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.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
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>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

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.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
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>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

&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'

Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton was today projected as the &quot;clear winner&quot; of the second US presidential debate, but her Republican rival Donald Trump &quot;exceeded expectations&quot;, a CNN poll said.

The CNN/ORC poll of debate watchers said &quot;Clinton was the clear winner in the debate,&quot; with 57 per cent saying Clinton won as opposed to 34 per cent for Trump.

CNN said it was a strong showing for the 68-year-old former secretary of state, but not as good as her performance at the first presidential debate, when 62 per cent of debate watchers said she won.

A CNN/ORC poll conducted after the September 27 showdown between the two presidential nominees in the first of the three debates had also shown Clinton as the clear winner, with nearly 62 per cent of voters supporting her as compared to Trump, who was deemed winner by only 27 per cent.

The results also track closely with watchers&#39; pre-debate preference.

Fifty-eight per cent of debate watchers said they were supporting Clinton before the debate.

(PTI)

The poll said 'Clinton was the clear winner in the debate', with 57% saying Clinton won as opposed to 34% for Trump

Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton was today projected as the "clear winner" of the second US presidential debate, but her Republican rival Donald Trump "exceeded expectations", a CNN poll said. The CNN/ORC poll of debate watchers said "Clinton was the clear winner in the debate," with 57 per cent saying Clinton won as opposed to 34 per cent for Trump. CNN said it was a strong showing for the 68-year-old former secretary of state, but not as good as her performance at the first presidential debate, when 62 per cent of debate watchers said she won. A CNN/ORC poll conducted after the September 27 showdown between the two presidential nominees in the first of the three debates had also shown Clinton as the clear winner, with nearly 62 per cent of voters supporting her as compared to Trump, who was deemed winner by only 27 per cent. The results also track closely with watchers' pre-debate preference. Fifty-eight per cent of debate watchers said they were supporting Clinton before the debate. (PTI)

Hillary Clinton won 2nd presidential debate: CNN poll

The debate was lively from the start, with the two interrupting each other and bickering continuously

Democrat Tim Kaine accused Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump of breaking a promise to release his tax records in a debate on Tuesday where the vice presidential contenders bickered and interrupted each other. Trump's vice presidential nominee, Mike Pence, defended Trump days after a New York Times report gave ammunition to the Democratic case against Trump by reporting he may not have paid federal taxes for 18 years. The debate at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia, was lively from the start as Kaine, the running mate of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, honed in on Trump's refusal thus far to reveal his tax records, saying he had broken a promise to do so. Trump has said they are under federal audit. "Governor Pence had to give Donald Trump his tax returns to show he is qualified to be vice president. Donald Trump has to give his tax returns to show he is qualified to be president," Kaine said. Pence, who has a low-key style compared to Trump's signature bombast, said Trump as a New York real estate developer had created thousands of jobs and had used US tax laws as they were designed to be used. "Why won't he release his taxes?" Kaine shot back. The two candidates talked over each other so much in a bid to score points that the debate moderator, CBS News' Elaine Quijano, intervened. "The people at home can’t understand either one of you when you speak over each other," she said. The debate came at a crucial time for both campaigns. Clinton is seeking to take advantage of Trump's tax report last week to build on her lead in national opinion polls. Trump needs to rebound from a rocky performance in his first debate with Clinton last week with their second encounter coming up on Sunday in St Louis. The two vice presidential candidates wasted no time in launching broadsides against Trump and Clinton in the opening minutes of their debate. "Donald Trump always puts himself first," Kaine, a US senator from Virginia, said, pointing out that when Trump began his presidential campaign last year he called "Mexicans rapists and criminals" and had also voiced the "outrageous lie" that Democratic President Barack Obama was not born in the United States. Pence, the governor of Indiana, shot back at Kaine that he and Clinton "would know a lot about an insult-driven campaign" and then accused Clinton, the former US secretary of state, of bungling foreign policy with large sections of the Middle East "literally spinning out of control". (Reuters)

Kaine, Pence clash in US vice-presidential debate

The heated US presidential campaign between Hillary Clinton and her rival Donald Trump has &quot;brought out the worst in people&quot;, nearly 70 per cent of American voters say.

A new poll from Monmouth University finds 70 per cent of American voters say that this year&#39;s presidential campaign has &quot;brought out the worst in people&quot;, something about which Democrats (78 per cent), Republicans (65 per cent), and independents (66 per cent) concur.

The US election between 68-year-old Clinton and 70-year-old Trump will take place on November 8.

Nearly half of Trump&#39;s voters (47 per cent) say that the campaign&#39;s harsh language is justified, compared to only 17 per cent of Clinton voters and 21 per cent of voters who are either undecided or are supporting a third party candidate.

&quot;Half of Trump supporters seem to be saying let the expletives fly, but many voters blame both sides equally for the negative tone of this year&#39;s campaign,&quot; Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute was quoted as saying by NJ.Com.

Meanwhile, the poll also found that the harsh tone in this year&#39;s election have actually ended many friendships over disagreements, with 7 per cent of voters saying that they have lost or ended a friendship due to this year&#39;s race.

The poll was conducted from September 22-25 with 802 registered voters in the US. The results have a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.

(PTI)

70% of US voters believe that the matchup between Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump has brought out the worst in people

The heated US presidential campaign between Hillary Clinton and her rival Donald Trump has "brought out the worst in people", nearly 70 per cent of American voters say. A new poll from Monmouth University finds 70 per cent of American voters say that this year's presidential campaign has "brought out the worst in people", something about which Democrats (78 per cent), Republicans (65 per cent), and independents (66 per cent) concur. The US election between 68-year-old Clinton and 70-year-old Trump will take place on November 8. Nearly half of Trump's voters (47 per cent) say that the campaign's harsh language is justified, compared to only 17 per cent of Clinton voters and 21 per cent of voters who are either undecided or are supporting a third party candidate. "Half of Trump supporters seem to be saying let the expletives fly, but many voters blame both sides equally for the negative tone of this year's campaign," Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute was quoted as saying by NJ.Com. Meanwhile, the poll also found that the harsh tone in this year's election have actually ended many friendships over disagreements, with 7 per cent of voters saying that they have lost or ended a friendship due to this year's race. The poll was conducted from September 22-25 with 802 registered voters in the US. The results have a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points. (PTI)

Majority of American voters say 2016 presidential campaign has 'brought out worst in people': Poll

US Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is set to return to the campaign trail on Thursday after taking a three-day break to recover from pneumonia, her spokesman said. 
 
Clinton &quot;has spent the day catching up on reading briefings, making calls&quot; and watching on television President Barack Obama&#39;s speech at a campaign appearance for the former secretary of state in Philadelphia, spokesman Nick Merrill said on Tuesday. 
 
&quot;We will resume campaign travel on Thursday, more details to come,&quot; he added. 
 
Clinton has not campaigned since Sunday after she almost collapsed at a New York memorial ceremony for the September 11, 2001, attacks. 
 
Her doctor said she had been diagnosed with pneumonia two days earlier. 
 
Clinton said on Monday that she would rest a few days before resuming her campaign for the November 8 election against Republican Donald Trump. 
 
Clinton said she had ignored doctor&#39;s order to rest and had not revealed her diagnosis earlier because &quot;I just didn&#39;t think it was going to be that big a deal.&quot; 
 
(WION with inputs from Reuters)

Clinton 'has spent the day catching up on reading briefings, making calls', spokesman Nick Merrill said on Tuesday

US Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is set to return to the campaign trail on Thursday after taking a three-day break to recover from pneumonia, her spokesman said. Clinton "has spent the day catching up on reading briefings, making calls" and watching on television President Barack Obama's speech at a campaign appearance for the former secretary of state in Philadelphia, spokesman Nick Merrill said on Tuesday. "We will resume campaign travel on Thursday, more details to come," he added. Clinton has not campaigned since Sunday after she almost collapsed at a New York memorial ceremony for the September 11, 2001, attacks. Her doctor said she had been diagnosed with pneumonia two days earlier. Clinton said on Monday that she would rest a few days before resuming her campaign for the November 8 election against Republican Donald Trump. Clinton said she had ignored doctor's order to rest and had not revealed her diagnosis earlier because "I just didn't think it was going to be that big a deal." (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Clinton to resume campaigning on Thursday

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said on Monday she was &quot;feeling fine&quot;, a day after she had to leave September 11 remembrance ceremony due to &#39;overheating&#39;. &nbsp; 
 
Clinton said on Twitter, &quot;I&#39;m feeling fine and getting better.&rdquo; 
&nbsp;
<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Thanks to everyone who&rsquo;s reached out with well wishes! I&rsquo;m feeling fine and getting better. -H
&mdash; Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) <a href="https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton/status/775435555601543168">September 12, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
 
&quot;Like anyone who&#39;s ever been home sick from work, I&#39;m just anxious to get back out there. See you on the trail soon,&quot; she added. 
 
Meanwhile, Clinton&#39;s campaign acknowledged mishandling of news of her&nbsp;pneumonia, Guardian reported today.&nbsp; 
 
&ldquo;We could have done better yesterday,&rdquo; Clinton communications director Jennifer Palmieri was quoted as saying.&nbsp; 
 
Clinton fell ill during a memorial service marking the 15th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. &nbsp; 
 
She was seen stumbling as she was helped into her vehicle, forcing her campaign to disclose she had been diagnosed with pneumonia. 
 
The incident gave her rival Donald Trump, 70, a new opening to question her fitness for the nation&#39;s highest office. 
 
Trump, reacting to Clinton&#39;s pneumonia news, has pledged to release his medical records insisting that health has now become an issue in the election campaign.&nbsp; 
 
Clinton canceled a trip she was scheduled to take to California on Monday and Tuesday for fundraising and other campaign events.&nbsp; 
 
Clinton&#39;s husband, Bill Clinton, will be &quot;campaigning in Nevada on the secretary&#39;s behalf on Wednesday,&quot; an aide to the former president said in a statement released by the campaign. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

'Like anyone who's ever been home sick from work, I'm just anxious to get back out there. See you on the trail soon,' she wrote on Twitter

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said on Monday she was "feeling fine", a day after she had to leave September 11 remembrance ceremony due to 'overheating'. Clinton said on Twitter, "I'm feeling fine and getting better.” Thanks to everyone who’s reached out with well wishes! I’m feeling fine and getting better. -H — Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) September 12, 2016 "Like anyone who's ever been home sick from work, I'm just anxious to get back out there. See you on the trail soon," she added. Meanwhile, Clinton's campaign acknowledged mishandling of news of her pneumonia, Guardian reported today. “We could have done better yesterday,” Clinton communications director Jennifer Palmieri was quoted as saying. Clinton fell ill during a memorial service marking the 15th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. She was seen stumbling as she was helped into her vehicle, forcing her campaign to disclose she had been diagnosed with pneumonia. The incident gave her rival Donald Trump, 70, a new opening to question her fitness for the nation's highest office. Trump, reacting to Clinton's pneumonia news, has pledged to release his medical records insisting that health has now become an issue in the election campaign. Clinton canceled a trip she was scheduled to take to California on Monday and Tuesday for fundraising and other campaign events. Clinton's husband, Bill Clinton, will be "campaigning in Nevada on the secretary's behalf on Wednesday," an aide to the former president said in a statement released by the campaign. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Clinton says 'feeling fine', will resume campaigning soon

After months of throwing abuse at Mexicans living in the United States &mdash; he has called them rapists, criminals, and drug dealers &mdash; the US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has announced he will be going to Mexico on Wednesday.&nbsp; 
 
The invitation came from the Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto.&nbsp; 
 
Trump tweeted: &quot;I have accepted the invitation of President Enrique Pena Nieto, of Mexico, and look very much forward to meeting him tomorrow.&quot;&nbsp; 
&nbsp;
<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
I have accepted the invitation of President Enrique Pena Nieto, of Mexico, and look very much forward to meeting him tomorrow.
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/770811688966770689">August 31, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
 
Nieto tweeted back in Spanish that Trump &quot;has accepted the invitation and will meet privately tomorrow with the president.&quot;
<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Invit? a M?xico a los candidatos a la Presidencia de EEUU, para conversar sobre la relaci?n bilateral. Ma?ana recibo a Donald Trump.
&mdash; Enrique Pe?a Nieto (@EPN) <a href="https://twitter.com/EPN/status/770824709977931780">August 31, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
 
The invite to Trump was also extended to his rival in the upcoming US election, the Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. There has been no word yet on whether Clinton will accept.&nbsp; 
 
Trump is reviled in Mexico, which is not surprising considering the heckling he has directed at them. Apart from his descriptions of them, he has also promised to build a giant wall on the southern US border to separate them (the Mexicans) from him and his constituency.&nbsp; 
 
And that he would &quot;make the Mexicans pay for the wall&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
Even Pena Nieto had reacted to that, saying back in July &quot;there is no way that Mexico could pay for a wall like that.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
Nieto has in the past also likened Trump to Hitler and Mussolini for some of the positions the presidential candidate has taken.&nbsp; 
 
Why then would Trump go to the country, even if he should have been invited? 
 
Says The New York Times: &quot;The trip is the latest gamble for Mr. Trump and his struggling campaign. But for all the risk it poses, it offers an image Mr Trump relishes: of a wily negotiator willing to do the unexpected &mdash; meeting with a perceived enemy &mdash; to advance his agenda.&quot; 
 
It adds that this will be Trump&#39;s first meeting with a head of state as the Republican presidential nominee.&nbsp; 
Why Nieto might have invited him is harder to guess at.&nbsp; 
 
Mr Trump&#39;s sojourn in Mexico will be short. After his meeting with Nieto at the Presidential Palace, he will be flying back to Phoneix, Arizona where he will be giving a speech in which he is expected to clarify his position on immigration.&nbsp; 
 
Earlier in his campaign, Mr Trump had called for a &quot;deportation force&quot; to evict every single undocumented immigrant &mdash; there are 11 million of them in the US &mdash; from the country; more recently he has talked of deporting those with criminal records. &nbsp; 
 
Commentators however continue to say his stand on immigration is frustratingly vague. &nbsp; 
 
(WION, with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

Trump is reviled in Mexico, which is not surprising considering the heckling he has directed at them

After months of throwing abuse at Mexicans living in the United States — he has called them rapists, criminals, and drug dealers — the US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has announced he will be going to Mexico on Wednesday. The invitation came from the Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto. Trump tweeted: "I have accepted the invitation of President Enrique Pena Nieto, of Mexico, and look very much forward to meeting him tomorrow." I have accepted the invitation of President Enrique Pena Nieto, of Mexico, and look very much forward to meeting him tomorrow. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 31, 2016 Nieto tweeted back in Spanish that Trump "has accepted the invitation and will meet privately tomorrow with the president." Invit? a M?xico a los candidatos a la Presidencia de EEUU, para conversar sobre la relaci?n bilateral. Ma?ana recibo a Donald Trump. — Enrique Pe?a Nieto (@EPN) August 31, 2016 The invite to Trump was also extended to his rival in the upcoming US election, the Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. There has been no word yet on whether Clinton will accept. Trump is reviled in Mexico, which is not surprising considering the heckling he has directed at them. Apart from his descriptions of them, he has also promised to build a giant wall on the southern US border to separate them (the Mexicans) from him and his constituency. And that he would "make the Mexicans pay for the wall". Even Pena Nieto had reacted to that, saying back in July "there is no way that Mexico could pay for a wall like that." Nieto has in the past also likened Trump to Hitler and Mussolini for some of the positions the presidential candidate has taken. Why then would Trump go to the country, even if he should have been invited? Says The New York Times: "The trip is the latest gamble for Mr. Trump and his struggling campaign. But for all the risk it poses, it offers an image Mr Trump relishes: of a wily negotiator willing to do the unexpected — meeting with a perceived enemy — to advance his agenda." It adds that this will be Trump's first meeting with a head of state as the Republican presidential nominee. Why Nieto might have invited him is harder to guess at. Mr Trump's sojourn in Mexico will be short. After his meeting with Nieto at the Presidential Palace, he will be flying back to Phoneix, Arizona where he will be giving a speech in which he is expected to clarify his position on immigration. Earlier in his campaign, Mr Trump had called for a "deportation force" to evict every single undocumented immigrant — there are 11 million of them in the US — from the country; more recently he has talked of deporting those with criminal records. Commentators however continue to say his stand on immigration is frustratingly vague. (WION, with inputs from agencies)

After vowing to keep its citizens out, Trump to travel to Mexico

US Republican Donald Trump yesterday repeated his attack on President Barack Obama that he helped &quot;found&quot; Islamic State and railed against media reports that his campaign is failing, at a campaign rally in Connecticut, a state where he has a long-shot of being victorious. 
 
Speaking for more than an hour in a sweltering room, Trump spent a significant portion of his speech complaining about the media. 
 
He again threatened to revoke the press credentials of The New York Times. The credentials allow reporters access to press-only areas of his campaign events. He has already banned other outlets, including The Washington Post. 
 
On Saturday, the New York newspaper published an article detailing failed efforts to make Trump focus his campaign on the general election. 
 
&quot;These are the most dishonest people,&quot; Trump said. &quot;Maybe we&#39;ll start thinking about taking their press credentials away from them.&quot; 
 
Trump visiting Connecticut, a heavily Democratic state, raised eyebrows among many Republicans. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s asinine that he would be in Connecticut holding a public rally less than 90 days before the election,&quot; said Republican strategist Matt Mackowiak. &quot;You don&#39;t see Hillary publicly campaigning in Idaho and Mississippi. I have to think this proves the candidate is running the campaign, which explains why it&#39;s such a disaster of biblical proportions.&quot; 
 
At several points the crowd chanted &quot;lock her up,&quot; a frequent campaign rally chant in reference to Trump&#39;s Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. 
 
Trump told the crowd that normally he responds by saying he intends instead to defeat her in the November 8 election, but this time added, &quot;You know what? You have a point!&quot; 
 
Trump also dropped his recent efforts to say he was not being serious when he said Obama was the &quot;founder&quot; of the Islamic State militant group . 
 
&quot;It&#39;s the opinion of myself and a lot of people that he was the founder,&quot; Trump told the crowd. 
 
Democrats and Republicans alike have criticized Trump&#39;s assertion as patently false. 
 
Trump took a detour from attacking Clinton&#39;s economic record to discuss the 1998 scandal involving White House intern Monica Lewinsky and former President Bill Clinton, whom Republicans attempted to impeach. 
 
&quot;Remember when he said, he did not have sex with that woman, and a couple of weeks later, oh you got me,&quot; Trump said, to cheers. He then made reference to a blue dress that became a symbol in the investigation. &quot;I&#39;m so glad they kept that dress, so glad they kept that dress, because it shows what the hell they are.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

Trump threatened to revoke the daily's press credentials. He has already banned other outlets, including The Washington Post

US Republican Donald Trump yesterday repeated his attack on President Barack Obama that he helped "found" Islamic State and railed against media reports that his campaign is failing, at a campaign rally in Connecticut, a state where he has a long-shot of being victorious. Speaking for more than an hour in a sweltering room, Trump spent a significant portion of his speech complaining about the media. He again threatened to revoke the press credentials of The New York Times. The credentials allow reporters access to press-only areas of his campaign events. He has already banned other outlets, including The Washington Post. On Saturday, the New York newspaper published an article detailing failed efforts to make Trump focus his campaign on the general election. "These are the most dishonest people," Trump said. "Maybe we'll start thinking about taking their press credentials away from them." Trump visiting Connecticut, a heavily Democratic state, raised eyebrows among many Republicans. "It's asinine that he would be in Connecticut holding a public rally less than 90 days before the election," said Republican strategist Matt Mackowiak. "You don't see Hillary publicly campaigning in Idaho and Mississippi. I have to think this proves the candidate is running the campaign, which explains why it's such a disaster of biblical proportions." At several points the crowd chanted "lock her up," a frequent campaign rally chant in reference to Trump's Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. Trump told the crowd that normally he responds by saying he intends instead to defeat her in the November 8 election, but this time added, "You know what? You have a point!" Trump also dropped his recent efforts to say he was not being serious when he said Obama was the "founder" of the Islamic State militant group . "It's the opinion of myself and a lot of people that he was the founder," Trump told the crowd. Democrats and Republicans alike have criticized Trump's assertion as patently false. Trump took a detour from attacking Clinton's economic record to discuss the 1998 scandal involving White House intern Monica Lewinsky and former President Bill Clinton, whom Republicans attempted to impeach. "Remember when he said, he did not have sex with that woman, and a couple of weeks later, oh you got me," Trump said, to cheers. He then made reference to a blue dress that became a symbol in the investigation. "I'm so glad they kept that dress, so glad they kept that dress, because it shows what the hell they are." (Reuters)

Trump rails against New York Times in response to reports of failing campaign

It has been a&nbsp;turbulent&nbsp;week for Republican US presidential nominee Donald Trump after his ambiguous statement referring to possible actions that &quot;Second Amendment people&quot;&nbsp;could do in order to stop Democratic rival Hillary Clinton from nominating liberal US Supreme Court justices.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Hillary wants to essentially abolish the Second Amendment. If she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks. Although the Second amendment people,&nbsp;maybe there is, I don&#39;t know,&quot; Trump told a rally in Wilmington, North Carolina, on Wednesday.&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 
The Second Amendment&nbsp;states: &quot;A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.&quot; It is often&nbsp;invoked&nbsp;by gun rights activists and other&nbsp;US&nbsp;citizens&nbsp;demanding&nbsp;the right to carry firearms, whether or not&nbsp;they are&nbsp;in a militia maintaining the security of the state.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Even if Trump clarified afterwards that he was just appealing to gun rights activists&nbsp;not to vote for Clinton, many understood his remark as a call to violence against her and a menace to a presidential candidate&#39;s own safety.&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 
Social media accused him of effectively calling for Clinton&rsquo;s assassination, and&nbsp;the&nbsp;web was filled&nbsp;with tens of thousands of Tweets and posts.&nbsp;&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
An additional major blow for the Republican candidate appeared today on Patti&nbsp;Davis&#39;&nbsp;Facebook timeline. Ronald Reagan&#39;s daughter&nbsp;criticised&nbsp;the kind of verbal violence Trump used, recalling&nbsp;what happened to her father, who was shot at by a man who was&nbsp;inspired by a movie. 
 
Coming directly from the daughter of the man who many consider synonymous with the&nbsp;Republican Party, such a comment does not go unnoticed.&nbsp;

&nbsp;<img alt="" class="img-responsive" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/untitled-20160811115600.jpg" />

The&nbsp;defence that critics are all Democrats or members of the &quot;politically correct&quot; liberal establishment does not seem to be&nbsp;sticking, as&nbsp;Trump is facing serious, and mounting, criticism&nbsp;within his own ranks.&nbsp; 
 
Reagan&#39;s indictment&nbsp;comes shortly&nbsp;after the decision taken on Monday by fifty prominent Republican national security officials,&nbsp;including&nbsp;a former CIA director, who joined together in declaring they will not vote for Donald Trump as he would be&nbsp;&quot;the most reckless president in American history&quot;. 
 
The list of Republican politicians&nbsp;distancing themselves from Trump is<a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2016/08/10/politics/donald-trump-republican-opposition/"> long and growing</a>. Time will tell if the same trend applies to voters.&nbsp; 
 
(WION)

Patti Davis wrote a poignant criticism on her Facebook profile, reminding Trump how her father was shot at by a person inspired by a movie

It has been a turbulent week for Republican US presidential nominee Donald Trump after his ambiguous statement referring to possible actions that "Second Amendment people" could do in order to stop Democratic rival Hillary Clinton from nominating liberal US Supreme Court justices. "Hillary wants to essentially abolish the Second Amendment. If she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks. Although the Second amendment people, maybe there is, I don't know," Trump told a rally in Wilmington, North Carolina, on Wednesday. The Second Amendment states: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." It is often invoked by gun rights activists and other US citizens demanding the right to carry firearms, whether or not they are in a militia maintaining the security of the state. Even if Trump clarified afterwards that he was just appealing to gun rights activists not to vote for Clinton, many understood his remark as a call to violence against her and a menace to a presidential candidate's own safety. Social media accused him of effectively calling for Clinton’s assassination, and the web was filled with tens of thousands of Tweets and posts. An additional major blow for the Republican candidate appeared today on Patti Davis' Facebook timeline. Ronald Reagan's daughter criticised the kind of verbal violence Trump used, recalling what happened to her father, who was shot at by a man who was inspired by a movie. Coming directly from the daughter of the man who many consider synonymous with the Republican Party, such a comment does not go unnoticed. The defence that critics are all Democrats or members of the "politically correct" liberal establishment does not seem to be sticking, as Trump is facing serious, and mounting, criticism within his own ranks. Reagan's indictment comes shortly after the decision taken on Monday by fifty prominent Republican national security officials, including a former CIA director, who joined together in declaring they will not vote for Donald Trump as he would be "the most reckless president in American history". The list of Republican politicians distancing themselves from Trump is long and growing. Time will tell if the same trend applies to voters. (WION)

Ronald Reagan's daughter slams Donald Trump's verbal violence

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

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

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

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

Republican Donald Trump said today that if elected president on November 8 he would be open to drawing NATO forces into the fight against Islamic State militants in a new mission for an alliance he has called obsolete. 
 
Trump made the comments in an interview with ABC News. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee has for months raised questions about the money the United States pours into NATO, which he says needs to be reconfigured to take account of today&#39;s threats. 
 
&ldquo;I like the idea of using NATO and also neighbours that aren&rsquo;t in NATO and take them out. You gotta take them out,&rdquo; Trump said. 
 
Under President Barack Obama, the United States has relied heavily on US airstrikes to attack Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq. Republicans have criticised this policy as not enough to stop the militants. 
 
Trump said the idea of using the Cold War-era alliance would be to ease the load on American forces. 
 
&quot;I don&rsquo;t want to get too much of ours involved. I want NATO to be involved,&rdquo; Trump said. &ldquo;We spend a tremendous amount of money on NATO. We take care of countries that frankly should be taking care of themselves in terms of economically.&rdquo; 
 
Trump&#39;s comments came amid an uproar over a meeting between former president Bill Clinton and attorney general Loretta Lynch at a time when Clinton&#39;s wife, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, is under federal investigation. 
 
The private meeting took place on Lynch&#39;s plane after she landed in Phoenix on Monday night and Bill Clinton was leaving the airport after a rally he held for his wife earlier that day. 
 
Hillary Clinton is under an FBI investigation for her use of a private email server when she was President Barack Obama&#39;s first-term secretary of state. 
 
Trump told conservative radio talk show host Mike Gallagher that the meeting was proof of his charge that the US political system is &quot;rigged&quot; in favor of political elites. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s unheard of,&quot; Trump told ABC News. &quot;You have this massive investigation on emails and they&#39;d have a meeting like this.&quot; 
 
Lynch, appointed to her position by Obama more than a year ago, said she did not discuss the email investigation or other pending matters before the justice department with Bill Clinton. 
 
&quot;When I was landing at the airport, I did see president Clinton at the Phoenix airport as I was leaving and he spoke to myself and my husband on the plane,&quot; Lynch told reporters. 
 
&quot;Our conversation was a great deal about grandchildren. It was primarily social and about our travels. He mentioned the golf he played in Phoenix and he mentioned travels he had to West Virginia...But there was no discussion of any matter pending for the department or any matter pending before any other body,&quot; Lynch said. 
 
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating Hillary Clinton about her email use and has already interviewed some of her aides. The investigation into whether laws were broken as a result of the server kept in her New York home has overshadowed Clinton&#39;s campaign. 
 
Special counsel 
 
Obama is preparing to campaign with Hillary Clinton for the first time in her 2016 White House bid. They are to appear together in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Tuesday. A Reuters/Ipsos poll this week showed Clinton 11 points ahead of the billionaire businessman 
 
At the White House, spokesman Josh Earnest made clear that Obama believes an impartial investigation is crucial and noted that Lynch had said the conversation was benign. 
 
&quot;I think the bottom line is simply that both the president and the attorney general understand how important it is for the department of justice to conduct investigations that are free of political interference,&quot; Earnest told reporters. 
 
US senator John Cornyn of Texas, the Number 2 Senate Republican, cited the incident in renewing his call for an independent counsel to take over the Clinton probe from the FBI. 
 
(Reuters)

'I like the idea of using NATO and also neighbours that aren?t in NATO and take them out. You gotta take them out,' he told ABC News

Republican Donald Trump said today that if elected president on November 8 he would be open to drawing NATO forces into the fight against Islamic State militants in a new mission for an alliance he has called obsolete. Trump made the comments in an interview with ABC News. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee has for months raised questions about the money the United States pours into NATO, which he says needs to be reconfigured to take account of today's threats. “I like the idea of using NATO and also neighbours that aren’t in NATO and take them out. You gotta take them out,” Trump said. Under President Barack Obama, the United States has relied heavily on US airstrikes to attack Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq. Republicans have criticised this policy as not enough to stop the militants. Trump said the idea of using the Cold War-era alliance would be to ease the load on American forces. "I don’t want to get too much of ours involved. I want NATO to be involved,” Trump said. “We spend a tremendous amount of money on NATO. We take care of countries that frankly should be taking care of themselves in terms of economically.” Trump's comments came amid an uproar over a meeting between former president Bill Clinton and attorney general Loretta Lynch at a time when Clinton's wife, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, is under federal investigation. The private meeting took place on Lynch's plane after she landed in Phoenix on Monday night and Bill Clinton was leaving the airport after a rally he held for his wife earlier that day. Hillary Clinton is under an FBI investigation for her use of a private email server when she was President Barack Obama's first-term secretary of state. Trump told conservative radio talk show host Mike Gallagher that the meeting was proof of his charge that the US political system is "rigged" in favor of political elites. "It's unheard of," Trump told ABC News. "You have this massive investigation on emails and they'd have a meeting like this." Lynch, appointed to her position by Obama more than a year ago, said she did not discuss the email investigation or other pending matters before the justice department with Bill Clinton. "When I was landing at the airport, I did see president Clinton at the Phoenix airport as I was leaving and he spoke to myself and my husband on the plane," Lynch told reporters. "Our conversation was a great deal about grandchildren. It was primarily social and about our travels. He mentioned the golf he played in Phoenix and he mentioned travels he had to West Virginia...But there was no discussion of any matter pending for the department or any matter pending before any other body," Lynch said. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating Hillary Clinton about her email use and has already interviewed some of her aides. The investigation into whether laws were broken as a result of the server kept in her New York home has overshadowed Clinton's campaign. Special counsel Obama is preparing to campaign with Hillary Clinton for the first time in her 2016 White House bid. They are to appear together in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Tuesday. A Reuters/Ipsos poll this week showed Clinton 11 points ahead of the billionaire businessman At the White House, spokesman Josh Earnest made clear that Obama believes an impartial investigation is crucial and noted that Lynch had said the conversation was benign. "I think the bottom line is simply that both the president and the attorney general understand how important it is for the department of justice to conduct investigations that are free of political interference," Earnest told reporters. US senator John Cornyn of Texas, the Number 2 Senate Republican, cited the incident in renewing his call for an independent counsel to take over the Clinton probe from the FBI. (Reuters)

If elected president, Trump pledges to use NATO in fight against ISIS

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

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

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

Clinton hails a milestone, clinches Democratic nomination