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

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

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

US stock futures tumble 5% on fears of Trump win

Hillary Clinton vowed on Wednesday to work with American President-elect Donald Trump, and urged fellow Democrats to allow him the chance to lead the deeply divided country. There are still 70 days until the&nbsp;reality TV star takes office.

&quot;Last night, I congratulated Donald Trump and offered to work with him on behalf of our country,&quot; the defeated candidate told supporters, holding back tears in her first public remarks since the Republican&#39;s&nbsp;victory.

&quot;I hope that he will be a successful president for all Americans.&quot;&nbsp;

&quot;We have seen that our nation is more deeply divided than we thought,&quot; she said. &quot;We owe him an open mind and the chance to lead,&quot; the Democrats&#39; presidential candidate added.

It&#39;s going to be a tough and dangerous task. During Trump&#39;s victory speech, while he pledged to be a president for all citizens, someone in the audience yelled &quot; kill Obama!&quot;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
&quot;Kill Obama&quot; I see this is off to a fantastic start. ??<a href="https://t.co/kUryVpKENh">pic.twitter.com/kUryVpKENh</a>
&mdash; Andrew HammondAP (@ahammsportsgeek) <a href="https://twitter.com/ahammsportsgeek/status/796261596544827392">November 9, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

It&#39;s unclear whether a victory speech for an American presidential nominee has ever begun with a call to murder the standing president of the United States.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

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

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

Hillary Clinton congratulates Trump, offers to work with him

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

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

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

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

She lost to Barack Obama in the Democratic primaries in 2008. Now she has been humiliated in her second bid for the presidency by political novice and former TV reality show host Donald Trump.

Hillary&nbsp;Clinton&nbsp;will go down in history as a woman of frustrated ambitions.

In February, a journalist asked&nbsp;Clinton&nbsp;if she has always told the truth to the American people.

&quot;I&#39;ve always tried to. Always. Always,&quot; the failed Democratic candidate answered.

Other, less cautious pols would have responded with an unequivocal &#39;yes&#39;.&nbsp;

But&nbsp;Clinton, a lawyer by training, weighs her words carefully so as not to be caught out. Critics say she is dishonest.

And this apparent duplicity, despite her efforts for redemption and the support of US Democrats led by a spirited Obama, cost the party the White House in a historic repudiation that has the world on edge as it waits to see what the future now holds with a Trump presidency.

Looking back, it is clear that&nbsp;Clinton&#39;s defiant streak grew over the course of three decades in public life.

Back in the 1970s, when her husband Bill was the governor of Arkansas,&nbsp;Clinton&nbsp;still used her maiden name, Rodham, and kept her job as a lawyer.

Local people found this odd, and questioned her love for her husband and asked what the woman was up to.

Ultimately she took&nbsp;Clinton&nbsp;as her last name. But she had already come across as too hip and too ambitious for conservative southern US society.

&quot;I think that&#39;s another one of the dangers of being in public life. One cannot live one&#39;s life based on what somebody else&#39;s image of you might be,&quot; she told Arkansas public TV in an interview in 1979.

First Lady

When her husband ran for the White House,&nbsp;Clinton&nbsp;showed herself to be both an asset and a liability.

She was the former when she defended her husband against allegations of adultery in 1992.

And she hurt herself when she seemed to criticise stay-at-home mothers by saying she would rather work than stay home and bake cookies.

When the couple came to Washington, Clinton&nbsp;raised eyebrows again. She was a key advisor to her husband&nbsp;and set up an office in the West Wing of the White House, reserved for the president himself and his closest aides. Previous first ladies always worked out of the East Wing.

Clinton&nbsp;dazzled official Washington when she undertook a reform of the US healthcare system. She knew the material well, worked hard and impressed Republican members of Congress.

But as the months wore on, the reform deadlocked, and critics of&nbsp;Clinton&nbsp;dismissed her as inflexible and abrupt. It was her first major political defeat.

She was fiercely defensive of her private life, and journalists found this behavior to be suspicious.&nbsp;

Americans considered&nbsp;Clinton&nbsp;to be smart and tough but the media asked &#39;who is the real&nbsp;Hillary?&#39;

Clinton&#39;s popularity peaked in late 1998 when she was humiliated with the disclosure of her husband&#39;s affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.&nbsp;

It would be the last time that the American people sympathised with her.

On her own

Clinton&nbsp;long wanted to get into politics on her own merits. In 1990, she commissioned polls to explore the idea of succeeding her husband. The results were negative, and this hurt her.

She sought redemption in 2000 when Bill&nbsp;Clinton&nbsp;left the White House: she won a seat in the Senate representing the state of New York.&nbsp;Clinton&nbsp;worked hard and impressed people as diligent and well prepared.

But her unpopularity returned.

In 2002,&nbsp;Clinton&nbsp;voted in favor of the United States invading Iraq.

A young Senate colleague named Barack Obama saw his chance, running in the Democratic primaries of 2008 with a message of change and relegating his powerful rival to the ranks of establishment politicians.

So a woman who was too modern in the Arkansas of the 1980s became a vestige of another time, a symbol of insider Washington.

In naming her secretary of state in 2009, Obama resurrected&nbsp;Clinton&nbsp;and consolidated her image as a stateswoman. This completed the longest resume in the recent history of American politics.

But&nbsp;Clinton&nbsp;made a fatal mistake when she set about working at the state department: she avoided using the government email system and used her own private server, ignoring rules on the handling of sensitive communications.

This mushroomed into a scandal, and although the FBI ultimately decided that&nbsp;Clinton&nbsp;did not deserve to be charged, critics of&nbsp;Clinton&nbsp;insisted this disqualified her from serving as president.

&quot;I get it that some people just don&#39;t know what to make of me,&quot;&nbsp;Clinton&nbsp;said in July in accepting the Democratic presidential nomination. &quot;So let me tell you.&quot;

She proceeded to talk about her middle-class upbringing, her commitments and her lifelong battle to advocate for women and children.

Friends have vouched for&nbsp;Clinton&#39;s honesty, and her campaign team produced videos about her that were moving and funny.&nbsp;

But it was in vain as American voters on Tuesday closed the book on&nbsp;Clinton.

(AFP)

Her apparent duplicity, despite her efforts for redemption and the support of US Democrats, cost the party the White House

She lost to Barack Obama in the Democratic primaries in 2008. Now she has been humiliated in her second bid for the presidency by political novice and former TV reality show host Donald Trump. Hillary Clinton will go down in history as a woman of frustrated ambitions. In February, a journalist asked Clinton if she has always told the truth to the American people. "I've always tried to. Always. Always," the failed Democratic candidate answered. Other, less cautious pols would have responded with an unequivocal 'yes'. But Clinton, a lawyer by training, weighs her words carefully so as not to be caught out. Critics say she is dishonest. And this apparent duplicity, despite her efforts for redemption and the support of US Democrats led by a spirited Obama, cost the party the White House in a historic repudiation that has the world on edge as it waits to see what the future now holds with a Trump presidency. Looking back, it is clear that Clinton's defiant streak grew over the course of three decades in public life. Back in the 1970s, when her husband Bill was the governor of Arkansas, Clinton still used her maiden name, Rodham, and kept her job as a lawyer. Local people found this odd, and questioned her love for her husband and asked what the woman was up to. Ultimately she took Clinton as her last name. But she had already come across as too hip and too ambitious for conservative southern US society. "I think that's another one of the dangers of being in public life. One cannot live one's life based on what somebody else's image of you might be," she told Arkansas public TV in an interview in 1979. First Lady When her husband ran for the White House, Clinton showed herself to be both an asset and a liability. She was the former when she defended her husband against allegations of adultery in 1992. And she hurt herself when she seemed to criticise stay-at-home mothers by saying she would rather work than stay home and bake cookies. When the couple came to Washington, Clinton raised eyebrows again. She was a key advisor to her husband and set up an office in the West Wing of the White House, reserved for the president himself and his closest aides. Previous first ladies always worked out of the East Wing. Clinton dazzled official Washington when she undertook a reform of the US healthcare system. She knew the material well, worked hard and impressed Republican members of Congress. But as the months wore on, the reform deadlocked, and critics of Clinton dismissed her as inflexible and abrupt. It was her first major political defeat. She was fiercely defensive of her private life, and journalists found this behavior to be suspicious. Americans considered Clinton to be smart and tough but the media asked 'who is the real Hillary?' Clinton's popularity peaked in late 1998 when she was humiliated with the disclosure of her husband's affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. It would be the last time that the American people sympathised with her. On her own Clinton long wanted to get into politics on her own merits. In 1990, she commissioned polls to explore the idea of succeeding her husband. The results were negative, and this hurt her. She sought redemption in 2000 when Bill Clinton left the White House: she won a seat in the Senate representing the state of New York. Clinton worked hard and impressed people as diligent and well prepared. But her unpopularity returned. In 2002, Clinton voted in favor of the United States invading Iraq. A young Senate colleague named Barack Obama saw his chance, running in the Democratic primaries of 2008 with a message of change and relegating his powerful rival to the ranks of establishment politicians. So a woman who was too modern in the Arkansas of the 1980s became a vestige of another time, a symbol of insider Washington. In naming her secretary of state in 2009, Obama resurrected Clinton and consolidated her image as a stateswoman. This completed the longest resume in the recent history of American politics. But Clinton made a fatal mistake when she set about working at the state department: she avoided using the government email system and used her own private server, ignoring rules on the handling of sensitive communications. This mushroomed into a scandal, and although the FBI ultimately decided that Clinton did not deserve to be charged, critics of Clinton insisted this disqualified her from serving as president. "I get it that some people just don't know what to make of me," Clinton said in July in accepting the Democratic presidential nomination. "So let me tell you." She proceeded to talk about her middle-class upbringing, her commitments and her lifelong battle to advocate for women and children. Friends have vouched for Clinton's honesty, and her campaign team produced videos about her that were moving and funny. But it was in vain as American voters on Tuesday closed the book on Clinton. (AFP)

Hillary Clinton: Tale of thwarted ambition

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

When 74-year-old Leonor Perez cast her vote for Hillary Clinton under a cloudless Florida sky, there was not a shadow of doubt in her mind: &quot;It&#39;s time for a woman to wear the pants in this country.&quot;

Hillary Clinton&#39;s emergence as the first woman to represent a major party in the White House race has given the humble pantsuit another moment in the sun.

&nbsp;

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/pantsuit?src=hash">#pantsuit</a> My 9 year old son got to watch me VOTE today. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Herstory?src=hash">#Herstory</a> in the making. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Suitup?src=hash">#Suitup</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/pantsuitnation?src=hash">#pantsuitnation</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/pantsuitpower?src=hash">#pantsuitpower</a> <a href="https://t.co/2PGyN3akaa">pic.twitter.com/2PGyN3akaa</a>
&mdash; Smile Peace Love (@SPLPhotography) <a href="https://twitter.com/SPLPhotography/status/796025752579928068">November 8, 2016</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

In 2008, after losing the party nomination she thanked &quot;my sisterhood of the traveling pantsuits.&quot; Since then it seems the movement had not gone away but gone underground.

A secret Facebook group called &quot;Pantsuit Nation&quot; began as 50 Hillary Clinton supporters who decided to wear the outfit to the polls to show their support for the Democratic nominee.

It now has 2.2 million members and counting.

&nbsp;

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Just voted for our 1st <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MadamPresident?src=hash">#MadamPresident</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ElectionDay?src=hash">#ElectionDay</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pantsuit?src=hash">#Pantsuit</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IVotedHillary?src=hash">#IVotedHillary</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HERstory?src=hash">#HERstory</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MyVote2016?src=hash">#MyVote2016</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ImWithHer?src=hash">#ImWithHer</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PantsuitNation?src=hash">#PantsuitNation</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/iVoted?src=hash">#iVoted</a> <a href="https://t.co/LXXAv7rcnN">pic.twitter.com/LXXAv7rcnN</a>
&mdash; Roni #iVotedHillary (@paleblueeyes24) <a href="https://twitter.com/paleblueeyes24/status/796085588457705473">November 8, 2016</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

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In <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/pantsuit?src=hash">#pantsuit</a> &amp; white blouse to vote for <a href="https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton">@HillaryClinton</a> w/ memories of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/suffragettes?src=hash">#suffragettes</a>! A little emotional. Let&#39;s get in Formation! <a href="https://twitter.com/Beyonce">@Beyonce</a> <a href="https://t.co/TSSQTaqBq3">pic.twitter.com/TSSQTaqBq3</a>
&mdash; Dr. Belinda Setters (@BelindaSetters) <a href="https://twitter.com/BelindaSetters/status/795975943374438400">November 8, 2016</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

The much-maligned garb has been made a quirky symbol for the former secretary of state, first lady and senator.

Beyonce traded her usual curve-hugging costumes for a pantsuit when she performed at a Clinton rally in Cleveland on Friday. For much of the campaign Hillary Clinton has fought of suggestions her demeanor is a bit too rigid.

Her campaign fought back on the eve of the election by turning the nominee, her entire traveling team, former president Bill Clinton and Jon Bon Jovi into &quot;mannequins.&quot;

Harnessing a social media craze, the Clinton camp sent a roving videographer through her campaign plane among statue-still staff members.

(AFP) 
&nbsp;

Dressed in Hillary Clinton inspired pantsuits, a number of voters showed their support for the Democratic presidential candidate

When 74-year-old Leonor Perez cast her vote for Hillary Clinton under a cloudless Florida sky, there was not a shadow of doubt in her mind: "It's time for a woman to wear the pants in this country." Hillary Clinton's emergence as the first woman to represent a major party in the White House race has given the humble pantsuit another moment in the sun. #pantsuit My 9 year old son got to watch me VOTE today. #Herstory in the making. #Suitup #pantsuitnation #pantsuitpower pic.twitter.com/2PGyN3akaa — Smile Peace Love (@SPLPhotography) November 8, 2016 × In 2008, after losing the party nomination she thanked "my sisterhood of the traveling pantsuits." Since then it seems the movement had not gone away but gone underground. A secret Facebook group called "Pantsuit Nation" began as 50 Hillary Clinton supporters who decided to wear the outfit to the polls to show their support for the Democratic nominee. It now has 2.2 million members and counting. Just voted for our 1st #MadamPresident #ElectionDay #Pantsuit #IVotedHillary #HERstory #MyVote2016 #ImWithHer #PantsuitNation #iVoted pic.twitter.com/LXXAv7rcnN — Roni #iVotedHillary (@paleblueeyes24) November 8, 2016 × In #pantsuit & white blouse to vote for @HillaryClinton w/ memories of #suffragettes! A little emotional. Let's get in Formation! @Beyonce pic.twitter.com/TSSQTaqBq3 — Dr. Belinda Setters (@BelindaSetters) November 8, 2016 × The much-maligned garb has been made a quirky symbol for the former secretary of state, first lady and senator. Beyonce traded her usual curve-hugging costumes for a pantsuit when she performed at a Clinton rally in Cleveland on Friday. For much of the campaign Hillary Clinton has fought of suggestions her demeanor is a bit too rigid. Her campaign fought back on the eve of the election by turning the nominee, her entire traveling team, former president Bill Clinton and Jon Bon Jovi into "mannequins." Harnessing a social media craze, the Clinton camp sent a roving videographer through her campaign plane among statue-still staff members. (AFP)

US Election 2016: Who wears the pants?

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

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

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

Asia sees changed US relationship, whoever wins

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

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

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

US Democrats lose suit seeking to bar voter intimidation

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

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

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

Why is Hillary Clinton so unpopular?

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

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

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

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

Betting exchanges and online trading platforms on Tuesday said Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton held a far higher probability of winning than Republican Donald Trump.

While Trump made modest gains in probability to win on some online platforms as Americans went to the polls on Tuesday, many gave Clinton a better than 75 per cent chance of victory.

Bookmaker Paddy Power said Clinton&#39;s chance of taking the White House dipped slightly to 81.8 per cent on Election Day from 83.3 percent, while Trump&#39;s probability improved to 22 per cent from 20 percent.

&quot;The flow of money is relatively even with it slightly favouring Trump,&quot; said Paddy Power spokesman F&eacute;ilim Mac An Iomaire.

He said Paddy Power has seen at least 20 four- and five-figure bets placed on Tuesday. Different bookmakers and exchanges have different closing times for placing bets.

Record numbers of betters are pouring millions into online platforms in the hope of capturing a financial windfall from the election.

British gambling company Ladbrokes, which has Clinton&#39;s chance of winning at 76 per cent and Trump&#39;s at 24 per cent, said it anticipated more wagers coming in for the outcome of the US&nbsp;presidential election than had been placed on the European Union referendum - or &quot;Brexit&quot; vote.

&quot;The US&nbsp;election has gripped the nation,&quot; said Ladbrokes spokeswoman Jessica Bridge in a written statement. &quot;It [is] the biggest ever non-sporting event the bookmaking industry has witnessed.&quot;

British-based internet betting exchange Betfair&#39;s &quot;Next President&quot; market was on track to surpass Brexit in amount traded, owing to the surprise results of the referendum that were still fresh in many Britons&#39; minds, spokeswoman Naomi Totten said.

The market saw just under $150 million wagered since it opened in November 2012, with $7 million traded in just seven hours on Tuesday.

Clinton is trading at an 80 per cent chance on Betfair and Trump at a 20 per cent chance of winning the White House.

Trading platforms in the United States showed similar probabilities.

On PredictIt, launched in 2014 and jointly run by Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand, and Washington, DC-based political consulting firm Aristotle International Inc, Clinton had an 80 per cent chance of victory down from 81 percent Sunday, while Trump was at 22 percent, up from 20 percent.

(Reuters)

Most of the agencies give Hillary Clinton a better than 75 per cent chance of victory

Betting exchanges and online trading platforms on Tuesday said Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton held a far higher probability of winning than Republican Donald Trump. While Trump made modest gains in probability to win on some online platforms as Americans went to the polls on Tuesday, many gave Clinton a better than 75 per cent chance of victory. Bookmaker Paddy Power said Clinton's chance of taking the White House dipped slightly to 81.8 per cent on Election Day from 83.3 percent, while Trump's probability improved to 22 per cent from 20 percent. "The flow of money is relatively even with it slightly favouring Trump," said Paddy Power spokesman Féilim Mac An Iomaire. He said Paddy Power has seen at least 20 four- and five-figure bets placed on Tuesday. Different bookmakers and exchanges have different closing times for placing bets. Record numbers of betters are pouring millions into online platforms in the hope of capturing a financial windfall from the election. British gambling company Ladbrokes, which has Clinton's chance of winning at 76 per cent and Trump's at 24 per cent, said it anticipated more wagers coming in for the outcome of the US presidential election than had been placed on the European Union referendum - or "Brexit" vote. "The US election has gripped the nation," said Ladbrokes spokeswoman Jessica Bridge in a written statement. "It [is] the biggest ever non-sporting event the bookmaking industry has witnessed." British-based internet betting exchange Betfair's "Next President" market was on track to surpass Brexit in amount traded, owing to the surprise results of the referendum that were still fresh in many Britons' minds, spokeswoman Naomi Totten said. The market saw just under $150 million wagered since it opened in November 2012, with $7 million traded in just seven hours on Tuesday. Clinton is trading at an 80 per cent chance on Betfair and Trump at a 20 per cent chance of winning the White House. Trading platforms in the United States showed similar probabilities. On PredictIt, launched in 2014 and jointly run by Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand, and Washington, DC-based political consulting firm Aristotle International Inc, Clinton had an 80 per cent chance of victory down from 81 percent Sunday, while Trump was at 22 percent, up from 20 percent. (Reuters)

US election: Betting exchanges, online platforms back Clinton to win

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Global equities markets were cheered Monday, taking heart in the final hours before the US elections after authorities again cleared Hillary Clinton of criminal wrongdoing over her emails.

The markets rallied, ending days of declines, after Sunday&#39;s announcement by the Federal Bureau of Investigation that the Democratic candidate still would not face charges over her use of a private server following review of the latest batch of emails.

&quot;Hillary Clinton getting the all-clear from the FBI over a new set of emails saw markets convulse into nervous relief,&quot; said Jasper Lawler, an analyst at CMC Markets. &quot;Stocks and North American currencies were in demand and havens like gold and bonds were dumped.&quot;

In New York, the major indices soared, with the S&amp;P 500 snapping a nine-day losing streak and rising 2.2 per cent, its biggest gain since March. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 2.1 per cent and the Nasdaq finished 2.4 per cent higher.&nbsp;

In Europe, Frankfurt and Paris both posted gains of 1.9 per cent, with London, up 1.7 per cent, not far behind.

&quot;Looks like a relief rally for investors that were worried about the outcome,&quot; said Jack Ablin of BMO Private Bank. &quot;Now that uncertainty surrounding the FBI investigation has been lifted investors believe that Hillary Clinton will win tomorrow.&quot;

Markets were in turmoil for the past week&nbsp;after the FBI said on October 28 that new emails linked to Clinton were being investigated, less than two weeks before the November 8 vote, this after having cleared Clinton once already in July.

The FBI had probed Clinton&#39;s use of a private email server while serving as secretary of state for possible violations in the handling of classified information.

Investors became more willing Monday to hold more risky assets like equities.

&quot;The FBI news triggered a risk rally across the global financial markets,&quot; said London Capital Group analyst Ipek Ozkardeskaya.

&nbsp;&#39;Suddenly a happy place?&#39;&nbsp;

The Vix volatility index, a benchmark for investor fear, declined after nine straight days of gains.

But JJ Kinahan, chief market strategist at TD Ameritrade, suggested some investors had oversold, since uncertainty about the election result remains, despite stock gains.

&quot;It&#39;s hard to believe that without any results (except for early voting) the world&#39;s suddenly a happy place and there&#39;s no risk any more,&quot; Kinahan said.

Clinton is considered by many investors to be a safer bet than Trump, who is seen as a loose cannon with policies many fear could wreck the world&#39;s top economy.

The dollar rose sharply against the euro, the Yen and the Pound, as exchange markets shared in what investors viewed as positive news about the United States.

The Mexican Peso -- which has taken on an inverse relationship with Trump&#39;s presidential prospects -- also staged a stunning rally against the dollar to recoup all its losses from last week.

The currency is considered a reflection of Trump&#39;s chances because of his anti-Mexican rhetoric -- including his pledge to remove undocumented immigrants, build a border wall and tear up a trade deal.

&nbsp;

(AFP)

Investors became more willing Monday to hold more risky assets like equities

Global equities markets were cheered Monday, taking heart in the final hours before the US elections after authorities again cleared Hillary Clinton of criminal wrongdoing over her emails. The markets rallied, ending days of declines, after Sunday's announcement by the Federal Bureau of Investigation that the Democratic candidate still would not face charges over her use of a private server following review of the latest batch of emails. "Hillary Clinton getting the all-clear from the FBI over a new set of emails saw markets convulse into nervous relief," said Jasper Lawler, an analyst at CMC Markets. "Stocks and North American currencies were in demand and havens like gold and bonds were dumped." In New York, the major indices soared, with the S&P 500 snapping a nine-day losing streak and rising 2.2 per cent, its biggest gain since March. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 2.1 per cent and the Nasdaq finished 2.4 per cent higher. In Europe, Frankfurt and Paris both posted gains of 1.9 per cent, with London, up 1.7 per cent, not far behind. "Looks like a relief rally for investors that were worried about the outcome," said Jack Ablin of BMO Private Bank. "Now that uncertainty surrounding the FBI investigation has been lifted investors believe that Hillary Clinton will win tomorrow." Markets were in turmoil for the past week after the FBI said on October 28 that new emails linked to Clinton were being investigated, less than two weeks before the November 8 vote, this after having cleared Clinton once already in July. The FBI had probed Clinton's use of a private email server while serving as secretary of state for possible violations in the handling of classified information. Investors became more willing Monday to hold more risky assets like equities. "The FBI news triggered a risk rally across the global financial markets," said London Capital Group analyst Ipek Ozkardeskaya. 'Suddenly a happy place?' The Vix volatility index, a benchmark for investor fear, declined after nine straight days of gains. But JJ Kinahan, chief market strategist at TD Ameritrade, suggested some investors had oversold, since uncertainty about the election result remains, despite stock gains. "It's hard to believe that without any results (except for early voting) the world's suddenly a happy place and there's no risk any more," Kinahan said. Clinton is considered by many investors to be a safer bet than Trump, who is seen as a loose cannon with policies many fear could wreck the world's top economy. The dollar rose sharply against the euro, the Yen and the Pound, as exchange markets shared in what investors viewed as positive news about the United States. The Mexican Peso -- which has taken on an inverse relationship with Trump's presidential prospects -- also staged a stunning rally against the dollar to recoup all its losses from last week. The currency is considered a reflection of Trump's chances because of his anti-Mexican rhetoric -- including his pledge to remove undocumented immigrants, build a border wall and tear up a trade deal. (AFP)

Clinton all-clear from FBI sends global stocks surging

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

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

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

US Election: Fears of voter intimidation, suppression run high

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

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

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

Clinton supporters mobilise Latino voters to win Florida, US election

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

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

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

FBI agents, lawmakers hammer Comey over Clinton emails inquiry

When Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey announced 11 days before the election&nbsp;that the agency would be reviewing a new batch of Democractic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton&#39;s emails,&nbsp;many thought&nbsp;the race&#39;s momentum had swung towards Trump for good.

For days, the headlines had been about&nbsp;Trump&#39;s comments on&nbsp;grabbing women &quot;by the p*ssy&quot;, and now they were about&nbsp;Clinton&#39;s emails again.

But Comey has written a new letter today, saying unequivocally that the FBI&nbsp;have reviewed &quot;all of the&nbsp;communications&nbsp;that were to or from Hillary Clinton while she was Secretary of State&quot;, and that based on this, they have not changed their conclusion from July, which stated&nbsp;that nothing was&nbsp;illegal.&nbsp;

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As expected, the review of the additional emails has not changed the FBI&#39;s original conclusion. <a href="https://t.co/iVMTWRLv4h">pic.twitter.com/iVMTWRLv4h</a>
&mdash; Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepAdamSchiff/status/795360399948390405">November 6, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Comey was criticised for contravening the Department of Justice&#39;s standard policy by commenting on an investigation, seemingly all on his own,&nbsp;so close to the election.&nbsp;

Trump surrogate and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said, then denied, that he had advanced knowledge that&nbsp;the FBI was reviewing&nbsp;new&nbsp;Clinton emails, which suggested that the FBI was leaking&nbsp;information to him and the Trump campaign.

Whether&nbsp;this&nbsp;Comey letter gets as much prominence&nbsp;in US media is yet to be determined. Also to be determined is whether or not Comey&#39;s&nbsp;new letter will undo the damage his old one did to&nbsp;the Clinton campaign.

(WION)&nbsp;

FBI?chief wrote they have reviewed all communication?'to or from Hillary Clinton while she was secretary', nothing illegal was found

When Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey announced 11 days before the election that the agency would be reviewing a new batch of Democractic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's emails, many thought the race's momentum had swung towards Trump for good. For days, the headlines had been about Trump's comments on grabbing women "by the p*ssy", and now they were about Clinton's emails again. But Comey has written a new letter today, saying unequivocally that the FBI have reviewed "all of the communications that were to or from Hillary Clinton while she was Secretary of State", and that based on this, they have not changed their conclusion from July, which stated that nothing was illegal. As expected, the review of the additional emails has not changed the FBI's original conclusion. pic.twitter.com/iVMTWRLv4h — Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) November 6, 2016 × Comey was criticised for contravening the Department of Justice's standard policy by commenting on an investigation, seemingly all on his own, so close to the election. Trump surrogate and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said, then denied, that he had advanced knowledge that the FBI was reviewing new Clinton emails, which suggested that the FBI was leaking information to him and the Trump campaign. Whether this Comey letter gets as much prominence in US media is yet to be determined. Also to be determined is whether or not Comey's new letter will undo the damage his old one did to the Clinton campaign. (WION)

New Comey letter clears Clinton, a second time

Indian shares rose about 1 per cent on Monday, snapping four sessions of losses, as Democrat Hillary Clinton&#39;s prospects improved in the US presidential race after federal investigators cleared her in their latest review.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)&nbsp;said on Sunday it stood by its earlier finding that no criminal charges were warranted against Clinton for using a private email server for government work.

Asian shares rose on optimism over Clinton&#39;s chances just two days ahead of the election. The MSCI&#39;s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan advanced 0.8 per cent.

Investors had been unnerved by signs of a tightening presidential race between Clinton and Republican candidate Donald Trump, whose stance on foreign policy, trade and immigration are seen as less predictable by financial markets.

&quot;It is basically a sentiment-driven market. Markets are perceiving that Clinton has now become a stronger candidate than Trump,&quot; said Saurabh Jain, assistant vice-president of research at SMC Global Securities.

The broader National Stock Exchange Nifty was up 1.05 per cent at 8,522.50 by 0551 GMT, while the benchmark Bombay Stock Exchange&nbsp;Sensex was 0.91 per cent higher at 27,522.10.

Financial and healthcare stocks were among the biggest percentage gainers on the NSE index after posting heavy losses last week.

The Nifty Bank index and the Nifty Pharma index rose as much as 1.4 per cent and 3.3 per cent, respectively, rebounding after four sessions of declines.

ICICI Bank Ltd &lt;ICBK.NS&gt;, which is set to report quarterly results later in the day, was up 2 per cent after falling 2.6 per cent last week.

Drugmaker Lupin Ltd &lt;LUPN.NS&gt; climbed as much as 8 per cent, after the company on Friday said the US&nbsp;FDA had cleared its Goa manufacturing plant for exports.

(Reuters)

Optimism over Clinton's chances rose as FBI said that no criminal charges were warranted against her for using private email server

Indian shares rose about 1 per cent on Monday, snapping four sessions of losses, as Democrat Hillary Clinton's prospects improved in the US presidential race after federal investigators cleared her in their latest review. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said on Sunday it stood by its earlier finding that no criminal charges were warranted against Clinton for using a private email server for government work. Asian shares rose on optimism over Clinton's chances just two days ahead of the election. The MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan advanced 0.8 per cent. Investors had been unnerved by signs of a tightening presidential race between Clinton and Republican candidate Donald Trump, whose stance on foreign policy, trade and immigration are seen as less predictable by financial markets. "It is basically a sentiment-driven market. Markets are perceiving that Clinton has now become a stronger candidate than Trump," said Saurabh Jain, assistant vice-president of research at SMC Global Securities. The broader National Stock Exchange Nifty was up 1.05 per cent at 8,522.50 by 0551 GMT, while the benchmark Bombay Stock Exchange Sensex was 0.91 per cent higher at 27,522.10. Financial and healthcare stocks were among the biggest percentage gainers on the NSE index after posting heavy losses last week. The Nifty Bank index and the Nifty Pharma index rose as much as 1.4 per cent and 3.3 per cent, respectively, rebounding after four sessions of declines. ICICI Bank Ltd <ICBK.NS>, which is set to report quarterly results later in the day, was up 2 per cent after falling 2.6 per cent last week. Drugmaker Lupin Ltd <LUPN.NS> climbed as much as 8 per cent, after the company on Friday said the US FDA had cleared its Goa manufacturing plant for exports. (Reuters)

India: Sensex rises as Clinton's chances brighten

Hillary Clinton&#39;s possible election next week to America&#39;s highest office has raised a sticky question: What&#39;s the best way to refer to the president&#39;s male spouse?

There have only ever been male presidents in the United States with female spouses. One president, James Buchanan, remained a lifelong bachelor.

Bill Clinton poses a special dilemma -- not only he would be the first male presidential spouse, but also the first former president to return to the White House as a spouse.&nbsp;

The former Arkansas governor was elected president in 1992 and again in 1996, serving eight years in office.

It is common to use the honorific &quot;president&quot; to anyone who has served in the post, even after they leave office.

But if the prognosticators are correct, and Hillary Clinton wins the presidency, then Bill Clinton can no longer be referred to as president Clinton after his wife&#39;s inauguration in January without creating massive confusion.

Lisa Grotts, a certified etiquette expert, told AFP that the dilemma of how to address a male spouse has been dealt with at the state level, which may, or may not, provide a roadmap.

&quot;In the US, we have six female governors, and their husbands unofficially go by First Gentleman. But there are no rules for presidential spouses,&quot; she said.&nbsp;

&quot;Once a president, always a president and that will always be his title for life,&quot; she said.

Protocol&nbsp;

Allida Black, an expert on first ladies with the White House Historical Association, told AFP that there is no question that, in terms of protocol at least, Bill Clinton&#39;s &quot;title will stay the same&quot; when the first couple are presented at formal events -- at a state dinner, for example.

&quot;It will be President Clinton and former president Clinton,&quot; Black said.

&quot;We went through the same thing with the Bush family,&quot; she continued, referring to George H.W. Bush, the 41st US president, and his son, George W. Bush, the 43rd.

&quot;We had President Bush and former president Bush, so when they were together, they were introduced that way, and the Clintons will be introduced the same way as well,&quot; she said.

The stickier issue of day-to-day nomenclature will be handled by the in-house experts, Black said.

&quot;The office of presidential protocol, working with the Clintons, will decide how to rename the Office of the First Lady,&quot; Black said.

&quot;If she was married to a person who had not been president, he would have been the First Gentleman, but because Bill Clinton had been president, he is former president, and not the First Gentleman.&quot;

Choosing a cause&nbsp;

What is clear, is that Bill Clinton will not revert to the title of governor or former governor, which would be a breach of protocol.

&quot;It would be a lesser title than being former president,&quot; Black said.

The first lady traditionally has her own staff and budget in the White House, and typically adopts causes that are more or less non-controversial.&nbsp;

Laura Bush took on the issues of reading and literacy; Michelle Obama tackled obesity, and good nutrition via her White House garden. She also gave greater visibility to support for veterans and their families.

Another issue brewing in political circles is precisely what official role the First Gentleman -- if that is what he&#39;s called -- will play.

Bill Clinton has promised to step away from the family&#39;s Clinton Foundation charity if his wife is elected.

He remains relatively fit and active, but has sworn off one of the endeavors that has occupied much of his time in retirement and proved quite lucrative -- speech-making -- which earned both Clintons millions of dollars once they were no longer in public office.

Officially, Bill Clinton will not be allowed to take paid government employment during his wife&#39;s tenure.&nbsp;

&quot;He cannot have an official paid position but he could be an unofficial advisor to her,&quot; said Black.

That would reverse the arrangement they reached during Bill Clinton&#39;s presidency, when Hillary Clinton headed up his administration&#39;s failed efforts to bring about comprehensive health care reform.

Hillary Clinton earlier this year suggested that she might task her husband with spearheading her administration&#39;s efforts to revitalize the economy -- a nod to his vaunted presidential success in balancing the US budget while creating millions of jobs.&nbsp;

(AFP)

There has never been a female US President; spouses of female governors however are called First Gentleman

Hillary Clinton's possible election next week to America's highest office has raised a sticky question: What's the best way to refer to the president's male spouse? There have only ever been male presidents in the United States with female spouses. One president, James Buchanan, remained a lifelong bachelor. Bill Clinton poses a special dilemma -- not only he would be the first male presidential spouse, but also the first former president to return to the White House as a spouse. The former Arkansas governor was elected president in 1992 and again in 1996, serving eight years in office. It is common to use the honorific "president" to anyone who has served in the post, even after they leave office. But if the prognosticators are correct, and Hillary Clinton wins the presidency, then Bill Clinton can no longer be referred to as president Clinton after his wife's inauguration in January without creating massive confusion. Lisa Grotts, a certified etiquette expert, told AFP that the dilemma of how to address a male spouse has been dealt with at the state level, which may, or may not, provide a roadmap. "In the US, we have six female governors, and their husbands unofficially go by First Gentleman. But there are no rules for presidential spouses," she said. "Once a president, always a president and that will always be his title for life," she said. Protocol Allida Black, an expert on first ladies with the White House Historical Association, told AFP that there is no question that, in terms of protocol at least, Bill Clinton's "title will stay the same" when the first couple are presented at formal events -- at a state dinner, for example. "It will be President Clinton and former president Clinton," Black said. "We went through the same thing with the Bush family," she continued, referring to George H.W. Bush, the 41st US president, and his son, George W. Bush, the 43rd. "We had President Bush and former president Bush, so when they were together, they were introduced that way, and the Clintons will be introduced the same way as well," she said. The stickier issue of day-to-day nomenclature will be handled by the in-house experts, Black said. "The office of presidential protocol, working with the Clintons, will decide how to rename the Office of the First Lady," Black said. "If she was married to a person who had not been president, he would have been the First Gentleman, but because Bill Clinton had been president, he is former president, and not the First Gentleman." Choosing a cause What is clear, is that Bill Clinton will not revert to the title of governor or former governor, which would be a breach of protocol. "It would be a lesser title than being former president," Black said. The first lady traditionally has her own staff and budget in the White House, and typically adopts causes that are more or less non-controversial. Laura Bush took on the issues of reading and literacy; Michelle Obama tackled obesity, and good nutrition via her White House garden. She also gave greater visibility to support for veterans and their families. Another issue brewing in political circles is precisely what official role the First Gentleman -- if that is what he's called -- will play. Bill Clinton has promised to step away from the family's Clinton Foundation charity if his wife is elected. He remains relatively fit and active, but has sworn off one of the endeavors that has occupied much of his time in retirement and proved quite lucrative -- speech-making -- which earned both Clintons millions of dollars once they were no longer in public office. Officially, Bill Clinton will not be allowed to take paid government employment during his wife's tenure. "He cannot have an official paid position but he could be an unofficial advisor to her," said Black. That would reverse the arrangement they reached during Bill Clinton's presidency, when Hillary Clinton headed up his administration's failed efforts to bring about comprehensive health care reform. Hillary Clinton earlier this year suggested that she might task her husband with spearheading her administration's efforts to revitalize the economy -- a nod to his vaunted presidential success in balancing the US budget while creating millions of jobs. (AFP)

Should Hillary win, what'll we call Bill?

The latest polls give Clinton a narrow national lead of between 3-5%

US stocks jumped about 1.5 per cent early Monday, joining a global rally after the FBI lifted the threat that Democratic White House candidate Hillary Clinton could face charges over her emails. One day before Americans vote on their next president, investors were bullish about preferred candidate Clinton's prospects to defeat Republican Donald Trump after FBI Director James Comey cleared her of wrongdoing over the weekend. About an hour into trading, the broad-based S&P 500 was up 1.7 per cent to 2,121.47, tentatively snapping a nine-day losing streak. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 1.5 per cent to 18,164.06, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index gained 2.0 percent to 5,146.08. The latest polls give Clinton a narrow national lead of between three and five percentage points, but rolling averages point to a closer race, with Trump up in some swing states. "Polls still show a fairly tight race, and with the Brexit surprise still fresh in participants' memory, there is a reluctance to take the polling information for granted," Briefing.com analyst Patrick O'Hare said. Still, the Democrat appeared to have a much more plausible road to victory in the Electoral College. Other indications of the market's greater calm on Monday was a decline in the Vix volatility index, a benchmark of investor fear, and a rise in the dollar. "The dollar and riskier assets like stocks caught a bounce to begin Election Week, getting a fillip from the FBI which over the weekend said that Hillary Clinton shouldn't face criminal charges related to her email troubles," said Joe Manimbo, senior market analyst at Western Union Business solutions. "The Sunday letter from the director of the FBI to the Congress was seen helping Mrs Clinton's chances of clinching the election which gets under way tomorrow." Gains were broad-based, but especially strong sectors included financials, with JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs both climbing about 2.5 per cent, and pharmaceuticals, with Merck winning 1.4 per cent and Biogen 5.7 per cent. (AFP)

US stocks jump after FBI clears Hillary Clinton

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

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

Hillary Clinton routinely asked maid to handle sensitive information: Report

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

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

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

Trump campaign unwilling to let presidential candidate Tweet unfiltered: NYT

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rudy Giuliani said on Friday that he knew&nbsp;the FBI planned to review more emails in connection with Hillary Clinton before FBI Director James Comey made a public&nbsp;announcement about the investigation last week,&nbsp;confirming&nbsp;that the agency leaked information to Donald Trump&#39;s presidential campaign.

&quot;Did I hear about it? Darn right I heard about it&quot;, he said.

Watch the clip below to hear Giuliani&#39;s admission:

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WATCH: Rudy Giuliani admits that Trump campaign had advanced warning from the <a href="https://twitter.com/FBI">@FBI</a> about Comey&#39;s letter. <a href="https://t.co/7AOJopgQOB">pic.twitter.com/7AOJopgQOB</a>
&mdash; Correct The Record (@CorrectRecord) <a href="https://twitter.com/CorrectRecord/status/794539625348038658">November 4, 2016</a></blockquote>
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The former mayor of New York City had recently dropped hints that he had advance knowledge that the FBI was going to look at emails potentially connected to Clinton&#39;s private server. The FBI had discovered more Clinton-related emails in a separate investigation targetting the former congressman Anthony Weiner for allegedly sexting a minor.

Giuliani said he felt Comey&#39;s annoucement was going to be made &quot;three or four weeks ago&quot;, meaning the FBI was sitting on this knowledge but, controversially, Comey decided to release it only 11 days before the election.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/rudy-giuliani-fbi-clinton-emails_us_581c9e3fe4b0e80b02c93d6b">Huffington Posts</a> reports that for months Giuliani had bragged that &quot;outraged FBI agents&quot; told him that they&#39;re frustrated by the handling of the Clinton investigation. Just days before FBI Director James Comey announced that they would be reviewing newly uncovered&nbsp;emails, Giuliani said that Trump&#39;s campaign had a &quot;couple of surprises left&quot;.

A day before Comey&#39;s announcement about the investigation, Giuliani told&nbsp;Fox News,&nbsp;&quot;We got a couple things up our sleeve&nbsp;that should turn this around&quot;.

<a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2016/10/28/politics/fbi-reviewing-new-emails-in-clinton-probe-director-tells-senate-judiciary-committee/">CNN&nbsp;</a>reports that Comey decided to make the announcement regarding Clinton&#39;s emails despite concerns from the US Department of Justice (DOJ) that doing so only 11 days before the US presidential&nbsp;election would affect the outcome. One source told CNN that it was contrary to department polices and procedure to comment so close to the November 8 election. While there was no direct contact between Comey and both Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates in the (DOJ), the disagreement was communicated to him via DOJ staff.&nbsp;

Comey decided to ignore this concern. This comes nearly four months after the FBI chief said he woudn&#39;t recommend criminal charges over Clinton&#39;s use of the private server for emails.

(WION)

'Did I hear about it? You're darn right I heard about it'

Rudy Giuliani said on Friday that he knew the FBI planned to review more emails in connection with Hillary Clinton before FBI Director James Comey made a public announcement about the investigation last week, confirming that the agency leaked information to Donald Trump's presidential campaign. "Did I hear about it? Darn right I heard about it", he said. Watch the clip below to hear Giuliani's admission: WATCH: Rudy Giuliani admits that Trump campaign had advanced warning from the @FBI about Comey's letter. pic.twitter.com/7AOJopgQOB — Correct The Record (@CorrectRecord) November 4, 2016 × The former mayor of New York City had recently dropped hints that he had advance knowledge that the FBI was going to look at emails potentially connected to Clinton's private server. The FBI had discovered more Clinton-related emails in a separate investigation targetting the former congressman Anthony Weiner for allegedly sexting a minor. Giuliani said he felt Comey's annoucement was going to be made "three or four weeks ago", meaning the FBI was sitting on this knowledge but, controversially, Comey decided to release it only 11 days before the election. Huffington Posts reports that for months Giuliani had bragged that "outraged FBI agents" told him that they're frustrated by the handling of the Clinton investigation. Just days before FBI Director James Comey announced that they would be reviewing newly uncovered emails, Giuliani said that Trump's campaign had a "couple of surprises left". A day before Comey's announcement about the investigation, Giuliani told Fox News, "We got a couple things up our sleeve that should turn this around". CNN reports that Comey decided to make the announcement regarding Clinton's emails despite concerns from the US Department of Justice (DOJ) that doing so only 11 days before the US presidential election would affect the outcome. One source told CNN that it was contrary to department polices and procedure to comment so close to the November 8 election. While there was no direct contact between Comey and both Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates in the (DOJ), the disagreement was communicated to him via DOJ staff. Comey decided to ignore this concern. This comes nearly four months after the FBI chief said he woudn't recommend criminal charges over Clinton's use of the private server for emails. (WION)

Rudy Giuliani confirms FBI leaked information to him, Trump campaign

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

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

Russian media backs Trump, questions US democracy

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