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US First Lady Michelle Obama brought her star power onto the campaign trail on Thursday stumping for Hillary Clinton, as the Democratic White House hopeful seeks to conquer battleground states before Election Day.

Obama has emerged as a compelling force in the hard-fought campaign, delivering powerful arguments against Republican candidate Donald Trump and in support of Clinton&#39;s bid to become the first female US president.

Michelle and Hillary joined forces on the trail for the first time at a rally at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, where early voting is already under way.

&quot;First ladies, we rock!&quot; said Obama, one of the most popular Democrats in America. &quot;Here&#39;s where I want to get real. If Hillary doesn&#39;t win this election, that will be on us,&quot; the current first lady said, emphasising that voter turnout is vital.

The 52-year-old wife of President Barack Obama has energised the Democratic camp with a series of speeches taking Trump to task for his strident rhetoric and for what she brands his &quot;frightening&quot; attitude towards women.

She warned that Trump&#39;s strategy was &quot;to make this election so dirty and ugly that we don&#39;t want any part of it&quot; and opt to stay home.

North Carolina voted for Obama in 2008, then Republican nominee Mitt Romney in 2012, but the southeastern state is leaning back toward the Democratic side in 2016.

Clinton has basked in the results of new polls showing the former secretary of state with an impressive lead just 12 days from the November 8 vote.&nbsp;

But new revelations about how former president Bill Clinton took in millions of dollars from &quot;for profit&quot; activities as he led the Clinton family&#39;s non-profit foundation weighed on her campaign.

&#39;Trump borrows Modi&#39;s winning slogan&#39;

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump insisted he holds a commanding position in the polls and will win the White House.&nbsp;

In an attempt to woo Indian American voters, Trump was seen dabbling in Hindi. The New York businessman is seen uttering &quot;Ab Ki Baar Trump Sarkaar&quot;, adapting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s 2014 vote-winning catchphrase as his own, in a presidential campaign ad released Thursday. &quot;This time Trump government,&quot; translates the ad on the screen.

Trump may speak in a thick US accent, but the 30-second ad is the Republican nominee&#39;s latest attempt to win votes among Indian Americans ahead of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights which falls on the weekend.

The video opens with the message &quot;Happy Diwali&quot; and borrows from footage of Trump speaking at a Hindu gathering in New Jersey this month, lighting an oil lamp and promising close US-Indian relations.

&quot;The Indian and Hindu community will have a true friend in the White House,&quot; he says in the ad. &quot;We love the Hindus, we love India,&quot; he adds, saying that he looks forward to working with Modi.

There are an estimated four million Indian Americans living in the United States according to 2015 census figures. They are among the most educated ethnic groups and generally well off, according to the Pew Research Center.

Only about half are Hindu and 65 percent are Democrat, or Democrat-leaning, the think tank found in a 2014 report.

(AFP) 
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Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama's joint North Carolina rally drew huge crowds as rival Trump appealed to Indian Americans in new ad campaign

US First Lady Michelle Obama brought her star power onto the campaign trail on Thursday stumping for Hillary Clinton, as the Democratic White House hopeful seeks to conquer battleground states before Election Day. Obama has emerged as a compelling force in the hard-fought campaign, delivering powerful arguments against Republican candidate Donald Trump and in support of Clinton's bid to become the first female US president. Michelle and Hillary joined forces on the trail for the first time at a rally at Wake Forest University in North Carolina, where early voting is already under way. "First ladies, we rock!" said Obama, one of the most popular Democrats in America. "Here's where I want to get real. If Hillary doesn't win this election, that will be on us," the current first lady said, emphasising that voter turnout is vital. The 52-year-old wife of President Barack Obama has energised the Democratic camp with a series of speeches taking Trump to task for his strident rhetoric and for what she brands his "frightening" attitude towards women. She warned that Trump's strategy was "to make this election so dirty and ugly that we don't want any part of it" and opt to stay home. North Carolina voted for Obama in 2008, then Republican nominee Mitt Romney in 2012, but the southeastern state is leaning back toward the Democratic side in 2016. Clinton has basked in the results of new polls showing the former secretary of state with an impressive lead just 12 days from the November 8 vote. But new revelations about how former president Bill Clinton took in millions of dollars from "for profit" activities as he led the Clinton family's non-profit foundation weighed on her campaign. 'Trump borrows Modi's winning slogan' Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump insisted he holds a commanding position in the polls and will win the White House. In an attempt to woo Indian American voters, Trump was seen dabbling in Hindi. The New York businessman is seen uttering "Ab Ki Baar Trump Sarkaar", adapting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 2014 vote-winning catchphrase as his own, in a presidential campaign ad released Thursday. "This time Trump government," translates the ad on the screen. Trump may speak in a thick US accent, but the 30-second ad is the Republican nominee's latest attempt to win votes among Indian Americans ahead of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights which falls on the weekend. The video opens with the message "Happy Diwali" and borrows from footage of Trump speaking at a Hindu gathering in New Jersey this month, lighting an oil lamp and promising close US-Indian relations. "The Indian and Hindu community will have a true friend in the White House," he says in the ad. "We love the Hindus, we love India," he adds, saying that he looks forward to working with Modi. There are an estimated four million Indian Americans living in the United States according to 2015 census figures. They are among the most educated ethnic groups and generally well off, according to the Pew Research Center. Only about half are Hindu and 65 percent are Democrat, or Democrat-leaning, the think tank found in a 2014 report. (AFP)

US elections: First Lady joins Clinton's campaign trail as Trump uses Modi's tagline to woo voters

A 25 per cent jump in premiums for Obamacare has stoked the already heated battle between Trump and Democratic rival Hillary Clinton

With the premiums of Obama's signature healthcare plan set to hike, the US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump targeted the Democratic government, vowing to overturn the program. The health department's report announced that there could be an average 25 per cent jump in the insurance costs next year in the 38 American states with federally managed health care exchanges under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Trump jumped at the opportunity to lash out at Obama's pet project, which allows millions of uninsured people to get health insurance with no limits based on "pre-existing conditions." Republicans have repeatedly tried to overturn Obamacare. Trump said the health program must be "repealed and replaced with something much less expensive for the people", warning even bigger trouble ahead otherwise. Obamacare is a disaster. Rates going through the sky - ready to explode. I will fix it. Hillary can't!#ObamacareFailed — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 25, 2016 The White House fired back, saying most Americans are better off under the current healthcare system. Although Obama did acknowledge that more needs to be done to help those facing rising costs. "The vast majority of people who are purchasing health insurance through the marketplace will not see a significant increase in the amount that they pay for their health care, and that`s because the vast majority of people who are purchasing health insurance through the marketplace get tax credits that ensure that health care is affordable," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters. Clinton's campaign hit back at Trump, saying he wants to "rip up the ACA and reverse the progress we have made." Trump would "throw 20 million people off their coverage and let the insurance companies write the rules again," campaign spokesperson Julie Wood said. "Hillary Clinton wants to build on the progress we've made and fix what's broken." Without explaining where he got his numbers, Trump alleged that the government figures were incorrect and the costs could go up to 60 per cent. Other Republican leaders too argued that the system was "unsustainable". Arizona senator John McCain said, "Obamacare places an unfair financial burden on families and small businesses." Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan compared Obama's healthcare program to ill-fated and now-discontinued Samsung phones that were catching fire. "The president recently compared Obamacare to a Samsung Galaxy Note 7, and he's right: this disastrous law is blowing up. But at least you can return the phone," Ryan said in a statement. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Trump vows to scrap Obamacare as insurance costs set to jump 25 per cent

Trump said the health program must be 'repealed and replaced with something much less expensive for the people'

With the premiums of Obama's signature healthcare plan set to hike, the US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump targeted the Democratic government, vowing to overturn the program. The health department's report announced that there could be an average 25 per cent jump in the insurance costs next year in the 38 American states with federally managed health care exchanges under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Trump jumped at the opportunity to lash out at Obama's pet project, which allows millions of uninsured people to get health insurance with no limits based on "pre-existing conditions." Republicans have repeatedly tried to overturn Obamacare. Trump said the health program must be "repealed and replaced with something much less expensive for the people", warning even bigger trouble ahead otherwise. Obamacare is a disaster. Rates going through the sky - ready to explode. I will fix it. Hillary can't!#ObamacareFailed — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 25, 2016 × The White House fired back, saying most Americans are better off under the current healthcare system. Although Obama did acknowledge that more needs to be done to help those facing rising costs. "The vast majority of people who are purchasing health insurance through the marketplace will not see a significant increase in the amount that they pay for their health care, and that`s because the vast majority of people who are purchasing health insurance through the marketplace get tax credits that ensure that health care is affordable," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters. Clinton's campaign hit back at Trump, saying he wants to "rip up the ACA and reverse the progress we have made." Trump would "throw 20 million people off their coverage and let the insurance companies write the rules again," campaign spokesperson Julie Wood said. "Hillary Clinton wants to build on the progress we've made and fix what's broken." Without explaining where he got his numbers, Trump alleged that the government figures were incorrect and the costs could go up to 60 per cent. Other Republican leaders too argued that the system was "unsustainable". Arizona senator John McCain said, "Obamacare places an unfair financial burden on families and small businesses." Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan compared Obama's healthcare program to ill-fated and now-discontinued Samsung phones that were catching fire. "The president recently compared Obamacare to a Samsung Galaxy Note 7, and he's right: this disastrous law is blowing up. But at least you can return the phone," Ryan said in a statement. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Criticising Clinton's foreign policy on Syria, Trump warned that her plan could 'drag the US into a world war against Russia'

In yet another attack on his rival Hillary Clinton, US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said her plan for Syria would "lead to World War Three". Trump lambasted her foreign policies, saying his Democratic rival could "drag the United States into a world war against military forces from nuclear-armed Russia" with her aggressive posturing towards resolving the Syrian conflict. Clinton had earlier called for the establishment of a no-fly zone and "safe zones" on the ground to protect non-combatants, which analysts fear could risk putting the US into direct conflict with Russian fighter jets. "What we should do is focus on ISIS. We should not be focusing on Syria. You’re going to end up in World War Three over Syria if we listen to Hillary Clinton," Trump said. "You’re not fighting Syria any more, you’re fighting Syria, Russia and Iran, all right? Russia is a nuclear country, but a country where the nukes work as opposed to other countries that talk," he added. Trump questioned how Clinton would negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin after demonising him. If she wins the presidency, "how she is going to go back and negotiate with this man who she has made to be so evil," he asked. In an interview that focused largely on international policies, Trump said Washington should give higher importance to defeating the Islamic State than persuading Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down, deviating from a long-held goal of the United States. "Assad is secondary, to me, to ISIS," he said. Next, Trump aimed his criticism at the US President. He blamed Barack Obama for the deterioration of ties with the Philippines, saying the president "wants to focus on his golf game" rather than engage with world leaders. With two weeks left until the Election Day, Trump is trailing in the polls. He bemoaned a lack of Republican unity behind his candidacy and said he would easily win the election if the party would support him. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Trump: Clinton's policies could spark World War Three

US President Barack Obama trolled Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump as he read out the latter&#39;s mean tweets directed towards him on ABC&#39;s late night show &ldquo;Jimmy Kimmel Live&rdquo;.&nbsp;

To one of Trump&#39;s menacing tweets about Obama in which he had said that Obama will go down as the &ldquo;worst president in the history of the United States&rdquo;, Obama said that he will at least &ldquo;go down as a president&rdquo;.&nbsp;

Kimmel, the show&#39;s host, took a jab at Trump saying that Obama must have taken time from &ldquo;rigging the November 8 election&rdquo; to come on the show. Trump has time and again alleged that the elections are rigged against him.&nbsp;

Obama also revealed to being woken up in the late hours of night to deal with emergencies. But he jokingly said that he does not reach for his smartphone in the wee hours, unlike Trump who Obama indirectly said &ldquo;tweets at 3 am about people who insult him&rdquo;.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

'At least I will go down as a president,' Obama replied to Trump's tweet saying he will go down as the worst president in the US' history

US President Barack Obama trolled Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump as he read out the latter's mean tweets directed towards him on ABC's late night show “Jimmy Kimmel Live”. To one of Trump's menacing tweets about Obama in which he had said that Obama will go down as the “worst president in the history of the United States”, Obama said that he will at least “go down as a president”. Kimmel, the show's host, took a jab at Trump saying that Obama must have taken time from “rigging the November 8 election” to come on the show. Trump has time and again alleged that the elections are rigged against him. Obama also revealed to being woken up in the late hours of night to deal with emergencies. But he jokingly said that he does not reach for his smartphone in the wee hours, unlike Trump who Obama indirectly said “tweets at 3 am about people who insult him”. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Obama trolls Trump over 'mean tweets' on late-night TV show

Two supporters of the Republican candidate Donald Trump&nbsp;were arrested today while taking part in a demonstration outside US Embassy in Kampala.

&nbsp;

The two Ugandan men attempted to enter the embassy grounds in the capital. They carried placards, one with the slogan &quot;A vote for Trump is a vote against African dictatorship!&quot;.

&nbsp;

The men,&nbsp;named by local media as Bigirwa Moses and Allan Kitonsa,&nbsp;are members of the youth wing of Uganda&#39;s Democratic Party, AFP reported.

&nbsp;

&quot;Today&#39;s protest was not sanctioned by the Democratic Party. Perhaps overzealous young people, excited by what`s taking place in America, were just seeking media attention,&quot; Kakande told AFP, saying that in his view the billionaire Republican candidate was not suitable for the White House.

&nbsp;

The men will likely be charged with unlawful assembly, police spokesman Emilian Kayima said. She also described the incident as &quot;embarrassment by two young men who appeared to be seeking political clout&quot;.

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A spokesman for the US Embassy in Kampala confirmed the incident but declines to comment.

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(With inputs from AFP)

They carried placards, one with the slogan: 'A vote for Trump is a vote against African dictatorship!'

Two supporters of the Republican candidate Donald Trump were arrested today while taking part in a demonstration outside US Embassy in Kampala. The two Ugandan men attempted to enter the embassy grounds in the capital. They carried placards, one with the slogan "A vote for Trump is a vote against African dictatorship!". The men, named by local media as Bigirwa Moses and Allan Kitonsa, are members of the youth wing of Uganda's Democratic Party, AFP reported. "Today's protest was not sanctioned by the Democratic Party. Perhaps overzealous young people, excited by what`s taking place in America, were just seeking media attention," Kakande told AFP, saying that in his view the billionaire Republican candidate was not suitable for the White House. The men will likely be charged with unlawful assembly, police spokesman Emilian Kayima said. She also described the incident as "embarrassment by two young men who appeared to be seeking political clout". A spokesman for the US Embassy in Kampala confirmed the incident but declines to comment. (With inputs from AFP)

Trump supporters arrested while protesting outside US embassy in Uganda

An ABC News poll shows Clinton has 50 per cent of the vote to Trump's 38 per cent, a lead of 12 points

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has stretched her lead to 12 points over her rival Donald Trump in the race for the White House, according to a new poll released on Sunday. The poll result, which comes a little over two weeks before the US goes to vote on November 8, is evidence of the damage done to the Trump campaign following a litany of allegations of sexual misconduct or inappropriate behaviour made by eleven women in recent days. The ABC News poll shows Clinton has 50 per cent of the vote to Trump's 38 per cent, a lead of 12 points, just ten days after an ABC News/Washington Post poll showed the lead to be a mere four points. While Trump enjoys a 47 to 43 per cent lead among white Americans, his rival has a healthy lead of 20 points among women and a 32 per cent lead among college-going women. We are behind: Trump campaign The poll result came hours before Trump's team for the first time admitted that they were "behind" in the presidential race. Trump's campaign director Kellyanne Conway made the admission on Sunday, but insisted that they would fight on till the very end. Conway also spelled out Trump's plans to fight back against the current wave of unpopularity. She said Trump will put in more resources in states that are considered to be crucial to winning the election. Trump plans to hold up to three rallies and other such events in these states which include Florida, Ohio, Nevada, Iowa and North Carolina. Between Sunday and Tuesday, Trump is scheduled to hold five rallies in Florida. Trump has also tried to woo voters by promising to create 25 million jobs and slash taxes for middle-class Americans. An optimistic Team Clinton Team Clinton, on the other hand, is hoping for a landslide win. But they also sounded cautious. "We're not taking anything for granted at all," campaign manager Robby Mook told Fox News on Sunday, adding: "This is not over yet." Mook also said early voting trends in some states indicate that they have an upper hand at the moment. "We feel very, very good about what we've seen so far...And we're encouraged also by who is turning out," Mook said. (WION with inputs from AFP)

US election: Clinton lead over Trump now in double digits

An adult film actress has become the eleventh woman to&nbsp;accuse&nbsp;US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump of unwanted sexual advances,&nbsp;and offering her $10,000 to meet him alone in his hotel room.

Jessica Drake said on Saturday that Trump grabbed her, hugged her,&nbsp;and kissed her without asking for permission.

Drake said she met Trump&nbsp;in 2006 at a golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, California. He invited her to his room. She said she went along with two other women because she did not feel comfortable going alone. She added that Trump flirted with her and invited her to walk along with him.

&quot;He grabbed each of us tightly, in a hug and kissed each one of us without asking permission,&quot; Drake said at a news conference in Los Angeles,&nbsp;accompanied by the high-profile discrimination lawyer Gloria Allred. (Allred has represented other women in high-profile sexual assault cases, including two other Trump accusers.)

He also asked her what it was like to film pornography, Drake said. She added that Trump later called her to invite her to his room alone. The 42-year-old actress and director declined the invitation.

&quot;What do you want? How much?&quot; she said Trump asked her, reported AFP.

She received a phone call again from Trump or another man offering her $10,000 and the use of Trump&#39;s private jet to fly home to Los Angeles if she were to accept.

Allred displayed a photograph of Trump and Drake at the golf tournament.

Trump&#39;s campaign denied the charges against him, saying the story was completely &quot;false&quot;&nbsp;and that the picture was &quot;one of thousands taken&quot;.

&quot;Trump does not know this person, does not remember this person and would have no interest in ever knowing her,&quot; his campaign said, PTI&nbsp;reported.

&quot;This is just another attempt by the Clinton campaign to defame a candidate who just today is number one in three different polls,&quot; it said.

So far&nbsp;at least 11 women have accused Trump of unwanted sexual advances. Drake said her decision was prompted by watching a 2005 video of Trump making lewd remarks about women and bragging about getting away with assaulting women.

Trump has denied the allegations against him and threatened legal action saying,&quot;All of these liars will be sued after the election is over.&quot;

(WION with inputs from agencies)

Jessica Drake said Trump offered her $10,000 to come to his hotel room alone, and the use of his private jet if she were to accept

An adult film actress has become the eleventh woman to accuse US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump of unwanted sexual advances, and offering her $10,000 to meet him alone in his hotel room. Jessica Drake said on Saturday that Trump grabbed her, hugged her, and kissed her without asking for permission. Drake said she met Trump in 2006 at a golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, California. He invited her to his room. She said she went along with two other women because she did not feel comfortable going alone. She added that Trump flirted with her and invited her to walk along with him. "He grabbed each of us tightly, in a hug and kissed each one of us without asking permission," Drake said at a news conference in Los Angeles, accompanied by the high-profile discrimination lawyer Gloria Allred. (Allred has represented other women in high-profile sexual assault cases, including two other Trump accusers.) He also asked her what it was like to film pornography, Drake said. She added that Trump later called her to invite her to his room alone. The 42-year-old actress and director declined the invitation. "What do you want? How much?" she said Trump asked her, reported AFP. She received a phone call again from Trump or another man offering her $10,000 and the use of Trump's private jet to fly home to Los Angeles if she were to accept. Allred displayed a photograph of Trump and Drake at the golf tournament. Trump's campaign denied the charges against him, saying the story was completely "false" and that the picture was "one of thousands taken". "Trump does not know this person, does not remember this person and would have no interest in ever knowing her," his campaign said, PTI reported. "This is just another attempt by the Clinton campaign to defame a candidate who just today is number one in three different polls," it said. So far at least 11 women have accused Trump of unwanted sexual advances. Drake said her decision was prompted by watching a 2005 video of Trump making lewd remarks about women and bragging about getting away with assaulting women. Trump has denied the allegations against him and threatened legal action saying,"All of these liars will be sued after the election is over." (WION with inputs from agencies)

Adult film actress becomes 11th woman to accuse Trump of unwanted sexual advances

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During the weekend battleground campaign blitz, US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump unveiled plans for the first 100 days in office if elected president, but also defiantly raised personal grievances.&nbsp;

The real estate mogul, during his 45-minute speech in Gettysburg, vowed to bring change to a &quot;broken system&quot; offering a number of concrete policy initiatives. Echoing former US president Abraham Lincoln&#39;s famous 1863 address in the historic town, Trump told several hundred supporters that he would &quot;drain the swamp in Washington&quot; and replace it &quot;with a new government of, by and for the people&quot;.&nbsp;

But moments after promising Americans a &quot;once in a lifetime change&quot; he threatened to sue a number of women, the &quot;liars&quot;, who had accused him of sexual assault. He added a new threat of his repeated criticisms of the US media companies, accusing them of unfair coverage of his campaign to help Democratic rival candidate Hillary Clinton. He, in fact, said that Clinton should have been barred from running for the presidency.&nbsp;

&quot;As an example of the power structure I&#39;m fighting, AT&amp;T is buying Time Warner and thus CNN, a deal we will not approve in my administration because it&#39;s too much concentration of power in the hands of too few,&quot; Trump said.

Delivering prepared remarks, he pledged to create at least 25 million jobs over a decade and cut middle class taxes, as both Trump and Clinton courted undecided swing state voters.&nbsp;

He also listed many of his familiar campaign proposals, such as renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement and repealing President Barack Obama&#39;s signature health care reform.

With just over two weeks to go before the election day, the former secretary of state is leading in the national polls over Trump, according to RealClearPolitics.&nbsp;

The Democratic candidate, Clinton leads in several battleground states, ranging from North Carolina, Florida, Pennsylvania to Virginia. The candidate vying to become America&#39;s first female president made two campaign stops in Pennsylvania on Saturday.&nbsp;

In a rare acknowledgment that he might lose, Trump said he would give the campaign everything he had, &quot;right up until the actual vote&quot;, but added that &quot;win, lose or draw...I will be happy with myself&quot;.&nbsp;

Experts have said if Trump loses the key swing states of Florida, Pennsylvania and North Carolina, Clinton is all but assured of victory.

(WION with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

Trump accused the US media of trying to suppress his voice and promised to foil a proposed deal between AT&T and Time Warner

During the weekend battleground campaign blitz, US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump unveiled plans for the first 100 days in office if elected president, but also defiantly raised personal grievances. The real estate mogul, during his 45-minute speech in Gettysburg, vowed to bring change to a "broken system" offering a number of concrete policy initiatives. Echoing former US president Abraham Lincoln's famous 1863 address in the historic town, Trump told several hundred supporters that he would "drain the swamp in Washington" and replace it "with a new government of, by and for the people". But moments after promising Americans a "once in a lifetime change" he threatened to sue a number of women, the "liars", who had accused him of sexual assault. He added a new threat of his repeated criticisms of the US media companies, accusing them of unfair coverage of his campaign to help Democratic rival candidate Hillary Clinton. He, in fact, said that Clinton should have been barred from running for the presidency. "As an example of the power structure I'm fighting, AT&T is buying Time Warner and thus CNN, a deal we will not approve in my administration because it's too much concentration of power in the hands of too few," Trump said. Delivering prepared remarks, he pledged to create at least 25 million jobs over a decade and cut middle class taxes, as both Trump and Clinton courted undecided swing state voters. He also listed many of his familiar campaign proposals, such as renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement and repealing President Barack Obama's signature health care reform. With just over two weeks to go before the election day, the former secretary of state is leading in the national polls over Trump, according to RealClearPolitics. The Democratic candidate, Clinton leads in several battleground states, ranging from North Carolina, Florida, Pennsylvania to Virginia. The candidate vying to become America's first female president made two campaign stops in Pennsylvania on Saturday. In a rare acknowledgment that he might lose, Trump said he would give the campaign everything he had, "right up until the actual vote", but added that "win, lose or draw...I will be happy with myself". Experts have said if Trump loses the key swing states of Florida, Pennsylvania and North Carolina, Clinton is all but assured of victory. (WION with inputs from agencies)

US elections: Trump outlines policies for first 100 days in office, vows to weaken US media 'power structure'

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Hillary Clinton criticised rival Donald Trump as a threat to American democracy Friday for not pledging to honor results of the upcoming presidential election, as the bitter rivals battled for supremacy in battleground states.

&quot;We know the difference between leadership and dictatorship, and the peaceful transition of power is one of the things that sets us apart,&quot; Clinton told a rally in Cleveland, Ohio, one of the key swing states up for grabs on November 8.

&quot;Donald Trump refused to say that he&#39;d respect the results of this election. By doing that, he&#39;s threatening our democracy.&quot;

Her comments marked a stern rebuke to Trump&#39;s bombshell suggestion during their third and final presidential debate that he may not recognise the election result -- a surprising rejection of political norms.

Trump, 70, then told a rally crowd that he could launch a legal challenge if Clinton prevails.&nbsp;

His remarks follow weeks of Trump warning about the likelihood of a &quot;rigged&quot; election including massive voter fraud, despite members of his own party disavowing the comments and Trump earning condemnation from President Barack Obama.

Despite isolated allegations of voter fraud, controversy over the tight 2000 vote and rampant gerrymandering, US elections have been regarded as free and fair.

Invigorated by both her commanding poll numbers and Trump&#39;s eyebrow-raising declarations, the candidate vying to become America&#39;s first female president was in Ohio aiming to block Trump&#39;s efforts to claim the blue-collar heartland state.

Trump, well aware that no Republican has ever won the White House without winning Ohio, campaigned in the Buckeye State Thursday.

Meanwhile, the Manhattan real estate mogul hosted rallies Friday in the battlegrounds of North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

&quot;Eighteen days. You&#39;re going to look back at this election and say this is by far the most important vote you&#39;ve ever cast for anyone at any time,&quot; Trump told a crowd in Fletcher, North Carolina.

&#39;Win, lose or draw&#39;&nbsp; 
&quot;We&#39;re fighting this juggernaut.... because they have billions of dollars they&#39;ve raised,&quot; he said of the Clinton campaign, which reportedly has outspent Trump on television advertising in recent months.

Trump said he would give the campaign everything he had, &quot;right up until the actual vote.&quot;

&quot;Win, lose or draw... I will be happy with myself,&quot; he added. &quot;I don&#39;t want to think back if only I did one more rally I would have won North Carolina by 500 votes instead of losing it by 200 votes, right?&quot;

&nbsp;Battleground focus&nbsp; 
Trump is trailing badly in the polls, and his debate threat opened him up to a stinging attack from Obama at a Miami rally.

&quot;When you try to sow the seeds of doubt in people&#39;s minds about the legitimacy of our election, that undermines our democracy,&quot; Obama said Thursday.

&quot;When you suggest rigging or fraud without a shred of evidence, when last night at the debate, Trump becomes the first major party nominee in American history to suggest that he will not concede despite losing... that is not a joking matter.&quot;

In the battle of the battlegrounds, Clinton holds leads in several states, ranging from razor-thin, such as in North Carolina, to moderate in Florida and Pennsylvania and commanding in Virginia.

She is even narrowly ahead in Arizona, the traditionally Republican-leaning state where First Lady Michelle Obama -- who galvanised voters with a searing attack on Trump last week -- campaigned for Clinton on Thursday.

If Trump loses Florida, Pennsylvania and North Carolina, Clinton is all but assured of victory, experts have said.

In Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Trump supporters streamed into a convention center to hear Trump speak in their depressed former steel town, where most mill jobs have evaporated.

Trump promised that he would bring many of them back.&nbsp;

&quot;We don&#39;t make things anymore&quot; he told the cheering crowd. &quot;When I&#39;m president, we&#39;re going to start making things again in America.&quot;

(AFP)

Hillary Clinton's comments come after Donald Trump said he will not recognise the election result if he loses

Hillary Clinton criticised rival Donald Trump as a threat to American democracy Friday for not pledging to honor results of the upcoming presidential election, as the bitter rivals battled for supremacy in battleground states. "We know the difference between leadership and dictatorship, and the peaceful transition of power is one of the things that sets us apart," Clinton told a rally in Cleveland, Ohio, one of the key swing states up for grabs on November 8. "Donald Trump refused to say that he'd respect the results of this election. By doing that, he's threatening our democracy." Her comments marked a stern rebuke to Trump's bombshell suggestion during their third and final presidential debate that he may not recognise the election result -- a surprising rejection of political norms. Trump, 70, then told a rally crowd that he could launch a legal challenge if Clinton prevails. His remarks follow weeks of Trump warning about the likelihood of a "rigged" election including massive voter fraud, despite members of his own party disavowing the comments and Trump earning condemnation from President Barack Obama. Despite isolated allegations of voter fraud, controversy over the tight 2000 vote and rampant gerrymandering, US elections have been regarded as free and fair. Invigorated by both her commanding poll numbers and Trump's eyebrow-raising declarations, the candidate vying to become America's first female president was in Ohio aiming to block Trump's efforts to claim the blue-collar heartland state. Trump, well aware that no Republican has ever won the White House without winning Ohio, campaigned in the Buckeye State Thursday. Meanwhile, the Manhattan real estate mogul hosted rallies Friday in the battlegrounds of North Carolina and Pennsylvania. "Eighteen days. You're going to look back at this election and say this is by far the most important vote you've ever cast for anyone at any time," Trump told a crowd in Fletcher, North Carolina. 'Win, lose or draw' "We're fighting this juggernaut.... because they have billions of dollars they've raised," he said of the Clinton campaign, which reportedly has outspent Trump on television advertising in recent months. Trump said he would give the campaign everything he had, "right up until the actual vote." "Win, lose or draw... I will be happy with myself," he added. "I don't want to think back if only I did one more rally I would have won North Carolina by 500 votes instead of losing it by 200 votes, right?" Battleground focus Trump is trailing badly in the polls, and his debate threat opened him up to a stinging attack from Obama at a Miami rally. "When you try to sow the seeds of doubt in people's minds about the legitimacy of our election, that undermines our democracy," Obama said Thursday. "When you suggest rigging or fraud without a shred of evidence, when last night at the debate, Trump becomes the first major party nominee in American history to suggest that he will not concede despite losing... that is not a joking matter." In the battle of the battlegrounds, Clinton holds leads in several states, ranging from razor-thin, such as in North Carolina, to moderate in Florida and Pennsylvania and commanding in Virginia. She is even narrowly ahead in Arizona, the traditionally Republican-leaning state where First Lady Michelle Obama -- who galvanised voters with a searing attack on Trump last week -- campaigned for Clinton on Thursday. If Trump loses Florida, Pennsylvania and North Carolina, Clinton is all but assured of victory, experts have said. In Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Trump supporters streamed into a convention center to hear Trump speak in their depressed former steel town, where most mill jobs have evaporated. Trump promised that he would bring many of them back. "We don't make things anymore" he told the cheering crowd. "When I'm president, we're going to start making things again in America." (AFP)

Clinton warns Trump is 'threatening' US democracy

She is as calm and thoughtful as her father is strident and impetuous. She is Ivanka Trump, and the distance she has taken from her father Donald has earned her both the respect of Democrats and the head-scratching of analysts.

So the Republican candidate shocked the nation by saying he might not recognize the results of the presidential election if he loses? Ivanka, the model-turned-business-executive, insists &quot;he&#39;ll accept the outcome either way.&quot;

So Donald Trump is caught bragging in lewd terms that he can do whatever he wants to women, then insists this was only &quot;locker-room talk&quot;? His daughter calls the comments &quot;inappropriate and offensive&quot; and admits that her father&#39;s words can be &quot;uncomfortable for us.&quot;

Ivanka, soon to turn 35, is still clearly her father&#39;s protegee. He has been unstinting in his praise for his glamorous offspring, a graduate of the prestigious Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Trump counts on her to attract young and female voters.&nbsp;

In introducing her father at the Republican convention in July, Ivanka bragged about his &quot;strength&quot; and his &quot;kindness and compassion.&quot;

But she also knows when to step back.

Having grown up in the spotlight from an early age, at a time when her father&#39;s extramarital affairs filled the tabloid press, Ivanka knows how to tend to her own image, &nbsp;and that of the clothing line that bears her name.

Far from the Republican line&nbsp;

Her Twitter and Instagram accounts help nourish her brand, celebrating women who juggle family life and work, with impeccable style ,as does a book she plans to publish next year.&nbsp;

They portray an ideal family: her husband Jared Kushner, her &quot;biggest fan,&quot; for whom she converted to Judaism, and their three children, aged five, three and six months.

She has drawn on her family experiences to distinguish herself during the campaign, quietly urging her father to make promises far removed from Republican orthodoxy, such as a call for six weeks of paid maternity leave and for childcare tax deductions.

Beyond that, Ivanka insists, she does not delve deeply into politics, unlike her brothers and husband. &quot;I am not the campaign mastermind, as people love to portray and speculate,&quot; she recently told MSNBC television.

But if she has edged away from her father at times in an effort to &quot;salvage her brand,&quot; as The New Yorker magazine has suggested, the balancing act has not been easy.&nbsp;

&quot;Her quest to float along empowered but unsullied beside her father throughout this increasingly ugly campaign has been getting harder and harder,&quot; it added.

&nbsp;A &#39;together&#39; woman

Her reserve, in any case, has earned her a certain degree of respect in the opposing camp.

When, at the end of their second televised debate on October 9, the moderator pressed Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump to cite at least one quality in their opponent, Clinton said, without hesitation: &quot;His children are incredibly devoted and able.&quot;&nbsp;

It was an indirect homage to Ivanka, who is a long-standing friend of Chelsea Clinton, the candidate&#39;s daughter.&nbsp;

Even the caustic and strongly left-leaning film director Michael Moore, who just released a film strongly supportive of Clinton, seems to appreciate the young Trump. In an open letter posted on his website, he describes her as a &quot;brilliant&quot; and &quot;very smart and together woman&quot; -- the only person capable, he said, of intervening to stop her father&#39;s quixotic campaign.

For Sam Abrams, a political scientist at Sarah Lawrence College and the conservative Hoover Institution, &quot;When you listen to her... she&#39;s not engaged in the mud-slinging the way the others are; she is trying to be more professional, more mature.&quot;

By taking some distance from her father&#39;s positions, she has given herself &quot;quite a few options&quot; for the future, he said.

That future could be in television, she worked on her father&#39;s reality television program &quot;The Apprentice&quot;, or in politics, where Abrams said she could represent values her father could not.

&quot;The question is, what does she want to do? Can she separate herself more from her father? Can she do it on her own? Does she want to?&quot; the analyst said.

If Donald Trump loses in November as badly as some polls predict, Abrams added, the Republican Party may be in for a prolonged period of self-examination over &quot;what it is and what it stands for.&quot;

So &quot;there is no rush,&quot; he said. &quot;Hillary is the living proof that you can be at it for years.&quot;

(AFP)

The distance Ivanka has maintained from her father Donald has earned her the respect of Democrats and the head-scratching of analysts

She is as calm and thoughtful as her father is strident and impetuous. She is Ivanka Trump, and the distance she has taken from her father Donald has earned her both the respect of Democrats and the head-scratching of analysts. So the Republican candidate shocked the nation by saying he might not recognize the results of the presidential election if he loses? Ivanka, the model-turned-business-executive, insists "he'll accept the outcome either way." So Donald Trump is caught bragging in lewd terms that he can do whatever he wants to women, then insists this was only "locker-room talk"? His daughter calls the comments "inappropriate and offensive" and admits that her father's words can be "uncomfortable for us." Ivanka, soon to turn 35, is still clearly her father's protegee. He has been unstinting in his praise for his glamorous offspring, a graduate of the prestigious Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Trump counts on her to attract young and female voters. In introducing her father at the Republican convention in July, Ivanka bragged about his "strength" and his "kindness and compassion." But she also knows when to step back. Having grown up in the spotlight from an early age, at a time when her father's extramarital affairs filled the tabloid press, Ivanka knows how to tend to her own image, and that of the clothing line that bears her name. Far from the Republican line Her Twitter and Instagram accounts help nourish her brand, celebrating women who juggle family life and work, with impeccable style ,as does a book she plans to publish next year. They portray an ideal family: her husband Jared Kushner, her "biggest fan," for whom she converted to Judaism, and their three children, aged five, three and six months. She has drawn on her family experiences to distinguish herself during the campaign, quietly urging her father to make promises far removed from Republican orthodoxy, such as a call for six weeks of paid maternity leave and for childcare tax deductions. Beyond that, Ivanka insists, she does not delve deeply into politics, unlike her brothers and husband. "I am not the campaign mastermind, as people love to portray and speculate," she recently told MSNBC television. But if she has edged away from her father at times in an effort to "salvage her brand," as The New Yorker magazine has suggested, the balancing act has not been easy. "Her quest to float along empowered but unsullied beside her father throughout this increasingly ugly campaign has been getting harder and harder," it added. A 'together' woman Her reserve, in any case, has earned her a certain degree of respect in the opposing camp. When, at the end of their second televised debate on October 9, the moderator pressed Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump to cite at least one quality in their opponent, Clinton said, without hesitation: "His children are incredibly devoted and able." It was an indirect homage to Ivanka, who is a long-standing friend of Chelsea Clinton, the candidate's daughter. Even the caustic and strongly left-leaning film director Michael Moore, who just released a film strongly supportive of Clinton, seems to appreciate the young Trump. In an open letter posted on his website, he describes her as a "brilliant" and "very smart and together woman" -- the only person capable, he said, of intervening to stop her father's quixotic campaign. For Sam Abrams, a political scientist at Sarah Lawrence College and the conservative Hoover Institution, "When you listen to her... she's not engaged in the mud-slinging the way the others are; she is trying to be more professional, more mature." By taking some distance from her father's positions, she has given herself "quite a few options" for the future, he said. That future could be in television, she worked on her father's reality television program "The Apprentice", or in politics, where Abrams said she could represent values her father could not. "The question is, what does she want to do? Can she separate herself more from her father? Can she do it on her own? Does she want to?" the analyst said. If Donald Trump loses in November as badly as some polls predict, Abrams added, the Republican Party may be in for a prolonged period of self-examination over "what it is and what it stands for." So "there is no rush," he said. "Hillary is the living proof that you can be at it for years." (AFP)

Ivanka, the other Trump

Jim Murphy, Donald Trump&#39;s national political director, is &quot;stepping back&quot; from the campaign,&nbsp;according to three sources close to the campaign, Politico reports. This move comes&nbsp;just 19&nbsp;days prior to the November 8 election.

&quot;I have not resigned but for personal reasons have had to take a step back from the campaign,&quot; Murphy said in a statement given to the Politico. He did not explain his reasoning any further.

Murphy, a longtime operative for the Republican Party, played a crucial role in setting up field programs in battleground, or hotly-contested, states. He was also a key liason between the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee.

Murphy&#39;s departure comes as Republicans fear that their party&#39;s infrastructure lags far behind Clinton&#39;s, which may&nbsp;impact not just the outcome of the election but could&nbsp;negatively affect the party across the ballot.

Murphy was a close ally&nbsp;with the Trump campaign&#39;s former manager, Paul Manafort, who resigned back in August.

Manafort replaced Corey Landowski, who had been fired from the campaign after allegations arose that he forcefully grabbed &nbsp;a&nbsp;reporter from Breitbart&nbsp;at a Trump rally, an incident which was caught on video tape.

(WION)&nbsp;

Citing personal reasons, the man in charge of Trump's vital and much-maligned field operations backs away just 19 prior to the election

Jim Murphy, Donald Trump's national political director, is "stepping back" from the campaign, according to three sources close to the campaign, Politico reports. This move comes just 19 days prior to the November 8 election. "I have not resigned but for personal reasons have had to take a step back from the campaign," Murphy said in a statement given to the Politico. He did not explain his reasoning any further. Murphy, a longtime operative for the Republican Party, played a crucial role in setting up field programs in battleground, or hotly-contested, states. He was also a key liason between the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee. Murphy's departure comes as Republicans fear that their party's infrastructure lags far behind Clinton's, which may impact not just the outcome of the election but could negatively affect the party across the ballot. Murphy was a close ally with the Trump campaign's former manager, Paul Manafort, who resigned back in August. Manafort replaced Corey Landowski, who had been fired from the campaign after allegations arose that he forcefully grabbed a reporter from Breitbart at a Trump rally, an incident which was caught on video tape. (WION)

Trump's national political director 'steps back' from campaign

Obama's remarks come ahead of Hillary Clinton's final presidential debate against Trump

US President Barack Obama on Tuesday asked Donald Trump to "stop whining" about elections being rigged, calling the remarks "irresponsible." His comments come a day before the final presidential debate between Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. The US president said he had never before seen anyone trying to discredit the election process. "I have never seen in my lifetime, or in modern political history, any presidential candidate trying to discredit the elections and the election process before votes have even taken place. It's unprecedented," Obama said while addressing a press conference with visiting Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. "That is both irresponsible --- and, by the way, it doesn't really show the kind of leadership and toughness that you'd want out of a president. You start whining before the game's even over? If, whenever things are going badly for you and you lose, you start blaming somebody else? Then you don't have what it takes to be in this job," he added. "I'd advise Mr Trump to stop whining, and go try to make his case to get votes." Obama's comments came a day after Trump questioned the electoral process at a rally in Wisconsin's Green Bay, claiming "People that have died 10 years ago are still voting, illegal immigrants are voting." Obama dismissed the accusations as "based on no facts." As did experts and Trump's own party officials. Obama has campaigned on several occasions for Clinton, who served as his first secretary of state and who is leading in the latest national and battleground state polls. Trump's dipping popularity The 90-minute third and final presidential debate takes place three weeks before Americans head to the polls on November 8. It will be held at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas at 6:00 pm (0100 GMT Thursday). It is seen as a last chance for the Republican nominee whose popularity has dipped after accusations of sexual misconduct by several women and the emergence of a 2005 video in which he makes lewd comments about women. His team deployed his wife Melania to salvage the situation. "Those words, they were offensive to me and they were inappropriate. And he apologized to me. And I accept his apology. And we are moving on," Melania Trump told Fox News on Tuesday. Trump had declared his innocence once again on Monday. Asked on ABC whether he had ever crossed the line with women, Trump said "I don`t think so. I have great respect for women." "It's lies, pure lies," he said of the accusations. Preparation for the debate The candidates are expected to address the issues of the US debt, immigration policy, the economy, the Supreme Court, hot spots around the world, and their preparedness to be commander in chief, AFP reported. Clinton, who had no events scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, seems to have carefully prepared true to her style. Asked about her preparedness at the Westchester airport, she flashed a thumbs up sign before boarded her plane to Las Vegas, AFP reported. In contrast, Trump was seen engaging in "debate prep" in Colorado Springs on Tuesday and has back-to-back rallies scheduled in the city and Vegas. Besides rigging, his main attack against Clinton has been her email scandal. 41% of American voters, including 73% of Republicans, believe the election could actually be stolen from Trump, AFP said citing a poll by Politico and Morning Consult. Clinton, meanwhile, is concentrating on traditionally Republican-leaning states like Arizona and Missouri, AFP reported. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Obama's scathing attack on Trump: Stop whining about 'rigged' vote

Melania Trump rose to her husband&#39;s defence on Monday, describing lewd comments the Republican presidential nominee made on a leaked 2005 video in which he bragged about groping women as &quot;boy talk.&quot;

Trump, who has kept a low profile during her husband&#39;s presidential campaign, gave her first television interview&nbsp;since the October 7 release of the tape that has shaken Donald Trump&#39;s campaign ahead of the November 8 election.

She told CNN her husband was engaged in &quot;boy talk, and he was led on - like, egged on - from the host to say dirty and bad stuff&quot; in the conversation with &quot;Access Hollywood&quot; host Billy Bush.

She added in a CNN interview that aired on Monday night that she was surprised because she had never heard her husband use that kind of language before.

&quot;No. No, that&#39;s why I was surprised, because I said like I don&#39;t know that person that would talk that way, and that he would say that kind of stuff in private,&quot; Melania Trump said.

In partial transcripts from a separate interview with Fox News, she said she had forgiven her husband for the comments in the tape, which was first published by the Washington Post.

&quot;Those words, they were offensive to me and they were inappropriate. &nbsp;And he apologised to me. And I ... accept his apology. &nbsp;And we are moving on.&rdquo;

They were her first public comments since a statement she issued after the tape&#39;s publication in which she said: &quot;The words my husband used are unacceptable and offensive to me. This does not represent the man that I know. I hope people will accept his apology, as I have.&quot;

Melania Trump told Fox News that her husband, a New York businessman and former reality television star, was committed to running for office even though it was difficult because he had been &quot;in so many shows, so many tapes&quot; over the years.

The RealClearPolitics average of national opinion polls shows his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, currently leading Trump by 6.9 percentage points, at 45.9 per cent to 39 per cent.

Asked if it was fair for the media or her husband to bring up charges of infidelity in former President Bill Clinton&#39;s past, Melania Trump told Fox News: &quot;Well, if they bring up my past, why not?&rdquo;

After Trump denied during a debate with Clinton on October 9 that he had actually done the things he bragged about in the tape, a number of women accused him of groping and kissing them without permission in incidents stretching back decades. He has denied the charges.

Asked about those accusations, Melania Trump told Fox News: &ldquo;All these women are coming out and they are allegations but they are not true. Why now? Why three weeks before the election?&rdquo;

(Reuters)

Melania Trump told CNN she had never heard her husband talk like that and has forgiven him after he apologised

Melania Trump rose to her husband's defence on Monday, describing lewd comments the Republican presidential nominee made on a leaked 2005 video in which he bragged about groping women as "boy talk." Trump, who has kept a low profile during her husband's presidential campaign, gave her first television interview since the October 7 release of the tape that has shaken Donald Trump's campaign ahead of the November 8 election. She told CNN her husband was engaged in "boy talk, and he was led on - like, egged on - from the host to say dirty and bad stuff" in the conversation with "Access Hollywood" host Billy Bush. She added in a CNN interview that aired on Monday night that she was surprised because she had never heard her husband use that kind of language before. "No. No, that's why I was surprised, because I said like I don't know that person that would talk that way, and that he would say that kind of stuff in private," Melania Trump said. In partial transcripts from a separate interview with Fox News, she said she had forgiven her husband for the comments in the tape, which was first published by the Washington Post. "Those words, they were offensive to me and they were inappropriate. And he apologised to me. And I ... accept his apology. And we are moving on.” They were her first public comments since a statement she issued after the tape's publication in which she said: "The words my husband used are unacceptable and offensive to me. This does not represent the man that I know. I hope people will accept his apology, as I have." Melania Trump told Fox News that her husband, a New York businessman and former reality television star, was committed to running for office even though it was difficult because he had been "in so many shows, so many tapes" over the years. The RealClearPolitics average of national opinion polls shows his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, currently leading Trump by 6.9 percentage points, at 45.9 per cent to 39 per cent. Asked if it was fair for the media or her husband to bring up charges of infidelity in former President Bill Clinton's past, Melania Trump told Fox News: "Well, if they bring up my past, why not?” After Trump denied during a debate with Clinton on October 9 that he had actually done the things he bragged about in the tape, a number of women accused him of groping and kissing them without permission in incidents stretching back decades. He has denied the charges. Asked about those accusations, Melania Trump told Fox News: “All these women are coming out and they are allegations but they are not true. Why now? Why three weeks before the election?” (Reuters)

Melania Trump calls taped comments by Donald Trump 'boy talk'

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump pledged on Saturday that the United States and India would be &quot;best friends&quot; if he is elected as president. Calling India a &quot;key strategic ally&quot;, Trump said the two countries will have a phenomenal future together.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

He will give a boost to &quot;intelligence sharing with India in the battle against Islamic militants&quot;, international agency Reuters quoted him as saying.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Amid contoversy over sexual harassment charges following his sexist remarks, Trump was speaking at an event sponsored by the Republican Hindu Coalition to raise money for &quot;victims of terrorism&quot;.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The event featured Bollywood-style performers who danced in colourful, traditional costumes, Reuters reported. This was for the first time that a US presidential nominee attended an Indian-American event.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&quot;If I&#39;m elected president, the Indian and Hindu community will have a true friend in the White House, that I can guarantee you,&quot; Trump said.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&quot;We will defeat radical Islamic terrorism when I&#39;m president. We will stand shoulder to shoulder with India in sharing intelligence and keeping our people safe mutually.&quot;&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The real estate tycoon, who has two large development projects in India, further added saying: &nbsp;&quot;We are for free trade. We will have good trade deals with other countries. We are going to do a lot of business with India.&quot;&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The Republican nominee also showered praises on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking &quot;India on a fast track growth with a series of economic reforms and reforming bureaucracy&quot;, saying it was required in the US too, PTI reported.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&quot;I look forward to working with Prime Minister Modi who has been very energetic in reforming the economy and bureaucracy. Great man. I applaud him,&quot; Trump said.

&nbsp;

&quot;I am a big fan of Hindu and I am a big fan of India. If elected, the Indian and Hindu community would have a true friend at the White House,&quot; Trump said at the event organised for the Kashmiri Pundits and Bangladeshi Hindu terrorist victims.

&nbsp;

&quot;I have two massive developments in India, very successful, wonderful, wonderful partners, very beautiful, I must say. I have great friends and great confidence in India. Incredible people and an incredible country. I was there 19 months ago and look forward to going there many many times,&quot; he said.

&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from Reuters, PTI)&nbsp;

Speaking at the Republican Hindu Coalition, Trump said he will share intelligence with India to eradicate Islamic radicalism together

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump pledged on Saturday that the United States and India would be "best friends" if he is elected as president. Calling India a "key strategic ally", Trump said the two countries will have a phenomenal future together. He will give a boost to "intelligence sharing with India in the battle against Islamic militants", international agency Reuters quoted him as saying. Amid contoversy over sexual harassment charges following his sexist remarks, Trump was speaking at an event sponsored by the Republican Hindu Coalition to raise money for "victims of terrorism". The event featured Bollywood-style performers who danced in colourful, traditional costumes, Reuters reported. This was for the first time that a US presidential nominee attended an Indian-American event. "If I'm elected president, the Indian and Hindu community will have a true friend in the White House, that I can guarantee you," Trump said. "We will defeat radical Islamic terrorism when I'm president. We will stand shoulder to shoulder with India in sharing intelligence and keeping our people safe mutually." The real estate tycoon, who has two large development projects in India, further added saying: "We are for free trade. We will have good trade deals with other countries. We are going to do a lot of business with India." The Republican nominee also showered praises on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking "India on a fast track growth with a series of economic reforms and reforming bureaucracy", saying it was required in the US too, PTI reported. "I look forward to working with Prime Minister Modi who has been very energetic in reforming the economy and bureaucracy. Great man. I applaud him," Trump said. "I am a big fan of Hindu and I am a big fan of India. If elected, the Indian and Hindu community would have a true friend at the White House," Trump said at the event organised for the Kashmiri Pundits and Bangladeshi Hindu terrorist victims. "I have two massive developments in India, very successful, wonderful, wonderful partners, very beautiful, I must say. I have great friends and great confidence in India. Incredible people and an incredible country. I was there 19 months ago and look forward to going there many many times," he said. (WION with inputs from Reuters, PTI)

US and India will be best friends, if I am elected: Trump

Two more women have come forward accusing US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump of sexual misconduct on Friday.&nbsp;

Summer Zervos, a contestant in the fifth season of Trump&#39;s show &quot;The Apprentice&quot; and Kristin Anderson, a former aspiring model are the latest to allege sexual assault.&nbsp;

Zervos said she remained in contact with Trump even after he &quot;fired&quot; her from the show, considering him as her mentor, AFP reported her saying.&nbsp;

In 2007, she had a dinner appointment with Trump for a job at the Beverly Hills hotel, but instead, she alleged Trump took her to a bungalow and started kissing and touching her.&nbsp;

Zervos told a news conference in Los Angeles, &quot;He began kissing me aggressively and placed his hand on my breast.&quot;

&quot;He put me in an embrace and I tried to push him away. I pushed his chest to put space between us and I said &#39;come on man, get real.&#39; He told her to, &#39;get real&#39;, as he began thrusting his genitals,&quot; she added.&nbsp;

Zervos said she decided to come forward after she heard Trump saying that he had never touched a woman without her consent, during last Sunday&#39;s debate.&nbsp;

Trump&#39;s comments had come after a video released by the Washington Post, boasting about getting away with groping and kissing women forcibly as he was a famous personality.&nbsp;

Kristin Anderson told the Washington Post, that in the early 1990&#39;s, at a nightclub Trump had reached under her skirt and molested her.&nbsp;

Trump denies&nbsp;

Donald Trump on Friday said he is &quot; a victim&quot; of a smear campaign at a rally in North Carolina and denied Zervos&#39;s allegations.

&quot;I am a victim of one of the great political smear campaigns in the history of our country. They are coming after me to try and destroy what is considered by even them, the greatest movement in the history of our country,&quot; Reuters quoted him as saying.&nbsp;

During the rally, Trump had said &quot;I actually think I am doing well with women,&quot; when he was joined on stage by several women including his daughter-in-law and Omarosa Maginault.&nbsp;

Maginault, a former contestant in Trump&#39;s television show &quot; The Apprentice&quot; led the crowd to cheer for Trump, &quot;When I say &#39;Trump train&#39;, you say &#39;Choo. Choo!&quot;

Only two weeks from the election, the recent string of sexual assault allegations against Trump has hit his campaign that was already scrambling to recover from the last week&#39;s video.&nbsp;

National polls indicate a large number of women voters are disenchanted with Trump. The support for his Democrat rival Hillary Clinton has been rising ever since, with a poll showing she was leading the race by 7 percentage points.

(WION with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Two more women accused Republican presidential candidate Trump of unwanted sexual advances; claims he refuted as part of plot against him

Two more women have come forward accusing US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump of sexual misconduct on Friday. Summer Zervos, a contestant in the fifth season of Trump's show "The Apprentice" and Kristin Anderson, a former aspiring model are the latest to allege sexual assault. Zervos said she remained in contact with Trump even after he "fired" her from the show, considering him as her mentor, AFP reported her saying. In 2007, she had a dinner appointment with Trump for a job at the Beverly Hills hotel, but instead, she alleged Trump took her to a bungalow and started kissing and touching her. Zervos told a news conference in Los Angeles, "He began kissing me aggressively and placed his hand on my breast." "He put me in an embrace and I tried to push him away. I pushed his chest to put space between us and I said 'come on man, get real.' He told her to, 'get real', as he began thrusting his genitals," she added. Zervos said she decided to come forward after she heard Trump saying that he had never touched a woman without her consent, during last Sunday's debate. Trump's comments had come after a video released by the Washington Post, boasting about getting away with groping and kissing women forcibly as he was a famous personality. Kristin Anderson told the Washington Post, that in the early 1990's, at a nightclub Trump had reached under her skirt and molested her. Trump denies Donald Trump on Friday said he is " a victim" of a smear campaign at a rally in North Carolina and denied Zervos's allegations. "I am a victim of one of the great political smear campaigns in the history of our country. They are coming after me to try and destroy what is considered by even them, the greatest movement in the history of our country," Reuters quoted him as saying. During the rally, Trump had said "I actually think I am doing well with women," when he was joined on stage by several women including his daughter-in-law and Omarosa Maginault. Maginault, a former contestant in Trump's television show " The Apprentice" led the crowd to cheer for Trump, "When I say 'Trump train', you say 'Choo. Choo!" Only two weeks from the election, the recent string of sexual assault allegations against Trump has hit his campaign that was already scrambling to recover from the last week's video. National polls indicate a large number of women voters are disenchanted with Trump. The support for his Democrat rival Hillary Clinton has been rising ever since, with a poll showing she was leading the race by 7 percentage points. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Trump faces new sexual assault claims

Donald Trump savaged US media on Thursday for reporting claims that he groped and forcibly kissed women, allegations he insisted were &quot;outright lies&quot;, as first lady Michelle Obama blasted the Republican nominee in a campaign trail tirade.

With just 26 days until Americans choose a successor to her husband on November 8, a visibly angry Obama delivered a fiery takedown of the real estate mogul and his &quot;disgraceful&quot; behaviour.

&quot;Now is the time for all of us to stand up and say, enough is enough,&quot; Obama told a rally for Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire. &quot;This has got to stop right now.&quot;

But the 70-year-old billionaire was not cowed, castigating his accusers as &quot;horrible liars&quot; and decrying his Democratic rival as complicit in a coordinated media attempt to sabotage his campaign.

Claims by at least six women have come to light in accounts reported by The New York Times, NBC, People Magazine and other outlets, most of them after Trump asserted in Sunday&#39;s debate with Clinton that he never sexually assaulted women.

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<h5>Jessica Leeds, a 74-year-old former businesswoman, told the Times that Trump groped her on a flight in the early 1980s, grabbing her breasts and reaching up her skirt. &#39;He was like an octopus,&#39; Leeds said. &#39;His hands were everywhere,&#39; she added. &#39;It was an assault&#39;</h5>
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&nbsp;

Trump&#39;s accusers countered that statement, saying he made unwanted physical advances against them.

With his campaign in free-fall, Trump lashed out in battleground Florida, denying the alleged incidents occurred.

&quot;These vicious claims about me of inappropriate conduct with women are totally and absolutely false. And the Clintons know it very well,&quot; Trump told a rally in West Palm Beach. &quot;They&#39;re pure fiction. And they&#39;re outright lies.&quot;

The attacks, he added, &quot;are orchestrated by the Clintons and their media allies.&quot;

Trump said his lawyers were preparing a lawsuit against The New York Times, which published the accounts of two women who accused him of groping and kissing them&nbsp;unless the paper retracts the article.

The Times refused to back down.

&quot;We published newsworthy information about a subject of deep public concern,&quot; and Americans are entitled to hear the women&#39;s claims, the paper&#39;s assistant general counsel David McCraw said in a letter to Trump&#39;s lawyers.

&quot;If Mr Trump disagrees... we welcome the opportunity to have a court set him straight.&quot;

&#39;Disgraceful, intolerable&#39;

The women&#39;s accusations surfaced days after a video emerged of Trump boasting in 2005 that his fame allowed him to grope women with impunity, sending the White House race into unprecedented levels of vulgarity.

He has apologised and, trying to reverse his deficit in national polls to the 68-year-old Clinton, sought to minimise the comments as &quot;locker room talk&quot;, a remark that went too far for the first lady.

&quot;This wasn&#39;t locker room banter. This was a powerful individual speaking freely and openly about sexually predatory behavior. And actually bragging about kissing and groping women,&quot; said Obama, 52.

&quot;It doesn&#39;t matter what party you belong to... no woman deserves to be treated this way. No one deserves this kind of abuse,&quot; she said.

&quot;This is not normal. It is not politics as usual. This is disgraceful. It is intolerable.&quot;

Speaking in deeply personal terms, Obama said the Trump scandal &quot;has shaken me to my core.&quot;

The allegations against Trump suggest a decades-long pattern of sexually inappropriate behavior.

Jessica Leeds, a 74-year-old former businesswoman, told the Times that Trump groped her on a flight in the early 1980s, grabbing her breasts and reaching up her skirt.

&quot;He was like an octopus,&quot; Leeds said.

&quot;His hands were everywhere,&quot; she added. &quot;It was an assault.&quot;

Accuser Rachel Crooks said she was a 22-year-old receptionist at a real estate company in Trump Tower in 2005 when she encountered Trump outside an elevator.

After she introduced herself, he &quot;kissed me directly on the mouth,&quot; she told the Times.

&#39;Against the wall&#39;

A photographer&#39;s assistant alleged that Trump grabbed her rear end at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in 2003, while a former staff writer for People accused Trump of forcibly kissing her during an interview there in 2005.

&quot;Trump shut the door behind us,&quot; Natasha Stoynoff wrote. &quot;I turned around, and within seconds he was pushing me against the wall and forcing his tongue down my throat.&quot;

Trump dismissed the Stoynoff account out of hand.

&quot;Look at her. Look at her words,&quot; he said. &quot;You tell me what you think. I don&#39;t think so.&quot;

Two beauty pageant contestants also accused Trump of either groping or forcibly kissing them.

Trump rejected the claims again at a speech to young voters in Columbus, Ohio.

&quot;I never met these people. I don&#39;t even know who they are. They&#39;re made-up stories filed right before the election,&quot; he said. &quot;I wonder if that had anything to do with this.&quot;

With the campaign mudslinging in full force, Trump had repeatedly threatened to damage Clinton by reviving allegations of sexual misconduct by her husband.

He made good on that promise by appearing with three of Bill Clinton&#39;s female accusers ahead of Sunday&#39;s debate, and alleging on stage that the former president was &quot;abusive&quot;.

He also turned deeply sinister on Thursday, charging that Clinton met &quot;in secret with international banks to plot the destruction of US sovereignty in order to enrich these global financial powers&quot;.

Clinton, visiting a campaign field office in San Francisco, briefly addressed the ugliness of the presidential race.

&quot;We cannot let this pessimism, this dark and divisive and dangerous vision of America, take hold in anybody&#39;s heart,&quot; she said, adding that he has attacked more than just women.

&quot;There&#39;s hardly any part of America that he&#39;s not targeted.&quot;

(AFP)

 
 
 
&nbsp;

At least six women have said Trump assaulted them

Donald Trump savaged US media on Thursday for reporting claims that he groped and forcibly kissed women, allegations he insisted were "outright lies", as first lady Michelle Obama blasted the Republican nominee in a campaign trail tirade. With just 26 days until Americans choose a successor to her husband on November 8, a visibly angry Obama delivered a fiery takedown of the real estate mogul and his "disgraceful" behaviour. "Now is the time for all of us to stand up and say, enough is enough," Obama told a rally for Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire. "This has got to stop right now." But the 70-year-old billionaire was not cowed, castigating his accusers as "horrible liars" and decrying his Democratic rival as complicit in a coordinated media attempt to sabotage his campaign. Claims by at least six women have come to light in accounts reported by The New York Times, NBC, People Magazine and other outlets, most of them after Trump asserted in Sunday's debate with Clinton that he never sexually assaulted women. Jessica Leeds, a 74-year-old former businesswoman, told the Times that Trump groped her on a flight in the early 1980s, grabbing her breasts and reaching up her skirt. 'He was like an octopus,' Leeds said. 'His hands were everywhere,' she added. 'It was an assault' × Trump's accusers countered that statement, saying he made unwanted physical advances against them. With his campaign in free-fall, Trump lashed out in battleground Florida, denying the alleged incidents occurred. "These vicious claims about me of inappropriate conduct with women are totally and absolutely false. And the Clintons know it very well," Trump told a rally in West Palm Beach. "They're pure fiction. And they're outright lies." The attacks, he added, "are orchestrated by the Clintons and their media allies." Trump said his lawyers were preparing a lawsuit against The New York Times, which published the accounts of two women who accused him of groping and kissing them unless the paper retracts the article. The Times refused to back down. "We published newsworthy information about a subject of deep public concern," and Americans are entitled to hear the women's claims, the paper's assistant general counsel David McCraw said in a letter to Trump's lawyers. "If Mr Trump disagrees... we welcome the opportunity to have a court set him straight." 'Disgraceful, intolerable' The women's accusations surfaced days after a video emerged of Trump boasting in 2005 that his fame allowed him to grope women with impunity, sending the White House race into unprecedented levels of vulgarity. He has apologised and, trying to reverse his deficit in national polls to the 68-year-old Clinton, sought to minimise the comments as "locker room talk", a remark that went too far for the first lady. "This wasn't locker room banter. This was a powerful individual speaking freely and openly about sexually predatory behavior. And actually bragging about kissing and groping women," said Obama, 52. "It doesn't matter what party you belong to... no woman deserves to be treated this way. No one deserves this kind of abuse," she said. "This is not normal. It is not politics as usual. This is disgraceful. It is intolerable." Speaking in deeply personal terms, Obama said the Trump scandal "has shaken me to my core." The allegations against Trump suggest a decades-long pattern of sexually inappropriate behavior. Jessica Leeds, a 74-year-old former businesswoman, told the Times that Trump groped her on a flight in the early 1980s, grabbing her breasts and reaching up her skirt. "He was like an octopus," Leeds said. "His hands were everywhere," she added. "It was an assault." Accuser Rachel Crooks said she was a 22-year-old receptionist at a real estate company in Trump Tower in 2005 when she encountered Trump outside an elevator. After she introduced herself, he "kissed me directly on the mouth," she told the Times. 'Against the wall' A photographer's assistant alleged that Trump grabbed her rear end at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in 2003, while a former staff writer for People accused Trump of forcibly kissing her during an interview there in 2005. "Trump shut the door behind us," Natasha Stoynoff wrote. "I turned around, and within seconds he was pushing me against the wall and forcing his tongue down my throat." Trump dismissed the Stoynoff account out of hand. "Look at her. Look at her words," he said. "You tell me what you think. I don't think so." Two beauty pageant contestants also accused Trump of either groping or forcibly kissing them. Trump rejected the claims again at a speech to young voters in Columbus, Ohio. "I never met these people. I don't even know who they are. They're made-up stories filed right before the election," he said. "I wonder if that had anything to do with this." With the campaign mudslinging in full force, Trump had repeatedly threatened to damage Clinton by reviving allegations of sexual misconduct by her husband. He made good on that promise by appearing with three of Bill Clinton's female accusers ahead of Sunday's debate, and alleging on stage that the former president was "abusive". He also turned deeply sinister on Thursday, charging that Clinton met "in secret with international banks to plot the destruction of US sovereignty in order to enrich these global financial powers". Clinton, visiting a campaign field office in San Francisco, briefly addressed the ugliness of the presidential race. "We cannot let this pessimism, this dark and divisive and dangerous vision of America, take hold in anybody's heart," she said, adding that he has attacked more than just women. "There's hardly any part of America that he's not targeted." (AFP)

'Outright lies', says Trump of reports he groped, forcibly kissed women

Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, is leading Donald Trump by seven points, according to a latest national opinion poll conducted by a media outlet seen friendly to the Republican leader.

&quot;Clinton receives 45 per cent to Trump&#39;s 38 per cent. Libertarian Gary Johnson is at seven per cent and Green Party candidate Jill Stein gets three per cent,&quot; Fox news said in its latest poll yesterday.

The TV channel is seen as friendly to the Republican leader.

Last week, Clinton was up by two points in the four-way contest (44-42 per cent).

&quot;In the two-way match-up, it&#39;s Clinton over Trump by eight (49-41 per cent). She had a four-point edge a week ago (48-44 per cent, October 3-6). Clinton&#39;s lead is outside the poll&#39;s margin of sampling error in both the two-way and four-way contests,&quot; the news channel had said.

After the surfacing of a decade-old video surfaced in which Trump is seen making lewd remarks about women, Clinton&#39;s lead over the reality TV star has increased.

RealClearPolitics, which keeps tracks of all major polls, said on an average, Clinton is now leading Trump by 6.7 percentage points.

According to some other polls, Clinton is ahead of Trump in some of the key battleground States like North Carolina and Florida. They are in a virtual tie in Ohio

'Clinton receives 45 per cent to Trump's 38 per cent,' Fox news said in its latest poll yesterday

Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, is leading Donald Trump by seven points, according to a latest national opinion poll conducted by a media outlet seen friendly to the Republican leader. "Clinton receives 45 per cent to Trump's 38 per cent. Libertarian Gary Johnson is at seven per cent and Green Party candidate Jill Stein gets three per cent," Fox news said in its latest poll yesterday. The TV channel is seen as friendly to the Republican leader. Last week, Clinton was up by two points in the four-way contest (44-42 per cent). "In the two-way match-up, it's Clinton over Trump by eight (49-41 per cent). She had a four-point edge a week ago (48-44 per cent, October 3-6). Clinton's lead is outside the poll's margin of sampling error in both the two-way and four-way contests," the news channel had said. After the surfacing of a decade-old video surfaced in which Trump is seen making lewd remarks about women, Clinton's lead over the reality TV star has increased. RealClearPolitics, which keeps tracks of all major polls, said on an average, Clinton is now leading Trump by 6.7 percentage points. According to some other polls, Clinton is ahead of Trump in some of the key battleground States like North Carolina and Florida. They are in a virtual tie in Ohio

Clinton leads Trump by seven points: Poll

BuzzFeed reports that four women who competed in the 1997 Miss Teen USA pageant have stated that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump entered their dressing room while they were getting dressed. Some of the contestants were as young as 15 years old.

Mariah Billado, the former Miss Vermont Teen USA, remembers&nbsp;Trump saying&nbsp;something along the lines of,&nbsp;&quot;don&#39;t worry, ladies, I&#39;ve seen it all before&quot;.

Three other contestants from the same pageant, who wished to remain anonymous, also spoke of Trump entering the dressing room. Two of them rushed to put their clothes on, and called his entry&nbsp;&quot;shocking&quot; and &quot;creepy&quot;.

Eleven contestants from the same pageant&nbsp;said they could not recall Trump in the dressing room and that&nbsp;they doubt he could have been there.

This report comes on the heels of another BuzzFeed report that quoted a contestant in an adult pageant saying&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;entered her&nbsp;dressing room &quot;when we were all naked&quot;. The women from&nbsp;the 1997 Miss Teen USA contest were talking to each other in a private Facebook group after reading that report, before contacting BuzzFeed.

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<h5>&quot;I&#39;ll tell you, the funniest is that I&#39;ll go backstage before a show and everyone&#39;s geting dressed...No men are anywhere, and I&#39;m allowed to go in because I&#39;m the owner of the pageant and therefore I&#39;m inspecting it...&#39;Is everyone OK?&#39; You know, they&#39;re standing there with no clothes...and you see these incredible looking women, and so I sort of get away with things like that.&quot;</h5>
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BuzzFeed reached out to 49 of the 51 contestants&nbsp;and managed to get in touch with 15, none of whom accused Trump of saying anything sexually inappropriate or of making physical contact in the dressing room.

But Mr Trump&#39;s treatment of women has come under intense&nbsp;scrutiny since the release of a 2005 tape wherein&nbsp;Trump bragged about grabbing women &quot;by the pu**y&quot;, and admitted he &quot;did try and f*ck&quot; a married woman, at a time while he himself was newly married. He dismissed the tape of him describing his actions&nbsp;as &quot;locker room talk&quot; during the presidential debate, and also before it.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Trump owned three major American beauty pageants, from 1996 until last year. He has publicly bragged about being able to enter women&#39;s changerooms&nbsp;in 1995, when he spoke to the famous radio personality&nbsp;Howard Stern:

&quot;I&#39;ll tell you, the funniest is that I&#39;ll go backstage before a show and everyone&#39;s geting dressed...No men are anywhere, and I&#39;m allowed to go in because I&#39;m the owner of the pageant and therefore I&#39;m inspecting it...&#39;Is everyone OK?&#39; You know, they&#39;re standing there with no clothes...and you see these incredible looking women, and so I sort of get away with things like that.&quot;

BuzzFeed&#39;s report about Miss Teen USA is the first to&nbsp;involve him walking into dressing rooms with&nbsp;females inside&nbsp;as young as&nbsp;14&nbsp;years of age, up to 19.

CBS has spoken to a few other contestants from other pageants whose charges are similar to the BuzzFeed report.

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Former Beauty Queen: Contestants Forced To Greet Trump Even When Not Fully Dressed <a href="https://t.co/zMHbOBbBXk">https://t.co/zMHbOBbBXk</a> <a href="https://t.co/GurRSo3kRK">pic.twitter.com/GurRSo3kRK</a>
&mdash; CBS Los Angeles (@CBSLA) <a href="https://twitter.com/CBSLA/status/786052384543956992">October 12, 2016</a></blockquote>
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The 11 Miss Teen USA&nbsp;contestants from the BuzzFeed&nbsp;report&nbsp;who doubted Mariah Billado&#39;s retelling cite the presence of&nbsp;chaperones, and say&nbsp;the room was secure,&nbsp;and that the town would have been lit up by gossip if Trump had really been in there.&nbsp;

One of the women who asked to remain anoymous was 17 at the time, and says, &quot;You&#39;re a teenager, you&#39;re intimidated: it&#39;s Donald Trump, he runs the pageant&quot;.

Billado said she doesn&#39;t support Trump or Clinton. She said that she&nbsp;believes Trump&#39;s entry was &quot;more of a pompous &#39;I own this place&#39; rather than something perverted&quot;.

Ivanka Trump was known to chat with the girls, many of whom remember her fondly. Billado said she told Ivanka that her father entered the dressing room, to which she remembers her responding,&nbsp;&quot;Yeah, he does that&quot;.

Neither the Trump campaign nor the Trump Organization responded to BuzzFeed&#39;s request for comment.

Along these same lines, the New York Times published an article Wednesday in which one woman alleges that in the early &#39;80s&nbsp;Mr Trump grabbed her breast and tried to put his hand&nbsp;up her skirt, while a second claims Trump&nbsp;kissed her on the mouth in 2005. A Trump spokesman said &quot;this entire article is&nbsp;fiction&quot;, while Mr Trump himself, in an angry phone call to the Times, denied the charges and threatened to sue.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, The <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-accused-underage-rape-lawsuit-a7352976.html">Independent </a>reported on Tuesday that a federal judge has ordered a status conference hearing after a woman filed a lawsuit that Donald Trump&nbsp;raped her when she was only 13-years-old. A witness, identified as Tiffany Doe, alleges she saw&nbsp;Trump and billionaire-paedophile Jeffrey Epstein&nbsp;repeatedly rape&nbsp;the plaintiff.

Trump&#39;s lawyer has repeatedly denied these allegations.

(WION)

Complaints against Trump ranging from voyeurism to rape have surged after the release of a 2005 tape wherein he brags about groping women

BuzzFeed reports that four women who competed in the 1997 Miss Teen USA pageant have stated that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump entered their dressing room while they were getting dressed. Some of the contestants were as young as 15 years old. Mariah Billado, the former Miss Vermont Teen USA, remembers Trump saying something along the lines of, "don't worry, ladies, I've seen it all before". Three other contestants from the same pageant, who wished to remain anonymous, also spoke of Trump entering the dressing room. Two of them rushed to put their clothes on, and called his entry "shocking" and "creepy". Eleven contestants from the same pageant said they could not recall Trump in the dressing room and that they doubt he could have been there. This report comes on the heels of another BuzzFeed report that quoted a contestant in an adult pageant saying Trump entered her dressing room "when we were all naked". The women from the 1997 Miss Teen USA contest were talking to each other in a private Facebook group after reading that report, before contacting BuzzFeed. "I'll tell you, the funniest is that I'll go backstage before a show and everyone's geting dressed...No men are anywhere, and I'm allowed to go in because I'm the owner of the pageant and therefore I'm inspecting it...'Is everyone OK?' You know, they're standing there with no clothes...and you see these incredible looking women, and so I sort of get away with things like that." × BuzzFeed reached out to 49 of the 51 contestants and managed to get in touch with 15, none of whom accused Trump of saying anything sexually inappropriate or of making physical contact in the dressing room. But Mr Trump's treatment of women has come under intense scrutiny since the release of a 2005 tape wherein Trump bragged about grabbing women "by the pu**y", and admitted he "did try and f*ck" a married woman, at a time while he himself was newly married. He dismissed the tape of him describing his actions as "locker room talk" during the presidential debate, and also before it. Trump owned three major American beauty pageants, from 1996 until last year. He has publicly bragged about being able to enter women's changerooms in 1995, when he spoke to the famous radio personality Howard Stern: "I'll tell you, the funniest is that I'll go backstage before a show and everyone's geting dressed...No men are anywhere, and I'm allowed to go in because I'm the owner of the pageant and therefore I'm inspecting it...'Is everyone OK?' You know, they're standing there with no clothes...and you see these incredible looking women, and so I sort of get away with things like that." BuzzFeed's report about Miss Teen USA is the first to involve him walking into dressing rooms with females inside as young as 14 years of age, up to 19. CBS has spoken to a few other contestants from other pageants whose charges are similar to the BuzzFeed report. Former Beauty Queen: Contestants Forced To Greet Trump Even When Not Fully Dressed https://t.co/zMHbOBbBXk pic.twitter.com/GurRSo3kRK — CBS Los Angeles (@CBSLA) October 12, 2016 × The 11 Miss Teen USA contestants from the BuzzFeed report who doubted Mariah Billado's retelling cite the presence of chaperones, and say the room was secure, and that the town would have been lit up by gossip if Trump had really been in there. One of the women who asked to remain anoymous was 17 at the time, and says, "You're a teenager, you're intimidated: it's Donald Trump, he runs the pageant". Billado said she doesn't support Trump or Clinton. She said that she believes Trump's entry was "more of a pompous 'I own this place' rather than something perverted". Ivanka Trump was known to chat with the girls, many of whom remember her fondly. Billado said she told Ivanka that her father entered the dressing room, to which she remembers her responding, "Yeah, he does that". Neither the Trump campaign nor the Trump Organization responded to BuzzFeed's request for comment. Along these same lines, the New York Times published an article Wednesday in which one woman alleges that in the early '80s Mr Trump grabbed her breast and tried to put his hand up her skirt, while a second claims Trump kissed her on the mouth in 2005. A Trump spokesman said "this entire article is fiction", while Mr Trump himself, in an angry phone call to the Times, denied the charges and threatened to sue. Meanwhile, The Independent reported on Tuesday that a federal judge has ordered a status conference hearing after a woman filed a lawsuit that Donald Trump raped her when she was only 13-years-old. A witness, identified as Tiffany Doe, alleges she saw Trump and billionaire-paedophile Jeffrey Epstein repeatedly rape the plaintiff. Trump's lawyer has repeatedly denied these allegations. (WION)

Teen beauty contestants say Donald Trump walked into their dressing room while changing

&nbsp;

Two women accused Donald Trump of inappropriate touching in a story posted on the New York Times website on Wednesday, accusations his spokesman called &quot;fiction&quot; but which may further roil the Republican presidential nominee&#39;s campaign with only four weeks to go until the November 8 election.

One of the women, Jessica Leeds, appeared on camera to recount how Trump grabbed her breast and tried to put his hand up her skirt in the first class cabin on a flight to New York in the early 1980s.&nbsp;

The second woman, Rachel Crooks, described how Trump &quot;kissed me directly on the mouth&quot; in 2005 outside the elevator in Trump Tower in Manhattan, where she was a receptionist at a real estate firm.

Reuters could not independently verify the incidents described in the New York Times story. The New York Times, Leeds and Crooks did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Reuters.

&quot;This entire article is fiction, and for the New York Times to launch a completely false, coordinated character assassination against Mr&nbsp;Trump on a topic like this is dangerous,&quot; Trump campaign senior communications adviser Jason Miller said in a statement.

The report comes on the heels of a 2005 video that surfaced on Friday that showed Trump bragging about groping women, kissing them without permission, and trying unsuccessfully to seduce a married woman.

That video has damaged Trump&#39;s poll numbers, particularly with women voters. He was chastised by Republican leaders, and some called on him to drop out of the presidential race.

Trump has apologised for his remarks, which he called private &quot;locker room&quot; talk. During the presidential debate on Sunday, he said he had not actually kissed women without permission nor groped them.

That assertion was what spurred one of the women to speak out, the New York Times said in its report.

&quot;He was like an octopus,&quot; said Leeds, now 74. &quot;His hands were everywhere.&quot;

The New York Times reported that Trump, in an angry phone call, denied the incidents and threatened to sue the newspaper.

(Reuters)

Trump's campaign senior communications adviser Jason Miller labelled the accusations as 'fiction'

Two women accused Donald Trump of inappropriate touching in a story posted on the New York Times website on Wednesday, accusations his spokesman called "fiction" but which may further roil the Republican presidential nominee's campaign with only four weeks to go until the November 8 election. One of the women, Jessica Leeds, appeared on camera to recount how Trump grabbed her breast and tried to put his hand up her skirt in the first class cabin on a flight to New York in the early 1980s. The second woman, Rachel Crooks, described how Trump "kissed me directly on the mouth" in 2005 outside the elevator in Trump Tower in Manhattan, where she was a receptionist at a real estate firm. Reuters could not independently verify the incidents described in the New York Times story. The New York Times, Leeds and Crooks did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Reuters. "This entire article is fiction, and for the New York Times to launch a completely false, coordinated character assassination against Mr Trump on a topic like this is dangerous," Trump campaign senior communications adviser Jason Miller said in a statement. The report comes on the heels of a 2005 video that surfaced on Friday that showed Trump bragging about groping women, kissing them without permission, and trying unsuccessfully to seduce a married woman. That video has damaged Trump's poll numbers, particularly with women voters. He was chastised by Republican leaders, and some called on him to drop out of the presidential race. Trump has apologised for his remarks, which he called private "locker room" talk. During the presidential debate on Sunday, he said he had not actually kissed women without permission nor groped them. That assertion was what spurred one of the women to speak out, the New York Times said in its report. "He was like an octopus," said Leeds, now 74. "His hands were everywhere." The New York Times reported that Trump, in an angry phone call, denied the incidents and threatened to sue the newspaper. (Reuters)

Two women accuse Donald Trump of inappropriately touching them: Report

Hillary Clinton got a support bounce of four to seven percentage points after the Democratic National Convention and now holds a substantial lead over Donald Trump in the White House race, polls released Monday showed. 
 
Clinton&#39;s advantage over the Republican Trump is 46 per cent to 39 per cent, according to the CBS News poll. 
 
After the Republican convention but prior to the Democratic one, Trump got a two-point bump and the race was tied, CBS said. 
 
A CNN-ORC poll released later Monday has Clinton, the former secretary of state, commanding an even larger lead of nine points, 52-43, in the aftermath of the Democratic confab in Philadelphia. 
 
That poll had Trump ahead 48-45 following the Republican convention. 
 
Clinton also came out stronger in terms of the share of Americans who think her policies will move the country in the right direction, rising from 43 percent of respondents before either convention to 48 percent today, according to the CNN poll.&nbsp; 
 
Trump&#39;s &quot;right direction&quot; number held nearly steady following the conventions. 
 
&quot;I think both parties got what they wanted out of their conventions,&quot; Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus told CNN after the network&#39;s poll was released. 
 
One of Clinton&#39;s biggest problems - Americans&#39; negative view of her - remains, but it has eased somewhat since the convention last week, the CBS survey suggested. 
 
Fifty per cent of registered voters have a negative opinion of Clinton compared to 36 per cent who view her positively, the poll said.&nbsp; 
That positive number is up five points and the negative one is down six, it added. 
 
Thirty-one per cent of voters have a positive opinion of Trump, which is about the same as before the Republican convention, according to CBS. Fifty-two per cent see him negatively. 
 
The survey was carried out July 29-31 among 1,393 adults and has a margin of error of three percentage points. 
 
(AFP) 
&nbsp;

Clinton came out stronger in terms of the share of Americans who think her policies will move the country in the right direction

Hillary Clinton got a support bounce of four to seven percentage points after the Democratic National Convention and now holds a substantial lead over Donald Trump in the White House race, polls released Monday showed. Clinton's advantage over the Republican Trump is 46 per cent to 39 per cent, according to the CBS News poll. After the Republican convention but prior to the Democratic one, Trump got a two-point bump and the race was tied, CBS said. A CNN-ORC poll released later Monday has Clinton, the former secretary of state, commanding an even larger lead of nine points, 52-43, in the aftermath of the Democratic confab in Philadelphia. That poll had Trump ahead 48-45 following the Republican convention. Clinton also came out stronger in terms of the share of Americans who think her policies will move the country in the right direction, rising from 43 percent of respondents before either convention to 48 percent today, according to the CNN poll. Trump's "right direction" number held nearly steady following the conventions. "I think both parties got what they wanted out of their conventions," Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus told CNN after the network's poll was released. One of Clinton's biggest problems - Americans' negative view of her - remains, but it has eased somewhat since the convention last week, the CBS survey suggested. Fifty per cent of registered voters have a negative opinion of Clinton compared to 36 per cent who view her positively, the poll said. That positive number is up five points and the negative one is down six, it added. Thirty-one per cent of voters have a positive opinion of Trump, which is about the same as before the Republican convention, according to CBS. Fifty-two per cent see him negatively. The survey was carried out July 29-31 among 1,393 adults and has a margin of error of three percentage points. (AFP)

Post Democratic convention polls show Clinton in firm lead over rival Trump in White House race

Hillary Clinton on Sunday sharply criticised Donald Trump over his &quot;absolute allegiance&quot; to Russian policy aims, saying it raised both &quot;national security issues&quot; and new doubts about his temperament. 
 
Trump, her Republican rival in the race for the White House, responded defiantly, saying he had &quot;no relationship&quot; with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and had never met nor spoken to him by phone, but that &quot;if our country got along with Russia, that would be a great thing&quot;. 
 
He said in an American Broadcasting Company (ABC)&nbsp;interview that he was not about to disavow it if Putin praised him as a &quot;genius&quot; (some Russian speakers say &quot;colourful&quot; was a better translation of the word). 
 
But further fanning controversy, Trump added that as President he would at least consider acknowledging Russian sovereignty over Crimea, the Ukrainian territory that Russia annexed in 2014 in the face of widespread international condemnation. 
 
&quot;The people of Crimea, from what I&#39;ve heard, would rather be with Russia,&quot; Trump said. 
 
The territory was the subject of a head-scratching exchange between Trump and ABC &quot;This Week&quot; host George Stephanopoulos. 
 
&quot;(Putin&#39;s) not going into Ukraine, okay, just so you understand,&quot; Trump said. &quot;He&#39;s not gonna go into Ukraine, all right? You can mark it down. You can put it down.&quot; 
 
Stephanopoulos responded: &quot;Well, he&#39;s already there, isn&#39;t he?&quot; 
 
Trump replied, &quot;Okay - well, he&#39;s there in a certain way. But I&#39;m not there.&quot; 
 
Clinton senior policy advisor Jake Sullivan called Trump&#39;s statement &quot;scary stuff&quot;. 
 
&quot;What is he talking about? ... What else doesn&#39;t he know?&quot; Sullivan said in a statement. &quot;While Trump hasn&#39;t mastered basic facts about the world, he has mastered Putin&#39;s talking points on Crimea.&quot; 
 
Trump said he was not involved in Republicans&#39; softening of their platform language to remove a call to provide Ukraine with lethal weaponry.&nbsp;The dispute over Russia is part of a broader disagreement over US engagement abroad, as Trump argues that a weakened America must retrench and demand greater contributions from its allies, while Clinton asserts that decades-old US commitments to foreign partners must be maintained. 
 
Backlash over emails&nbsp; 
 
Clinton, in her comments, was responding on Fox News Sunday to allegations of Russian involvement in leaks of Democratic Party emails that embarrassed her on the eve of the just-ended Democratic national convention. 
 
As that convention was under way, Trump urged Russia to find and release several thousand emails that disappeared from Clinton&#39;s private server while she was secretary of state. 
 
&quot;Russia, if you&#39;re listening,&quot; Trump said at the time, &quot;I hope you&#39;re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing. I think you will be mightily rewarded by our press&quot;. 
 
That call, of a sort nearly unprecedented in US presidential politics, drew sharp rebukes from Democrats and some Republicans.&nbsp;US cybersecurity experts said it raised questions about whether Russia had attempted to influence the American campaign in Trump&#39;s favour. 
 
Leaked emails published by WikiLeaks revealed the distrust of some key Democratic leaders of Bernie Sanders, Clinton&#39;s former rival for the Democratic nod. 
 
Trump&#39;s seeming encouragement of Russian hacking, Clinton told Fox, &quot;raises issues about Russian influence in our election&quot;. 
 
&quot;And for Trump to both encourage that and to praise Putin despite what appears to be a deliberate effort to try to affect the election, I think, raises national security issues.&quot; 
 
&#39;Not temperamentally fit&#39;&nbsp; 
 
When an interviewer noted that Trump had claimed he was being sarcastic, Clinton replied: &quot;If you take the encouragement that Russians hack into email accounts, if you take his quite excessive praise for Putin, his absolute allegiance to a lot of Russian wish-list foreign policy issues,&quot; it suggests that &quot;he is not temperamentally fit to be president and commander-in-chief&quot;. 
 
Trump had earlier unnerved NATO member nations by questioning the long absolute US commitment to defend any member of the Atlantic alliance should it be attacked by Russia. 
 
In an interview with The New York Times just before the Republican convention, Trump said that if Russia attacked NATO member nations he would decide whether to come to their assistance only if he decided that they had &quot;fulfilled their obligations to us&quot;. 
 
Trump has also said he might withdraw US troops from European and Asian countries if they failed to pay more for American protection. 
 
&quot;We are going to take care of this country first,&quot; he told The Times, &quot;before we worry about everyone else in the world&quot;. 
 
(AFP) 
 
&nbsp;

Comment comes after Trump encourages Putin to compromise US cyber security & denies Russia will enter Ukraine -- which it already has

Hillary Clinton on Sunday sharply criticised Donald Trump over his "absolute allegiance" to Russian policy aims, saying it raised both "national security issues" and new doubts about his temperament. Trump, her Republican rival in the race for the White House, responded defiantly, saying he had "no relationship" with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and had never met nor spoken to him by phone, but that "if our country got along with Russia, that would be a great thing". He said in an American Broadcasting Company (ABC) interview that he was not about to disavow it if Putin praised him as a "genius" (some Russian speakers say "colourful" was a better translation of the word). But further fanning controversy, Trump added that as President he would at least consider acknowledging Russian sovereignty over Crimea, the Ukrainian territory that Russia annexed in 2014 in the face of widespread international condemnation. "The people of Crimea, from what I've heard, would rather be with Russia," Trump said. The territory was the subject of a head-scratching exchange between Trump and ABC "This Week" host George Stephanopoulos. "(Putin's) not going into Ukraine, okay, just so you understand," Trump said. "He's not gonna go into Ukraine, all right? You can mark it down. You can put it down." Stephanopoulos responded: "Well, he's already there, isn't he?" Trump replied, "Okay - well, he's there in a certain way. But I'm not there." Clinton senior policy advisor Jake Sullivan called Trump's statement "scary stuff". "What is he talking about? ... What else doesn't he know?" Sullivan said in a statement. "While Trump hasn't mastered basic facts about the world, he has mastered Putin's talking points on Crimea." Trump said he was not involved in Republicans' softening of their platform language to remove a call to provide Ukraine with lethal weaponry. The dispute over Russia is part of a broader disagreement over US engagement abroad, as Trump argues that a weakened America must retrench and demand greater contributions from its allies, while Clinton asserts that decades-old US commitments to foreign partners must be maintained. Backlash over emails Clinton, in her comments, was responding on Fox News Sunday to allegations of Russian involvement in leaks of Democratic Party emails that embarrassed her on the eve of the just-ended Democratic national convention. As that convention was under way, Trump urged Russia to find and release several thousand emails that disappeared from Clinton's private server while she was secretary of state. "Russia, if you're listening," Trump said at the time, "I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing. I think you will be mightily rewarded by our press". That call, of a sort nearly unprecedented in US presidential politics, drew sharp rebukes from Democrats and some Republicans. US cybersecurity experts said it raised questions about whether Russia had attempted to influence the American campaign in Trump's favour. Leaked emails published by WikiLeaks revealed the distrust of some key Democratic leaders of Bernie Sanders, Clinton's former rival for the Democratic nod. Trump's seeming encouragement of Russian hacking, Clinton told Fox, "raises issues about Russian influence in our election". "And for Trump to both encourage that and to praise Putin despite what appears to be a deliberate effort to try to affect the election, I think, raises national security issues." 'Not temperamentally fit' When an interviewer noted that Trump had claimed he was being sarcastic, Clinton replied: "If you take the encouragement that Russians hack into email accounts, if you take his quite excessive praise for Putin, his absolute allegiance to a lot of Russian wish-list foreign policy issues," it suggests that "he is not temperamentally fit to be president and commander-in-chief". Trump had earlier unnerved NATO member nations by questioning the long absolute US commitment to defend any member of the Atlantic alliance should it be attacked by Russia. In an interview with The New York Times just before the Republican convention, Trump said that if Russia attacked NATO member nations he would decide whether to come to their assistance only if he decided that they had "fulfilled their obligations to us". Trump has also said he might withdraw US troops from European and Asian countries if they failed to pay more for American protection. "We are going to take care of this country first," he told The Times, "before we worry about everyone else in the world". (AFP)

Trump's 'absolute allegiance' to Russian policy aims raises national security issues: Hillary

The father of a slain Muslim American soldier assailed Donald Trump as a &quot;black soul&quot; on Sunday in an impassioned exchange with the Republican presidential candidate over the qualities required in a US leader. 
 
Khizr Khan electrified the Democratic convention last week with a tribute to his fallen son that ended with a steely rebuke that Trump had &quot;sacrificed nothing&quot; for his country. 
 
Trump defended himself in an interview with ABC&#39;s &quot;This Week,&quot; insisting he had made &quot;a lot of sacrifices&quot; while suggesting that Khan&#39;s wife, who stood silent on the convention stage as her husband spoke, had not been allowed to talk. 
 
But Khan shot back in interviews on US television news shows, while his wife Ghazala explained in a Washington Post op-ed that she had been too grief-stricken to speak. 
 
&quot;Without saying a thing, all the world, all America, felt my pain,&quot; she wrote. &quot;Whoever saw me felt me in their heart.&quot; 
 
Her son, US Army captain Humayun Khan, was killed in Iraq in 2004 in a roadside explosion at the gates of a military compound. 
 
Khan, speaking on CNN, accused Trump of lacking the moral compass and empathy needed to be the country&#39;s leader. 
 
&quot;He is a black soul. And this is totally unfit for the leadership of this beautiful country,&quot; Khan said. 
 
Trump has courted controversy and sparked outrage during his drive for the US presidency with disparaging remarks against immigrants, Muslims and women. 
 
His call to temporarily ban Muslims from entering the United States has drawn criticism even from leaders of his own party. 
 
But despite his high negatives he has attracted a fervent following among working class white males, and he stands near even with Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in the polls. 
 
In an interview with Fox News Sunday, Clinton took aim at Trump`s positive view of Russian President Vladimir Putin and accused him of &quot;absolute allegiance&quot; to Moscow&#39;s foreign policy objectives. 
 
Trump responded defiantly, saying in the ABC interview that he had &quot;no relationship&quot; with Putin, but that &quot;if our country got along with Russia, that would be a great thing.&quot; 
 
The jousting on policy was overshadowed, however, by the emotional back and forth between Trump and Khan. 
 
&quot;I work very, very hard. I`ve created thousands and thousands of jobs, tens of thousands of jobs, built great structures. I`ve had tremendous success. I think I`ve done a lot,&quot; Trump said. 
 
Trump questioned whether Clinton had been behind Khan&#39;s address, which the naturalized Pakistani immigrant said he wrote with his wife Ghazala. 
 
&quot;Who wrote that? Did Hillary&#39;s script writers write it?&quot; Trump said in the interview. 
 
&quot;If you look at his wife, she was standing there. She had nothing to say,&quot; Trump said, adding: &quot;Maybe she wasn`t allowed to have anything to say.&quot; 
 
Khan said he had invited his wife to speak, but she declined, knowing that she`d become too emotional. 
 
He said that running for president does not entitle Trump &quot;to disrespect&quot; the relatives of soldiers killed in combat. 
 
&quot;Shame on him! Shame on his family!&quot; he told ABC News. &quot;He is not worthy of our comments. He has no decency. He is void of decency, he has a dark heart.&quot; 
 
In a statement late on Saturday, Trump praised Captain Khan as &quot;a hero to our country,&quot; adding, &quot;we should honor all who have made the ultimate sacrifice to keep our country safe.&quot; 
 
But Trump took issue with Khan&#39;s convention night speech, including his claim that the billionaire candidate had never read the US constitution. 
 
&quot;While I feel deeply for the loss of his son, Mr Khan, who has never met me, has no right to stand in front of millions of people and claim I have never read the constitution&quot; and &quot;say many other inaccurate things,&quot; Trump said. 
 
Clinton criticized Trump&#39;s treatment of Khan`s during a campaign stop at a church in Cleveland, Ohio. 
 
&quot;Mr. Khan paid the ultimate sacrifice in his family, didn&#39;t he?&quot; she told the African American congregation. &quot;And what has he heard from Donald Trump? Nothing but insults, degrading comments about Muslims, a total misunderstanding of what made our country great -- religious freedom, religious liberty. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s enshrined in our constitution, as Mr. Khan knows, because he&#39;s actually read it. 
 
(AFP)

Khizr Khan electrified the Democratic convention last week with a tribute to his fallen son by saying that Trump had 'sacrificed nothing'

The father of a slain Muslim American soldier assailed Donald Trump as a "black soul" on Sunday in an impassioned exchange with the Republican presidential candidate over the qualities required in a US leader. Khizr Khan electrified the Democratic convention last week with a tribute to his fallen son that ended with a steely rebuke that Trump had "sacrificed nothing" for his country. Trump defended himself in an interview with ABC's "This Week," insisting he had made "a lot of sacrifices" while suggesting that Khan's wife, who stood silent on the convention stage as her husband spoke, had not been allowed to talk. But Khan shot back in interviews on US television news shows, while his wife Ghazala explained in a Washington Post op-ed that she had been too grief-stricken to speak. "Without saying a thing, all the world, all America, felt my pain," she wrote. "Whoever saw me felt me in their heart." Her son, US Army captain Humayun Khan, was killed in Iraq in 2004 in a roadside explosion at the gates of a military compound. Khan, speaking on CNN, accused Trump of lacking the moral compass and empathy needed to be the country's leader. "He is a black soul. And this is totally unfit for the leadership of this beautiful country," Khan said. Trump has courted controversy and sparked outrage during his drive for the US presidency with disparaging remarks against immigrants, Muslims and women. His call to temporarily ban Muslims from entering the United States has drawn criticism even from leaders of his own party. But despite his high negatives he has attracted a fervent following among working class white males, and he stands near even with Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in the polls. In an interview with Fox News Sunday, Clinton took aim at Trump`s positive view of Russian President Vladimir Putin and accused him of "absolute allegiance" to Moscow's foreign policy objectives. Trump responded defiantly, saying in the ABC interview that he had "no relationship" with Putin, but that "if our country got along with Russia, that would be a great thing." The jousting on policy was overshadowed, however, by the emotional back and forth between Trump and Khan. "I work very, very hard. I`ve created thousands and thousands of jobs, tens of thousands of jobs, built great structures. I`ve had tremendous success. I think I`ve done a lot," Trump said. Trump questioned whether Clinton had been behind Khan's address, which the naturalized Pakistani immigrant said he wrote with his wife Ghazala. "Who wrote that? Did Hillary's script writers write it?" Trump said in the interview. "If you look at his wife, she was standing there. She had nothing to say," Trump said, adding: "Maybe she wasn`t allowed to have anything to say." Khan said he had invited his wife to speak, but she declined, knowing that she`d become too emotional. He said that running for president does not entitle Trump "to disrespect" the relatives of soldiers killed in combat. "Shame on him! Shame on his family!" he told ABC News. "He is not worthy of our comments. He has no decency. He is void of decency, he has a dark heart." In a statement late on Saturday, Trump praised Captain Khan as "a hero to our country," adding, "we should honor all who have made the ultimate sacrifice to keep our country safe." But Trump took issue with Khan's convention night speech, including his claim that the billionaire candidate had never read the US constitution. "While I feel deeply for the loss of his son, Mr Khan, who has never met me, has no right to stand in front of millions of people and claim I have never read the constitution" and "say many other inaccurate things," Trump said. Clinton criticized Trump's treatment of Khan`s during a campaign stop at a church in Cleveland, Ohio. "Mr. Khan paid the ultimate sacrifice in his family, didn't he?" she told the African American congregation. "And what has he heard from Donald Trump? Nothing but insults, degrading comments about Muslims, a total misunderstanding of what made our country great -- religious freedom, religious liberty. "It's enshrined in our constitution, as Mr. Khan knows, because he's actually read it. (AFP)

Slain soldier's father calls Trump a 'black soul'

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has come out with a new video challenging his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton&#39;s plans on jobs, taxes and national security, a day after she promised to provide steady leadership. 
 
The video, titled &#39;The Speech&#39;, starts by telling the&nbsp;audience that they would have heard the acceptance speech of Clinton in Philadelphia on Thursday. 
 
&quot;But behind the glitter lies this stark truth: In Hillary Clinton&#39;s America, things get worse. Under her dishonest plan: Taxes keep rising. Terrorism spreads. Washington insiders remain in control. Americans, losing their jobs, homes...And hope,&quot; it says. 
 
The video then tries to contrast this with Trump&#39;s promises and vision. &quot;In Donald Trump&#39;s America: People are put back to work, our families are safe, the American dream achievable again. Change that Makes America Great Again,&quot; the video says. 
 
It ends with a voice over from Trump, saying that he approves this message. 
 
Declaring that the US is at a &quot;moment of reckoning&quot;, Clinton had yesterday attacked Trump for his &quot;bigotry and bombast&quot; while pitching herself to be a steady leader, as she scripted history by becoming the first woman presidential nominee. 
 
(PTI)

The video, titled 'The Speech', says 'But behind the glitter lies this stark truth: In Hillary Clinton's America, things get worse'

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has come out with a new video challenging his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton's plans on jobs, taxes and national security, a day after she promised to provide steady leadership. The video, titled 'The Speech', starts by telling the audience that they would have heard the acceptance speech of Clinton in Philadelphia on Thursday. "But behind the glitter lies this stark truth: In Hillary Clinton's America, things get worse. Under her dishonest plan: Taxes keep rising. Terrorism spreads. Washington insiders remain in control. Americans, losing their jobs, homes...And hope," it says. The video then tries to contrast this with Trump's promises and vision. "In Donald Trump's America: People are put back to work, our families are safe, the American dream achievable again. Change that Makes America Great Again," the video says. It ends with a voice over from Trump, saying that he approves this message. Declaring that the US is at a "moment of reckoning", Clinton had yesterday attacked Trump for his "bigotry and bombast" while pitching herself to be a steady leader, as she scripted history by becoming the first woman presidential nominee. (PTI)

Donald Trump challenges rival Clinton in new twitter video

Just over a week after she blazed into controversy for plagiarising Michelle Obama, the website of Donald Trump&#39;s third wife Melania mysteriously vanished following questions about her university education. 
 
&quot;The website in question was created in 2012 and has been removed because it does not accurately reflect my current business and professional interests,&quot; the mother of one tweeted yesterday. 
 
The website disappeared after US media questioned whether the wife of the Republican nominee for president had a degree in architecture from the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia, as the online biography stated. 
 
Trump told MSNBC in February only that she &quot;studied&quot; design and architecture. A follow-up interview with GQ Magazine published in April said she dropped out after a year to pursue a modeling career in Milan and later Paris. 
 
Those who try to access www.melaniatrump.com are now automatically diverted to her husband&#39;s company website. 
 
While his three adult children, who hold executive positions at The Trump Organization, have biographies on the site, she does not. Neither is she mentioned in her husband&#39;s more than 4,000-word online biography. 
 
Yesterday&#39;s tweet was a rare update from Melania Trump in the 13 months since her husband launched his controversial bid for the White House. 
 
While the ex-model used to post regular style, food and scenic photographs, she has tweeted rarely since his foray into politics. 
 
Last week, a staffer apologised for cribbing remarks from the current Democratic first lady for a speech Melania Trump delivered at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio. 
 
Melania Trump had &quot;always liked&quot; Michelle Obama and read out passages from one of her speeches as examples of what she wanted to say, said the staffer. 
 
&quot;I did not check Mrs Obama&#39;s speeches. This was my mistake, and I feel terrible for the chaos I have caused,&quot; she said. 
 
(AFP)

The website was removed because it did not 'accurately reflect my current business and professional interests', Melania tweeted yesterday

Just over a week after she blazed into controversy for plagiarising Michelle Obama, the website of Donald Trump's third wife Melania mysteriously vanished following questions about her university education. "The website in question was created in 2012 and has been removed because it does not accurately reflect my current business and professional interests," the mother of one tweeted yesterday. The website disappeared after US media questioned whether the wife of the Republican nominee for president had a degree in architecture from the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia, as the online biography stated. Trump told MSNBC in February only that she "studied" design and architecture. A follow-up interview with GQ Magazine published in April said she dropped out after a year to pursue a modeling career in Milan and later Paris. Those who try to access www.melaniatrump.com are now automatically diverted to her husband's company website. While his three adult children, who hold executive positions at The Trump Organization, have biographies on the site, she does not. Neither is she mentioned in her husband's more than 4,000-word online biography. Yesterday's tweet was a rare update from Melania Trump in the 13 months since her husband launched his controversial bid for the White House. While the ex-model used to post regular style, food and scenic photographs, she has tweeted rarely since his foray into politics. Last week, a staffer apologised for cribbing remarks from the current Democratic first lady for a speech Melania Trump delivered at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio. Melania Trump had "always liked" Michelle Obama and read out passages from one of her speeches as examples of what she wanted to say, said the staffer. "I did not check Mrs Obama's speeches. This was my mistake, and I feel terrible for the chaos I have caused," she said. (AFP)

Melania Trump's website deleted after degree questions

Millions of Americans have tuned in to watch this month&#39;s party conventions, with the Democratic confab ahead in the ratings,&nbsp;prompting Donald Trump&#39;s Republicans to urge supporters not to watch Hillary Clinton&#39;s landmark speech on Thursday night. 
 
Data compiled by ratings agency Nielsen show the Democratic event in Philadelphia outperforming the Republican convention in Cleveland all three nights so far. 
 
&quot;Unless you want to be lied to, belittled and attacked for your beliefs, don&#39;t watch Hillary&#39;s DNC speech tonight,&quot; Trump&#39;s campaign said in a fundraising email. 
 
&quot;Instead, help Donald Trump hold her accountable, call out her lies and fight back against her nasty attacks.&quot; 
 
On the opening day, Democrats drew nearly 26 million viewers, compared to 23 million for the Republicans. Day two saw the Democrats earn 24.7 million viewers, almost five million more than the GOP, according to Nielsen. 
 
Democrats drew 24.4 million viewers on day three, one million more than the Republican convention. 
 
Some of the biggest names in pop music including Katy Perry, Lenny Kravitz, and Paul Simon have headlined the event in Philadelphia. 
 
The Democratic events has more political star power too, although that was expected given that their party occupies the White House. President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden went to bat for Clinton Wednesday night, while her husband Bill, himself a former president, delivered the keynote speech on Tuesday and First Lady Michelle Obama spoke on Monday. 
 
The performances come in stark contrast to the previous week&#39;s Republican convention which had few famous entertainers despite billionaire nominee Donald Trump&#39;s boast that he would bring some showbiz pizzazz. 
 
But the higher Democratic ratings are still seen as a surprise, given that Trump has been such a consistently strong media draw throughout the presidential campaign. 
 
(AFP) 
&nbsp;

Data suggests that the Democratic event in Philadelphia outperformed the Republican convention in Cleveland all three nights so far

Millions of Americans have tuned in to watch this month's party conventions, with the Democratic confab ahead in the ratings, prompting Donald Trump's Republicans to urge supporters not to watch Hillary Clinton's landmark speech on Thursday night. Data compiled by ratings agency Nielsen show the Democratic event in Philadelphia outperforming the Republican convention in Cleveland all three nights so far. "Unless you want to be lied to, belittled and attacked for your beliefs, don't watch Hillary's DNC speech tonight," Trump's campaign said in a fundraising email. "Instead, help Donald Trump hold her accountable, call out her lies and fight back against her nasty attacks." On the opening day, Democrats drew nearly 26 million viewers, compared to 23 million for the Republicans. Day two saw the Democrats earn 24.7 million viewers, almost five million more than the GOP, according to Nielsen. Democrats drew 24.4 million viewers on day three, one million more than the Republican convention. Some of the biggest names in pop music including Katy Perry, Lenny Kravitz, and Paul Simon have headlined the event in Philadelphia. The Democratic events has more political star power too, although that was expected given that their party occupies the White House. President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden went to bat for Clinton Wednesday night, while her husband Bill, himself a former president, delivered the keynote speech on Tuesday and First Lady Michelle Obama spoke on Monday. The performances come in stark contrast to the previous week's Republican convention which had few famous entertainers despite billionaire nominee Donald Trump's boast that he would bring some showbiz pizzazz. But the higher Democratic ratings are still seen as a surprise, given that Trump has been such a consistently strong media draw throughout the presidential campaign. (AFP)

Trump urges viewers to skip Clinton speech

Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton secured the Democratic Party&#39;s 2016 nomination for the White House yesterday, becoming the first woman to head the ticket of a major party in US history. 
 
In a symbolic show of party unity, Clinton&#39;s former rival, US senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, told the chairwoman from the convention floor that Clinton should be selected as the party&#39;s nominee during a state-by-state roll call at the Democratic convention in Philadelphia. 
 
Earlier, delegates from South Dakota had given Clinton 15 votes, ensuring that she had more than the 2,383 votes needed to win the nomination. She emerged with a total of 2,842 votes to Sanders&#39; 1,865 votes. 
 
After a tough battle with Sanders, Clinton is now the party&#39;s standard-bearer against Republican nominee Donald Trump in the November 8 election. 
 
Delegates chanted &quot;Hillary, Hillary&quot; as US senator Barbara Mikulski of Maryland formally put forward Clinton&#39;s name for the alphabetical roll-call vote. 
 
&quot;Yes, we do break barriers, I broke a barrier when I became the first Democratic woman elected to the Senate in her own right,&quot; Mikulski said. &quot;So it is with a full heart that I&#39;m here today to nominate Hillary Clinton to be the first woman president,&quot; Mikulski said. 
 
Sanders has endorsed Clinton, a former first lady and US senator, but some of his supporters protested in Philadelphia against the party leadership&#39;s apparent backing of her during the bitter Democratic primary fight. 
 
Supporters of Clinton say her Washington credentials show she has the experience needed for the White House during troubled times as the United States tries to speed up its economic recovery and faces security challenges abroad. 
 
Detractors view her as too cosy with the establishment and say she carries political baggage dating back to the start of her husband president Bill Clinton&#39;s first White House term in the 1990s. 
 
Clinton had been leading Trump in national opinion polls in recent weeks but the New York businessman got a boost from the Republican National Convention in Cleveland where he was formally nominated last week. 
 
Trump had a 2-point lead over Clinton in a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on yesterday, the first time he has been ahead since early May. 
 
Clinton, who promises to tackle income inequality and rein in Wall Street if she becomes president, is eager to portray former reality TV star Trump as too unstable to sit in the Oval Office. 
 
In the recent past, Clinton has faced much criticism over the email scandal as well as the documents leaked by WikiLeaks over which Democratic National Committee chairperson Debbie Wasserman Schultz had to resign. 
 
(Reuters)

She secures Democratic Party's 2016 ticket for presidential run to become first female nominee of a major party

Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton secured the Democratic Party's 2016 nomination for the White House yesterday, becoming the first woman to head the ticket of a major party in US history. In a symbolic show of party unity, Clinton's former rival, US senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, told the chairwoman from the convention floor that Clinton should be selected as the party's nominee during a state-by-state roll call at the Democratic convention in Philadelphia. Earlier, delegates from South Dakota had given Clinton 15 votes, ensuring that she had more than the 2,383 votes needed to win the nomination. She emerged with a total of 2,842 votes to Sanders' 1,865 votes. After a tough battle with Sanders, Clinton is now the party's standard-bearer against Republican nominee Donald Trump in the November 8 election. Delegates chanted "Hillary, Hillary" as US senator Barbara Mikulski of Maryland formally put forward Clinton's name for the alphabetical roll-call vote. "Yes, we do break barriers, I broke a barrier when I became the first Democratic woman elected to the Senate in her own right," Mikulski said. "So it is with a full heart that I'm here today to nominate Hillary Clinton to be the first woman president," Mikulski said. Sanders has endorsed Clinton, a former first lady and US senator, but some of his supporters protested in Philadelphia against the party leadership's apparent backing of her during the bitter Democratic primary fight. Supporters of Clinton say her Washington credentials show she has the experience needed for the White House during troubled times as the United States tries to speed up its economic recovery and faces security challenges abroad. Detractors view her as too cosy with the establishment and say she carries political baggage dating back to the start of her husband president Bill Clinton's first White House term in the 1990s. Clinton had been leading Trump in national opinion polls in recent weeks but the New York businessman got a boost from the Republican National Convention in Cleveland where he was formally nominated last week. Trump had a 2-point lead over Clinton in a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on yesterday, the first time he has been ahead since early May. Clinton, who promises to tackle income inequality and rein in Wall Street if she becomes president, is eager to portray former reality TV star Trump as too unstable to sit in the Oval Office. In the recent past, Clinton has faced much criticism over the email scandal as well as the documents leaked by WikiLeaks over which Democratic National Committee chairperson Debbie Wasserman Schultz had to resign. (Reuters)

Hillary Clinton trumps WikiLeaks and email scandal to make history

Germany today stressed its promise to protect its NATO allies after White House hopeful Donald Trump called the commitment into question. 
 
&quot;The German government is fundamentally committed to Article Five of the NATO treaty. That is the central promise of solidarity within the alliance,&quot; Chancellor Angela Merkel&#39;s spokesman Steffen Seibert told reporters when asked about Trump&#39;s remarks. 
 
&quot;Collective defence according to Article Five is and remains the main duty of NATO,&quot; Seibert added, noting that the pledge had once again been renewed at a NATO summit this month in Warsaw. 
 
Under Article Five of the NATO treaty, members agree to regard an attack on one member as an attack on all, and promise to mobilise together to defeat the threat. 
 
In an interview published on Thursday in the New York Times, Trump raised questions about this vow.&nbsp;He warned that if elected he would only come to the aid of the Baltic states in the event they were invaded by Russia if he judged they had &quot;fulfilled their obligations to us&quot;. 
 
This drew a furious response from Estonia and Latvia, and outrage from Trump&#39;s domestic political critics.&nbsp;US Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday reaffirmed Washington&#39;s promise to protect its NATO allies following the uproar. 
 
(AFP)

Trump said if elected he would aid the Baltic states only if they had 'fulfilled their obligations', drawing outrage from two Baltic nations

Germany today stressed its promise to protect its NATO allies after White House hopeful Donald Trump called the commitment into question. "The German government is fundamentally committed to Article Five of the NATO treaty. That is the central promise of solidarity within the alliance," Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert told reporters when asked about Trump's remarks. "Collective defence according to Article Five is and remains the main duty of NATO," Seibert added, noting that the pledge had once again been renewed at a NATO summit this month in Warsaw. Under Article Five of the NATO treaty, members agree to regard an attack on one member as an attack on all, and promise to mobilise together to defeat the threat. In an interview published on Thursday in the New York Times, Trump raised questions about this vow. He warned that if elected he would only come to the aid of the Baltic states in the event they were invaded by Russia if he judged they had "fulfilled their obligations to us". This drew a furious response from Estonia and Latvia, and outrage from Trump's domestic political critics. US Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday reaffirmed Washington's promise to protect its NATO allies following the uproar. (AFP)

Germany stresses NATO commitment to allies after Trump comments

Republican Donald Trump conducted last-minute talks with his top potential picks for his vice presidential running mate on Wednesday and said he would announce his choice on Friday in New York. 
 
&quot;I will be making the announcement of my Vice Presidential pick on Friday at 11am in Manhattan. Details to follow,&quot; the presumptive Republican presidential nominee tweeted on Wednesday night. 
 
Trump had a breakfast meeting on Wednesday with Indiana Governor Mike Pence, and later sat down for talks with former US House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich. His family met on Tuesday with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who speaks to Trump on a near-daily basis. 
 
In addition, US Senator Jeff Sessions, 69, of Alabama, a fourth potential candidate for the number two spot who has been a close adviser to Trump, was seen going into the Conrad Hotel in Indianapolis, where Trump was. 
 
A source close to the campaign said Trump appeared to be leaning toward Pence but that he could always change his mind. &quot;It&#39;s not done until it&#39;s done,&quot; the source said. 
 
Trump seemed to be trying to decide between Pence and Gingrich, the source added. 
 
The New York businessman is to be formally nominated at the Republican National Convention next week in Cleveland. Traditionally, the vice presidential choice is used to build enthusiasm among party loyalists. 
 
Pence, who faces a Friday deadline on whether to have his name on the ballot to seek another term as governor, said he was humbled to be considered for Trump&#39;s running mate. 
 
&quot;I think he&#39;s giving it very careful consideration, and we&rsquo;re humbled to be a part of that,&quot; Pence told reporters later. &quot;There are a number of other noteworthy Americans that they are considering, and I&#39;m just honoured to be on that list.&quot; 
 
Republicans close to the campaign said they believed Trump had narrowed his short list to Pence, Gingrich and Christie. 
 
He has campaigned with all three in recent days as he girds for perhaps the most consequential decision of his campaign ahead of the November 8 election. 
 
In a sign of how seriously the campaign is considering Pence, Trump was joined at the governor&#39;s residence for breakfast by his daughter Ivanka, son-in-law Jared Kushner and sons Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump. Kushner and Trump&#39;s children have played important roles in the campaign. 
 
Trump&#39;s children met with Christie on Tuesday, a source close to the governor confirmed, describing the meeting as good and saying both parties had an existing relationship and were already friendly.&nbsp; 
 
Trump, who wants an experienced politician to join him on the ticket, campaigned with Pence at a rally on Tuesday night in Westfield, Indiana. 
 
&#39;More attention than usual&#39; 
 
Trump, a political outsider before entering the presidential race last year, has a tough choice to make.&nbsp; 
 
Pence, a 57-year-old former congressman who has flirted in the past with a presidential run of his own, would be perhaps the safest choice for Trump given the governor&#39;s popularity among conservatives and his experience in government. He would also bring Midwestern appeal. 
 
But Pence has had a couple of missteps as Indiana&#39;s chief executive. A religious freedom law he signed had to be revised because it was seen as discriminating against gays and lesbians, and he had to abandon plans to create a state-run news agency. 
 
&quot;Throughout history vice presidential selections seldom make much difference in the election. Because Trump has never held office and people are anxious to see how he would assemble a government, this pick might get more attention than usual,&quot; said Republican strategist Charlie Black. 
 
&quot;Pence would be a very good pick from the standpoint of having federal and state government experience, and also he has been a card-carrying member of the conservative movement his whole life,&quot; Black said. 
 
Trump is clearly comfortable with both Gingrich and Christie, a factor that Trump advisers say is important to him. Both Gingrich and Christie have been supportive of Trump throughout much of his bitter feud with establishment Republicans. 
 
Gingrich is popular among many Trump advisers because of his grasp of policy and his counsel. He was House speaker when Democrat Bill Clinton was president in the 1990s, and they achieved welfare reform, among other legislative achievements. 
 
&quot;Trump has staked his candidacy on revolutionary change in Washington and there is no one being considered who has actually achieved revolutionary change like Newt Gingrich,&quot; said Rick Tyler, a former spokesman for Gingrich. &quot;If Trump picks him, I&rsquo;ll know that Trump is serious about reforming Washington.&quot; 
 
But at age 73, Gingrich could have trouble appealing to younger voters. Trump is 70. 
 
Christie, 53, a one-time rival to Trump in the presidential race, is seen as a kindred spirit of Trump who would be a strong counterpuncher to Democrat Hillary Clinton, 68. But many conservatives doubt he really is one of them. 
 
(Reuters)

According to a?source, Trump might?decide between Indiana Governor Mike Pence and?House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich

Republican Donald Trump conducted last-minute talks with his top potential picks for his vice presidential running mate on Wednesday and said he would announce his choice on Friday in New York. "I will be making the announcement of my Vice Presidential pick on Friday at 11am in Manhattan. Details to follow," the presumptive Republican presidential nominee tweeted on Wednesday night. Trump had a breakfast meeting on Wednesday with Indiana Governor Mike Pence, and later sat down for talks with former US House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich. His family met on Tuesday with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who speaks to Trump on a near-daily basis. In addition, US Senator Jeff Sessions, 69, of Alabama, a fourth potential candidate for the number two spot who has been a close adviser to Trump, was seen going into the Conrad Hotel in Indianapolis, where Trump was. A source close to the campaign said Trump appeared to be leaning toward Pence but that he could always change his mind. "It's not done until it's done," the source said. Trump seemed to be trying to decide between Pence and Gingrich, the source added. The New York businessman is to be formally nominated at the Republican National Convention next week in Cleveland. Traditionally, the vice presidential choice is used to build enthusiasm among party loyalists. Pence, who faces a Friday deadline on whether to have his name on the ballot to seek another term as governor, said he was humbled to be considered for Trump's running mate. "I think he's giving it very careful consideration, and we’re humbled to be a part of that," Pence told reporters later. "There are a number of other noteworthy Americans that they are considering, and I'm just honoured to be on that list." Republicans close to the campaign said they believed Trump had narrowed his short list to Pence, Gingrich and Christie. He has campaigned with all three in recent days as he girds for perhaps the most consequential decision of his campaign ahead of the November 8 election. In a sign of how seriously the campaign is considering Pence, Trump was joined at the governor's residence for breakfast by his daughter Ivanka, son-in-law Jared Kushner and sons Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump. Kushner and Trump's children have played important roles in the campaign. Trump's children met with Christie on Tuesday, a source close to the governor confirmed, describing the meeting as good and saying both parties had an existing relationship and were already friendly. Trump, who wants an experienced politician to join him on the ticket, campaigned with Pence at a rally on Tuesday night in Westfield, Indiana. 'More attention than usual' Trump, a political outsider before entering the presidential race last year, has a tough choice to make. Pence, a 57-year-old former congressman who has flirted in the past with a presidential run of his own, would be perhaps the safest choice for Trump given the governor's popularity among conservatives and his experience in government. He would also bring Midwestern appeal. But Pence has had a couple of missteps as Indiana's chief executive. A religious freedom law he signed had to be revised because it was seen as discriminating against gays and lesbians, and he had to abandon plans to create a state-run news agency. "Throughout history vice presidential selections seldom make much difference in the election. Because Trump has never held office and people are anxious to see how he would assemble a government, this pick might get more attention than usual," said Republican strategist Charlie Black. "Pence would be a very good pick from the standpoint of having federal and state government experience, and also he has been a card-carrying member of the conservative movement his whole life," Black said. Trump is clearly comfortable with both Gingrich and Christie, a factor that Trump advisers say is important to him. Both Gingrich and Christie have been supportive of Trump throughout much of his bitter feud with establishment Republicans. Gingrich is popular among many Trump advisers because of his grasp of policy and his counsel. He was House speaker when Democrat Bill Clinton was president in the 1990s, and they achieved welfare reform, among other legislative achievements. "Trump has staked his candidacy on revolutionary change in Washington and there is no one being considered who has actually achieved revolutionary change like Newt Gingrich," said Rick Tyler, a former spokesman for Gingrich. "If Trump picks him, I’ll know that Trump is serious about reforming Washington." But at age 73, Gingrich could have trouble appealing to younger voters. Trump is 70. Christie, 53, a one-time rival to Trump in the presidential race, is seen as a kindred spirit of Trump who would be a strong counterpuncher to Democrat Hillary Clinton, 68. But many conservatives doubt he really is one of them. (Reuters)

Donald Trump to announce Vice President pick Friday

Bernie Sanders urged reluctant supporters yesterday to vote for his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in order to bar Donald Trump&#39;s path to the White House, slamming the Republican as a &quot;demagogue&quot;. 
 
&quot;We have got to defeat Donald Trump. We have got to elect Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine,&quot; the Vermont senator told a rally held hours before the opening of the Democratic National Convention. 
 
&quot;Trump is a bully and a demagogue,&quot; said Sanders whose call to support party nominee Clinton in November was met with loud jeers and cries of &quot;We want Bernie!&quot; from the fired-up crowd. 
 
The four-day confab in Philadelphia got off to a rocky start following a major internal row over leaked emails that showed party leaders sought to undermine Sanders in the party primaries.&nbsp;Many of the die-hard Sanders supporters who descended on Philadelphia loathe the party flag bearer Clinton so much they are unwilling to back her, even if the cost is a Trump presidency. 
 
Sanders has officially endorsed his rival and has been offered a prime speaking slot later Monday at the convention, during which he will stress that the party mission is to prevent Trump from becoming the 45th president of the United States. 
 
He hammered home that message to his supporters. 
 
&quot;Brothers and sisters - brothers and sisters, this is the real world that we live in,&quot; Sanders said.&nbsp;&quot;Trump has made bigotry and hatred the cornerstone of his campaign. Throughout this campaign he has insulted Mexicans and Latinos. He has insulted Muslims and insulted women and African Americans.&nbsp;It is not just my opinion. That is what many conservative Republicans believe. Trump is a danger for the future of our country and must be defeated.&nbsp;And I intend to do everything to see that he is defeated.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

Sanders will speak at the Democratic convention where he will stress that preventing Trump from taking the White House is the party mission

Bernie Sanders urged reluctant supporters yesterday to vote for his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in order to bar Donald Trump's path to the White House, slamming the Republican as a "demagogue". "We have got to defeat Donald Trump. We have got to elect Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine," the Vermont senator told a rally held hours before the opening of the Democratic National Convention. "Trump is a bully and a demagogue," said Sanders whose call to support party nominee Clinton in November was met with loud jeers and cries of "We want Bernie!" from the fired-up crowd. The four-day confab in Philadelphia got off to a rocky start following a major internal row over leaked emails that showed party leaders sought to undermine Sanders in the party primaries. Many of the die-hard Sanders supporters who descended on Philadelphia loathe the party flag bearer Clinton so much they are unwilling to back her, even if the cost is a Trump presidency. Sanders has officially endorsed his rival and has been offered a prime speaking slot later Monday at the convention, during which he will stress that the party mission is to prevent Trump from becoming the 45th president of the United States. He hammered home that message to his supporters. "Brothers and sisters - brothers and sisters, this is the real world that we live in," Sanders said. "Trump has made bigotry and hatred the cornerstone of his campaign. Throughout this campaign he has insulted Mexicans and Latinos. He has insulted Muslims and insulted women and African Americans. It is not just my opinion. That is what many conservative Republicans believe. Trump is a danger for the future of our country and must be defeated. And I intend to do everything to see that he is defeated." (AFP)

Sanders calls Trump 'demagogue', urges vote for Clinton

President Barack Obama questioned Republican nominee Donald Trump&#39;s readiness to be commander-in-chief, in an interview broadcast today. 
 
Weighing in on Trump&#39;s suggestions that the US might not meet its mutual defence obligations in NATO, Obama told CBS it highlighted a &quot;lack of preparedness that he has been displaying when it comes to foreign policy.&quot; 
 
Obama has repeatedly called on European allies to boost defence spending, but has not questioned America&#39;s role in the alliance. 
 
Trump has repeatedly indicated that the United States might not come to the defence of a NATO ally, a treaty obligation, if they were not pulling their weight. 
 
&quot;Anybody who&#39;s been paying attention knows there is a big difference between challenging our European allies to keep up their defence spending, particularly at a time when Russia&#39;s been more aggressive, and saying to them, &#39;You know what? We might not abide by the central tenet of the most important alliance in the history of the world&#39;,&quot; Obama said. 
 
Under Article Five of the NATO treaty, members agree to regard an attack on one member as an attack on all and promise to mobilise together to defeat the threat. 
 
(AFP)

Trump has repeatedly indicated that US might not come to the defence of a NATO ally if they do not pull their own weight

President Barack Obama questioned Republican nominee Donald Trump's readiness to be commander-in-chief, in an interview broadcast today. Weighing in on Trump's suggestions that the US might not meet its mutual defence obligations in NATO, Obama told CBS it highlighted a "lack of preparedness that he has been displaying when it comes to foreign policy." Obama has repeatedly called on European allies to boost defence spending, but has not questioned America's role in the alliance. Trump has repeatedly indicated that the United States might not come to the defence of a NATO ally, a treaty obligation, if they were not pulling their weight. "Anybody who's been paying attention knows there is a big difference between challenging our European allies to keep up their defence spending, particularly at a time when Russia's been more aggressive, and saying to them, 'You know what? We might not abide by the central tenet of the most important alliance in the history of the world'," Obama said. Under Article Five of the NATO treaty, members agree to regard an attack on one member as an attack on all and promise to mobilise together to defeat the threat. (AFP)

Obama questions Trump's readiness to be commander-in-chief

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