39;s defense strategy.

His&nbsp;hairstyle, as much as his comments, has&nbsp;attracted media attention in the recent past.

Real estate mogul-turned-politician, Republican Donald Trump has been controversy's favourite child this election season

Donald Trump is the Republican Party nominee for the President of the United States in the 2016 election. A business magnate, Trump is at the helm of Trump Organization, focusing mainly on real estate ventures. Trump's presidential campaign has brought forth his strong position against unlawful immigration. To make America safe, Trump argues for stringent refugee policy, limiting entry of Muslims from countries with a proven history of terrorism. Trump wants re-negotiation of fair trade deals to create American jobs, increase American wages and reduce America's trade deficit. He has been particularly critical of NAFTA and US's current trade dynamics with China. He proposes a pro-growth tax plan and envisions an energy-independent US that will feel no need to import energy from the OPEC cartel or any nations hostile to American interests. Increasing the size of the US army and enhancing the country's cyber defence capacity have been core planks of Trump's defense strategy. His hairstyle, as much as his comments, has attracted media attention in the recent past.

Who is Donald Trump?

Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence&#39;s campaign plane slid off a runway after landing at New York&#39;s LaGuardia Airport Thursday evening, the campaign said.&nbsp;

No injuries were reported.

&quot;We could feel the plane sliding off the runway and then (it) came to a very sharp halt&quot; after landing, CNN producer Elizabeth Landers, who was on the plane, told the channel.&nbsp;

&quot;The governor and everyone on board is okay,&quot; she said of Donald Trump&#39;s running mate.

The Boeing 737 slid completely off the runway onto grass next to the tarmac, she added, saying there was mud and grass on the plane&#39;s body and &quot;gashes&quot; on the runway.

Video footage broadcast from the runway soon after the incident showed steady rain falling. Pence could be seen shaking hands and posing for photos with first responders.

&quot;So thankful everyone on our plane is safe,&quot; he tweeted after the incident. &quot;Grateful for our first responders &amp; the concern &amp; prayers of so many. Back on the trail tomorrow!&quot;

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So thankful everyone on our plane is safe. Grateful for our first responders &amp; the concern &amp; prayers of so many. Back on the trail tomorrow!
&mdash; Mike Pence (@mike_pence) <a href="https://twitter.com/mike_pence/status/791804660071993344">October 28, 2016</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

Trump, who was campaigning in Ohio, called Pence after the accident, spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said.

&quot;He reached out to Governor Pence and he is very glad everyone aboard is safe,&quot; she said.

Trump&#39;s Democratic rival Hillary Clinton also tweeted after the incident: &quot;Glad to hear @mike_pence, his staff, Secret Service, and the crew are all safe.&quot;

(AFP)

The plane came to a stop on the grass next to the runway, no injuries were reported

Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence's campaign plane slid off a runway after landing at New York's LaGuardia Airport Thursday evening, the campaign said. No injuries were reported. "We could feel the plane sliding off the runway and then (it) came to a very sharp halt" after landing, CNN producer Elizabeth Landers, who was on the plane, told the channel. "The governor and everyone on board is okay," she said of Donald Trump's running mate. The Boeing 737 slid completely off the runway onto grass next to the tarmac, she added, saying there was mud and grass on the plane's body and "gashes" on the runway. Video footage broadcast from the runway soon after the incident showed steady rain falling. Pence could be seen shaking hands and posing for photos with first responders. "So thankful everyone on our plane is safe," he tweeted after the incident. "Grateful for our first responders & the concern & prayers of so many. Back on the trail tomorrow!" So thankful everyone on our plane is safe. Grateful for our first responders & the concern & prayers of so many. Back on the trail tomorrow! — Mike Pence (@mike_pence) October 28, 2016 × Trump, who was campaigning in Ohio, called Pence after the accident, spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said. "He reached out to Governor Pence and he is very glad everyone aboard is safe," she said. Trump's Democratic rival Hillary Clinton also tweeted after the incident: "Glad to hear @mike_pence, his staff, Secret Service, and the crew are all safe." (AFP)

Trump running mate Mike Pence's plane skids off New York runway

US&nbsp;Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump criticised Democrat Hillary Clinton on Thursday over her trade policies, saying she would handle trade deals so badly that the country should &quot;just cancel the election&quot; and name him the victor.

Speaking to supporters in Toledo, Ohio, Trump said the North American Free Trade Agreement signed by Clinton&#39;s husband, former President Bill Clinton, had led to the outsourcing of thousands of Ohio jobs to Mexico, a practice he vowed to stop if elected president on Nov. 8.

&quot;We should just cancel the election and just give it to Trump, right?&quot; he said. &quot;What are we even having it for? Her policies are so bad.&quot;

Trump said he believed Clinton would seek passage of the 12-nation Trans Pacific Partnership, President Barack Obama&#39;s signature Asian trade deal, which she now opposes.

Trump&#39;s remarks came as the New York businessman tries to steady rocky poll numbers amid a series of controversies and self-inflicted wounds.

He has struggled to handle the fallout from the release of a 2005 &quot;Access Hollywood&quot; video that showed the then-reality TV star talking on an open microphone about groping women and trying to seduce a married woman. The video was taped only months after Trump married his third wife, Melania.

Trump said on Thursday it was &quot;certainly illegal&quot; for NBC to release the tape and he left open the option of seeking legal action against the network after the election.

Since the video&#39;s release, a series of women have accused Trump of groping them or kissing them without their consent. Trump has called the allegations &quot;absolutely false.&quot;

The latest RealClearPolitics poll average showed Clinton with a nearly 6-point national lead over Trump, fueled by declining support among women for his candidacy.

Trump, without evidence, has blamed his sagging poll numbers on a rigged election, and said the media had fixed the opinion polls in order to inflate Clinton&#39;s numbers.

Numerous studies have shown that voter fraud in U.S. elections is very rare, and a number of prominent Republicans have denounced Trump&#39;s claim that the system is unsound.

While Trump campaigned in Ohio, a plane carrying his running mate, Indiana Governor Mike Pence, skidded off the runway after landing at New York City&#39;s LaGuardia Airport on Thursday night. There were no injuries, the Pence campaign said.

Stumping the first lady

Clinton on Thursday made her first joint campaign appearance with one of her most powerful supporters, first lady Michelle Obama, at a North Carolina rally to urge young people and women to vote.

Clinton, a former first lady who lost the 2008 Democratic nomination to then-U.S. Senator Barack Obama before becoming his secretary of state, praised Michelle Obama for standing up for the rights of girls and women worldwide, drawing a sharp contrast with her Republican rival.

&quot;I wish I didn&#39;t have to say this. ... But indeed, dignity and respect for women and girls is also on the ballot in this election,&quot; Clinton told a crowd of about 11,000. &quot;And I want to thank our first lady for her eloquent, powerful defense of that basic value.&quot;

Michelle Obama&#39;s stinging denunciation of Trump after a leaked 2005 video showed him making lewd remarks and bragging about groping women was seen by many as one of the campaign&#39;s most striking condemnations of the New York businessman.

Without naming Trump, Obama took him to task again in North Carolina, asking the crowd which candidate they wanted to represent their daughters from the White House.

&quot;We want a president who takes this job seriously, and has the temperament and maturity to do it well. Someone who is steady. Someone who we can trust with the nuclear codes,&quot; Obama said.

&quot;I would not be here lying to you: I believe with all of my heart that Hillary Clinton will be that president,&quot; she said.

Although Michelle Obama was critical of Clinton during the hard-fought 2008 Democratic nominating race, any trace of bitterness appeared long behind them. The two women showed an easy rapport. They embraced and smiled. Obama called Clinton &quot;my girl&quot; and made a point of telling the crowd they were tight.

&quot;If people wonder: Yes, Hillary Clinton is my friend,&quot; she said.

Clinton promised to take good care of Obama&#39;s White House vegetable garden if she won and wistfully praised the athletic first lady&#39;s dancing skills. &quot;One could only hope,&quot; Clinton said.

She also lauded Obama&#39;s work for children and military families and in what was perhaps a nod to African-Americans she hopes will vote for her in the state, said Obama had faced challenges she had not as a presidential spouse.

&quot;Let&#39;s be real. As our first African-American first lady, she&#39;s faced pressures I never did, and she&#39;s handled them with pure grace,&quot; Clinton said to applause.

Although a sometimes reluctant campaigner, the first lady has thrown herself into the race, and the Clinton campaign has deployed her strategically to increase support among young people and blacks, with whom she is especially popular.

(Reuters)

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

'What are we even having it for? Her (Clinton's) policies are so bad,' he said

US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump criticised Democrat Hillary Clinton on Thursday over her trade policies, saying she would handle trade deals so badly that the country should "just cancel the election" and name him the victor. Speaking to supporters in Toledo, Ohio, Trump said the North American Free Trade Agreement signed by Clinton's husband, former President Bill Clinton, had led to the outsourcing of thousands of Ohio jobs to Mexico, a practice he vowed to stop if elected president on Nov. 8. "We should just cancel the election and just give it to Trump, right?" he said. "What are we even having it for? Her policies are so bad." Trump said he believed Clinton would seek passage of the 12-nation Trans Pacific Partnership, President Barack Obama's signature Asian trade deal, which she now opposes. Trump's remarks came as the New York businessman tries to steady rocky poll numbers amid a series of controversies and self-inflicted wounds. He has struggled to handle the fallout from the release of a 2005 "Access Hollywood" video that showed the then-reality TV star talking on an open microphone about groping women and trying to seduce a married woman. The video was taped only months after Trump married his third wife, Melania. Trump said on Thursday it was "certainly illegal" for NBC to release the tape and he left open the option of seeking legal action against the network after the election. Since the video's release, a series of women have accused Trump of groping them or kissing them without their consent. Trump has called the allegations "absolutely false." The latest RealClearPolitics poll average showed Clinton with a nearly 6-point national lead over Trump, fueled by declining support among women for his candidacy. Trump, without evidence, has blamed his sagging poll numbers on a rigged election, and said the media had fixed the opinion polls in order to inflate Clinton's numbers. Numerous studies have shown that voter fraud in U.S. elections is very rare, and a number of prominent Republicans have denounced Trump's claim that the system is unsound. While Trump campaigned in Ohio, a plane carrying his running mate, Indiana Governor Mike Pence, skidded off the runway after landing at New York City's LaGuardia Airport on Thursday night. There were no injuries, the Pence campaign said. Stumping the first lady Clinton on Thursday made her first joint campaign appearance with one of her most powerful supporters, first lady Michelle Obama, at a North Carolina rally to urge young people and women to vote. Clinton, a former first lady who lost the 2008 Democratic nomination to then-U.S. Senator Barack Obama before becoming his secretary of state, praised Michelle Obama for standing up for the rights of girls and women worldwide, drawing a sharp contrast with her Republican rival. "I wish I didn't have to say this. ... But indeed, dignity and respect for women and girls is also on the ballot in this election," Clinton told a crowd of about 11,000. "And I want to thank our first lady for her eloquent, powerful defense of that basic value." Michelle Obama's stinging denunciation of Trump after a leaked 2005 video showed him making lewd remarks and bragging about groping women was seen by many as one of the campaign's most striking condemnations of the New York businessman. Without naming Trump, Obama took him to task again in North Carolina, asking the crowd which candidate they wanted to represent their daughters from the White House. "We want a president who takes this job seriously, and has the temperament and maturity to do it well. Someone who is steady. Someone who we can trust with the nuclear codes," Obama said. "I would not be here lying to you: I believe with all of my heart that Hillary Clinton will be that president," she said. Although Michelle Obama was critical of Clinton during the hard-fought 2008 Democratic nominating race, any trace of bitterness appeared long behind them. The two women showed an easy rapport. They embraced and smiled. Obama called Clinton "my girl" and made a point of telling the crowd they were tight. "If people wonder: Yes, Hillary Clinton is my friend," she said. Clinton promised to take good care of Obama's White House vegetable garden if she won and wistfully praised the athletic first lady's dancing skills. "One could only hope," Clinton said. She also lauded Obama's work for children and military families and in what was perhaps a nod to African-Americans she hopes will vote for her in the state, said Obama had faced challenges she had not as a presidential spouse. "Let's be real. As our first African-American first lady, she's faced pressures I never did, and she's handled them with pure grace," Clinton said to applause. Although a sometimes reluctant campaigner, the first lady has thrown herself into the race, and the Clinton campaign has deployed her strategically to increase support among young people and blacks, with whom she is especially popular. (Reuters)

Trump says 'just cancel the election', name him victor

Residents of the Trump Place Apartments in New York, a high-end urban development project by Donald Trump, are debating whether to remove the Republican presidential nominee&rsquo;s name from the facade to protest his divisive campaign for president and accusations that he sexually assaulted women.&nbsp;

A group of residents launched a petition two weeks ago to take down Trump&rsquo;s name that is spelled out on the front of the building.

The petition opposes Trump&#39;s &quot;appalling treatment of women,&quot; &quot;history of racism,&quot; attacks on immigrants, mockery of the disabled, tax avoidance and &quot;outright lying&quot; as &quot;antithetical to the values&quot; in which the organisers believe, AFP reported.&nbsp;

Many staff are minorities or immigrants, and working in a building that bears the Trump name is &quot;insulting,&quot; it said, AFP reported.

&quot;Since Trump leases his name to buildings he does not own, part of our rent is being used to increase Trump&#39;s net worth,&quot; it said, AFP reported.

465 supporters have signed the petition so far. But not everyone agrees to it.

&quot;I think it&#39;s nonsense,&quot; said a resident told AFP. &quot;When they are going to have to pay for it, they are not going to do it.&quot;

&quot;We live here regardless, and we love the staff, that&#39;s all that matters,&quot; said Ann Rae,AFP reported.

&quot;Some of the people who have signed, we don&#39;t even know them, not even sure they live here,&quot; she said.

&quot;It&#39;s not that we like the name... it&#39;s disgusting some of what Trump has said,&quot; Rae added. &quot;But it&#39;s one of the things about living in New York, there are so many things and buildings in New York that say Trump.&quot;

&quot;It&#39;s not going to change anything, taking out the name,&quot; she said.

The petition reflects the growing threat to Trump&rsquo;s real estate interests from the setback he has faced on the campaign trail.

Luxury apartments in buildings bearing his name no longer command sale price premiums, despite being up seven per cent on the market rate last year, according to a study by the Redfin real estate agency, AFP reported.

(WION with inputs from AFP) 
&nbsp;

A petition by them opposes Trump's 'appalling treatment of women,' 'history of racism,' mockery of the disabled & tax avoidance

Residents of the Trump Place Apartments in New York, a high-end urban development project by Donald Trump, are debating whether to remove the Republican presidential nominee’s name from the facade to protest his divisive campaign for president and accusations that he sexually assaulted women. A group of residents launched a petition two weeks ago to take down Trump’s name that is spelled out on the front of the building. The petition opposes Trump's "appalling treatment of women," "history of racism," attacks on immigrants, mockery of the disabled, tax avoidance and "outright lying" as "antithetical to the values" in which the organisers believe, AFP reported. Many staff are minorities or immigrants, and working in a building that bears the Trump name is "insulting," it said, AFP reported. "Since Trump leases his name to buildings he does not own, part of our rent is being used to increase Trump's net worth," it said, AFP reported. 465 supporters have signed the petition so far. But not everyone agrees to it. "I think it's nonsense," said a resident told AFP. "When they are going to have to pay for it, they are not going to do it." "We live here regardless, and we love the staff, that's all that matters," said Ann Rae,AFP reported. "Some of the people who have signed, we don't even know them, not even sure they live here," she said. "It's not that we like the name... it's disgusting some of what Trump has said," Rae added. "But it's one of the things about living in New York, there are so many things and buildings in New York that say Trump." "It's not going to change anything, taking out the name," she said. The petition reflects the growing threat to Trump’s real estate interests from the setback he has faced on the campaign trail. Luxury apartments in buildings bearing his name no longer command sale price premiums, despite being up seven per cent on the market rate last year, according to a study by the Redfin real estate agency, AFP reported. (WION with inputs from AFP)

At luxury NYC Trump Place Apartments, residents debate name change

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