Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton&#39;s lead over Republican rival Donald Trump narrowed to less than three&nbsp;percentage points, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Friday, down from nearly eight points on Monday.

About 42 per cent of likely voters favoured Clinton, to Trump&#39;s 39 per cent, according to the July 31-August 4 online poll of 1,154 likely voters. The poll had a credibility interval of plus or minus three&nbsp;percentage points, meaning that the results suggest the race is roughly even.

Among registered voters over the same period, Clinton held a lead of five percentage points, down from eight percentage points on Monday, according to the poll.&nbsp;The reasons behind the shift were unclear.

Clinton had pulled well ahead of Trump on the heels of the Democratic National Convention last week, where she became the first woman to accept the US presidential nomination from a major political party.

Since then, Trump has engaged in a days-long feud with the family of an American soldier killed in Iraq and squabbled with the Republican leadership over his comments and leadership turmoil within his campaign.

Trump, in recent days, however, has sought to refocus. On Friday he announced his economic policy advisory team, said he would deliver an economic policy speech early next week, and was expected to endorse US House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, the top US elected Republican, who is seeking his 10th term in Congress.

An average of polls aggregated by Real Clear Politics showed Clinton ahead of Trump by 6.8 percentage points on Friday, up from 3.9 on August 1. 
 
(Reuters)

The lead was nearly eight percentage points on Monday, suggesting the race is roughly even

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's lead over Republican rival Donald Trump narrowed to less than three percentage points, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Friday, down from nearly eight points on Monday. About 42 per cent of likely voters favoured Clinton, to Trump's 39 per cent, according to the July 31-August 4 online poll of 1,154 likely voters. The poll had a credibility interval of plus or minus three percentage points, meaning that the results suggest the race is roughly even. Among registered voters over the same period, Clinton held a lead of five percentage points, down from eight percentage points on Monday, according to the poll. The reasons behind the shift were unclear. Clinton had pulled well ahead of Trump on the heels of the Democratic National Convention last week, where she became the first woman to accept the US presidential nomination from a major political party. Since then, Trump has engaged in a days-long feud with the family of an American soldier killed in Iraq and squabbled with the Republican leadership over his comments and leadership turmoil within his campaign. Trump, in recent days, however, has sought to refocus. On Friday he announced his economic policy advisory team, said he would deliver an economic policy speech early next week, and was expected to endorse US House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, the top US elected Republican, who is seeking his 10th term in Congress. An average of polls aggregated by Real Clear Politics showed Clinton ahead of Trump by 6.8 percentage points on Friday, up from 3.9 on August 1. (Reuters)

Clinton's lead over Trump narrows to less than 3 points: Ipsos opinion

US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said on Thursday the challenges facing Americans demand steady leadership and a collective spirit, contrasting her character with what she described as a dangerous and volatile Donald Trump. 
 
In the biggest speech of her more than 25-year-old career in the public eye, Clinton accepted the Democratic presidential nomination for the November 8 election with a promise to make the United States a country that worked for everyone. 
 
&quot;We are clear-eyed about what our country is up against. But we are not afraid,&quot; she said.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;America is once again at a moment of reckoning. Powerful forces are threatening to pull us apart,&quot; said Clinton, a former secretary of state. &quot;No wonder people are anxious and looking for reassurance, looking for steady leadership.&quot; 
 
Clinton, who is vying to be the first woman elected US president, called her nomination &quot;a milestone.&quot; 
 
&quot;When any barrier falls in America, for anyone, it clears the way for everyone. That&rsquo;s why when there are no ceilings, the sky&#39;s the limit,&quot; the 68-year-old Clinton said in a speech that capped the four-day nominating convention. 
 
Clinton embraced her reputation as a policy wonk, offering a litany of proposals for tuition-free college, infrastructure investment, immigration reform, gun control, affordable child care, paid family leave and more. 
 
Clinton also reached out to Republicans and to followers of primary rival Bernie Sanders, the democratic socialist US senator from Vermont. His supporters chanted at times during her speech only to be drowned out by her supporters. 
 
She presented a sharply more upbeat view of the country than her rival Trump did when he was formally nominated for president at last week&#39;s Republican convention&nbsp;and even turned one of Republican hero Ronald Reagan&#39;s signature phrases against the real estate developer. 
 
&quot;He&#39;s taken the Republican Party a long way, from `Morning in America` to `Midnight in America,`&quot; Clinton said. &quot;He wants to divide us from the rest of the world, and from each other.&quot; 
 
She portrayed Trump as volatile, saying &quot;a man you can bait with a tweet is not a man we can trust with nuclear weapons.&quot; 
 
While her speech lacked the electrifying qualities of President Barack Obama and a parade of other prominent Democratic speakers, Clinton spoke authoritatively and with self-assurance in her pitch to the American public.&nbsp; 
 
She acknowledged some people still do not know her well. 
 
&quot;I get it that some people just don&#39;t know what to make of me. So let me tell you. The family I&#39;m from, well no one had their name on big buildings,&quot; Clinton said in a reference to Trump. 
 
She said her family were builders of a better life and a better future for their children, using whatever tools they had and &quot;whatever God gave them&quot;. 
 
(Reuters) 
 
&nbsp;

Clinton, who is vying to be the first woman elected US president, called her nomination "a milestone"

US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said on Thursday the challenges facing Americans demand steady leadership and a collective spirit, contrasting her character with what she described as a dangerous and volatile Donald Trump. In the biggest speech of her more than 25-year-old career in the public eye, Clinton accepted the Democratic presidential nomination for the November 8 election with a promise to make the United States a country that worked for everyone. "We are clear-eyed about what our country is up against. But we are not afraid," she said. "America is once again at a moment of reckoning. Powerful forces are threatening to pull us apart," said Clinton, a former secretary of state. "No wonder people are anxious and looking for reassurance, looking for steady leadership." Clinton, who is vying to be the first woman elected US president, called her nomination "a milestone." "When any barrier falls in America, for anyone, it clears the way for everyone. That’s why when there are no ceilings, the sky's the limit," the 68-year-old Clinton said in a speech that capped the four-day nominating convention. Clinton embraced her reputation as a policy wonk, offering a litany of proposals for tuition-free college, infrastructure investment, immigration reform, gun control, affordable child care, paid family leave and more. Clinton also reached out to Republicans and to followers of primary rival Bernie Sanders, the democratic socialist US senator from Vermont. His supporters chanted at times during her speech only to be drowned out by her supporters. She presented a sharply more upbeat view of the country than her rival Trump did when he was formally nominated for president at last week's Republican convention and even turned one of Republican hero Ronald Reagan's signature phrases against the real estate developer. "He's taken the Republican Party a long way, from `Morning in America` to `Midnight in America,`" Clinton said. "He wants to divide us from the rest of the world, and from each other." She portrayed Trump as volatile, saying "a man you can bait with a tweet is not a man we can trust with nuclear weapons." While her speech lacked the electrifying qualities of President Barack Obama and a parade of other prominent Democratic speakers, Clinton spoke authoritatively and with self-assurance in her pitch to the American public. She acknowledged some people still do not know her well. "I get it that some people just don't know what to make of me. So let me tell you. The family I'm from, well no one had their name on big buildings," Clinton said in a reference to Trump. She said her family were builders of a better life and a better future for their children, using whatever tools they had and "whatever God gave them". (Reuters)

Hillary accepts Democratic nomination, casts herself as a catalyst for change

Americans face a &quot;moment of reckoning&quot; in the 2016 election, Hillary Clinton will tell voters on Thursday as she accepts the Democratic presidential nomination and highlights efforts to improve economic opportunities across the board. 
 
The former secretary of state faces her biggest test on the national stage as she urges voters to embrace four more years of a Democratic White House rather than elect Republican billionaire Donald Trump. 
 
It is the centre-stage opportunity she came so close to seizing eight years ago during her first White House campaign, only to be defeated in her party&#39;s primary race by Barack Obama. 
 
In a primetime address, Clinton will lay out plans to improve the nation&#39;s economy, stressing that &quot;my primary mission as president will be to create more opportunity and more good jobs with rising wages&quot;. 
 
Her effort will focus particularly on places &quot;that for too long have been left out and left behind, from our inner cities to our small towns, Indian Country to Coal Country&quot;, she will say, according to speech excerpts released by the campaign. 
 
Clinton, 68, made history this week when she became the first female presidential nominee of a major US party.&nbsp; 
 
The four-day Democratic convention in Philadelphia has been a parade of party heavyweights, and some independents who have all stressed that the former first lady and US senator is uniquely qualified to be commander-in-chief. 
 
Obama led the charge on Wednesday, stirringly hailing Clinton as his political heir. 
 
Clinton will speak of the strains that have been placed on US society during the toxic year-long campaign that has featured heated rhetoric from Trump and other candidates. 
 
&quot;Powerful forces are threatening to pull us apart. Bonds of trust and respect are fraying,&quot; Clinton will say. 
 
&quot;We are clear-eyed about what our country is up against. But we are not afraid,&quot; Clinton will add. &quot;We will rise to the challenge, just as we always have.&quot; Clinton faces a major trust deficit among a US public that has followed every Clintonian turn of the past quarter century. 
&nbsp; 
Rocked by an email scandal that refuses to die, she is now about as unpopular with voters as her Republican rival. 
 
But her remarks signal a plan to focus attention on pockets of down-and-out communities which have felt ignored by the slow and erratic economic recovery. 
 
After her speech, Clinton and running mate Tim Kaine will seek to carry her momentum straight onto the campaign trail Friday, taking a three-day bus tour into Rust Belt communities in swing states Pennsylvania and Ohio. 
 
With Trump casting himself as an outsider, a political neophyte committed to upending the Washington establishment, Clinton faces the difficult task of appearing as the steady hand at the tiller even while promising to be a catalyst for change. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s the most personal moment of the campaign, talking to a big audience about what she wants to do for the future,&quot; Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta said on a Facebook live stream.The most rousing Clinton sales pitch of the week came from Obama himself. 
 
&quot;I can say with confidence there has never been a man or a woman, not me, not Bill (Clinton), nobody more qualified than Hillary Clinton to serve as president of the United States of America,&quot; Obama thundered before a cheering crowd. 
 
&quot;No matter how daunting the odds, no matter how much people try to knock her down, she never, ever quits.&quot; 
 
Trump seemed to drop an unexpected gift in Clinton&#39;s lap Wednesday when he urged Russia to hack Clinton&#39;s emails. 
 
The 70-year-old real estate mogul sought to douse the outcry on Thursday by saying he was &quot;being sarcastic&quot;, but the call for cyber espionage against the United States made even Republicans cringe. 
 
Doug Elmets, a Republican who worked in president Ronald Reagan&#39;s White House, brought the Democratic crowd to its feet when he implored fellow Republicans to vote for Clinton. 
 
&quot;I knew Ronald Reagan. I worked for Ronald Reagan. Donald Trump, you are no Ronald Reagan,&quot; Elmets said. 
 
&quot;Trump is a petulant, dangerously unbalanced reality star who will coddle tyrants and alienate allies.&quot; While Clinton must play to the party&#39;s base and seek to soothe bruised Bernie Sanders supporters, some of whom wore fluorescent green shirts Thursday inside the arena as a subtle form of protest, a key mission is to appeal to crossover voters and independents wary of Trump. 
 
&quot;Donald Trump is making a lot of really big promises, and some people find those attractive,&quot; said Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;What Hillary is going to do tonight, what we&#39;ve done at this convention is make sure that people know the facts.&quot; 
 
He acknowledged that Clinton, who will be introduced by daughter Chelsea, also knows &quot;she needs to earn the voters&#39; trust&quot;. 
 
Clinton has never been as telegenic and personable a politician as her husband or Obama, whose oratorical skills were on full display on Tuesday and Wednesday. 
 
She will balance her policy strengths with an attempt to connect with Americans watching from their living rooms as she faces a nation divided by intense campaign rhetoric, spikes in race-related gun violence, and heightened fear brought about by a spate of terror attacks around the world. 
 
(AFP) 
&nbsp;

US President Barack Obama led the charge on Wednesday, stirringly hailing Clinton as his political heir

Americans face a "moment of reckoning" in the 2016 election, Hillary Clinton will tell voters on Thursday as she accepts the Democratic presidential nomination and highlights efforts to improve economic opportunities across the board. The former secretary of state faces her biggest test on the national stage as she urges voters to embrace four more years of a Democratic White House rather than elect Republican billionaire Donald Trump. It is the centre-stage opportunity she came so close to seizing eight years ago during her first White House campaign, only to be defeated in her party's primary race by Barack Obama. In a primetime address, Clinton will lay out plans to improve the nation's economy, stressing that "my primary mission as president will be to create more opportunity and more good jobs with rising wages". Her effort will focus particularly on places "that for too long have been left out and left behind, from our inner cities to our small towns, Indian Country to Coal Country", she will say, according to speech excerpts released by the campaign. Clinton, 68, made history this week when she became the first female presidential nominee of a major US party. The four-day Democratic convention in Philadelphia has been a parade of party heavyweights, and some independents who have all stressed that the former first lady and US senator is uniquely qualified to be commander-in-chief. Obama led the charge on Wednesday, stirringly hailing Clinton as his political heir. Clinton will speak of the strains that have been placed on US society during the toxic year-long campaign that has featured heated rhetoric from Trump and other candidates. "Powerful forces are threatening to pull us apart. Bonds of trust and respect are fraying," Clinton will say. "We are clear-eyed about what our country is up against. But we are not afraid," Clinton will add. "We will rise to the challenge, just as we always have." Clinton faces a major trust deficit among a US public that has followed every Clintonian turn of the past quarter century. Rocked by an email scandal that refuses to die, she is now about as unpopular with voters as her Republican rival. But her remarks signal a plan to focus attention on pockets of down-and-out communities which have felt ignored by the slow and erratic economic recovery. After her speech, Clinton and running mate Tim Kaine will seek to carry her momentum straight onto the campaign trail Friday, taking a three-day bus tour into Rust Belt communities in swing states Pennsylvania and Ohio. With Trump casting himself as an outsider, a political neophyte committed to upending the Washington establishment, Clinton faces the difficult task of appearing as the steady hand at the tiller even while promising to be a catalyst for change. "It's the most personal moment of the campaign, talking to a big audience about what she wants to do for the future," Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta said on a Facebook live stream.The most rousing Clinton sales pitch of the week came from Obama himself. "I can say with confidence there has never been a man or a woman, not me, not Bill (Clinton), nobody more qualified than Hillary Clinton to serve as president of the United States of America," Obama thundered before a cheering crowd. "No matter how daunting the odds, no matter how much people try to knock her down, she never, ever quits." Trump seemed to drop an unexpected gift in Clinton's lap Wednesday when he urged Russia to hack Clinton's emails. The 70-year-old real estate mogul sought to douse the outcry on Thursday by saying he was "being sarcastic", but the call for cyber espionage against the United States made even Republicans cringe. Doug Elmets, a Republican who worked in president Ronald Reagan's White House, brought the Democratic crowd to its feet when he implored fellow Republicans to vote for Clinton. "I knew Ronald Reagan. I worked for Ronald Reagan. Donald Trump, you are no Ronald Reagan," Elmets said. "Trump is a petulant, dangerously unbalanced reality star who will coddle tyrants and alienate allies." While Clinton must play to the party's base and seek to soothe bruised Bernie Sanders supporters, some of whom wore fluorescent green shirts Thursday inside the arena as a subtle form of protest, a key mission is to appeal to crossover voters and independents wary of Trump. "Donald Trump is making a lot of really big promises, and some people find those attractive," said Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook. "What Hillary is going to do tonight, what we've done at this convention is make sure that people know the facts." He acknowledged that Clinton, who will be introduced by daughter Chelsea, also knows "she needs to earn the voters' trust". Clinton has never been as telegenic and personable a politician as her husband or Obama, whose oratorical skills were on full display on Tuesday and Wednesday. She will balance her policy strengths with an attempt to connect with Americans watching from their living rooms as she faces a nation divided by intense campaign rhetoric, spikes in race-related gun violence, and heightened fear brought about by a spate of terror attacks around the world. (AFP)

Hillary Clinton takes centre-stage on final day of Democratic Party Convention

US&nbsp;secretary of State John&nbsp;Kerry&nbsp;said on Tuesday that&nbsp;he raised the issue of Russia&#39;s involvement in a Democratic National Convention email hacking incident with Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Vientiane.

The meeting in Laos happened amid accusations that Russia is behind the hacking of Democratic National Committee (DNC) emails released by Wikileaks on Friday.

Earlier, Lavrov brushed aside the accusations that Russia was involved, saying: &quot;I don&#39;t want to use four-letter words.&quot; 
 
&quot;With respect to foreign minister Lavrov I did raise the issue of the DNC (Democratic National Convention) and as you know the FBI is investigating the incident and it&#39;s important for the FBI to do its work and before we draw any conclusions in terms of what happened or who&#39;s behind it, it&#39;s very important that whatever public information is put out is based on fact, so I raised the question and we will continue to work to see precisely what those facts are and the FBI has responsibility for this investigation and we&#39;ll let them speak as they proceed forward gathering those facts,&quot; said&nbsp;Kerry.

Cyber security experts and US&nbsp;officials have said there is evidence that Russia engineered the release of the emails in order to influence the US&nbsp;presidential election.

Although the hacking of the DNC was known to officials and cyber security experts a month ago, the timing of the release of the contents of communications within the party is the concern for US&nbsp;authorities. 
 
Lavrov denies Moscow&#39;s involvement
Lavrov batted away allegations that Moscow was behind hacking of the Democratic National Committee emails ahead of the meeting on Tuesday. 
 
The FBI is investigating whether Russian hackers were responsible for the breach, which has caused deep embarrassment to the Democratic Party and prompted accusations that Moscow is trying to influence the US presidential election. 
 
Lavrov, in the Laos capital Vientiane for a regional security forum, shrugged when asked by reporters if Russia was responsible. 
 
&quot;Well I don&#39;t want to use four-letter words,&quot; he said cryptically, before greeting Kerry with a handshake. 
 
Disseminated by WikiLeaks, the emails revealed that Democratic Party leaders sought to undermine the campaign of party&#39;s presidential nomiee Hillary Clinton&#39;s rival Bernie Sanders, and have prompted the party boss to resign. 
 
Clinton&#39;s campaign was quick to point fingers at Russia, saying it was an attempt to boost Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump&#39;s shot at the White House. 
 
Trump has made no secret of his admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin, leading some to conjecture that the Russian leader was working to put the real estate billionaire in the White House. 
 
(Reuters, AFP) 
&nbsp;

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov had rebuffed accusations that Moscow was behind the hacking of DNC emails

US secretary of State John Kerry said on Tuesday that he raised the issue of Russia's involvement in a Democratic National Convention email hacking incident with Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Vientiane. The meeting in Laos happened amid accusations that Russia is behind the hacking of Democratic National Committee (DNC) emails released by Wikileaks on Friday. Earlier, Lavrov brushed aside the accusations that Russia was involved, saying: "I don't want to use four-letter words." "With respect to foreign minister Lavrov I did raise the issue of the DNC (Democratic National Convention) and as you know the FBI is investigating the incident and it's important for the FBI to do its work and before we draw any conclusions in terms of what happened or who's behind it, it's very important that whatever public information is put out is based on fact, so I raised the question and we will continue to work to see precisely what those facts are and the FBI has responsibility for this investigation and we'll let them speak as they proceed forward gathering those facts," said Kerry. Cyber security experts and US officials have said there is evidence that Russia engineered the release of the emails in order to influence the US presidential election. Although the hacking of the DNC was known to officials and cyber security experts a month ago, the timing of the release of the contents of communications within the party is the concern for US authorities. Lavrov denies Moscow's involvement Lavrov batted away allegations that Moscow was behind hacking of the Democratic National Committee emails ahead of the meeting on Tuesday. The FBI is investigating whether Russian hackers were responsible for the breach, which has caused deep embarrassment to the Democratic Party and prompted accusations that Moscow is trying to influence the US presidential election. Lavrov, in the Laos capital Vientiane for a regional security forum, shrugged when asked by reporters if Russia was responsible. "Well I don't want to use four-letter words," he said cryptically, before greeting Kerry with a handshake. Disseminated by WikiLeaks, the emails revealed that Democratic Party leaders sought to undermine the campaign of party's presidential nomiee Hillary Clinton's rival Bernie Sanders, and have prompted the party boss to resign. Clinton's campaign was quick to point fingers at Russia, saying it was an attempt to boost Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's shot at the White House. Trump has made no secret of his admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin, leading some to conjecture that the Russian leader was working to put the real estate billionaire in the White House. (Reuters, AFP)

John Kerry raises issue of DNC email hacking with Russian counterpart Lavrov

The FBI will recommend to the Justice Department that no prosecution is warranted as a result of its year-long investigation into Hillary&nbsp;Clinton&#39;s use of a private email server while secretary of state, agency Director James Comey said today.

Comey said the probe found there was evidence of extremely careless handling of emails by Clinton, now the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, and that at least 110 emails contained classified information at the time they were sent.

But he said the FBI&#39;s judgment was that &quot;no reasonable prosecutor&quot; would bring charges against&nbsp;Clinton, who had a voluntary 3-1/2-hour interview with the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Saturday in Washington.

&quot;We cannot find a case that would support bringing criminal charges on these facts,&quot; Comey told reporters in Washington.

The FBI has been investigating whether&nbsp;Clinton&nbsp;broke the law as result of a personal email server kept in her Chappaqua, New York, home while she was secretary of state from 2009 to 2013. One of the questions is whether she mishandled classified information on the server.

The investigation has dogged&nbsp;Clinton&#39;s campaign for the past year, as she and her staff struggled to respond to accusations that her use of the server in violation of State Department protocol indicated she was untrustworthy and considered herself above the law.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has said the investigation should disqualify Clinton&nbsp;from being president. 
 
(Reuters)

The bureau found evidence of extremely careless handing of emails but said 'no reasonable prosecutor' would bring charges against her

The FBI will recommend to the Justice Department that no prosecution is warranted as a result of its year-long investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server while secretary of state, agency Director James Comey said today. Comey said the probe found there was evidence of extremely careless handling of emails by Clinton, now the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, and that at least 110 emails contained classified information at the time they were sent. But he said the FBI's judgment was that "no reasonable prosecutor" would bring charges against Clinton, who had a voluntary 3-1/2-hour interview with the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Saturday in Washington. "We cannot find a case that would support bringing criminal charges on these facts," Comey told reporters in Washington. The FBI has been investigating whether Clinton broke the law as result of a personal email server kept in her Chappaqua, New York, home while she was secretary of state from 2009 to 2013. One of the questions is whether she mishandled classified information on the server. The investigation has dogged Clinton's campaign for the past year, as she and her staff struggled to respond to accusations that her use of the server in violation of State Department protocol indicated she was untrustworthy and considered herself above the law. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has said the investigation should disqualify Clinton from being president. (Reuters)

Prosecution of Clinton not warranted in email case, FBI to tell Justice Department

US Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said today he will vote for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. 
 
Asked if he would vote for Clinton in November, Sanders told MSNBC television: &ldquo;Yes. The issue right here is I&rsquo;m going to do everything I can to defeat Donald Trump. I think Trump in so many ways would be a disaster if he were elected president.&rdquo;&nbsp; 
 
Clinton clinched the party nomination earlier in June to become the first woman in the 240-year history of the United States to lead the presidential ticket of a major political party. While Sanders had said he would work with Clinton to defeat Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, he is yet to endorse Clinton and has kept his own election campaign alive. 
 
(Reuters)

'I am going to do everything I can to defeat Donald Trump,' he said

US Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said today he will vote for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. Asked if he would vote for Clinton in November, Sanders told MSNBC television: “Yes. The issue right here is I’m going to do everything I can to defeat Donald Trump. I think Trump in so many ways would be a disaster if he were elected president.” Clinton clinched the party nomination earlier in June to become the first woman in the 240-year history of the United States to lead the presidential ticket of a major political party. While Sanders had said he would work with Clinton to defeat Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, he is yet to endorse Clinton and has kept his own election campaign alive. (Reuters)

Will vote for Clinton, says Bernie Sanders

&nbsp;Donald Trump chipped away at Hillary Clinton&#39;s lead in the presidential race this week, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released today, as the candidates clashed over how to respond to the worst mass shooting in modern US history. 
 
The poll, conducted from Monday to Friday, showed Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee, with a 10.7 point lead among likely voters over Trump, her likely Republican rival in the November presidential election. That&#39;s down from a lead of 14.3 points for Clinton on Sunday, the day an American-born shooter who declared allegiance to militant group Islamic State killed 49 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. 
 
Trump seized on the attack to sharpen his security proposals, saying he would block immigration to the United States from any country with a &quot;proven history of terrorism&quot; against America and its allies if elected. The pledge fine-tuned an earlier vow, made after the attacks last year in Paris and California, to ban the entry of all Muslims into the United States. 
 
He also called for measures to make it more difficult for suspected terrorists to obtain firearms, veering from the Republican Party&#39;s general opposition to gun control. 
 
While Trump&#39;s comments on both Muslims and guns dismayed some Republican elites, they may have cheered some voters. 
 
Some 45 per cent of Americans said they supported Trump&#39;s idea to suspend Muslim immigration, up from 41.9 per cent at the start of the month, according to the poll. Meanwhile, about 70 per cent of Americans, including a majority of Democrats and Republicans, said they wanted to see at least moderate regulations and restrictions on guns, up from 60 per cent in similar polls in 2013 and 2014. 
 
Clinton focussed her response to the Orlando attack on the need to boost intelligence gathering and defeat Islamic State and what she called &quot;radical jihadist terrorism,&quot; while warning against demonising Muslim-Americans. She also repeated her calls for tougher gun control measures, including a ban on assault weapons. 
 
As usual after a major attack, &quot;terrorism&quot; jumped to the top concern among all adults in the poll - rising above the economy, health care and other major issues. 
 
The poll&#39;s five-day average showed that 45.5 per cent of likely American voters supported Clinton, while 34.8 per cent supported Trump, and another 19.7 per cent did not support either candidate. On Sunday, Clinton&#39;s support was at 46.6 per cent, versus Trump&#39;s 32.3 per cent. 
 
The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online in English with adults living in the continental United States, Alaska and Hawaii. The political horserace poll included 1,133 likely voters and has a credibility interval, a measure of the poll&#39;s accuracy, of 3.4 percentage points. 
(Reuters)

Some 45% of Americans said they supported Trump's idea to suspend Muslim immigration

Donald Trump chipped away at Hillary Clinton's lead in the presidential race this week, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released today, as the candidates clashed over how to respond to the worst mass shooting in modern US history. The poll, conducted from Monday to Friday, showed Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee, with a 10.7 point lead among likely voters over Trump, her likely Republican rival in the November presidential election. That's down from a lead of 14.3 points for Clinton on Sunday, the day an American-born shooter who declared allegiance to militant group Islamic State killed 49 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Trump seized on the attack to sharpen his security proposals, saying he would block immigration to the United States from any country with a "proven history of terrorism" against America and its allies if elected. The pledge fine-tuned an earlier vow, made after the attacks last year in Paris and California, to ban the entry of all Muslims into the United States. He also called for measures to make it more difficult for suspected terrorists to obtain firearms, veering from the Republican Party's general opposition to gun control. While Trump's comments on both Muslims and guns dismayed some Republican elites, they may have cheered some voters. Some 45 per cent of Americans said they supported Trump's idea to suspend Muslim immigration, up from 41.9 per cent at the start of the month, according to the poll. Meanwhile, about 70 per cent of Americans, including a majority of Democrats and Republicans, said they wanted to see at least moderate regulations and restrictions on guns, up from 60 per cent in similar polls in 2013 and 2014. Clinton focussed her response to the Orlando attack on the need to boost intelligence gathering and defeat Islamic State and what she called "radical jihadist terrorism," while warning against demonising Muslim-Americans. She also repeated her calls for tougher gun control measures, including a ban on assault weapons. As usual after a major attack, "terrorism" jumped to the top concern among all adults in the poll - rising above the economy, health care and other major issues. The poll's five-day average showed that 45.5 per cent of likely American voters supported Clinton, while 34.8 per cent supported Trump, and another 19.7 per cent did not support either candidate. On Sunday, Clinton's support was at 46.6 per cent, versus Trump's 32.3 per cent. The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online in English with adults living in the continental United States, Alaska and Hawaii. The political horserace poll included 1,133 likely voters and has a credibility interval, a measure of the poll's accuracy, of 3.4 percentage points. (Reuters)

After Orlando shooting, Clinton's lead over Trump slips

Hillary Clinton declared herself the Democratic Party nominee for US&nbsp;president&nbsp;today,&nbsp;embracing her role in history as the first woman to lead a major party in a race for the White House. 
 
The former first lady, US&nbsp;senator and secretary of state,&nbsp;celebrated her victory in the nominating race over rival Bernie Sanders after winning the states of New Mexico, South Dakota and New Jersey&nbsp;at an&nbsp;event &nbsp;in Brooklyn, New York. She&nbsp;placed her achievement in the context of the long history of the women&#39;s rights movement. 
 
&quot;Thanks to you, we have reached a milestone,&quot; Clinton said. &quot;We all owe so much to who came before.&quot; 
 
Clinton, 68, spoke shortly after beating Sanders in New Jersey&#39;s nominating contest, expanding her lead in the delegates needed to clinch the nomination and setting up a five-month general election campaign against presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump in the November&nbsp;8 election. 
 
New Jersey was one of six states holding contests on Tuesday, including California, the big prize where Clinton was still at risk of an embarrassing loss to Sanders as she heads into the campaign against Trump. 
 
With about one-third of the votes counted in California, Clinton held a wide 20-percentage-point lead over Sanders, but news networks said the race was still too close to call. 
 
In her speech, Clinton appealed to Sanders supporters to join her and said the Democratic Party had been bolstered by his campaign for eradicating income inequality, which has commanded huge crowds and galvanized younger voters. 
 
Clinton edged Sanders out, especially among older voters, with a more pragmatic campaign focused on building on the policies of her fellow Democrat, President Barack Obama. 
 
But Sanders showed no interest in ending his upstart candidacy, telling cheering supporters in California that he would go on campaigning through next Tuesday&#39;s primary in the District of Columbia and carry his political crusade - although not necessarily his campaign - to the convention in July. 
 
&quot;We are going to fight hard to win the primary in Washington DC,&quot; he said. &quot;And then we take our fight for social, economic, racial and environmental justice to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.&quot; 
 
The White House issued a statement saying Obama had called both Clinton and Sanders. It said he congratulated her on securing the delegates necessary to clinch the nomination and would meet Sanders on Thursday on&nbsp;Sanders&#39; request. 
 
TRUMP &#39;TEMPERAMENTALLY UNFIT&#39; 
 
In her speech, Clinton harshly attacked Trump for using divisive rhetoric that belittled women, Muslims and immigrants, and took specific aim at his recent condemnation of an Indiana-born judge of Mexican heritage. 
 
&quot;The stakes in this election are high and the choice is clear. Donald Trump is temperamentally unfit to be the president and commander-in-chief,&quot; she said. 
 
&quot;When Donald Trump says a distinguished judge born in Indiana can&rsquo;t do his job because of his Mexican heritage, or he mocks a reporter with disabilities, or calls women pigs, it goes against everything we stand for,&quot; she said. 
 
Sanders, 74, won in North Dakota and Montana on the final night of big presidential nominating battles that began on Feb. 1 in Iowa. The District of Columbia will be the last next Tuesday. 
 
In a fundraising email to supporters, Clinton declared her campaign had broken &ldquo;one of the highest, hardest glass ceilings.&rdquo; 
 
On Twitter, she said: &quot;To every little girl who dreams big: Yes, you can be anything you want - even president. Tonight is for you.&quot; 
 
Clinton&#39;s race against Trump, 69, will unfold amid an ongoing investigation of her use of a personal email server while secretary of state. Opinion polls show the controversy has hurt Clinton&#39;s ratings on honesty and trustworthiness. 
 
A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday showed Clinton leads Trump by 10 percentage points nationally as they launch their general election battle, little changed from a week ago. 
 
PARTY UNITY 
 
Clinton now must try to unify the party and win over Sanders supporters, who booed lustily in California when Sanders congratulated her on her victories on Tuesday. 
 
A Sanders campaign spokesman castigated what he said was the media&#39;s &quot;rush to judgment&quot; after the Associated Press and NBC reported on Monday night that Clinton had clinched the number of delegates needed to win the nomination. 
 
Clinton&#39;s victories on Tuesday ensured she will have a lead in the pledged delegates won in nominating contests. Clinton clinched the nomination with the added support of superdelegates, party leaders who are free to back any candidate. 
 
Steven Acosta, a 47-year-old teacher living in Los Angeles, voted for Clinton, saying that was partly because he believed she stood a better chance of winning in November. 
 
&quot;I like what Bernie Sanders says and I agree with almost everything that he says,&quot; Acosta said. &quot;The problem is that I think Republicans would really unify ... even more against him.&quot; 
 
Trump, who became his party&#39;s presumptive nominee last month, outlasting 16 Republican challengers, is struggling to get the party&#39;s leaders solidly behind him after a bitter primary campaign during which he made a series of controversial statements directed at Muslims, Latinos, women and the disabled. 
 
On Tuesday night,&nbsp;he addressed a crowd of supporters in New York, welcoming Sanders supporters &quot;with open arms&quot; should they decide to support him and declaring a new phase of the campaign had begun. 
 
&quot;I am going to give a major speech on probably Monday of next week, and we are going to be discussing all of the things that have taken place with the Clintons,&quot; he said. &quot;I think you are going to find it very informative and very, very interesting. I wonder if the press will want to attend.&quot;

Hilary Clinton took the states of New Jersey, South Dakota and New Mexico before declaring victory over her party rival Bernie Sanders, who won North Dakota and Montana

Hillary Clinton declared herself the Democratic Party nominee for US president today, embracing her role in history as the first woman to lead a major party in a race for the White House. The former first lady, US senator and secretary of state, celebrated her victory in the nominating race over rival Bernie Sanders after winning the states of New Mexico, South Dakota and New Jersey at an event in Brooklyn, New York. She placed her achievement in the context of the long history of the women's rights movement. "Thanks to you, we have reached a milestone," Clinton said. "We all owe so much to who came before." Clinton, 68, spoke shortly after beating Sanders in New Jersey's nominating contest, expanding her lead in the delegates needed to clinch the nomination and setting up a five-month general election campaign against presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump in the November 8 election. New Jersey was one of six states holding contests on Tuesday, including California, the big prize where Clinton was still at risk of an embarrassing loss to Sanders as she heads into the campaign against Trump. With about one-third of the votes counted in California, Clinton held a wide 20-percentage-point lead over Sanders, but news networks said the race was still too close to call. In her speech, Clinton appealed to Sanders supporters to join her and said the Democratic Party had been bolstered by his campaign for eradicating income inequality, which has commanded huge crowds and galvanized younger voters. Clinton edged Sanders out, especially among older voters, with a more pragmatic campaign focused on building on the policies of her fellow Democrat, President Barack Obama. But Sanders showed no interest in ending his upstart candidacy, telling cheering supporters in California that he would go on campaigning through next Tuesday's primary in the District of Columbia and carry his political crusade - although not necessarily his campaign - to the convention in July. "We are going to fight hard to win the primary in Washington DC," he said. "And then we take our fight for social, economic, racial and environmental justice to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania." The White House issued a statement saying Obama had called both Clinton and Sanders. It said he congratulated her on securing the delegates necessary to clinch the nomination and would meet Sanders on Thursday on Sanders' request. TRUMP 'TEMPERAMENTALLY UNFIT' In her speech, Clinton harshly attacked Trump for using divisive rhetoric that belittled women, Muslims and immigrants, and took specific aim at his recent condemnation of an Indiana-born judge of Mexican heritage. "The stakes in this election are high and the choice is clear. Donald Trump is temperamentally unfit to be the president and commander-in-chief," she said. "When Donald Trump says a distinguished judge born in Indiana can’t do his job because of his Mexican heritage, or he mocks a reporter with disabilities, or calls women pigs, it goes against everything we stand for," she said. Sanders, 74, won in North Dakota and Montana on the final night of big presidential nominating battles that began on Feb. 1 in Iowa. The District of Columbia will be the last next Tuesday. In a fundraising email to supporters, Clinton declared her campaign had broken “one of the highest, hardest glass ceilings.” On Twitter, she said: "To every little girl who dreams big: Yes, you can be anything you want - even president. Tonight is for you." Clinton's race against Trump, 69, will unfold amid an ongoing investigation of her use of a personal email server while secretary of state. Opinion polls show the controversy has hurt Clinton's ratings on honesty and trustworthiness. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday showed Clinton leads Trump by 10 percentage points nationally as they launch their general election battle, little changed from a week ago. PARTY UNITY Clinton now must try to unify the party and win over Sanders supporters, who booed lustily in California when Sanders congratulated her on her victories on Tuesday. A Sanders campaign spokesman castigated what he said was the media's "rush to judgment" after the Associated Press and NBC reported on Monday night that Clinton had clinched the number of delegates needed to win the nomination. Clinton's victories on Tuesday ensured she will have a lead in the pledged delegates won in nominating contests. Clinton clinched the nomination with the added support of superdelegates, party leaders who are free to back any candidate. Steven Acosta, a 47-year-old teacher living in Los Angeles, voted for Clinton, saying that was partly because he believed she stood a better chance of winning in November. "I like what Bernie Sanders says and I agree with almost everything that he says," Acosta said. "The problem is that I think Republicans would really unify ... even more against him." Trump, who became his party's presumptive nominee last month, outlasting 16 Republican challengers, is struggling to get the party's leaders solidly behind him after a bitter primary campaign during which he made a series of controversial statements directed at Muslims, Latinos, women and the disabled. On Tuesday night, he addressed a crowd of supporters in New York, welcoming Sanders supporters "with open arms" should they decide to support him and declaring a new phase of the campaign had begun. "I am going to give a major speech on probably Monday of next week, and we are going to be discussing all of the things that have taken place with the Clintons," he said. "I think you are going to find it very informative and very, very interesting. I wonder if the press will want to attend."

Clinton hails a milestone, clinches Democratic nomination

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Hilary Clinton, News on Hilary Clinton, stories on Hilary Clinton, articles on Hilary Clinton, Hilary Clinton stories at Wion, Hilary Clinton news, Hilary Clinton latest news

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