Republican Party&#39;s presidential nominee Donald Trump has claimed that the European Union (EU) was created to beat the United States (US) in terms of making money. 
 
In an interview with NBC News, Trump while commenting on the EU said, &quot;The reason that it got together was like a consortium so that it could compete with the United States.&quot; 
 
&quot;The EU was founded in 1952 in an effort to promote strong cross-border ties in Europe and avoid future wars.Since then, it has evolved to a customs union and eventually to the transnational entity devoted to removing internal trade barriers, building a common market and a fiscal union&#39;&#39;, reports the Guardian. 
 
The New York billionaire&#39;s anti-European statements come after he repeatedly praised Brexit, the vote by the United Kingdom to leave the European Union. 
 
Trump defended his recent remarks on NATO, saying the countries in the organisation need to pay more to the US so that Washington meets its treaty obligations of mutual defence. 
 
He also called both the World Trade Organization and Nafta &quot;disasters&quot;. On his call to ban the people in the US from any nation that has been compromised by terrorism, he said that it was an expansion on his infamous Muslim ban of December 2015. 
 
&quot;I actually don&#39;t think it&#39;s a rollback. In fact, you could say it&#39;s an expansion. I&#39;m looking now at territory. People were so upset when I used the word Muslim. Oh, you can&#39;t use the word Muslim. Remember this. And I&#39;m okay with that, because I&#39;m talking territory instead of Muslim,&quot; he added. 
 
Trump also confirmed reports that he would seek revenge against former presidential nominee rivals John Kasich and Ted Cruz. 
 
He said that he would do it by funding a super Political Action Committee (PAC) in the 2018 cycle to help defeat their respective attempts to win the gubernatorial election in Ohio and US senate election in Texas. 
 
(ANI)&nbsp;

The New York billionaire's anti-European statements come after he repeatedly praised Brexit

Republican Party's presidential nominee Donald Trump has claimed that the European Union (EU) was created to beat the United States (US) in terms of making money. In an interview with NBC News, Trump while commenting on the EU said, "The reason that it got together was like a consortium so that it could compete with the United States." "The EU was founded in 1952 in an effort to promote strong cross-border ties in Europe and avoid future wars.Since then, it has evolved to a customs union and eventually to the transnational entity devoted to removing internal trade barriers, building a common market and a fiscal union'', reports the Guardian. The New York billionaire's anti-European statements come after he repeatedly praised Brexit, the vote by the United Kingdom to leave the European Union. Trump defended his recent remarks on NATO, saying the countries in the organisation need to pay more to the US so that Washington meets its treaty obligations of mutual defence. He also called both the World Trade Organization and Nafta "disasters". On his call to ban the people in the US from any nation that has been compromised by terrorism, he said that it was an expansion on his infamous Muslim ban of December 2015. "I actually don't think it's a rollback. In fact, you could say it's an expansion. I'm looking now at territory. People were so upset when I used the word Muslim. Oh, you can't use the word Muslim. Remember this. And I'm okay with that, because I'm talking territory instead of Muslim," he added. Trump also confirmed reports that he would seek revenge against former presidential nominee rivals John Kasich and Ted Cruz. He said that he would do it by funding a super Political Action Committee (PAC) in the 2018 cycle to help defeat their respective attempts to win the gubernatorial election in Ohio and US senate election in Texas. (ANI)

EU formed to beat US at making money, says Donald Trump

A Los Angeles-based street artist has taken Donald Trump to his word, building a wall, but around the Republican presidential hopeful&#39;s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. 
 
The 6-inch wall, made of wooden planks and topped with barbed wire, was put up Tuesday evening around the controversial mogul&#39;s star by the artist known as Plastic Jesus. 
 
It was taken down early Wednesday. 
 
&quot;I built and paid for the wall myself. No Mexican money,&quot; tweeted the British-born artist, as curious onlookers took pictures of his work before it was removed. 
 
The artist has also created &quot;No Trump Anytime&quot; signs that have been posted in Los Angeles, New York, and other cities. 
 
Trump has repeatedly vowed during his campaign to build a wall between Mexico and the United States, drawing criticism from rights groups. 
 
This is not the first time that Trump&#39;s Walk of Fame star has been targeted. 
 
Last year, feces was left on the star and someone drew a large yellow X over it. 
 
A swastika and a mute symbol were also drawn on the red tile in recent months. 
 
Trump got his star, located on Hollywood Boulevard, in 2007 for his hit reality TV show &quot;The Apprentice&quot;. 
 
(AFP)

'I built and paid for the wall myself. No Mexican money,' tweeted the British-born artist . The wall was taken down early Wednesday

A Los Angeles-based street artist has taken Donald Trump to his word, building a wall, but around the Republican presidential hopeful's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The 6-inch wall, made of wooden planks and topped with barbed wire, was put up Tuesday evening around the controversial mogul's star by the artist known as Plastic Jesus. It was taken down early Wednesday. "I built and paid for the wall myself. No Mexican money," tweeted the British-born artist, as curious onlookers took pictures of his work before it was removed. The artist has also created "No Trump Anytime" signs that have been posted in Los Angeles, New York, and other cities. Trump has repeatedly vowed during his campaign to build a wall between Mexico and the United States, drawing criticism from rights groups. This is not the first time that Trump's Walk of Fame star has been targeted. Last year, feces was left on the star and someone drew a large yellow X over it. A swastika and a mute symbol were also drawn on the red tile in recent months. Trump got his star, located on Hollywood Boulevard, in 2007 for his hit reality TV show "The Apprentice". (AFP)

Artist builds six-inch wall around Trump's Hollywood star

After vanquishing 16 party rivals, warring with much of the Republican establishment and provoking controversy at his party&#39;s convention,&nbsp;Donald&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;on Tuesday (July 19) secured the party&#39;s 2016 nomination for the White House.

His son,&nbsp;Donald&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;Jr., announced the support of New York, their home state, during a roll-call vote at the Republican National Convention, ensuring&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;had the majority of delegates - 1,237 - needed to contest the Nov 8, 2016, US&nbsp;presidential election.

With three of&nbsp;Trump&#39;s other children at his side, the son said: &quot;It is my honor to be able to throw Donald&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;over the top in the delegate count tonight.&quot;

The state-by-state vote to put&nbsp;Trump&#39;s name in nomination took place a day after opponents staged a failed attempt to force a vote opposing his candidacy, and after a speech by his wife, Melania, drew accusations of plagiarism.

US&nbsp;senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, an early backer of&nbsp;Trump, placed the New York businessman&#39;s name in nomination, calling him &quot;a warrior and a winner.&quot; US&nbsp;House of Representatives speaker Paul Ryan, the country&#39;s highest-ranking elected Republican, ran the meeting and launched the nominating process.

Despite threats of another chaotic day at the Quicken Loans basketball arena in Cleveland, anti-Trump&nbsp;Republican US&nbsp;Senator Mike Lee said efforts by some delegates to block&nbsp;Trump&#39;s nomination appeared finished.

I don&#39;t see any way around it, the Utah lawmaker said.

Trump&#39;s campaign has been marked by frequent controversy over his rhetoric on Muslims, Hispanics, illegal immigration and trade, alarming many in the Republican establishment.

Party officials are hoping to use the four-day convention, which began on Monday, to smooth out some of his rough edges and present him as a job creator and a strong hand to combat security threats at home and abroad.

After the vote of the states,&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;was due to receive the blessing on stage of other senior Republicans, including Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

Both Ryan and McConnell need&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;to do well in the November election as they seek to preserve Republican majorities in Congress.

Trump, a 70-year-old real estate developer and former reality TV star who has never held elective office, trails Democrat Hillary Clinton, 68, in many opinion polls after a bruising Republican primary season.

Trump&nbsp;narrowed his deficit against Clinton to seven percentage points from 15 points late last week, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday.

Clinton is expected to be formally nominated at the Democratic convention next week in Philadelphia. 
 
(Reuters)

He will formally accept his nomination in a speech at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland on Thursday

After vanquishing 16 party rivals, warring with much of the Republican establishment and provoking controversy at his party's convention, Donald Trump on Tuesday (July 19) secured the party's 2016 nomination for the White House. His son, Donald Trump Jr., announced the support of New York, their home state, during a roll-call vote at the Republican National Convention, ensuring Trump had the majority of delegates - 1,237 - needed to contest the Nov 8, 2016, US presidential election. With three of Trump's other children at his side, the son said: "It is my honor to be able to throw Donald Trump over the top in the delegate count tonight." The state-by-state vote to put Trump's name in nomination took place a day after opponents staged a failed attempt to force a vote opposing his candidacy, and after a speech by his wife, Melania, drew accusations of plagiarism. US senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, an early backer of Trump, placed the New York businessman's name in nomination, calling him "a warrior and a winner." US House of Representatives speaker Paul Ryan, the country's highest-ranking elected Republican, ran the meeting and launched the nominating process. Despite threats of another chaotic day at the Quicken Loans basketball arena in Cleveland, anti-Trump Republican US Senator Mike Lee said efforts by some delegates to block Trump's nomination appeared finished. I don't see any way around it, the Utah lawmaker said. Trump's campaign has been marked by frequent controversy over his rhetoric on Muslims, Hispanics, illegal immigration and trade, alarming many in the Republican establishment. Party officials are hoping to use the four-day convention, which began on Monday, to smooth out some of his rough edges and present him as a job creator and a strong hand to combat security threats at home and abroad. After the vote of the states, Trump was due to receive the blessing on stage of other senior Republicans, including Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. Both Ryan and McConnell need Trump to do well in the November election as they seek to preserve Republican majorities in Congress. Trump, a 70-year-old real estate developer and former reality TV star who has never held elective office, trails Democrat Hillary Clinton, 68, in many opinion polls after a bruising Republican primary season. Trump narrowed his deficit against Clinton to seven percentage points from 15 points late last week, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday. Clinton is expected to be formally nominated at the Democratic convention next week in Philadelphia. (Reuters)

Trump secures Republican nomination for White House

Republican delegates angered by the imminent presidential nomination of Donald Trump launched a loud, disruptive protest on Monday on the floor&nbsp;during the opening session of the Republican National Convention. Sadly, it was a failed attempt to change the party rules to block Trump&#39;s nomination.&nbsp; 
 
Several hundred anti-Trump delegates seeking to change the convention rules so that they could opt out of voting for the real estate mogul roared their disapproval after being denied the chance to debate the changes or have a full vote on them. 
 
&quot;Shame! Shame!&quot; some shouted, as pro-Trump delegates yelled back. Members of the &#39;Never Trump&#39; group alleged that they were bullied by the party leadership.&nbsp;The convention screeched to a halt for several minutes, and in an extraordinary moment rarely seen in modern-day nominating conventions, several delegates stormed off the floor in protest. 
 
New Hampshire delegate Gordon Humphrey had earlier submitted a petition signed by a majority of delegates from nine states demanding a formal vote on the convention rules.&nbsp; 
 
The conference chair, stern-faced House Republican Steve Womack was greeted with an extraordinary ruckus. &nbsp;The &quot;No&quot; shouts were loud but appeared to come from a slightly smaller contingent of rebel delegates and Womack declared the rules adopted.&nbsp;But Womack was not out of the woods yet. Phill Wright, head of the Utah delegation, demanded to be heard.&nbsp;With his microphone on, Wright called for a vote by roll call instead of by acclamation, as requested in the petition. 
 
Party leaders held a voice vote, then declared the opponents lacked enough support, triggering pandemonium on the floor.&nbsp;&quot;This entire system is rigged to force the vote for Donald Trump,&quot; said Kendal Unruh, a delegate from Colorado. 
 
While delivering a jolt to the highly scripted program, the rebellion by the anti-Trump forces was quashed.&nbsp;But the furor, an embarrassment to Trump, put a spotlight on the deep divisions within the party that have emerged over his candidacy. A string of senior Republicans, worried about Trump&#39;s temperament and policies, were already avoiding the convention. 
 
Trump&#39;s opponents had little chance of stopping his march but it would have served as a crippling protest vote against the candidate, who has dreamt of a glide path to the nomination as a way to tamp down divisions within the party and concerns that he is ill-fitted to be commander in chief. 
 
On Tuesday the convention formally votes to nominate Trump as their flagbearer. They will vote delegation by delegation, scrupulously following the results of the state primaries. 
 
(AFP, PTI) 
&nbsp;

In an extraordinary moment rarely seen in modern-day nominating conventions, several delegates stormed off the floor in protest

Republican delegates angered by the imminent presidential nomination of Donald Trump launched a loud, disruptive protest on Monday on the floor during the opening session of the Republican National Convention. Sadly, it was a failed attempt to change the party rules to block Trump's nomination. Several hundred anti-Trump delegates seeking to change the convention rules so that they could opt out of voting for the real estate mogul roared their disapproval after being denied the chance to debate the changes or have a full vote on them. "Shame! Shame!" some shouted, as pro-Trump delegates yelled back. Members of the 'Never Trump' group alleged that they were bullied by the party leadership. The convention screeched to a halt for several minutes, and in an extraordinary moment rarely seen in modern-day nominating conventions, several delegates stormed off the floor in protest. New Hampshire delegate Gordon Humphrey had earlier submitted a petition signed by a majority of delegates from nine states demanding a formal vote on the convention rules. The conference chair, stern-faced House Republican Steve Womack was greeted with an extraordinary ruckus. The "No" shouts were loud but appeared to come from a slightly smaller contingent of rebel delegates and Womack declared the rules adopted. But Womack was not out of the woods yet. Phill Wright, head of the Utah delegation, demanded to be heard. With his microphone on, Wright called for a vote by roll call instead of by acclamation, as requested in the petition. Party leaders held a voice vote, then declared the opponents lacked enough support, triggering pandemonium on the floor. "This entire system is rigged to force the vote for Donald Trump," said Kendal Unruh, a delegate from Colorado. While delivering a jolt to the highly scripted program, the rebellion by the anti-Trump forces was quashed. But the furor, an embarrassment to Trump, put a spotlight on the deep divisions within the party that have emerged over his candidacy. A string of senior Republicans, worried about Trump's temperament and policies, were already avoiding the convention. Trump's opponents had little chance of stopping his march but it would have served as a crippling protest vote against the candidate, who has dreamt of a glide path to the nomination as a way to tamp down divisions within the party and concerns that he is ill-fitted to be commander in chief. On Tuesday the convention formally votes to nominate Trump as their flagbearer. They will vote delegation by delegation, scrupulously following the results of the state primaries. (AFP, PTI)

Anti-Trump delegates jeer & boo and mount revolt, but fail

Donald Trump tried to put the Republican convention back on track following a rank-and-file revolt on Monday, telling party delegates &quot;we&#39;re going to win&quot; the White House. 
 
Making a surprise cameo appearance at the gathering in Cleveland to introduce his wife Melania, the bombastic tycoon showed confidence that belied the day&#39;s spasm of a&nbsp;public division. 
 
&quot;We&#39;re going to win so big,&quot; said Trump. &quot;Ladies and gentlemen, it is my great honor to present the next First Lady of the United States.&quot; 
 
Trump, who broke with tradition by appearing at the convention before his nomination, was addressing an audience that hours earlier erupted into jeers and yelling as anti-Trump Republicans insisted their voice be heard. 
 
Trump fans insist delegates should heed the will of the grassroots of the party and make him the Republican nominee without equivocation. 
 
The billionaire won a thumping victory in a series of statewide party elections, garnering more than 13 million votes -- the most of any Republican nominee ever. 
 
This was meant to be Trump&#39;s moment -- the point at which he put the lid on Republican divisions and marched the party toward November&#39;s election and the White House. Ahead of the convention he had tried to assuage conservative critics and bring the party together by naming Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his running mate. 
 
But it was Trump&#39;s Slovenian-born wife Melania who stepped up as his chief advocate on the convention&#39;s opening day.&nbsp;She took the stage with all the allure of a former model and in a strong accent made the case for Americans to entrust Trump with the presidency. 
After his wife, the candidate&#39;s team will send his son and daughters to the convention stage in the coming days. 
 
Much now rides on Trump and his supporters focusing on issues that unite Republicans: support for the armed forces and concern about law and order.&nbsp;But the Trump card may be hatred of the presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. 
 
The Republican convention ends Thursday with a speech from the 70-year-old billionaire real estate mogul. The Democrats stage their own convention next week in Philadelphia. 
 
(AFP) 
&nbsp;

He broke with tradition by appearing at the convention before his nomination

Donald Trump tried to put the Republican convention back on track following a rank-and-file revolt on Monday, telling party delegates "we're going to win" the White House. Making a surprise cameo appearance at the gathering in Cleveland to introduce his wife Melania, the bombastic tycoon showed confidence that belied the day's spasm of a public division. "We're going to win so big," said Trump. "Ladies and gentlemen, it is my great honor to present the next First Lady of the United States." Trump, who broke with tradition by appearing at the convention before his nomination, was addressing an audience that hours earlier erupted into jeers and yelling as anti-Trump Republicans insisted their voice be heard. Trump fans insist delegates should heed the will of the grassroots of the party and make him the Republican nominee without equivocation. The billionaire won a thumping victory in a series of statewide party elections, garnering more than 13 million votes -- the most of any Republican nominee ever. This was meant to be Trump's moment -- the point at which he put the lid on Republican divisions and marched the party toward November's election and the White House. Ahead of the convention he had tried to assuage conservative critics and bring the party together by naming Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his running mate. But it was Trump's Slovenian-born wife Melania who stepped up as his chief advocate on the convention's opening day. She took the stage with all the allure of a former model and in a strong accent made the case for Americans to entrust Trump with the presidency. After his wife, the candidate's team will send his son and daughters to the convention stage in the coming days. Much now rides on Trump and his supporters focusing on issues that unite Republicans: support for the armed forces and concern about law and order. But the Trump card may be hatred of the presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. The Republican convention ends Thursday with a speech from the 70-year-old billionaire real estate mogul. The Democrats stage their own convention next week in Philadelphia. (AFP)

'We're going to win so big,' Trump tells Republican convention

Donald Trump&#39;s wife, Melania, in her first major political speech on Monday, portrayed her husband as a talented, compassionate and unrelenting leader who would unify rather than divide the country if elected to the White House. 
 
The Slovenian-born jewellery designer and former model delivered the speech, part of which resembled an address given by current First Lady Michelle Obama in 2008, to a cheering crowd at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland after a one-minute introduction from Trump. 
 
The presumptive Republican nominee made a dramatic entrance, silhouetted against a white background, to the accompaniment of Queen&#39;s 1977 rock anthem, &quot;We Are the Champions.&quot; 
 
&quot;I have been with Donald for 18 years and I have been aware of his love for this country since we first met,&quot; the aspiring first lady told the convention. &quot;He&#39;s tough when he has to be, but he&#39;s also kind and fair and caring.&quot; 
 
&quot;Donald wants prosperity for all Americans,&quot; she said, reading from a teleprompter, as people applauded. 
 
Her roughly 15-minute speech was a bid to soften the image of the New York businessman-turned-politician, who has been accused of bigotry and callousness for his calls to suspend Muslim immigration and deport millions of undocumented immigrants if elected. 
 
He has also been criticized for insults directed at women, political opponents and journalists. 
 
Trump&#39;s Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, has accused Trump, 70, of lacking the experience and temperament needed to work in the Oval Office. On Monday, Clinton, 68, used an address to a largely black audience to cast Trump as someone who would divide the country along racial, ethnic and religious lines. 
 
Trump supporters take jibs at Clinton 
 
The convention&#39;s opening night featured a string of emotional speakers attacking Clinton&#39;s record as secretary of state under President Barack Obama, many arguing she had made Americans vulnerable to Islamist militancy. 
 
&quot;I blame Hillary Clinton personally for the death of my son,&quot; said Pat Smith, the mother of an information management officer who was among the four Americans killed in an attack on a US mission in Benghazi, Libya, in 2012. 
 
Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, whose administration has been credited with sharply reducing crime in the city during the 1990s and who oversaw the city&#39;s response to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that destroyed the World Trade Center and killed almost 3,000 people, gave a highly charged speech slamming Clinton and making the case for Trump. 
 
&quot;What I did for New York, Donald Trump will do for America!&quot; he said. 
 
Killings overshadow convention 
 
The gathering opened on Monday afternoon in the shadow of racially tinged killings of police officers and black men, and as protesters for and against Trump faced off in a plaza a few blocks from the convention, shouting slogans at each other, separated by a wall of police. 
 
The protests were largely peaceful, with law enforcement officers outnumbering demonstrators. 
 
Sunday&#39;s shooting of three policemen in Baton Rouge, Louisiana - a targeted attack that may have been retaliation for a series of police killings of black Americans - hung over the gathering. 
 
Trump lashed out at Obama early on Monday over the shootings, saying the Democratic president &quot;doesn&#39;t have a clue.&quot; 
 
Trump has sought to position himself as the law-and-order candidate, in an echo of Republican Richard Nixon&#39;s successful presidential campaign of 1968. 
 
(Reuters)

The Slovenian-born jewellery designer and former model said he would unify rather than divide the country

Donald Trump's wife, Melania, in her first major political speech on Monday, portrayed her husband as a talented, compassionate and unrelenting leader who would unify rather than divide the country if elected to the White House. The Slovenian-born jewellery designer and former model delivered the speech, part of which resembled an address given by current First Lady Michelle Obama in 2008, to a cheering crowd at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland after a one-minute introduction from Trump. The presumptive Republican nominee made a dramatic entrance, silhouetted against a white background, to the accompaniment of Queen's 1977 rock anthem, "We Are the Champions." "I have been with Donald for 18 years and I have been aware of his love for this country since we first met," the aspiring first lady told the convention. "He's tough when he has to be, but he's also kind and fair and caring." "Donald wants prosperity for all Americans," she said, reading from a teleprompter, as people applauded. Her roughly 15-minute speech was a bid to soften the image of the New York businessman-turned-politician, who has been accused of bigotry and callousness for his calls to suspend Muslim immigration and deport millions of undocumented immigrants if elected. He has also been criticized for insults directed at women, political opponents and journalists. Trump's Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, has accused Trump, 70, of lacking the experience and temperament needed to work in the Oval Office. On Monday, Clinton, 68, used an address to a largely black audience to cast Trump as someone who would divide the country along racial, ethnic and religious lines. Trump supporters take jibs at Clinton The convention's opening night featured a string of emotional speakers attacking Clinton's record as secretary of state under President Barack Obama, many arguing she had made Americans vulnerable to Islamist militancy. "I blame Hillary Clinton personally for the death of my son," said Pat Smith, the mother of an information management officer who was among the four Americans killed in an attack on a US mission in Benghazi, Libya, in 2012. Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, whose administration has been credited with sharply reducing crime in the city during the 1990s and who oversaw the city's response to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that destroyed the World Trade Center and killed almost 3,000 people, gave a highly charged speech slamming Clinton and making the case for Trump. "What I did for New York, Donald Trump will do for America!" he said. Killings overshadow convention The gathering opened on Monday afternoon in the shadow of racially tinged killings of police officers and black men, and as protesters for and against Trump faced off in a plaza a few blocks from the convention, shouting slogans at each other, separated by a wall of police. The protests were largely peaceful, with law enforcement officers outnumbering demonstrators. Sunday's shooting of three policemen in Baton Rouge, Louisiana - a targeted attack that may have been retaliation for a series of police killings of black Americans - hung over the gathering. Trump lashed out at Obama early on Monday over the shootings, saying the Democratic president "doesn't have a clue." Trump has sought to position himself as the law-and-order candidate, in an echo of Republican Richard Nixon's successful presidential campaign of 1968. (Reuters)

Trump's wife talks at Republican convention, humanises The Donald

The Republican convention kicks off Monday with a one-two punch of law-and-order tough-talk, and Donald Trump&#39;s wife playing character witness as the bombastic mogul seeks to lock up his presidential nomination. 
 
Melania Trump, a Slovenian-born former model, will headline the opening night of the 2016 convention in Cleveland, Ohio, which takes place against a backdrop of fear over racial violence and unrest abroad. 
 
A spate of race-tinged shootings -- including the killing of three police officers in Louisiana Sunday -- has put the country on edge. 
 
Terror attacks overseas, most recently in Nice, and an attempted coup in Turkey, have only stoked a sense that the world is falling apart. 
 
President Barack Obama has urged Americans to temper their words and show stronger common resolve, but Trump is instead highlighting divisions.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We are TRYING to fight ISIS, and now our own people are killing our police,&quot; Trump tweeted shortly after the Baton Rogue shooting, referring to the Islamic State group. 
 
&quot;Our country is divided and out of control. The world is watching.&quot; 
 
Trump has portrayed himself as a sheriff who can fix things. 
 
He believes that the presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton should be jailed for using a private email server to handle sensitive government documents, something the FBI said was careless but not a criminal. 
 
On Monday Trump will also call on retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn and tough-talking Senator Joni Ernst as convention speakers to back up his point. Of more immediate concern for Trump however is a split among Republicans. 
 
The reality TV star&#39;s unorthodox style and hard-right message have left the party more divided than it has been in a generation. 
 
Melania Trump, along with the candidate&#39;s son and daughters, will all be rolled out at the convention in an attempt to humanize The Donald. 
 
Polls show that Trump struggles badly with moderate voters, and his campaign will want to project a more positive image to the general electorate. 
 
Trump&#39;s choice of Indiana governor Mike Pence as his vice presidential running mate could help shore up his position among conservatives, although the real estate billionaire seemed tepid about his decision. 
 
In a remarkable first joint appearance on Saturday, Trump eventually got around to taking about Pence and explained why he was picked, in less than enthusiastic terms. 
 
&quot;One of the reasons is party unity, so many people have said, `party unity.` Because I`m an outsider.&quot; 
 
Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort insisted that there was unity. &quot;This is a Trump convention. The party is united,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s a few people who are holding up and they don&#39;t reflect anything other than their personal opinion.&quot; 
 
Inside the halls it remains to be seen if the &quot;Never Trump&quot; camp will make themselves heard. 
 
Outside, however, law enforcement is bracing for a wave of protests. 
 
Roads in the Ohio city are lined with concrete barriers and helicopters buzz overhead. 
 
Cleveland, a Midwestern city of nearly 400,000, has taken out $50 million in protest insurance. 
 
Ohio&#39;s open-carry law, which allows people with proper permits to carry a loaded weapon on the streets, is adding to fears of violence. 
 
&quot;We have policies in place for mass arrests through our prosecutor`s office, our clerk`s office and our court system,&quot; Cleveland police chief Calvin Williams told reporters. 
 
(AFP)

Melania Trump, along with the candidate's son and daughters, will all be rolled out in an attempt to humanise The Donal

The Republican convention kicks off Monday with a one-two punch of law-and-order tough-talk, and Donald Trump's wife playing character witness as the bombastic mogul seeks to lock up his presidential nomination. Melania Trump, a Slovenian-born former model, will headline the opening night of the 2016 convention in Cleveland, Ohio, which takes place against a backdrop of fear over racial violence and unrest abroad. A spate of race-tinged shootings -- including the killing of three police officers in Louisiana Sunday -- has put the country on edge. Terror attacks overseas, most recently in Nice, and an attempted coup in Turkey, have only stoked a sense that the world is falling apart. President Barack Obama has urged Americans to temper their words and show stronger common resolve, but Trump is instead highlighting divisions. "We are TRYING to fight ISIS, and now our own people are killing our police," Trump tweeted shortly after the Baton Rogue shooting, referring to the Islamic State group. "Our country is divided and out of control. The world is watching." Trump has portrayed himself as a sheriff who can fix things. He believes that the presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton should be jailed for using a private email server to handle sensitive government documents, something the FBI said was careless but not a criminal. On Monday Trump will also call on retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn and tough-talking Senator Joni Ernst as convention speakers to back up his point. Of more immediate concern for Trump however is a split among Republicans. The reality TV star's unorthodox style and hard-right message have left the party more divided than it has been in a generation. Melania Trump, along with the candidate's son and daughters, will all be rolled out at the convention in an attempt to humanize The Donald. Polls show that Trump struggles badly with moderate voters, and his campaign will want to project a more positive image to the general electorate. Trump's choice of Indiana governor Mike Pence as his vice presidential running mate could help shore up his position among conservatives, although the real estate billionaire seemed tepid about his decision. In a remarkable first joint appearance on Saturday, Trump eventually got around to taking about Pence and explained why he was picked, in less than enthusiastic terms. "One of the reasons is party unity, so many people have said, `party unity.` Because I`m an outsider." Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort insisted that there was unity. "This is a Trump convention. The party is united," he said. "It's a few people who are holding up and they don't reflect anything other than their personal opinion." Inside the halls it remains to be seen if the "Never Trump" camp will make themselves heard. Outside, however, law enforcement is bracing for a wave of protests. Roads in the Ohio city are lined with concrete barriers and helicopters buzz overhead. Cleveland, a Midwestern city of nearly 400,000, has taken out $50 million in protest insurance. Ohio's open-carry law, which allows people with proper permits to carry a loaded weapon on the streets, is adding to fears of violence. "We have policies in place for mass arrests through our prosecutor`s office, our clerk`s office and our court system," Cleveland police chief Calvin Williams told reporters. (AFP)

Republican convention kicks off today, Trump looks to lock up presidential nomination

Donald Trump abruptly postponed his planned announcement today of his vice presidential running mate because of a deadly truck attack in France, but Republican sources said his choice was expected to be Indiana Governor Mike Pence. 
 
Viewed as a safe pair of hands, Pence, 57, has diverging views with Trump on his proposed Muslim ban and trade, and is more socially conservative, but he could help unify a divided party behind Trump&#39;s White House bid. 
 
Trump was due to make his official announcement on his choice today at 11am (1500 GMT) in Manhattan. But he tweeted on Thursday night that the attack in Nice, where a truck slammed into a crowd, killing dozens of people, prompted him to delay. 
 
&quot;In light of the horrible attack in Nice, France, I have postponed tomorrow&#39;s news conference concerning my vice presidential announcement,&quot; said Trump. He said in a Fox News interview: &quot;We will announce tomorrow when it will be.&quot; 
 
Trump, who has proposed banning Muslims from &quot;terror states&quot; from entering the United States, said in another Fox News interview that the attack in France showed the United States and the rest of the world needed to get tougher in the fight against Islamist militants. 
 
&quot;This has to be dealt with very harshly,&quot; Trump said. 
 
He told Fox News he had not made a &quot;final, final decision&quot; on a running mate. He heaped praise on Pence and his other two finalists, former House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. 
 
&quot;I&#39;ve got three people that are fantastic,&quot; he said. 
 
Trump&#39;s advisers told national party officials that he had settled on Pence, according to two Republican sources familiar with the campaign&#39;s operations. 
 
&quot;I&#39;m told he&#39;s been asked to do this and he&#39;s flying to New York,&quot; one source said. Pence was seen by TV networks arriving at a New York-area airport. 
 
Straight Man 
 
Trump&#39;s choice of running mate is seen as especially critical because his defeat of 16 rivals in the Republican primary race left the party divided. Some party leaders are still uneasy about some of his campaign positions and free-wheeling statements, such as his comments on Muslims and immigrants. 
 
&quot;Pence is Donald Trump&#39;s straight man,&quot; said Republican strategist Ron Bonjean. &quot;He&#39;ll be able to defend him as well as be a cheerleader but do it in a calm, cool, collected manner that will preserve his credibility.&quot; 
 
Gingrich, who met Trump on Wednesday, said on a Facebook Live session that he had yet to hear from Trump. He said he had told Trump that he needed to decide whether he wanted &quot;two pirates&quot; on the same ticket. Both men have been political mavericks. 
 
Christie, a former rival to Trump in the presidential race, told MSNBC earlier he would be disappointed if not picked. &ldquo;I&#39;m not going to say it won&#39;t bother me if I&#39;m not selected. Of course it bothers you a little bit.&quot; 
 
Pence, a former congressman, is seen as a safe choice, not too flashy but popular among conservatives, with Midwestern appeal and the ability to rally more party faithful behind Trump. The businessman has never held elected office. 
 
&quot;He&rsquo;s a good, safe, solid conservative,&quot; said Republican strategist Scott Reed. 
 
Pence also could give a boost to Trump&#39;s campaign fundraising efforts as he challenges the well-organized effort of his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. Pence has strong ties to billionaire donors Charles and David Koch, including current and former staff members who have worked for them. 
 
Differences between the two 
 
But Pence is to the right of Trump on social issues, having signed restrictive abortion legislation and pushed to defund the Planned Parenthood women&#39;s healthcare organization, whose services include providing abortions. Trump has said he opposes abortion, but his views have been inconsistent, and he has said Planned Parenthood provides some valuable services. 
 
Pence has also criticized Trump&rsquo;s proposal to ban Muslims temporarily from entering the country. In 2006, he introduced immigration legislation that would let illegal immigrants apply for U.S. work visas if they left the country for a period, a plan that was criticised by some conservatives. That contrasts with Trump&#39;s strong stance on immigration, marked by his pledge to build a wall along the border with Mexico. 
 
Pence has also voiced support for free trade deals like the Trans Pacific Partnership. Trump supports free trade but says he wants to renegotiate trade deals to make them more favorable to the United States. 
 
Pence had backed a Trump rival, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, in April before the Indiana primary, but he praised Trump and said he would work on behalf of the eventual Republican nominee. Trump won Indiana anyway, prompting Cruz to drop out of the race to be the party&#39;s nominee. 
 
Pence had considered running for president himself in 2016 before deciding to run for re-election as governor. Conservatives had urged him to seek the White House, but missteps last year related to an Indiana law seen as anti-gay hurt his national profile. 
 
This year, he was the target of a mocking social media campaign by women outraged at a law he signed creating new restrictions on abortions. Feeling that the law invaded their privacy, women responded by calling Pence&#39;s office to describe their menstrual periods or tweeting similar messages. 
 
Pence ran unsuccessfully for Congress twice before he won election to the House of Representatives in 2000, where he was chairman of the Republican Study Committee, a group of conservatives. 
 
(Reuters)

Probable candidate Governor Mike Pence has divergent views with Trump on his proposed Muslim ban but he could help unify a divided party

Donald Trump abruptly postponed his planned announcement today of his vice presidential running mate because of a deadly truck attack in France, but Republican sources said his choice was expected to be Indiana Governor Mike Pence. Viewed as a safe pair of hands, Pence, 57, has diverging views with Trump on his proposed Muslim ban and trade, and is more socially conservative, but he could help unify a divided party behind Trump's White House bid. Trump was due to make his official announcement on his choice today at 11am (1500 GMT) in Manhattan. But he tweeted on Thursday night that the attack in Nice, where a truck slammed into a crowd, killing dozens of people, prompted him to delay. "In light of the horrible attack in Nice, France, I have postponed tomorrow's news conference concerning my vice presidential announcement," said Trump. He said in a Fox News interview: "We will announce tomorrow when it will be." Trump, who has proposed banning Muslims from "terror states" from entering the United States, said in another Fox News interview that the attack in France showed the United States and the rest of the world needed to get tougher in the fight against Islamist militants. "This has to be dealt with very harshly," Trump said. He told Fox News he had not made a "final, final decision" on a running mate. He heaped praise on Pence and his other two finalists, former House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. "I've got three people that are fantastic," he said. Trump's advisers told national party officials that he had settled on Pence, according to two Republican sources familiar with the campaign's operations. "I'm told he's been asked to do this and he's flying to New York," one source said. Pence was seen by TV networks arriving at a New York-area airport. Straight Man Trump's choice of running mate is seen as especially critical because his defeat of 16 rivals in the Republican primary race left the party divided. Some party leaders are still uneasy about some of his campaign positions and free-wheeling statements, such as his comments on Muslims and immigrants. "Pence is Donald Trump's straight man," said Republican strategist Ron Bonjean. "He'll be able to defend him as well as be a cheerleader but do it in a calm, cool, collected manner that will preserve his credibility." Gingrich, who met Trump on Wednesday, said on a Facebook Live session that he had yet to hear from Trump. He said he had told Trump that he needed to decide whether he wanted "two pirates" on the same ticket. Both men have been political mavericks. Christie, a former rival to Trump in the presidential race, told MSNBC earlier he would be disappointed if not picked. “I'm not going to say it won't bother me if I'm not selected. Of course it bothers you a little bit." Pence, a former congressman, is seen as a safe choice, not too flashy but popular among conservatives, with Midwestern appeal and the ability to rally more party faithful behind Trump. The businessman has never held elected office. "He’s a good, safe, solid conservative," said Republican strategist Scott Reed. Pence also could give a boost to Trump's campaign fundraising efforts as he challenges the well-organized effort of his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. Pence has strong ties to billionaire donors Charles and David Koch, including current and former staff members who have worked for them. Differences between the two But Pence is to the right of Trump on social issues, having signed restrictive abortion legislation and pushed to defund the Planned Parenthood women's healthcare organization, whose services include providing abortions. Trump has said he opposes abortion, but his views have been inconsistent, and he has said Planned Parenthood provides some valuable services. Pence has also criticized Trump’s proposal to ban Muslims temporarily from entering the country. In 2006, he introduced immigration legislation that would let illegal immigrants apply for U.S. work visas if they left the country for a period, a plan that was criticised by some conservatives. That contrasts with Trump's strong stance on immigration, marked by his pledge to build a wall along the border with Mexico. Pence has also voiced support for free trade deals like the Trans Pacific Partnership. Trump supports free trade but says he wants to renegotiate trade deals to make them more favorable to the United States. Pence had backed a Trump rival, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, in April before the Indiana primary, but he praised Trump and said he would work on behalf of the eventual Republican nominee. Trump won Indiana anyway, prompting Cruz to drop out of the race to be the party's nominee. Pence had considered running for president himself in 2016 before deciding to run for re-election as governor. Conservatives had urged him to seek the White House, but missteps last year related to an Indiana law seen as anti-gay hurt his national profile. This year, he was the target of a mocking social media campaign by women outraged at a law he signed creating new restrictions on abortions. Feeling that the law invaded their privacy, women responded by calling Pence's office to describe their menstrual periods or tweeting similar messages. Pence ran unsuccessfully for Congress twice before he won election to the House of Representatives in 2000, where he was chairman of the Republican Study Committee, a group of conservatives. (Reuters)

Trump postpones vice presidential running mate pick after Nice terror attack

Republican Donald&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;announced Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his Vice-Presidential running mate today, putting a seasoned Conservative politician at his side, who could help rally more party loyalists behind his White House bid.

Republican sources said on Thursday that&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;had decided on Pence, but the campaign had not confirmed this until now.&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;had postponed an&nbsp;event&nbsp;today to announce his decision following the deadly truck attack in France.

Viewed as a safe pair of hands, Pence, 57, has diverging views with&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;on his proposed Muslim ban and trade, and is more socially conservative. But he could help unify Republicans left divided by&nbsp;Trump&#39;s campaign to win the party presidential nomination for the November&nbsp;8 election.

&quot;I am pleased to announce that I have chosen governor Mike Pence as my Vice-Presidential running mate. News conference tomorrow at 11.00 am,&quot;&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;said in a tweet.

Trump&nbsp;had faced a midday deadline to announce Pence because the governor had to declare by then whether he would be on the ballot in his home state for re-election.

Trump, a New York businessman who has never held elected office, had chosen Pence from a short list that included two other finalists, former House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

In a Fox News interview on Thursday night,&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;said Pence had done a great job in Indiana and that of all the people he had interviewed for the job, &quot;there&#39;s nobody that agrees with me fully on everything.&quot;

His choice was slammed by the campaign of Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

&ldquo;By picking Mike Pence as his running mate, Donald&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;has doubled down on some of his most disturbing beliefs by choosing an incredibly divisive and unpopular running mate known for supporting discriminatory politics and failed economic policies that favour millionaires and corporations over working families,&rdquo; said Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta.

Trump&nbsp;said on Thursday he postponed his planned announcement on Friday&nbsp;out of respect for the victims in Nice, France. An attacker in a heavy truck drove into crowds celebrating Bastille Day, killing at least 84 and injuring scores more in what President Francois Hollande called a terrorist act.

Trump, 70, is set to be formally nominated as the party&#39;s candidate for the presidential election at the convention in Cleveland. Traditionally, the vice-presidential choice is used to build enthusiasm among party loyalists.

The Republican National Committee expects the convention to draw 50,000 to Cleveland and US&nbsp;authorities were preparing for the possibility of violence - whether from demonstrators or planned attacks.

The Cleveland gathering and the Democratic Party Convention the following week in Philadelphia have been given the status of special national security event by the federal government for the first time and security will be heightened, said Republican Party spokesman Sean Spicer.

&quot;They&#39;re just going to make sure that it&#39;s the safest place on earth for the guests, the attendees, the delegates and the media,&quot; Spicer told CNN.

The Department of Homeland Security will send more than 3,000 personnel to each convention, Secretary Jeh Johnson said on Thursday, speaking before the Nice attack. No specific or credible threat to either gathering has been reported, he said. 
 
(Reuters)

Pence has diverging views with Trump, but could help unite Republicans divided by Trump's campaign to win the party presidential nomination

Republican Donald Trump announced Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his Vice-Presidential running mate today, putting a seasoned Conservative politician at his side, who could help rally more party loyalists behind his White House bid. Republican sources said on Thursday that Trump had decided on Pence, but the campaign had not confirmed this until now. Trump had postponed an event today to announce his decision following the deadly truck attack in France. Viewed as a safe pair of hands, Pence, 57, has diverging views with Trump on his proposed Muslim ban and trade, and is more socially conservative. But he could help unify Republicans left divided by Trump's campaign to win the party presidential nomination for the November 8 election. "I am pleased to announce that I have chosen governor Mike Pence as my Vice-Presidential running mate. News conference tomorrow at 11.00 am," Trump said in a tweet. Trump had faced a midday deadline to announce Pence because the governor had to declare by then whether he would be on the ballot in his home state for re-election. Trump, a New York businessman who has never held elected office, had chosen Pence from a short list that included two other finalists, former House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. In a Fox News interview on Thursday night, Trump said Pence had done a great job in Indiana and that of all the people he had interviewed for the job, "there's nobody that agrees with me fully on everything." His choice was slammed by the campaign of Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. “By picking Mike Pence as his running mate, Donald Trump has doubled down on some of his most disturbing beliefs by choosing an incredibly divisive and unpopular running mate known for supporting discriminatory politics and failed economic policies that favour millionaires and corporations over working families,” said Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta. Trump said on Thursday he postponed his planned announcement on Friday out of respect for the victims in Nice, France. An attacker in a heavy truck drove into crowds celebrating Bastille Day, killing at least 84 and injuring scores more in what President Francois Hollande called a terrorist act. Trump, 70, is set to be formally nominated as the party's candidate for the presidential election at the convention in Cleveland. Traditionally, the vice-presidential choice is used to build enthusiasm among party loyalists. The Republican National Committee expects the convention to draw 50,000 to Cleveland and US authorities were preparing for the possibility of violence - whether from demonstrators or planned attacks. The Cleveland gathering and the Democratic Party Convention the following week in Philadelphia have been given the status of special national security event by the federal government for the first time and security will be heightened, said Republican Party spokesman Sean Spicer. "They're just going to make sure that it's the safest place on earth for the guests, the attendees, the delegates and the media," Spicer told CNN. The Department of Homeland Security will send more than 3,000 personnel to each convention, Secretary Jeh Johnson said on Thursday, speaking before the Nice attack. No specific or credible threat to either gathering has been reported, he said. (Reuters)

White House candidate Donald Trump announces Mike Pence as his running mate

An Indian company today said it had sent 6,000 green tea bags to White House hopeful Donald Trump, believing they would help him to become &quot;smarter&quot; and cleanse his soul. 
 
The unusual gift -- which equals four years supply if drunk four times a day -- was from Kolkata-based Te-a-Me Teas, its executive director, Sumit Shah, told AFP. 
 
Shah also said the company had set up a website -- www.teafortrump.com -- where people could tweet a message to Trump and urge him to drink the tea daily. 
 
&quot;We firmly believe green tea can do a lot of good to people. We thought green tea will help him (Trump) cleanse his mind, body and soul,&quot; he said.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Green tea is also proven to make people smarter. So our message is, please Mr Trump drink the tea. For your sake, for America&#39;s sake, for the world&#39;s sake.&quot; 
 
Trump, a political novice and a real estate tycoon, has riled critics with his radical views on Muslims and immigrants during an often vitriolic presidential campaign. 
 
Next week, Trump is set to be formally nominated to run against his Democratic rival, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton. 
 
The Indian tea company said it wanted to instill responsible leadership among famous personalities across the world and denied the move was a publicity gimmick. 
 
&quot;We don&#39;t even sell in the US. I guess with Trump it&#39;s just about the timing (of our gesture),&quot; Shah said. 
 
(AFP)

The company has set up a website where people can tweet a message to Trump and urge him to drink the tea daily

An Indian company today said it had sent 6,000 green tea bags to White House hopeful Donald Trump, believing they would help him to become "smarter" and cleanse his soul. The unusual gift -- which equals four years supply if drunk four times a day -- was from Kolkata-based Te-a-Me Teas, its executive director, Sumit Shah, told AFP. Shah also said the company had set up a website -- www.teafortrump.com -- where people could tweet a message to Trump and urge him to drink the tea daily. "We firmly believe green tea can do a lot of good to people. We thought green tea will help him (Trump) cleanse his mind, body and soul," he said. "Green tea is also proven to make people smarter. So our message is, please Mr Trump drink the tea. For your sake, for America's sake, for the world's sake." Trump, a political novice and a real estate tycoon, has riled critics with his radical views on Muslims and immigrants during an often vitriolic presidential campaign. Next week, Trump is set to be formally nominated to run against his Democratic rival, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton. The Indian tea company said it wanted to instill responsible leadership among famous personalities across the world and denied the move was a publicity gimmick. "We don't even sell in the US. I guess with Trump it's just about the timing (of our gesture)," Shah said. (AFP)

Indian firm gifts Trump 6,000 tea bags to help him become 'smarter' and 'cleanse' his soul

Influential conservative columnist George Will says he is leaving the Republican Party over Donald Trump&#39;s polarising presidential campaign and urged others to follow suit, even if it means rival Democrats take White House. 
 
Will, a Washington Post columnist, told a luncheon Friday: &quot;This is not my party,&quot; according to the conservative PJ Media news website. He underlined he had changed his voter registration from Republican to &quot;unaffiliated&quot; this month. 
 
The Pulitzer Prize winner told the media outlet Republicans should &quot;make sure&quot; Trump loses, after giving a speech at the conservative Federalist Society luncheon. 
 
During the event, Will said it would be worse for Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, to be president with &quot;no opposition&quot; from a Republican-led Congress than for Hillary Clinton to be president with a Republican-led Congress. 
 
Further, Will did not indicate whether he would vote for Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson, a former governor of New Mexico, noting that it was unclear whether this third-party ticket would help or hurt Clinton. 
 
In a column published this week in Washington Post, Will urged Republicans to &quot;save your party, don&#39;t give to Trump.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Trump&#39;s campaign has less cash ($1.3 million) than some congressional candidates have, so Republican donors have never been more important than they are at this moment. They can save their party by not aiding its nominee,&quot; he wrote.&nbsp; 
 
(AFP)&nbsp;

In a column published this week in Washington Post, Will urged Republicans to "save your party, don't give to Trump".

Influential conservative columnist George Will says he is leaving the Republican Party over Donald Trump's polarising presidential campaign and urged others to follow suit, even if it means rival Democrats take White House. Will, a Washington Post columnist, told a luncheon Friday: "This is not my party," according to the conservative PJ Media news website. He underlined he had changed his voter registration from Republican to "unaffiliated" this month. The Pulitzer Prize winner told the media outlet Republicans should "make sure" Trump loses, after giving a speech at the conservative Federalist Society luncheon. During the event, Will said it would be worse for Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, to be president with "no opposition" from a Republican-led Congress than for Hillary Clinton to be president with a Republican-led Congress. Further, Will did not indicate whether he would vote for Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson, a former governor of New Mexico, noting that it was unclear whether this third-party ticket would help or hurt Clinton. In a column published this week in Washington Post, Will urged Republicans to "save your party, don't give to Trump." "Trump's campaign has less cash ($1.3 million) than some congressional candidates have, so Republican donors have never been more important than they are at this moment. They can save their party by not aiding its nominee," he wrote. (AFP)

Pulitzer Prize winner leaves?Republican Party over Donald Trump's 'polarising campaign'?

Democrat Hillary Clinton&rsquo;s lead over Republican rival Donald Trump has slipped by about five percentage points since mid-June, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released today, bringing the race for the White House to within nine points. 
 
The poll showed that 44.5 per cent of likely voters supported former secretary of state Clinton while 35.5 per cent backed businessman Trump. That compares with 46.6 per cent support for Clinton and 32.3 per cent for Trump on June 12, a date that marked her widest lead for the month. 
 
Trump has focused much of his energy in recent days on the mass shooting in Orlando, Florida by a US-born gunman pledging allegiance to Islamic State militant group. Trump vowed to ban people from entering the United States from countries with links to terrorism against America or its allies. 
 
Hardline national security proposals have helped Trump win increased support from voters in the past, including after the shootings in San Bernardino, California and Paris late last year. 
 
Clinton responded to the Orlando attack by calling for increased intelligence gathering and air strikes on IS forces, while warning against demonising American Muslims. She has also criticized Trump&#39;s positions on foreign policy and the economy, saying a Trump presidency would be a &quot;disaster&quot;. 
 
The June 17-21 poll of 1,100 likely voters has a credibility interval, a measure of accuracy, of 3.4 percentage points. 
 
(Reuters)

New poll shows that 44.5 per cent of likely voters support Clinton, while 35.5 per cent back Trump

Democrat Hillary Clinton’s lead over Republican rival Donald Trump has slipped by about five percentage points since mid-June, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released today, bringing the race for the White House to within nine points. The poll showed that 44.5 per cent of likely voters supported former secretary of state Clinton while 35.5 per cent backed businessman Trump. That compares with 46.6 per cent support for Clinton and 32.3 per cent for Trump on June 12, a date that marked her widest lead for the month. Trump has focused much of his energy in recent days on the mass shooting in Orlando, Florida by a US-born gunman pledging allegiance to Islamic State militant group. Trump vowed to ban people from entering the United States from countries with links to terrorism against America or its allies. Hardline national security proposals have helped Trump win increased support from voters in the past, including after the shootings in San Bernardino, California and Paris late last year. Clinton responded to the Orlando attack by calling for increased intelligence gathering and air strikes on IS forces, while warning against demonising American Muslims. She has also criticized Trump's positions on foreign policy and the economy, saying a Trump presidency would be a "disaster". The June 17-21 poll of 1,100 likely voters has a credibility interval, a measure of accuracy, of 3.4 percentage points. (Reuters)

Clinton loses ground to Trump, now within 9 points

A 19-year-old British man has been charged for trying to grab a police officer&#39;s gun at a Donald Trump rally in Las Vegas in a bid to kill the Republican presidential nominee. 
 
According to a complaint filed in federal court in Nevada, Michael Sandford tried to disarm the officer at Saturday&#39;s rally at the Mystere Theatre in the Treasure Island Casino before being overpowered. 
 
It said that the young man told a Secret Service agent after his arrest that he had driven from California to Las Vegas &quot;to kill Trump,&quot; and had been to a range a day earlier to learn to shoot as he had never fired a gun before. 
 
&quot;Sandford acknowledged that he would likely only be able to fire one to two rounds and stated he was convinced he would be killed by law enforcement during his attempt on Trump&#39;s life,&quot; the complaint said. 
 
It added that Sandford told investigators he had purchased tickets for a rally in Phoenix, where he &quot;would try again to kill Trump&quot; in the event his plan in Las Vegas failed. 
 
Video of his arrest carried by US media show a skinny man with short brown hair and a grey T-shirt being escorted out of the rally by police officers with his hands behind his back. 
 
The prosecutor&#39;s office said Sandford was ordered held without bond, as he was considered dangerous and represented a flight risk. 
 
Britain&#39;s Foreign Office is &quot;providing assistance&quot; in the case, a spokesman said. 
 
&#39;Would try this again&#39; 
 
The complaint said Sandford had told investigators that he had been in the United States for about 18 months, and had lived in Hoboken, New Jersey, before traveling to California. 
 
&nbsp;Sandford told investigators that he had targeted officer Ameel Jacob&#39;s gun because it was in an unlocked position and would be the easiest way to gain access to a weapon at the rally where those attending had to go through metal detectors. 
 
&quot;Sandford further stated that if he were on the street tomorrow, he would try this again,&quot; according to the complaint. 
 
It said Sandford told the Secret Service that he had been plotting to kill Trump for about a year and finally decided to act on Saturday, as &quot;he finally felt confident to do it.&quot; 
 
His arrest comes amid one of the nastiest US presidential campaigns in recent history, dominated by violent rhetoric, with Trump lashing out at Mexicans, Muslims and other groups. 
 
The real estate billionaire enjoys Secret Service protection but also has his own private security detail that has been accused of using unnecessary force to remove people from events. 
 
A number of protesters have been arrested at his rallies where riot police are deployed in force and there have been mounting demonstrations during his campaign appearances in recent months. 
 
Sandford is due to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on July 5. He faces more than 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if found guilty on the charge of &quot;act of violence on restricted grounds.&quot; 
(AFP)

The man had apparently driven from California to Las Vegas to kill Trump and had visited a shooting range a day earlier to learn to shoot

A 19-year-old British man has been charged for trying to grab a police officer's gun at a Donald Trump rally in Las Vegas in a bid to kill the Republican presidential nominee. According to a complaint filed in federal court in Nevada, Michael Sandford tried to disarm the officer at Saturday's rally at the Mystere Theatre in the Treasure Island Casino before being overpowered. It said that the young man told a Secret Service agent after his arrest that he had driven from California to Las Vegas "to kill Trump," and had been to a range a day earlier to learn to shoot as he had never fired a gun before. "Sandford acknowledged that he would likely only be able to fire one to two rounds and stated he was convinced he would be killed by law enforcement during his attempt on Trump's life," the complaint said. It added that Sandford told investigators he had purchased tickets for a rally in Phoenix, where he "would try again to kill Trump" in the event his plan in Las Vegas failed. Video of his arrest carried by US media show a skinny man with short brown hair and a grey T-shirt being escorted out of the rally by police officers with his hands behind his back. The prosecutor's office said Sandford was ordered held without bond, as he was considered dangerous and represented a flight risk. Britain's Foreign Office is "providing assistance" in the case, a spokesman said. 'Would try this again' The complaint said Sandford had told investigators that he had been in the United States for about 18 months, and had lived in Hoboken, New Jersey, before traveling to California. Sandford told investigators that he had targeted officer Ameel Jacob's gun because it was in an unlocked position and would be the easiest way to gain access to a weapon at the rally where those attending had to go through metal detectors. "Sandford further stated that if he were on the street tomorrow, he would try this again," according to the complaint. It said Sandford told the Secret Service that he had been plotting to kill Trump for about a year and finally decided to act on Saturday, as "he finally felt confident to do it." His arrest comes amid one of the nastiest US presidential campaigns in recent history, dominated by violent rhetoric, with Trump lashing out at Mexicans, Muslims and other groups. The real estate billionaire enjoys Secret Service protection but also has his own private security detail that has been accused of using unnecessary force to remove people from events. A number of protesters have been arrested at his rallies where riot police are deployed in force and there have been mounting demonstrations during his campaign appearances in recent months. Sandford is due to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on July 5. He faces more than 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if found guilty on the charge of "act of violence on restricted grounds." (AFP)

19-year-old Briton tries to grab cop's gun and kill Trump, charged

The leaders of Muslim and gay rights groups in Chicago, one of America&#39;s biggest cities, on Monday joined forces to slam Donald Trump in the wake of the Orlando massacre, saying now was not a time for divisions. 
 
On June 12, 49 people were killed and 53 others wounded in the shooting at a gay nightclub in the central Florida city. The shooter Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old Muslim American of Afghan descent, was killed in a shootout with police. 
 
Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has since renewed calls for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States and controversially suggested on Sunday that profiling of Muslims was not off the table. 
 
In Chicago, which has both a large Muslim population and a vibrant lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, leaders said Trump&#39;s comment were divisive and unproductive. 
 
&quot;We&#39;re scared, because it starts rhetorically, and then more people accept it if you don&#39;t nip it in the bud,&quot; Ahmed Rehab, the leader of the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told AFP. 
 
&quot;If common sense doesn&#39;t step in right now, people are capable of mass hysteria, and he is fanning those flames,&quot; he said, speaking of Trump. 
 
Rehab said there was fear in Chicago&#39;s Muslim community, one of the largest in the United States, that they could potentially become targets of hate crimes. 
 
In the past week, there have been two threats emailed and phoned into area mosques, he said. 
 
&quot;There is never a time to divide Americans, and of course that is especially true at a time of deep national pain,&quot; James Bennett of Lambda Legal, an LGBT group, told a press conference. 
 
Rehab told reporters that his group and Lambda Legal planned to meet every two weeks with the goal of making &quot;clear statements on a mutual agenda of equal civil rights of all people regardless of their background.&quot; 
 
Bennett chimed in: &quot;I would encourage people to watch Chicago&#39;s example.&quot; 
 
Sending a message 
 
Illinois is home to an estimated 400,000 Muslims and 370,000 LGBT people, most of them located in the greater Chicago area, which has a population of about 5.2 million people. 
 
&quot;We&#39;re trying to send a message that this is not the time to try to pit communities against each other,&quot; said Brian Johnson, CEO of Equality Illinois, a gay rights group. 
 
&quot;Any public official or media personality who says such things that would not only suggest divides, but suggest putting in place actual divides, is deeply concerning,&quot; Johnson told AFP. 
 
On Sunday, Trump said profiling of Muslims, and racial profiling more generally, was &quot;not the worst thing to do.&quot; 
 
&quot;I hate the concept of profiling. But we have to use common sense. We&#39;re not using common sense,&quot; Trump said. 
 
African-Americans, Latinos, Muslims and other minorities in the United States have complained bitterly for decades about the practice in which police use a person&#39;s race, religion, national origin or ethnicity as grounds for suspecting them of committing a crime. 
 
&quot;He questions Muslims&#39; assimilation into America. I question his assimilation into our American values,&quot; Rehab said.&nbsp; 
 
(AFP)

'There is never a time to divide Americans and that is especially true at a time of deep national pain,' they said

The leaders of Muslim and gay rights groups in Chicago, one of America's biggest cities, on Monday joined forces to slam Donald Trump in the wake of the Orlando massacre, saying now was not a time for divisions. On June 12, 49 people were killed and 53 others wounded in the shooting at a gay nightclub in the central Florida city. The shooter Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old Muslim American of Afghan descent, was killed in a shootout with police. Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has since renewed calls for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States and controversially suggested on Sunday that profiling of Muslims was not off the table. In Chicago, which has both a large Muslim population and a vibrant lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, leaders said Trump's comment were divisive and unproductive. "We're scared, because it starts rhetorically, and then more people accept it if you don't nip it in the bud," Ahmed Rehab, the leader of the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told AFP. "If common sense doesn't step in right now, people are capable of mass hysteria, and he is fanning those flames," he said, speaking of Trump. Rehab said there was fear in Chicago's Muslim community, one of the largest in the United States, that they could potentially become targets of hate crimes. In the past week, there have been two threats emailed and phoned into area mosques, he said. "There is never a time to divide Americans, and of course that is especially true at a time of deep national pain," James Bennett of Lambda Legal, an LGBT group, told a press conference. Rehab told reporters that his group and Lambda Legal planned to meet every two weeks with the goal of making "clear statements on a mutual agenda of equal civil rights of all people regardless of their background." Bennett chimed in: "I would encourage people to watch Chicago's example." Sending a message Illinois is home to an estimated 400,000 Muslims and 370,000 LGBT people, most of them located in the greater Chicago area, which has a population of about 5.2 million people. "We're trying to send a message that this is not the time to try to pit communities against each other," said Brian Johnson, CEO of Equality Illinois, a gay rights group. "Any public official or media personality who says such things that would not only suggest divides, but suggest putting in place actual divides, is deeply concerning," Johnson told AFP. On Sunday, Trump said profiling of Muslims, and racial profiling more generally, was "not the worst thing to do." "I hate the concept of profiling. But we have to use common sense. We're not using common sense," Trump said. African-Americans, Latinos, Muslims and other minorities in the United States have complained bitterly for decades about the practice in which police use a person's race, religion, national origin or ethnicity as grounds for suspecting them of committing a crime. "He questions Muslims' assimilation into America. I question his assimilation into our American values," Rehab said. (AFP)

In Chicago, Muslim and gay rights leaders take on Trump

Republican Donald Trump said today the United States should consider more racial profiling, in response to a question about whether he supported greater law enforcement scrutiny of Muslim Americans after the Orlando mass shooting. 
 
&quot;I think profiling is something that we&#39;re going to have to start thinking about as a country,&quot; Trump told CBS&#39; &quot;Face the Nation.&quot; 
 
&quot;You look at Israel and you look at others, and they do it and they do it successfully. And you know, I hate the concept of profiling, but we have to start using common sense,&quot; he said when asked if he supported increased profiling of Muslims in America. 
 
Trump made similar comments last December about profiling, the targeting of specific demographic groups for extra scrutiny, after a Muslim American and his wife killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California. 
 
Last week, Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee for the November 8 election, sparked criticism from many in his party for his comments on American Muslims after the Orlando attack on last Sunday, in which a US-born Muslim man killed 49 people at a gay nightclub. 
 
In a speech on national security on Monday, Trump stood by his call for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States and proposed a suspension of immigration from countries with &quot;a proven history of terrorism.&quot; 
 
He also said the Muslim community had to &quot;cooperate with law enforcement and turn in the people who they know are bad.&quot; 
 
Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee, has said the comments show Trump is unfit to be president. 
 
The Florida gunman, Omar Mateen, was born in the United States to Afghan parents. During a three-hour siege at the club, he expressed support for Islamic State, but officials believe he was &quot;self-radicalized.&quot; 
 
In his interview on Sunday, Trump said there were &quot;red flags&quot; around Mateen, who had been investigated twice by the FBI but ultimately cleared. 
 
Trump also reiterated his support for more scrutiny of mosques, saying that could resemble a controversial New York City surveillance program that has been shut down. 
 
&quot;If you go to France right now, they&#39;re doing it in France. In fact, in some instances they&#39;re closing down mosques,&quot; he said. 
 
Police in France closed some mosques shortly after gunmen aligned with Islamic State militants killed 130 people in Paris in a series of attacks on November 13. 
 
House of representatives Speaker Paul Ryan endorsed Trump but has said a Muslim ban is not in US interests. In excerpts of an NBC interview released on Friday, Ryan, the top elected US Republican, said Republicans weighing whether to vote for Trump should follow their &quot;conscience.&quot; 
 
Trump brushed off the criticism on Sunday and said he would put up his own money for his campaign if needed. &quot;It would be nice if the Republicans stuck together,&quot; Trump said in an ABC interview. &quot;I can win, one way or another.&quot; 
(Reuter)

Says he hates the concept of profiling but 'we have to start using common sense'. Comments come after the Orlando shooting

Republican Donald Trump said today the United States should consider more racial profiling, in response to a question about whether he supported greater law enforcement scrutiny of Muslim Americans after the Orlando mass shooting. "I think profiling is something that we're going to have to start thinking about as a country," Trump told CBS' "Face the Nation." "You look at Israel and you look at others, and they do it and they do it successfully. And you know, I hate the concept of profiling, but we have to start using common sense," he said when asked if he supported increased profiling of Muslims in America. Trump made similar comments last December about profiling, the targeting of specific demographic groups for extra scrutiny, after a Muslim American and his wife killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California. Last week, Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee for the November 8 election, sparked criticism from many in his party for his comments on American Muslims after the Orlando attack on last Sunday, in which a US-born Muslim man killed 49 people at a gay nightclub. In a speech on national security on Monday, Trump stood by his call for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States and proposed a suspension of immigration from countries with "a proven history of terrorism." He also said the Muslim community had to "cooperate with law enforcement and turn in the people who they know are bad." Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee, has said the comments show Trump is unfit to be president. The Florida gunman, Omar Mateen, was born in the United States to Afghan parents. During a three-hour siege at the club, he expressed support for Islamic State, but officials believe he was "self-radicalized." In his interview on Sunday, Trump said there were "red flags" around Mateen, who had been investigated twice by the FBI but ultimately cleared. Trump also reiterated his support for more scrutiny of mosques, saying that could resemble a controversial New York City surveillance program that has been shut down. "If you go to France right now, they're doing it in France. In fact, in some instances they're closing down mosques," he said. Police in France closed some mosques shortly after gunmen aligned with Islamic State militants killed 130 people in Paris in a series of attacks on November 13. House of representatives Speaker Paul Ryan endorsed Trump but has said a Muslim ban is not in US interests. In excerpts of an NBC interview released on Friday, Ryan, the top elected US Republican, said Republicans weighing whether to vote for Trump should follow their "conscience." Trump brushed off the criticism on Sunday and said he would put up his own money for his campaign if needed. "It would be nice if the Republicans stuck together," Trump said in an ABC interview. "I can win, one way or another." (Reuter)

US should consider racial profiling: Trump

Donald Trump has railed against efforts by some frustrated Republicans planning a last-ditch effort to try to thwart him from becoming the party&#39;s nominee, threatening at one point to stop fund-raising if Republicans do not rally around him. 
 
Speaking at a theater at the Treasure Island hotel on the Las Vegas strip yesterday, Trump referred to &quot;an insurgent group&quot; trying to deny him delegates at the party&#39;s July convention. 
 
&quot;Now you have a couple of guys that were badly defeated and they&#39;re trying to organise maybe like a little bit of a delegate revolt,&quot; he said. &quot;I thought they already tried that.&quot; 
 
Trump pushed back against such efforts several times during his speech, claiming they were somehow &quot;illegal&quot; and then dismissing them as a media-generated fabrication. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s all made up by the press,&quot; he said. &quot;It&#39;s a hoax, I&#39;m telling you.&quot; 
 
While Trump dismisses the effort as invented, more Republicans in Congress are saying they will not attend the party convention and are not endorsing his candidacy. 
 
Meanwhile, a movement exists among some conservative delegates and operatives to change party rules to allow a different nominee, though it&#39;s a longshot effort lacking sufficient backing and a candidate to offer up at an alternative. 
 
Indeed, Trump wondered aloud who his opponents would pick as a replacement, a problem that has plagued the &quot;Never Trump&quot; movement for months. 
 
&quot;Who are they going to pick? I beat everybody. But I don&#39;t mean beat - I beat the hell out of them,&quot; he said. 
 
At one point in his speech, Trump asserted without offering evidence that former rival Jeb Bush and a second Republican, whom he did not name, were part of the movement opposing him. Neither Bush nor another former rival, Senator Ted Cruz, has endorsed Trump. 
 
Trump has continued to face resistance from Republicans who have voiced increasing concern over his inflammatory rhetoric. And he appeared increasingly frustrated yesterday, saying, &quot;It would be helpful if the Republicans could help us a little bit.&quot; 
 
The billionaire businessman also threatened that, if Republicans don&#39;t come together, he was prepared to stop fundraising and go back to largely self-funding his campaign. 
 
&quot;I&#39;d love to do it,&quot; said Trump, who has been holding fundraisers across the county this week largely benefiting the Republican National Committee. &quot;You know, life is like a two-way street.&quot; 
 
A Republican National Committee spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 
(PTI)

Republicans in the US Congress say they will not endorse Trump's candidacy

Donald Trump has railed against efforts by some frustrated Republicans planning a last-ditch effort to try to thwart him from becoming the party's nominee, threatening at one point to stop fund-raising if Republicans do not rally around him. Speaking at a theater at the Treasure Island hotel on the Las Vegas strip yesterday, Trump referred to "an insurgent group" trying to deny him delegates at the party's July convention. "Now you have a couple of guys that were badly defeated and they're trying to organise maybe like a little bit of a delegate revolt," he said. "I thought they already tried that." Trump pushed back against such efforts several times during his speech, claiming they were somehow "illegal" and then dismissing them as a media-generated fabrication. "It's all made up by the press," he said. "It's a hoax, I'm telling you." While Trump dismisses the effort as invented, more Republicans in Congress are saying they will not attend the party convention and are not endorsing his candidacy. Meanwhile, a movement exists among some conservative delegates and operatives to change party rules to allow a different nominee, though it's a longshot effort lacking sufficient backing and a candidate to offer up at an alternative. Indeed, Trump wondered aloud who his opponents would pick as a replacement, a problem that has plagued the "Never Trump" movement for months. "Who are they going to pick? I beat everybody. But I don't mean beat - I beat the hell out of them," he said. At one point in his speech, Trump asserted without offering evidence that former rival Jeb Bush and a second Republican, whom he did not name, were part of the movement opposing him. Neither Bush nor another former rival, Senator Ted Cruz, has endorsed Trump. Trump has continued to face resistance from Republicans who have voiced increasing concern over his inflammatory rhetoric. And he appeared increasingly frustrated yesterday, saying, "It would be helpful if the Republicans could help us a little bit." The billionaire businessman also threatened that, if Republicans don't come together, he was prepared to stop fundraising and go back to largely self-funding his campaign. "I'd love to do it," said Trump, who has been holding fundraisers across the county this week largely benefiting the Republican National Committee. "You know, life is like a two-way street." A Republican National Committee spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (PTI)

Trump to Republicans: Help or fundraising stops

US senators signalled today a new willingness to consider restrictions on the sale of guns after the Orlando nightclub massacre, with presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and others in his party ready to discuss limited gun control measures. 
 
With Republicans and the National Rifle Association (NRA) gun lobby under pressure to respond to the worst mass shooting in modern US history, Trump said he would meet with the NRA to discuss ways to block people on terrorism watch or no-fly lists from buying guns. 
 
Emotions have run high in Congress since Sunday&#39;s mass shooting with Democrats stalling Senate proceedings today in a bid to push for tougher gun control legislation. Democratic senators planned to speak on the Senate floor today. 
 
The Senate began discussions on legislation to ban firearm sales to the hundreds of thousands of people on US terrorism watch lists after a gunman who had been on such a list killed 49 people at a gay nightclub on Sunday. 
 
But following a full day of wrangling, senate Democratic leader Harry Reid said that negotiations &quot;were little more than a smokescreen by Republicans trying to give themselves political cover while they continue to march in lock-step with the NRA&#39;s extreme positions.&quot; 
 
Reid said there were no Republican proposals &quot;that come close to attracting Democratic support.&quot; 
 
Earlier today, Republican senate majority leader Mitch McConnell urged senators to offer ideas on how to prevent another attack like the one in Orlando. 
 
&ldquo;I do not believe this was some random act of violence,&quot; McConnell said. &quot;It seems clear this was cold-blooded murder committed by a terrorist who picked his targets with deliberate malice.&quot; On Tuesday, McConnell said that &quot;nobody wants terrorists to have firearms.&quot; 
 
Earlier in the week, some Democrats in the House of representatives interrupted a moment of silence for the victims, with shouts of &quot;Where&#39;s the bill?&quot; to protest the Republican-led chamber&#39;s refusal to consider tougher gun laws. 
 
If Congress was to pass a gun control measure, it would mark the first time in more than 20 years that lawmakers agreed on how to address the hot-button issue. A ban on semi-automatic assault weapons, such as the one used in Orlando, had gone into effect in 1994 and expired ten years later. 
 
Republicans over the years have blocked gun control measures saying they step on Americans&#39; right to bear arms as guaranteed under the US constitution 
 
Senator John Cornyn, the No. 2 senate Republican, confirmed that he and Democratic senator Dianne Feinstein were holding private talks on a possible compromise bill stopping weapons sales to those on watch lists. 
 
OPPORTUNITY CITED 
 
Another Republican,senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, also is working on a bill that would keep guns from people on watch lists, a gun control group said. 
 
Toomey, who is in a possibly difficult re-election bid this year, took to the senate floor urging compromise. 
 
&ldquo;So there&rsquo;s an obvious opportunity here guys, to work together and find a solution,&rdquo; he said, adding, &quot;This is not rocket science to figure this out.&quot; 
 
A spokeswoman for Toomey, E.R. Anderson, said the senator was seeking bipartisan support for an approach that he had tentatively agreed on with gun control group Everytown for Gun Safety, which is backed by ex-New York mayor Michael Bloomberg. 
 
Everytown spokeswoman Erika Lamb said the group was encouraged by the discussions but added, &quot;We are not there yet and our support for any compromise legislation is contingent on support from both Republicans and Democrats.&quot; 
 
Toomey&#39;s bill would allow the US attorney general to create a new list of &quot;likely terrorists&quot; and block any person on the list from buying or selling a gun. If someone was denied a gun, he or she would be entitled to a swift court hearing where the attorney general would have to turn over the evidence against the person. 
 
Democrats were dubious. One problem, a Democratic aide said, was that under the proposal officials would just have three days to try to block sales to anyone not already on the new list. 
 
Congressional Republicans and the NRA have thwarted previous gun control measures backed by President Barack Obama and other Democrats after other mass shootings, and supporters of new restrictions remained cautious about the moves. 
 
&quot;The Cornyn bill is outlandish and is worse than nothing. From what I&#39;m told all of the compromises proposed by Cornyn and Toomey are not at all acceptable,&quot; said senator Chuck Schumer, a Democrat of New York. 
 
Feinstein, speaking to reporters following a closed briefing from the Obama administration on the Orlando massacre, held out little hope her talks with Cornyn would bear fruit. &quot;I don&#39;t think it&#39;s going to work out,&quot; she said, but added she was still engaged in talks. 
 
NRA HAPPY TO MEET WITH TRUMP 
 
Trump said on Twitter he would meet with the NRA &quot;about not allowing people on the terrorist watch list, or the no-fly list, to buy guns.&quot; His campaign did not specify what he might support legislatively, and a spokeswoman declined to give details about the timing or nature of the meeting. 
 
The NRA, a politically influential lobbying group that claims more than 4 million members, said in a statement it was &quot;happy to meet&quot; with Trump, whom it endorsed for president on May 20. 
 
The group said in a statement that anyone on a terrorism watch list who tries to buy a gun &quot;should be thoroughly investigated&quot; by the FBI and any sale to that person delayed, a position the lobby group has long held. 
 
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, who has supported gun control efforts, on Monday said she was &quot;bewildered&quot; that Republicans in Congress in December had blocked a Democratic effort to restrict gun sales to people on the watch lists. 
 
The US government maintains two terrorism watch lists: a no-fly list barring people from flying to and from the United States and a larger one that subjects travellers to greater scrutiny at airports and border crossings. 
 
An FBI official said in 2014 there were 64,000 people on the no-fly list and 800,000 on the broader list. The Orlando gunman, Omar Mateen, the US-born son of Afghan immigrants, was on the broader list at one time. 
 
NRA executive director Chris Cox also voiced backing for legislation offered in December by Cornyn, who proposed to put gun sales on hold for 72 hours for people on watch lists. Critics have said such background checks could take longer to complete. 
 
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said it was too soon to tell if Republicans would support &quot;common sense&quot; steps like blocking firearm sales to people on the no-fly lists. 
(Reuters)

He said he would meet with the NRA to discuss ways to block people on terrorism watch or no-fly lists from buying guns

US senators signalled today a new willingness to consider restrictions on the sale of guns after the Orlando nightclub massacre, with presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and others in his party ready to discuss limited gun control measures. With Republicans and the National Rifle Association (NRA) gun lobby under pressure to respond to the worst mass shooting in modern US history, Trump said he would meet with the NRA to discuss ways to block people on terrorism watch or no-fly lists from buying guns. Emotions have run high in Congress since Sunday's mass shooting with Democrats stalling Senate proceedings today in a bid to push for tougher gun control legislation. Democratic senators planned to speak on the Senate floor today. The Senate began discussions on legislation to ban firearm sales to the hundreds of thousands of people on US terrorism watch lists after a gunman who had been on such a list killed 49 people at a gay nightclub on Sunday. But following a full day of wrangling, senate Democratic leader Harry Reid said that negotiations "were little more than a smokescreen by Republicans trying to give themselves political cover while they continue to march in lock-step with the NRA's extreme positions." Reid said there were no Republican proposals "that come close to attracting Democratic support." Earlier today, Republican senate majority leader Mitch McConnell urged senators to offer ideas on how to prevent another attack like the one in Orlando. “I do not believe this was some random act of violence," McConnell said. "It seems clear this was cold-blooded murder committed by a terrorist who picked his targets with deliberate malice." On Tuesday, McConnell said that "nobody wants terrorists to have firearms." Earlier in the week, some Democrats in the House of representatives interrupted a moment of silence for the victims, with shouts of "Where's the bill?" to protest the Republican-led chamber's refusal to consider tougher gun laws. If Congress was to pass a gun control measure, it would mark the first time in more than 20 years that lawmakers agreed on how to address the hot-button issue. A ban on semi-automatic assault weapons, such as the one used in Orlando, had gone into effect in 1994 and expired ten years later. Republicans over the years have blocked gun control measures saying they step on Americans' right to bear arms as guaranteed under the US constitution Senator John Cornyn, the No. 2 senate Republican, confirmed that he and Democratic senator Dianne Feinstein were holding private talks on a possible compromise bill stopping weapons sales to those on watch lists. OPPORTUNITY CITED Another Republican,senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, also is working on a bill that would keep guns from people on watch lists, a gun control group said. Toomey, who is in a possibly difficult re-election bid this year, took to the senate floor urging compromise. “So there’s an obvious opportunity here guys, to work together and find a solution,” he said, adding, "This is not rocket science to figure this out." A spokeswoman for Toomey, E.R. Anderson, said the senator was seeking bipartisan support for an approach that he had tentatively agreed on with gun control group Everytown for Gun Safety, which is backed by ex-New York mayor Michael Bloomberg. Everytown spokeswoman Erika Lamb said the group was encouraged by the discussions but added, "We are not there yet and our support for any compromise legislation is contingent on support from both Republicans and Democrats." Toomey's bill would allow the US attorney general to create a new list of "likely terrorists" and block any person on the list from buying or selling a gun. If someone was denied a gun, he or she would be entitled to a swift court hearing where the attorney general would have to turn over the evidence against the person. Democrats were dubious. One problem, a Democratic aide said, was that under the proposal officials would just have three days to try to block sales to anyone not already on the new list. Congressional Republicans and the NRA have thwarted previous gun control measures backed by President Barack Obama and other Democrats after other mass shootings, and supporters of new restrictions remained cautious about the moves. "The Cornyn bill is outlandish and is worse than nothing. From what I'm told all of the compromises proposed by Cornyn and Toomey are not at all acceptable," said senator Chuck Schumer, a Democrat of New York. Feinstein, speaking to reporters following a closed briefing from the Obama administration on the Orlando massacre, held out little hope her talks with Cornyn would bear fruit. "I don't think it's going to work out," she said, but added she was still engaged in talks. NRA HAPPY TO MEET WITH TRUMP Trump said on Twitter he would meet with the NRA "about not allowing people on the terrorist watch list, or the no-fly list, to buy guns." His campaign did not specify what he might support legislatively, and a spokeswoman declined to give details about the timing or nature of the meeting. The NRA, a politically influential lobbying group that claims more than 4 million members, said in a statement it was "happy to meet" with Trump, whom it endorsed for president on May 20. The group said in a statement that anyone on a terrorism watch list who tries to buy a gun "should be thoroughly investigated" by the FBI and any sale to that person delayed, a position the lobby group has long held. Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, who has supported gun control efforts, on Monday said she was "bewildered" that Republicans in Congress in December had blocked a Democratic effort to restrict gun sales to people on the watch lists. The US government maintains two terrorism watch lists: a no-fly list barring people from flying to and from the United States and a larger one that subjects travellers to greater scrutiny at airports and border crossings. An FBI official said in 2014 there were 64,000 people on the no-fly list and 800,000 on the broader list. The Orlando gunman, Omar Mateen, the US-born son of Afghan immigrants, was on the broader list at one time. NRA executive director Chris Cox also voiced backing for legislation offered in December by Cornyn, who proposed to put gun sales on hold for 72 hours for people on watch lists. Critics have said such background checks could take longer to complete. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said it was too soon to tell if Republicans would support "common sense" steps like blocking firearm sales to people on the no-fly lists. (Reuters)

After Orlando, Trump open to (some) gun control

Presidential candidate Donald Trump on Wednesday said he will meet with the leading US gun rights group about preventing people on a government terrorism &quot;watch list&quot; from buying guns, a move that may put pressure on fellow Republicans to enact new gun restrictions following the Orlando massacre. 
 
Another Republican, US Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, is already working on a bill that would keep guns from people on such terrorism &quot;watch lists,&quot; a gun control group said. 
 
Republicans have staunchly defended gun rights and fought off attempts during Democrat Barack Obama&#39;s presidency to implement new restrictions. But Republican opponents of gun control measures are again under pressure from Democrats after a gunman killed 49 people at an Orlando gay nightclub early on Sunday. 
 
The National Rifle Association, a politically influential lobbying group that claims more than 4 million members and has played a key role in thwarting gun control legislation in the US Congress, on May 20 endorsed Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. 
 
&quot;I will be meeting with the NRA, who has endorsed me, about not allowing people on the terrorist watch list, or the no fly list, to buy guns,&quot; Trump wrote on Twitter. 
 
Trump last month told an NRA convention that he would protect the constitutional right to bear arms. He accused the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton, of wanting to abolish that right, which she says is false. 
 
Trump said in a November television interview he would support gun restrictions for someone on a &quot;watch list&quot; who is &quot;an enemy of state.&quot; 
 
The FBI maintains two terrorism &quot;watch lists,&quot; a smaller &quot;no fly&quot; list barring people from flying to and from the United States and a larger one of more than a million people that subjects travelers to greater scrutiny. The Orlando gunman, Omar Mateen, the US-born son of Afghan immigrants, was on the broader list at one time. 
 
On Tuesday, the NRA said on Twitter that barring people on watch lists from buying guns is &quot;ineffective, unconstitutional, or both.&quot; 
 
Lizzie Ulmer, a spokeswoman for Everytown for Gun Safety, a gun-control group backed by billionaire former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, said the organization was in talks with Toomey on a bill that would curb gun sales to people on the watch lists. 
 
Toomey previously joined forces with Democrats on gun-control legislation after a gunman in 2012 fatally shot 20 young children and six educators at a Connecticut elementary school. That legislation was opposed by the NRA and killed by congressional Republicans. 
 
Clinton said on Monday she was &quot;bewildered&quot; that congressional Republicans had blocked a Democratic effort to restrict gun sales to people on the watch lists. 
 
The Trump campaign declined to provide more information about the NRA meeting. &quot;We will send details at the appropriate time,&quot; campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks said. 
 
The NRA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 
(Reuters)

This is a crucial shift in the Republican stance on the issue that staunchly supported gun rights and follows the Orlando massacre.

Presidential candidate Donald Trump on Wednesday said he will meet with the leading US gun rights group about preventing people on a government terrorism "watch list" from buying guns, a move that may put pressure on fellow Republicans to enact new gun restrictions following the Orlando massacre. Another Republican, US Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, is already working on a bill that would keep guns from people on such terrorism "watch lists," a gun control group said. Republicans have staunchly defended gun rights and fought off attempts during Democrat Barack Obama's presidency to implement new restrictions. But Republican opponents of gun control measures are again under pressure from Democrats after a gunman killed 49 people at an Orlando gay nightclub early on Sunday. The National Rifle Association, a politically influential lobbying group that claims more than 4 million members and has played a key role in thwarting gun control legislation in the US Congress, on May 20 endorsed Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. "I will be meeting with the NRA, who has endorsed me, about not allowing people on the terrorist watch list, or the no fly list, to buy guns," Trump wrote on Twitter. Trump last month told an NRA convention that he would protect the constitutional right to bear arms. He accused the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton, of wanting to abolish that right, which she says is false. Trump said in a November television interview he would support gun restrictions for someone on a "watch list" who is "an enemy of state." The FBI maintains two terrorism "watch lists," a smaller "no fly" list barring people from flying to and from the United States and a larger one of more than a million people that subjects travelers to greater scrutiny. The Orlando gunman, Omar Mateen, the US-born son of Afghan immigrants, was on the broader list at one time. On Tuesday, the NRA said on Twitter that barring people on watch lists from buying guns is "ineffective, unconstitutional, or both." Lizzie Ulmer, a spokeswoman for Everytown for Gun Safety, a gun-control group backed by billionaire former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, said the organization was in talks with Toomey on a bill that would curb gun sales to people on the watch lists. Toomey previously joined forces with Democrats on gun-control legislation after a gunman in 2012 fatally shot 20 young children and six educators at a Connecticut elementary school. That legislation was opposed by the NRA and killed by congressional Republicans. Clinton said on Monday she was "bewildered" that congressional Republicans had blocked a Democratic effort to restrict gun sales to people on the watch lists. The Trump campaign declined to provide more information about the NRA meeting. "We will send details at the appropriate time," campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks said. The NRA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Reuters)

Don't let those on watch lists bear arms, Donald Trump to tell NRA

White House hopeful Donald&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;vowed Monday to &quot;suspend&nbsp;immigration&quot; from&nbsp;nations&nbsp;with links to&nbsp;terror&nbsp;attacks targeting the United States or its allies, one day after a Florida nightclub massacre.

&quot;When I&#39;m elected, I will&nbsp;suspend&nbsp;immigration&nbsp;from&nbsp;areas of the world where there is a proven&nbsp;history&nbsp;of terrorism against the United States, Europe or our allies, until we fully understand how to end these threats,&quot;&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;said during a national security speech in New Hampshire.

&quot;We cannot continue to allow thousands upon thousands of people to pour into our country, many of whom have the same thought process as this savage killer.&quot;

Trump&nbsp;rapped his likely opponent in the US presidential race, Democrat Hillary Clinton, by saying she is pushing to expand&nbsp;immigration&nbsp;and the nation&#39;s refugee program to allow more Syrians into the United States.

&quot;Clinton wants to allow radical Islamic terrorists to pour into our country,&quot; he said, highlighting how such extremists have enslaved women and murdered homosexuals.

&quot;Immigration&nbsp;is a privilege, and we should not let anyone in this country who doesn&#39;t support our communities.&quot;

Speaking of the Orlando shooter, who was born in New York to Afghan parents,Trump&nbsp;said &quot;the only reason the killer was in America in the first place was because we allowed his family to come here.&quot;

&quot;We have a dysfunctional&nbsp;immigration&nbsp;system which does not permit us to know who we let into our country,&quot; he added.

Trump&#39;s blunt comments come six months after he controversially called for a ban on Muslims entering the United States.

He also expressed strong support for America&#39;s gay community, following Sunday&#39;s attack on the gay nightclub in Orlando left 50 people dead including the shooter.

&quot;This is a very dark moment in America&#39;s&nbsp;history,&quot;&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;said.

&quot;It&#39;s a strike at the heart and soul of who we are as a nation,&quot; he added.&nbsp;&quot;It&#39;s an assault on the ability of free people to live their lives, love who they want and express their identity.&quot;

Trump's blunt comments come six months after he controversially called for a ban on Muslims entering the United States

White House hopeful Donald Trump vowed Monday to "suspend immigration" from nations with links to terror attacks targeting the United States or its allies, one day after a Florida nightclub massacre. "When I'm elected, I will suspend immigration from areas of the world where there is a proven history of terrorism against the United States, Europe or our allies, until we fully understand how to end these threats," Trump said during a national security speech in New Hampshire. "We cannot continue to allow thousands upon thousands of people to pour into our country, many of whom have the same thought process as this savage killer." Trump rapped his likely opponent in the US presidential race, Democrat Hillary Clinton, by saying she is pushing to expand immigration and the nation's refugee program to allow more Syrians into the United States. "Clinton wants to allow radical Islamic terrorists to pour into our country," he said, highlighting how such extremists have enslaved women and murdered homosexuals. "Immigration is a privilege, and we should not let anyone in this country who doesn't support our communities." Speaking of the Orlando shooter, who was born in New York to Afghan parents,Trump said "the only reason the killer was in America in the first place was because we allowed his family to come here." "We have a dysfunctional immigration system which does not permit us to know who we let into our country," he added. Trump's blunt comments come six months after he controversially called for a ban on Muslims entering the United States. He also expressed strong support for America's gay community, following Sunday's attack on the gay nightclub in Orlando left 50 people dead including the shooter. "This is a very dark moment in America's history," Trump said. "It's a strike at the heart and soul of who we are as a nation," he added. "It's an assault on the ability of free people to live their lives, love who they want and express their identity."

Trump would 'suspend immigration' from nations with terror history

After damaging footage of him making lewd remarks surfaced, wherein he boasted about committing sexual assault, the&nbsp;stakes are high for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and he needs to put up a strong debate performance against Hillary clinton today.

Trump, speaking on the set of&nbsp;Days of our lives&nbsp;from 2005, was on tape saying&nbsp;saying:

&quot;I moved on her like a b*itch, but I couldn&#39;t get there. And she was married...I did try and f*ck her. She was married...just kiss. I don&#39;t even wait. And when you&#39;re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything...grab them by the p***y. You can do anything.&quot;

The list of high-profile Republicans walking away from their endorsement of their candidate, or distancing themselves further, is growing by the day.

It&#39;s in this atmosphere that the two candidates face off in their second debate ahead of Election Day, starting 9 PM local time&nbsp;at Washington University in St Louis. The debate will be in a town hall format where they will take questions from the audience.

With national media digging up evidence of his misogynistic behaviour, Trump is sure to face questions on treatment of women, but Clinton&rsquo;s running mate Tim Kaine has suggested that she intends to stick to basic issues like economy and national security.

&quot;If Donald wants to talk about something other than what voters want to talk about, that&#39;s his choice,&quot; Kaine said on CNN&#39;s State of the Union show. &quot;But I suspect that Hillary Clinton is going to talk about the things that voters really care about.&quot;

Even a winning performance by Trump, however, seems unlikely to mend the fissures he has opened in the Republican party, alarmed about the scandal&#39;s fallout in other down-ballot races.

The New York Times has reported that by late Saturday 36 Republican members of Congress and governors had disavowed Trump&#39;s candidacy.

The debate will not be easy for Clinton either as she might have to face questions on a WikiLeaks disclosure of excerpts from private speeches she gave to major banks in 2013 and 2014.

Although not as damaging as the Trump tape, the excerpts do show that she had expressed views in favour of open trade and self-regulation of the Wall Street, which are at odds with her position as a candidate.

John Podesta, a Clinton adviser from whose email account the excerpts were hacked, has said that they were taken out of context.

&quot;They are not diametrically opposed,&quot; he said on Fox News on Sunday. &quot;Again, you can pull a few words out of context, but what he said on this campaign trail is she&#39;ll be tough on Wall Street. That&#39;s exactly what she&#39;ll do.&quot;

&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from AFP)

Ahead of the debate, Trump is facing hostility after the release of a recording wherein he boasts about committing sexual assault

After damaging footage of him making lewd remarks surfaced, wherein he boasted about committing sexual assault, the stakes are high for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and he needs to put up a strong debate performance against Hillary clinton today. Trump, speaking on the set of Days of our lives from 2005, was on tape saying saying: "I moved on her like a b*itch, but I couldn't get there. And she was married...I did try and f*ck her. She was married...just kiss. I don't even wait. And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything...grab them by the p***y. You can do anything." The list of high-profile Republicans walking away from their endorsement of their candidate, or distancing themselves further, is growing by the day. It's in this atmosphere that the two candidates face off in their second debate ahead of Election Day, starting 9 PM local time at Washington University in St Louis. The debate will be in a town hall format where they will take questions from the audience. With national media digging up evidence of his misogynistic behaviour, Trump is sure to face questions on treatment of women, but Clinton’s running mate Tim Kaine has suggested that she intends to stick to basic issues like economy and national security. "If Donald wants to talk about something other than what voters want to talk about, that's his choice," Kaine said on CNN's State of the Union show. "But I suspect that Hillary Clinton is going to talk about the things that voters really care about." Even a winning performance by Trump, however, seems unlikely to mend the fissures he has opened in the Republican party, alarmed about the scandal's fallout in other down-ballot races. The New York Times has reported that by late Saturday 36 Republican members of Congress and governors had disavowed Trump's candidacy. The debate will not be easy for Clinton either as she might have to face questions on a WikiLeaks disclosure of excerpts from private speeches she gave to major banks in 2013 and 2014. Although not as damaging as the Trump tape, the excerpts do show that she had expressed views in favour of open trade and self-regulation of the Wall Street, which are at odds with her position as a candidate. John Podesta, a Clinton adviser from whose email account the excerpts were hacked, has said that they were taken out of context. "They are not diametrically opposed," he said on Fox News on Sunday. "Again, you can pull a few words out of context, but what he said on this campaign trail is she'll be tough on Wall Street. That's exactly what she'll do." (WION with inputs from AFP)

Trump faces uphill battle in second US presidential debate with Clinton

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump suggested on Friday that Clinton&#39;s secret service guards should disarm and &#39;&#39;see what happens to her&#39;&#39;. 
 
Trump was speaking at a rally in Miami. 
 
&quot;I think that her bodyguards should drop all weapons,&quot; the real estate billionaire told his supporters. &quot;I think they should disarm. Immediately. What do you think. Yes? Take their guns away. She doesn&#39;t want guns. Take them. Let&rsquo;s see what happens to her. Take their guns away, OK. It will be very dangerous.&quot; 
 
The presidential nominees are protected by secret service agents. 
 
&quot;Whether this is done to provoke protesters at a rally or casually or even as a joke, it is an unacceptable quality in anyone seeking the job of commander-in-chief,&quot; Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook said in a statement. 
 
&quot;He is unfit to be President and it is time Republican leaders stand up to denounce this disturbing behaviour in their nominee.&quot; 
 
Trump has said in the past that Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton wants to ban all guns. While Clinton supports stricter gun control measures, she has never suggested a ban on Second Amendment - US Constitution&#39;s clause that enshrines the rights of Americans to bear arms. 
 
Members of Clinton&#39;s government-appointed guard detail should abandon their weapons because she wants to &quot;destroy your Second Amendment,&quot; Reuters reported Trump as saying. 
 
Stuart Stevens, a political consultant,&nbsp;who worked on Republican Mitt Romney&#39;s 2012 presidential campaign tweeted: &#39;The Secret Service should investigate this threat&#39;. 
&nbsp;

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
The Secret Service should investigate this threat <a href="https://t.co/XQuUkrU71U">https://t.co/XQuUkrU71U</a>
&mdash; stuart stevens (@stuartpstevens) <a href="https://twitter.com/stuartpstevens/status/776929108219535360">September 16, 2016</a></blockquote>

&nbsp;

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Campaigns always attract random nuts who have to be weeded out. It&#39;s just unusual to nominate one. <a href="https://t.co/UR8IIqPlDT">https://t.co/UR8IIqPlDT</a>
&mdash; stuart stevens (@stuartpstevens) <a href="https://twitter.com/stuartpstevens/status/776989872582172672">September 17, 2016</a></blockquote>

&nbsp;

 
Last month, Trump had suggested in a rally that gun-owners or the supporters of Second Amendment could stop Clinton from winning the White House. 
 
&quot;If she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do folks,&quot; Trump said. &quot;Although the Second Amendment people &nbsp;- maybe there is, I don&#39;t know.&quot; 
 
Trump also accepted in a statement today that President Barack Obama was born in the United States after claims that Obama&#39;s father, a Kenyan Muslim, founded the violent Islamic State group. He, however, blamed Clinton for starting the &#39;birther controversy&#39;. 
 
&quot;Her campaign of 2008 started the birther controversy. I finished it. I finished it. You know what I mean,&quot; Trump said. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

&nbsp;

He said Clinton's guard detail should voluntarily disarm because she wants to 'destroy your second amendment'

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump suggested on Friday that Clinton's secret service guards should disarm and ''see what happens to her''. Trump was speaking at a rally in Miami. "I think that her bodyguards should drop all weapons," the real estate billionaire told his supporters. "I think they should disarm. Immediately. What do you think. Yes? Take their guns away. She doesn't want guns. Take them. Let’s see what happens to her. Take their guns away, OK. It will be very dangerous." The presidential nominees are protected by secret service agents. "Whether this is done to provoke protesters at a rally or casually or even as a joke, it is an unacceptable quality in anyone seeking the job of commander-in-chief," Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook said in a statement. "He is unfit to be President and it is time Republican leaders stand up to denounce this disturbing behaviour in their nominee." Trump has said in the past that Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton wants to ban all guns. While Clinton supports stricter gun control measures, she has never suggested a ban on Second Amendment - US Constitution's clause that enshrines the rights of Americans to bear arms. Members of Clinton's government-appointed guard detail should abandon their weapons because she wants to "destroy your Second Amendment," Reuters reported Trump as saying. Stuart Stevens, a political consultant, who worked on Republican Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign tweeted: 'The Secret Service should investigate this threat'. The Secret Service should investigate this threat https://t.co/XQuUkrU71U — stuart stevens (@stuartpstevens) September 16, 2016 Campaigns always attract random nuts who have to be weeded out. It's just unusual to nominate one. https://t.co/UR8IIqPlDT — stuart stevens (@stuartpstevens) September 17, 2016 Last month, Trump had suggested in a rally that gun-owners or the supporters of Second Amendment could stop Clinton from winning the White House. "If she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do folks," Trump said. "Although the Second Amendment people - maybe there is, I don't know." Trump also accepted in a statement today that President Barack Obama was born in the United States after claims that Obama's father, a Kenyan Muslim, founded the violent Islamic State group. He, however, blamed Clinton for starting the 'birther controversy'. "Her campaign of 2008 started the birther controversy. I finished it. I finished it. You know what I mean," Trump said. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Trump suggests Clinton's guards disarm, and 'see what happens to her'

Democratic US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Monday said her Republican rival Donald Trump&#39;s rhetoric against resettling refugees in the United States is helping the cause of militant groups.&nbsp; 
 
Clinton said Trump&#39;s words are helping the Islamic State militant group to recruit more fighters. She went on to call him&nbsp;&quot;a recruiting sergeant for terrorists&quot; in her campaign in White Plains, New York.&nbsp; 
 
She said militants are turning it into a religious conflict and using Trump&#39;s rhetoric as a recruiting tool.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We know that a lot of the rhetoric we heard from Donald Trump has been seized on by terrorists, in particular, ISIS, because they are looking to make this into a war against Islam, rather than a war against Jihadists,&quot; Clinton said. 
 
Trump has called for a ban on resettling refugees in the United States from Syria and other violence-wracked Middle Eastern nations, which could go against him in the elections.&nbsp; 
 
Clinton sought to show a steady hand in the wake of the weekend bomb blasts in New York and New Jersey. She urged Americans to remain calm but vigilant. 
 
&quot;This threat is real, but so is our resolve. Americans will not cower. We will prevail. We will defend our country and we will defeat the evil, twisted ideology of the terrorists,&quot; Clinton said. 
 
In his appearance on a chat show, Trump demanded radical change.&nbsp; 
 
Trump&#39;s campaign rubbished Clinton&#39;s response as a &quot;disgusting attempt to distract&quot; from failures to tackle the Islamic State group. 
 
He sought to show that these latest attacks are an inevitable result of Clinton and Obama&#39;s weak handed anti-terror and immigration policies. 
 
&quot;Our country has been weak. We&#39;re letting people in by the thousands and tens of thousands. I&#39;ve been saying you&#39;ve got to stop it,&quot; Trump told Fox. 
 
The recent attacks have renewed the focus on terrorism and put national security at center-stage as both candidates prepare for their first debate on Monday at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

Republican candidate Donald Trump's campaign said rival Hillary Clinton was trying to divert attention from their failures to tackle terror

Democratic US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Monday said her Republican rival Donald Trump's rhetoric against resettling refugees in the United States is helping the cause of militant groups. Clinton said Trump's words are helping the Islamic State militant group to recruit more fighters. She went on to call him "a recruiting sergeant for terrorists" in her campaign in White Plains, New York. She said militants are turning it into a religious conflict and using Trump's rhetoric as a recruiting tool. "We know that a lot of the rhetoric we heard from Donald Trump has been seized on by terrorists, in particular, ISIS, because they are looking to make this into a war against Islam, rather than a war against Jihadists," Clinton said. Trump has called for a ban on resettling refugees in the United States from Syria and other violence-wracked Middle Eastern nations, which could go against him in the elections. Clinton sought to show a steady hand in the wake of the weekend bomb blasts in New York and New Jersey. She urged Americans to remain calm but vigilant. "This threat is real, but so is our resolve. Americans will not cower. We will prevail. We will defend our country and we will defeat the evil, twisted ideology of the terrorists," Clinton said. In his appearance on a chat show, Trump demanded radical change. Trump's campaign rubbished Clinton's response as a "disgusting attempt to distract" from failures to tackle the Islamic State group. He sought to show that these latest attacks are an inevitable result of Clinton and Obama's weak handed anti-terror and immigration policies. "Our country has been weak. We're letting people in by the thousands and tens of thousands. I've been saying you've got to stop it," Trump told Fox. The recent attacks have renewed the focus on terrorism and put national security at center-stage as both candidates prepare for their first debate on Monday at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Clinton says Trump's rhetoric helping Islamic State

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump finally admitted that US President Barack Obama is an American citizen in a nationally televised event on Friday. 
 
&quot;President Barack Obama was born in the United States, period,&quot; Trump said, as his campaign tried to silence damaging charges of racism. 
 
Trump continues to falsely blame Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton for starting the &quot;birtherism&quot; controversy. 
 
&quot;Her campaign of 2008 started the birther controversy. I finished it. I finished it. You know what I mean,&quot; Trump said. 
 
Trump has questioned Obama&#39;s US citizenship since 2011, which is a legal prerequisite for becoming president. 
 
After Trump on Thursday again demurred on Obama&#39;s nationality, his campaign was forced to issue a statement. 
 
&quot;Mr. Trump believes that President Obama was born in the United States,&quot; his campaign said. 
 
Trump&#39;s Democratic rival Hillary Clinton said Trump&rsquo;s campaign was founded on Obama&rsquo;s citizenship. 
 
&quot;For five years, he has led the birther movement to delegitimise our first black president,&quot; she said.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;His campaign was founded on this outrageous lie. There is no erasing it in history. 
 
&quot;He&#39;s feeding into the worst impulses, the bigotry and bias that lurks in our country,&quot; she added.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Barack Obama was born in America, plain and simple. And Donald Trump owes him and the American people an apology.&quot; 
 
Trump&#39;s brief remarks on the subject came at the end of a lengthy campaign event that plugged his new hotel in the capital Washington, and his support from veterans, but scarcely touched on the &quot;birther&quot; issue. 
 
The White House has long viewed Trump&#39;s claims as racist, aimed at delegitimising the president. 
 
Asked about the renewed controversy, Obama made a veiled dig at the US media and its obsessive coverage of Trump. 
 
&quot;I am shocked that a question like that would come up at a time when we have so many other things to do,&quot; he said, before adding &quot;Well I am not that shocked.&quot; 
 
&quot;I was pretty confident about where I was born. My hope would be that the presidential election reflects more serious issues than that.&quot; &nbsp; 
 
In 2011, Obama produced his birth certificate, showing he was born at the Kapiolani Medical Center in Hawaii on August 4, 1961, to put an end to the allegations. 
 
Shortly after, Obama appeared at the White House Correspondents&#39; Dinner and publicly ridiculed Trump, who was in the audience. 
 
&quot;No one is prouder to put this birth certificate matter to rest than The Donald. And that&#39;s because he can finally get back to focusing on the issues that matter, like, did we fake the moon landing?&nbsp; 
 
What really happened in Roswell? And where are Biggie and Tupac?&quot; 
 
(WION with inputs from AFP)

Republican presidential candidate had questioned Obama's nationality several times in the past

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump finally admitted that US President Barack Obama is an American citizen in a nationally televised event on Friday. "President Barack Obama was born in the United States, period," Trump said, as his campaign tried to silence damaging charges of racism. Trump continues to falsely blame Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton for starting the "birtherism" controversy. "Her campaign of 2008 started the birther controversy. I finished it. I finished it. You know what I mean," Trump said. Trump has questioned Obama's US citizenship since 2011, which is a legal prerequisite for becoming president. After Trump on Thursday again demurred on Obama's nationality, his campaign was forced to issue a statement. "Mr. Trump believes that President Obama was born in the United States," his campaign said. Trump's Democratic rival Hillary Clinton said Trump’s campaign was founded on Obama’s citizenship. "For five years, he has led the birther movement to delegitimise our first black president," she said. "His campaign was founded on this outrageous lie. There is no erasing it in history. "He's feeding into the worst impulses, the bigotry and bias that lurks in our country," she added. "Barack Obama was born in America, plain and simple. And Donald Trump owes him and the American people an apology." Trump's brief remarks on the subject came at the end of a lengthy campaign event that plugged his new hotel in the capital Washington, and his support from veterans, but scarcely touched on the "birther" issue. The White House has long viewed Trump's claims as racist, aimed at delegitimising the president. Asked about the renewed controversy, Obama made a veiled dig at the US media and its obsessive coverage of Trump. "I am shocked that a question like that would come up at a time when we have so many other things to do," he said, before adding "Well I am not that shocked." "I was pretty confident about where I was born. My hope would be that the presidential election reflects more serious issues than that." In 2011, Obama produced his birth certificate, showing he was born at the Kapiolani Medical Center in Hawaii on August 4, 1961, to put an end to the allegations. Shortly after, Obama appeared at the White House Correspondents' Dinner and publicly ridiculed Trump, who was in the audience. "No one is prouder to put this birth certificate matter to rest than The Donald. And that's because he can finally get back to focusing on the issues that matter, like, did we fake the moon landing? What really happened in Roswell? And where are Biggie and Tupac?" (WION with inputs from AFP)

Donald Trump admits US President Obama was born in America

Hillary Clinton&#39;s battle with pneumonia might be over, but the speculations about Clinton&#39;s health has triggered a new &#39;fitness battle&#39; between the Democratic presidential nominee and Republican nominee Donald Trump.&nbsp; 
 
While Clinton resumed her campaign trail on Thursday, signalling that she was racing to regain the momentum lost to her rival, Trump produced the most detailed assessment to show he was in &quot;excellent physical health.&quot; 
 
Clinton, who made a first confident public appearance on Thursday after her stint with illness, said she &ldquo;was filled with a new sense of urgency at a critical juncture in American politics&rdquo;, The Guardian reported today.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;It&#39;s great to be back on the campaign trail,&quot; Clinton told cheering supporters in Greensboro, according to an AFP report. &nbsp; 
 
&#39;The fitness war&#39; 
 
The 68-year-old Clinton was seen stumbling during the 9/11 memorial ceremony in New York, raising speculations if she was fit to serve as the president of the United States.&nbsp; 
 
Trump took the incident as an opportunity to lash out at Clinton for not being &#39;fit&#39; enough to run the country. 
 
A few days later, he released new health data of his own during the taping of a nationally televised medical chat show Dr Oz, before publishing it on Thursday in full, according to a Guardian report.&nbsp; 
 
The one-page letter from his doctor lists various lab results, deeming his cholesterol, blood pressure and liver and thyroid function to be within the normal range. 
 
&#39;Welfare check&#39;&nbsp; 
 
In an address to the Economic Club of New York, Trump took a dig at Clinton and Obama&#39;s policies of having doubled the national debt, adding that &#39;nation will tumble into dwindling prosperity&#39; if Clinton were elected.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;The only thing she can ever offer is a welfare check,&quot; he said. 
 
Neck and neck game 
 
A CBS News/New York Times survey found Clinton had just a two-point edge (46 to 44 per cent) over Trump in a two-way matchup among likely voters, siganlling a narrowing gap between the two presidential nominees.&nbsp; 
 
However, a recent Bloomberg poll puts him up by five points in Ohio, while a CNN survey now has Trump ahead of Clinton by three points in Florida. 
 
Clinton has announced stops for next week in states where Trump has started closing the gap, including Florida.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from AFP) 
 
 
&nbsp;

While Clinton resumed her campaign on Thursday after pneumonia news, Trump produced an account to show he was in 'excellent physical health'

Hillary Clinton's battle with pneumonia might be over, but the speculations about Clinton's health has triggered a new 'fitness battle' between the Democratic presidential nominee and Republican nominee Donald Trump. While Clinton resumed her campaign trail on Thursday, signalling that she was racing to regain the momentum lost to her rival, Trump produced the most detailed assessment to show he was in "excellent physical health." Clinton, who made a first confident public appearance on Thursday after her stint with illness, said she “was filled with a new sense of urgency at a critical juncture in American politics”, The Guardian reported today. "It's great to be back on the campaign trail," Clinton told cheering supporters in Greensboro, according to an AFP report. 'The fitness war' The 68-year-old Clinton was seen stumbling during the 9/11 memorial ceremony in New York, raising speculations if she was fit to serve as the president of the United States. Trump took the incident as an opportunity to lash out at Clinton for not being 'fit' enough to run the country. A few days later, he released new health data of his own during the taping of a nationally televised medical chat show Dr Oz, before publishing it on Thursday in full, according to a Guardian report. The one-page letter from his doctor lists various lab results, deeming his cholesterol, blood pressure and liver and thyroid function to be within the normal range. 'Welfare check' In an address to the Economic Club of New York, Trump took a dig at Clinton and Obama's policies of having doubled the national debt, adding that 'nation will tumble into dwindling prosperity' if Clinton were elected. "The only thing she can ever offer is a welfare check," he said. Neck and neck game A CBS News/New York Times survey found Clinton had just a two-point edge (46 to 44 per cent) over Trump in a two-way matchup among likely voters, siganlling a narrowing gap between the two presidential nominees. However, a recent Bloomberg poll puts him up by five points in Ohio, while a CNN survey now has Trump ahead of Clinton by three points in Florida. Clinton has announced stops for next week in states where Trump has started closing the gap, including Florida. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Clinton versus Trump: The fitness test

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump came out swinging in a crunch US presidential debate today, with the Republican and Democrat aggressively pitching their case to tens of millions of viewers. 
 
Clinton hit her rival as coming from a &quot;very fortunate&quot; background and called on voters to judge them both on the basis of &quot;who can shoulder the immense, awesome responsibilities of the presidency.&quot; 
 
Trump ditched his red power tie for a more statesmanlike blue and took on a restrained tone, but reprised the themes that have catalysed his improbable campaign, insisting jobs were being lost to Mexico and China. 
 
&quot;We have to renegotiate our trade deals and we have to stop these countries from stealing our companies and our jobs,&quot; he said, saying Clinton had decades without making lives better for ordinary Americans. 
 
Clinton hit back, accusing Trump&#39;s economic platform of amounting to &quot;the most extreme&quot; package of tax cuts for the wealthy in US history.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;I call it trumped up trickle-down, because that&#39;s exactly what it would be,&quot; she quipped. 
 
This first 2016 presidential debate could be pivotal in deciding whether Clinton will become the first woman president, or if Trump can pull off the greatest upset in US political history. 
 
When the celebrity businessman launched his campaign in June 2015, bookmakers put his odds at 100/1 and he was roundly mocked.&nbsp; 
 
But the 70-year-old weathered allegations of bigotry and sexism to triumph in a vicious Republican primary campaign. 
 
He now has a real shot at being sworn in as the 45th president of the United States on January 20. 
 
Six weeks out from election day the polls have tightened to a virtual dead heat. 
 
Clinton, &nbsp;the 68-year-old former secretary of state, first lady and US senator, is perhaps the most qualified presidential candidate since George Bush senior, Dwight Eisenhower or Ulysses Grant. 
 
She has a massive organisational advantage, a bigger campaign warchest, a lead in the popular vote and is in a notably stronger position state-by-state. 
 
But she remains deeply unpopular. In a country split 50/50 between Democrats and Republicans, only 40 per cent of voters say they have a favorable view of her. 
 
Polling group Gallup reports that 69 per cent of US adults are sure they will vote, down from 76 per cent in 2012. 
 
In the last two presidential elections, young, black, Hispanic and Asian-American voters turned out in record numbers for Barack Obama. 
 
Clinton&#39;s campaign has struggled so far to match that level of enthusiasm. 
 
Only 47 per cent of voters aged 18 to 34 say they will definitely vote this time round, that is down from 74 per cent when Obama was first elected. 
 
This Super Bowl of politics is taking place at Hofstra University on Long Island, a mere 60-minute drive from Manhattan and chaired by NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt. 
 
The questions will revolve around three themes: &quot;America`s direction, achieving prosperity, and securing America.&quot; 
 
Watching from the venue were Melania Trump and Bill Clinton, two spouses who have made their impact felt on during the campaign.Monday`s target will be the estimated nine per cent of American voters who are still undecided. Can the Democrat win their minds, if not their hearts? Can Trump persuade them that he has the gravitas to lead? 
 
If Trump remains disciplined and focuses on issues, he could earn credibility among college-educated whites. 
 
Clinton will no doubt aim to seize on Trump`s toxic campaign trail rhetoric, using his words to paint her rival as a divisive demagogue. 
 
But she may struggle to meet expectations. A Quinnipiac poll found that voters expect Clinton to win the debate 41 to 32 per cent, and that 84 per cent said they intend to watch. 
 
Clinton&#39;s campaign has expressed concerns of being held to a double standard, saying the bar is higher for her while Trump stood to win praise for a merely adequate performance. 
 
Usually first presidential debates expose a candidate to a public beyond their home state or the Washington political bubble. But like much else in the 2016 race, that is not the case this year. 
 
The names of both candidates were recognised by almost 100 per cent of the adult population, even before the debate. 
 
(AFP)&nbsp;

Usually first presidential debates expose a candidate to a public beyond their home state or the Washington political bubble

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump came out swinging in a crunch US presidential debate today, with the Republican and Democrat aggressively pitching their case to tens of millions of viewers. Clinton hit her rival as coming from a "very fortunate" background and called on voters to judge them both on the basis of "who can shoulder the immense, awesome responsibilities of the presidency." Trump ditched his red power tie for a more statesmanlike blue and took on a restrained tone, but reprised the themes that have catalysed his improbable campaign, insisting jobs were being lost to Mexico and China. "We have to renegotiate our trade deals and we have to stop these countries from stealing our companies and our jobs," he said, saying Clinton had decades without making lives better for ordinary Americans. Clinton hit back, accusing Trump's economic platform of amounting to "the most extreme" package of tax cuts for the wealthy in US history. "I call it trumped up trickle-down, because that's exactly what it would be," she quipped. This first 2016 presidential debate could be pivotal in deciding whether Clinton will become the first woman president, or if Trump can pull off the greatest upset in US political history. When the celebrity businessman launched his campaign in June 2015, bookmakers put his odds at 100/1 and he was roundly mocked. But the 70-year-old weathered allegations of bigotry and sexism to triumph in a vicious Republican primary campaign. He now has a real shot at being sworn in as the 45th president of the United States on January 20. Six weeks out from election day the polls have tightened to a virtual dead heat. Clinton, the 68-year-old former secretary of state, first lady and US senator, is perhaps the most qualified presidential candidate since George Bush senior, Dwight Eisenhower or Ulysses Grant. She has a massive organisational advantage, a bigger campaign warchest, a lead in the popular vote and is in a notably stronger position state-by-state. But she remains deeply unpopular. In a country split 50/50 between Democrats and Republicans, only 40 per cent of voters say they have a favorable view of her. Polling group Gallup reports that 69 per cent of US adults are sure they will vote, down from 76 per cent in 2012. In the last two presidential elections, young, black, Hispanic and Asian-American voters turned out in record numbers for Barack Obama. Clinton's campaign has struggled so far to match that level of enthusiasm. Only 47 per cent of voters aged 18 to 34 say they will definitely vote this time round, that is down from 74 per cent when Obama was first elected. This Super Bowl of politics is taking place at Hofstra University on Long Island, a mere 60-minute drive from Manhattan and chaired by NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt. The questions will revolve around three themes: "America`s direction, achieving prosperity, and securing America." Watching from the venue were Melania Trump and Bill Clinton, two spouses who have made their impact felt on during the campaign.Monday`s target will be the estimated nine per cent of American voters who are still undecided. Can the Democrat win their minds, if not their hearts? Can Trump persuade them that he has the gravitas to lead? If Trump remains disciplined and focuses on issues, he could earn credibility among college-educated whites. Clinton will no doubt aim to seize on Trump`s toxic campaign trail rhetoric, using his words to paint her rival as a divisive demagogue. But she may struggle to meet expectations. A Quinnipiac poll found that voters expect Clinton to win the debate 41 to 32 per cent, and that 84 per cent said they intend to watch. Clinton's campaign has expressed concerns of being held to a double standard, saying the bar is higher for her while Trump stood to win praise for a merely adequate performance. Usually first presidential debates expose a candidate to a public beyond their home state or the Washington political bubble. But like much else in the 2016 race, that is not the case this year. The names of both candidates were recognised by almost 100 per cent of the adult population, even before the debate. (AFP)

US presidential debate showdown: Clinton, Trump spar over economy

Republican preidential candidate Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he may hit Clinton harder&nbsp;after the Democratic nominee accused him of being racist, sexist and a tax dodger in the first of three US presidetial debates held on Monday.

&quot;I may hit her harder in certain ways,&quot; Trump said in a telephone interview with Fox &amp; Friends. &quot;I eased up because I didn&#39;t want to hurt anybody&#39;s feelings.&quot;

Clinton brushed off Trump&#39;s vow, saying, &quot;He can run his campaign however he chooses,&quot; Reuters reported.

Speaking to Fox news, Trump said that when Clinton criticised him for his treatment of women, &#39;&#39;I was going to to hit her with her husband&#39;s women.&#39;&#39; He added that he resisted brining the topic of Clinton&#39;s husband and former president Bill Clinton&#39;s marital infideltiy because &#39;her daughter was in the room&#39;.

&quot;When she hit me at the end with women, I was going to to hit her with her husband&#39;s women. And I decided I shouldn&#39;t do it because her daughter was in the room. I didn&#39;t feel comfortable doing it.&quot;

Trump reportedly had an affair with Marla Maples while he was married to his first wife, Ivana Trump. He married and eventually divorced Maples and married his current wife, Malania Trump.

The real estate Mogul defended his performance on the debate by saying that the debate moderator, Lester Holt of NBC News, asked him some &#39;hostile questions&#39;. He suggested that while he was asked tough questions, Clinton was let off easy.

&quot;He (Holt) didnt ask her (Clinton) about the emails at all, he didnt ask her about her about her scandals. He didnt ask her about the Benghazi deal that she destroyed,&quot; Trump said.

He further complained that&nbsp;had a problem with the microphone.&nbsp;&#39;&#39;I wonder if it was set up that way,&#39;&#39; Trump said. However, he added that he thought the debate went really well,&nbsp;&#39;&#39;A lot of people thought I won.&quot;

Clinton, speaking to reporters on her campaign plane, said, &quot;Anyone who complains about the microphone is not having a good night.&quot;

A CNN/ORC snap poll said 62 per cent of respondents felt Clinton won and 27 per cent believed Trump was the winner, Reuters reported.

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump faced off in the first US Presidential debate early Tuesday&nbsp;morning India time.

The debate was 90 minutes long, moderated by the anchor of&nbsp;NBC&nbsp;Nightly News&nbsp;Lester Holt, and divided into three sections --&nbsp;achieving prosperity, America&#39;s direction, and securing America.

The television audience for debate looks set to approach 80-million viewer record for such events set in 1980, early Nielsen viewership data cited by US&nbsp;media suggested, Reuters reported.

The next two debates are scheduled on Oct 9 in St.Louis and Oct. 19 in Las Vegas.

&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

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He complained that Clinton was let off easy, 'He (the moderator) didn't ask her about lots of things that she should've been asked about'

Republican preidential candidate Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he may hit Clinton harder after the Democratic nominee accused him of being racist, sexist and a tax dodger in the first of three US presidetial debates held on Monday. "I may hit her harder in certain ways," Trump said in a telephone interview with Fox & Friends. "I eased up because I didn't want to hurt anybody's feelings." Clinton brushed off Trump's vow, saying, "He can run his campaign however he chooses," Reuters reported. Speaking to Fox news, Trump said that when Clinton criticised him for his treatment of women, ''I was going to to hit her with her husband's women.'' He added that he resisted brining the topic of Clinton's husband and former president Bill Clinton's marital infideltiy because 'her daughter was in the room'. "When she hit me at the end with women, I was going to to hit her with her husband's women. And I decided I shouldn't do it because her daughter was in the room. I didn't feel comfortable doing it." Trump reportedly had an affair with Marla Maples while he was married to his first wife, Ivana Trump. He married and eventually divorced Maples and married his current wife, Malania Trump. The real estate Mogul defended his performance on the debate by saying that the debate moderator, Lester Holt of NBC News, asked him some 'hostile questions'. He suggested that while he was asked tough questions, Clinton was let off easy. "He (Holt) didnt ask her (Clinton) about the emails at all, he didnt ask her about her about her scandals. He didnt ask her about the Benghazi deal that she destroyed," Trump said. He further complained that had a problem with the microphone. ''I wonder if it was set up that way,'' Trump said. However, he added that he thought the debate went really well, ''A lot of people thought I won." Clinton, speaking to reporters on her campaign plane, said, "Anyone who complains about the microphone is not having a good night." A CNN/ORC snap poll said 62 per cent of respondents felt Clinton won and 27 per cent believed Trump was the winner, Reuters reported. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump faced off in the first US Presidential debate early Tuesday morning India time. The debate was 90 minutes long, moderated by the anchor of NBC Nightly News Lester Holt, and divided into three sections -- achieving prosperity, America's direction, and securing America. The television audience for debate looks set to approach 80-million viewer record for such events set in 1980, early Nielsen viewership data cited by US media suggested, Reuters reported. The next two debates are scheduled on Oct 9 in St.Louis and Oct. 19 in Las Vegas. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Trump 'may hit Clinton harder' in next US presidential debate

US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump used funds from his charitable foundation to pay settlements in legal cases involving his businesses, an apparent violation of laws governing non-profits, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday. 
 
The cases involved a combined $258,000 paid out by the Donald J. Trump Foundation -- a charity almost entirely funded with other people&#39;s money, the newspaper said and follow a review of legal documents and the foundation&#39;s tax records. 
 
The newspaper carried out a weekslong investigation into the charity&#39;s finances, finding that Trump himself has not contributed a dollar since 2009. The group is funded by donations from third parties instead.&nbsp;

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<h5>In one case, the Foundation paid $20,000 in 2007 for a six-foot portrait of Trump, the Washington Post newspaper reported</h5>
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One of the group&#39;s suspect payments was a $100,000 donation to a veterans&#39; charity in 2007 as part of a legal settlement with the city of Palm Beach, Florida. 
 
Trump had sued the city after it fined him $120,000, or $1,250 per day, for erecting an 80-foot (24-meter) flagpole at his Mar-a-Lago Club that exceeded the maximum 42 feet permitted by local regulations. 
 
The Trump Foundation also made transactions that appeared to be exclusively for the benefit of the real estate mogul or his businesses, apparently in violation of regulations governing charities, the Washington Post said. 
 
In one case, the charity paid $20,000 in 2007 for a six-foot portrait of Trump, the newspaper reported. 
 
&quot;Clearly the Trump Foundation is as much a charitable organisation as Trump University is an institute of higher education,&quot; said Christina Reynolds, a spokeswoman for the campaign of Trump&#39;s White House rival, Democrat Hillary Clinton. 
 
&quot;Once again, Trump has proven himself a fraud who believes the rules don&#39;t apply to him,&quot; she said in a statement.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;It&#39;s past time for him to release his tax returns to show whether his tax issues extend to his own personal finances.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
Some Democrats have complained that the media has not sufficiently reported about the Trump Foundation&#39;s suspected wrongdoing, accusing journalists of being lenient in their treatment of the outspoken billionaire. 
 
Trump&#39;s campaign denied the Post report. 
 
&quot;In typical Washington Post fashion, they&#39;ve gotten their facts wrong. It is the Clinton Foundation that is set up to make sure the Clintons personally enrich themselves by selling access and trading political favors. The Trump Foundation has no paid board, no management fees, no rent or overhead, and no family members on its payroll,&quot; said spokesman Jason Miller. 
 
News outlets have also been criticised for being more keen to cover a tweet by Trump&#39;s son comparing Syrian refugees to a bowl of colorful Skittles candy. 
 
&quot;If I had a bowl of skittles and I told you just three would kill you. Would you take a handful?&quot; he wrote. &quot;That&#39;s our Syria refugee problem.&quot; 
 
&quot;If you are covering Skittles-gate instead Trump&#39;s illegal use of his foundation, you are probably in journalism for the wrong reasons,&quot; tweeted Dan Pfeiffer, a former top advisor to President Barack Obama. 
 
(AFP)

The cases involved a combined $258,000 paid out by the Donald J Trump Foundation -- a charity almost entirely funded by other people's money

US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump used funds from his charitable foundation to pay settlements in legal cases involving his businesses, an apparent violation of laws governing non-profits, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday. The cases involved a combined $258,000 paid out by the Donald J. Trump Foundation -- a charity almost entirely funded with other people's money, the newspaper said and follow a review of legal documents and the foundation's tax records. The newspaper carried out a weekslong investigation into the charity's finances, finding that Trump himself has not contributed a dollar since 2009. The group is funded by donations from third parties instead. In one case, the Foundation paid $20,000 in 2007 for a six-foot portrait of Trump, the Washington Post newspaper reported One of the group's suspect payments was a $100,000 donation to a veterans' charity in 2007 as part of a legal settlement with the city of Palm Beach, Florida. Trump had sued the city after it fined him $120,000, or $1,250 per day, for erecting an 80-foot (24-meter) flagpole at his Mar-a-Lago Club that exceeded the maximum 42 feet permitted by local regulations. The Trump Foundation also made transactions that appeared to be exclusively for the benefit of the real estate mogul or his businesses, apparently in violation of regulations governing charities, the Washington Post said. In one case, the charity paid $20,000 in 2007 for a six-foot portrait of Trump, the newspaper reported. "Clearly the Trump Foundation is as much a charitable organisation as Trump University is an institute of higher education," said Christina Reynolds, a spokeswoman for the campaign of Trump's White House rival, Democrat Hillary Clinton. "Once again, Trump has proven himself a fraud who believes the rules don't apply to him," she said in a statement. "It's past time for him to release his tax returns to show whether his tax issues extend to his own personal finances." Some Democrats have complained that the media has not sufficiently reported about the Trump Foundation's suspected wrongdoing, accusing journalists of being lenient in their treatment of the outspoken billionaire. Trump's campaign denied the Post report. "In typical Washington Post fashion, they've gotten their facts wrong. It is the Clinton Foundation that is set up to make sure the Clintons personally enrich themselves by selling access and trading political favors. The Trump Foundation has no paid board, no management fees, no rent or overhead, and no family members on its payroll," said spokesman Jason Miller. News outlets have also been criticised for being more keen to cover a tweet by Trump's son comparing Syrian refugees to a bowl of colorful Skittles candy. "If I had a bowl of skittles and I told you just three would kill you. Would you take a handful?" he wrote. "That's our Syria refugee problem." "If you are covering Skittles-gate instead Trump's illegal use of his foundation, you are probably in journalism for the wrong reasons," tweeted Dan Pfeiffer, a former top advisor to President Barack Obama. (AFP)

Trump used charity funds to pay legal settlements: Washington Post

Early this week, Donald Trump Junior, who is a close political adviser to his father, issued a tweet comparing Syrian refugees to poisoned candies: 
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
This image says it all. Let&#39;s end the politically correct agenda that doesn&#39;t put America first. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/trump2016?src=hash">#trump2016</a> <a href="https://t.co/9fHwog7ssN">pic.twitter.com/9fHwog7ssN</a>
&mdash; Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) <a href="https://twitter.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/778016283342307328">September 19, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The tweet, bearing Trump&#39;s official campaign logo, was criticised for several reasons. One, <a href="http://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/pubs/pdf/pa798_1_1.pdf">the Cato Institute</a> calculated the odds of an American being killed by a refugee to be one in 640,000,000, not three in however many skittles there are in the above bowl. Two, the analogy is logically flawed: leaving uneaten Skittles in a bowl poses no ethical or moral dilemma, which isn&#39;t comparable to neglecting the lives of human beings fleeing war. 
 
Wrigley&#39;s, Skittles&#39; parent company, having been dragged into this affair made an official statement&nbsp;reaching the same conclusion: &quot;Skittles are candy. Refugees are people. We don&#39;t feel it&#39;s an appropriate analogy. We will respectively refrain from further commentary, as anything we say could be misinterpreted as marketing.&quot; 
 
Trump&#39;s tweet was also <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/09/21/494854951/donald-trump-jr-used-skittles-photo-without-permission-from-former-refugee">copyright infringement</a>, as the picture was taken without permission. The rightful owner of the picture is especially angry it was used by the Trump campaign this way, as at 6-years-old he himself was a refugee fleeing Cyprus following the Turkish invasion. 
 
In addition to being grossly misleading, xenophobic, logically flawed and theft, the tweet also has a racist connection. Skittles carry very loaded associations for the alt-right&mdash;an unofficial assembly of far-right wingers characterised by heavy misogyny, racism and white supremacy&mdash;because of the symbol it became during and after the murder trial of George Zimmerman.&nbsp; 
 
Trayvon Martin was carrying Skittles when George Zimmerman killed him in 2012. This was a very high-profile case in North America. Martin was an African American 17-year-old high school student. Zimmerman was the neighbourhood watch coordinator of a gated community in Florida, an American state with Stand Your Ground laws, meaning it is legal to protect yourself from threats or&nbsp;perceived&nbsp;threats. Zimmerman was ultimately acquitted by a jury after only about a month.&nbsp; 
 
Skittles&nbsp;became a symbol of injustice to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/shortcuts/2013/jul/15/skittles-trayvon-martin-zimmerman-acquittal">Martin&#39;s supporters</a>, and was used in memes by <a href="http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/3okg2c">Zimmerman&#39;s supporters</a>, who incorporated the candy in jokes mocking the dead teenager.&nbsp; 
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Hillary is obsessed with a cartoon frog and her voters are angrier about a picture of Skittles than people getting bombed. 
 
Victory is near! <a href="https://t.co/qiAiGWNqMd">pic.twitter.com/qiAiGWNqMd</a>
&mdash; Vendetta Vidame (@Vendetta92429) <a href="https://twitter.com/Vendetta92429/status/778086672353234944">September 20, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Given how many times the Trump campaign has appealed to the alt-right or echoed their racist memes (this<a href="http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2015/nov/23/donald-trump/trump-tweet-blacks-white-homicide-victims/"> racist and bogus crime stat </a>retweeted from a white supremacist account; Hillary Clinton with a <a href="http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2016/jul/05/donald-trumps-star-david-tweet-recap/">Jewish star of David</a>&nbsp;beside dollars and &quot;corruption&quot;;&nbsp;<a href="http://www.vox.com/2016/9/21/12893656/pepe-frog-donald-trump">Pepe the frog</a>...), it is hard to imagine that the allusion to skittles is an accident or coincidence. More likely, the campaign is issuing another dog whistle&mdash;a kind of covert tip of the hat, or a thumbs up&mdash;to the kind of Trump supporters who joke about dead African American teenagers. 
 
&nbsp;(WION)

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The message wasn't just xenophobic and fallacious, Skittles was a loaded symbol of racial injustice after the George Zimmerman murder trial

Early this week, Donald Trump Junior, who is a close political adviser to his father, issued a tweet comparing Syrian refugees to poisoned candies: This image says it all. Let's end the politically correct agenda that doesn't put America first. #trump2016 pic.twitter.com/9fHwog7ssN — Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) September 19, 2016 The tweet, bearing Trump's official campaign logo, was criticised for several reasons. One, the Cato Institute calculated the odds of an American being killed by a refugee to be one in 640,000,000, not three in however many skittles there are in the above bowl. Two, the analogy is logically flawed: leaving uneaten Skittles in a bowl poses no ethical or moral dilemma, which isn't comparable to neglecting the lives of human beings fleeing war. Wrigley's, Skittles' parent company, having been dragged into this affair made an official statement reaching the same conclusion: "Skittles are candy. Refugees are people. We don't feel it's an appropriate analogy. We will respectively refrain from further commentary, as anything we say could be misinterpreted as marketing." Trump's tweet was also copyright infringement, as the picture was taken without permission. The rightful owner of the picture is especially angry it was used by the Trump campaign this way, as at 6-years-old he himself was a refugee fleeing Cyprus following the Turkish invasion. In addition to being grossly misleading, xenophobic, logically flawed and theft, the tweet also has a racist connection. Skittles carry very loaded associations for the alt-right—an unofficial assembly of far-right wingers characterised by heavy misogyny, racism and white supremacy—because of the symbol it became during and after the murder trial of George Zimmerman. Trayvon Martin was carrying Skittles when George Zimmerman killed him in 2012. This was a very high-profile case in North America. Martin was an African American 17-year-old high school student. Zimmerman was the neighbourhood watch coordinator of a gated community in Florida, an American state with Stand Your Ground laws, meaning it is legal to protect yourself from threats or perceived threats. Zimmerman was ultimately acquitted by a jury after only about a month. Skittles became a symbol of injustice to Martin's supporters, and was used in memes by Zimmerman's supporters, who incorporated the candy in jokes mocking the dead teenager. Hillary is obsessed with a cartoon frog and her voters are angrier about a picture of Skittles than people getting bombed. Victory is near! pic.twitter.com/qiAiGWNqMd — Vendetta Vidame (@Vendetta92429) September 20, 2016 Given how many times the Trump campaign has appealed to the alt-right or echoed their racist memes (this racist and bogus crime stat retweeted from a white supremacist account; Hillary Clinton with a Jewish star of David beside dollars and "corruption"; Pepe the frog...), it is hard to imagine that the allusion to skittles is an accident or coincidence. More likely, the campaign is issuing another dog whistle—a kind of covert tip of the hat, or a thumbs up—to the kind of Trump supporters who joke about dead African American teenagers. (WION)

The racist subtext of Donald Trump Jr's Skittles tweet

US senator and Donald Trump&#39;s arch rival Ted Cruz said on Friday he would vote for the Republican presidential nomiee in the upcoming elections. 
 
&quot;After many months of careful consideration, of prayer and searching my own conscience, I have decided that on Election Day, I will vote for the Republican nominee, Donald Trump,&quot; he posted on Facebook. 
 
&quot;A year ago, I pledged to endorse the Republican nominee, and I am honoring that commitment,&quot; he added. &quot;And if you don&#39;t want to see a Hillary Clinton presidency, I encourage you to vote for him.&quot; 
 
The Texas senator had earlier this year backed off from the presidential race to hand Trump the chance to take on Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidental nominee. 
 
According to media reports, Cruz&#39;s backing may help Trump garner support from rest of the Republicans who were hesitant to support for him.&nbsp; 
 
However, during their initial battle there was much mudslinging between the two, with Trump body-shaming Cruz&#39;s wife Heidi by mocking her physical appearence. He also alledged Cruz&#39;s father had connections with President John F. Kennedy&#39;s murderer.&nbsp; 
 
Cruz hit back by calling him a &quot;pathological liar&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
On Friday, Trump said he was grateful for the endorsement.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We have fought the battle and he was a tough and brilliant opponent and I look forward to working with him for many years to come in order to make America great again,&quot; Trump said, AFP reported.&nbsp; 
 
According to Reuters, Cruz&#39;s support for Trump comes from the fear of Democrats taking control of the US Supreme Court.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Cruz urged voters to vote for Trump if they do not want to see Hillary Clinton as president

US senator and Donald Trump's arch rival Ted Cruz said on Friday he would vote for the Republican presidential nomiee in the upcoming elections. "After many months of careful consideration, of prayer and searching my own conscience, I have decided that on Election Day, I will vote for the Republican nominee, Donald Trump," he posted on Facebook. "A year ago, I pledged to endorse the Republican nominee, and I am honoring that commitment," he added. "And if you don't want to see a Hillary Clinton presidency, I encourage you to vote for him." The Texas senator had earlier this year backed off from the presidential race to hand Trump the chance to take on Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidental nominee. According to media reports, Cruz's backing may help Trump garner support from rest of the Republicans who were hesitant to support for him. However, during their initial battle there was much mudslinging between the two, with Trump body-shaming Cruz's wife Heidi by mocking her physical appearence. He also alledged Cruz's father had connections with President John F. Kennedy's murderer. Cruz hit back by calling him a "pathological liar". On Friday, Trump said he was grateful for the endorsement. "We have fought the battle and he was a tough and brilliant opponent and I look forward to working with him for many years to come in order to make America great again," Trump said, AFP reported. According to Reuters, Cruz's support for Trump comes from the fear of Democrats taking control of the US Supreme Court. (WION with inputs from agencies)

US election: Ted Cruz publicly endorses Donald Trump

The Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has appointed three Indian Americans to his Asian Pacific American Advisory Committee. 
 
The committee has about 30 members including three Indian-Americans -- Puneet Ahluwalia from Virginia, K V Kumar from California and Shalabh Kumar from Illinois -- the Trump campaign announced yesterday. 
 
&quot;We are on the cusp of history. It is a movement that I am witnessing this presidential election. I am confident that Trump would be the next president of the United States,&quot; Shalabh Kumar, founder of the Republican Hindu Coalition told PTI.&nbsp; 
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&quot;Under Trump administration, India-US relationship would reach a new height,&quot; he said. 
 
Puneet Ahluwalia is part &nbsp;of Virginia&#39;s Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) advisory council and K V Kumar has earlier worked with the World Bank. 
 
&quot;It is my great honour and a privilege to be part of Trump AAPI Advisory Committee. This is a pivotal election which impacts the future of our nation and its people,&quot; Ahluwalia told PTI. 
 
Trump&#39;s campaign said the committe is elected but grassroot leaders have been appointed to&nbsp;engage Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) on issues relevant to&nbsp;the communities, PTI reported. 
 
Governors Eddie Calvo and Ralph Torres of Guam and Northern Mariana Islands (NMI) respectively, will serve as the Council&#39;s Co-Chairs, it added. 
 
The committee members will also provide recommendations to ensure AAPI voices are heard and included in the Campaign. 
 
&quot;Furthermore, the committee&#39;s formation represents Trump and Governor Pence&#39;s commitment to AAPI communities,&quot; the Campaign said. 
 
Trump and his vice presidential running mate Mike Pence will meet the members and AAPI leaders to discuss the &nbsp;educational opportunities, employment and the economy, which are of paramount concern to the AAPI families across the US. 
 
&quot;Trump understands the critical role Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders play in the growing and providing for an energetic economic base which has been lacking over the past eight years of Obama/Clinton policies,&quot; the campaign said. 
 
&quot;Trump&#39;s Asian American and Pacific Islander Advisory Committee is a great addition to the vibrancy of his campaign,&quot; Ron Falconi, Mayor of Brunswick, Ohio said. 
 
&quot;His ability to connect with everyday Americans is a testament of his character, and what he wants to do to bring America forward from the past 8 years,&quot; he said 
 
(WION with inputs from PTI)

The three are Puneet Ahluwalia from Virginia, K V Kumar from California, and Shalabh Kumar from Illinois

The Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has appointed three Indian Americans to his Asian Pacific American Advisory Committee. The committee has about 30 members including three Indian-Americans -- Puneet Ahluwalia from Virginia, K V Kumar from California and Shalabh Kumar from Illinois -- the Trump campaign announced yesterday. "We are on the cusp of history. It is a movement that I am witnessing this presidential election. I am confident that Trump would be the next president of the United States," Shalabh Kumar, founder of the Republican Hindu Coalition told PTI. Under Trump administration, India-US relationship would reach a new height," said Shalabh Kumar, founder of the Republican Hindu Coalition "Under Trump administration, India-US relationship would reach a new height," he said. Puneet Ahluwalia is part of Virginia's Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) advisory council and K V Kumar has earlier worked with the World Bank. "It is my great honour and a privilege to be part of Trump AAPI Advisory Committee. This is a pivotal election which impacts the future of our nation and its people," Ahluwalia told PTI. Trump's campaign said the committe is elected but grassroot leaders have been appointed to engage Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) on issues relevant to the communities, PTI reported. Governors Eddie Calvo and Ralph Torres of Guam and Northern Mariana Islands (NMI) respectively, will serve as the Council's Co-Chairs, it added. The committee members will also provide recommendations to ensure AAPI voices are heard and included in the Campaign. "Furthermore, the committee's formation represents Trump and Governor Pence's commitment to AAPI communities," the Campaign said. Trump and his vice presidential running mate Mike Pence will meet the members and AAPI leaders to discuss the educational opportunities, employment and the economy, which are of paramount concern to the AAPI families across the US. "Trump understands the critical role Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders play in the growing and providing for an energetic economic base which has been lacking over the past eight years of Obama/Clinton policies," the campaign said. "Trump's Asian American and Pacific Islander Advisory Committee is a great addition to the vibrancy of his campaign," Ron Falconi, Mayor of Brunswick, Ohio said. "His ability to connect with everyday Americans is a testament of his character, and what he wants to do to bring America forward from the past 8 years," he said (WION with inputs from PTI)

3 Indian Americans appointed to Trump's AAPI advisory committee

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump should not be elected as the next US president as he is &quot;unfit&quot; for the post and makes &quot;crude generalisations&quot; about nations and religions, two of America&#39;s most influential newspapers have said in their editorials, Indian news agency PTI reported today.&nbsp; 
 
Editorial boards of The Washington Post and The New York Times yesterday made a strong case that Trump should not be elected as the president. 
 
The editorials came ahead of an all-important first presidential debate in Hofstra University tonight. 
 
&quot;It is beyond debate that Donald Trump is unfit to be president,&quot; said The Washington Post, while &#39;The New York Times&#39; argued the case in its lead editorial &#39;Why Donald Trump should not be president&#39;. 
 
A day earlier &#39;The New York Times&#39; endorsed Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton as the next president of the US. 
 
The elections for the next occupant of the White House would be held on November 8. Latest polls show that the two are in a dead heat. 
 
About a month ago, Trump, 70, was trailing Clinton by more than seven-eight points on an average. 
 
&quot;Voters attracted by the force of the Trump personality should pause and take note of the precise qualities he exudes as an audaciously different politician: bluster, savage mockery of those who challenge him, degrading comments about women, mendacity, crude generalisations about nations and religions,&quot; The New York Times editorial board wrote. 
 
&quot;Our presidents are role models for generations of our children. Is this the example we want for them?&quot; the daily asked. 
 
As Americans prepare to watch the first presidential debate, The Washington Post editorial board said the challenge for today&#39;s audience was to avoid the trap of thinking of this debate as yet another opportunity for &quot;the real Trump&quot; or even a &quot;new Trump&quot; to emerge, either stylistically or substantively. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s way too late for that. The real Trump has been before the citizenry ever since he announced his candidacy in a rambling jeremiad that blamed Mexico for &#39;sending&#39; &#39;rapists&#39; to the United States as illegal immigrants. It has been said that the true test of an ordinary person&#39;s character is how you behave when no one is watching,&quot; it said. 
 
&quot;The corollary standard for a presidential candidate could be: how you behave repeatedly in public, before the one big night when everyone is watching. Even by that more forgiving standard, Trump has already flunked,&quot; The Washington Post said. 
 
The editorial said Trump had amply demonstrated his &quot;unworthiness&quot; to occupy the Oval Office. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s beyond his capacity in the upcoming 90-minute question-and-answer sessions to reverse or even substantially modify that conclusion,&quot; the daily said. 
 
Meanwhile, the Trump Campaign slammed &#39;The New York Times&#39; for endorsing Clinton. 
 
&quot;The New York Times&#39; Editorial Board is the embodiment of the rigged system Donald Trump is running against,&quot; said Jason Miller, senior communications adviser to the Trump Campaign. 
 
(PTI)

In their editorials both newspapers wrote Trump is not fit to be President, who makes 'crude generalisations' about countries and religions

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump should not be elected as the next US president as he is "unfit" for the post and makes "crude generalisations" about nations and religions, two of America's most influential newspapers have said in their editorials, Indian news agency PTI reported today. Editorial boards of The Washington Post and The New York Times yesterday made a strong case that Trump should not be elected as the president. The editorials came ahead of an all-important first presidential debate in Hofstra University tonight. "It is beyond debate that Donald Trump is unfit to be president," said The Washington Post, while 'The New York Times' argued the case in its lead editorial 'Why Donald Trump should not be president'. A day earlier 'The New York Times' endorsed Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton as the next president of the US. The elections for the next occupant of the White House would be held on November 8. Latest polls show that the two are in a dead heat. About a month ago, Trump, 70, was trailing Clinton by more than seven-eight points on an average. "Voters attracted by the force of the Trump personality should pause and take note of the precise qualities he exudes as an audaciously different politician: bluster, savage mockery of those who challenge him, degrading comments about women, mendacity, crude generalisations about nations and religions," The New York Times editorial board wrote. "Our presidents are role models for generations of our children. Is this the example we want for them?" the daily asked. As Americans prepare to watch the first presidential debate, The Washington Post editorial board said the challenge for today's audience was to avoid the trap of thinking of this debate as yet another opportunity for "the real Trump" or even a "new Trump" to emerge, either stylistically or substantively. "It's way too late for that. The real Trump has been before the citizenry ever since he announced his candidacy in a rambling jeremiad that blamed Mexico for 'sending' 'rapists' to the United States as illegal immigrants. It has been said that the true test of an ordinary person's character is how you behave when no one is watching," it said. "The corollary standard for a presidential candidate could be: how you behave repeatedly in public, before the one big night when everyone is watching. Even by that more forgiving standard, Trump has already flunked," The Washington Post said. The editorial said Trump had amply demonstrated his "unworthiness" to occupy the Oval Office. "It's beyond his capacity in the upcoming 90-minute question-and-answer sessions to reverse or even substantially modify that conclusion," the daily said. Meanwhile, the Trump Campaign slammed 'The New York Times' for endorsing Clinton. "The New York Times' Editorial Board is the embodiment of the rigged system Donald Trump is running against," said Jason Miller, senior communications adviser to the Trump Campaign. (PTI)

Trump should not be US president: NYT, Washington Post

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