Senator <a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/us-senator-elizabeth-warren-formally-launches-2020-presidential-campaign-196322">Elizabeth Warren</a> said on Friday that if elected US president she would seek to break up tech companies Amazon.com Inc, Alphabet Inc's Google and Facebook Inc as part of a structural change to the sector aimed at promoting competition.

Warren, who is seeking to stand out in a Democratic field crowded with progressives, said in a blog post that the companies have been allowed to purchase potential competitors, like Facebook's acquisition of Instagram.

"They’ve bulldozed competition, used our private information for profit, and tilted the playing field against everyone else. And in the process, they have hurt small businesses and stifled innovation," Warren wrote.

Amazon shares fell 1.5 per cent and Facebook and Alphabet shares were down 0.6 per cent in morning trade on Friday.

Warren said that she would nominate regulators who would unwind mergers such as Facebook's deals for WhatsApp and Instagram, Amazon's deals for Whole Foods and Zappos, and Google's purchase of Waze, Nest and DoubleClick.

Amazon, Google and Facebook did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Senator Elizabeth Warren said on Friday that if elected US president she would seek to break up tech companies Amazon.com Inc, Alphabet Inc's Google and Facebook Inc as part of a structural change to the sector aimed at promoting competition.

Senator Elizabeth Warren said on Friday that if elected US president she would seek to break up tech companies Amazon.com Inc, Alphabet Inc's Google and Facebook Inc as part of a structural change to the sector aimed at promoting competition. Warren, who is seeking to stand out in a Democratic field crowded with progressives, said in a blog post that the companies have been allowed to purchase potential competitors, like Facebook's acquisition of Instagram. "They’ve bulldozed competition, used our private information for profit, and tilted the playing field against everyone else. And in the process, they have hurt small businesses and stifled innovation," Warren wrote. Amazon shares fell 1.5 per cent and Facebook and Alphabet shares were down 0.6 per cent in morning trade on Friday. Warren said that she would nominate regulators who would unwind mergers such as Facebook's deals for WhatsApp and Instagram, Amazon's deals for Whole Foods and Zappos, and Google's purchase of Waze, Nest and DoubleClick. Amazon, Google and Facebook did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Senator Warren says would breakup Google, Facebook and Amazon if elected US president

President Donald Trump on Saturday (March 2) attacked <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/robert-mueller-former-trump-campaign-manager-broke-law-repeatedly-and-brazenly-199293">US Special Counsel Robert Mueller ahead of his report </a>on alleged Russia collusion by the Trump campaign in 2016 and said his political opponents were "trying to take me out with bu****it."

"We're waiting for a report by people who weren't elected," Trump said of the Mueller report, which is said to be days away from being handed over to Attorney General William Barr.

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-democrats-will-subpoena-muellers-russia-report-if-needed-lawmaker-199561">Democrats will subpoena Mueller's Russia report if needed, says US lawmaker</a>

Trump said Comey, who the president fired in 2017, was Mueller's "best friend," and appeared to complain that Comey should have been fired before Trump took office.

"Unfortunately, you put the wrong people in a couple of positions and they leave people for a long time that shouldn't be there and all of a sudden they are trying to take you out with bu****it, okay?" Trump said.

"Now Robert Mueller never received a vote and neither did the person who appointed him," he added.

Deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein appointed Mueller in May 2017 to take over the Russia investigation after Trump fired Comey, whose agency had led the probe initially. Rosenstein is expected to step down by mid-March.

Trump mocked the Southern accent of Sessions and criticised him for recusing himself from the Russia probe. In November, Trump fired Sessions, a former US senator from Alabama who was among the first Republican lawmakers to back Trump's presidential bid.

Trump also said he would soon sign an executive order requiring American universities and colleges to maintain "free speech" on campuses and threatened that schools not complying could lose federal research funds.

Trump made his remarks at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference after bringing to the stage Hayden Williams, a conservative activist who was punched at the University of California, Berkeley, last month while recruiting students for a conservative group.

"Today, I am proud to announce that I will be very soon signing an executive order requiring colleges and universities to support free speech if they want federal research funds," Trump said.

President Donald Trump on Saturday (March 2) attacked US Special Counsel Robert Mueller ahead of his report on alleged Russia collusion by the Trump campaign in 2016 and said his political opponents were "trying to take me out with bu****it.

President Donald Trump on Saturday (March 2) attacked US Special Counsel Robert Mueller ahead of his report on alleged Russia collusion by the Trump campaign in 2016 and said his political opponents were "trying to take me out with bu****it." "We're waiting for a report by people who weren't elected," Trump said of the Mueller report, which is said to be days away from being handed over to Attorney General William Barr. Also read: Democrats will subpoena Mueller's Russia report if needed, says US lawmaker Trump said Comey, who the president fired in 2017, was Mueller's "best friend," and appeared to complain that Comey should have been fired before Trump took office. "Unfortunately, you put the wrong people in a couple of positions and they leave people for a long time that shouldn't be there and all of a sudden they are trying to take you out with bu****it, okay?" Trump said. "Now Robert Mueller never received a vote and neither did the person who appointed him," he added. Deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein appointed Mueller in May 2017 to take over the Russia investigation after Trump fired Comey, whose agency had led the probe initially. Rosenstein is expected to step down by mid-March. Trump mocked the Southern accent of Sessions and criticised him for recusing himself from the Russia probe. In November, Trump fired Sessions, a former US senator from Alabama who was among the first Republican lawmakers to back Trump's presidential bid. Trump also said he would soon sign an executive order requiring American universities and colleges to maintain "free speech" on campuses and threatened that schools not complying could lose federal research funds. Trump made his remarks at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference after bringing to the stage Hayden Williams, a conservative activist who was punched at the University of California, Berkeley, last month while recruiting students for a conservative group. "Today, I am proud to announce that I will be very soon signing an executive order requiring colleges and universities to support free speech if they want federal research funds," Trump said.

Trump blasts Mueller probe at CPAC, says opponents 'trying to take me out'

&nbsp;US&nbsp;President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen accused him of breaking the law while in office and said for the first time that Trump knew in advance about a WikiLeaks dump of stolen emails that hurt his 2016 election rival, Hillary Clinton.

In a dramatic televised hearing in Congress on Wednesday, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-jr-signed-checks-for-hush-money-related-to-affair-michael-cohen-200136">Cohen said Trump approved hush payments to cover up extra-marital sexual relationships</a> in violation of campaign finance laws and signed a personal check for $35,000 in 2017 to reimburse Cohen for at least one of those payments.

Cohen, 52, was a close aide of Trump for years and his testimony could increase the legal and political pressure on the Republican president, but he did not appear to disclose a "smoking gun" that could sink his former boss.

Cohen told a House of Representatives committee he had no direct evidence that Trump or his campaign colluded with Moscow during the election campaign.

Possible collusion is a key theme of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, which has dogged the president during his two years in office. Trump has repeatedly denied the allegation as has the Kremlin.

Assailing the president as a "conman" and a "cheat," Cohen said Trump knew ahead of time about WikiLeaks' release of emails in 2016 that undermined Democrat Clinton's presidential bid.

He also said Trump directed negotiations for a real estate project in Moscow during the White House race even as he publicly said he had no business interests in Russia.

"I wouldn't use the word colluding," Cohen said of Trump's dealings with Russia, adding that there was "something odd" about the president's good relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The White House had no comment on Cohen's testimony but Trump earlier on Wednesday accused his former employee of lying.

"He did bad things unrelated to Trump. He is lying in order to reduce his prison time," Trump wrote on Twitter from Vietnam, where he was meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Republican lawmakers at the hearing tried to undermine Cohen, portraying him as an irredeemable liar who had benefited from financial crimes he pleaded guilty to last year, and saying the hearing was an opening gambit in a Democratic push to impeach Trump.

"I don’t believe Michael Cohen is capable of telling the truth," said Republican Representative James Comer.

Cohen was mostly calm and contrite under the heated questioning from Republicans, and cautioned them not to make the same mistake he did in protecting Trump.

"I did the same thing as you're doing now, for 10 years. I protected Mr. Trump for 10 years," Cohen told the committee hearing. "The more people that follow Mr. Trump as I did blindly are going to suffer the same consequences that I am suffering."

As the hearing wrapped up, Cohen wiped away tears when the committee's Democratic chairman, Elijah Cummings, expressed sympathy for him.

Cohen said in his closing remarks that he worried about the ramifications if Trump loses his re-election bid in&nbsp;2020.

"Given my experience working for Mr. Trump, I fear that if he loses the election in&nbsp;2020, there will never be a peaceful transition of power," Cohen said.

Ally turned witness

Cohen was one of Trump's closest aides and fiercest defenders, working with him on business and personal deals for a decade.

But he turned against him last year and is cooperating with prosecutors after pleading guilty to tax evasion, bank fraud and campaign finance violations. Democrats took control of the House after last year's congressional elections and called Cohen to testify.

He begins serving a three-year prison sentence in May.

"I am ashamed because I know what Mr. Trump is.<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-is-a-racist-conman-and-cheat-ex-lawyer-michael-cohen-tells-congress-200117"> He is a racist. He is a conman. He is a cheat</a>," Cohen said.

He said he was directed by Trump in 2016 to make a $130,000 payment to adult-film star Stormy Daniels to cover up an extra-marital affair.

That payment could amount to an illegal in-kind contribution by Cohen to the campaign because it exceeded donation limits and was not disclosed in Trump's campaign finance reports, legal experts say.

Trump has denied having sex with Daniels and said the payments to her and another woman who claimed an affair were not illegal.

Cohen turned over to the committee a copy of a $35,000 check Trump signed on August 1, 2017, one in a series he said was to reimburse him for paying off Daniels after Trump took office.

Cohen said Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., co-signed another check, again for $35,000. A lawyer for Donald Jr. did not respond to a request for comment.

The sweeping claims against Trump, from a man who once said he would take a bullet for his boss, come as Mueller appears to be close to completing his investigation into possible collusion between Trump's campaign and Russian efforts to sway the vote.

Trump has called the Mueller investigation a "witch hunt."

US&nbsp;officials have said the emails released by WikiLeaks were stolen by Russia as part of Moscow's campaign of hacking and propaganda during the presidential race aimed at sowing discord in the United States and harming Clinton.

Trump has previously denied knowing in advance about the release of hacked Democratic National Committee emails during the election.

Cohen said he was in Trump's office in July 2016 when Roger Stone, a self-described "dirty trickster" and longtime political adviser to Trump, called the then-Republican presidential candidate.

Cohen said Stone told Trump he had been speaking with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who told him there would be a dump of emails within a couple of days that would damage Clinton's campaign.

The DNC emails drove a wedge between supporters of Clinton and her rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, Senator Bernie Sanders. Although Clinton won the nomination, that rift weakened her candidacy.

"Mr. Cohen's statement is untrue," Stone said in an email, but did not specify which parts of the statement he meant.

Stone was indicted by Mueller on charges of lying to Congress about his communications with others related to WikiLeaks email dumps.

Cohen apologised for initially lying to Congress in 2017, when he said efforts to build a Trump skyscraper in Moscow had ceased by January 2016. He now says they continued through June 2016, during the height of the election campaign, and that Trump's lawyers "reviewed and edited" those false statements to Congress.

Cohen said Trump on multiple occasions inquired about the Moscow real estate project while telling the public he had no business dealings in Russia.

"He lied about it because he never expected to win the election. He also lied about it because he stood to make hundreds of millions of dollars," Cohen said.

US President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen accused him of breaking the law while in office and said for the first time that Trump knew in advance about a WikiLeaks dump of stolen emails that hurt his 2016 election rival, Hillary Clinton.

US President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen accused him of breaking the law while in office and said for the first time that Trump knew in advance about a WikiLeaks dump of stolen emails that hurt his 2016 election rival, Hillary Clinton. In a dramatic televised hearing in Congress on Wednesday, Cohen said Trump approved hush payments to cover up extra-marital sexual relationships in violation of campaign finance laws and signed a personal check for $35,000 in 2017 to reimburse Cohen for at least one of those payments. Cohen, 52, was a close aide of Trump for years and his testimony could increase the legal and political pressure on the Republican president, but he did not appear to disclose a "smoking gun" that could sink his former boss. Cohen told a House of Representatives committee he had no direct evidence that Trump or his campaign colluded with Moscow during the election campaign. Possible collusion is a key theme of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, which has dogged the president during his two years in office. Trump has repeatedly denied the allegation as has the Kremlin. Assailing the president as a "conman" and a "cheat," Cohen said Trump knew ahead of time about WikiLeaks' release of emails in 2016 that undermined Democrat Clinton's presidential bid. He also said Trump directed negotiations for a real estate project in Moscow during the White House race even as he publicly said he had no business interests in Russia. "I wouldn't use the word colluding," Cohen said of Trump's dealings with Russia, adding that there was "something odd" about the president's good relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The White House had no comment on Cohen's testimony but Trump earlier on Wednesday accused his former employee of lying. "He did bad things unrelated to Trump. He is lying in order to reduce his prison time," Trump wrote on Twitter from Vietnam, where he was meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Republican lawmakers at the hearing tried to undermine Cohen, portraying him as an irredeemable liar who had benefited from financial crimes he pleaded guilty to last year, and saying the hearing was an opening gambit in a Democratic push to impeach Trump. "I don’t believe Michael Cohen is capable of telling the truth," said Republican Representative James Comer. Cohen was mostly calm and contrite under the heated questioning from Republicans, and cautioned them not to make the same mistake he did in protecting Trump. "I did the same thing as you're doing now, for 10 years. I protected Mr. Trump for 10 years," Cohen told the committee hearing. "The more people that follow Mr. Trump as I did blindly are going to suffer the same consequences that I am suffering." As the hearing wrapped up, Cohen wiped away tears when the committee's Democratic chairman, Elijah Cummings, expressed sympathy for him. Cohen said in his closing remarks that he worried about the ramifications if Trump loses his re-election bid in 2020. "Given my experience working for Mr. Trump, I fear that if he loses the election in 2020, there will never be a peaceful transition of power," Cohen said. Ally turned witness Cohen was one of Trump's closest aides and fiercest defenders, working with him on business and personal deals for a decade. But he turned against him last year and is cooperating with prosecutors after pleading guilty to tax evasion, bank fraud and campaign finance violations. Democrats took control of the House after last year's congressional elections and called Cohen to testify. He begins serving a three-year prison sentence in May. "I am ashamed because I know what Mr. Trump is. He is a racist. He is a conman. He is a cheat," Cohen said. He said he was directed by Trump in 2016 to make a $130,000 payment to adult-film star Stormy Daniels to cover up an extra-marital affair. That payment could amount to an illegal in-kind contribution by Cohen to the campaign because it exceeded donation limits and was not disclosed in Trump's campaign finance reports, legal experts say. Trump has denied having sex with Daniels and said the payments to her and another woman who claimed an affair were not illegal. Cohen turned over to the committee a copy of a $35,000 check Trump signed on August 1, 2017, one in a series he said was to reimburse him for paying off Daniels after Trump took office. Cohen said Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., co-signed another check, again for $35,000. A lawyer for Donald Jr. did not respond to a request for comment. The sweeping claims against Trump, from a man who once said he would take a bullet for his boss, come as Mueller appears to be close to completing his investigation into possible collusion between Trump's campaign and Russian efforts to sway the vote. Trump has called the Mueller investigation a "witch hunt." US officials have said the emails released by WikiLeaks were stolen by Russia as part of Moscow's campaign of hacking and propaganda during the presidential race aimed at sowing discord in the United States and harming Clinton. Trump has previously denied knowing in advance about the release of hacked Democratic National Committee emails during the election. Cohen said he was in Trump's office in July 2016 when Roger Stone, a self-described "dirty trickster" and longtime political adviser to Trump, called the then-Republican presidential candidate. Cohen said Stone told Trump he had been speaking with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who told him there would be a dump of emails within a couple of days that would damage Clinton's campaign. The DNC emails drove a wedge between supporters of Clinton and her rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, Senator Bernie Sanders. Although Clinton won the nomination, that rift weakened her candidacy. "Mr. Cohen's statement is untrue," Stone said in an email, but did not specify which parts of the statement he meant. Stone was indicted by Mueller on charges of lying to Congress about his communications with others related to WikiLeaks email dumps. Cohen apologised for initially lying to Congress in 2017, when he said efforts to build a Trump skyscraper in Moscow had ceased by January 2016. He now says they continued through June 2016, during the height of the election campaign, and that Trump's lawyers "reviewed and edited" those false statements to Congress. Cohen said Trump on multiple occasions inquired about the Moscow real estate project while telling the public he had no business dealings in Russia. "He lied about it because he never expected to win the election. He also lied about it because he stood to make hundreds of millions of dollars," Cohen said.

Peaceful transition of power at risk if Trump loses 2020 election, says Michael Cohen

Former US Vice President Joe Biden said this week he was "very close" to deciding whether to make a 2020 White House bid and will run only if he thinks he can win the Democratic Party`s nomination.

He is not alone in questioning if he is the man for the moment.

The clamor for Biden to join the pack seeking to challenge Republican President Donald Trump has quieted as the Democratic field has grown more crowded and diverse, according to interviews with more than two dozen strategists, activists, party organizers and voters.

Opinion polls show Biden, a former US senator from Delaware who served two terms as former President Barack Obama`s vice president, remains popular. But the Democratic Party may no longer need him in order to be competitive against Trump.

"I love Joe Biden. He`s a great guy and a great politician," said Jerry Shriner, a Democratic national committee member from Idaho. "I wish he were the president right now. But I`m not sure I wish he is president in 2021."

Democrats are in the early stages of an internal debate about how best to challenge Trump in next year`s presidential election, weighing factors like electability, ideology and identity.

The strength of the field - expected to include at least six sitting U.S. senators, plus several current or former governors, US House of Representatives members and a former Cabinet secretary - is a factor in Biden`s calculations, those close to him say.

He will be more likely to remain on the sidelines if he feels a strong candidate capable of beating Trump is emerging.

But a source close to Biden said: "If I had to guess, he`s probably going to do it."

Biden associates have held discussions with potential staffers and supporters who could serve political strategy, grassroots organizing and digital campaign roles, according to two sources. One source said those conversations were necessary to quickly ramp up a formal campaign operation should Biden decide to run.

Some party activists say, however, that Biden has not reached out to broad donor networks to gauge the level of monetary support he could expect.&nbsp; 
Biden, who mounted failed presidential campaigns in 2008 and 1988, said at an event in Delaware on Tuesday that he did not want a third bid to be "a fool`s errand."

"What I don’t want to do is take people’s time, effort and commitment without there being a clear shot I could be the nominee," he said. "I think I can."

'TOO OLD'

Biden chose not to run in 2016 when former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was widely considered the heavy favorite for the Democratic nomination.

Some political analysts have since speculated he could have won industrial battleground states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin that proved crucial to Trump`s surprise victory.

Biden`s high name recognition among Democratic voters means he likely can afford to wait longer than lesser-known candidates to enter the 2020 race. But even that comes with a risk.&nbsp;

"The longer he waits, the more people are going to start to want to follow some of the new and younger voices they`re hearing," said Bret Niles, the Democratic Party chairman in Linn County, Iowa.&nbsp;

Biden`s age, ideology and record already are drawing scrutiny. If elected, he would be 78 when he was sworn in.&nbsp;

"Joe Biden is too old," said Mary Donough, 60, a Democrat from Des Moines, Iowa, who plans to participate in her state`s crucial primary caucus next year and wants a younger candidate to challenge Trump.

"There is just more energy there," she said.

Biden`s backers will argue his age represents experience, said a former aide who asked to speak on background in order to explain internal talking points.&nbsp;

"Voters look at Donald Trump and they look at what we’re missing, which is someone who understands the institution, someone who is an adult, someone who is seasoned, someone who respects the institutions," the former aide said.

The Democratic Party undoubtedly has moved left since the last time Biden appeared alone on a ballot in 2008, when he was re-elected to the Senate by Delaware voters for his seventh term.

“Times have changed," said Adam Green, chairman of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee. “Does he meet the moment?"&nbsp;

Green, whose group supports the candidacy of US Senator Elizabeth Warren, lumps Biden in with white, male, moderate Democrats who have faltered in recent elections, like Phil Bredesen, who lost his US Senate race in Tennessee last year.

Biden also will have to answer for his record.

He chaired the 1991 confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and was criticized for not doing enough to protect Anita Hill, who accused Thomas of sexual harassment. Biden has since apologized and said he should have done more to shield Hill from attacks by Republicans.

Unions remain unhappy about the free-trade deals advocated by the Obama administration, and liberal progressive groups point to the bailout of Wall Street banks during the financial crisis that provided no help to distressed homeowners.&nbsp;

Sharon Holle, who has been working to organize for Biden in Iowa ahead of his decision, argued his experience would appeal to Democrats nervous about the country`s direction under Trump.

"People are scared," Holle said. "We`re in a crisis right now. We need somebody we can trust."

Former US Vice President Joe Biden said this week he was "very close" to deciding whether to make a 2020 White House bid and will run only if he thinks he can win the Democratic Party`s nomination.

Former US Vice President Joe Biden said this week he was "very close" to deciding whether to make a 2020 White House bid and will run only if he thinks he can win the Democratic Party`s nomination. He is not alone in questioning if he is the man for the moment. The clamor for Biden to join the pack seeking to challenge Republican President Donald Trump has quieted as the Democratic field has grown more crowded and diverse, according to interviews with more than two dozen strategists, activists, party organizers and voters. Opinion polls show Biden, a former US senator from Delaware who served two terms as former President Barack Obama`s vice president, remains popular. But the Democratic Party may no longer need him in order to be competitive against Trump. "I love Joe Biden. He`s a great guy and a great politician," said Jerry Shriner, a Democratic national committee member from Idaho. "I wish he were the president right now. But I`m not sure I wish he is president in 2021." Democrats are in the early stages of an internal debate about how best to challenge Trump in next year`s presidential election, weighing factors like electability, ideology and identity. The strength of the field - expected to include at least six sitting U.S. senators, plus several current or former governors, US House of Representatives members and a former Cabinet secretary - is a factor in Biden`s calculations, those close to him say. He will be more likely to remain on the sidelines if he feels a strong candidate capable of beating Trump is emerging. But a source close to Biden said: "If I had to guess, he`s probably going to do it." Biden associates have held discussions with potential staffers and supporters who could serve political strategy, grassroots organizing and digital campaign roles, according to two sources. One source said those conversations were necessary to quickly ramp up a formal campaign operation should Biden decide to run. Some party activists say, however, that Biden has not reached out to broad donor networks to gauge the level of monetary support he could expect. Biden, who mounted failed presidential campaigns in 2008 and 1988, said at an event in Delaware on Tuesday that he did not want a third bid to be "a fool`s errand." "What I don’t want to do is take people’s time, effort and commitment without there being a clear shot I could be the nominee," he said. "I think I can." 'TOO OLD' Biden chose not to run in 2016 when former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was widely considered the heavy favorite for the Democratic nomination. Some political analysts have since speculated he could have won industrial battleground states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin that proved crucial to Trump`s surprise victory. Biden`s high name recognition among Democratic voters means he likely can afford to wait longer than lesser-known candidates to enter the 2020 race. But even that comes with a risk. "The longer he waits, the more people are going to start to want to follow some of the new and younger voices they`re hearing," said Bret Niles, the Democratic Party chairman in Linn County, Iowa. Biden`s age, ideology and record already are drawing scrutiny. If elected, he would be 78 when he was sworn in. "Joe Biden is too old," said Mary Donough, 60, a Democrat from Des Moines, Iowa, who plans to participate in her state`s crucial primary caucus next year and wants a younger candidate to challenge Trump. "There is just more energy there," she said. Biden`s backers will argue his age represents experience, said a former aide who asked to speak on background in order to explain internal talking points. "Voters look at Donald Trump and they look at what we’re missing, which is someone who understands the institution, someone who is an adult, someone who is seasoned, someone who respects the institutions," the former aide said. The Democratic Party undoubtedly has moved left since the last time Biden appeared alone on a ballot in 2008, when he was re-elected to the Senate by Delaware voters for his seventh term. “Times have changed," said Adam Green, chairman of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee. “Does he meet the moment?" Green, whose group supports the candidacy of US Senator Elizabeth Warren, lumps Biden in with white, male, moderate Democrats who have faltered in recent elections, like Phil Bredesen, who lost his US Senate race in Tennessee last year. Biden also will have to answer for his record. He chaired the 1991 confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and was criticized for not doing enough to protect Anita Hill, who accused Thomas of sexual harassment. Biden has since apologized and said he should have done more to shield Hill from attacks by Republicans. Unions remain unhappy about the free-trade deals advocated by the Obama administration, and liberal progressive groups point to the bailout of Wall Street banks during the financial crisis that provided no help to distressed homeowners. Sharon Holle, who has been working to organize for Biden in Iowa ahead of his decision, argued his experience would appeal to Democrats nervous about the country`s direction under Trump. "People are scared," Holle said. "We`re in a crisis right now. We need somebody we can trust."

As Biden weighs 2020 bid, Democrats ask, 'Does he meet the moment?'

US Senator Bernie Sanders has recorded a video announcing a 2020 run for president, Politico reported Saturday, an indication that he plans to enter the already crowded field of candidates.

But it still remains unclear when or if the video will be released, according to Politico, which previously reported that the senator from Vermont's team has been conducting interviews to fill top staff positions.

Sanders, a 77-year-old independent who caucuses with Democrats, made an unsuccessful bid for the presidency in 2016, losing out to Hillary Clinton, who was in turn defeated by Donald Trump.

Like Trump, Sanders was an outsider when the 2016 presidential primaries began, but came close to pulling off an upset over Clinton.

He garnered passionate support among young liberals with his calls for universal health care, a $15 minimum wage and free public university education.

Sanders served in the House until 2006 when he was elected to the US Senate. He was re-elected in 2012 and 2018.

While Sanders remains popular among many Democrats, some in the party have questioned whether their champion this time around should be a septuagenarian white man.

US Senator Bernie Sanders has recorded a video announcing a 2020 run for president, Politico reported Saturday, an indication that he plans to enter the already crowded field of candidates.

US Senator Bernie Sanders has recorded a video announcing a 2020 run for president, Politico reported Saturday, an indication that he plans to enter the already crowded field of candidates. But it still remains unclear when or if the video will be released, according to Politico, which previously reported that the senator from Vermont's team has been conducting interviews to fill top staff positions. Sanders, a 77-year-old independent who caucuses with Democrats, made an unsuccessful bid for the presidency in 2016, losing out to Hillary Clinton, who was in turn defeated by Donald Trump. Like Trump, Sanders was an outsider when the 2016 presidential primaries began, but came close to pulling off an upset over Clinton. He garnered passionate support among young liberals with his calls for universal health care, a $15 minimum wage and free public university education. Sanders served in the House until 2006 when he was elected to the US Senate. He was re-elected in 2012 and 2018. While Sanders remains popular among many Democrats, some in the party have questioned whether their champion this time around should be a septuagenarian white man.

Bernie Sanders recorded presidential campaign video: Report

Texas Democrat Julian Castro, a former San Antonio mayor who went on to be the top US housing official, announced his White House bid on Saturday, the first Hispanic in what looks to be a crowded field of <a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/tulsi-gabbard-to-run-for-president-in-2020-will-make-formal-announcement-soon-189728">candidates vying to challenge President Donald Trump</a> in the November 2020 election.

Castro, 44, the grandson of a Mexican immigrant, served as secretary of Housing and Urban Development under former President Barack Obama and has long been viewed as a rising star in the party. He will seek to position himself as a political outsider with liberal credentials.

Castro has endorsed the "Medicare for all" proposal, which would in effect create a national health care plan by allowing anyone to join the public health care system. That policy point is likely to divide Democrats in the primary, with more moderate candidates favouring a less drastic approach.

Castro, whose grandmother was born in Mexico, has sought to use his family's personal story to criticise Trump's border policies.

More than a dozen potential Democratic candidates are exploring a possible run for president in 2020. Moderates and progressives in the party have been debating about how to best challenge Trump, the likely Republican nominee.

Some Democrats believe an establishment figure who can appeal to centrist voters is the way to win back the White House. Others contend a fresh face is needed to energize the party's increasingly left-leaning base.

Castro, who was considered on the short list to be Hillary Clinton's running mate in the 2016 election, will try to leverage his Obama administration experience while making the case he is still a political newcomer.

Castro's identical twin brother, Joaquin Castro, is a member of the US House of Representatives from Texas. Joaquin Castro's position on the House Intelligence Committee has made him a frequent public critic of the president.

Texas Democrat Julian Castro, a former San Antonio mayor who went on to be the top US housing official, announced his White House bid on Saturday, the first Hispanic in what looks to be a crowded field of candidates vying to challenge President Donald Trump in the November 2020 election.

Texas Democrat Julian Castro, a former San Antonio mayor who went on to be the top US housing official, announced his White House bid on Saturday, the first Hispanic in what looks to be a crowded field of candidates vying to challenge President Donald Trump in the November 2020 election. Castro, 44, the grandson of a Mexican immigrant, served as secretary of Housing and Urban Development under former President Barack Obama and has long been viewed as a rising star in the party. He will seek to position himself as a political outsider with liberal credentials. Castro has endorsed the "Medicare for all" proposal, which would in effect create a national health care plan by allowing anyone to join the public health care system. That policy point is likely to divide Democrats in the primary, with more moderate candidates favouring a less drastic approach. Castro, whose grandmother was born in Mexico, has sought to use his family's personal story to criticise Trump's border policies. More than a dozen potential Democratic candidates are exploring a possible run for president in 2020. Moderates and progressives in the party have been debating about how to best challenge Trump, the likely Republican nominee. Some Democrats believe an establishment figure who can appeal to centrist voters is the way to win back the White House. Others contend a fresh face is needed to energize the party's increasingly left-leaning base. Castro, who was considered on the short list to be Hillary Clinton's running mate in the 2016 election, will try to leverage his Obama administration experience while making the case he is still a political newcomer. Castro's identical twin brother, Joaquin Castro, is a member of the US House of Representatives from Texas. Joaquin Castro's position on the House Intelligence Committee has made him a frequent public critic of the president.

Democrat Julian Castro of Texas launches 2020 US presidential bid

Democratic US Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii said in remarks aired by CNN on Friday&nbsp;that she will run for president in 2020, becoming the latest member of her party to pursue a challenge to Republican President Donald Trump.

"I have decided to run and will be making a formal announcement within the next week," Gabbard, an Iraq War veteran as well as the first Hindu and first Samoan-American elected to the US Congress, told CNN.

US Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts on December 31 announced she had formed an exploratory committee for a presidential run in what is expected to be a crowded Democratic primary field before the November 2020 presidential election.

Gabbard, 37, said "the issue of war and peace" would be the main focus of her campaign. Her office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Democratic US Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii said in remarks aired by CNN on Friday that she will run for president in 2020, becoming the latest member of her party to pursue a challenge to Republican President Donald Trump.

Democratic US Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii said in remarks aired by CNN on Friday that she will run for president in 2020, becoming the latest member of her party to pursue a challenge to Republican President Donald Trump. "I have decided to run and will be making a formal announcement within the next week," Gabbard, an Iraq War veteran as well as the first Hindu and first Samoan-American elected to the US Congress, told CNN. US Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts on December 31 announced she had formed an exploratory committee for a presidential run in what is expected to be a crowded Democratic primary field before the November 2020 presidential election. Gabbard, 37, said "the issue of war and peace" would be the main focus of her campaign. Her office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

US Democratic representative Tulsi Gabbard says she will run for president in 2020

Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu lawmaker in the US Congress, is considering to run for American presidency in 2020, according to sources close to her.

On Friday, at a Medtronic conference in Los Angeles, an eminent Indian-American Dr Sampat Shivangi introduced Gabbard, 37, and said that she could be the next president of the US in 2020.

The brief statement was marked by a standing ovation, in the presence of the four-term Congresswoman from Hawaii.&nbsp;

Gabbard, a Democrat, who addressed the gathering, however, neither confirmed or denied that she is running for president in 2020.

A decision on this could be taken before Christmas, which might not necessarily result in a formal announcement as that could be delayed till the next year, people familiar with her thinking process told PTI.

However, it is said that she and her team has quietly been reaching out to prospective donors, including a large number of Indian Americans, and volunteers to build an impressive campaign for her 2020 run.

Given that Gabbard is highly popular among Indian-Americans, a constituency she has nurtured from the very beginning of her political carrier, it is but natural that her team has quietly started reaching out to this community, which is considered as the richest ethnic group after the Jewish Americans. And in many critical States, Indian Americans can play an important role in her electoral chances.

If Gabbard declares her presidential bid she would be the first Hindu candidate ever from a major political party to announce to enter the race for White House. And if elected in 2020, she could be the youngest ever and first woman to be elected as the US president.

A Democrat, Gabbard last week was elected for the fourth term for the US House of Representatives.

Notably, Dr Shivangi is a Republican and has been the party's delegate for the past several presidential conventions. However, he had held fund raisers for Gabbard when she ran for the Congress for the first time in 2012. She was the first US lawmaker to take her oath on Bhagwat Gita.

A former vice chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Gabbard currently serves on powerful House Armed Services Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee. She is also the Democratic Co-Chair of the Congressional India Caucus.

"She has been a fresh voice in the Democratic Party, with her support for US-India relations, her opposition to the war in Iraq, her opposition to arms sales to Saudi Arabia and her more recent vigorous opposition to among the rebels in Syria," Shivangi said.

The 2020 presidential primary cycle is scheduled to kick off from the Iowa Caucuses on February 3, 2020, followed by the New Hampshire Primary on February 11, Nevada caucus of February 15 and South Carolina on February 22. Team Tulsi has been reaching out to people in these four States.

President Donald Trump is all set to seek his re-election in 2020, none of the Democratic candidates has announced their bid yet. The Democratic race is expected to be crowded by the summer of 2019.

Among those Democrats speculated to run for the 2020 primaries include former vice president Joe Biden, Senators Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand, Amy Klobuchar, Tim Kaine and Indian-origin Senator Kamala Harris.&nbsp;

Amid the clamor of Trump headlines and focus on higher-profile candidates, Gabbard has been quietly making the traditional moves of a presidential candidate. She recently visited Iowa, where locals urged her to run for president, according to the Iowa City Press-Citizen. She keynoted a progressive gathering in New Hampshire in September. And she's writing a book due out this spring titled, "Is Today the Day?: Not Another Political Memoir," Politico reported last month.

Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu lawmaker in the US Congress, is considering to run for American presidency in 2020, according to sources close to her. On Friday, at a Medtronic conference in Los Angeles, an eminent Indian-American Dr Sampat Shivangi introduced Gabbard, 37, and said that she could be the next president of the US in 2020.

Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu lawmaker in the US Congress, is considering to run for American presidency in 2020, according to sources close to her. On Friday, at a Medtronic conference in Los Angeles, an eminent Indian-American Dr Sampat Shivangi introduced Gabbard, 37, and said that she could be the next president of the US in 2020. The brief statement was marked by a standing ovation, in the presence of the four-term Congresswoman from Hawaii. Gabbard, a Democrat, who addressed the gathering, however, neither confirmed or denied that she is running for president in 2020. A decision on this could be taken before Christmas, which might not necessarily result in a formal announcement as that could be delayed till the next year, people familiar with her thinking process told PTI. However, it is said that she and her team has quietly been reaching out to prospective donors, including a large number of Indian Americans, and volunteers to build an impressive campaign for her 2020 run. Given that Gabbard is highly popular among Indian-Americans, a constituency she has nurtured from the very beginning of her political carrier, it is but natural that her team has quietly started reaching out to this community, which is considered as the richest ethnic group after the Jewish Americans. And in many critical States, Indian Americans can play an important role in her electoral chances. If Gabbard declares her presidential bid she would be the first Hindu candidate ever from a major political party to announce to enter the race for White House. And if elected in 2020, she could be the youngest ever and first woman to be elected as the US president. A Democrat, Gabbard last week was elected for the fourth term for the US House of Representatives. Notably, Dr Shivangi is a Republican and has been the party's delegate for the past several presidential conventions. However, he had held fund raisers for Gabbard when she ran for the Congress for the first time in 2012. She was the first US lawmaker to take her oath on Bhagwat Gita. A former vice chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Gabbard currently serves on powerful House Armed Services Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee. She is also the Democratic Co-Chair of the Congressional India Caucus. "She has been a fresh voice in the Democratic Party, with her support for US-India relations, her opposition to the war in Iraq, her opposition to arms sales to Saudi Arabia and her more recent vigorous opposition to among the rebels in Syria," Shivangi said. The 2020 presidential primary cycle is scheduled to kick off from the Iowa Caucuses on February 3, 2020, followed by the New Hampshire Primary on February 11, Nevada caucus of February 15 and South Carolina on February 22. Team Tulsi has been reaching out to people in these four States. President Donald Trump is all set to seek his re-election in 2020, none of the Democratic candidates has announced their bid yet. The Democratic race is expected to be crowded by the summer of 2019. Among those Democrats speculated to run for the 2020 primaries include former vice president Joe Biden, Senators Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand, Amy Klobuchar, Tim Kaine and Indian-origin Senator Kamala Harris. Amid the clamor of Trump headlines and focus on higher-profile candidates, Gabbard has been quietly making the traditional moves of a presidential candidate. She recently visited Iowa, where locals urged her to run for president, according to the Iowa City Press-Citizen. She keynoted a progressive gathering in New Hampshire in September. And she's writing a book due out this spring titled, "Is Today the Day?: Not Another Political Memoir," Politico reported last month.

Indian-American Tulsi Gabbard may run for US presidency in 2020: Sources

Nastya Rybka, an escort from Russia, has urged the Trump administration to free her from the arrest. Rybka was arrested by Thai police on Sunday for offering sex lessons without a permit. Rybka has offered to reveal sensitive information linking Russia and Donald Trump&#39;s presidential campaign.&nbsp;

Rybka, also known by the name Anastasia Vashukevich, came into prominence after a Russian business Oleg Deripaska demanded Rybka to remove their pictures and videos from her social accounts. He also obtained a court order for the same and threatened that Russia will block Instagram access in the country if his demands are not met by Rybka. &nbsp;

Deripaska is believed to have close ties with Paul Manafort who briefly headed Trump&#39;s presidential campaign.&nbsp;

Rybka, in a social media post, claimed that she has evidence linking Manafort to Russia and US presidential elections. She also noted that she will not disclose anything until she is freed and in a &quot;safe&quot; place where she is not &quot;worried&quot; about her life.&nbsp;

Rybka describes herself as Deripaska&#39;s mistress on her Instagram account.&nbsp;

Deripaska is believed to have close ties with Paul Manafort who briefly headed Trump's presidential campaign

Nastya Rybka, an escort from Russia, has urged the Trump administration to free her from the arrest. Rybka was arrested by Thai police on Sunday for offering sex lessons without a permit. Rybka has offered to reveal sensitive information linking Russia and Donald Trump's presidential campaign. Rybka, also known by the name Anastasia Vashukevich, came into prominence after a Russian business Oleg Deripaska demanded Rybka to remove their pictures and videos from her social accounts. He also obtained a court order for the same and threatened that Russia will block Instagram access in the country if his demands are not met by Rybka. Deripaska is believed to have close ties with Paul Manafort who briefly headed Trump's presidential campaign. Rybka, in a social media post, claimed that she has evidence linking Manafort to Russia and US presidential elections. She also noted that she will not disclose anything until she is freed and in a "safe" place where she is not "worried" about her life. Rybka describes herself as Deripaska's mistress on her Instagram account.

Russian 'escort' open to trade Russia-Trump secrets: Report

US President Donald Trump called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Monday to offer his condolences after a <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/russian-passenger-plane-with-71-on-board-crashes-outside-moscow-32499" target="_blank">deadly plane crash near Moscow</a>, a White House official said.

The call between the two leaders -- who are at the center of an FBI investigation into <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/russia-to-face-consequences-if-it-meddles-again-tillerson-32051" target="_blank">Moscow`s alleged meddling in the 2016 US election</a> -- took place after a plane crashed minutes after takeoff from Domodedovo airport, killing all 71 people on board.

Trump spoke with Putin to &quot;express his condolences regarding the crash of Saratov Airlines Flight 703 on February 11,&quot; the White House said, offering its account of the event.

&quot;President Trump said that the United States was standing by to assist Russian authorities in their investigation.&quot;

The pair also discussed Middle East peace, ahead of Putin`s meeting with Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas.

&quot;The two presidents discussed other topics of mutual concern, and President Trump reiterated the importance of taking further steps to ensure the denuclearization of North Korea,&quot; according to the White House.

The call between the two leaders -- who are at the center of an FBI investigation into Moscow`s alleged meddling in the 2016 US election -- took place after a plane crashed minutes after takeoff from Domodedovo airport, killing all 71 people on board

US President Donald Trump called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Monday to offer his condolences after a deadly plane crash near Moscow, a White House official said. The call between the two leaders -- who are at the center of an FBI investigation into Moscow`s alleged meddling in the 2016 US election -- took place after a plane crashed minutes after takeoff from Domodedovo airport, killing all 71 people on board. Trump spoke with Putin to "express his condolences regarding the crash of Saratov Airlines Flight 703 on February 11," the White House said, offering its account of the event. "President Trump said that the United States was standing by to assist Russian authorities in their investigation." The pair also discussed Middle East peace, ahead of Putin`s meeting with Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas. "The two presidents discussed other topics of mutual concern, and President Trump reiterated the importance of taking further steps to ensure the denuclearization of North Korea," according to the White House.

Trump offers Putin condolences over plane crash

President Donald Trump said on Thursday he believes he will be fairly treated in a special counsel investigation into Russian meddling in the U.S. presidential election, but said he did not know how long the probe would last.

The federal investigation has hung over Trump&#39;s White House since he took office almost a year ago, and some Trump allies have in recent weeks accused the team of Justice Department Special Counsel Robert Mueller of being biased against the Republican president.

But in an interview with the New York Times, Trump appeared to shrug off concerns about the investigation, which was prompted by U.S. intelligence agencies&#39; conclusion that Russia tried to help Trump defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton by hacking and releasing embarrassing emails and disseminating propaganda.

&quot;There&#39;s been no collusion. But I think he&#39;s going to be fair,&quot; Trump said in what the Times described as a 30-minute impromptu interview at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Mueller has charged four Trump associates in his investigation. Russia has denied interfering in the U.S. election.

U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said this month that he was not aware of any impropriety by Mueller&#39;s team.

Trump&#39;s lawyers have been saying for weeks that they had expected the Mueller investigation to wrap up quickly, possibly by the end of 2017. Mueller has not commented on how long it will last.

Trump told the Times that he did not know how long the investigation would take. &quot;Timing-wise, I can&#39;t tell you. I just don&#39;t know,&quot; he said.

Trump said he thought a prolonged probe &quot;makes the country look bad&quot; but said it has energized his core supporters.

&quot;What it&#39;s done is, it&#39;s really angered the base and made the base stronger. My base is strong than it&#39;s ever been,&quot; he said.

Break from Golf

 
The interview was a rare break in Trump&#39;s Christmas vacation in Florida. He has golfed each day aside from Christmas Day, and mainly kept a low profile, apart from the occasional flurry of tweets.

He spent one day golfing with Republican Senator David Perdue from Georgia, who has pushed legislation to cap immigration numbers, and had dinner on Thursday with Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, an international trade hawk.

Trump told the Times he hoped to work with Democrats in the U.S. Congress on a spending plan to fix roads and other infrastructure, and on protections for a group of undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children.

Trump spoke about trade issues, saying he had backed off his hard line on Chinese trade practices in the hope that Beijing would do more to pressure North Korea to end its nuclear and missile testing program. He said he had been disappointed in the results.

He also complained about the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which his administration is attempting to renegotiate in talks with Mexico and Canada.

Trump said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had played down the importance of Canadian oil and lumber exports to the United States when looking at the balance of trade between the two countries.

&quot;If I don&rsquo;t make the right deal, I&rsquo;ll terminate NAFTA in two seconds. But we&rsquo;re doing pretty good,&quot; Trump said.

Mueller has charged four Trump associates in his investigation. Russia has denied interfering in the U.S. election.

President Donald Trump said on Thursday he believes he will be fairly treated in a special counsel investigation into Russian meddling in the U.S. presidential election, but said he did not know how long the probe would last. The federal investigation has hung over Trump's White House since he took office almost a year ago, and some Trump allies have in recent weeks accused the team of Justice Department Special Counsel Robert Mueller of being biased against the Republican president. But in an interview with the New York Times, Trump appeared to shrug off concerns about the investigation, which was prompted by U.S. intelligence agencies' conclusion that Russia tried to help Trump defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton by hacking and releasing embarrassing emails and disseminating propaganda. "There's been no collusion. But I think he's going to be fair," Trump said in what the Times described as a 30-minute impromptu interview at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida. Mueller has charged four Trump associates in his investigation. Russia has denied interfering in the U.S. election. U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said this month that he was not aware of any impropriety by Mueller's team. Trump's lawyers have been saying for weeks that they had expected the Mueller investigation to wrap up quickly, possibly by the end of 2017. Mueller has not commented on how long it will last. Trump told the Times that he did not know how long the investigation would take. "Timing-wise, I can't tell you. I just don't know," he said. Trump said he thought a prolonged probe "makes the country look bad" but said it has energized his core supporters. "What it's done is, it's really angered the base and made the base stronger. My base is strong than it's ever been," he said. Break from Golf The interview was a rare break in Trump's Christmas vacation in Florida. He has golfed each day aside from Christmas Day, and mainly kept a low profile, apart from the occasional flurry of tweets. He spent one day golfing with Republican Senator David Perdue from Georgia, who has pushed legislation to cap immigration numbers, and had dinner on Thursday with Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, an international trade hawk. Trump told the Times he hoped to work with Democrats in the U.S. Congress on a spending plan to fix roads and other infrastructure, and on protections for a group of undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children. Trump spoke about trade issues, saying he had backed off his hard line on Chinese trade practices in the hope that Beijing would do more to pressure North Korea to end its nuclear and missile testing program. He said he had been disappointed in the results. He also complained about the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which his administration is attempting to renegotiate in talks with Mexico and Canada. Trump said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had played down the importance of Canadian oil and lumber exports to the United States when looking at the balance of trade between the two countries. "If I don’t make the right deal, I’ll terminate NAFTA in two seconds. But we’re doing pretty good," Trump said.

Trump says Russia probe will be fair, but timeline unclear: Report

Twitter on Thursday revealed that nearly 2,000 ads were placed on the messaging service in 2016 by a Russian media group suspected of trying to interfere with the US presidential 
election.

A Twitter statement said the social media company shared data with congressional investigators about ads from RT, a television group with links to the Moscow government. 
 
Twitter said RT spent $274,000 in 2016 on Twitter ads that may have been used to try to influence the US election.

The news comes after Facebook acknowledged foreign entities linked to Russia paid to promote political messages on the leading social network, potentially violating US election 
laws.

A blog post by Twitter said its vice president for public policy, Colin Crowell, met with staff Thursday from two congressional panels investigating Russian interference in the 
election process.

&quot;This is an ongoing process and we will continue to collaborate with investigators,&quot; the statement said.

Twitter said it examined efforts by foreign agents to interfere with the election after Facebook indicated it found 450 accounts that appeared to have been used for this purpose.

&quot;Of the roughly 450 accounts that Facebook recently shared as a part of their review, we concluded that 22 had corresponding accounts on Twitter,&quot; the statement said.

&quot;All of those identified accounts had already been or immediately were suspended from Twitter for breaking our rules, most for violating our prohibitions against spam.&quot;The 
statement added that RT, which was named in January in a US intelligence report on election interference, spent at least $274,100 in 2016 for 1,823 tweet ads or &quot;promotions&quot; that 
&quot;definitely or potentially targeted the US market.&quot;

&quot;These campaigns were directed at followers of mainstream media and primarily promoted RT Tweets regarding news stories,&quot; the statement added.

&quot;We are concerned about violations of our terms of service and US law with respect to interference in the exercise of voting rights,&quot; the statement said.

Twitter said that during the election campaign, it removed tweets &quot;that were attempting to suppress or otherwise interfere with the exercise of voting rights, including the right to have 
a vote counted, by circulating intentionally misleading information.&quot;

Twitter said some of the ads, or promoted tweets, aimed to deceive voters by telling them they could &quot;text to vote,&quot; which has no basis in fact.

&quot;We have not found accounts associated with this activity to have obvious Russian origin, but some of the accounts appear to have been automated,&quot; the statement said. 
&quot;We have shared examples of the content of these removed tweets with congressional investigators.&quot;

Earlier this month, Facebook said it would turn over data on some 3,000 ads purchased by a Russian entity that appeared to inflame political divisions during the campaign. Some 
$100,000 was spent on the Facebook ads.

Democratic Senator Mark Warner called Twitter`s presentation &quot;deeply disappointing&quot; and &quot;inadequate.&quot;

Warner told reporters that the Twitter data was &quot;basically derivative based on accounts that Facebook had identified (and) showed an enormous lack of understanding from the 
Twitter team of how serious this issue is, the threat it poses to democratic institutions, and again begs many more questions.&quot;US lawmakers as well as a special prosecutor are 
investigating whether Russia interfered with the election or aided Donald Trump`s successful presidential campaign.

A study released Thursday meanwhile found the campaign to spread &quot;junk news&quot; during the 2016 presidential election via Twitter appeared to target key states that were the most 
contested.

The research paper by the Oxford University Project on Computational Propaganda suggested a sophisticated effort to spread disinformation using automated accounts, or &quot;bots.&quot; 
 
The researchers said that in the days leading up to the election, &quot;Twitter users got more misinformation, polarizing and conspiratorial content than professionally produced news.&quot; 
But in swing states, &quot;average levels of misinformation were higher,&quot; even when weighted for the relative size of the state.

The study is just the latest to highlight the role of a disinformation campaign, widely believed to have been directed from Russia, to influence the election and help Trump while 
hurting his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

The Oxford researchers said the latest analysis suggests &quot;strategically disseminated polarizing information&quot; during the campaign.

A Twitter statement questioned the accuracy of the study, saying that research conducted by third parties about the impact of bots and misinformation on Twitter &quot;is almost always 
inaccurate and methodologically flawed.&quot;

One of the reasons for the inaccuracy, Twitter said, is that just two percent of all tweets contain geolocation data.

Twitter on Thursday revealed that nearly 2,000 ads were placed on the messaging service in 2016 by a Russian media group suspected of trying to interfere with the US presidential election

Twitter on Thursday revealed that nearly 2,000 ads were placed on the messaging service in 2016 by a Russian media group suspected of trying to interfere with the US presidential election. A Twitter statement said the social media company shared data with congressional investigators about ads from RT, a television group with links to the Moscow government. Twitter said RT spent $274,000 in 2016 on Twitter ads that may have been used to try to influence the US election. The news comes after Facebook acknowledged foreign entities linked to Russia paid to promote political messages on the leading social network, potentially violating US election laws. A blog post by Twitter said its vice president for public policy, Colin Crowell, met with staff Thursday from two congressional panels investigating Russian interference in the election process. "This is an ongoing process and we will continue to collaborate with investigators," the statement said. Twitter said it examined efforts by foreign agents to interfere with the election after Facebook indicated it found 450 accounts that appeared to have been used for this purpose. "Of the roughly 450 accounts that Facebook recently shared as a part of their review, we concluded that 22 had corresponding accounts on Twitter," the statement said. "All of those identified accounts had already been or immediately were suspended from Twitter for breaking our rules, most for violating our prohibitions against spam."The statement added that RT, which was named in January in a US intelligence report on election interference, spent at least $274,100 in 2016 for 1,823 tweet ads or "promotions" that "definitely or potentially targeted the US market." "These campaigns were directed at followers of mainstream media and primarily promoted RT Tweets regarding news stories," the statement added. "We are concerned about violations of our terms of service and US law with respect to interference in the exercise of voting rights," the statement said. Twitter said that during the election campaign, it removed tweets "that were attempting to suppress or otherwise interfere with the exercise of voting rights, including the right to have a vote counted, by circulating intentionally misleading information." Twitter said some of the ads, or promoted tweets, aimed to deceive voters by telling them they could "text to vote," which has no basis in fact. "We have not found accounts associated with this activity to have obvious Russian origin, but some of the accounts appear to have been automated," the statement said. "We have shared examples of the content of these removed tweets with congressional investigators." Earlier this month, Facebook said it would turn over data on some 3,000 ads purchased by a Russian entity that appeared to inflame political divisions during the campaign. Some $100,000 was spent on the Facebook ads. Democratic Senator Mark Warner called Twitter`s presentation "deeply disappointing" and "inadequate." Warner told reporters that the Twitter data was "basically derivative based on accounts that Facebook had identified (and) showed an enormous lack of understanding from the Twitter team of how serious this issue is, the threat it poses to democratic institutions, and again begs many more questions."US lawmakers as well as a special prosecutor are investigating whether Russia interfered with the election or aided Donald Trump`s successful presidential campaign. A study released Thursday meanwhile found the campaign to spread "junk news" during the 2016 presidential election via Twitter appeared to target key states that were the most contested. The research paper by the Oxford University Project on Computational Propaganda suggested a sophisticated effort to spread disinformation using automated accounts, or "bots." The researchers said that in the days leading up to the election, "Twitter users got more misinformation, polarizing and conspiratorial content than professionally produced news." But in swing states, "average levels of misinformation were higher," even when weighted for the relative size of the state. The study is just the latest to highlight the role of a disinformation campaign, widely believed to have been directed from Russia, to influence the election and help Trump while hurting his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. The Oxford researchers said the latest analysis suggests "strategically disseminated polarizing information" during the campaign. A Twitter statement questioned the accuracy of the study, saying that research conducted by third parties about the impact of bots and misinformation on Twitter "is almost always inaccurate and methodologically flawed." One of the reasons for the inaccuracy, Twitter said, is that just two percent of all tweets contain geolocation data.

Twitter reveals Russia-backed ads ahead of US election

Hillary Clinton on Tuesday laid the blame for her defeat in last year&#39;s White House race squarely at the feet of FBI director James Comey and Russia`s Vladimir Putin, saying they had &quot;scared off&quot; voters.

The Democrat, speaking at a charity luncheon in New York, said she took &quot;absolute personal responsibility&quot; for a series of campaign blunders that contributed to her loss to Donald Trump.

But she pointed a finger at Russian hacking and interference and at the Federal Bureau of Investigation director, who revealed just before the November 8 election he was re-opening a probe into Clinton`s use of a personal email server while serving as secretary of state.

&quot;I was on the way to winning until a combination of Jim Comey&#39;s letter on October 28th and Russian WikiLeaks raised doubts in the minds of people who were inclined to vote for me, but got scared off,&quot; Clinton said.

&quot;If the election had been on October 27, I`d be your president.&quot;

Trump responded hours later with a pair of snarky tweets, attacking Clinton and saying the Russia affair was a Democratic ploy to justify her loss to him.

In January the US intelligence community announced it had concluded Russia interfered in the election -- and that Putin himself ordered a campaign to undermine the US democratic process and harm Clinton`s electability in order to help Trump win.

Clinton described the Russian president as someone who was &quot;not a member of my fan club&quot;.

&quot;He certainly interfered in our election and it was clear he hurt me and helped my opponent,&quot; she said. 
Clinton pointed to the release of an old video tape on October 7 on which Trump is heard crudely discussing groping women, and how &quot;within an hour or two&quot; of the tapes` release, the Russian theft of Clinton staffers` emails was made public on WikiLeaks.

&quot;What a coincidence. You just can&#39;t make this stuff up,&quot; she said.

Clinton`s remarks -- which echoed CIA comments branding WikiLeaks a &quot;hostile intelligence service&quot; abetted by the likes of Russia -- were the most extensive and direct about her loss since the shock result last year.

&quot;The reason why I believe we lost were the intervening events in the last 10 days,&quot; she said.Political analysts widely consider that Clinton fell short in part because she failed to mobilize the coalition of non-whites, young voters, single women and college-educated whites who propelled Barack Obama to victory in 2008 and 2012.

She was also faulted for not spending enough campaign time in traditionally Democratic strongholds Michigan and Wisconsin, states which fell to Trump on election day.

Trump has repeatedly claimed that Democrats have focused on Russian hacking -- and alleged cooperation between Moscow and Trump associates -- to mask their bitter defeat.

&quot;Trump/Russia story was an excuse used by the Democrats as justification for losing the election,&quot; he tweeted Tuesday night after Clinton spoke. &quot;Perhaps Trump just ran a great campaign?&quot;

Trump also said Clinton had gotten off easy because the FBI chose not to charge her over the email case.

&quot;FBI Director Comey was the best thing that ever happened to Hillary Clinton in that he gave her a free pass for many bad deeds! The phony...&quot; Trump wrote in another tweet.

In her interview Clinton blamed &quot;everybody but herself,&quot; Republican congressman Jeff Duncan said on Twitter.

The 69-year-old former first lady, US senator and secretary of state has spent decades in the public spotlight.

&quot;I&#39;m now back to being an active citizen and part of the resistance,&quot; she said, referring to the informal movement opposed to the Republican president.

Clinton is writing a book about her experiences, to be released later this year, and said it has been a &quot;painful process&quot; to relive the campaign and the mistakes she made.

&quot;You`ll read my confession and my request for absolution,&quot; she said.

(AFP)

The Democrat, speaking at a charity luncheon in New York, said she took "absolute personal responsibility" for a series of campaign blunders that contributed to her loss to Donald Trump

Hillary Clinton on Tuesday laid the blame for her defeat in last year's White House race squarely at the feet of FBI director James Comey and Russia`s Vladimir Putin, saying they had "scared off" voters. The Democrat, speaking at a charity luncheon in New York, said she took "absolute personal responsibility" for a series of campaign blunders that contributed to her loss to Donald Trump. But she pointed a finger at Russian hacking and interference and at the Federal Bureau of Investigation director, who revealed just before the November 8 election he was re-opening a probe into Clinton`s use of a personal email server while serving as secretary of state. "I was on the way to winning until a combination of Jim Comey's letter on October 28th and Russian WikiLeaks raised doubts in the minds of people who were inclined to vote for me, but got scared off," Clinton said. "If the election had been on October 27, I`d be your president." Trump responded hours later with a pair of snarky tweets, attacking Clinton and saying the Russia affair was a Democratic ploy to justify her loss to him. In January the US intelligence community announced it had concluded Russia interfered in the election -- and that Putin himself ordered a campaign to undermine the US democratic process and harm Clinton`s electability in order to help Trump win. Clinton described the Russian president as someone who was "not a member of my fan club". "He certainly interfered in our election and it was clear he hurt me and helped my opponent," she said. Clinton pointed to the release of an old video tape on October 7 on which Trump is heard crudely discussing groping women, and how "within an hour or two" of the tapes` release, the Russian theft of Clinton staffers` emails was made public on WikiLeaks. "What a coincidence. You just can't make this stuff up," she said. Clinton`s remarks -- which echoed CIA comments branding WikiLeaks a "hostile intelligence service" abetted by the likes of Russia -- were the most extensive and direct about her loss since the shock result last year. "The reason why I believe we lost were the intervening events in the last 10 days," she said.Political analysts widely consider that Clinton fell short in part because she failed to mobilize the coalition of non-whites, young voters, single women and college-educated whites who propelled Barack Obama to victory in 2008 and 2012. She was also faulted for not spending enough campaign time in traditionally Democratic strongholds Michigan and Wisconsin, states which fell to Trump on election day. Trump has repeatedly claimed that Democrats have focused on Russian hacking -- and alleged cooperation between Moscow and Trump associates -- to mask their bitter defeat. "Trump/Russia story was an excuse used by the Democrats as justification for losing the election," he tweeted Tuesday night after Clinton spoke. "Perhaps Trump just ran a great campaign?" Trump also said Clinton had gotten off easy because the FBI chose not to charge her over the email case. "FBI Director Comey was the best thing that ever happened to Hillary Clinton in that he gave her a free pass for many bad deeds! The phony..." Trump wrote in another tweet. In her interview Clinton blamed "everybody but herself," Republican congressman Jeff Duncan said on Twitter. The 69-year-old former first lady, US senator and secretary of state has spent decades in the public spotlight. "I'm now back to being an active citizen and part of the resistance," she said, referring to the informal movement opposed to the Republican president. Clinton is writing a book about her experiences, to be released later this year, and said it has been a "painful process" to relive the campaign and the mistakes she made. "You`ll read my confession and my request for absolution," she said. (AFP)

Hillary Clinton blames FBI and Putin for defeat in presidential election

Donald Trump is poised to take office with the lowest approval ratings of any new president in recent history, but despite a chaotic transition Americans trust the billionaire on one crucial point: jobs.

Since the real estate developer&#39;s White House win in November, companies have lined up to announce new factories or jobs in the United States, including air conditioning manufacturer Carrier, Japan&#39;s SoftBank, Ford, Fiat Chrysler and Amazon with a headline-grabbing promise to create 100,000 jobs.

The latest additions to the growing list: Wal-Mart announced Tuesday it would invest $6.8 billion in the United States and create 10,000 jobs, General Motors announced $1 billion in new US investments and pledged to create 5,000 new jobs.

Trump, who since his election has wielded a mix of threats and incentives to push an America-first jobs agenda, has been quick to take credit.

&quot;With all of the jobs I am bringing back into the US (even before taking office), with all of the new auto plants coming back into our country and with the massive cost reductions I have negotiated on military purchases and more, I believe the people are seeing &#39;big stuff,&#39;&quot; he tweeted on Tuesday.

Trump last month denounced the $4 billion price tag on the next presidential plane, which is currently under development, threatened to cancel the order unless the price came down.

Dennis Muilenburg, CEO of the aviation giant Boeing, visited Trump Tower in Manhattan on Tuesday, telling reporters he and Trump were &quot;on the same page&quot; about the cost and value of the jet.

The president-elect&#39;s message appears to be resonating.

&#39;Phony election polls&#39;

Sixty-one per cent of Americans believe it is likely the 45th president will be able to create good-paying jobs in economically challenged areas, according to a CNN/ORC poll released on Tuesday.

The same percentage expects Trump to do a good or excellent job in handling the economy, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll released the same day.

But this confidence in Trump&#39;s ability to boost American job creation stands out as the exception, with polls suggesting an overall distrust of Barack Obama&#39;s successor.

Trump is half as popular as Obama was when he was preparing to take office in January 2009, according to the Washington Post-ABC News poll. He is less popular than any other incoming US president of the past four decades, going back to Jimmy Carter.

The latest surveys confirm the findings of other recent polls.

Trump slammed the findings, pointing out that a majority of surveys ahead of his November 8 electoral win predicted victory for his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton.

&quot;The same people who did the phony election polls, and were so wrong, are now doing approval rating polls. They are rigged just like before,&quot; he said on Twitter.

Trump is less popular than any other incoming US president of the past four decades, going back to Jimmy Carter

Donald Trump is poised to take office with the lowest approval ratings of any new president in recent history, but despite a chaotic transition Americans trust the billionaire on one crucial point: jobs. Since the real estate developer's White House win in November, companies have lined up to announce new factories or jobs in the United States, including air conditioning manufacturer Carrier, Japan's SoftBank, Ford, Fiat Chrysler and Amazon with a headline-grabbing promise to create 100,000 jobs. The latest additions to the growing list: Wal-Mart announced Tuesday it would invest $6.8 billion in the United States and create 10,000 jobs, General Motors announced $1 billion in new US investments and pledged to create 5,000 new jobs. Trump, who since his election has wielded a mix of threats and incentives to push an America-first jobs agenda, has been quick to take credit. "With all of the jobs I am bringing back into the US (even before taking office), with all of the new auto plants coming back into our country and with the massive cost reductions I have negotiated on military purchases and more, I believe the people are seeing 'big stuff,'" he tweeted on Tuesday. Trump last month denounced the $4 billion price tag on the next presidential plane, which is currently under development, threatened to cancel the order unless the price came down. Dennis Muilenburg, CEO of the aviation giant Boeing, visited Trump Tower in Manhattan on Tuesday, telling reporters he and Trump were "on the same page" about the cost and value of the jet. The president-elect's message appears to be resonating. 'Phony election polls' Sixty-one per cent of Americans believe it is likely the 45th president will be able to create good-paying jobs in economically challenged areas, according to a CNN/ORC poll released on Tuesday. The same percentage expects Trump to do a good or excellent job in handling the economy, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll released the same day. But this confidence in Trump's ability to boost American job creation stands out as the exception, with polls suggesting an overall distrust of Barack Obama's successor. Trump is half as popular as Obama was when he was preparing to take office in January 2009, according to the Washington Post-ABC News poll. He is less popular than any other incoming US president of the past four decades, going back to Jimmy Carter. The latest surveys confirm the findings of other recent polls. Trump slammed the findings, pointing out that a majority of surveys ahead of his November 8 electoral win predicted victory for his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton. "The same people who did the phony election polls, and were so wrong, are now doing approval rating polls. They are rigged just like before," he said on Twitter.

US President-elect Donald Trump to take office with lowest approval ratings

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a campaign of hacking and media manipulation aimed at undermining the presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton and boosting Donald Trump, US intelligence said in a report Friday.

The campaign first aimed at damaging a potential Clinton presidency, and then turned to supporting Trump after a victory by the Republican businessman appeared possible, said the report from the Director of National Intelligence.

&quot;We assess Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election. Russia&#39;s goals were to undermine public faith in the US democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency,&quot; it said.

The report said that Putin acted on grudges against the United States after being embarrassed by the Panama Papers on secret offshore banking and the Olympic doping scandal, and that he also blamed Clinton for ostensibly inciting mass protests against his regime in 2011-2012.

The report warned US allies that Russia will likely attempt to influence their elections, making use of its experience with the US vote.

&quot;We assess Moscow will apply lessons learned from its Putin-ordered campaign aimed at the US presidential election to future influence efforts worldwide, including against US allies and their election processes,&quot; it said.

The 25-page public report, which was half the length of the classified version presented to President Barack Obama on Thursday and President-elect Trump on Friday, provided little in the way of detailed evidence to link Putin and Russian intelligence to the hacking and release via WikiLeaks of Democratic Party files that hurt Clinton&#39;s campaign.

Russia has denied interfering in the election, and Trump has repeatedly questioned the US intelligence community`s conclusions on the issue.

(Reuters)

Parts of the declassified report hint at Russia's role in swaying elections in favour of Trump

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a campaign of hacking and media manipulation aimed at undermining the presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton and boosting Donald Trump, US intelligence said in a report Friday. The campaign first aimed at damaging a potential Clinton presidency, and then turned to supporting Trump after a victory by the Republican businessman appeared possible, said the report from the Director of National Intelligence. "We assess Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election. Russia's goals were to undermine public faith in the US democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency," it said. The report said that Putin acted on grudges against the United States after being embarrassed by the Panama Papers on secret offshore banking and the Olympic doping scandal, and that he also blamed Clinton for ostensibly inciting mass protests against his regime in 2011-2012. The report warned US allies that Russia will likely attempt to influence their elections, making use of its experience with the US vote. "We assess Moscow will apply lessons learned from its Putin-ordered campaign aimed at the US presidential election to future influence efforts worldwide, including against US allies and their election processes," it said. The 25-page public report, which was half the length of the classified version presented to President Barack Obama on Thursday and President-elect Trump on Friday, provided little in the way of detailed evidence to link Putin and Russian intelligence to the hacking and release via WikiLeaks of Democratic Party files that hurt Clinton's campaign. Russia has denied interfering in the election, and Trump has repeatedly questioned the US intelligence community`s conclusions on the issue. (Reuters)

US: Intelligence report reveals Putin sought to help Trump

The&nbsp;Obama&nbsp;administration plans to announce&nbsp;on Thursday a series of retaliatory measures against&nbsp;Russia&nbsp;for hacking into US&nbsp;political institutions and individuals and leaking information in an effort to help President-elect Donald Trump and other Republican candidates, two US&nbsp;officials said on Wednesday.

Both officials declined to specify what actions President Barack&nbsp;Obama&nbsp;has approved, but said targeted economic sanctions, indictments, leaking information to embarrass&nbsp;Russian officials or oligarchs, and restrictions on&nbsp;Russian diplomats in the United States are among steps that have been discussed.

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The US intelligence community has concluded that a hack-and-release of Democratic Party and Clinton staff emails was designed to put Trump&nbsp;into the Oval Office.

People tied to a Russian disinformation campaign that US intelligence officials say targeted Clinton&#39;s campaign may also be named under the plans, according to CNN.

Russia&nbsp;has repeatedly denied hacking accusations. Trump has dismissed the assessments of the US&nbsp;intelligence community.

Obama, in an interview earlier this month with NPR, said, &quot;We need to take action and we will&quot; against&nbsp;Russia&nbsp;for interfering in the US&nbsp;election.

Republican Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham called for an even tougher US response to Russian interference in the American election.

The US Congress should &quot;increase the sanctions on Russia for this misbehavior,&quot; McCain told Fox News, pressing for a permanent American military presence in the Baltic states, as well as arming Ukraine with weapons.

&quot;You need to hit Russia in a sustained fashion,&quot; Graham added, saying that for Obama to act now just before he leaves office on January 20 would &quot;send the wrong signal.&quot;

Russia&#39;s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, promised retaliation on Wednesday against Washington in the event of new economic sanctions.

Jim Lewis, a cyber security expert with the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, said further sanctions may be an effective U.S. tool in part because they would be difficult for Trump to roll back and because&nbsp;Russia&nbsp;&quot;hates&quot; dealing with them.

&quot;For the rest of the world, it&rsquo;s like having &#39;scumball&#39; stamped on your forehead,&quot; Lewis said.

In past cases, administration officials have decided to publicly blame North Korea and indict members of China&rsquo;s military for hacking because they decided the net benefit of public shaming &ndash; and increased awareness brought to cyber security &ndash; outweighed potential risks. But determining an appropriate response to&nbsp;Russia&#39;s actions has proven more complicated in part because&nbsp;Russia&#39;s cyber capabilities are more advanced and due to fears about disrupting other geopolitical issues, such as the civil war in Syria.

Obama&nbsp;may choose to invoke an April 2015 executive order that empowered him to levy sanctions in response to cyber attacks perpetrated by foreign groups targeting infrastructure, such as transportation, or done for economic purposes.

One option, said a US&nbsp;government official who has participated in discussions on possible retaliation, would be leaking material on&nbsp;Russian officials or actions that the United States already has obtained in a way that would &ldquo;parallel what the&nbsp;Russians did, but be impossible to prove.&rdquo;

The official compared that option to&nbsp;Russian military and civilian intelligence agencies providing hacked material to the anti-secrecy group Wikileaks and trying &ndash; unsuccessfully, the official said &ndash; to cover their tracks.

Another option would be further economic sanctions against&nbsp;Russia. Washington has already sanctioned&nbsp;Russia&nbsp;over the past two years to punish Moscow for its role in annexing Crimea. But former US officials say the existing measures leave Washington plenty of room to slap new, tougher sanction on&nbsp;Russia&nbsp;in response to cyber intrusions. &nbsp;

The United States is still unlikely to impose blanket embargoes against&nbsp;Russia&nbsp;because of the danger it could harm the economies of Western Europe, said Peter Harrell, a former senior State Department official who worked on sanctions policy.

Instead, the United States may target specific&nbsp;Russian intelligence officials or military divisions believed to be involved in the cyber intrusions. &ldquo;The&nbsp;Russian defence sector would be fair game,&rdquo; Harrell said.

Looming over any action the&nbsp;Obama&nbsp;administration takes against&nbsp;Russia&nbsp;is whether Trump will seek to reverse course once he takes office on Jan. 20.

In addition to casting doubt on the conclusions of the US&nbsp;intelligence community about the hacks, Trump has repeatedly praised&nbsp;Russian President Vladimir Putin and nominated people seen as friendly towards Moscow to senior administration posts.

(Agencies)

Possible steps include sanctions, indictments, leaks to embarrass Russian officials, and restrictions on Russian diplomats in the US

The Obama administration plans to announce on Thursday a series of retaliatory measures against Russia for hacking into US political institutions and individuals and leaking information in an effort to help President-elect Donald Trump and other Republican candidates, two US officials said on Wednesday. Both officials declined to specify what actions President Barack Obama has approved, but said targeted economic sanctions, indictments, leaking information to embarrass Russian officials or oligarchs, and restrictions on Russian diplomats in the United States are among steps that have been discussed. People tied to a Russian disinformation campaign that US intelligence officials say targeted Clinton's campaign may also be named × The US intelligence community has concluded that a hack-and-release of Democratic Party and Clinton staff emails was designed to put Trump into the Oval Office. People tied to a Russian disinformation campaign that US intelligence officials say targeted Clinton's campaign may also be named under the plans, according to CNN. Russia has repeatedly denied hacking accusations. Trump has dismissed the assessments of the US intelligence community. Obama, in an interview earlier this month with NPR, said, "We need to take action and we will" against Russia for interfering in the US election. Republican Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham called for an even tougher US response to Russian interference in the American election. The US Congress should "increase the sanctions on Russia for this misbehavior," McCain told Fox News, pressing for a permanent American military presence in the Baltic states, as well as arming Ukraine with weapons. "You need to hit Russia in a sustained fashion," Graham added, saying that for Obama to act now just before he leaves office on January 20 would "send the wrong signal." Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, promised retaliation on Wednesday against Washington in the event of new economic sanctions. Jim Lewis, a cyber security expert with the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, said further sanctions may be an effective U.S. tool in part because they would be difficult for Trump to roll back and because Russia "hates" dealing with them. "For the rest of the world, it’s like having 'scumball' stamped on your forehead," Lewis said. In past cases, administration officials have decided to publicly blame North Korea and indict members of China’s military for hacking because they decided the net benefit of public shaming – and increased awareness brought to cyber security – outweighed potential risks. But determining an appropriate response to Russia's actions has proven more complicated in part because Russia's cyber capabilities are more advanced and due to fears about disrupting other geopolitical issues, such as the civil war in Syria. Obama may choose to invoke an April 2015 executive order that empowered him to levy sanctions in response to cyber attacks perpetrated by foreign groups targeting infrastructure, such as transportation, or done for economic purposes. One option, said a US government official who has participated in discussions on possible retaliation, would be leaking material on Russian officials or actions that the United States already has obtained in a way that would “parallel what the Russians did, but be impossible to prove.” The official compared that option to Russian military and civilian intelligence agencies providing hacked material to the anti-secrecy group Wikileaks and trying – unsuccessfully, the official said – to cover their tracks. Another option would be further economic sanctions against Russia. Washington has already sanctioned Russia over the past two years to punish Moscow for its role in annexing Crimea. But former US officials say the existing measures leave Washington plenty of room to slap new, tougher sanction on Russia in response to cyber intrusions. The United States is still unlikely to impose blanket embargoes against Russia because of the danger it could harm the economies of Western Europe, said Peter Harrell, a former senior State Department official who worked on sanctions policy. Instead, the United States may target specific Russian intelligence officials or military divisions believed to be involved in the cyber intrusions. “The Russian defence sector would be fair game,” Harrell said. Looming over any action the Obama administration takes against Russia is whether Trump will seek to reverse course once he takes office on Jan. 20. In addition to casting doubt on the conclusions of the US intelligence community about the hacks, Trump has repeatedly praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and nominated people seen as friendly towards Moscow to senior administration posts. (Agencies)

After Russian 'interference' in election, US to announce retaliatory measures today

US President-elect Donald Trump said he plans to close down his controversial Trump foundation while an investigation is ongoing into the charitable institution.

He said he was making the decision to &quot;avoid even the appearance of any conflict&quot; with his presidency.

&quot;The foundation has done enormous good works over the years in contributing millions of dollars to countless worthy groups, including supporting veterans, law enforcement officers and children,&quot; Trump said in a statement.&nbsp;

&quot;However, to avoid even the appearance of any conflict with my role as president I have decided to continue to pursue my strong interest in philanthropy in other ways.&quot;

Trump&#39;s businesses have attracted increasing scrutiny since his election victory on November 8. The shuttering of his charity would be his first big step to avoid a brewing storm of potential conflicts of interest, news agency AFP said.

Trump has already directed his counsel to start the process of closing down the foundation.

The Trump Foundation is under investigation by New York attorney general Eric Schneiderman. The attorney general&#39;s office on Saturday said that the president-elect could not shut down the foundation yet.

&quot;The Trump Foundation is still under investigation by this office and cannot legally dissolve until that investigation is complete,&quot; Schneiderman spokeswoman Amy Spitalnick said.

An investigation by the Washington Post in June had found that Trump had paid only a small amount of the money he&#39;d promised to the charity. He pledged to donate $1 million to a non-profit group for veterans after public pressure.

Critics say Trump will run into conflicts unless he fully divests himself of all his business and charitable interests, AFP said.

(With inputs from AFP)

The Trump Foundation is under investigation by New York attorney general Eric Schneiderman

US President-elect Donald Trump said he plans to close down his controversial Trump foundation while an investigation is ongoing into the charitable institution. He said he was making the decision to "avoid even the appearance of any conflict" with his presidency. "The foundation has done enormous good works over the years in contributing millions of dollars to countless worthy groups, including supporting veterans, law enforcement officers and children," Trump said in a statement. "However, to avoid even the appearance of any conflict with my role as president I have decided to continue to pursue my strong interest in philanthropy in other ways." Trump's businesses have attracted increasing scrutiny since his election victory on November 8. The shuttering of his charity would be his first big step to avoid a brewing storm of potential conflicts of interest, news agency AFP said. Trump has already directed his counsel to start the process of closing down the foundation. The Trump Foundation is under investigation by New York attorney general Eric Schneiderman. The attorney general's office on Saturday said that the president-elect could not shut down the foundation yet. "The Trump Foundation is still under investigation by this office and cannot legally dissolve until that investigation is complete," Schneiderman spokeswoman Amy Spitalnick said. An investigation by the Washington Post in June had found that Trump had paid only a small amount of the money he'd promised to the charity. He pledged to donate $1 million to a non-profit group for veterans after public pressure. Critics say Trump will run into conflicts unless he fully divests himself of all his business and charitable interests, AFP said. (With inputs from AFP)

Trump says he intends to dissolve controversial charitable foundation

US president-elect Donald Trump termed the recount of US presidential election votes in Wisconsin a &#39;scam&#39;.

&quot;This is a scam by the Green Party for an election that has already been conceded, and the results of this election should be respected instead of being challenged and abused, which is exactly what Jill Stein is doing,&quot; Trump added.

Green Partty candidate Jill Stein has filed a recount of votes in Wisconsin state, where Trump won by a small margin. She also announced that she would seek recounts in closely contested states of Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Hillary Clinton&#39;s campaign announced its decision to join the recount on Saturday. The lawyer for the Democratic candidate, Marc Erik Elias, said the campaign would also participate in Michigan and Pennsylvania&#39;s recounts if they were arranged, news agency AFP reported.

Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, won Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin by just over 100,000 votes. The victory in those states gave him the 270 votes needed for victory in the Electoral College.

Trump said &quot;the people have spoken and the election is over, and as Hillary Clinton herself said on election night, in addition to her conceding by congratulating me, &#39;We must accept this result and then look to the future,&#39;&quot; in a statement.

&quot;It is important to point out that with the help of millions of voters across the country, we won 306 electoral votes on Election Day -- the most of any Republican since 1988,&quot; Trump said.

Clinton&#39;s counsel Elias said that they had not planned to exercise the option of filing for recount because of no evidence of hacking or external efforts to change the voting technology, AFP reported.

&quot;But now that a recount has been initiated in Wisconsin, we intend to participate in order to ensure the process proceeds in a manner that is fair to all sides,&quot; he added. He, however, did not make it clear how the campaign would participate in the process.

Although experts say there is virtually no chance of overturning the final result, the recounts could reignite debate over the legitimacy of Trump&#39;s election, already fueled by Clinton&#39;s lead in the popular vote, which now stands at more than two million, AFP said.

Elias said that the Clinton campaign had themselves investigated the results after receiving hundreds of messages, emails and calls from supporters, but had found no evidence that the results had been tampered to Trump&#39;s favour.

&quot;After a divisive and painful presidential race, reported hacks into voter and party databases and individual email accounts are causing many Americans to wonder if our election results are reliable,&quot; Stein said on her website.

Stein cited unspecified &quot;anomalies&quot; as grounds to mount a challenge to the November 8 election results in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, reported AFP.

(With inputs from AFP)

The US president-elect said his presidential win should be respected, not 'challenged and abused'

US president-elect Donald Trump termed the recount of US presidential election votes in Wisconsin a 'scam'. "This is a scam by the Green Party for an election that has already been conceded, and the results of this election should be respected instead of being challenged and abused, which is exactly what Jill Stein is doing," Trump added. Green Partty candidate Jill Stein has filed a recount of votes in Wisconsin state, where Trump won by a small margin. She also announced that she would seek recounts in closely contested states of Michigan and Pennsylvania. Hillary Clinton's campaign announced its decision to join the recount on Saturday. The lawyer for the Democratic candidate, Marc Erik Elias, said the campaign would also participate in Michigan and Pennsylvania's recounts if they were arranged, news agency AFP reported. Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, won Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin by just over 100,000 votes. The victory in those states gave him the 270 votes needed for victory in the Electoral College. Trump said "the people have spoken and the election is over, and as Hillary Clinton herself said on election night, in addition to her conceding by congratulating me, 'We must accept this result and then look to the future,'" in a statement. "It is important to point out that with the help of millions of voters across the country, we won 306 electoral votes on Election Day -- the most of any Republican since 1988," Trump said. Clinton's counsel Elias said that they had not planned to exercise the option of filing for recount because of no evidence of hacking or external efforts to change the voting technology, AFP reported. "But now that a recount has been initiated in Wisconsin, we intend to participate in order to ensure the process proceeds in a manner that is fair to all sides," he added. He, however, did not make it clear how the campaign would participate in the process. Although experts say there is virtually no chance of overturning the final result, the recounts could reignite debate over the legitimacy of Trump's election, already fueled by Clinton's lead in the popular vote, which now stands at more than two million, AFP said. Elias said that the Clinton campaign had themselves investigated the results after receiving hundreds of messages, emails and calls from supporters, but had found no evidence that the results had been tampered to Trump's favour. "After a divisive and painful presidential race, reported hacks into voter and party databases and individual email accounts are causing many Americans to wonder if our election results are reliable," Stein said on her website. Stein cited unspecified "anomalies" as grounds to mount a challenge to the November 8 election results in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, reported AFP. (With inputs from AFP)

State election recount 'scam': Donald Trump

US president-elect Donald Trump chose national security veteran Kathleen Troia &quot;KT&quot; McFarland as his senior adviser on Friday.

The 65-year-old had first worked in the White House under former president Richard Nixon. She will return as number two to former general Mike Flynn.

&quot;She has tremendous experience and innate talent that will complement the fantastic team we are assembling,&quot; Trump said, in a statement, news agency AFP reported.

McFarland will take responsibilty when President Barack Obama leaves office on January 20 next year. White House national security roles do not need to be confirmed by the Senate.

She would in any case have been an uncontroversial choice, with decades of experience under three former Republican presidents and as a former aide to foreign policy heavyweight Henry Kissinger, AFP said.

McFarland lost a bid in 2006 to seek the Republican nomination to challenge then New York senator Hillary Clinton&#39;s successful re-election bid.

She had worked as a deputy assistant secretary of defense for public affairs under president Ronald Reagan and between 1982. In 1985, the Fox News commentator served as defense secretary Caspar Weinberger&#39;s speechwriter and spokeswoman.

Trump also hired Don McGahn, a well-known campaign finance lawyer, as his White House counsel on Friday. Mc Gahn had been the chief counsel of the Trump campaign and was one of the few members of the Republican establishment to embrace the outsider candidate, Reuters said.

&ldquo;Don has a brilliant legal mind, excellent character and a deep understanding of constitutional law,&rdquo; Trump said in a statement.

(With inputs from Reuters and AFP)

The president-elect also chose finance lawyer Donald McGahn to be his White House counsel

US president-elect Donald Trump chose national security veteran Kathleen Troia "KT" McFarland as his senior adviser on Friday. The 65-year-old had first worked in the White House under former president Richard Nixon. She will return as number two to former general Mike Flynn. "She has tremendous experience and innate talent that will complement the fantastic team we are assembling," Trump said, in a statement, news agency AFP reported. McFarland will take responsibilty when President Barack Obama leaves office on January 20 next year. White House national security roles do not need to be confirmed by the Senate. She would in any case have been an uncontroversial choice, with decades of experience under three former Republican presidents and as a former aide to foreign policy heavyweight Henry Kissinger, AFP said. McFarland lost a bid in 2006 to seek the Republican nomination to challenge then New York senator Hillary Clinton's successful re-election bid. She had worked as a deputy assistant secretary of defense for public affairs under president Ronald Reagan and between 1982. In 1985, the Fox News commentator served as defense secretary Caspar Weinberger's speechwriter and spokeswoman. Trump also hired Don McGahn, a well-known campaign finance lawyer, as his White House counsel on Friday. Mc Gahn had been the chief counsel of the Trump campaign and was one of the few members of the Republican establishment to embrace the outsider candidate, Reuters said. “Don has a brilliant legal mind, excellent character and a deep understanding of constitutional law,” Trump said in a statement. (With inputs from Reuters and AFP)

Trump taps national security veteran for White House role

US&nbsp;authorities remain concerned about the possibility for&nbsp;both homegrown&nbsp;violent extremism and an al Qaeda threat in advance of the election.&nbsp;

The public will continue to see increased security in public places, a Department of Homeland Security official said on Friday.

&quot;Our concern that violent extremists could be inspired to conduct attacks inside the US&nbsp;have not diminished,&quot; the official said on condition of anonymity. &quot;The public should expect to continue to observe an increased law enforcement and security presence across communities in public places.&quot;

The official would not elaborate on intelligence matters.

The warnings about possible domestic violence&nbsp;come&nbsp;just as CBS reports that sources told them there was potential for an al Qaeda terror threat the day before the November 8 Presidential&nbsp;election.

US intelligence has alerted joint terrorism task forces that in three states on Monday al Qaeda could be planning an attack. While no specific locations were mentioned, the three states named were New York, Texas and Virginia.

While the authorities are taking the threats seriously, they are still being assessed and their credibility hasn&#39;t been confirmed. Officials are said to be taking extra precaution in advance of the election, as they do for big events or holidays.

Federal law enforcement is said to be planning for severeal worst-case scenarios. Local police were warned this week about &quot;polling places&quot; seen as &quot;attractive targets&quot; for &quot;lone wolf&quot;-type attacks.

(With inputs from Reuters)

Intelligence agencies are concerned about the potential for an attack by either a lone-wolf type or al Qaeda at 'polling places'

US authorities remain concerned about the possibility for both homegrown violent extremism and an al Qaeda threat in advance of the election. The public will continue to see increased security in public places, a Department of Homeland Security official said on Friday. "Our concern that violent extremists could be inspired to conduct attacks inside the US have not diminished," the official said on condition of anonymity. "The public should expect to continue to observe an increased law enforcement and security presence across communities in public places." The official would not elaborate on intelligence matters. The warnings about possible domestic violence come just as CBS reports that sources told them there was potential for an al Qaeda terror threat the day before the November 8 Presidential election. US intelligence has alerted joint terrorism task forces that in three states on Monday al Qaeda could be planning an attack. While no specific locations were mentioned, the three states named were New York, Texas and Virginia. While the authorities are taking the threats seriously, they are still being assessed and their credibility hasn't been confirmed. Officials are said to be taking extra precaution in advance of the election, as they do for big events or holidays. Federal law enforcement is said to be planning for severeal worst-case scenarios. Local police were warned this week about "polling places" seen as "attractive targets" for "lone wolf"-type attacks. (With inputs from Reuters)

US security officials warn of terror threats in advance of presidential election

Slovenian-born Melania Trump appealed to her husband&#39;s soft side on Thursday in Pennsylvania state.

This was the former model&#39;s first solo appearance. Melania is the real estate mogul&#39;s third wife and mother to Donald&#39;s youngest child.

&quot;He will make a fantastic president,&quot; Melania told voters in Berwyn, an area outside Philadelphia, AFP reported.&nbsp; 
Pennsylvania is a crucial state for her Republican husband, where Hillary Clinton holds an average 3.4 percent lead according to RealClearPolitics.

Her husband was running to improve the lives of suffering workers and struggling parents, she said.

&quot;Every time my husband learned of a factory closing in Ohio or North Carolina or here in Pennsylvania I saw him get very upset,&quot; she said, reeling off three vital swing states in the November 8 ballot, AFP reported.

She said that the media had gotten &quot;too mean and too rough&quot; and that she would focus on internet bullying and help women in poverty as First Lady.&nbsp;Melania in her speech touched on family, her marriage, the campaign experience and the goals she has as first lady.

&quot;It is never OK when a 12-year-old girl or boy is mocked, bullied or attacked. It is terrible when it happens on the playground, and it is absolutely unacceptable when it is done by someone with no name hiding on the internet. We have to find a better way to talk to each other,&quot; she said, Press Trust of India reported.

The 46-year-old had dismissed Donald Trump&#39;s 2005 video in which he bragged about groping women as &quot;boy talk,&quot; in October.

In July, Melania was caught up in a plagiarism scandal as her prime-time speech to a Republican National Convention was similar to Michelle Obama&#39;s speech at the 2008 Democratic convention. A Trump staffer apologised later for using Michelle Obama&#39;s remarks.

&quot;We&#39;ll see about that,&quot; campaign manager Kellyanne Conway told CNN on Wednesday when asked if she would do more.

If Trump wine, Melania would be America&#39;s first foreign-born first lady since Louisa Adams, wife of John Quincy Adams, who was president from 1825-1829.

(With inputs from agencies)

'He will make a fantastic president,' Melania told voters in Berwyn

Slovenian-born Melania Trump appealed to her husband's soft side on Thursday in Pennsylvania state. This was the former model's first solo appearance. Melania is the real estate mogul's third wife and mother to Donald's youngest child. "He will make a fantastic president," Melania told voters in Berwyn, an area outside Philadelphia, AFP reported. Pennsylvania is a crucial state for her Republican husband, where Hillary Clinton holds an average 3.4 percent lead according to RealClearPolitics. Her husband was running to improve the lives of suffering workers and struggling parents, she said. "Every time my husband learned of a factory closing in Ohio or North Carolina or here in Pennsylvania I saw him get very upset," she said, reeling off three vital swing states in the November 8 ballot, AFP reported. She said that the media had gotten "too mean and too rough" and that she would focus on internet bullying and help women in poverty as First Lady. Melania in her speech touched on family, her marriage, the campaign experience and the goals she has as first lady. "It is never OK when a 12-year-old girl or boy is mocked, bullied or attacked. It is terrible when it happens on the playground, and it is absolutely unacceptable when it is done by someone with no name hiding on the internet. We have to find a better way to talk to each other," she said, Press Trust of India reported. The 46-year-old had dismissed Donald Trump's 2005 video in which he bragged about groping women as "boy talk," in October. In July, Melania was caught up in a plagiarism scandal as her prime-time speech to a Republican National Convention was similar to Michelle Obama's speech at the 2008 Democratic convention. A Trump staffer apologised later for using Michelle Obama's remarks. "We'll see about that," campaign manager Kellyanne Conway told CNN on Wednesday when asked if she would do more. If Trump wine, Melania would be America's first foreign-born first lady since Louisa Adams, wife of John Quincy Adams, who was president from 1825-1829. (With inputs from agencies)

Melania Trump defends husband in solo speech

US President Barack Obama criticised FBI director James Comey over Hillary Clinton&#39;s email probe in an interview on Wednesday.

Speaking for the first time since Comey&#39;s Friday announcement that the FBI was reopening the&nbsp;probe into Clinton&#39;s use of a private email server while still in office after the&nbsp;discovery of some new emails, Obama insisted that investigations should not be based on &quot;innuendo&quot; or &quot;incomplete information&quot;.

&quot;I&#39;ve made a very deliberate effort to make sure that I don&#39;t look like I&#39;m meddling,&quot; Obama said, reported news agency AFP, before making his veiled criticism of Comey&#39;s handling of the affair without mentioning him by name. &quot;I do think that there is a norm that when there are investigations we don&#39;t operate on innuendo, we don&#39;t operate on incomplete information, we don&#39;t operate on leaks.&quot;

Comey has come under fire from Democrats after he announced a reopening of the probe into Clinton just days before the November 8 presidential election.

Comey&#39;s announcement was a departure from Justice Department policy not to comment on ongoing investigations or to take actions close to elections that could influence the outcome, AFP said.

&quot;We operate based on concrete decisions that are made,&quot; Obama said.

&quot;When this was investigated thoroughly the last time, the conclusion of the FBI, the conclusion of the Justice Department, the conclusion of repeated congressional investigations was that she had made some mistakes but that there wasn&#39;t anything there that was prosecutable,&quot; he said.

The FBI&#39;s investigation into Clinton&#39;s email use found no wrongdoing in July and Comey had recommended against bringing charges against Clinton.

Clinton&#39;s rival Donald trump seized the opportunity to declare Clinton unfit for office, arguing that the Democrat&#39;s use of private email server should disqualify her from the presidency.

On Sunday, the US Senate&#39;s top Democrat blasted the FBI chief for the probe&#39;s reopening, an action he says &quot;may have broken the law&quot;.

&quot;As soon as you came into possession of the slightest innuendo related to secretary Clinton, you rushed to publicize it in the most negative light possible,&quot; Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said in a statement.

&quot;Through your partisan actions, you may have broken the law,&quot; Reid said, alleging that Comey had violated the Hatch Act, which bars the FBI from influencing elections.

Clinton said Comey&#39;s decision so close to the election was &quot;deeply troubling&quot; and demanded an explanation for the reopening of a probe he had said declared in July.

According to US media, the probe was renewed after agents seized a laptop used by Anthony Weiner, Clinton&#39;s close aide Huma Abedin&#39;s husband.

Comey is under pressure from both Trump and Clinton to end speculation before the elections.

An ABC News/Washington Post poll put the Democratic presidential candidate just one point ahead of her Republican challenger Donald Trump at 46-45 percent in a four-way race, AFP reported.

(With inputs from AFP)

Obama spoke for the first time since FBI chief Comey reopened investigation into Clinton's email use while she was in office

US President Barack Obama criticised FBI director James Comey over Hillary Clinton's email probe in an interview on Wednesday. Speaking for the first time since Comey's Friday announcement that the FBI was reopening the probe into Clinton's use of a private email server while still in office after the discovery of some new emails, Obama insisted that investigations should not be based on "innuendo" or "incomplete information". "I've made a very deliberate effort to make sure that I don't look like I'm meddling," Obama said, reported news agency AFP, before making his veiled criticism of Comey's handling of the affair without mentioning him by name. "I do think that there is a norm that when there are investigations we don't operate on innuendo, we don't operate on incomplete information, we don't operate on leaks." Comey has come under fire from Democrats after he announced a reopening of the probe into Clinton just days before the November 8 presidential election. Comey's announcement was a departure from Justice Department policy not to comment on ongoing investigations or to take actions close to elections that could influence the outcome, AFP said. "We operate based on concrete decisions that are made," Obama said. "When this was investigated thoroughly the last time, the conclusion of the FBI, the conclusion of the Justice Department, the conclusion of repeated congressional investigations was that she had made some mistakes but that there wasn't anything there that was prosecutable," he said. The FBI's investigation into Clinton's email use found no wrongdoing in July and Comey had recommended against bringing charges against Clinton. Clinton's rival Donald trump seized the opportunity to declare Clinton unfit for office, arguing that the Democrat's use of private email server should disqualify her from the presidency. On Sunday, the US Senate's top Democrat blasted the FBI chief for the probe's reopening, an action he says "may have broken the law". "As soon as you came into possession of the slightest innuendo related to secretary Clinton, you rushed to publicize it in the most negative light possible," Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said in a statement. "Through your partisan actions, you may have broken the law," Reid said, alleging that Comey had violated the Hatch Act, which bars the FBI from influencing elections. Clinton said Comey's decision so close to the election was "deeply troubling" and demanded an explanation for the reopening of a probe he had said declared in July. According to US media, the probe was renewed after agents seized a laptop used by Anthony Weiner, Clinton's close aide Huma Abedin's husband. Comey is under pressure from both Trump and Clinton to end speculation before the elections. An ABC News/Washington Post poll put the Democratic presidential candidate just one point ahead of her Republican challenger Donald Trump at 46-45 percent in a four-way race, AFP reported. (With inputs from AFP)

Clinton email probe: FBI should not operate on 'innuendo', says Obama

The Federal Bureau of Investigation on Monday published documents regarding former president Bill Clinton&#39;s closed case just days before the November 8 presidential election.

The heavily redacted 129-page report&#39;s release over the pardon of trader Marc Rich has come under fire from Democrats already upset by the reopening of the&nbsp;probe into newly discovered emails reportedly linked to Hillary Clinton. The investigation into the pardon of the husband of a wealthy Democratic donor was closed in 2005 without charges.

The documents published on Monday received attention after they were posted on Tuesday on Twitter by FBI&#39;s division that handles Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.

&quot;Absent a FOIA litigation deadline, this is odd,&quot; said Hillary Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon, AFP reported.

&quot;Will FBI be posting docs on Trump&#39;s housing discrimination in &#39;70s?&quot; he added, referring to Clinton&#39;s Republican rival Donald Trump, a billionaire real estate magnate.

The FBI said that the documents were released according to FOIA&#39;s usual procedure as the materials were requested three or more times.

&quot;Per the standard procedure for FOIA, these materials became available for release and were posted automatically and electronically to the FBI&#39;s public reading room in accordance with the law and established procedures,&quot; the statement said, reported AFP.

The bureau suggested that more documents could follow.

Rich was a fugitive from the Department of Justice after he was indicted on federal charged of tax evasion in the US. He died in 2013 while he was living in exile in Switzerland.

Bill Clinton pardoned him on his last day in office in 2001. An investigation was opened into the matter later that year.

&quot;It appears that the required pardon standards and procedures were not followed,&quot; reads the FBI document dated February 15, 2001, reports AFP.

Current FBI director James Comey had handled the case the as a young prosecutor. Comey is under fire for reopening the probe into Hillary Clinton&#39;s use of a private email server while secretary of state.

(With inputs from AFP)

The investigation into the pardon of the husband of a wealthy Democratic donor was closed in 2005 without charges

The Federal Bureau of Investigation on Monday published documents regarding former president Bill Clinton's closed case just days before the November 8 presidential election. The heavily redacted 129-page report's release over the pardon of trader Marc Rich has come under fire from Democrats already upset by the reopening of the probe into newly discovered emails reportedly linked to Hillary Clinton. The investigation into the pardon of the husband of a wealthy Democratic donor was closed in 2005 without charges. The documents published on Monday received attention after they were posted on Tuesday on Twitter by FBI's division that handles Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. "Absent a FOIA litigation deadline, this is odd," said Hillary Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon, AFP reported. "Will FBI be posting docs on Trump's housing discrimination in '70s?" he added, referring to Clinton's Republican rival Donald Trump, a billionaire real estate magnate. The FBI said that the documents were released according to FOIA's usual procedure as the materials were requested three or more times. "Per the standard procedure for FOIA, these materials became available for release and were posted automatically and electronically to the FBI's public reading room in accordance with the law and established procedures," the statement said, reported AFP. The bureau suggested that more documents could follow. Rich was a fugitive from the Department of Justice after he was indicted on federal charged of tax evasion in the US. He died in 2013 while he was living in exile in Switzerland. Bill Clinton pardoned him on his last day in office in 2001. An investigation was opened into the matter later that year. "It appears that the required pardon standards and procedures were not followed," reads the FBI document dated February 15, 2001, reports AFP. Current FBI director James Comey had handled the case the as a young prosecutor. Comey is under fire for reopening the probe into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server while secretary of state. (With inputs from AFP)

FBI releases Bill Clinton's closed case files ahead of Nov 8 election

Republican White House hopeful Donald Trump warned of a &quot;constitutional crisis&quot; in the United States if Hillary Clinton won next week&#39;s presidential election.

&quot;Hillary is likely to be under investigation for a very long time,&quot; the Republican told supporters in Grand Rapids, Michigan, news agency AFP reported.

&quot;She&#39;s unfit and unqualified to be the president of the United States,&quot; Trump said. &quot;Her election would mire our government and our country in a constitutional crisis that we cannot afford.&quot;

Trump said that the American people would be under the leadership of a president facing criminal charges if Clinton were elected. 
&quot;We would have a criminal trial for a sitting president.&quot;

Republicans have seized every opportunity to attack Clinton since FBI director James Comey announced the reopening of the&nbsp;probe into Clinton&#39;s use of a private server while in office after the&nbsp;discovery of new emails. Agents reportedly seized a laptop used by Clinton&#39;s close aide, Huma Abedin, and her now estranged husband Anthony Weiner, AFP reported.

Trump praised Comey for his latest announcement and said, &quot;he (Comey) brought back his reputation&quot;. The Republican candidate had criticised the FBI director for deciding not to recommend prosecution against Clinton in July.

The FBI&#39;s renewed focus reportedly stems from a probe of Weiner, a disgraced former congressman who is under investigation over allegations he sent sexual overtures to a 15-year-old girl, AFP said.

&quot;Thank you Huma. Good job Huma. Thank you Anthony Weiner,&quot; Trump said, to a roar and applause by the rowdy crowd.

Clinton expressed no qualms over FBI checking her aide&#39;s emails at a rally in Kent, Ohio.

&quot;They should look at them and I&#39;m sure they&#39;ll reach the same conclusion they did when they looked at my emails for the past year: there is no case here,&quot; Clinton said, BBC reported.

Comey has faced flak from the Democrats for reopening the probe so close to the Nov 8 election.

The White House gave a cautionary statement over the matter. Spokesman Josh Earnest said he would &quot;neither defend nor criticise&quot; Comey.

(With inputs from AFP)

Trump said that the American people would be under the leadership of a president facing criminal charges if Clinton won

Republican White House hopeful Donald Trump warned of a "constitutional crisis" in the United States if Hillary Clinton won next week's presidential election. "Hillary is likely to be under investigation for a very long time," the Republican told supporters in Grand Rapids, Michigan, news agency AFP reported. "She's unfit and unqualified to be the president of the United States," Trump said. "Her election would mire our government and our country in a constitutional crisis that we cannot afford." Trump said that the American people would be under the leadership of a president facing criminal charges if Clinton were elected. "We would have a criminal trial for a sitting president." Republicans have seized every opportunity to attack Clinton since FBI director James Comey announced the reopening of the probe into Clinton's use of a private server while in office after the discovery of new emails. Agents reportedly seized a laptop used by Clinton's close aide, Huma Abedin, and her now estranged husband Anthony Weiner, AFP reported. Trump praised Comey for his latest announcement and said, "he (Comey) brought back his reputation". The Republican candidate had criticised the FBI director for deciding not to recommend prosecution against Clinton in July. The FBI's renewed focus reportedly stems from a probe of Weiner, a disgraced former congressman who is under investigation over allegations he sent sexual overtures to a 15-year-old girl, AFP said. "Thank you Huma. Good job Huma. Thank you Anthony Weiner," Trump said, to a roar and applause by the rowdy crowd. Clinton expressed no qualms over FBI checking her aide's emails at a rally in Kent, Ohio. "They should look at them and I'm sure they'll reach the same conclusion they did when they looked at my emails for the past year: there is no case here," Clinton said, BBC reported. Comey has faced flak from the Democrats for reopening the probe so close to the Nov 8 election. The White House gave a cautionary statement over the matter. Spokesman Josh Earnest said he would "neither defend nor criticise" Comey. (With inputs from AFP)

Trump: 'Constitutional crisis' if Clinton elected

Th Federal Bureau of Investigation reopened the probe into US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton&#39;s use of a private email server while secretary of state after discovering new emails &quot;that appear to be pertinent&quot;.

With just 11 days to go until the November 8 presidential elections, FBI director James Comey said would take &quot;appropriate investigative steps&quot; to decide whether a new batch of mails contained classified information &quot;as well as to assess their importance to the investigation&quot;, news agency AFP reported.

Clinton&#39;s rival Donald trump seized the opportunity to declare Clinton unfit for office, arguing that the Democrat&#39;s use of private email server should disqualify her from the presidency.

&quot;We must not let her take her criminal scheme into the Oval Office,&quot; Trump told cheering crowds at a campaign rally in Manchester, New Hampshire, reported AFP.

Clinton&#39;s vice-presidential running mate Tim Kaine told reporters,&quot;I&#39;ve got to read more. I&#39;ve got to read a little more.&quot;

Comey intimated the decision to reopen the probe to the congressional committee investigating allegations against Clinton in a letter. FBI&#39;s earlier investigations into Clinton&#39;s decision to use a private email server instead of a government email while in office revealed no wrongdoing.

However, Comey said that &quot;in connection with an unrelated case, the FBI has learned of the existence of emails that appear to be pertinent to the investigation,&quot; AFP reported.

There was no immediate reaction from the Clinton campaign.

(With inputs from AFP)

Clinton's rival Donald trump seized the opportunity to declare the Democratic candidate unfit for office

Th Federal Bureau of Investigation reopened the probe into US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server while secretary of state after discovering new emails "that appear to be pertinent". With just 11 days to go until the November 8 presidential elections, FBI director James Comey said would take "appropriate investigative steps" to decide whether a new batch of mails contained classified information "as well as to assess their importance to the investigation", news agency AFP reported. Clinton's rival Donald trump seized the opportunity to declare Clinton unfit for office, arguing that the Democrat's use of private email server should disqualify her from the presidency. "We must not let her take her criminal scheme into the Oval Office," Trump told cheering crowds at a campaign rally in Manchester, New Hampshire, reported AFP. Clinton's vice-presidential running mate Tim Kaine told reporters,"I've got to read more. I've got to read a little more." Comey intimated the decision to reopen the probe to the congressional committee investigating allegations against Clinton in a letter. FBI's earlier investigations into Clinton's decision to use a private email server instead of a government email while in office revealed no wrongdoing. However, Comey said that "in connection with an unrelated case, the FBI has learned of the existence of emails that appear to be pertinent to the investigation," AFP reported. There was no immediate reaction from the Clinton campaign. (With inputs from AFP)

Clinton email probe: FBI reopens case after discovering new emails

US billionaire Warren Buffett challenged Donald Trump Monday to release his tax returns, a feat which the Republican presidential candidate has so far resisted. 
 
Trump has said he won&#39;t release the documents because he is under audit, which Buffett - one of the world&#39;s richest men - suggested is a weak excuse. 
 
&quot;Now I&#39;ve got news for him, I&#39;m under audit too,&quot; Buffett said, speaking at a Hillary Clinton rally in Nebraska. &quot;You&#39;re only afraid if you got something to be afraid about.&quot; 
 
&quot;He&#39;s afraid because of you,&quot; Buffett told the attendees. 
 
Buffett suggested he and Trump meet &quot;any place, any time&quot; before election day to publicly go over their tax records together. 
 
The business magnate also sharply criticized Trump for a recent dispute with the parents of a slain Muslim American soldier. 
 
Pakistani immigrant Khizr Khan galvanized the Democratic National Convention with a tribute to his dead son in which he rebuked the Republican nominee for having &quot;sacrificed nothing&quot; for the country. 
 
In an interview aired on ABC Sunday, Trump insisted he had, in fact, made &quot;a lot of sacrifices&quot; for the United States. 
 
Buffett declared otherwise: &quot;Donald Trump and I haven&#39;t sacrificed anything,&quot; he said, referencing Trump&#39;s remark. 
 
&quot;How in the world can you stand up to a couple of parents who have lost a son and talk about sacrificing because you were building a bunch of buildings?&quot; 
 
Buffett is one of several extremely wealthy Americans to back Clinton for president, including billionaire and independent former mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. 
 
(AFP)

He takes a dig at Trump's reason of being under audit for not releasing tax returns as a weak excuse

US billionaire Warren Buffett challenged Donald Trump Monday to release his tax returns, a feat which the Republican presidential candidate has so far resisted. Trump has said he won't release the documents because he is under audit, which Buffett - one of the world's richest men - suggested is a weak excuse. "Now I've got news for him, I'm under audit too," Buffett said, speaking at a Hillary Clinton rally in Nebraska. "You're only afraid if you got something to be afraid about." "He's afraid because of you," Buffett told the attendees. Buffett suggested he and Trump meet "any place, any time" before election day to publicly go over their tax records together. The business magnate also sharply criticized Trump for a recent dispute with the parents of a slain Muslim American soldier. Pakistani immigrant Khizr Khan galvanized the Democratic National Convention with a tribute to his dead son in which he rebuked the Republican nominee for having "sacrificed nothing" for the country. In an interview aired on ABC Sunday, Trump insisted he had, in fact, made "a lot of sacrifices" for the United States. Buffett declared otherwise: "Donald Trump and I haven't sacrificed anything," he said, referencing Trump's remark. "How in the world can you stand up to a couple of parents who have lost a son and talk about sacrificing because you were building a bunch of buildings?" Buffett is one of several extremely wealthy Americans to back Clinton for president, including billionaire and independent former mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. (AFP)

US billionaire Buffett challenges Trump to reveal tax returns

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has come out with a new video challenging his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton&#39;s plans on jobs, taxes and national security, a day after she promised to provide steady leadership. 
 
The video, titled &#39;The Speech&#39;, starts by telling the&nbsp;audience that they would have heard the acceptance speech of Clinton in Philadelphia on Thursday. 
 
&quot;But behind the glitter lies this stark truth: In Hillary Clinton&#39;s America, things get worse. Under her dishonest plan: Taxes keep rising. Terrorism spreads. Washington insiders remain in control. Americans, losing their jobs, homes...And hope,&quot; it says. 
 
The video then tries to contrast this with Trump&#39;s promises and vision. &quot;In Donald Trump&#39;s America: People are put back to work, our families are safe, the American dream achievable again. Change that Makes America Great Again,&quot; the video says. 
 
It ends with a voice over from Trump, saying that he approves this message. 
 
Declaring that the US is at a &quot;moment of reckoning&quot;, Clinton had yesterday attacked Trump for his &quot;bigotry and bombast&quot; while pitching herself to be a steady leader, as she scripted history by becoming the first woman presidential nominee. 
 
(PTI)

The video, titled 'The Speech', says 'But behind the glitter lies this stark truth: In Hillary Clinton's America, things get worse'

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has come out with a new video challenging his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton's plans on jobs, taxes and national security, a day after she promised to provide steady leadership. The video, titled 'The Speech', starts by telling the audience that they would have heard the acceptance speech of Clinton in Philadelphia on Thursday. "But behind the glitter lies this stark truth: In Hillary Clinton's America, things get worse. Under her dishonest plan: Taxes keep rising. Terrorism spreads. Washington insiders remain in control. Americans, losing their jobs, homes...And hope," it says. The video then tries to contrast this with Trump's promises and vision. "In Donald Trump's America: People are put back to work, our families are safe, the American dream achievable again. Change that Makes America Great Again," the video says. It ends with a voice over from Trump, saying that he approves this message. Declaring that the US is at a "moment of reckoning", Clinton had yesterday attacked Trump for his "bigotry and bombast" while pitching herself to be a steady leader, as she scripted history by becoming the first woman presidential nominee. (PTI)

Donald Trump challenges rival Clinton in new twitter video

Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton secured the Democratic Party&#39;s 2016 nomination for the White House yesterday, becoming the first woman to head the ticket of a major party in US history. 
 
In a symbolic show of party unity, Clinton&#39;s former rival, US senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, told the chairwoman from the convention floor that Clinton should be selected as the party&#39;s nominee during a state-by-state roll call at the Democratic convention in Philadelphia. 
 
Earlier, delegates from South Dakota had given Clinton 15 votes, ensuring that she had more than the 2,383 votes needed to win the nomination. She emerged with a total of 2,842 votes to Sanders&#39; 1,865 votes. 
 
After a tough battle with Sanders, Clinton is now the party&#39;s standard-bearer against Republican nominee Donald Trump in the November 8 election. 
 
Delegates chanted &quot;Hillary, Hillary&quot; as US senator Barbara Mikulski of Maryland formally put forward Clinton&#39;s name for the alphabetical roll-call vote. 
 
&quot;Yes, we do break barriers, I broke a barrier when I became the first Democratic woman elected to the Senate in her own right,&quot; Mikulski said. &quot;So it is with a full heart that I&#39;m here today to nominate Hillary Clinton to be the first woman president,&quot; Mikulski said. 
 
Sanders has endorsed Clinton, a former first lady and US senator, but some of his supporters protested in Philadelphia against the party leadership&#39;s apparent backing of her during the bitter Democratic primary fight. 
 
Supporters of Clinton say her Washington credentials show she has the experience needed for the White House during troubled times as the United States tries to speed up its economic recovery and faces security challenges abroad. 
 
Detractors view her as too cosy with the establishment and say she carries political baggage dating back to the start of her husband president Bill Clinton&#39;s first White House term in the 1990s. 
 
Clinton had been leading Trump in national opinion polls in recent weeks but the New York businessman got a boost from the Republican National Convention in Cleveland where he was formally nominated last week. 
 
Trump had a 2-point lead over Clinton in a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on yesterday, the first time he has been ahead since early May. 
 
Clinton, who promises to tackle income inequality and rein in Wall Street if she becomes president, is eager to portray former reality TV star Trump as too unstable to sit in the Oval Office. 
 
In the recent past, Clinton has faced much criticism over the email scandal as well as the documents leaked by WikiLeaks over which Democratic National Committee chairperson Debbie Wasserman Schultz had to resign. 
 
(Reuters)

She secures Democratic Party's 2016 ticket for presidential run to become first female nominee of a major party

Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton secured the Democratic Party's 2016 nomination for the White House yesterday, becoming the first woman to head the ticket of a major party in US history. In a symbolic show of party unity, Clinton's former rival, US senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, told the chairwoman from the convention floor that Clinton should be selected as the party's nominee during a state-by-state roll call at the Democratic convention in Philadelphia. Earlier, delegates from South Dakota had given Clinton 15 votes, ensuring that she had more than the 2,383 votes needed to win the nomination. She emerged with a total of 2,842 votes to Sanders' 1,865 votes. After a tough battle with Sanders, Clinton is now the party's standard-bearer against Republican nominee Donald Trump in the November 8 election. Delegates chanted "Hillary, Hillary" as US senator Barbara Mikulski of Maryland formally put forward Clinton's name for the alphabetical roll-call vote. "Yes, we do break barriers, I broke a barrier when I became the first Democratic woman elected to the Senate in her own right," Mikulski said. "So it is with a full heart that I'm here today to nominate Hillary Clinton to be the first woman president," Mikulski said. Sanders has endorsed Clinton, a former first lady and US senator, but some of his supporters protested in Philadelphia against the party leadership's apparent backing of her during the bitter Democratic primary fight. Supporters of Clinton say her Washington credentials show she has the experience needed for the White House during troubled times as the United States tries to speed up its economic recovery and faces security challenges abroad. Detractors view her as too cosy with the establishment and say she carries political baggage dating back to the start of her husband president Bill Clinton's first White House term in the 1990s. Clinton had been leading Trump in national opinion polls in recent weeks but the New York businessman got a boost from the Republican National Convention in Cleveland where he was formally nominated last week. Trump had a 2-point lead over Clinton in a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on yesterday, the first time he has been ahead since early May. Clinton, who promises to tackle income inequality and rein in Wall Street if she becomes president, is eager to portray former reality TV star Trump as too unstable to sit in the Oval Office. In the recent past, Clinton has faced much criticism over the email scandal as well as the documents leaked by WikiLeaks over which Democratic National Committee chairperson Debbie Wasserman Schultz had to resign. (Reuters)

Hillary Clinton trumps WikiLeaks and email scandal to make history

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

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

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

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

Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump will face off for the first time on Monday in a presidential debate that could rank as one of the most watched, highly anticipated political showdowns in US&nbsp;history.

The tight race for the White House and the unpredictable clash in styles between well-known but polarizing opponents has generated wide interest in the potentially pivotal debate, which comes six weeks before the Nov. 8 election after a campaign that has stretched over more than a year.

The gap between the two candidates in recent national opinion polls has narrowed in the past week, with the latest Reuters/Ipsos polling showing Clinton ahead by 4 percentage points, with 41 per cent of likely voters.

Clinton recently pulled ahead of Trump in the crucial battleground state of Florida, according to the Reuters/Ipsos States of the Nation project released on Monday. If the election were held today, Clinton would defeat Trump, with an 88 per cent of reaching the 270 electoral college votes needed, according to the project, which is based on a weekly online tracking poll of more than 15,000 Americans.

The debate will be the first time Clinton and Trump go toe-to-toe and the size of the television-viewing audience is expected to challenge the record of 80 million Americans who watched 1980&#39;s encounter between Democratic President Jimmy Carter and Republican Ronald Reagan. Some commentators forecast Super Bowl-sized viewership of about 100 million.

Unlike the single-party debates held during the nominating process, the audience will be asked to remain silent and not applaud or respond to the candidates&#39; answers. The debate will be divided into six 15-minute segments.

Clinton won a coin toss and chose to take the first question. She will have two minutes to answer, after which Trump will be given equal time. Trump will then be given the first question at the beginning of the next segment.

The 90-minute debate will begin at 9 pm&nbsp;(0100 GMT on Tuesday) at Hofstra University on New York state&#39;s Long Island. It is the first of three planned presidential debates.

Market jitters

The White House race has so far had little discernible effect on the stock market but it showed jitters on Monday ahead of the debate. A measure of trading volatility, known as Wall Street&#39;s &quot;fear gauge,&quot; was up 14 per cent in early afternoon trading, its biggest rise in nearly two weeks.

&quot;Investors are acting extremely nervous with regards to the debate ... and it highlights the fact that the markets are not focusing on the health of the economy, interest rates and geopolitical events,&quot; said Robert Pavlik, chief market strategist at Boston Private Wealth.

Both Trump and Clinton, who polls show are the least liked White House candidates in modern history, hope to use the debate to erase lingering voter doubts and address campaign-trail weaknesses.

The volatile Trump, a New York businessman and former reality television star, will get a chance to show a depth and steadiness worthy of a commander in chief, while the cautious Clinton will be able to try to connect directly with voters who do not trust her, strategists said.

But Trump, a political newcomer who has often shown more affinity for put-downs than policy, could benefit from lower expectations from voters.

&quot;There is no question it&#39;s a lower bar for Trump,&quot; said Dan Schnur, a former Republican strategist and now a political scientist at the University of Southern California. &quot;He doesn&#39;t have to be brilliant, he just can&#39;t be too bombastic.&quot;

The stakes are enormous. Clinton once had a sizable lead but that has evaporated amid more questions about her family foundation and use of a private email server while secretary of state under President Barack Obama.

A second Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Monday showed half of America&#39;s likely voters would rely on the debates to help them make their choice. More than half, 61 percent, were hoping for a civil debate and were not interested in the bitterness shown on the campaign trail.

Grudge match

Clinton, 68, and Trump, 70, have regularly exchanged sharp insults, raising the prospect of a fiery grudge match. Trump frequently refers to Clinton as &quot;Crooked Hillary&quot; and has called for her jailing for the email controversy. Clinton condemns Trump as temperamentally unfit for the White House.

Trump dominated the crowded Republican debates with rapid-fire attacks on his rivals but has no experience in a one-on-one debate setting that requires more prolonged discussion of issues.

Clinton has participated in many one-on-one debates on the national stage with Obama during her unsuccessful 2008 presidential campaign and with US&nbsp;Senator Bernie Sanders in their Democratic nominating race earlier this year.

Clinton&#39;s camp has done its best to raise the bar for Trump, and in television interviews on Monday both campaigns tried to frame expectations.

&quot;What we don&#39;t want to have is some sort of double standard where Donald Trump can get the most improved award but Hillary Clinton ... is getting judged on the fine points of policy,&quot; Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook told NBC News, calling Trump &quot;an entertainer.&quot;

Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway, separately on NBC, said Clinton&#39;s vast experience was unlikely to translate onto the debate stage, where Trump held an advantage.

&quot;He&#39;s not going to be robotic and scripted,&quot; she said.

The role of moderator Lester Holt of NBC News also has come under scrutiny ahead of the debate with the Clinton campaign and her Democratic supporters urging him to correct Trump if he makes false claims.

Trump also has tried to influence Holt and the moderators of the other showdowns with Clinton, saying the candidates should be the ones to correct the record.

But in a year when outsiders like Trump and Sanders have made a mark, Trump&#39;s best argument could be that he is a better agent of change than Clinton, said Scott Reed, a veteran Republican operative who is now chief strategist for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

&quot;He&#39;s got to draw the contrast between Trump as the candidate of change and Clinton as the candidate of more of the same,&quot; Reed said.

Libertarian Gary Johnson and Green Party candidate Jill Stein were not invited to participate in the debate because neither had obtained at least 15 percent support in national polls, the threshold was established to qualify. 
 
(Reuters)

Clinton will have two minutes to answer the first question in the first of six 15-minute segments. Trump will have equal time after

Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump will face off for the first time on Monday in a presidential debate that could rank as one of the most watched, highly anticipated political showdowns in US history. The tight race for the White House and the unpredictable clash in styles between well-known but polarizing opponents has generated wide interest in the potentially pivotal debate, which comes six weeks before the Nov. 8 election after a campaign that has stretched over more than a year. The gap between the two candidates in recent national opinion polls has narrowed in the past week, with the latest Reuters/Ipsos polling showing Clinton ahead by 4 percentage points, with 41 per cent of likely voters. Clinton recently pulled ahead of Trump in the crucial battleground state of Florida, according to the Reuters/Ipsos States of the Nation project released on Monday. If the election were held today, Clinton would defeat Trump, with an 88 per cent of reaching the 270 electoral college votes needed, according to the project, which is based on a weekly online tracking poll of more than 15,000 Americans. The debate will be the first time Clinton and Trump go toe-to-toe and the size of the television-viewing audience is expected to challenge the record of 80 million Americans who watched 1980's encounter between Democratic President Jimmy Carter and Republican Ronald Reagan. Some commentators forecast Super Bowl-sized viewership of about 100 million. Unlike the single-party debates held during the nominating process, the audience will be asked to remain silent and not applaud or respond to the candidates' answers. The debate will be divided into six 15-minute segments. Clinton won a coin toss and chose to take the first question. She will have two minutes to answer, after which Trump will be given equal time. Trump will then be given the first question at the beginning of the next segment. The 90-minute debate will begin at 9 pm (0100 GMT on Tuesday) at Hofstra University on New York state's Long Island. It is the first of three planned presidential debates. Market jitters The White House race has so far had little discernible effect on the stock market but it showed jitters on Monday ahead of the debate. A measure of trading volatility, known as Wall Street's "fear gauge," was up 14 per cent in early afternoon trading, its biggest rise in nearly two weeks. "Investors are acting extremely nervous with regards to the debate ... and it highlights the fact that the markets are not focusing on the health of the economy, interest rates and geopolitical events," said Robert Pavlik, chief market strategist at Boston Private Wealth. Both Trump and Clinton, who polls show are the least liked White House candidates in modern history, hope to use the debate to erase lingering voter doubts and address campaign-trail weaknesses. The volatile Trump, a New York businessman and former reality television star, will get a chance to show a depth and steadiness worthy of a commander in chief, while the cautious Clinton will be able to try to connect directly with voters who do not trust her, strategists said. But Trump, a political newcomer who has often shown more affinity for put-downs than policy, could benefit from lower expectations from voters. "There is no question it's a lower bar for Trump," said Dan Schnur, a former Republican strategist and now a political scientist at the University of Southern California. "He doesn't have to be brilliant, he just can't be too bombastic." The stakes are enormous. Clinton once had a sizable lead but that has evaporated amid more questions about her family foundation and use of a private email server while secretary of state under President Barack Obama. A second Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Monday showed half of America's likely voters would rely on the debates to help them make their choice. More than half, 61 percent, were hoping for a civil debate and were not interested in the bitterness shown on the campaign trail. Grudge match Clinton, 68, and Trump, 70, have regularly exchanged sharp insults, raising the prospect of a fiery grudge match. Trump frequently refers to Clinton as "Crooked Hillary" and has called for her jailing for the email controversy. Clinton condemns Trump as temperamentally unfit for the White House. Trump dominated the crowded Republican debates with rapid-fire attacks on his rivals but has no experience in a one-on-one debate setting that requires more prolonged discussion of issues. Clinton has participated in many one-on-one debates on the national stage with Obama during her unsuccessful 2008 presidential campaign and with US Senator Bernie Sanders in their Democratic nominating race earlier this year. Clinton's camp has done its best to raise the bar for Trump, and in television interviews on Monday both campaigns tried to frame expectations. "What we don't want to have is some sort of double standard where Donald Trump can get the most improved award but Hillary Clinton ... is getting judged on the fine points of policy," Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook told NBC News, calling Trump "an entertainer." Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway, separately on NBC, said Clinton's vast experience was unlikely to translate onto the debate stage, where Trump held an advantage. "He's not going to be robotic and scripted," she said. The role of moderator Lester Holt of NBC News also has come under scrutiny ahead of the debate with the Clinton campaign and her Democratic supporters urging him to correct Trump if he makes false claims. Trump also has tried to influence Holt and the moderators of the other showdowns with Clinton, saying the candidates should be the ones to correct the record. But in a year when outsiders like Trump and Sanders have made a mark, Trump's best argument could be that he is a better agent of change than Clinton, said Scott Reed, a veteran Republican operative who is now chief strategist for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "He's got to draw the contrast between Trump as the candidate of change and Clinton as the candidate of more of the same," Reed said. Libertarian Gary Johnson and Green Party candidate Jill Stein were not invited to participate in the debate because neither had obtained at least 15 percent support in national polls, the threshold was established to qualify. (Reuters)

Clinton and Trump to face off in highly anticipated debate

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

He complained that Clinton was let off easy, 'He (the moderator) didn't ask her about lots of things that she should've been asked about'

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

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