The fact-checking is finished, and the polls to determine who won and who lost will soon be wiped from our collective memory. While it lasted, it wasn&rsquo;t exactly waterboarding but for many it was an unambiguous case of torture. The three debates are over, praise the Lord. America is now entering the brief phase in which it can look back at the weirdest US presidential campaign in history, and look forward to the denouement when the votes are finally counted during the night of November 8.

THE &ldquo;PRESIDENTAL&rdquo; DEBATE

Most commentators of the debates have tried to analyse not only what came out of the candidates&rsquo; mouths, but also the sniffles that emerged from Donald Trump&rsquo;s nose. Some noticed that throughout the debates Hillary Clinton made very effective use of her teeth, visible through a studied but authentically charming smile, whose brightness was accentuated by her high cheekbones. That smile came across as a demonstration of Clinton&rsquo;s truly &ldquo;presidental&rdquo; temperament.

She harnessed her smile as a powerful defensive and offensive weapon that enabled her, first of all, to parry Trump&rsquo;s attacks with an expression of amused doubt and even polite ridicule as he sought to embarrass her. More significantly, Clinton used it as a transitional gesture to express the confidence she had in her well-prepared professional boasts and responses to his desultory attacks. Given the lack of seriously argued content on either side in any of the three debates, Clinton&rsquo;s smile may be what best accounts for the impression expressed by a majority of viewers that she was the consistent &ldquo;winner.&rdquo;

We&rsquo;ve now witnessed a series of thoroughly awful and depressing &ldquo;presidential debates.&rdquo; They were neither presidential in style, nor debates in substance. There was nothing to be learned from them, not even about the characters of the candidates. And the commentators, like the media and moderators who organised the debates, were just as bad as the candidates. Confusing political dialogue with a sporting event, they focused on one thing: their precious fact checks&mdash;keeping a scorecard of lies, or contradictions of known or assumed facts. As if government was only about sticking to the facts! And as if facts were just objects in the environment that one could bend down, pick up and show to the camera.

There were lies galore in the final debate, especially on Trump&rsquo;s side, to the delight of news analysts. But the two most depressing, even chilling lies went unnoticed by all commentators. They belong to Clinton. Here they are: &ldquo;On the day I was &hellip; monitoring the raid that brought Osama bin Laden to justice, [Trump] was hosting the&nbsp;Celebrity Apprentice.&rdquo; And, &ldquo;America is great because it&rsquo;s good.&rdquo;

What&rsquo;s chilling about the first is the new equivalence between &ldquo;bringing to justice&rdquo; and assassination. It is a Wild West vigilante mentality, which obviously has its place in US culture, but doesn&rsquo;t fit with the idea of being presidential or even constitutional. It does fit with the notion of drone wars, which should give us all pause. And it was spoken by the same person who, when describing the outcome of the Libya campaign, blurted out &ldquo;we came, we saw, he died&rdquo; followed by a loud chortle.

The second affirmation is the basis of American exceptionalism. It is eerily consistent with George W. Bush&rsquo;s Manichean view dividing the world unto &ldquo;us&rdquo; (the good) and &ldquo;them&rdquo; (the evil).&nbsp; Many people think or at least hope that one&rsquo;s political leaders are doing as much good as they can. But does anyone seriously believe there is such a thing as a nation that&rsquo;s good in its essence?

Americans are routinely taught to suppose that, and never to reason about it in a Socratic fashion by asking themselves what &ldquo;good&rdquo; is. Everyone has an idea that there are places where it&rsquo;s good to live, good to do business, good to go to school, good to practice the arts, etc. But the idea of good as an absolute quality applied to a nation takes us back to the Puritan origins of the United States of America and the mentality that authorised European settlers to eradicate the native peoples because the civilisation they represented was &ldquo;good&rdquo;&mdash;blessed by God&mdash;and that the native populations were an obstacle to creating a nation intent on being a moral beacon for the world.

AN INEVITABLE CLINTON VICTORY

Since the first debate, the news media have listed and analysed pages of lies and distorted facts produced by the two candidates. But they never mention their most sinister contradictions of moral and historical truth, except to praise them as positive sounding utterances within a sea of negativity.

As not only the nation but the entire world prepares for a now inevitable Clinton victory in November, these issues matter as they never mattered before. This election cycle has taught us a lot about American democracy, the two-party system and the marketing of political candidates. Whatever one thinks of Bernie Sanders (hero or traitor) or even of WikiLeaks (window into the actual practices of politicians or criminal enterprise), we now know things that were formerly hidden from view.

In this campaign, the face of American democracy has changed. The Republican Party has imploded in the most embarrassing fashion. Trump&rsquo;s takeover of the Grand Old Party (GOP) could end up seriously and permanently modifying the now traditional duopoly of the two parties.

But the Democratic Party has also seen undergone a crisis that bodes ill for its own future. A generational rift has emerged in which the millennials have distanced themselves from what was traditionally the party of youthful renewal. Depending on how the newly formed Clinton administration responds to the identification of youth with the anti-oligarchic &ldquo;revolution&rdquo; promised by Sanders, the party and the incoming US administration may have difficulty maintaining its position as a potentially dominant political force, whether or not Clinton&rsquo;s election improves the party&rsquo;s position in the Senate and Congress.

A late October surprise now seems less and less likely, if only because of Trump&rsquo;s propensity for self-sabotage. But Clinton&rsquo;s negative image among voters still has Democrats worried.

Over the past six months the Clinton campaign has based everything on painting Trump as an unhinged, loose cannon with a few loose wires in his brain. Trump has obliged them by regularly providing evidence to support that thesis.

The most recent version of the Democrats&rsquo; scare tactics goes beyond the election itself. It posits that after losing, Trump will attempt to lead a populist movement mobilising the fascist and racist instincts he has appealed to. Almost on cue, by holding back from promising that he will accept the results, Trump has comforted that very idea, validating the Democrats&rsquo; electoral propaganda.

WHAT CLINTON AND TRUMP SYMBOLISE

But there&rsquo;s another dimension to this election, which has little to do with the actual personalities of the candidates. Each is a symbol of something else. Clinton is the incarnation of the system in all its aggressive collective glory: American exceptionalism, military might, Wall Street, the myth of free enterprise where everyone can be a creative entrepreneur, free trade. In contrast, Trump has assumed the symbolic role of the angry adolescent, the rebellious individual, the rock star challenging the system and all its constraining power.

American culture abhors constraint of any kind, as surely as nature abhors a vacuum. Hillary represents success in the sense of &ldquo;adult&rdquo; conformity built on unquestioned authority. Trump is the mythical &ldquo;rebel without a cause,&rdquo; ready to create havoc by changing the rules of the game, because so many people feel&mdash;without necessarily understanding why&mdash;that the system is alien and oppressive. This comes in spite of the fact that the system has always been kind to Trump himself.

The Clinton campaign claims that Trump is a threat to democracy. This is a clever endgame strategy because it carries the assumption that the existing political system is a true, honest-to-God democracy. If democracy didn&rsquo;t exist, it couldn&rsquo;t be threatened. But we know that the US political system&mdash;the one for which Clinton is the symbolic figurehead&mdash;is no longer a democracy (if it ever was), but a <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-echochambers-27074746">carefully structured oligarchy</a>. If voters recognised this, they might begin to think that Clinton may not be right: that America isn&rsquo;t necessarily &ldquo;good.&rdquo; But this is the one thing that Trump can&rsquo;t teach them, and can&rsquo;t put forward, because he himself belongs to the oligarchic class.

The real paradox of this election cycle is that Sanders, for the first time since possibly Franklin Roosevelt, created the impression that there might be a choice outside of the oligarchy. That hope was dashed in the primaries, with a little help from the Democratic National Committee, not averse to loading the dice when necessary.

But the rise of Trump and the well-executed elimination of Sanders meant that instead of there being the usual anodyne choice between two slightly contrasting types of reasonable establishment oligarchs (Democrats vs Republicans), this time it came down to the choice between two very different representatives of the same oligarchy: one predictable (responsible) and the other unpredictable (rebellious). This made the predictable one (Clinton) seem wiser than she actually is and the unpredictable one more subversive than he is, elevating Trump to the status of the daring challenger of the status quo.

FLAWED BUT DEMOCRATIC

The presidential electoral system is visibly flawed as this author has <a href="http://www.fairobserver.com/region/north_america/feeling-the-bern-in-november-can-change-system-77362/">pointed out elsewhere</a>. In spite of its imperfection, it was designed for democracy, and so long as people believe in the reality or at least the possible reality of democracy, it can survive and even thrive. But belief must be based on something solid, an understanding of how political decisions are made. One of the explanations for Trump&rsquo;s unexpected rise is the utter failure of civic education in the US, which has resulted in a lot of people sharing a general feeling of resignation in the face of oligarchic control.

Although the Democrats want us to believe otherwise, it isn&rsquo;t democracy that&rsquo;s threatened. It&rsquo;s the symbolic system of civic virtue that has been undermined by both parties&mdash;the Democratic Party by assuming and tightening its control, reaffirming its commitment to oligarchy, and the Republican Party by utterly and perhaps irretrievably losing control of the population that has followed the GOP&rsquo;s emotional programming.

Hillary Clinton will win the election. Donald Trump will protest. But in spite of the fear tactics promoted by Democrats, Trump is unlikely to lead a movement based on the regressive themes of his campaign. He simply isn&rsquo;t a leader and never has been. His voters will be bitter and disappointed, and it will be up to the Republican Party to seek a way of channeling their frustration. But having invested too much in their AR-15s, its militants will not adopt the idea of taking to the streets with their pitchforks.

The next chapter of American politics will be an interesting one, in which the pressure will be on everyone to redefine who they are within a newly delineated political spectrum as well as what they stand for&mdash;the losers as well as the winners.

For Hillary Clinton and her smile, it could very well resemble a four-year teething period.

America is now entering the brief phase in which it can look back at the weirdest US presidential campaign in history

The fact-checking is finished, and the polls to determine who won and who lost will soon be wiped from our collective memory. While it lasted, it wasn’t exactly waterboarding but for many it was an unambiguous case of torture. The three debates are over, praise the Lord. America is now entering the brief phase in which it can look back at the weirdest US presidential campaign in history, and look forward to the denouement when the votes are finally counted during the night of November 8. THE “PRESIDENTAL” DEBATE Most commentators of the debates have tried to analyse not only what came out of the candidates’ mouths, but also the sniffles that emerged from Donald Trump’s nose. Some noticed that throughout the debates Hillary Clinton made very effective use of her teeth, visible through a studied but authentically charming smile, whose brightness was accentuated by her high cheekbones. That smile came across as a demonstration of Clinton’s truly “presidental” temperament. She harnessed her smile as a powerful defensive and offensive weapon that enabled her, first of all, to parry Trump’s attacks with an expression of amused doubt and even polite ridicule as he sought to embarrass her. More significantly, Clinton used it as a transitional gesture to express the confidence she had in her well-prepared professional boasts and responses to his desultory attacks. Given the lack of seriously argued content on either side in any of the three debates, Clinton’s smile may be what best accounts for the impression expressed by a majority of viewers that she was the consistent “winner.” We’ve now witnessed a series of thoroughly awful and depressing “presidential debates.” They were neither presidential in style, nor debates in substance. There was nothing to be learned from them, not even about the characters of the candidates. And the commentators, like the media and moderators who organised the debates, were just as bad as the candidates. Confusing political dialogue with a sporting event, they focused on one thing: their precious fact checks—keeping a scorecard of lies, or contradictions of known or assumed facts. As if government was only about sticking to the facts! And as if facts were just objects in the environment that one could bend down, pick up and show to the camera. There were lies galore in the final debate, especially on Trump’s side, to the delight of news analysts. But the two most depressing, even chilling lies went unnoticed by all commentators. They belong to Clinton. Here they are: “On the day I was … monitoring the raid that brought Osama bin Laden to justice, [Trump] was hosting the Celebrity Apprentice.” And, “America is great because it’s good.” What’s chilling about the first is the new equivalence between “bringing to justice” and assassination. It is a Wild West vigilante mentality, which obviously has its place in US culture, but doesn’t fit with the idea of being presidential or even constitutional. It does fit with the notion of drone wars, which should give us all pause. And it was spoken by the same person who, when describing the outcome of the Libya campaign, blurted out “we came, we saw, he died” followed by a loud chortle. The second affirmation is the basis of American exceptionalism. It is eerily consistent with George W. Bush’s Manichean view dividing the world unto “us” (the good) and “them” (the evil). Many people think or at least hope that one’s political leaders are doing as much good as they can. But does anyone seriously believe there is such a thing as a nation that’s good in its essence? Americans are routinely taught to suppose that, and never to reason about it in a Socratic fashion by asking themselves what “good” is. Everyone has an idea that there are places where it’s good to live, good to do business, good to go to school, good to practice the arts, etc. But the idea of good as an absolute quality applied to a nation takes us back to the Puritan origins of the United States of America and the mentality that authorised European settlers to eradicate the native peoples because the civilisation they represented was “good”—blessed by God—and that the native populations were an obstacle to creating a nation intent on being a moral beacon for the world. AN INEVITABLE CLINTON VICTORY Since the first debate, the news media have listed and analysed pages of lies and distorted facts produced by the two candidates. But they never mention their most sinister contradictions of moral and historical truth, except to praise them as positive sounding utterances within a sea of negativity. As not only the nation but the entire world prepares for a now inevitable Clinton victory in November, these issues matter as they never mattered before. This election cycle has taught us a lot about American democracy, the two-party system and the marketing of political candidates. Whatever one thinks of Bernie Sanders (hero or traitor) or even of WikiLeaks (window into the actual practices of politicians or criminal enterprise), we now know things that were formerly hidden from view. In this campaign, the face of American democracy has changed. The Republican Party has imploded in the most embarrassing fashion. Trump’s takeover of the Grand Old Party (GOP) could end up seriously and permanently modifying the now traditional duopoly of the two parties. But the Democratic Party has also seen undergone a crisis that bodes ill for its own future. A generational rift has emerged in which the millennials have distanced themselves from what was traditionally the party of youthful renewal. Depending on how the newly formed Clinton administration responds to the identification of youth with the anti-oligarchic “revolution” promised by Sanders, the party and the incoming US administration may have difficulty maintaining its position as a potentially dominant political force, whether or not Clinton’s election improves the party’s position in the Senate and Congress. A late October surprise now seems less and less likely, if only because of Trump’s propensity for self-sabotage. But Clinton’s negative image among voters still has Democrats worried. Over the past six months the Clinton campaign has based everything on painting Trump as an unhinged, loose cannon with a few loose wires in his brain. Trump has obliged them by regularly providing evidence to support that thesis. The most recent version of the Democrats’ scare tactics goes beyond the election itself. It posits that after losing, Trump will attempt to lead a populist movement mobilising the fascist and racist instincts he has appealed to. Almost on cue, by holding back from promising that he will accept the results, Trump has comforted that very idea, validating the Democrats’ electoral propaganda. WHAT CLINTON AND TRUMP SYMBOLISE But there’s another dimension to this election, which has little to do with the actual personalities of the candidates. Each is a symbol of something else. Clinton is the incarnation of the system in all its aggressive collective glory: American exceptionalism, military might, Wall Street, the myth of free enterprise where everyone can be a creative entrepreneur, free trade. In contrast, Trump has assumed the symbolic role of the angry adolescent, the rebellious individual, the rock star challenging the system and all its constraining power. American culture abhors constraint of any kind, as surely as nature abhors a vacuum. Hillary represents success in the sense of “adult” conformity built on unquestioned authority. Trump is the mythical “rebel without a cause,” ready to create havoc by changing the rules of the game, because so many people feel—without necessarily understanding why—that the system is alien and oppressive. This comes in spite of the fact that the system has always been kind to Trump himself. The Clinton campaign claims that Trump is a threat to democracy. This is a clever endgame strategy because it carries the assumption that the existing political system is a true, honest-to-God democracy. If democracy didn’t exist, it couldn’t be threatened. But we know that the US political system—the one for which Clinton is the symbolic figurehead—is no longer a democracy (if it ever was), but a carefully structured oligarchy. If voters recognised this, they might begin to think that Clinton may not be right: that America isn’t necessarily “good.” But this is the one thing that Trump can’t teach them, and can’t put forward, because he himself belongs to the oligarchic class. The real paradox of this election cycle is that Sanders, for the first time since possibly Franklin Roosevelt, created the impression that there might be a choice outside of the oligarchy. That hope was dashed in the primaries, with a little help from the Democratic National Committee, not averse to loading the dice when necessary. But the rise of Trump and the well-executed elimination of Sanders meant that instead of there being the usual anodyne choice between two slightly contrasting types of reasonable establishment oligarchs (Democrats vs Republicans), this time it came down to the choice between two very different representatives of the same oligarchy: one predictable (responsible) and the other unpredictable (rebellious). This made the predictable one (Clinton) seem wiser than she actually is and the unpredictable one more subversive than he is, elevating Trump to the status of the daring challenger of the status quo. FLAWED BUT DEMOCRATIC The presidential electoral system is visibly flawed as this author has pointed out elsewhere. In spite of its imperfection, it was designed for democracy, and so long as people believe in the reality or at least the possible reality of democracy, it can survive and even thrive. But belief must be based on something solid, an understanding of how political decisions are made. One of the explanations for Trump’s unexpected rise is the utter failure of civic education in the US, which has resulted in a lot of people sharing a general feeling of resignation in the face of oligarchic control. Although the Democrats want us to believe otherwise, it isn’t democracy that’s threatened. It’s the symbolic system of civic virtue that has been undermined by both parties—the Democratic Party by assuming and tightening its control, reaffirming its commitment to oligarchy, and the Republican Party by utterly and perhaps irretrievably losing control of the population that has followed the GOP’s emotional programming. Hillary Clinton will win the election. Donald Trump will protest. But in spite of the fear tactics promoted by Democrats, Trump is unlikely to lead a movement based on the regressive themes of his campaign. He simply isn’t a leader and never has been. His voters will be bitter and disappointed, and it will be up to the Republican Party to seek a way of channeling their frustration. But having invested too much in their AR-15s, its militants will not adopt the idea of taking to the streets with their pitchforks. The next chapter of American politics will be an interesting one, in which the pressure will be on everyone to redefine who they are within a newly delineated political spectrum as well as what they stand for—the losers as well as the winners. For Hillary Clinton and her smile, it could very well resemble a four-year teething period.

Clinton Will Win, Trump Will Protest

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

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

US election: Clinton lead over Trump now in double digits

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

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

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

Donald Trump gave an interview with The New York Times Wednesday night, the same evening he received the Republican nomination for President of the United States. The Times&nbsp;didn&#39;t publish a full transcript of the 45 minute discussion, but summarised the thrust of Trump&#39;s responses, supplemented when necessary with quotations. 
 
The interview covers a range of topics. 
 
Moral standing 
 
Trump said he would not condemn authoritarian allies like Turkey, who critics fear is in the midst of a widespread purge of the regime&#39;s domestic enemies. President Erdogan has reportedly arrested or fired 50,000 people, from high-ranking figures in the military, justice system and police to university professors. In a move that rings of anything but democracy, he is currently trying to reinstate the death penalty. 
 
&quot;I don&#39;t think we have a right to lecture,&quot; Trump said. &quot;How are we going to lecture people when people are shooting policemen in cold blood?&quot; He was responding to the two recent fatal attacks against policemen by two ex-military African-American men, who appeared to be responding, in an appalling and unforgivable way, to numerous incidents of police brutality against African-Americans happening in cities across America. 
 
It failed to dawn on Trump that he&#39;s comparing a rogue military faction and a sitting President&#39;s authoritarian response to the actions of two non-state actors. About the preponderance of videos emerging showing American policemen shooting unarmed civilians Trump was quiet, but that would have made his comparison closer to sensible. 
 
Ironically, corroborating Trump&#39;s claim that the US shouldn&#39;t preach is Trump&#39;s own behaviour, as he has incited violence at his rallies. Unsurprisingly he has failed to criticize himself for this. 
 
Foreign policy 
 
Trump sees the world, and every single thing in it, through a money lens.&nbsp; 
 
When asked if under his presidency he would defend the 28 members of Nato,&nbsp;he laid a new condition; he would, but only after assessing their contributions to the alliance. Allies would receive protection if their relationship was economically advantageous, or would leave them to the wolves if they proved a net loss. 
 
Many before have criticised the military-industrial complex, but the notion of the American military being nothing more than a money-making enterprise has never been laid out so nakely by someone so close to the White House.&nbsp;More, this response presupposes that signed international treaties&nbsp;are in no way legally binding, undermining not just Nato but the very idea of entering into agreements with other countries. 
 
In terms of international trade he urged to put &quot;America first&quot;, as if any other American politician has ever campaigned on &quot;America second&quot;. He is by definition above rules, laws and agreements.&nbsp;&quot;He was prepared to scrap the North American Free Trade Agreement if he could not negotiate radically better terms.&quot; 
 
The Coup 
 
&quot;I give credit to him for being able to turn that around&quot;, Trump said, as if talking about a dramatic come-from-behind victory in game 7. It doesn&#39;t take much reverence for morals or law to be concerned over the tens of thousands people imprisoned since the failed military coup, who can&#39;t all be guilty. Many world leaders urged Erdogan to be lawful in the wake of &nbsp;the failed coup.&nbsp;This is as basic as it is important, so it&#39;s worth quoting the&nbsp;Times&nbsp;piece here in full: 
 
&quot;Asked if Mr Erdogan was exploiting the coup attempt to purge his political enemies, Mr Trump did not call for the Turkish leader to observe the rule of law, or Western standards of justice. &#39;When the world sees how bad the United States is and we start talking about civil liberties, I don&#39;t think we are a very good messenger,&#39; he said.&quot; 
 
The article points out that this places him in the same camp as Russia, North Korea and China, &quot;and other autocratic nations (who) frequently cite violence and disorder on American streets to justify their own practises, and to make the case that the United States has no standing to criticise them&quot;. 
 
But this obscures an important point: those countries have in mind footage of American police killing citizens, mostly poor or African-American ones, something Trump has never denounced and if anything supports. When he talks about the apparent erosion of civil liberties,&nbsp;it&#39;s unclear what he means. If he has in mind the two men who recently killed police officers, he&#39;s making a categorical mistake: by definition only agents of the state, not private citizens, can take away civil liberties.&nbsp; 
 
Islamic State 
 
Obama&#39;s administration is in a bind: both its ally Turkey and the Kurds are fighting IS effectively, but Turkey is also fighting the Kurds out of fear they will break away and form their own state. Trump claims he will break this impasse by...hosting meetings. Knowing no middle ground, the way to defeat IS is either to &quot;bomb the shit out of them&quot; or to converse.&nbsp; 
 
Regarding the leader of Syria Trump was uncharacteristically perspicacious, saying, &quot;Assad is a bad man&quot;. Trump claimed to have been briefed by two former Republican secretaries of state, who gave him &quot;a lot of knowledge&quot;, but shed no light on this knowledge. 
 
Nuclear weapons 
 
The Obama administration has begun the process of modernising its nuclear arsenal, but the next president will decide whether or not to launch the reboot in earnest, with all the purchasing of submarines and bombers that entails, for an estimated cost&nbsp;of $500-billion. &quot;He talked of funding a major military buildup, starting with a modernisation of America&#39;s nuclear arsenal,&quot; the article says.&nbsp; 
 
To put it lightly, nothing in the Times&nbsp;interview, or anything he has ever said bolsters confidence that Trump can be trusted around nuclear weapons. &quot;We have a lot of obsolete weapons. We have nuclear that we don&#39;t even know if it works.&quot; 
 
Just how he plans to learn whether or not these nuclear weapons work should be a terriyfing thought to everybody. 
 
(WION) 
&nbsp;

Wide-ranging media interview comes as close as possible to revealing what may be called his thoughts

Donald Trump gave an interview with The New York Times Wednesday night, the same evening he received the Republican nomination for President of the United States. The Times didn't publish a full transcript of the 45 minute discussion, but summarised the thrust of Trump's responses, supplemented when necessary with quotations. The interview covers a range of topics. Moral standing Trump said he would not condemn authoritarian allies like Turkey, who critics fear is in the midst of a widespread purge of the regime's domestic enemies. President Erdogan has reportedly arrested or fired 50,000 people, from high-ranking figures in the military, justice system and police to university professors. In a move that rings of anything but democracy, he is currently trying to reinstate the death penalty. "I don't think we have a right to lecture," Trump said. "How are we going to lecture people when people are shooting policemen in cold blood?" He was responding to the two recent fatal attacks against policemen by two ex-military African-American men, who appeared to be responding, in an appalling and unforgivable way, to numerous incidents of police brutality against African-Americans happening in cities across America. It failed to dawn on Trump that he's comparing a rogue military faction and a sitting President's authoritarian response to the actions of two non-state actors. About the preponderance of videos emerging showing American policemen shooting unarmed civilians Trump was quiet, but that would have made his comparison closer to sensible. Ironically, corroborating Trump's claim that the US shouldn't preach is Trump's own behaviour, as he has incited violence at his rallies. Unsurprisingly he has failed to criticize himself for this. Foreign policy Trump sees the world, and every single thing in it, through a money lens. When asked if under his presidency he would defend the 28 members of Nato, he laid a new condition; he would, but only after assessing their contributions to the alliance. Allies would receive protection if their relationship was economically advantageous, or would leave them to the wolves if they proved a net loss. Many before have criticised the military-industrial complex, but the notion of the American military being nothing more than a money-making enterprise has never been laid out so nakely by someone so close to the White House. More, this response presupposes that signed international treaties are in no way legally binding, undermining not just Nato but the very idea of entering into agreements with other countries. In terms of international trade he urged to put "America first", as if any other American politician has ever campaigned on "America second". He is by definition above rules, laws and agreements. "He was prepared to scrap the North American Free Trade Agreement if he could not negotiate radically better terms." The Coup "I give credit to him for being able to turn that around", Trump said, as if talking about a dramatic come-from-behind victory in game 7. It doesn't take much reverence for morals or law to be concerned over the tens of thousands people imprisoned since the failed military coup, who can't all be guilty. Many world leaders urged Erdogan to be lawful in the wake of the failed coup. This is as basic as it is important, so it's worth quoting the Times piece here in full: "Asked if Mr Erdogan was exploiting the coup attempt to purge his political enemies, Mr Trump did not call for the Turkish leader to observe the rule of law, or Western standards of justice. 'When the world sees how bad the United States is and we start talking about civil liberties, I don't think we are a very good messenger,' he said." The article points out that this places him in the same camp as Russia, North Korea and China, "and other autocratic nations (who) frequently cite violence and disorder on American streets to justify their own practises, and to make the case that the United States has no standing to criticise them". But this obscures an important point: those countries have in mind footage of American police killing citizens, mostly poor or African-American ones, something Trump has never denounced and if anything supports. When he talks about the apparent erosion of civil liberties, it's unclear what he means. If he has in mind the two men who recently killed police officers, he's making a categorical mistake: by definition only agents of the state, not private citizens, can take away civil liberties. Islamic State Obama's administration is in a bind: both its ally Turkey and the Kurds are fighting IS effectively, but Turkey is also fighting the Kurds out of fear they will break away and form their own state. Trump claims he will break this impasse by...hosting meetings. Knowing no middle ground, the way to defeat IS is either to "bomb the shit out of them" or to converse. Regarding the leader of Syria Trump was uncharacteristically perspicacious, saying, "Assad is a bad man". Trump claimed to have been briefed by two former Republican secretaries of state, who gave him "a lot of knowledge", but shed no light on this knowledge. Nuclear weapons The Obama administration has begun the process of modernising its nuclear arsenal, but the next president will decide whether or not to launch the reboot in earnest, with all the purchasing of submarines and bombers that entails, for an estimated cost of $500-billion. "He talked of funding a major military buildup, starting with a modernisation of America's nuclear arsenal," the article says. To put it lightly, nothing in the Times interview, or anything he has ever said bolsters confidence that Trump can be trusted around nuclear weapons. "We have a lot of obsolete weapons. We have nuclear that we don't even know if it works." Just how he plans to learn whether or not these nuclear weapons work should be a terriyfing thought to everybody. (WION)

Trump joins China and Russia in denouncing US civil liberties, without pointing to an example

Hillary Clinton&#39;s presidential campaign accused Donald Trump on Sunday of caring more about how Britain&#39;s historic vote to leave the European Union would benefit his financial bottom line than how it would impact the US economy. 
 
Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook acknowledged parallels between the populist anger and anti-establishment fervor that fueled the Brexit vote and Trump&#39;s rise to the nomination, but said the Republican candidate&#39;s reaction showed he was not fit to occupy the White House. 
 
&quot;Hillary Clinton looks at this through the lens of how it&#39;s going to affect middle-class families, Donald Trump through the lens of how it will help his bottom line,&quot; Mook said on &quot;Fox News Sunday.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
Without mentioning Trump by name, Clinton also warned that &quot;bombastic comments in turbulent times can actually cause more turbulence&quot; in a speech to a conference of city mayors in Indianapolis on Sunday afternoon. 
 
Her campaign released a national television advertisement earlier in the day, which featured the wealthy real estate developer&#39;s comments on Friday that the fall of the British currency after the Brexit vote could mean more business for his golf course in Turnberry, Scotland, where he was speaking.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Every president is tested by world events, but Donald Trump thinks about how his golf resort can profit from them,&quot; said the 30-second video. 
 
Besides his currency comments, Trump had praised the Brexit result as an example of people &quot;taking their country back.&quot; He responded to the advertisement on Sunday by saying Clinton, whose staff had said she supported the United Kingdom remaining in the union, had poor judgment. 
 
&quot;Clinton is trying to wash away her bad judgment call on BREXIT with big dollar ads,&quot; ran a message on his Twitter account. &quot;Disgraceful!&quot; 
 
Paul Manafort, campaign manager for Trump, rejected what he called a &quot;phony&quot; charge by Clinton and said Trump was more in sync with the global economic frustration exemplified by the Brexit vote. In contrast, the Clinton ad showed her campaign&#39;s &quot;tone deafness&quot; by focusing on things the American people did not care about, he said in an NBC interview. 
 
In her speech on Sunday, Clinton said the United States and the United Kingdom were different &quot;economically, politically, demographically,&quot; but still drew some parallels between the mood of American and British voters. 
 
&quot;Just as we have seen, there are many frustrated people in Britain, we know there are frustrated people here at home, too,&quot; she said. &quot;I 
have seen it, I&#39;ve heard it, I know it.&quot; 
 
Brexit parallels in US 
 
Global stock markets nosedived on Friday and economic experts warned of a potential global recession after the shocking British vote to pull out of the European Union. Markets prepared for the possibility of more pain on Monday. 
 
Republican Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the Brexit vote highlighted global anxieties about economic stagnation and immigration. 
 
&quot;The genius of what&#39;s happened with the candidacy of Donald Trump is he&#39;s given voice to that, just as was given in the UK,&quot; Corker, who has been mentioned as a possible vice presidential pick for Trump, said on CNN&#39;s &quot;State of the Union&quot; program. 
 
He said he thought Trump&#39;s appearance at his golf course in Scotland after the Brexit vote &quot;was one of his best events&quot; and his comments about the British currency and what it would mean for his businesses were just &quot;an anecdotal statement&quot; about its effects. 
 
&quot;He was giving an example, which is obvious, that when the currency fluctuates, as it does, more Americans are going to be able to travel to the UK more cheaply,&quot; he said. 
 
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said the Brexit vote showed people were tired of being dictated to by &quot;unelected bureaucrats in Brussels,&quot; and said there were parallels in the United States. 
 
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, who built his White House campaign against Clinton around populist proposals to 
eradicate income inequality, remove big money from politics and rein in Wall Street, said the Brexit vote encapsulated many of those concerns. 
 
&quot;What ordinary people are saying is &#39;hey, give us an economy that works for all of us, not just the people on top,&#39; &quot; Sanders said on CNN. 
 
(Reuters)

Every president is tested by world events, but Donald Trump thinks about how his golf resort can profit from them, said the campaign

Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign accused Donald Trump on Sunday of caring more about how Britain's historic vote to leave the European Union would benefit his financial bottom line than how it would impact the US economy. Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook acknowledged parallels between the populist anger and anti-establishment fervor that fueled the Brexit vote and Trump's rise to the nomination, but said the Republican candidate's reaction showed he was not fit to occupy the White House. "Hillary Clinton looks at this through the lens of how it's going to affect middle-class families, Donald Trump through the lens of how it will help his bottom line," Mook said on "Fox News Sunday." Without mentioning Trump by name, Clinton also warned that "bombastic comments in turbulent times can actually cause more turbulence" in a speech to a conference of city mayors in Indianapolis on Sunday afternoon. Her campaign released a national television advertisement earlier in the day, which featured the wealthy real estate developer's comments on Friday that the fall of the British currency after the Brexit vote could mean more business for his golf course in Turnberry, Scotland, where he was speaking. "Every president is tested by world events, but Donald Trump thinks about how his golf resort can profit from them," said the 30-second video. Besides his currency comments, Trump had praised the Brexit result as an example of people "taking their country back." He responded to the advertisement on Sunday by saying Clinton, whose staff had said she supported the United Kingdom remaining in the union, had poor judgment. "Clinton is trying to wash away her bad judgment call on BREXIT with big dollar ads," ran a message on his Twitter account. "Disgraceful!" Paul Manafort, campaign manager for Trump, rejected what he called a "phony" charge by Clinton and said Trump was more in sync with the global economic frustration exemplified by the Brexit vote. In contrast, the Clinton ad showed her campaign's "tone deafness" by focusing on things the American people did not care about, he said in an NBC interview. In her speech on Sunday, Clinton said the United States and the United Kingdom were different "economically, politically, demographically," but still drew some parallels between the mood of American and British voters. "Just as we have seen, there are many frustrated people in Britain, we know there are frustrated people here at home, too," she said. "I have seen it, I've heard it, I know it." Brexit parallels in US Global stock markets nosedived on Friday and economic experts warned of a potential global recession after the shocking British vote to pull out of the European Union. Markets prepared for the possibility of more pain on Monday. Republican Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the Brexit vote highlighted global anxieties about economic stagnation and immigration. "The genius of what's happened with the candidacy of Donald Trump is he's given voice to that, just as was given in the UK," Corker, who has been mentioned as a possible vice presidential pick for Trump, said on CNN's "State of the Union" program. He said he thought Trump's appearance at his golf course in Scotland after the Brexit vote "was one of his best events" and his comments about the British currency and what it would mean for his businesses were just "an anecdotal statement" about its effects. "He was giving an example, which is obvious, that when the currency fluctuates, as it does, more Americans are going to be able to travel to the UK more cheaply," he said. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said the Brexit vote showed people were tired of being dictated to by "unelected bureaucrats in Brussels," and said there were parallels in the United States. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, who built his White House campaign against Clinton around populist proposals to eradicate income inequality, remove big money from politics and rein in Wall Street, said the Brexit vote encapsulated many of those concerns. "What ordinary people are saying is 'hey, give us an economy that works for all of us, not just the people on top,' " Sanders said on CNN. (Reuters)

Clinton campaign attacks Trump for seeing Brexit as boon for his business

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In Chicago, Muslim and gay rights leaders take on Trump

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

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

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

Trump to Republicans: Help or fundraising stops

&nbsp;Republican Donald Trump on Monday placed responsibility for a mass shooting in Florida squarely at the feet of radical Muslims, who he said were entering the country amidst a flood of refugees and &quot;trying to take over our children&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
The presumptive Republican presidential nominee drew on the country&#39;s deadliest mass shooting to sharpen his vow to ban Muslim immigrants, proposing that the United States suspend immigration from areas of the world where there is &quot;a proven history of terrorism&quot;. 
 
In his national security speech, Trump said it was time to &quot;tell the truth about radical Islam&quot;, the day after 49 people were killed at a gay nightclub in Orlando by a gunman, likely self-radicalised, who had sworn allegiance to the rebel group Islamic State. 
 
His comments contrasted sharply to those of Hillary Clinton, the wealthy businessman&#39;s likely Democratic rival in the Nov. 8 election, who urged increased intelligence gathering and more airstrikes on Islamic State territory, and cautioned against &quot;demonising&quot; American Muslims. 
 
&quot;If we want to protect the quality of life for all Americans - women and children, gay and straight, Jews and Christians and all people - then we need to tell the truth about radical Islam and we need to do it now&quot;, &nbsp;Trump told the crowd in New Hampshire. 
 
He went on to lambast Clinton&#39;s policies, saying they would allow &quot;hundreds of thousands of refugees from the Middle East&quot; to enter the United States without adequate security measures. 
 
There would be &quot;no system to vet them, or to prevent the radicalisation of... their children&quot;, he said. &quot;Not only their children, by the way. They&#39;re trying to take over our children and convince them how wonderful ISIS is and how wonderful Islam is, and we don&#39;t know what&#39;s happening&quot;. 
 
Trump said that, if elected, he would use the executive authority of the presidency to impose stronger controls on immigration to protect Americans from attacks, fine-tuning his earlier campaign promise to temporarily ban the entry of foreign Muslims to shore up national security. 
 
&quot;When I&rsquo;m elected, I will suspend immigration from areas of the world where there is a proven history of terrorism against the United States, Europe or our allies until we fully understand how to end these threats,&quot; he said. 
 
He noted that the parents of the Florida gunman, Omar Mateen, 29, were born in Afghanistan. Pointing to specific incidents such as the September 11, 2001 attacks,Trump said threats were posed by people with roots in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Somalia. 
 
The immigration ban, he said would last until &quot;we are in a position to properly screen these people coming into our country. They&#39;re pouring in, and we don&rsquo;t know what we&rsquo;re doing&quot;. 
 
Trump&#39;s hard-line proposals on immigration have helped fuel his surge in popularity among some conservative voters. But they have also triggered heavy condemnation from minority and human rights activists, and his political opponents - many of whom have called his rhetoric racist. 
 
Trump has rejected the criticism&nbsp;and has said he is often misunderstood by the media and his opponents. 
 
In her response to the Florida massacre, Clinton, warned against demonising Muslim-Americans and called for increased efforts to remove Islamic State propaganda from the internet, more air strikes in areas held by the group and better coordination with allies in the region. 
 
&quot;The Orlando terrorist may be dead, but the virus that poisoned his mind remains very strong, and we must attack it&quot;, &nbsp;she said in a speech in Cleveland. 
 
She specifically criticized three U.S. allies - Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait - for allowing its citizens to fund mosques and schools that train jihadists. 
 
She also proposed stricter gun control laws, reiterating previous calls to prohibit people on terrorism watch lists from buying firearms. She pointed out that while the Federal Bureau of Investigation was aware of Mateen as a possible threat, he was still able to purchase a gun legally. 
 
&quot;It&rsquo;s important that we stop the terrorists from getting the tools they need to carry out the attacks, and that is especially true when it comes to assault weapons like those used in Orlando and San Bernardino,&quot;, California, Clinton said, drawing a standing ovation from the crowd. 
 
Trump challenged Clinton to explain why she favoured letting Syrian civil war refugees into the United States. He said his policies would better protect American women, gays and lesbians, Jews and Christians. Trump&#39;s support among women and gay voters lags far behind that of Clinton. 
 
&quot;Radical Islam is anti-woman, anti-gay and anti-American&quot;, said Trump. 
 
He accused her of having ties to Saudi Arabia. 
 
&quot;Saudi Arabia and many of the countries that gave vast amounts of money to the Clinton Foundation want women as slaves and to kill gays&quot;, he said in a Facebook post. &quot;Hillary must return all money from such countries&quot;! 
(Reuters)

Says the US should suspend immigration from areas of the world where there is 'a proven history of terrorism'

Republican Donald Trump on Monday placed responsibility for a mass shooting in Florida squarely at the feet of radical Muslims, who he said were entering the country amidst a flood of refugees and "trying to take over our children". The presumptive Republican presidential nominee drew on the country's deadliest mass shooting to sharpen his vow to ban Muslim immigrants, proposing that the United States suspend immigration from areas of the world where there is "a proven history of terrorism". In his national security speech, Trump said it was time to "tell the truth about radical Islam", the day after 49 people were killed at a gay nightclub in Orlando by a gunman, likely self-radicalised, who had sworn allegiance to the rebel group Islamic State. His comments contrasted sharply to those of Hillary Clinton, the wealthy businessman's likely Democratic rival in the Nov. 8 election, who urged increased intelligence gathering and more airstrikes on Islamic State territory, and cautioned against "demonising" American Muslims. "If we want to protect the quality of life for all Americans - women and children, gay and straight, Jews and Christians and all people - then we need to tell the truth about radical Islam and we need to do it now", Trump told the crowd in New Hampshire. He went on to lambast Clinton's policies, saying they would allow "hundreds of thousands of refugees from the Middle East" to enter the United States without adequate security measures. There would be "no system to vet them, or to prevent the radicalisation of... their children", he said. "Not only their children, by the way. They're trying to take over our children and convince them how wonderful ISIS is and how wonderful Islam is, and we don't know what's happening". Trump said that, if elected, he would use the executive authority of the presidency to impose stronger controls on immigration to protect Americans from attacks, fine-tuning his earlier campaign promise to temporarily ban the entry of foreign Muslims to shore up national security. "When I’m elected, I will suspend immigration from areas of the world where there is a proven history of terrorism against the United States, Europe or our allies until we fully understand how to end these threats," he said. He noted that the parents of the Florida gunman, Omar Mateen, 29, were born in Afghanistan. Pointing to specific incidents such as the September 11, 2001 attacks,Trump said threats were posed by people with roots in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Somalia. The immigration ban, he said would last until "we are in a position to properly screen these people coming into our country. They're pouring in, and we don’t know what we’re doing". Trump's hard-line proposals on immigration have helped fuel his surge in popularity among some conservative voters. But they have also triggered heavy condemnation from minority and human rights activists, and his political opponents - many of whom have called his rhetoric racist. Trump has rejected the criticism and has said he is often misunderstood by the media and his opponents. In her response to the Florida massacre, Clinton, warned against demonising Muslim-Americans and called for increased efforts to remove Islamic State propaganda from the internet, more air strikes in areas held by the group and better coordination with allies in the region. "The Orlando terrorist may be dead, but the virus that poisoned his mind remains very strong, and we must attack it", she said in a speech in Cleveland. She specifically criticized three U.S. allies - Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait - for allowing its citizens to fund mosques and schools that train jihadists. She also proposed stricter gun control laws, reiterating previous calls to prohibit people on terrorism watch lists from buying firearms. She pointed out that while the Federal Bureau of Investigation was aware of Mateen as a possible threat, he was still able to purchase a gun legally. "It’s important that we stop the terrorists from getting the tools they need to carry out the attacks, and that is especially true when it comes to assault weapons like those used in Orlando and San Bernardino,", California, Clinton said, drawing a standing ovation from the crowd. Trump challenged Clinton to explain why she favoured letting Syrian civil war refugees into the United States. He said his policies would better protect American women, gays and lesbians, Jews and Christians. Trump's support among women and gay voters lags far behind that of Clinton. "Radical Islam is anti-woman, anti-gay and anti-American", said Trump. He accused her of having ties to Saudi Arabia. "Saudi Arabia and many of the countries that gave vast amounts of money to the Clinton Foundation want women as slaves and to kill gays", he said in a Facebook post. "Hillary must return all money from such countries"! (Reuters)

After gay nightclub shooting, Trump again says ban Muslims from America

Controversial presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has stepped up his attack on the US media, terming the political press as &quot;extremely dishonest&quot; and even calling a TV journalist &quot;a sleaze&quot;, triggering angry protests from media associations. 
&quot;We have to read probably libellous stories, or certainly close, in the newspapers and the people know the stories are false, I am going to continue to attack the press,&quot; Trump, 69, told reporters at a news conference in New York yesterday. 
&quot;I find the press to be extremely dishonest. I find the political press to be unbelievably dishonest. I will say that. OK. Thank you all very much,&quot; the former reality TV star said. 
He slammed the US media for questioning the USD six million fund he claimed to have raised for veterans on one night in Iowa in January. He had skipped a Republican debate hosted by Fox News and hosted a fundraising event for veterans&#39; charities. 
&quot;The press should be ashamed. I have never received such bad publicity for doing such a good job. I think the political press is among the most dishonest people that I have ever met,&quot; he said. 
Trump pointed to ABC News journalist Tom Llamas and said, &quot;You are a sleaze because you know the facts and you know the facts well&quot;. 
The New York-based real estate tycoon-turned politician, however, immediately faced backlash from the media and presidential candidates of rival parties. 
Without naming Trump, the White House Correspondent&#39;s Association (WHCA) condemned any attack on the freedom of press. 
&quot;The WHCA advocates for access to the president and administration officials to enhance the constitutional guarantee of freedom of the press. We are concerned that any administration or presidential candidate would seek to curb the First Amendment right to free speech and a free press,&quot; WHCA President Carol Lee said. 
&quot;We do not know who will be in the White House in January, but the presidential campaign has underscored the importance of press freedoms, and the WHCA will continue to defend those rights through the transition this fall and with the new administration next year,&quot; Lee said. 
Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton, 68, meanwhile alleged that Trump had been attacking everybody. 
&quot;He attacks everybody. Is a recipe for gridlock in Washington. And that is what we have got to break and get away with. You know he seems to believe, or at least is demonstrating that insulting and attacks is his mode of operations,&quot; Clinton told the CNN in an interview. 
In another interview to MSNBC, Clinton hoped that voters looked at the full picture of everything she has done in her career. 
&quot;I have faith in the American people that they will make the right choice here,&quot; Clinton added.

The Republican Presidential candidate launched into a fiery attack, slamming the media for questioning the $6 million fund he claims to have raised for military veterans

Controversial presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has stepped up his attack on the US media, terming the political press as "extremely dishonest" and even calling a TV journalist "a sleaze", triggering angry protests from media associations. "We have to read probably libellous stories, or certainly close, in the newspapers and the people know the stories are false, I am going to continue to attack the press," Trump, 69, told reporters at a news conference in New York yesterday. "I find the press to be extremely dishonest. I find the political press to be unbelievably dishonest. I will say that. OK. Thank you all very much," the former reality TV star said. He slammed the US media for questioning the USD six million fund he claimed to have raised for veterans on one night in Iowa in January. He had skipped a Republican debate hosted by Fox News and hosted a fundraising event for veterans' charities. "The press should be ashamed. I have never received such bad publicity for doing such a good job. I think the political press is among the most dishonest people that I have ever met," he said. Trump pointed to ABC News journalist Tom Llamas and said, "You are a sleaze because you know the facts and you know the facts well". The New York-based real estate tycoon-turned politician, however, immediately faced backlash from the media and presidential candidates of rival parties. Without naming Trump, the White House Correspondent's Association (WHCA) condemned any attack on the freedom of press. "The WHCA advocates for access to the president and administration officials to enhance the constitutional guarantee of freedom of the press. We are concerned that any administration or presidential candidate would seek to curb the First Amendment right to free speech and a free press," WHCA President Carol Lee said. "We do not know who will be in the White House in January, but the presidential campaign has underscored the importance of press freedoms, and the WHCA will continue to defend those rights through the transition this fall and with the new administration next year," Lee said. Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton, 68, meanwhile alleged that Trump had been attacking everybody. "He attacks everybody. Is a recipe for gridlock in Washington. And that is what we have got to break and get away with. You know he seems to believe, or at least is demonstrating that insulting and attacks is his mode of operations," Clinton told the CNN in an interview. In another interview to MSNBC, Clinton hoped that voters looked at the full picture of everything she has done in her career. "I have faith in the American people that they will make the right choice here," Clinton added.

Trump attacks U.S media, calls TV journalist 'sleaze'

It was divided into three sections -- achieving prosperity, America's direction, & securing America. Here is the entire transcript

Clinton vs Trump: The first debate

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton had a tough Friday ahead of the second presidential debate, both being hit by leaks that could prove damaging to their campaigns.

A 2005 audiotape published by The Washington Post reveals Trump boasting in vulgar terms about trying to have sex with an unnamed married woman and groping women has put the Republican squad in trouble.

Trump is heard saying &quot;when you&rsquo;re a star, they let you do it&quot;.

This is not the first time Trump has come under fire for sexist and demeaning language, including insulting comments about his opponent Hillary Clinton.

Trump in a statement shrugged off the leaked tape as &quot;locker room banter, a private conversation that took place many years ago&quot;.

Trump&rsquo;s comments were condemned by the chairman of the Republican National Committee. &quot;No woman should ever be described in these terms or talked about in this manner. Ever,&quot; said Reince Preibus in a statement, Reuters reported.

The new audio does provide Clinton with powerful ammunition just ahead of the debate&nbsp;on Sunday night&nbsp;but an email from her advisers published by Wikileaks has bogged her campaign.&nbsp;

The email appears to contain excerpts of paid speeches to corporations, the transcripts of which the campaign has refused to release.

The US government earlier on Friday formally accused Russia of hacking Democratic Party organisations ahead of the&nbsp;November 8&nbsp;presidential election.&nbsp;

The speech excerpts could give Trump new fodder for attacking Clinton, who in the speeches voices support for open trade and borders and discusses taking different positions in public than in private.

Sunday&rsquo;s presidential debate will be a town hall-style event and is seen as critical to Trump as he tries to rebound from a slump in some opinion polls after a rocky performance in the first debate.

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

&nbsp;

A 2005 audiotape of Trump using sexist terms has jolted the Republican campaign, while Clinton's 'open trade' speech brews trouble for her

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton had a tough Friday ahead of the second presidential debate, both being hit by leaks that could prove damaging to their campaigns. A 2005 audiotape published by The Washington Post reveals Trump boasting in vulgar terms about trying to have sex with an unnamed married woman and groping women has put the Republican squad in trouble. Trump is heard saying "when you’re a star, they let you do it". This is not the first time Trump has come under fire for sexist and demeaning language, including insulting comments about his opponent Hillary Clinton. Trump in a statement shrugged off the leaked tape as "locker room banter, a private conversation that took place many years ago". Trump’s comments were condemned by the chairman of the Republican National Committee. "No woman should ever be described in these terms or talked about in this manner. Ever," said Reince Preibus in a statement, Reuters reported. The new audio does provide Clinton with powerful ammunition just ahead of the debate on Sunday night but an email from her advisers published by Wikileaks has bogged her campaign. The email appears to contain excerpts of paid speeches to corporations, the transcripts of which the campaign has refused to release. The US government earlier on Friday formally accused Russia of hacking Democratic Party organisations ahead of the November 8 presidential election. The speech excerpts could give Trump new fodder for attacking Clinton, who in the speeches voices support for open trade and borders and discusses taking different positions in public than in private. Sunday’s presidential debate will be a town hall-style event and is seen as critical to Trump as he tries to rebound from a slump in some opinion polls after a rocky performance in the first debate. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Leaks haunt Clinton and Trump ahead of key presidential debate

Senator John McCain, a senior figure in the Republican Party, withdrew his support on Saturday for Donald Trump over his lewd remarks fiasco. McCain is &nbsp;the latest in a growing number of Republicans to withdraw support for Trump.

&quot;I have wanted to support the candidate our party nominated. He was not my choice, but as a past nominee, I thought it important I respect the fact that Donald Trump won a majority of the delegates by the rules our party set. I thought I owed his supporters that deference,&quot; read a statement from McCain, AFP reported.

&quot;But Donald Trump&rsquo;s behavior this week, concluding with the disclosure of his demeaning comments about women and his boasts about sexual assaults, make it impossible to continue to offer even conditional support for his candidacy.&rdquo;

&quot;Cindy and I will not vote for Donald Trump,&quot; he added, referring to his wife.

McCain, however, stressed that he would not vote for Clinton either.

&quot;I have never voted for a Democratic presidential candidate and we will not vote for Hillary Clinton. We will write in the name of some good conservative Republican who is qualified to be president.&quot;

 
Trump says won&rsquo;t quit, Melania offended by comments

 
Rejecting growing calls from his party to step aside in the presidential race, Donald Trump insisted that there is &ldquo;zero chance&rdquo; that he quits. 
The comments, caught in a 2005 videotape, have thrown Trump&rsquo;s White House campaign,and the Republican Party, &nbsp;in trouble &nbsp;just 30 days from Election Day on&nbsp;November 8.

 
Trump&rsquo;s wife Melania also said on &nbsp;Saturday that she was offended by her husband&rsquo;s comments.

She urged American voters to accept his apology and support him.

&quot;The words my husband used are unacceptable and offensive to me. This does not represent the man that I know,&quot; Melania Trump said in a statement.

&quot;He has the heart and mind of a leader. I hope people will accept his apology, as I have, and focus on the important issues facing our nation and the world.&quot;

The videotape, released on Friday by The Washington Post, forced a rare apology from Trump.

Trump and Clinton are set to face-off in the second presidential debate later today.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from AFP)

The senior Republican, who ran for the 2008 presidential elections, withdrew his support following Trump's lewd comment controversy

Senator John McCain, a senior figure in the Republican Party, withdrew his support on Saturday for Donald Trump over his lewd remarks fiasco. McCain is the latest in a growing number of Republicans to withdraw support for Trump. "I have wanted to support the candidate our party nominated. He was not my choice, but as a past nominee, I thought it important I respect the fact that Donald Trump won a majority of the delegates by the rules our party set. I thought I owed his supporters that deference," read a statement from McCain, AFP reported. "But Donald Trump’s behavior this week, concluding with the disclosure of his demeaning comments about women and his boasts about sexual assaults, make it impossible to continue to offer even conditional support for his candidacy.” "Cindy and I will not vote for Donald Trump," he added, referring to his wife. McCain, however, stressed that he would not vote for Clinton either. "I have never voted for a Democratic presidential candidate and we will not vote for Hillary Clinton. We will write in the name of some good conservative Republican who is qualified to be president." Trump says won’t quit, Melania offended by comments Rejecting growing calls from his party to step aside in the presidential race, Donald Trump insisted that there is “zero chance” that he quits. The comments, caught in a 2005 videotape, have thrown Trump’s White House campaign,and the Republican Party, in trouble just 30 days from Election Day on November 8. Trump’s wife Melania also said on Saturday that she was offended by her husband’s comments. She urged American voters to accept his apology and support him. "The words my husband used are unacceptable and offensive to me. This does not represent the man that I know," Melania Trump said in a statement. "He has the heart and mind of a leader. I hope people will accept his apology, as I have, and focus on the important issues facing our nation and the world." The videotape, released on Friday by The Washington Post, forced a rare apology from Trump. Trump and Clinton are set to face-off in the second presidential debate later today. (WION with inputs from AFP)

US senator John McCain withdraws support for Trump

Top Republican leader in the US congress, Paul Ryan,distanced himself from Donald Trump on Monday, risking a backlash from Republicans who are already deep in crisis over the presidential nominee&rsquo;s lewd remarks controversy.

In a conference call with congressional Republicans, Ryan said that Democrat Hillary Clinton was likely to win the White House race and said he would put his full energy into preserving Republican majorities in Congress to avoid giving her her a &quot;blank check.&quot;, Reuters reported. &nbsp;

Ryan,who is the speaker of the House of Representatives, said he would not defend Trump and won&rsquo;t campaign for him after the outrage over the real estate magnate&rsquo;s sexually aggressive comments that came to light on Friday. &nbsp;

Ryan also cancelled a campaign event with Trump but went back on the Republican conference call later to clarify that he was not withdrawing his endorsement.

Ryan&rsquo;s announcement has added to the party&rsquo;s worst crisis in decades.

Trump took to Twitter to hit back at Ryan, who was the vice-presidential candidate in 2012.

&nbsp;

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Paul Ryan should spend more time on balancing the budget, jobs and illegal immigration and not waste his time on fighting Republican nominee
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/785530928256933888">October 10, 2016</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

The House of Republicans scorned over Ryan&rsquo;s call, according to some participants, Reuters reported

&quot;There was an undeniable opposition to the speaker&rsquo;s tepid support of our nominee,&rdquo; Republican&nbsp;Scott DesJarlais, a Trump supporter, said, in a comment passed on by an aide.&nbsp;

Many&nbsp;lawmakers&nbsp;said that&nbsp;members frequently told Ryan on the call to stand by Trump, Reuters reported.

 
 
&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

Ryan said Clinton is likely to win the presidential race, but later clarified that he was not withdrawing his endorsement

Top Republican leader in the US congress, Paul Ryan,distanced himself from Donald Trump on Monday, risking a backlash from Republicans who are already deep in crisis over the presidential nominee’s lewd remarks controversy. In a conference call with congressional Republicans, Ryan said that Democrat Hillary Clinton was likely to win the White House race and said he would put his full energy into preserving Republican majorities in Congress to avoid giving her her a "blank check.", Reuters reported. Ryan,who is the speaker of the House of Representatives, said he would not defend Trump and won’t campaign for him after the outrage over the real estate magnate’s sexually aggressive comments that came to light on Friday. Ryan also cancelled a campaign event with Trump but went back on the Republican conference call later to clarify that he was not withdrawing his endorsement. Ryan’s announcement has added to the party’s worst crisis in decades. Trump took to Twitter to hit back at Ryan, who was the vice-presidential candidate in 2012. Paul Ryan should spend more time on balancing the budget, jobs and illegal immigration and not waste his time on fighting Republican nominee — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 10, 2016 × The House of Republicans scorned over Ryan’s call, according to some participants, Reuters reported "There was an undeniable opposition to the speaker’s tepid support of our nominee,” Republican Scott DesJarlais, a Trump supporter, said, in a comment passed on by an aide. Many lawmakers said that members frequently told Ryan on the call to stand by Trump, Reuters reported. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Republican speaker Paul Ryan says won't defend Trump

The White House on Tuesday condemned US&nbsp;presidential candidate Donald Trump&rsquo;s &quot;repugnant&quot; boast about groping of women and making unwanted sexual advances, saying those actions would constitute sexual assault.

&quot;The president found the tape as repugnant as most Americans did,&quot; said White House spokesman Josh Earnest, adding that most people would consider the actions described by Trump as &quot;sexual assault&quot;, AFP reported.

Meanwhile, Trump continued to attack House speaker Paul Ryan on Tuesday by calling him a weak and ineffective leader.

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Despite winning the second debate in a landslide (every poll), it is hard to do well when Paul Ryan and others give zero support!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/785816454042124288">October 11, 2016</a></blockquote>
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A CNN poll showed 57 per cent of respondents thought Clinton won, while 34 per cent thought Trump won. Another poll YouGuv was less dramatic, but showed a Clinton win, at 47 to 42 per cent.

The real estate magnate also said that his campaign &ldquo;shackles&rdquo; were off now that Ryan and other senior Republicans have abandoned him.

&quot;Our very weak and ineffective leader, Paul Ryan, had a bad conference call where his members went wild at his disloyalty,&quot; Trump said in a tweet on Tuesday.

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Our very weak and ineffective leader, Paul Ryan, had a bad conference call where his members went wild at his disloyalty.
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/785828772423561216">October 11, 2016</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

He said in another tweet that it was hard to do well with &quot;zero support&quot; from Ryan and others, but added in a later Twitter post, &quot;It is so nice that the shackles have been taken off me and I can now fight for America the way I want to&quot;.

This comes a day after Ryan, the top Republican in congress,told party lawmakers that he was distancing himself from the presidential nominee and won&rsquo;t campaign for him.&nbsp;

The Republican party is in turmoil after a 2005 tape of Trump making lewd comments, wherein he boasted about committing sexual assault,&nbsp;surfaced on Friday, following which a number of senior Republicans chose to defect from his campaign.

Trump&#39;s campaign has slipped further behind Clinton in opinion polls, Reuters reported.

Republicans are worried his chaotic campaign could hurt their chances of holding majorities in the House of Representatives and Senate in next month&rsquo;s election,something that was also voiced by Paul Ryan on Monday.

In an extraordinary party revolt, nearly half of all 331 incumbent Republican senators, House members and governors have condemned Trump&rsquo;s lewd remarks on the video, and roughly one in 10 have called for him to drop out of the race, a Reuters review of official statements and local news coverage indicates.

But unlike Ryan, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus told RNC members on Monday that the committee, the party&rsquo;s leadership and fundraising arm, still backed Trump, two RNC members told Reuters.&nbsp;

Trump&rsquo;s vice presidential running mate, Indiana Governor Mike Pence, showed his support in television interviews on Monday.

(WION with inputs from agencies)

He's attacking anyone withdrawing support since the release of a lewd audio tape last weekend, which even the White House called 'repugnant'

The White House on Tuesday condemned US presidential candidate Donald Trump’s "repugnant" boast about groping of women and making unwanted sexual advances, saying those actions would constitute sexual assault. "The president found the tape as repugnant as most Americans did," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest, adding that most people would consider the actions described by Trump as "sexual assault", AFP reported. Meanwhile, Trump continued to attack House speaker Paul Ryan on Tuesday by calling him a weak and ineffective leader. Despite winning the second debate in a landslide (every poll), it is hard to do well when Paul Ryan and others give zero support! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 11, 2016 × A CNN poll showed 57 per cent of respondents thought Clinton won, while 34 per cent thought Trump won. Another poll YouGuv was less dramatic, but showed a Clinton win, at 47 to 42 per cent. The real estate magnate also said that his campaign “shackles” were off now that Ryan and other senior Republicans have abandoned him. "Our very weak and ineffective leader, Paul Ryan, had a bad conference call where his members went wild at his disloyalty," Trump said in a tweet on Tuesday. Our very weak and ineffective leader, Paul Ryan, had a bad conference call where his members went wild at his disloyalty. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 11, 2016 × He said in another tweet that it was hard to do well with "zero support" from Ryan and others, but added in a later Twitter post, "It is so nice that the shackles have been taken off me and I can now fight for America the way I want to". This comes a day after Ryan, the top Republican in congress,told party lawmakers that he was distancing himself from the presidential nominee and won’t campaign for him. The Republican party is in turmoil after a 2005 tape of Trump making lewd comments, wherein he boasted about committing sexual assault, surfaced on Friday, following which a number of senior Republicans chose to defect from his campaign. Trump's campaign has slipped further behind Clinton in opinion polls, Reuters reported. Republicans are worried his chaotic campaign could hurt their chances of holding majorities in the House of Representatives and Senate in next month’s election,something that was also voiced by Paul Ryan on Monday. In an extraordinary party revolt, nearly half of all 331 incumbent Republican senators, House members and governors have condemned Trump’s lewd remarks on the video, and roughly one in 10 have called for him to drop out of the race, a Reuters review of official statements and local news coverage indicates. But unlike Ryan, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus told RNC members on Monday that the committee, the party’s leadership and fundraising arm, still backed Trump, two RNC members told Reuters. Trump’s vice presidential running mate, Indiana Governor Mike Pence, showed his support in television interviews on Monday. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Trump blasts top Republican leader, calls him 'weak'

Hillary Clinton wore&nbsp;a red trouser suit for the first 2016 US Presidential debate while Donald Trump appeared in a blue tie, which was an interesting colour reversal;&nbsp;red is usually associated with the Republicans and blue with the Democrats.&nbsp;

Mr Trump called Hillary &quot;Secretary Clinton&quot; during the&nbsp;debate, moderated by the anchor of NBC Nightly News Lester Holt and conducted at New York&#39;s Hoftsra university, while she called him &quot;Donald&quot;. But that was about as long as the cordiality lasted.&nbsp;

The exchange that came after was testy, with myriad interruptions and Mr Holt struggling to rein in the two nominees.&nbsp;

Shortly into the debate -- divided into three sections:&nbsp;achieving prosperity, America&#39;s direction, and securing America -- Mrs Clinton said Mr Trump&nbsp;began his career with a $14 million handout from his father. Trump responded by saying he had used the money to build a &quot;fantastic&quot; business empire, something that was worth a lot more today than the original sum. &nbsp;

The jabs became more frequent, a lot of them coming surprisingly from Clinton rather than from (considering his record) Trump.&nbsp;

There was a lot riding on this&nbsp;debate, with polls saying as many as 50 per cent&nbsp;of undecided voters would make up their minds about whom they would vote for&nbsp;depending on what they heard from the two candidates.&nbsp;

And in the end -- there are two more debates still to come, on October 9 and 19 -- the polls gave the first debate to Clinton.&nbsp;

A CNN/ORC poll said 62 per cent thought Clinton had won, while 27 per cent thought Trump had. And a poll by Public Policy Polling said 51 per cent thought Clinton had won, while 40 per cent gave it to&nbsp;Trump.

&nbsp;

Good beginning

The pundits said Mr Trump had begun well. And that he was &quot;effective&quot; when he said in the first section -- achieving prosperity -- that businesses, and jobs, were leaving America. (Trade and economy, the pundits said, were areas that Mr Trump felt strongly about. Mr Trump also talked about the enormity of America&#39;s national debt and how the country could no longer afford it.) &nbsp;

When manufacturers leave America but want to continue to sell their products in the country, Mr Trump said, he would tax those products. And, he added, he would work to stop those businesses from leaving in the first place.&nbsp;

Mr Trump said he would do so by slashing the corporate tax rate from 35 to 15 per cent, the biggest tax cut since Ronald Reagan&#39;s in 1981. And that would keep businesses in America and create thousands of jobs, he said.&nbsp;

That of course was a variant of the theory of&nbsp;trickle-down economics,&nbsp;and Mrs Clinton was quick to pounce on it, calling it &quot;trumped up trickle-down&quot;.&nbsp; 
She said her plan -- investment in small businesses because she said that&#39;s what creates new jobs -- had been vetted, unlike Trump&#39;s, and that it would create 10 million jobs&nbsp;while Mr Trump&#39;s would lead to the loss of 3.5 million jobs.&nbsp;

Some of that is misleading.&nbsp;

What the available data actually shows is that the American economy is expected to create 7.2 million jobs despite what Mrs Clinton, should she win, does. So it would be fairer to say Mrs Clinton&#39;s plan is expected to create about 3 million jobs while Mr Trump&#39;s is expected to cut 400,000 jobs.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Mistakes

Mr Trump got more riled as the debate went on, taking, the pundits said, &quot;the bait&quot; each time Mrs Clinton dangled it in front of him.&nbsp;

The mistakes that he made, they said, included his response to Mrs Clinton when she said he had cheered on the housing collapse of 2008 so that he could make money off the crash.&nbsp;

&quot;That&#39;s business,&quot; Mr Trump replied.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

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Clinton criticised Trump for not releasing his tax returns and said that decision raised questions about whether he was as rich and charitable as he has claimed to be. (Reuters)
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&nbsp;

When she said he paid no federal income tax -- Mr Trump has still not released his tax returns -- he said &quot;that makes me smart&quot;. Mrs Clinton pounced on that too, saying he paid &quot;zero for troops, zero for schools, zero for health&quot;.&nbsp;

And that if he paid his taxes, there would be a lowering of the national debt.&nbsp;

Later, when Mr Trump was asked how we would improve race relations, he said &quot;law and order&quot;. That, the pundits said, was the wrong answer, especially in the current climate&nbsp;when there has&nbsp;been a high number of fatal shootings of African American men by police.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Tinkering with the truth

As might have been expected with Mr Trump, there was also some amount of tinkering with the truth.&nbsp;

He said it was Mrs Clinton who started the controversy over whether or not President&nbsp;Obama had been born in the United States, and that it occurred&nbsp;while they were contending the 2008 Democratic Presidential nomination. He also claimed&nbsp;that her then campaign manager, Patti Solis Doyle, had sent a reporter to Kenya looking for President&nbsp;Obama&#39;s birth certificate. (President&nbsp;Obama has a Kenyan father. He was born in Hawaii, he released his birth certificate in 2011.)&nbsp;

Ms Doyle was on television a few minutes later, refuting Mr Trump&#39;s claim.&nbsp;

Mr Trump also claimed he had not supported the invasion of Iraq, which is untrue.&nbsp;

(WION)

As expected there were staggering lies, interruptions, pre-scripted zingers and more. But Clinton won by letting Trump appear like himself

Hillary Clinton wore a red trouser suit for the first 2016 US Presidential debate while Donald Trump appeared in a blue tie, which was an interesting colour reversal; red is usually associated with the Republicans and blue with the Democrats. Mr Trump called Hillary "Secretary Clinton" during the debate, moderated by the anchor of NBC Nightly News Lester Holt and conducted at New York's Hoftsra university, while she called him "Donald". But that was about as long as the cordiality lasted. The exchange that came after was testy, with myriad interruptions and Mr Holt struggling to rein in the two nominees. Shortly into the debate -- divided into three sections: achieving prosperity, America's direction, and securing America -- Mrs Clinton said Mr Trump began his career with a $14 million handout from his father. Trump responded by saying he had used the money to build a "fantastic" business empire, something that was worth a lot more today than the original sum. The jabs became more frequent, a lot of them coming surprisingly from Clinton rather than from (considering his record) Trump. There was a lot riding on this debate, with polls saying as many as 50 per cent of undecided voters would make up their minds about whom they would vote for depending on what they heard from the two candidates. And in the end -- there are two more debates still to come, on October 9 and 19 -- the polls gave the first debate to Clinton. A CNN/ORC poll said 62 per cent thought Clinton had won, while 27 per cent thought Trump had. And a poll by Public Policy Polling said 51 per cent thought Clinton had won, while 40 per cent gave it to Trump. Good beginning The pundits said Mr Trump had begun well. And that he was "effective" when he said in the first section -- achieving prosperity -- that businesses, and jobs, were leaving America. (Trade and economy, the pundits said, were areas that Mr Trump felt strongly about. Mr Trump also talked about the enormity of America's national debt and how the country could no longer afford it.) When manufacturers leave America but want to continue to sell their products in the country, Mr Trump said, he would tax those products. And, he added, he would work to stop those businesses from leaving in the first place. Mr Trump said he would do so by slashing the corporate tax rate from 35 to 15 per cent, the biggest tax cut since Ronald Reagan's in 1981. And that would keep businesses in America and create thousands of jobs, he said. That of course was a variant of the theory of trickle-down economics, and Mrs Clinton was quick to pounce on it, calling it "trumped up trickle-down". She said her plan -- investment in small businesses because she said that's what creates new jobs -- had been vetted, unlike Trump's, and that it would create 10 million jobs while Mr Trump's would lead to the loss of 3.5 million jobs. Some of that is misleading. What the available data actually shows is that the American economy is expected to create 7.2 million jobs despite what Mrs Clinton, should she win, does. So it would be fairer to say Mrs Clinton's plan is expected to create about 3 million jobs while Mr Trump's is expected to cut 400,000 jobs. Mistakes Mr Trump got more riled as the debate went on, taking, the pundits said, "the bait" each time Mrs Clinton dangled it in front of him. The mistakes that he made, they said, included his response to Mrs Clinton when she said he had cheered on the housing collapse of 2008 so that he could make money off the crash. "That's business," Mr Trump replied. Clinton criticised Trump for not releasing his tax returns and said that decision raised questions about whether he was as rich and charitable as he has claimed to be. (Reuters) × When she said he paid no federal income tax -- Mr Trump has still not released his tax returns -- he said "that makes me smart". Mrs Clinton pounced on that too, saying he paid "zero for troops, zero for schools, zero for health". And that if he paid his taxes, there would be a lowering of the national debt. Later, when Mr Trump was asked how we would improve race relations, he said "law and order". That, the pundits said, was the wrong answer, especially in the current climate when there has been a high number of fatal shootings of African American men by police. Tinkering with the truth As might have been expected with Mr Trump, there was also some amount of tinkering with the truth. He said it was Mrs Clinton who started the controversy over whether or not President Obama had been born in the United States, and that it occurred while they were contending the 2008 Democratic Presidential nomination. He also claimed that her then campaign manager, Patti Solis Doyle, had sent a reporter to Kenya looking for President Obama's birth certificate. (President Obama has a Kenyan father. He was born in Hawaii, he released his birth certificate in 2011.) Ms Doyle was on television a few minutes later, refuting Mr Trump's claim. Mr Trump also claimed he had not supported the invasion of Iraq, which is untrue. (WION)

Clinton wins first US election debate: Polls

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is not fit to be the next US commander-in-chief, according to outgoing president Barack Obama. 
 
The criticism comes a day after billionaire Trump said Russia&nbsp;President Vladimir Putin is a better leader than Obama. 
 
&quot;I don&#39;t think the guy&#39;s (Trump) qualified to be president of the United States, and every time he speaks, that opinion is confirmed,&quot; said Obama, who is currently in Laos to attend a summit with Southeast Asian leaders. 
 
Obama also blasted Trump for being uninformed and having &#39;&#39;whacky ideas&#39;&#39;. 
 
Trump had previously said that if he came to power, he would ask the military brass to forge a plan within 30 days to destroy Islamic State in the Middle East. 
 
Trump&#39;s promise was assailed by&nbsp;a&nbsp;retired army general.&nbsp;&quot;I had to ask myself, what the hell does he think we&#39;ve been trying to do for the last 14 years in terms of al Qaeda?&quot;&nbsp;Retired Army Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling had&nbsp;told CNN.&nbsp; 
 
Trump is contending with Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to become the next president of the United States. The election is on November 8.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from AFP)

The outgoing president also assailed the Republican presidential candidate for having 'whacky ideas'

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is not fit to be the next US commander-in-chief, according to outgoing president Barack Obama. The criticism comes a day after billionaire Trump said Russia President Vladimir Putin is a better leader than Obama. "I don't think the guy's (Trump) qualified to be president of the United States, and every time he speaks, that opinion is confirmed," said Obama, who is currently in Laos to attend a summit with Southeast Asian leaders. Obama also blasted Trump for being uninformed and having ''whacky ideas''. Trump had previously said that if he came to power, he would ask the military brass to forge a plan within 30 days to destroy Islamic State in the Middle East. Trump's promise was assailed by a retired army general. "I had to ask myself, what the hell does he think we've been trying to do for the last 14 years in terms of al Qaeda?" Retired Army Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling had told CNN. Trump is contending with Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to become the next president of the United States. The election is on November 8. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Donald Trump unfit to be next US president: Obama

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump promised to expand US military and outline a plan to beat Islamic State within a month of assuming office. 
 
Trump said he would increase military spending, number of soldiers, aircraft and warships to revive the&nbsp;&quot;depleted&quot; US forces.&nbsp; 
 
Speaking in Philadelphia, the billionaire gave a detailed plan of increasing the US military. The US army would have 540,000 troops, the air force would have at least 1.200 fighter aircraft&nbsp;and the navy would have 350 surface ships and submarines, the AFP reported. 
 
About his plans to tackle the IS, Trump said, &quot;Immediately after taking office, I will ask my generals to present to me a plan within 30 days to defeat and destroy IS.&quot; 
 
Trump&#39;s 30-day timeframe to beat the IS was, however, assailed by a retired army general.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;I had to ask myself, what the hell does he think we&#39;ve been trying to do for the last 14 years in terms of al Qaeda?&quot;&nbsp;Retired Army Lt. Gen.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.cnn.com/profiles/mark-hertling-profile" target="_blank">Mark Hertling&nbsp;</a>told CNN.&nbsp; 
 
Trump, meanwhile, also took a swipe at his opponent Hillary Clinton, calling her &quot;trigger happy&quot; because of her &quot;legacy in Iraq, Libya and Syria&quot; that has &quot;produced only turmoil and suffering and death&quot;. 
 
With the election campaign having entered&nbsp;the homestretch, Trump also urged NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) to spend 2 per cent of its national income on defence.&nbsp; 
 
(WION)

Republican presidential candidate also vowed to increase military spending to revive the ''depleted" US forces if he assumed office

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump promised to expand US military and outline a plan to beat Islamic State within a month of assuming office. Trump said he would increase military spending, number of soldiers, aircraft and warships to revive the "depleted" US forces. Speaking in Philadelphia, the billionaire gave a detailed plan of increasing the US military. The US army would have 540,000 troops, the air force would have at least 1.200 fighter aircraft and the navy would have 350 surface ships and submarines, the AFP reported. About his plans to tackle the IS, Trump said, "Immediately after taking office, I will ask my generals to present to me a plan within 30 days to defeat and destroy IS." Trump's 30-day timeframe to beat the IS was, however, assailed by a retired army general. "I had to ask myself, what the hell does he think we've been trying to do for the last 14 years in terms of al Qaeda?" Retired Army Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling told CNN. Trump, meanwhile, also took a swipe at his opponent Hillary Clinton, calling her "trigger happy" because of her "legacy in Iraq, Libya and Syria" that has "produced only turmoil and suffering and death". With the election campaign having entered the homestretch, Trump also urged NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) to spend 2 per cent of its national income on defence. (WION)

Donald Trump vows to forge plan in 30 days to 'destroy' IS

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump reasserted his hardline position against illegal immigrants in the country, hours after he came back from Mexico having met president Enrique Pena Nieto.&nbsp; 
 
Reiterating his plans to curb illegal immigration into the country, Trump said he would &quot;build a great wall along the southern border&quot; if he came to power. 
 
&quot;And Mexico will pay for the wall -- 100 per cent. They don&#39;t know it yet but they are going to pay for the wall,&quot; he said while making a public speech in Arizona. 
 
The statement comes some time after Mexican president Nieto told Trump in a face-to-face meeting that Mexico would not incur the costs of building the wall. 
 
&quot;At the beginning of the conversation with Donald Trump I made it clear that Mexico will not pay for the wall,&quot; Pena Nieto had said in a tweet. 
 
Trump, meanwhile, adopted a tough stance in Arizona against the &quot;11 million&quot; illegal immigrants in the US. 
 
He said people will be have to return to their home country and re-apply again to enter the United States.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Our message to the world will be this: You cannot obtain legal status or become a citizen of the United States by illegally entering our country,&quot; Trump said. 
 
&quot;People will know you can`t just smuggle in, hunker down and wait to be legalized,&quot; he said. 
 
(WION with inputs from AFP)

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's comments come hours after Mexican president refused to pay for the wall

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump reasserted his hardline position against illegal immigrants in the country, hours after he came back from Mexico having met president Enrique Pena Nieto. Reiterating his plans to curb illegal immigration into the country, Trump said he would "build a great wall along the southern border" if he came to power. "And Mexico will pay for the wall -- 100 per cent. They don't know it yet but they are going to pay for the wall," he said while making a public speech in Arizona. The statement comes some time after Mexican president Nieto told Trump in a face-to-face meeting that Mexico would not incur the costs of building the wall. "At the beginning of the conversation with Donald Trump I made it clear that Mexico will not pay for the wall," Pena Nieto had said in a tweet. Trump, meanwhile, adopted a tough stance in Arizona against the "11 million" illegal immigrants in the US. He said people will be have to return to their home country and re-apply again to enter the United States. "Our message to the world will be this: You cannot obtain legal status or become a citizen of the United States by illegally entering our country," Trump said. "People will know you can`t just smuggle in, hunker down and wait to be legalized," he said. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Mexico will pay for border wall: Trump

Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump in his Wednesday meeting told Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto that he will erect a border wall if elected but there were ambiguities over who would pay for it. 
 
&quot;We recognize and respect the right of either country to build a physical barrier or wall on any of its borders,&quot; Trump said at the presidential residence after meeting Pena Nieto. 
 
&quot;We didn&rsquo;t discuss who pays for the wall,&quot; Trump said. 
 
However, Pena Nieto soon took to Twitter, where he stated, &quot;At the start of the conversation with Donald Trump, I made it clear that Mexico will not pay for the wall.&quot; 
 
Trump&rsquo;s opponent, Democratic Hillary Clinton argued that Trump &quot;lied&quot; about whether he defended the core of his campaign when it counted. 
 
&quot;Trump just failed his first foreign test,&quot; Clinton tweeted. &quot;Diplomacy isn&rsquo;t as easy as it looks.&quot; 
 
Trump had launched his campaign last year saying Mexico was sending &quot;rapists&quot; and other criminals across the border. 
 
Pena Nieto had then compared Trump to with Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and fascist Benito Mussolini. 
 
On Wednesday, however, Pena Nieto was diplomatic. 
 
&quot;Even though we may not agree on everything, I trust that together we&rsquo;ll be able to find better prosperity and security,&quot; he stated. 
 
&quot;Mexican people felt hurt by the comments made. But I&rsquo;m sure that the genuine interest is to build a relationship that will give both of our societies better welfare,&quot; Pena Nieto said alongside Trump. 
 
Trump has on many occasion in the past hit at the Mexicans for illegally crossing the border into the United States. Hardline immigration policies form the focus of his campaign. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

Trump, with his immigration-based election campaign, has in the past hit at the Mexicans for illegally crossing the border into the US

Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump in his Wednesday meeting told Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto that he will erect a border wall if elected but there were ambiguities over who would pay for it. "We recognize and respect the right of either country to build a physical barrier or wall on any of its borders," Trump said at the presidential residence after meeting Pena Nieto. "We didn’t discuss who pays for the wall," Trump said. However, Pena Nieto soon took to Twitter, where he stated, "At the start of the conversation with Donald Trump, I made it clear that Mexico will not pay for the wall." Trump’s opponent, Democratic Hillary Clinton argued that Trump "lied" about whether he defended the core of his campaign when it counted. "Trump just failed his first foreign test," Clinton tweeted. "Diplomacy isn’t as easy as it looks." Trump had launched his campaign last year saying Mexico was sending "rapists" and other criminals across the border. Pena Nieto had then compared Trump to with Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and fascist Benito Mussolini. On Wednesday, however, Pena Nieto was diplomatic. "Even though we may not agree on everything, I trust that together we’ll be able to find better prosperity and security," he stated. "Mexican people felt hurt by the comments made. But I’m sure that the genuine interest is to build a relationship that will give both of our societies better welfare," Pena Nieto said alongside Trump. Trump has on many occasion in the past hit at the Mexicans for illegally crossing the border into the United States. Hardline immigration policies form the focus of his campaign. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Mexico contradicts Trump on paying for border wall

After Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Pune was cancelled on Thursday due to heavy rain, Baramati MP and leader of the Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar (NCP-SP) Supriya Sule criticised him, saying that he had already inaugurated the metro in the city five times.&nbsp;

Sule hit out at the PM, saying it would have been the sixth time for him to have inaugurated the project in Pune.&nbsp;

"The inauguration of the metro for which PM Modi was scheduled to visit Pune, has already been done five times. It would have been the sixth time if PM Modi came for the same," she said.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/mumbai-rains-red-alert-issued-flights-disrupted-trains-halted-schools-and-colleges-closed-762015">Also read:&nbsp;Mumbai rains: Red alert issued, flights disrupted, trains halted, schools and colleges closed</a>

Further attacking the BJP-Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra government, Sule said the latter should not have disturbed a busy person like PM Modi.&nbsp;

"This is very shocking that the Maharashtra government was seeking time from a busy person like the PM for the same task..." she added.&nbsp;

PM Modi was scheduled to flag off the metro train line from the District Court to Swargate in Pune and launch development projects.&nbsp;

<h2>Request to inaugurate metro 'online'&nbsp;</h2>

Sule then requested PM Modi to inaugurate the Metro online.&nbsp;

"So I request the PM to inaugurate Pune Metro online...it is the same project he had inaugurated five times in the past...it will help the people of Pune city and the inauguration must not wait for the next visit of the PM," she added.

Watch |&nbsp;Mumbai Struggles Under Torrential Rains, IMD Issues Red Alert

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After heavy rains in the city on Wednesday, the SP College ground, which was the venue of PM Modi's programme, was waterlogged.&nbsp;

"The PM's visit to Pune has been cancelled and the programme&nbsp;officially postponed," Pune divisional commissioner Chandrakant Pulkundwar said.&nbsp;

Maharashtra Metro spokesperson Hemant Sonawane said, "The programme has been cancelled due to the orange alert (for heavy rains) issued for Thursday by the IMD. If there are rains, people coming for the programme may face hassles, so for the safety of the people, the programme&nbsp;has been cancelled."

(With inputs from agencies)

He also vowed to find jobs for African Americans, but a tweet about the death of Dwyane Wade's cousin was perceived by people as insensitive

After Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Pune was cancelled on Thursday due to heavy rain, Baramati MP and leader of the Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar (NCP-SP) Supriya Sule criticised him, saying that he had already inaugurated the metro in the city five times. Sule hit out at the PM, saying it would have been the sixth time for him to have inaugurated the project in Pune. "The inauguration of the metro for which PM Modi was scheduled to visit Pune, has already been done five times. It would have been the sixth time if PM Modi came for the same," she said. Also read: Mumbai rains: Red alert issued, flights disrupted, trains halted, schools and colleges closed Further attacking the BJP-Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra government, Sule said the latter should not have disturbed a busy person like PM Modi. "This is very shocking that the Maharashtra government was seeking time from a busy person like the PM for the same task..." she added. PM Modi was scheduled to flag off the metro train line from the District Court to Swargate in Pune and launch development projects. Request to inaugurate metro 'online' Sule then requested PM Modi to inaugurate the Metro online. "So I request the PM to inaugurate Pune Metro online...it is the same project he had inaugurated five times in the past...it will help the people of Pune city and the inauguration must not wait for the next visit of the PM," she added. Watch | Mumbai Struggles Under Torrential Rains, IMD Issues Red Alert × After heavy rains in the city on Wednesday, the SP College ground, which was the venue of PM Modi's programme, was waterlogged. "The PM's visit to Pune has been cancelled and the programme officially postponed," Pune divisional commissioner Chandrakant Pulkundwar said. Maharashtra Metro spokesperson Hemant Sonawane said, "The programme has been cancelled due to the orange alert (for heavy rains) issued for Thursday by the IMD. If there are rains, people coming for the programme may face hassles, so for the safety of the people, the programme has been cancelled." (With inputs from agencies)

Will start removing illegal immigrants from Day One: Trump

The new head of Donald Trump&#39;s campaign has only been in the position for just over a week, but appears to be connected to a scandal involving voter fraud. 
 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/aug/26/steve-bannon-florida-registered-vote-donald-trump?CMP=share_btn_tw">The Guardian</a> reports that Stephen Bannon, an executive of the right wing publication Breitbart News, has an active voter registration at a Florida house in which he does not live. The&nbsp;Miami-Dade Country&nbsp;home is currently vacant and is set for demolition. 
 
Bannon had rented the house for his ex-wife, but did not ever live there himself. His ex-wife, Diane Clohesy, a Tea Party activist, also no longer lives in the house. Neighbours say the house has been abandoned for months. 
 
Bannon assigned his voter registration to another house in Miami he rented for Clohesy, in which she lived between 2013-2015, but The Guardian&#39;s source claims that Bannon didn&#39;t live in this house either.&nbsp;Records show that the two have been divorced for seven years.&nbsp; 
 
The Guardian&#39;s repeated attempts to answer detailed questions about Bannon&#39;s living arrangement went unanswered. A Trump campaign spokesman said that &quot;Bannon moved to another location in Florida&quot;, but declined to answer any further questions. 
 
It is still not clear that Bannon is legally entitled to vote in Florida. The law in Florida states that one cannot vote there unless they are legal residents of the state and county where they register to vote. Legal reidency is defined as the place &quot;where a person mentally intends to make his or her permanent residence&quot;.
 
More, deliberately submitting a false voting registration&nbsp;is a third-degree felony that can result in up to a five year prison sentence.
This news comes after Trump has proclaimed that the votes are rigged against him. <a href="http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-trump-vote-fraud-20160812-snap-story.html">The LA Times</a> reports that in a mid-August rally, speaking to mainly white rural supporters in Pennsylvania, he instructed &quot;maybe you should go or volunteer or do something...We&#39;re going to watch Pennsylvania, go down and watch and study, and make sure other people don&#39;t come in and vote five times&quot;. Trump&#39;s words were interpreted by some to be steeped in racism, a &quot;dog whistle&quot; and even an incitement to violence. He has repeated similar remarks in rallies since. 
 
The LA Times report adds that these remarks came shortly after a federal court struck down a voter ID law in North Carolina, a hotly contested state in the election. These law &quot;targeted African-Americans &#39;with almost surgical precision&#39; in an effort to suppress the black vote&#39;, the court found&quot;. 
 
(WION)

Stephen Bannon is registered as a voter in Florida, a crucial swing state, in an abandoned house in which he never lived

The new head of Donald Trump's campaign has only been in the position for just over a week, but appears to be connected to a scandal involving voter fraud. The Guardian reports that Stephen Bannon, an executive of the right wing publication Breitbart News, has an active voter registration at a Florida house in which he does not live. The Miami-Dade Country home is currently vacant and is set for demolition. Bannon had rented the house for his ex-wife, but did not ever live there himself. His ex-wife, Diane Clohesy, a Tea Party activist, also no longer lives in the house. Neighbours say the house has been abandoned for months. Bannon assigned his voter registration to another house in Miami he rented for Clohesy, in which she lived between 2013-2015, but The Guardian's source claims that Bannon didn't live in this house either. Records show that the two have been divorced for seven years. The Guardian's repeated attempts to answer detailed questions about Bannon's living arrangement went unanswered. A Trump campaign spokesman said that "Bannon moved to another location in Florida", but declined to answer any further questions. It is still not clear that Bannon is legally entitled to vote in Florida. The law in Florida states that one cannot vote there unless they are legal residents of the state and county where they register to vote. Legal reidency is defined as the place "where a person mentally intends to make his or her permanent residence". More, deliberately submitting a false voting registration is a third-degree felony that can result in up to a five year prison sentence. This news comes after Trump has proclaimed that the votes are rigged against him. The LA Times reports that in a mid-August rally, speaking to mainly white rural supporters in Pennsylvania, he instructed "maybe you should go or volunteer or do something...We're going to watch Pennsylvania, go down and watch and study, and make sure other people don't come in and vote five times". Trump's words were interpreted by some to be steeped in racism, a "dog whistle" and even an incitement to violence. He has repeated similar remarks in rallies since. The LA Times report adds that these remarks came shortly after a federal court struck down a voter ID law in North Carolina, a hotly contested state in the election. These law "targeted African-Americans 'with almost surgical precision' in an effort to suppress the black vote', the court found". (WION)

Trump is big on voter fraud but his new campaign manager could be guilty of the same crime

An artists&#39; collective took credit for exposing Donald Trump to unflattering scrutiny on Thursday, saying it was responsible for a life-sized nude statue of the Republican presidential candidate that turned up in a New York City park. 
 
Copies of the orange-tinted likeness - featuring a massive belly, small fingers and missing some genital parts - were simultaneously unveiled in downtown Manhattan&#39;s Union Square Park and public places in four other US cities. 
 
The collective titled the work &quot;The Emperor Has No Balls.&quot; 
 
In New York, the unauthorised installation appeared to surprise passers-by - prompting stares, giggles and shrugs of bemusement from park visitors. 
 
Ina Cope, a 58-year-old retiree from the Bronx borough of New York, said she was not expecting to see the Trump statue when she got off the subway to meet a friend for lunch. 
 
&quot;It was crazy: I was coming off the train, minding my own business, and there it was,&quot; she said, laughing. 
 
By early afternoon, workers from New York&#39;s Department of Parks and Recreation had taken down the statue. 
 
Mae Ferguson, a Parks Department spokeswoman, said the statue was removed because the installation of any unapproved structure is illegal in any city park. 
 
The activist collective, a group called INDECLINE that includes artists, musicians and filmmakers, claimed ownership of the work, saying in an email that the statues were also placed in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle and Cleveland. It said an artist called Ginger helped create the likeness. 
 
&quot;These fleeting installations represent this fleeting nightmare and in the fall, it is our wish to look back and laugh at Donald Trump&#39;s failed and delusional quest to obtain the presidency,&quot; INDECLINE said in a statement. 
 
A Trump spokeswoman did not respond immediately to an email with a request for comment. 
 
(Reuters)

Workers from New York's Department of Parks and Recreation took down the statue shortly after it was installed in the city

An artists' collective took credit for exposing Donald Trump to unflattering scrutiny on Thursday, saying it was responsible for a life-sized nude statue of the Republican presidential candidate that turned up in a New York City park. Copies of the orange-tinted likeness - featuring a massive belly, small fingers and missing some genital parts - were simultaneously unveiled in downtown Manhattan's Union Square Park and public places in four other US cities. The collective titled the work "The Emperor Has No Balls." In New York, the unauthorised installation appeared to surprise passers-by - prompting stares, giggles and shrugs of bemusement from park visitors. Ina Cope, a 58-year-old retiree from the Bronx borough of New York, said she was not expecting to see the Trump statue when she got off the subway to meet a friend for lunch. "It was crazy: I was coming off the train, minding my own business, and there it was," she said, laughing. By early afternoon, workers from New York's Department of Parks and Recreation had taken down the statue. Mae Ferguson, a Parks Department spokeswoman, said the statue was removed because the installation of any unapproved structure is illegal in any city park. The activist collective, a group called INDECLINE that includes artists, musicians and filmmakers, claimed ownership of the work, saying in an email that the statues were also placed in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle and Cleveland. It said an artist called Ginger helped create the likeness. "These fleeting installations represent this fleeting nightmare and in the fall, it is our wish to look back and laugh at Donald Trump's failed and delusional quest to obtain the presidency," INDECLINE said in a statement. A Trump spokeswoman did not respond immediately to an email with a request for comment. (Reuters)

Naked statues of Trump draw dozens of onlookers in US cities

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump called President Barack Obama and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton &quot;co-founders&quot; of Islamic State today, in remarks certain to ignite fresh criticism of his campaign style. 
 
The New York real estate developer has previously criticised Obama and Clinton, secretary of state from 2009-13, for how the United States pulled out of Iraq after the war, saying it helped create the militant Islamist group that has seized swaths of Iraq and Syria. 
 
The idea that a sitting US president created a militant group determined to kill Americans and other Westerners took that criticism to a new level. Trump first made the assertion in a speech on Wednesday night in Florida. He repeated it in an interview Thursday morning with CNBC. 
 
His remarks followed a troubled week for the Republican candidate. Party leaders urged Trump to focus on the campaign to beat Clinton after he drew strong criticism for a persistent confrontation with the family of muslim-American soldier who died in Iraq and for his initial refusal to support prominent Republican candidates in their primary races. 
 
Recent opinion polls have shown Trump losing ground to Clinton, a former US senator and first lady, in the race for the November 8 election. An average of polls by RealClearPolitics has Clinton 7.7 percentage points ahead, at 48 per cent to his 40.3 per cent. 
 
&quot;He (Obama) was the founder of ISIS. And so was she. I mean I call them co-founders,&quot; said Trump, who says he opposed the Iraq war. &quot;He shouldn&#39;t have gotten out way he got out. It was a disaster, what he did,&quot; he told CNBC. 
 
Obama had opposed the Iraq war and campaigned for the White House in 2008 on a promise to end it. The United States pulled out combat troops in 2011. 
 
Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, also known as ISIS or ISIL, had its roots in the al Qaeda insurgency that arose after the United States led an invasion of Iraq in 2003. Known for its brutality, the group in 2014 declared an Islamic caliphate in Syria and Iraq, where fighting continues to rage. 
 
Clinton spokesman Jesse Lehrich, in response to Trump&#39;s comments, pointed to US advances against the militant group in Libya this week. &quot;FYI &ndash; US-backed militias retook ISIS&#39;s stronghold in Libya today thanks to Obama-authorized air strikes,&quot; he said in a tweet late on Wednesday. 
 
Trump did not back down, asking on CNBC: &quot;Is there something wrong with saying that? Why - are people complaining that I said he was the founder of ISIS? All I do is tell the truth, I&#39;m a truth teller.&quot; 
 
Supporters of Trump, who has never held elected office, like the combative and often insulting style that has drawn him wide criticism, including from some in his party. He said that if that style costs him the election in 90 days, he goes back to a good life. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s not what I&#39;m looking to do - I think we&#39;re going to have a victory but we&#39;ll see,&quot; he said. 
 
In a wide-ranging interview, Trump also said the United States will continue engaging in free trade if he is elected. 
 
&quot;We are absolutely going to keep trading. I am not an isolationist ... I&#39;m a fair trader,&quot; Trump said. 
 
(Reuters)

The idea that a sitting US president created a militant group determined to kill Americans took the criticism to a new level

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump called President Barack Obama and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton "co-founders" of Islamic State today, in remarks certain to ignite fresh criticism of his campaign style. The New York real estate developer has previously criticised Obama and Clinton, secretary of state from 2009-13, for how the United States pulled out of Iraq after the war, saying it helped create the militant Islamist group that has seized swaths of Iraq and Syria. The idea that a sitting US president created a militant group determined to kill Americans and other Westerners took that criticism to a new level. Trump first made the assertion in a speech on Wednesday night in Florida. He repeated it in an interview Thursday morning with CNBC. His remarks followed a troubled week for the Republican candidate. Party leaders urged Trump to focus on the campaign to beat Clinton after he drew strong criticism for a persistent confrontation with the family of muslim-American soldier who died in Iraq and for his initial refusal to support prominent Republican candidates in their primary races. Recent opinion polls have shown Trump losing ground to Clinton, a former US senator and first lady, in the race for the November 8 election. An average of polls by RealClearPolitics has Clinton 7.7 percentage points ahead, at 48 per cent to his 40.3 per cent. "He (Obama) was the founder of ISIS. And so was she. I mean I call them co-founders," said Trump, who says he opposed the Iraq war. "He shouldn't have gotten out way he got out. It was a disaster, what he did," he told CNBC. Obama had opposed the Iraq war and campaigned for the White House in 2008 on a promise to end it. The United States pulled out combat troops in 2011. Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, also known as ISIS or ISIL, had its roots in the al Qaeda insurgency that arose after the United States led an invasion of Iraq in 2003. Known for its brutality, the group in 2014 declared an Islamic caliphate in Syria and Iraq, where fighting continues to rage. Clinton spokesman Jesse Lehrich, in response to Trump's comments, pointed to US advances against the militant group in Libya this week. "FYI – US-backed militias retook ISIS's stronghold in Libya today thanks to Obama-authorized air strikes," he said in a tweet late on Wednesday. Trump did not back down, asking on CNBC: "Is there something wrong with saying that? Why - are people complaining that I said he was the founder of ISIS? All I do is tell the truth, I'm a truth teller." Supporters of Trump, who has never held elected office, like the combative and often insulting style that has drawn him wide criticism, including from some in his party. He said that if that style costs him the election in 90 days, he goes back to a good life. "It's not what I'm looking to do - I think we're going to have a victory but we'll see," he said. In a wide-ranging interview, Trump also said the United States will continue engaging in free trade if he is elected. "We are absolutely going to keep trading. I am not an isolationist ... I'm a fair trader," Trump said. (Reuters)

Trump again calls Obama, Clinton 'co-founders' of Islamic State

Susan Collins, US Senator from Maine, said on Monday that she will not vote for fellow Republican Donald Trump for president. 
 
&quot;This is not a decision I make lightly, for I am a lifelong Republican. But Donald Trump does not reflect historical Republican values nor the inclusive approach to governing that is critical to healing the divisions in our country,&quot; Collins said in an opinion piece in the Washington Post. 
 
(Reuters)

Says Donald Trump 'does not reflect historical Republican values'

Susan Collins, US Senator from Maine, said on Monday that she will not vote for fellow Republican Donald Trump for president. "This is not a decision I make lightly, for I am a lifelong Republican. But Donald Trump does not reflect historical Republican values nor the inclusive approach to governing that is critical to healing the divisions in our country," Collins said in an opinion piece in the Washington Post. (Reuters)

US Republican Senator Collins will not vote for Trump

Donald Trump hit back on Saturday at accusations from the father of a slain Muslim soldier that the billionaire has &quot;sacrificed nothing&quot; for his country, saying he had employed thousands of people. 
 
Khizr Khan - whose son died in Iraq - accused the Republican presidential nominee of vilifying American Muslims in a steely rebuke that electrified the Democratic convention on Thursday. 
 
&quot;Go look at the graves of brave patriots who died defending the United States of America,&quot; Khan said to Trump. 
 
&quot;You will see all faiths, genders and ethnicities. You have sacrificed nothing and no one.&quot; 
 
Trump brushed off Khan&#39;s words in an interview with ABC News, stating that he thinks he has made &quot;a lot of sacrifices&quot;. 
 
&quot;I work very, very hard. I&#39;ve created thousands and thousands of jobs, tens of thousands of jobs, built great structures. I&#39;ve had tremendous success. I think I&#39;ve done a lot.&quot; 
 
The brash billionaire has alienated many Americans with insults against immigrants, Muslims and women during his nomination campaign. 
 
Among his more controversial policy positions has been his call to ban Muslims from entering the United States and suggestions he would back profiling them. 
 
Trump also questioned whether his rival, Hillary Clinton, had been behind Khan&#39;s address, which the father said he wrote with his wife Ghazala. 
 
&quot;Who wrote that? Did Hillary&#39;s script writers write it?&quot; Trump said in the interview, which is set to air in full on Sunday. 
 
&quot;If you look at his wife, she was standing there. She had nothing to say,&quot; Trump said, adding that &quot;maybe she wasn&#39;t allowed to have anything to say&quot;. 
 
Clinton released a statement on Saturday defending the Khans as &quot;the best of America&quot;. 
 
&quot;I was very moved to see Ghazala Khan stand bravely and with dignity in support of her son on Thursday night,&quot; Clinton said. 
 
&quot;This is a time to honour the sacrifice of Captain Khan and all the fallen. Captain Khan and his family represent the best of America, and we salute them.&quot; 
 
In a late Saturday statement from the Republican&#39;s campaign, Trump praised Captain Khan as &quot;a hero to our country and we should honour all who have made the ultimate sacrifice to keep our country safe&quot;. 
 
However, Trump rejected the claim that he had never read the US constitution. 
 
&quot;While I feel deeply for the loss of his son, Mr Khan who has never met me, has no right to stand in front of millions of people and claim I have never read the constitution, (which is false) and say many other inaccurate things,&quot; Trump said. 
 
Trump also released what he says is the transcript of the ABC interview. 
 
(AFP) 
&nbsp;

'Go look at the graves of brave patriots who died defending the US. You will see all faiths, genders and ethnicities,' Khizr Khan told Trump

Donald Trump hit back on Saturday at accusations from the father of a slain Muslim soldier that the billionaire has "sacrificed nothing" for his country, saying he had employed thousands of people. Khizr Khan - whose son died in Iraq - accused the Republican presidential nominee of vilifying American Muslims in a steely rebuke that electrified the Democratic convention on Thursday. "Go look at the graves of brave patriots who died defending the United States of America," Khan said to Trump. "You will see all faiths, genders and ethnicities. You have sacrificed nothing and no one." Trump brushed off Khan's words in an interview with ABC News, stating that he thinks he has made "a lot of sacrifices". "I work very, very hard. I've created thousands and thousands of jobs, tens of thousands of jobs, built great structures. I've had tremendous success. I think I've done a lot." The brash billionaire has alienated many Americans with insults against immigrants, Muslims and women during his nomination campaign. Among his more controversial policy positions has been his call to ban Muslims from entering the United States and suggestions he would back profiling them. Trump also questioned whether his rival, Hillary Clinton, had been behind Khan's address, which the father said he wrote with his wife Ghazala. "Who wrote that? Did Hillary's script writers write it?" Trump said in the interview, which is set to air in full on Sunday. "If you look at his wife, she was standing there. She had nothing to say," Trump said, adding that "maybe she wasn't allowed to have anything to say". Clinton released a statement on Saturday defending the Khans as "the best of America". "I was very moved to see Ghazala Khan stand bravely and with dignity in support of her son on Thursday night," Clinton said. "This is a time to honour the sacrifice of Captain Khan and all the fallen. Captain Khan and his family represent the best of America, and we salute them." In a late Saturday statement from the Republican's campaign, Trump praised Captain Khan as "a hero to our country and we should honour all who have made the ultimate sacrifice to keep our country safe". However, Trump rejected the claim that he had never read the US constitution. "While I feel deeply for the loss of his son, Mr Khan who has never met me, has no right to stand in front of millions of people and claim I have never read the constitution, (which is false) and say many other inaccurate things," Trump said. Trump also released what he says is the transcript of the ABC interview. (AFP)

Trump to slain soldier's dad: 'I've made sacrifices too'

The throngs of fired-up, potentially violent protesters expected to flood Cleveland on the sidelines on the Republican National Convention failed to materialise as the confab got underway on Monday. 
 
Events were low key and peaceful, taking place in an atmosphere that resembled a carnival more than a political hotbed, in spite of the passions aroused by the Donald Trump&#39;s controversial White House bid. 
 
Officials said the two main protests drew approximately 500 people combined. Organisers had expected to draw thousands to just one of those protests, but security concerns may have played a role in depressing turnout. 
 
&quot;One of the things that we were hearing from all kinds of people was that they were so scared about... the forecasting of violence, that people were saying I&#39;m not going to get anywhere near downtown during the week of the Republican convention,&quot; said Larry Bresler, the organizer of an anti-poverty march and rally. 
 
After recent high-profile incidents of gun violence in the United States, law enforcement was out in force. Officers were on loan from departments throughout the country. 
 
Patches on patrolling officers uniforms identified them as members of departments from as far away as California. 
 
There had been concerns of potential clashes between Trump supporters and opponents, and of racially-tinged unrest. 
 
But on Monday, commerce appeared to win over politics. Street vendors could be seen selling Trump paraphernalia; whether they agreed with the presumptive Republican nominee&#39;s positions was beside the point. 
 
Trump condoms 
&nbsp; 
&quot;Are you a Trump supporter?&quot; asked one vendor to a passing bicyclist. 
 
&quot;No, are you?&quot; came the bicyclist reply. 
 
&quot;No,&quot; was the vendor&#39;s chuckled response, as the bicyclist rode on. 
 
Street vendor Eric Yesbick, who said he was a comedian back in his home state of Georgia, came solely for the commercial opportunity. He was selling novelty condoms with Trump&#39;s image on the packaging. 
 
&quot;Everyone sells posters, bumper stickers, hats, T-shirts, buttons. I&#39;m the only person that sells political condoms,&quot; Yesbick boasted of his dubious venture. 
 
While much of the street scene around Cleveland&#39;s Quicken Loans Arena, the site of the convention, was light-hearted, there was one moment that highlighted security forces&#39; heightened state of alert. 
 
When six people dressed in black, with their faces covered with bandannas or masks, appeared about two blocks from the arena, dozens of bicycled police rushed to detain them. 
 
The six said they were part of Anonymous, the online network of activists and hackers. None were arrested, but police said they confiscated several items from the group: gas masks, a small knife and a slingshot. 
 
There was one arrest in an unrelated incident, according to police. 
 
More protests are planned throughout the week of the convention. 
 
On Wednesday, a group of Latino activists planned to showcase a wall of banners in opposition to Trump&#39;s call to build a wall on the US-Mexico border. 
 
And on Thursday, the day Trump is expected to officially receive the Republican Party&#39;s nomination, Cleveland-area physicians are planning a protest in opposition to the presumptive nominee. 
 
(AFP)

In spite of passions aroused by the Donald Trump's controversial White House bid, events were low key and peaceful

The throngs of fired-up, potentially violent protesters expected to flood Cleveland on the sidelines on the Republican National Convention failed to materialise as the confab got underway on Monday. Events were low key and peaceful, taking place in an atmosphere that resembled a carnival more than a political hotbed, in spite of the passions aroused by the Donald Trump's controversial White House bid. Officials said the two main protests drew approximately 500 people combined. Organisers had expected to draw thousands to just one of those protests, but security concerns may have played a role in depressing turnout. "One of the things that we were hearing from all kinds of people was that they were so scared about... the forecasting of violence, that people were saying I'm not going to get anywhere near downtown during the week of the Republican convention," said Larry Bresler, the organizer of an anti-poverty march and rally. After recent high-profile incidents of gun violence in the United States, law enforcement was out in force. Officers were on loan from departments throughout the country. Patches on patrolling officers uniforms identified them as members of departments from as far away as California. There had been concerns of potential clashes between Trump supporters and opponents, and of racially-tinged unrest. But on Monday, commerce appeared to win over politics. Street vendors could be seen selling Trump paraphernalia; whether they agreed with the presumptive Republican nominee's positions was beside the point. Trump condoms "Are you a Trump supporter?" asked one vendor to a passing bicyclist. "No, are you?" came the bicyclist reply. "No," was the vendor's chuckled response, as the bicyclist rode on. Street vendor Eric Yesbick, who said he was a comedian back in his home state of Georgia, came solely for the commercial opportunity. He was selling novelty condoms with Trump's image on the packaging. "Everyone sells posters, bumper stickers, hats, T-shirts, buttons. I'm the only person that sells political condoms," Yesbick boasted of his dubious venture. While much of the street scene around Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena, the site of the convention, was light-hearted, there was one moment that highlighted security forces' heightened state of alert. When six people dressed in black, with their faces covered with bandannas or masks, appeared about two blocks from the arena, dozens of bicycled police rushed to detain them. The six said they were part of Anonymous, the online network of activists and hackers. None were arrested, but police said they confiscated several items from the group: gas masks, a small knife and a slingshot. There was one arrest in an unrelated incident, according to police. More protests are planned throughout the week of the convention. On Wednesday, a group of Latino activists planned to showcase a wall of banners in opposition to Trump's call to build a wall on the US-Mexico border. And on Thursday, the day Trump is expected to officially receive the Republican Party's nomination, Cleveland-area physicians are planning a protest in opposition to the presumptive nominee. (AFP)

Cleveland peaceful as mass protests fail to materialise

If US Republican candidate Donald Trump is elected president, it would be have a dangerous outcome and &quot;complicate&quot; relations between Europe and the United States, French President Francois Hollande has warned. 
 
&quot;Those who say that Donald Trump could not possibly become the next president of the United States are the same ones who thought that Brexit would never be voted in,&quot; Hollande said, referring to last week&#39;s British referendum which backed withdrawal from the European Union. 
 
Trump has been running on the kind of slogans peddled by the extreme right in France and elsewhere in Europe - fear of the wave of migration, stigmatisation of Islam, questioning representative democracy, denouncing elites - the French leader said in an interview to be published on Thursday in the French financial daily Les Echos. 
 
When asked whether a Trump presidency would be a dangerous thing, he answered &quot;yes&quot;. 
 
Trump&#39;s presence in the White House &quot;would complicate relations between Europe and the United States,&quot; Hollande added. 
 
A new opinion poll in the US showed that the race for the White House is set to be a close call. 
 
Respondents to the latest Quinnipiac University national poll put Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton ahead of Trump by just 42 per cent to 40 per cent, a narrowing from Clinton&#39;s four-point margin in the organisation&#39;s June 1 survey. 
 
Trump, the New York celebrity tycoon, has caused alarm in Europe with his abrasive style and pledges to deport millions of undocumented immigrants and build a wall on the border with Mexico. 
 
His proposal to ban Muslims from entering the United States drew ire of Britain&#39;s Prime Minister David Cameron, who called the idea &quot;stupid, divisive and wrong&quot;. 
 
Trump has criticised the continent&#39;s leaders as &quot;weak&quot; and accused them of taking inadequate measures to combat terrorism, following the Islamist attacks on Brussels in March.&nbsp; 
 
Last month French Prime Minister Manuel Valls accused the presumptive US Republican presidential nominee Trump of being a &quot;bad man&quot;. 
 
(AFP)

The French President denounced US Republican candidate Donald Trump's prejudicial stance against immigration, democracy and Muslims

If US Republican candidate Donald Trump is elected president, it would be have a dangerous outcome and "complicate" relations between Europe and the United States, French President Francois Hollande has warned. "Those who say that Donald Trump could not possibly become the next president of the United States are the same ones who thought that Brexit would never be voted in," Hollande said, referring to last week's British referendum which backed withdrawal from the European Union. Trump has been running on the kind of slogans peddled by the extreme right in France and elsewhere in Europe - fear of the wave of migration, stigmatisation of Islam, questioning representative democracy, denouncing elites - the French leader said in an interview to be published on Thursday in the French financial daily Les Echos. When asked whether a Trump presidency would be a dangerous thing, he answered "yes". Trump's presence in the White House "would complicate relations between Europe and the United States," Hollande added. A new opinion poll in the US showed that the race for the White House is set to be a close call. Respondents to the latest Quinnipiac University national poll put Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton ahead of Trump by just 42 per cent to 40 per cent, a narrowing from Clinton's four-point margin in the organisation's June 1 survey. Trump, the New York celebrity tycoon, has caused alarm in Europe with his abrasive style and pledges to deport millions of undocumented immigrants and build a wall on the border with Mexico. His proposal to ban Muslims from entering the United States drew ire of Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron, who called the idea "stupid, divisive and wrong". Trump has criticised the continent's leaders as "weak" and accused them of taking inadequate measures to combat terrorism, following the Islamist attacks on Brussels in March. Last month French Prime Minister Manuel Valls accused the presumptive US Republican presidential nominee Trump of being a "bad man". (AFP)

A President Trump would 'complicate' US-Europe ties: Hollande

Indonesia&#39;s Vice President today voiced concerns over US presidential candidate Donald Trump&#39;s comments on Muslims, saying &quot;discrimination according to religion&quot; could prompt retaliatory policies from other countries. 
 
Jusuf Kalla told Reuters in an interview that the government was &quot;not happy with Trump&#39;s opinions&quot; - the first critical remarks from a top official in the world&#39;s most populous Muslim-majority nation, which come as Trump called for more profiling in the US to battle crime. 
 
&quot;Any country, especially big countries, seen making policies about &#39;radicalism&#39; or discrimination according to religion will be a bad issue,&quot; Kalla said in an interview with Reuters. 
 
&quot;There will be &#39;vice-versa&#39; policies from other countries,&quot; he said, adding an impact would be felt on economy and trade. 
 
Trump&#39;s inflammatory remarks on Muslims, including wanting to temporarily ban them from entering the United States, on foreign policy and on international trade ties have raised concerns in some Asian countries over a potentially &quot;isolationist&quot; United States. 
 
In Indonesia, Southeast Asia&#39;s biggest economy, politicians and lawmakers are already thinking about restricting US trade and investment if Trump becomes President. An online petition, urging a ban on the billionaire and his businesses from the country, has received nearly 47,000 signatures. 
 
The real estate developer also has partnerships to operate luxury resorts on Bali and in Java, which Indonesian officials have said could be threatened by his rhetoric. 
 
Trump Hotel collection last year announced a partnership with Indonesia&#39;s PT. Media Nusantara Citra to manage new luxury hotels on Bali and in West Java, Trump unit&#39;s first foray into Asia. 
 
&quot;Of course there will be an impact, not for Indonesia, but for his business,&quot; Kalla said, when asked about Trump&#39;s involvement in the resorts. 
 
But the Indonesian government was in wait-and-see mode, Kalla said, adding Trump&#39;s comments could be seen as posturing as part of his presidential campaign. 
 
&quot;We still see this as campaign strategy. Campaigning is one thing and realisation is another thing,&quot; he said. 
(Reuters)

Indonesia already thinking about restricting US trade and investment if Trump becomes President

Indonesia's Vice President today voiced concerns over US presidential candidate Donald Trump's comments on Muslims, saying "discrimination according to religion" could prompt retaliatory policies from other countries. Jusuf Kalla told Reuters in an interview that the government was "not happy with Trump's opinions" - the first critical remarks from a top official in the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation, which come as Trump called for more profiling in the US to battle crime. "Any country, especially big countries, seen making policies about 'radicalism' or discrimination according to religion will be a bad issue," Kalla said in an interview with Reuters. "There will be 'vice-versa' policies from other countries," he said, adding an impact would be felt on economy and trade. Trump's inflammatory remarks on Muslims, including wanting to temporarily ban them from entering the United States, on foreign policy and on international trade ties have raised concerns in some Asian countries over a potentially "isolationist" United States. In Indonesia, Southeast Asia's biggest economy, politicians and lawmakers are already thinking about restricting US trade and investment if Trump becomes President. An online petition, urging a ban on the billionaire and his businesses from the country, has received nearly 47,000 signatures. The real estate developer also has partnerships to operate luxury resorts on Bali and in Java, which Indonesian officials have said could be threatened by his rhetoric. Trump Hotel collection last year announced a partnership with Indonesia's PT. Media Nusantara Citra to manage new luxury hotels on Bali and in West Java, Trump unit's first foray into Asia. "Of course there will be an impact, not for Indonesia, but for his business," Kalla said, when asked about Trump's involvement in the resorts. But the Indonesian government was in wait-and-see mode, Kalla said, adding Trump's comments could be seen as posturing as part of his presidential campaign. "We still see this as campaign strategy. Campaigning is one thing and realisation is another thing," he said. (Reuters)

Trump's comments on Muslims could prompt retaliatory policies: Indonesian VP

Donald Trump offered a message of ethnic harmony yesterday at a Christian evangelical conference. He was trying to calm concern about his criticism of a Mexican-American judge. 
 
In a departure from his usual freewheeling style, Trump read a carefully scripted speech from a teleprompter as part of a new push by his campaign to tone down the outspoken New Yorker&#39;s harsh rhetoric. 
 
Trump&#39;s remarks included a wide-ranging attack on Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. The 69-year-old said that money aimed at resettling Syrian refugees in the United States should instead be spent on tackling poverty in US cities. 
 
Speaking to the annual conference of the conservative Faith &amp; Freedom Coalition, Trump did not mention the controversy over his charge that US District Judge Gonzalo Curiel cannot treat him fairly because of his Mexican heritage. However, he did make a point of saying that he would represent all Americans if elected president on November 8. 
 
&quot;Freedom of any kind means no one should be judged by their race or their colour and the tone of his hue,&quot; Trump said. &quot;Right now, we have a very divided nation. We&#39;re going to bring our nation together.&quot; 
 
Paul Ryan, the top elected US Republican, had criticised Trump for what he called a &quot;textbook definition of a racist comment&quot; for his remarks about the judge. Other Republican leaders warned Trump to change his tone or risk losing their support. 
 
Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee who led a movement to derail Trump&#39;s nomination, told CNN he would not consider running for the White House. 
 
Romney blasted Trump for comments that he said denigrated Mexicans, women and religion. 
 
&quot;Presidents have an impact on the nature of our nation and trickle-down racism, trickle-down bigotry and trickle-down misogyny - all these things are extraordinarily dangerous to the heart and character of America,&quot; he said. 
 
Romney said he expects Trump to get the Republican nomination but added that he will not vote for either Trump or Clinton. He left open the possibility of casting a ballot for the Libertarian Party candidate, former New Mexico Governor, Gary Johnson. 
 
As Trump sought to rally more Republicans behind him, Clinton met with US Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts to try and shore up support from the left wing of the Democratic Party. 
 
Clinton later addressed the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the non-partisan arm of the women&#39;s health group, and had Trump trained in her sights. 
 
&ldquo;This is a man who has called women pigs, dogs and disgusting animals, it&rsquo;s kind of hard to imagine counting on him to respect our fundamental rights,&rdquo; said Clinton, the first woman to become the presumptive presidential nominee of a major party. 
 
Clinton leads Trump by 11 percentage points, nearly the same as a week ago, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released yesterday. 
 
The real estate mogul&#39;s struggle to unify Republicans behind his insurgent candidacy was apparent at the evangelical Faith &amp; Freedom conference where several speakers studiously avoided speaking his name. 
 
Former campaign rival Carly Fiorina steered clear of Trump, speaking instead of the need to prevent liberal policies taking hold. 
 
US Representative Virginia Foxx, a North Carolina Republican, said a Republican president is needed, without mentioning Trump. 
 
&quot;We don&#39;t want this contest this fall to just be a contest of personalities,&quot; she said. 
 
But conference organiser Ralph Reed was adamant in his support for Trump, saying the New Yorker has energised the evangelical vote in a way that past Republican presidential nominees failed to do. 
 
&quot;We understand that perfection is not the measure that should be applied,&quot; Reed told the crowd. 
 
 
SYRIAN REFUGEES 
 
Trump yesterday criticised Clinton&#39;s willingness to accept thousands of Syrian refugees into the United States and challenged her to &quot;replace her support for increased refugee admission&quot; in favour of a new jobs program for inner cities. 
 
He stopped short of repeating his call for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States, a proposal that has drawn heavy fire from Republicans and Democrats. 
 
&quot;We have to temporarily stop this whole thing with what&rsquo;s going on with refugees where we don&rsquo;t know where they&rsquo;re coming from,&quot; Trump said. &quot;We have to use the money to take care of our poorest Americans so they can come out of this horrible situation that they&#39;re in.&quot; 
 
Yesterday at the funeral of boxing champion Muhammad Ali, a convert to Islam, one speaker, a rabbi, inveighed against politicians promoting intolerance of Muslims. 
 
&quot;We will not tolerate politicians or anyone else putting down Muslims and blaming Muslims for a few people,&quot; said Rabbi Michael Lerner, the editor of Tikkun magazine, who said he attended the ceremony in Louisville, Kentucky, as a representative of American Jews. 
 
Trump said Clinton&#39;s refusal to use the phrase &quot;radical Islamic terrorism&quot;, favoured by Republicans to describe violent Islamist militants, makes her unfit to be president.

The US Republican presidential candidate says freedom means nobody should be judged based on their race or skin colour

Donald Trump offered a message of ethnic harmony yesterday at a Christian evangelical conference. He was trying to calm concern about his criticism of a Mexican-American judge. In a departure from his usual freewheeling style, Trump read a carefully scripted speech from a teleprompter as part of a new push by his campaign to tone down the outspoken New Yorker's harsh rhetoric. Trump's remarks included a wide-ranging attack on Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. The 69-year-old said that money aimed at resettling Syrian refugees in the United States should instead be spent on tackling poverty in US cities. Speaking to the annual conference of the conservative Faith & Freedom Coalition, Trump did not mention the controversy over his charge that US District Judge Gonzalo Curiel cannot treat him fairly because of his Mexican heritage. However, he did make a point of saying that he would represent all Americans if elected president on November 8. "Freedom of any kind means no one should be judged by their race or their colour and the tone of his hue," Trump said. "Right now, we have a very divided nation. We're going to bring our nation together." Paul Ryan, the top elected US Republican, had criticised Trump for what he called a "textbook definition of a racist comment" for his remarks about the judge. Other Republican leaders warned Trump to change his tone or risk losing their support. Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee who led a movement to derail Trump's nomination, told CNN he would not consider running for the White House. Romney blasted Trump for comments that he said denigrated Mexicans, women and religion. "Presidents have an impact on the nature of our nation and trickle-down racism, trickle-down bigotry and trickle-down misogyny - all these things are extraordinarily dangerous to the heart and character of America," he said. Romney said he expects Trump to get the Republican nomination but added that he will not vote for either Trump or Clinton. He left open the possibility of casting a ballot for the Libertarian Party candidate, former New Mexico Governor, Gary Johnson. As Trump sought to rally more Republicans behind him, Clinton met with US Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts to try and shore up support from the left wing of the Democratic Party. Clinton later addressed the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the non-partisan arm of the women's health group, and had Trump trained in her sights. “This is a man who has called women pigs, dogs and disgusting animals, it’s kind of hard to imagine counting on him to respect our fundamental rights,” said Clinton, the first woman to become the presumptive presidential nominee of a major party. Clinton leads Trump by 11 percentage points, nearly the same as a week ago, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released yesterday. The real estate mogul's struggle to unify Republicans behind his insurgent candidacy was apparent at the evangelical Faith & Freedom conference where several speakers studiously avoided speaking his name. Former campaign rival Carly Fiorina steered clear of Trump, speaking instead of the need to prevent liberal policies taking hold. US Representative Virginia Foxx, a North Carolina Republican, said a Republican president is needed, without mentioning Trump. "We don't want this contest this fall to just be a contest of personalities," she said. But conference organiser Ralph Reed was adamant in his support for Trump, saying the New Yorker has energised the evangelical vote in a way that past Republican presidential nominees failed to do. "We understand that perfection is not the measure that should be applied," Reed told the crowd. SYRIAN REFUGEES Trump yesterday criticised Clinton's willingness to accept thousands of Syrian refugees into the United States and challenged her to "replace her support for increased refugee admission" in favour of a new jobs program for inner cities. He stopped short of repeating his call for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States, a proposal that has drawn heavy fire from Republicans and Democrats. "We have to temporarily stop this whole thing with what’s going on with refugees where we don’t know where they’re coming from," Trump said. "We have to use the money to take care of our poorest Americans so they can come out of this horrible situation that they're in." Yesterday at the funeral of boxing champion Muhammad Ali, a convert to Islam, one speaker, a rabbi, inveighed against politicians promoting intolerance of Muslims. "We will not tolerate politicians or anyone else putting down Muslims and blaming Muslims for a few people," said Rabbi Michael Lerner, the editor of Tikkun magazine, who said he attended the ceremony in Louisville, Kentucky, as a representative of American Jews. Trump said Clinton's refusal to use the phrase "radical Islamic terrorism", favoured by Republicans to describe violent Islamist militants, makes her unfit to be president.

Stung by criticism, Donald Trump vows to work for ethnic harmony

Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton&#39;s campaign on Wednesday signaled plans for a big assault on Republican Donald Trump, even as she battles to hold off rival Bernie Sanders in California.

Clinton, a former Secretary of State, is to deliver what her campaign described as a major speech today&nbsp;in San Diego to underscore what she feels would be the threat posed by Trump to U.S. national security if he is elected president on Nov. 8.

Her language to describe Trump has grown more aggressive by the day. On Wednesday, she seized on testimony released in a lawsuit against Trump University, in which some former workers said they believed Trump&#39;s for-profit school was fraudulent.

&quot;Trump and his employees took advantage of vulnerable Americans encouraging them to max out their credit cards, empty their retirement savings, destroy their financial futures, all while making promises they knew were false from the beginning,&quot; Clinton told a campaign event in Newark, New Jersey.

&quot;This is just more evidence that Donald Trump himself is a fraud.&quot;

Lawyers for Trump have said most students were satisfied with Trump University, dismissing the former workers&#39; testimony as discredited.

Trump, anticipating Clinton&#39;s foreign policy attacks on him, tried to raise doubts about her leadership skills at a rally in Sacramento, Calif.

&quot;She is a person with absolutely no natural talent,&quot; he said. &quot;All you have to do is watch her speak.&quot;

Repeatedly referring to Clinton as &quot;crooked Hillary,&quot; Trump sharply criticized her handling of foreign policy, including the Sept. 11, 2012, attack by Islamic militants on a U.S. diplomatic facility in Benghazi, Libya, that killed the U.S. ambassador.

&quot;She went to sleep,&quot; Trump added.

Clinton&#39;s effort to define Trump as unfit to be commander-in-chief comes as she faces fierce opposition from Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont who has insisted on staying in the fight for the Democratic presidential nomination despite Clinton&#39;s nearly insurmountable lead.

California&#39;s primary next Tuesday is shaping up to be pivotal in the Democratic contest, with Clinton holding a 13-point advantage over Sanders, 51 percent to 38 percent, according to the Hoover Institution&#39;s Golden State Poll in the state. An NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll gave Clinton a much narrower lead of 49 percent, to 47 percent for Sanders.

Clinton, with 2,312 delegates, needs 71 more delegates to reach the required 2,383 for the Democratic nomination. Sanders has 1,545. At stake in the California primary are 548 delegates who are awarded proportional to the vote. Five other states also vote next Tuesday, including New Jersey, which could also turn the tide for Clinton.

Despite Clinton&#39;s perceived advantage, there are lingering concerns among some Democrats about possible weakness, given the protracted battle with Sanders, a democratic socialist whose calls for free college tuition have energized young voters.

Doug Schoen, a Democratic pollster, wrote in the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday that California voters appeared to be leaning toward Sanders in recent days.

Sanders has been holding events every day this week in the state. Clinton canceled a New Jersey event planned for today&nbsp;to go to California a day earlier than anticipated and is to stay there until Monday.

&quot;The inevitability behind Mrs. Clinton&rsquo;s nomination will be in large measure eviscerated if she loses the June 7 California primary to Bernie Sanders,&quot; Schoen wrote. &quot;That could well happen.&quot;

&nbsp;

&#39;CAN&#39;T IGNORE TRUMP&#39;

Other Democrats expressed confidence in Clinton&#39;s position and her move to assail Trump on foreign policy.

&quot;I think she has to,&quot; said Democratic strategist Jim Manley. &quot;Leaving aside California, I think they can&rsquo;t just ignore Donald Trump in that they should be spending a majority of time focusing on him instead of Sanders at this point, because based on the math Sanders can&rsquo;t win.&quot;

Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, has faced criticism for a variety of positions on foreign policy, such as his willingness to talk to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his idea that Japan and South Korea might need to develop nuclear arsenals.

On the other hand, past Republican presidents and current Democratic President Barack Obama have, like Trump, said NATO nations should pay more for their defense to ease the U.S. burden. Trump, however, has declared NATO obsolete and in need of reconfiguring.

A Clinton aide said &nbsp;Hillary Clinton,&nbsp;would say Trump had not outlined a coherent foreign policy doctrine and had proven himself to be temperamentally unfit to serve as president.

Democratic Presidential front runner Hillary Clinton plans for a big assault on Republican Donald Trump, even as she battles another Democratic rival Bernie Sanders

Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton's campaign on Wednesday signaled plans for a big assault on Republican Donald Trump, even as she battles to hold off rival Bernie Sanders in California. Clinton, a former Secretary of State, is to deliver what her campaign described as a major speech today in San Diego to underscore what she feels would be the threat posed by Trump to U.S. national security if he is elected president on Nov. 8. Her language to describe Trump has grown more aggressive by the day. On Wednesday, she seized on testimony released in a lawsuit against Trump University, in which some former workers said they believed Trump's for-profit school was fraudulent. "Trump and his employees took advantage of vulnerable Americans encouraging them to max out their credit cards, empty their retirement savings, destroy their financial futures, all while making promises they knew were false from the beginning," Clinton told a campaign event in Newark, New Jersey. "This is just more evidence that Donald Trump himself is a fraud." Lawyers for Trump have said most students were satisfied with Trump University, dismissing the former workers' testimony as discredited. Trump, anticipating Clinton's foreign policy attacks on him, tried to raise doubts about her leadership skills at a rally in Sacramento, Calif. "She is a person with absolutely no natural talent," he said. "All you have to do is watch her speak." Repeatedly referring to Clinton as "crooked Hillary," Trump sharply criticized her handling of foreign policy, including the Sept. 11, 2012, attack by Islamic militants on a U.S. diplomatic facility in Benghazi, Libya, that killed the U.S. ambassador. "She went to sleep," Trump added. Clinton's effort to define Trump as unfit to be commander-in-chief comes as she faces fierce opposition from Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont who has insisted on staying in the fight for the Democratic presidential nomination despite Clinton's nearly insurmountable lead. California's primary next Tuesday is shaping up to be pivotal in the Democratic contest, with Clinton holding a 13-point advantage over Sanders, 51 percent to 38 percent, according to the Hoover Institution's Golden State Poll in the state. An NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll gave Clinton a much narrower lead of 49 percent, to 47 percent for Sanders. Clinton, with 2,312 delegates, needs 71 more delegates to reach the required 2,383 for the Democratic nomination. Sanders has 1,545. At stake in the California primary are 548 delegates who are awarded proportional to the vote. Five other states also vote next Tuesday, including New Jersey, which could also turn the tide for Clinton. Despite Clinton's perceived advantage, there are lingering concerns among some Democrats about possible weakness, given the protracted battle with Sanders, a democratic socialist whose calls for free college tuition have energized young voters. Doug Schoen, a Democratic pollster, wrote in the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday that California voters appeared to be leaning toward Sanders in recent days. Sanders has been holding events every day this week in the state. Clinton canceled a New Jersey event planned for today to go to California a day earlier than anticipated and is to stay there until Monday. "The inevitability behind Mrs. Clinton’s nomination will be in large measure eviscerated if she loses the June 7 California primary to Bernie Sanders," Schoen wrote. "That could well happen." 'CAN'T IGNORE TRUMP' Other Democrats expressed confidence in Clinton's position and her move to assail Trump on foreign policy. "I think she has to," said Democratic strategist Jim Manley. "Leaving aside California, I think they can’t just ignore Donald Trump in that they should be spending a majority of time focusing on him instead of Sanders at this point, because based on the math Sanders can’t win." Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, has faced criticism for a variety of positions on foreign policy, such as his willingness to talk to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his idea that Japan and South Korea might need to develop nuclear arsenals. On the other hand, past Republican presidents and current Democratic President Barack Obama have, like Trump, said NATO nations should pay more for their defense to ease the U.S. burden. Trump, however, has declared NATO obsolete and in need of reconfiguring. A Clinton aide said Hillary Clinton, would say Trump had not outlined a coherent foreign policy doctrine and had proven himself to be temperamentally unfit to serve as president.

Battling to hold off Sanders,Clinton to assail Trump on foreign policy

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