WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Wednesday announced that his&nbsp;organisation planned to release &#39;significant&#39; information regarding the&nbsp;campaign of the United States&#39; Democratic presedential nominee Hillary Clinton before the elections on November 8. 
 
Talking about the data, Assange said, &quot;I think it&rsquo;s significant. You know, it&nbsp;depends on how it catches fire in the public and in the media.&rdquo; 
 
Assange has been living in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London for five years&nbsp;now to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he faces sexual assault accusations.&nbsp;He has denied these allegations. 
 
In July this year, WikiLeaks had released audio recordings which it claimed&nbsp;were sourced from the emails of the Democratic National Committee. 
 
&quot;I don&rsquo;t want to give the game away, but it&rsquo;s a variety of documents, from&nbsp;different types of institutions that are associated with the election campaign,&nbsp;some quite unexpected angles, some quite interesting, some even entertaining,&quot;&nbsp;Assange said. 
 
WikiLeaks publishes leaked material, mostly from governments. In 2010, the&nbsp;organisation had published classified US military and diplomatic documents in&nbsp;one of the largest information leaks in US history. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

In July this year, WikiLeaks had released audio recordings which it claimed?were sourced from emails of the Democratic National Committee

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Wednesday announced that his organisation planned to release 'significant' information regarding the campaign of the United States' Democratic presedential nominee Hillary Clinton before the elections on November 8. Talking about the data, Assange said, "I think it’s significant. You know, it depends on how it catches fire in the public and in the media.” Assange has been living in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London for five years now to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he faces sexual assault accusations. He has denied these allegations. In July this year, WikiLeaks had released audio recordings which it claimed were sourced from the emails of the Democratic National Committee. "I don’t want to give the game away, but it’s a variety of documents, from different types of institutions that are associated with the election campaign, some quite unexpected angles, some quite interesting, some even entertaining," Assange said. WikiLeaks publishes leaked material, mostly from governments. In 2010, the organisation had published classified US military and diplomatic documents in one of the largest information leaks in US history. (WION with inputs from agencies)

WikiLeaks to release 'significant' Clinton campaign data: Assange

Softening his rigid stance on deporting millions of illegal immigrants even further, US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said in remarks broadcast on Wednesday he would be willing to work with those who have followed US laws while living in the country. 
 
In the second part of an interview with Fox News anchor Sean Hannity conducted a day earlier, he clarified, however, that immigrants would have to pay taxes and there would be no amnesty for them.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;No citizenship. Let me go a step further,&nbsp;they&#39;ll pay back taxes, they have to pay taxes, there&#39;s no amnesty, as such, there&#39;s no amnesty, but we work with them,&quot; Trump said. 
 
&quot;But when I go through and I meet thousands and thousands of people on this subject, and I&#39;ve had very strong people come up to me ... and they&#39;ve said: &#39;Mr Trump, I love you, but to take a person who&#39;s been here for 15 or 20 years and throw them and their family out, it&#39;s so tough, Mr Trump,&#39;&quot; Trump said. &quot;It&#39;s a very hard thing,&quot; 
he added, saying that he would outline his position soon. 
 
&ldquo;Well, I&rsquo;m going to announce something over the next two weeks, but it&rsquo;s going to be a very firm policy,&rdquo; Trump told WPEC, a CBS affiliate in West Palm Beach, Florida. 
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The&nbsp;softening in stance comes as he battles Democrat Hillary Clinton in the November 8 election and faces pressure to bolster support among moderate voters and minority groups. 
 
The Republican, who defeated 16 rivals to gain the presidential nomination, had initially campaigned against illegal immigrants, saying that he would not permit American citizenship for the undocumented population and would expel lawbreakers. 
 
Trump&#39;s new position seemed to resemble in some respects the failed 2007 reform push by former Republican President George W Bush. That effort offered a way to bring millions &quot;out of the shadows&quot; without amnesty and would have required illegal immigrants to pay a fine and take other steps to gain legal status. 
 
Trump&#39;s latest comments came as Nigel Farage, an anti-immigration politician who was part of Britain&#39;s successful campaign to leave the European Union, addressed Trump&#39;s rally in Jackson, Mississippi, on Wednesday night. 
 
Trump has retained much of his immigration agenda. He still wants to build a wall along the US southern border with Mexico but he has emphasised in recent days a need to deal most urgently with illegal immigrants who commit crimes and also those who might be displacing African-American and Hispanic workers. 
 
At a rally earlier in Tampa, Florida, Trump did not talk about deporting as many as 11 million illegal immigrants as he has in the past, instead saying he would aim enforcement efforts at people who are committing crimes such as overstaying their visas. 
 
&quot;Hillary Clinton wants a totally open border so people can just pour in,&quot; Trump said.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We are going to enforce our laws, remove people who overstay their visas, dismantle the gangs and cartels, and protect jobs and benefits for hardworking American citizens.&quot; 
 
Reaching out to minorities 
 
Trump trails Clinton in national public opinion polls as well as in many battleground states where the election will be decided. After a campaign shake-up last week, he has made more urgent attempts to appeal to moderate voters and minority groups who have been disenchanted by his bellicose rhetoric. 
 
As part of an outreach to minority voters, who opinion polls show favoring his opponent, Trump plans to visit some African-American communities, a departure from his reliance on white voters. One such stop is expected to be in September in Detroit. 
 
One adviser, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, an African-American who ran against Trump for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, told MSNBC he would accompany Trump. 
 
&quot;There&#39;s no question that he will be in the communities. He will be talking to African-American leaders around the country in different cities to find out what they believe is important, and what they think has worked,&quot; Carson said. 
 
Trump argues that many minority groups have suffered under Democratic policies, particularly in inner cities. He vowed to make cities safer so that &quot;when you walk down your street... you&#39;re not going to be shot, your child is not going to be shot.&quot;&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

The?softening in stance comes as he faces pressure to bolster support among moderate voters and minority groups

Softening his rigid stance on deporting millions of illegal immigrants even further, US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said in remarks broadcast on Wednesday he would be willing to work with those who have followed US laws while living in the country. In the second part of an interview with Fox News anchor Sean Hannity conducted a day earlier, he clarified, however, that immigrants would have to pay taxes and there would be no amnesty for them. "No citizenship. Let me go a step further, they'll pay back taxes, they have to pay taxes, there's no amnesty, as such, there's no amnesty, but we work with them," Trump said. "But when I go through and I meet thousands and thousands of people on this subject, and I've had very strong people come up to me ... and they've said: 'Mr Trump, I love you, but to take a person who's been here for 15 or 20 years and throw them and their family out, it's so tough, Mr Trump,'" Trump said. "It's a very hard thing," he added, saying that he would outline his position soon. “Well, I’m going to announce something over the next two weeks, but it’s going to be a very firm policy,” Trump told WPEC, a CBS affiliate in West Palm Beach, Florida. The Republican, who defeated 16 rivals to gain the presidential nomination, had initially campaigned against illegal immigrants, saying that he would not permit American citizenship for the undocumented population and would expel lawbreakers. The softening in stance comes as he battles Democrat Hillary Clinton in the November 8 election and faces pressure to bolster support among moderate voters and minority groups. The Republican, who defeated 16 rivals to gain the presidential nomination, had initially campaigned against illegal immigrants, saying that he would not permit American citizenship for the undocumented population and would expel lawbreakers. Trump's new position seemed to resemble in some respects the failed 2007 reform push by former Republican President George W Bush. That effort offered a way to bring millions "out of the shadows" without amnesty and would have required illegal immigrants to pay a fine and take other steps to gain legal status. Trump's latest comments came as Nigel Farage, an anti-immigration politician who was part of Britain's successful campaign to leave the European Union, addressed Trump's rally in Jackson, Mississippi, on Wednesday night. Trump has retained much of his immigration agenda. He still wants to build a wall along the US southern border with Mexico but he has emphasised in recent days a need to deal most urgently with illegal immigrants who commit crimes and also those who might be displacing African-American and Hispanic workers. At a rally earlier in Tampa, Florida, Trump did not talk about deporting as many as 11 million illegal immigrants as he has in the past, instead saying he would aim enforcement efforts at people who are committing crimes such as overstaying their visas. "Hillary Clinton wants a totally open border so people can just pour in," Trump said. "We are going to enforce our laws, remove people who overstay their visas, dismantle the gangs and cartels, and protect jobs and benefits for hardworking American citizens." Reaching out to minorities Trump trails Clinton in national public opinion polls as well as in many battleground states where the election will be decided. After a campaign shake-up last week, he has made more urgent attempts to appeal to moderate voters and minority groups who have been disenchanted by his bellicose rhetoric. As part of an outreach to minority voters, who opinion polls show favoring his opponent, Trump plans to visit some African-American communities, a departure from his reliance on white voters. One such stop is expected to be in September in Detroit. One adviser, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, an African-American who ran against Trump for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, told MSNBC he would accompany Trump. "There's no question that he will be in the communities. He will be talking to African-American leaders around the country in different cities to find out what they believe is important, and what they think has worked," Carson said. Trump argues that many minority groups have suffered under Democratic policies, particularly in inner cities. He vowed to make cities safer so that "when you walk down your street... you're not going to be shot, your child is not going to be shot." (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Willing to work with those who follow US laws: Donald Trump further softens stance on migration

Donald Trump&#39;s US presidential campaign sealed a major staff reshuffle with the resignation on Friday of&nbsp;its campaign chairman and the Republican nominee tried to end weeks of upheaval to focus on beating Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. 
 
The departure of Paul Manafort came as Trump tried this week to reset his unorthodox bid for the White&nbsp;House after falling behind Clinton in opinion polls for the November 8 election. 
 
Trump said in a statement he had accepted Manafort&#39;s resignation but did not offer an explanation for the&nbsp;departure. 
 
Trump aides say the staff changes usher in a greater focus on policy and a more serious tone. 
 
The former reality TV host has stuck to that mission, swapping his free-wheeling rally speeches for&nbsp;prepared remarks that stick to a singular theme. He has concentrated on immigration, trade deals and law&nbsp;and order. 
 
Speaking in Dimondale, Michigan on Friday with the use of a teleprompter, Trump stayed clear of much of&nbsp;the hyperbole that has been a hallmark of his campaign. 
 
He attacked Clinton for her position on trade agreements, telling the Michigan crowd that the Democrat&nbsp;would send auto jobs to Mexico. 
 
&quot;Michigan is going to end up with lots of empty buildings all over the place unless you elect Donald Trump&nbsp;president,&quot; he said. 
 
Trump&#39;s son, Eric Trump, said unflattering headlines about Manafort had taken a toll. 
 
&quot;I think my father didn&#39;t want to be, you know, distracted by, you know, whatever things that, you know,&nbsp;Paul was dealing with,&quot; he told Fox News, while also praising Manafort&#39;s work for the campaign. 
 
Questions have arisen about Manafort&#39;s previous work for the political party of the Kremlin-backed former&nbsp;Ukrainian leader, Viktor Yanukovich. 
 
Trump, who has never held elected office, has also been embroiled in a series of controversies in recent&nbsp;weeks and has lagged Clinton in opinion polls. 
 
CLINTON POLL LEAD 
 
Clinton leads Trump by eight percentage points among likely voters, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll&nbsp;released on Friday. The August 14-18 online poll showed that Clinton was supported by 42 per cent of&nbsp;Americans who are expected to vote, compared with 34 per cent for Trump. Some 23 per cent would not side&nbsp;with either candidate. 
 
On Wednesday, Trump overhauled his campaign team, hiring the head of conservative website Breitbart News,&nbsp;Stephen Bannon, aschief executive of the campaign in a move that bolstered his combative image. Trump&nbsp;also promoted adviser Kellyanne Conway, a data-driven political analyst, to campaign manager. 
 
In a previous shake-up, Manafort took over the running of the campaign from Corey Lewandowski, who was&nbsp;fired as campaign manager in June. 
 
A person close to the campaign said Trump had been unhappy with Manafort for a variety of reasons.&nbsp;Manafort, who first joined the campaign in March, had presided over a period in which Trump had formally&nbsp;sealed the Republican presidential nomination after seeing off 16 rivals. 
 
But there were strains, the person said, describing how Trump became angry at reports that Manafort&nbsp;promised Republican officials that Trump&#39;s bombastic persona on the campaign trail was merely an act. 
 
&quot;This morning Paul Manafort offered, and I accepted, his resignation from the campaign,&quot; Trump said in a&nbsp;statement on Friday. &quot;I am very appreciative for his great work in helping to get us where we are today.&quot; 
 
Manafort has come under scrutiny over his work with pro-Russian political groups in Ukraine. Earlier on&nbsp;Friday, a Ukrainian lawmaker offered more details of what he said were records of cash payments allocated&nbsp;to Manafort by Yanukovich&#39;s party. Manafort, in a statement earlier this week, has denied any wrongdoing. 
 
The Clinton campaign has pointed to Manafort&#39;s Ukraine work to add to its criticism of favorable comments&nbsp;that Trump has made about Russian President Vladimir Putin and to sow doubts in voters&#39; minds about&nbsp;whether the Russian government has an unseen hand in the US election. Russian officials have rejected&nbsp;that accusation. 
 
&quot;You can get rid of Manafort, but that doesn&#39;t end the odd bromance Trump has with Putin,&quot; Robby Mook,&nbsp;Clinton&#39;s campaign manager, said in a statement. 
 
&#39;TOO MANY COOKS&#39; 
 
John Feehery, a Republican strategist, said it would have been unsustainable for Manafort to stay on after&nbsp;Wednesday&#39;s hires. &quot;Too many cooks in the kitchen,&quot; he said. 
 
Trump&#39;s hiring of Bannon was seen as a sign he would not hold back in his aggressive, unorthodox campaign&nbsp;manner. Still, Trump offered rare words of regret on Thursday for causing offence with his take-no-&nbsp;prisoners style. 
 
Reading from a teleprompter, he told supporters in North Carolina that he had sometimes misspoken. &quot;I&nbsp;regret it,&quot; he said, &quot;particularly where it may have caused personal pain.&quot; 
 
On Friday, he also began airing his first television advertisement since becoming the Republican candidate, buying airtime in the crucial states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Florida, where&nbsp;Clinton has already spent of millions in television advertising. 
 
The 30-second ad focuses on immigration, saying Clinton would allow &quot;terrorists and dangerous criminals&quot;&nbsp;into the country, a charge her campaign dismisses. 
 
Karlyn Bowman, a senior fellow and research coordinator at the American Enterprise Institute conservative&nbsp;think tank, said Trump still had some time to turn around his campaign, noting the news of the shakeup&nbsp;came as many Americans were enjoying summer vacations. 
 
The final stretch of the protracted campaign traditionally starts after Labor Day, which falls on September 5&nbsp;this year. 
 
&quot;I&#39;m not sure the public pays a lot of attention to inside campaign stories,&quot; she said. &quot;But that said,&nbsp;Trump has clearly been having significant problems in the polls and he needed to do something differently&nbsp;and perhaps this is the beginning of the attempt.&quot; 
 
Clinton won some relief on Friday from a controversy over her use of a private email system when she was&nbsp;secretary of state. 
 
A US federal judge ruled that Clinton did not need to give sworn testimony in a lawsuit about the email&nbsp;issue. 
 
(Reuters)

Trump aides say the staff changes usher in a greater focus on policy and a more serious tone

Donald Trump's US presidential campaign sealed a major staff reshuffle with the resignation on Friday of its campaign chairman and the Republican nominee tried to end weeks of upheaval to focus on beating Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. The departure of Paul Manafort came as Trump tried this week to reset his unorthodox bid for the White House after falling behind Clinton in opinion polls for the November 8 election. Trump said in a statement he had accepted Manafort's resignation but did not offer an explanation for the departure. Trump aides say the staff changes usher in a greater focus on policy and a more serious tone. The former reality TV host has stuck to that mission, swapping his free-wheeling rally speeches for prepared remarks that stick to a singular theme. He has concentrated on immigration, trade deals and law and order. Speaking in Dimondale, Michigan on Friday with the use of a teleprompter, Trump stayed clear of much of the hyperbole that has been a hallmark of his campaign. He attacked Clinton for her position on trade agreements, telling the Michigan crowd that the Democrat would send auto jobs to Mexico. "Michigan is going to end up with lots of empty buildings all over the place unless you elect Donald Trump president," he said. Trump's son, Eric Trump, said unflattering headlines about Manafort had taken a toll. "I think my father didn't want to be, you know, distracted by, you know, whatever things that, you know, Paul was dealing with," he told Fox News, while also praising Manafort's work for the campaign. Questions have arisen about Manafort's previous work for the political party of the Kremlin-backed former Ukrainian leader, Viktor Yanukovich. Trump, who has never held elected office, has also been embroiled in a series of controversies in recent weeks and has lagged Clinton in opinion polls. CLINTON POLL LEAD Clinton leads Trump by eight percentage points among likely voters, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Friday. The August 14-18 online poll showed that Clinton was supported by 42 per cent of Americans who are expected to vote, compared with 34 per cent for Trump. Some 23 per cent would not side with either candidate. On Wednesday, Trump overhauled his campaign team, hiring the head of conservative website Breitbart News, Stephen Bannon, aschief executive of the campaign in a move that bolstered his combative image. Trump also promoted adviser Kellyanne Conway, a data-driven political analyst, to campaign manager. In a previous shake-up, Manafort took over the running of the campaign from Corey Lewandowski, who was fired as campaign manager in June. A person close to the campaign said Trump had been unhappy with Manafort for a variety of reasons. Manafort, who first joined the campaign in March, had presided over a period in which Trump had formally sealed the Republican presidential nomination after seeing off 16 rivals. But there were strains, the person said, describing how Trump became angry at reports that Manafort promised Republican officials that Trump's bombastic persona on the campaign trail was merely an act. "This morning Paul Manafort offered, and I accepted, his resignation from the campaign," Trump said in a statement on Friday. "I am very appreciative for his great work in helping to get us where we are today." Manafort has come under scrutiny over his work with pro-Russian political groups in Ukraine. Earlier on Friday, a Ukrainian lawmaker offered more details of what he said were records of cash payments allocated to Manafort by Yanukovich's party. Manafort, in a statement earlier this week, has denied any wrongdoing. The Clinton campaign has pointed to Manafort's Ukraine work to add to its criticism of favorable comments that Trump has made about Russian President Vladimir Putin and to sow doubts in voters' minds about whether the Russian government has an unseen hand in the US election. Russian officials have rejected that accusation. "You can get rid of Manafort, but that doesn't end the odd bromance Trump has with Putin," Robby Mook, Clinton's campaign manager, said in a statement. 'TOO MANY COOKS' John Feehery, a Republican strategist, said it would have been unsustainable for Manafort to stay on after Wednesday's hires. "Too many cooks in the kitchen," he said. Trump's hiring of Bannon was seen as a sign he would not hold back in his aggressive, unorthodox campaign manner. Still, Trump offered rare words of regret on Thursday for causing offence with his take-no- prisoners style. Reading from a teleprompter, he told supporters in North Carolina that he had sometimes misspoken. "I regret it," he said, "particularly where it may have caused personal pain." On Friday, he also began airing his first television advertisement since becoming the Republican candidate, buying airtime in the crucial states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Florida, where Clinton has already spent of millions in television advertising. The 30-second ad focuses on immigration, saying Clinton would allow "terrorists and dangerous criminals" into the country, a charge her campaign dismisses. Karlyn Bowman, a senior fellow and research coordinator at the American Enterprise Institute conservative think tank, said Trump still had some time to turn around his campaign, noting the news of the shakeup came as many Americans were enjoying summer vacations. The final stretch of the protracted campaign traditionally starts after Labor Day, which falls on September 5 this year. "I'm not sure the public pays a lot of attention to inside campaign stories," she said. "But that said, Trump has clearly been having significant problems in the polls and he needed to do something differently and perhaps this is the beginning of the attempt." Clinton won some relief on Friday from a controversy over her use of a private email system when she was secretary of state. A US federal judge ruled that Clinton did not need to give sworn testimony in a lawsuit about the email issue. (Reuters)

Trump does not reason campaign manager's resignation

Donald Trump made a rare act of contrition on Thursday, saying he regretted offending people with his harsh way of speaking. 
 
Trump made the gesture at his first rally since ordering a shakeup in his campaign to save his struggling bid as Republican candidate for the US presidency. 
 
&quot;Sometimes in the heat of debate and speaking on a multitude of issues, you don&#39;t choose the right words or you say the wrong thing,&quot; Trump told a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina. 
 
&quot;I have done that. And believe it or not, I regret it,&quot; he said, drawing laughs and applause from the crowd. &quot;I do regret it. Particularly, where it may have caused personal pain.&quot; 
 
He added: &quot;Too much is at stake for us to be consumed with these issues, but one thing I can promise you this, I will always tell you the truth.&quot; 
 
The New York billionaire&#39;s multiple self-inflicted wounds of late have left him trailing in virtually every battleground state. One of the biggest was when he clashed repeatedly with the parents of an Army captain killed in Iraq. 
 
Critics accused him last week of inciting violence against his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton in a remark about the right to bear arms, and media reports have swirled about a campaign in crisis and a candidate apparently incapable of reeling in crass remarks. 
 
Clinton leads Trump 47 per cent to 41.2 per cent, according to the Real Clear Politics polling average, following weeks of errors that have alienated establishment Republicans and seen his own supporters tear their hair out. 
 
The shakeup&nbsp; 
 
On Wednesday, Trump appointed right-wing news executive Stephen Bannon CEO and promoted pollster Kellyanne Conway to campaign manager. 
 
The change was seen as a demotion for campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who has been pushing Trump, among other changes, to use a teleprompter when he gives speeches as a way to stay on message, and not ad-lib himself into saying something offensive or wrong. 
 
The choice of Bannon, however, was seen as Trump&#39;s way of thumbing his nose at Republican leaders who have been urging him to tone down the shoot-from-the-hip style of speech he used effectively in the primaries. 
 
Urges to include African-Americans voters in the &#39;American dream&#39;&nbsp; 
 
On Thursday, Trump did speak with a teleprompter and veered from the invisible screens only to hammer away at a given point he wanted to make. 
 
On substantive issues, he reached out to US minorities, in particular blacks. 
 
&quot;Nearly four in ten African-American children are living in poverty. I will not rest until children of every colour in this country are fully included in the American Dream,&quot; Trump said. 
 
&quot;If African-American voters give Donald Trump a chance by giving me their vote, the result for them will be amazing,&quot; he said. 
 
He stressed his standard campaign pillars of building a wall along the border with Mexico, keeping out undocumented foreigners and opposing international trade accords. 
 
He depicted himself as an agent of change compared to Clinton, whom he dismissed as an old-fashioned Washington insider. 
 
(AFP)&nbsp;

'I have done that. And believe it or not, I regret it,' he said but added that he would continue to 'tell the truth'

Donald Trump made a rare act of contrition on Thursday, saying he regretted offending people with his harsh way of speaking. Trump made the gesture at his first rally since ordering a shakeup in his campaign to save his struggling bid as Republican candidate for the US presidency. "Sometimes in the heat of debate and speaking on a multitude of issues, you don't choose the right words or you say the wrong thing," Trump told a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina. "I have done that. And believe it or not, I regret it," he said, drawing laughs and applause from the crowd. "I do regret it. Particularly, where it may have caused personal pain." He added: "Too much is at stake for us to be consumed with these issues, but one thing I can promise you this, I will always tell you the truth." The New York billionaire's multiple self-inflicted wounds of late have left him trailing in virtually every battleground state. One of the biggest was when he clashed repeatedly with the parents of an Army captain killed in Iraq. Critics accused him last week of inciting violence against his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton in a remark about the right to bear arms, and media reports have swirled about a campaign in crisis and a candidate apparently incapable of reeling in crass remarks. Clinton leads Trump 47 per cent to 41.2 per cent, according to the Real Clear Politics polling average, following weeks of errors that have alienated establishment Republicans and seen his own supporters tear their hair out. The shakeup On Wednesday, Trump appointed right-wing news executive Stephen Bannon CEO and promoted pollster Kellyanne Conway to campaign manager. The change was seen as a demotion for campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who has been pushing Trump, among other changes, to use a teleprompter when he gives speeches as a way to stay on message, and not ad-lib himself into saying something offensive or wrong. The choice of Bannon, however, was seen as Trump's way of thumbing his nose at Republican leaders who have been urging him to tone down the shoot-from-the-hip style of speech he used effectively in the primaries. Urges to include African-Americans voters in the 'American dream' On Thursday, Trump did speak with a teleprompter and veered from the invisible screens only to hammer away at a given point he wanted to make. On substantive issues, he reached out to US minorities, in particular blacks. "Nearly four in ten African-American children are living in poverty. I will not rest until children of every colour in this country are fully included in the American Dream," Trump said. "If African-American voters give Donald Trump a chance by giving me their vote, the result for them will be amazing," he said. He stressed his standard campaign pillars of building a wall along the border with Mexico, keeping out undocumented foreigners and opposing international trade accords. He depicted himself as an agent of change compared to Clinton, whom he dismissed as an old-fashioned Washington insider. (AFP)

Day after campaign shakeup, Donald Trump says he regrets 'offending people'?

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

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

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

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

More than 70 influential Republicans have signed a letter urging the party to stop spending money on Donald Trump&#39;s presidential campaign and direct it instead to November&#39;s congressional races, a news report said today 
 
&quot;We believe that Donald Trump&#39;s divisiveness, recklessness, incompetence, and record-breaking unpopularity risk turning this election into a Democratic landslide,&quot; read a draft text of the letter to Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus, which was obtained by the Politico newspaper. 
 
It called for an &quot;immediate shift&quot; of party funding Senate and House races, to aid down-ballot Republicans whose own election prospects have been harmed by Trump&#39;s unpopularity. 
 
&quot;This should not be a difficult decision, as Donald Trump&#39;s chances of being elected president are evaporating by the day,&quot; the letter said. 
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<h5>Those recent outrages have built on his campaign of anger and exclusion, during which he has mocked and offended millions of voters, including the disabled, women, Muslims, immigrants, and minorities,&quot; the letter said, according to Politico.</h5>
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Those recent outrages have built on his campaign of anger and exclusion, during which he has mocked and offended millions of voters, including the disabled, women, Muslims, immigrants, and minorities,&quot; the letter said, according to Politico." target="_blank">&nbsp;</a></div>
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The letter cited various actions by Trump that the signers said have &quot;alienated millions of voters of all parties&quot;. 
 
&quot;Those recent outrages have built on his campaign of anger and exclusion, during which he has mocked and offended millions of voters, including the disabled, women, Muslims, immigrants, and minorities,&quot; the letter said, according to Politico. 
 
&quot;He also has shown dangerous authoritarian tendencies, including threats to ban an entire religion from entering the country, order the military to break the law by torturing prisoners, kill the families of suspected terrorists, track law-abiding Muslim citizens in databases, and use executive orders to implement other illegal and unconstitutional measures.&quot; 
 
So far, the letter has been signed by a number of key former party staff members and officials. Politico reported that it began circulating this week and is expected to be sent to Priebus next week. 
 
(AFP)&nbsp;

'He also has shown dangerous authoritarian tendencies, including threats to ban an entire religion from entering the country'

More than 70 influential Republicans have signed a letter urging the party to stop spending money on Donald Trump's presidential campaign and direct it instead to November's congressional races, a news report said today "We believe that Donald Trump's divisiveness, recklessness, incompetence, and record-breaking unpopularity risk turning this election into a Democratic landslide," read a draft text of the letter to Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus, which was obtained by the Politico newspaper. It called for an "immediate shift" of party funding Senate and House races, to aid down-ballot Republicans whose own election prospects have been harmed by Trump's unpopularity. "This should not be a difficult decision, as Donald Trump's chances of being elected president are evaporating by the day," the letter said. Those recent outrages have built on his campaign of anger and exclusion, during which he has mocked and offended millions of voters, including the disabled, women, Muslims, immigrants, and minorities," the letter said, according to Politico. The letter cited various actions by Trump that the signers said have "alienated millions of voters of all parties". "Those recent outrages have built on his campaign of anger and exclusion, during which he has mocked and offended millions of voters, including the disabled, women, Muslims, immigrants, and minorities," the letter said, according to Politico. "He also has shown dangerous authoritarian tendencies, including threats to ban an entire religion from entering the country, order the military to break the law by torturing prisoners, kill the families of suspected terrorists, track law-abiding Muslim citizens in databases, and use executive orders to implement other illegal and unconstitutional measures." So far, the letter has been signed by a number of key former party staff members and officials. Politico reported that it began circulating this week and is expected to be sent to Priebus next week. (AFP)

70 influential Republicans urge party to de-fund 'reckless' Trump: Report

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton accused Republican opponent Donald Trump on Wednesday of inciting violence with his call for gun rights activists to stop her from nominating liberal US Supreme Court justices. 
 
Clinton&#39;s comments added to a growing outcry over Trump&#39;s remarks on Tuesday at a North Carolina rally, which some interpreted as a call for violence against his White House rival. His remarks also fueled widespread concerns about his ability to stay on track.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Words matter, my friends,&quot; the former US secretary of state, who rarely engages in direct back-and-forths with her Republican rival, said at a rally in Des Moines, Iowa. &quot;And if you are running to be president or you are president of the United States, words can have tremendous consequences.&quot; 
 
&quot;Yesterday, we witnessed the latest in a long line of casual comments from Donald Trump that crossed the line,&quot; she said, citing &quot;his casual inciting of violence&quot;. 
 
Trump insisted in an interview with Fox News that his remarks were a call for political, not physical, action. &ldquo;There is tremendous political power to save the Second Amendment, tremendous,&quot; the New York businessman said. &quot;And you look at the power they have in terms of votes and that&rsquo;s what I was referring to, obviously that&rsquo;s what I was referring to, and everybody knows it.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
The US Constitution&#39;s Second Amendment guarantees a right to keep and bear arms.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;I can&rsquo;t think of anything remotely comparable to it. No one tells a joke about the opponent getting shot. I&rsquo;ve never heard it,&quot; said Bob Shrum, a top aide for Al Gore&#39;s presidential campaign in 2000 and John Kerry&#39;s in 2004.&nbsp; 
 
Republicans shaken 
 
High-profile Republicans and rank-and-file voters appeared shaken on Wednesday after a string of Trump misfires, struggling with how to best reject his divisive candidacy.&nbsp; 
 
Some pledged to withhold their endorsement and others backed Clinton. Some, including MSNBC host Joe Scarborough, a former Republican congressman from Florida, called for party leaders to replace Trump on the ticket.&nbsp; 
 
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll taken August fifth to eigth, before Trump&#39;s latest controversy, showed that nearly one-fifth of 396 registered Republicans said they want Trump to drop out of the race and another 10 per cent said they &quot;don&#39;t know&quot; whether the Republican nominee should or not. Clinton&#39;s campaign, seeing an opening, has moved to bring disenchanted Republicans into the fold by announcing an official intra-party outreach effort on behalf of the Democratic nominee.&nbsp; 
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Clinton&#39;s campaign now has a website for Republicans and political independents to sign up to pledge their support, listing 50 prominent Republicans and independents who have endorsed her. On Monday, 50 Republican national security officials signed an open letter questioning Trump&#39;s temperament, calling him reckless and unqualified to be president. 
 
Other top Republicans, including Senator Susan Collins of Maine this week, have disavowed Trump but said they cannot back Clinton. James Rohrscheib, 74, a registered Republican and retired US Navy officer from Washington state, told Reuters the reality is the November 8 election will be a &quot;tough one&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;I&rsquo;m in a quandary as to who I am going to vote for,&quot; Rohrscheib said. Trump has dismissed the defections and criticism as an unsurprising reaction of the so-called Washington elite to his drive to change the status quo. One group that appears unswayed is Trump&#39;s donors. Reuters interviewed nine major Trump donors on Wednesday, and not one said his Second Amendment comment had given them pause. Trump Texas fundraising co-chair Gaylord Hughey called the interpretation of his remark as condoning violence &quot;ridiculous&quot; and &quot;ludicrous&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;It&rsquo;s just another issue the press has really twisted to make headlines,&quot; Hughey said. But Mike Smith, a Republican voter and Reuters/Ipsos poll respondent, said the support Trump is still receiving from Republicans &quot;almost seems obligatory rather than voluntary&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;I&rsquo;m almost at the point where I think I&rsquo;m going to vote for Hillary. I don&#39;t like her,&quot; said Smith, a 74-year-old retiree who lives in Clearwater, Florida.&nbsp;&quot;But Mr. Trump is making me very nervous&quot;. 
 
&#39;Trump has dug himself a deep hole&#39;&nbsp; 
 
Republican strategist and Trump supporter Ford O&rsquo;Connell said Trump has &quot;dug himself a deep hole&quot; with voters and to win the election he will need to &quot;make it a referendum on Hillary Clinton and the &#39;rigged system&#39;&quot;. Trump sought to do just that by using an economic policy speech in Detroit on Monday to correct a series of missteps that included a prolonged clash with the parents of a fallen Muslim American soldier.&nbsp; 
 
But his remarks Tuesday undermined that effort. &quot;If she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do folks,&quot; Trump said at the rally in North Carolina. &quot;Although the Second Amendment people, maybe there is, I don&rsquo;t know,&quot; he continued.&nbsp; 
 
A federal official familiar with the matter denied a media report that the US Secret Service, which investigates threats against presidents and candidates, had formally spoken with the Trump campaign about his remark. Trump&#39;s comment and the resulting backlash occurred as Reuters/Ipsos polling showed some 44 per cent of 1,162 registered voters believe Trump should exit the race, and that as of Tuesday, Clinton led Trump by more than seven percentage points, up from a three-point lead late last week.&nbsp; 
 
Strategists and Trump detractors agreed that it would be difficult, if not impossible, to remove Trump from the Republican ticket. &quot;It&rsquo;s wishful thinking to believe the Republicans are going to replace its nominee after the convention. People are grasping at straws,&quot; Ron Bonjean, a Republican strategist unaffiliated with Trump, told Reuters.&nbsp; 
 
A more likely scenario would be a replay of the 1996 presidential race, when the Republican Party essentially deserted nominee Bob Dole, who was badly trailing President Bill Clinton, to focus on congressional races 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp;

If you're running to be president or you're president of the United States, words can have tremendous consequences: Clinton

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton accused Republican opponent Donald Trump on Wednesday of inciting violence with his call for gun rights activists to stop her from nominating liberal US Supreme Court justices. Clinton's comments added to a growing outcry over Trump's remarks on Tuesday at a North Carolina rally, which some interpreted as a call for violence against his White House rival. His remarks also fueled widespread concerns about his ability to stay on track. "Words matter, my friends," the former US secretary of state, who rarely engages in direct back-and-forths with her Republican rival, said at a rally in Des Moines, Iowa. "And if you are running to be president or you are president of the United States, words can have tremendous consequences." "Yesterday, we witnessed the latest in a long line of casual comments from Donald Trump that crossed the line," she said, citing "his casual inciting of violence". Trump insisted in an interview with Fox News that his remarks were a call for political, not physical, action. “There is tremendous political power to save the Second Amendment, tremendous," the New York businessman said. "And you look at the power they have in terms of votes and that’s what I was referring to, obviously that’s what I was referring to, and everybody knows it." The US Constitution's Second Amendment guarantees a right to keep and bear arms. "I can’t think of anything remotely comparable to it. No one tells a joke about the opponent getting shot. I’ve never heard it," said Bob Shrum, a top aide for Al Gore's presidential campaign in 2000 and John Kerry's in 2004. Republicans shaken High-profile Republicans and rank-and-file voters appeared shaken on Wednesday after a string of Trump misfires, struggling with how to best reject his divisive candidacy. Some pledged to withhold their endorsement and others backed Clinton. Some, including MSNBC host Joe Scarborough, a former Republican congressman from Florida, called for party leaders to replace Trump on the ticket. A new Reuters/Ipsos poll taken August fifth to eigth, before Trump's latest controversy, showed that nearly one-fifth of 396 registered Republicans said they want Trump to drop out of the race and another 10 per cent said they "don't know" whether the Republican nominee should or not. Clinton's campaign, seeing an opening, has moved to bring disenchanted Republicans into the fold by announcing an official intra-party outreach effort on behalf of the Democratic nominee. Trump's remarks fueled widespread concerns about his ability to stay on track. High-profile Republicans and rank-and-file voters appeared shaken on Wednesday after a string of misfires by the Republican nominee. Clinton's campaign now has a website for Republicans and political independents to sign up to pledge their support, listing 50 prominent Republicans and independents who have endorsed her. On Monday, 50 Republican national security officials signed an open letter questioning Trump's temperament, calling him reckless and unqualified to be president. Other top Republicans, including Senator Susan Collins of Maine this week, have disavowed Trump but said they cannot back Clinton. James Rohrscheib, 74, a registered Republican and retired US Navy officer from Washington state, told Reuters the reality is the November 8 election will be a "tough one". "I’m in a quandary as to who I am going to vote for," Rohrscheib said. Trump has dismissed the defections and criticism as an unsurprising reaction of the so-called Washington elite to his drive to change the status quo. One group that appears unswayed is Trump's donors. Reuters interviewed nine major Trump donors on Wednesday, and not one said his Second Amendment comment had given them pause. Trump Texas fundraising co-chair Gaylord Hughey called the interpretation of his remark as condoning violence "ridiculous" and "ludicrous". "It’s just another issue the press has really twisted to make headlines," Hughey said. But Mike Smith, a Republican voter and Reuters/Ipsos poll respondent, said the support Trump is still receiving from Republicans "almost seems obligatory rather than voluntary". "I’m almost at the point where I think I’m going to vote for Hillary. I don't like her," said Smith, a 74-year-old retiree who lives in Clearwater, Florida. "But Mr. Trump is making me very nervous". 'Trump has dug himself a deep hole' Republican strategist and Trump supporter Ford O’Connell said Trump has "dug himself a deep hole" with voters and to win the election he will need to "make it a referendum on Hillary Clinton and the 'rigged system'". Trump sought to do just that by using an economic policy speech in Detroit on Monday to correct a series of missteps that included a prolonged clash with the parents of a fallen Muslim American soldier. But his remarks Tuesday undermined that effort. "If she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do folks," Trump said at the rally in North Carolina. "Although the Second Amendment people, maybe there is, I don’t know," he continued. A federal official familiar with the matter denied a media report that the US Secret Service, which investigates threats against presidents and candidates, had formally spoken with the Trump campaign about his remark. Trump's comment and the resulting backlash occurred as Reuters/Ipsos polling showed some 44 per cent of 1,162 registered voters believe Trump should exit the race, and that as of Tuesday, Clinton led Trump by more than seven percentage points, up from a three-point lead late last week. Strategists and Trump detractors agreed that it would be difficult, if not impossible, to remove Trump from the Republican ticket. "It’s wishful thinking to believe the Republicans are going to replace its nominee after the convention. People are grasping at straws," Ron Bonjean, a Republican strategist unaffiliated with Trump, told Reuters. A more likely scenario would be a replay of the 1996 presidential race, when the Republican Party essentially deserted nominee Bob Dole, who was badly trailing President Bill Clinton, to focus on congressional races (Reuters)

Clinton blasts Trump for 'casual inciting of violence', Republicans shaken by 'misfires'

US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Wednesday accused President Barack Obama of founding the Islamic State (IS) group. 
 
Addressing supporters at a rally in Ft Lauderdale, Florida, the real estate tycoon said that the jihadist group is &quot;honoring President Obama.&quot; 
 
&quot;He is the founder of ISIS,&quot; Trump said, using a term for the IS group. 
 
&quot;He&rsquo;s the founder of ISIS, okay?&quot; he added. &quot;He&rsquo;s the founder! He founded ISIS.&quot; 
 
The brash billionaire went on to criticise his Democratic rival for the White House. 
 
&quot;And I would say, the co-founder would be crooked Hillary Clinton,&quot; he said. 
 
Trump has suffered what critics insist is a long string of missteps that have marred his campaign since he officially won the nomination last month. 
 
Earlier on Wednesday, Clinton sternly warned Trump about his &quot;casual inciting&quot; of violence, saying he &quot;crossed the line&quot; after he caused a firestorm by suggesting that people who support gun rights could take action to stop her from appointing US Supreme Court justices if elected president. 
 
(AFP)

The US Republican presidential candidate made the comment at a rally in Florida on Wednesday

US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Wednesday accused President Barack Obama of founding the Islamic State (IS) group. Addressing supporters at a rally in Ft Lauderdale, Florida, the real estate tycoon said that the jihadist group is "honoring President Obama." "He is the founder of ISIS," Trump said, using a term for the IS group. "He’s the founder of ISIS, okay?" he added. "He’s the founder! He founded ISIS." The brash billionaire went on to criticise his Democratic rival for the White House. "And I would say, the co-founder would be crooked Hillary Clinton," he said. Trump has suffered what critics insist is a long string of missteps that have marred his campaign since he officially won the nomination last month. Earlier on Wednesday, Clinton sternly warned Trump about his "casual inciting" of violence, saying he "crossed the line" after he caused a firestorm by suggesting that people who support gun rights could take action to stop her from appointing US Supreme Court justices if elected president. (AFP)

Trump accuses Obama of founding IS

A coalition of US groups representing more than 10 million scientists and engineers published 20 questions today they want every US presidential candidate to answer ahead of November&#39;s vote. 
 
The questions range from how to support vaccine science, to defining the scope of America&#39;s goals in space, to the candidates&#39; views on climate change and what would they would do about it. 
 
Stances on nuclear power, protecting the world&#39;s oceans, reducing the human and economic costs of mental illness, and the controversy over visa programs that allow highly skilled immigrants into the United States also feature in the list, made public by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). 
 
&quot;Voters should have a chance to know where the presidential candidates stand,&quot; said Rush Holt, chief executive officer of AAAS, which publishes the journal Science. 
 
&quot;We want journalists and voters to ask these questions insistently of the candidates and their campaign staff.&quot; 
 
The full list is available at ScienceDebate.org/20qs. 
 
The 56 groups that helped create the list by crowd sourcing the questions have asked for the candidates to answer the questions by September 6. 
 
All are described by AAAS as non-partisan groups, including the National Academy of Sciences, the American Geophysical Union, the American Chemical Society and the Union of Concerned Scientists. 
 
The effort was organised by ScienceDebate.org, which commissioned a national poll last that found 87 per cent of Americans said it was important that candidates for president and Congress have a basic understanding of the science informing public policy issues. 
 
&quot;Taken collectively, these twenty issues have at least as profound an impact on voters&#39; lives as those more frequently covered by journalists, including candidates&#39; views on economic policy, foreign policy, and faith and values,&quot; said ScienceDebate.org chair Shawn Otto. 
 
Otto urged the candidates -- Democrat Hillary Clinton, Republican Donald Trump, Libertarian Gary Johnson, and the Green Party&#39;s Jill Stein -- to answer the questions &quot;in writing and to discuss them on television.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

The questions range from how to support vaccine science to the candidates' views on climate change and what would they would do about it

A coalition of US groups representing more than 10 million scientists and engineers published 20 questions today they want every US presidential candidate to answer ahead of November's vote. The questions range from how to support vaccine science, to defining the scope of America's goals in space, to the candidates' views on climate change and what would they would do about it. Stances on nuclear power, protecting the world's oceans, reducing the human and economic costs of mental illness, and the controversy over visa programs that allow highly skilled immigrants into the United States also feature in the list, made public by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). "Voters should have a chance to know where the presidential candidates stand," said Rush Holt, chief executive officer of AAAS, which publishes the journal Science. "We want journalists and voters to ask these questions insistently of the candidates and their campaign staff." The full list is available at ScienceDebate.org/20qs. The 56 groups that helped create the list by crowd sourcing the questions have asked for the candidates to answer the questions by September 6. All are described by AAAS as non-partisan groups, including the National Academy of Sciences, the American Geophysical Union, the American Chemical Society and the Union of Concerned Scientists. The effort was organised by ScienceDebate.org, which commissioned a national poll last that found 87 per cent of Americans said it was important that candidates for president and Congress have a basic understanding of the science informing public policy issues. "Taken collectively, these twenty issues have at least as profound an impact on voters' lives as those more frequently covered by journalists, including candidates' views on economic policy, foreign policy, and faith and values," said ScienceDebate.org chair Shawn Otto. Otto urged the candidates -- Democrat Hillary Clinton, Republican Donald Trump, Libertarian Gary Johnson, and the Green Party's Jill Stein -- to answer the questions "in writing and to discuss them on television." (AFP)

56 US groups representing 10 mn scientists want presidential candidates to answer '20 science questions'

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was once again at the center of a firestorm today, this time over controversial comments interpreted by some as a threat of violence against rival Hillary Clinton. 
 
Trump&#39;s intended message was not immediately clear, but lawmakers, former national security officials and other critics expressed concern that he had advocated, possibly in jest, that Clinton or her Supreme Court nominees could be shot. 
 
&quot;Hillary wants to essentially abolish the Second Amendment,&quot; Trump told a rally in Wilmington, North Carolina, referring to the US Constitution&#39;s clause that enshrines &quot;the right to bear arms&quot;. 
 
&quot;If she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks,&quot; Trump said.&nbsp;&quot;Although the Second Amendment people,&nbsp;maybe there is, I don&#39;t know,&quot; he said, in remarks that some deemed his most explosive and most offensive to date. 
 
Trump earlier appeared more focused on delivering his typical campaign stump speech about Clinton, telling supporters she would represent four more years of President Barack Obama, &quot;but maybe worse&quot;, and sparring with her over policy.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;I gave a massive tax decrease yesterday,&quot; Trump said, referring to economic plans he unveiled Monday. &quot;Clinton, she&#39;s going to double up your taxes.&quot; 
 
But then Trump drew attention away from his message with his &quot;Second Amendment&quot; remarks. 
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<h5>Hillary wants to essentially abolish the Second Amendment,&quot; Trump told a rally in Wilmington, North Carolina, referring to the US Constitution&#39;s clause that enshrines &quot;the right to bear arms&quot;. 
 
If she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks,&quot; Trump said. &nbsp;&quot;Although the Second Amendment people,&nbsp;maybe there is, I don&#39;t know.&quot;</h5>
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It was the latest in a long string of Trump trip-ups,&nbsp;including his clash with the parents of a Muslim American soldier killed in action,&nbsp;that have marred his campaign since he officially won the nomination last month, prompting several Republicans to reject his candidacy. 
 
Clinton&#39;s campaign decried Trump&#39;s &quot;dangerous&quot; language and demanded in a statement that presidential hopefuls &quot;not suggest violence in any way&quot;. 
 
Struggling in the polls 
 
Trump&#39;s team fired back to say the 70-year-old Manhattan billionaire simply meant that gun rights advocates were a powerful voting force. 
 
&quot;Second Amendment people have amazing spirit and are tremendously unified, which gives them great political power,&quot; senior Trump communications advisor Jason Miller said. 
 
The National Rifle Association, America&#39;s largest pro-gun lobby, put forth that Trump was correct in saying it would be hard to protect the Second Amendment if Clinton appoints new justices. 
 
&quot;But there IS something we will do on #ElectionDay: Show up and vote for the #2A!&quot; the group posted on Twitter.&nbsp;Trump is struggling to transition from his strong grassroots primary performance to a more mature head-to-head battle with Clinton. 
 
He suffers from sinking poll numbers, including a Quinnipiac University survey released Tuesday that shows him trailing Clinton in crucial battleground states Ohio and Pennsylvania, and virtually tied in Florida. 
 
Democratic lawmakers expressed shock about Trump&#39;s comments. 
 
&quot;In this clip, Trump&#39;s either calling for an armed revolt or the assassination of his opponent. Despicable,&quot; Democratic congressman David Cicilline posted on Twitter along with footage of Trump&#39;s remarks. 
 
The Secret Service,&nbsp;which is tasked with protecting both Trump and Clinton, said it &quot;is aware of the comments,&quot; but did not say whether they merited an investigation, which some Democratic lawmakers have called for. 
 
&#39;Incredible insensitivity&#39; 
 
At a later rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina Trump avoided addressing his controversial comments. But the supporter who introduced him, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, sought to clarify the remarks, insisting Trump had not aimed to incite violence. 
 
&quot;What he meant by that was, you have the power to vote against her,&quot; Giuliani said.&nbsp;Trump&#39;s repeated stumbles and divisive rhetoric have angered Republican Party grandees.&nbsp;Former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director Michael Hayden blasted the &quot;Second Amendment&quot; comments. 
 
&quot;It suggests either a very bad-taste reference to political assassination and an attempt at humour, or an incredible insensitivity,&quot; he told CNN.&nbsp;Hayden was among 50 former senior Republican national security officials who warned in an open letter Monday that if Trump were elected he would be &quot;the most reckless president in American history&quot;. 
 
Influential Republican US Senator Susan Collins piled in, saying the nominee was &quot;unworthy&quot; of America&#39;s highest elective office and would not receive her support.&nbsp;Joe Scarborough, a former member of the House of Representatives and now a television host, wrote in the Washington Post that Trump&#39;s Second Amendment remark was the final straw. 
 
&quot;What else could Trump do that would be worse than implying the positive impact of a political assassination?&quot; the former US lawmaker wrote.&nbsp;&quot;The Republican Party needs to start examining quickly their options for removing the Republican nominee,&quot; Scarborough said 
 
(AFP)

Rival Clinton's campaign decried Trump's 'dangerous' language and demanded that presidential hopefuls 'not suggest violence in any way'

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was once again at the center of a firestorm today, this time over controversial comments interpreted by some as a threat of violence against rival Hillary Clinton. Trump's intended message was not immediately clear, but lawmakers, former national security officials and other critics expressed concern that he had advocated, possibly in jest, that Clinton or her Supreme Court nominees could be shot. "Hillary wants to essentially abolish the Second Amendment," Trump told a rally in Wilmington, North Carolina, referring to the US Constitution's clause that enshrines "the right to bear arms". "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," he said, in remarks that some deemed his most explosive and most offensive to date. Trump earlier appeared more focused on delivering his typical campaign stump speech about Clinton, telling supporters she would represent four more years of President Barack Obama, "but maybe worse", and sparring with her over policy. "I gave a massive tax decrease yesterday," Trump said, referring to economic plans he unveiled Monday. "Clinton, she's going to double up your taxes." But then Trump drew attention away from his message with his "Second Amendment" remarks. Hillary wants to essentially abolish the Second Amendment," Trump told a rally in Wilmington, North Carolina, referring to the US Constitution's clause that enshrines "the right to bear arms". 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." It was the latest in a long string of Trump trip-ups, including his clash with the parents of a Muslim American soldier killed in action, that have marred his campaign since he officially won the nomination last month, prompting several Republicans to reject his candidacy. Clinton's campaign decried Trump's "dangerous" language and demanded in a statement that presidential hopefuls "not suggest violence in any way". Struggling in the polls Trump's team fired back to say the 70-year-old Manhattan billionaire simply meant that gun rights advocates were a powerful voting force. "Second Amendment people have amazing spirit and are tremendously unified, which gives them great political power," senior Trump communications advisor Jason Miller said. The National Rifle Association, America's largest pro-gun lobby, put forth that Trump was correct in saying it would be hard to protect the Second Amendment if Clinton appoints new justices. "But there IS something we will do on #ElectionDay: Show up and vote for the #2A!" the group posted on Twitter. Trump is struggling to transition from his strong grassroots primary performance to a more mature head-to-head battle with Clinton. He suffers from sinking poll numbers, including a Quinnipiac University survey released Tuesday that shows him trailing Clinton in crucial battleground states Ohio and Pennsylvania, and virtually tied in Florida. Democratic lawmakers expressed shock about Trump's comments. "In this clip, Trump's either calling for an armed revolt or the assassination of his opponent. Despicable," Democratic congressman David Cicilline posted on Twitter along with footage of Trump's remarks. The Secret Service, which is tasked with protecting both Trump and Clinton, said it "is aware of the comments," but did not say whether they merited an investigation, which some Democratic lawmakers have called for. 'Incredible insensitivity' At a later rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina Trump avoided addressing his controversial comments. But the supporter who introduced him, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, sought to clarify the remarks, insisting Trump had not aimed to incite violence. "What he meant by that was, you have the power to vote against her," Giuliani said. Trump's repeated stumbles and divisive rhetoric have angered Republican Party grandees. Former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director Michael Hayden blasted the "Second Amendment" comments. "It suggests either a very bad-taste reference to political assassination and an attempt at humour, or an incredible insensitivity," he told CNN. Hayden was among 50 former senior Republican national security officials who warned in an open letter Monday that if Trump were elected he would be "the most reckless president in American history". Influential Republican US Senator Susan Collins piled in, saying the nominee was "unworthy" of America's highest elective office and would not receive her support. Joe Scarborough, a former member of the House of Representatives and now a television host, wrote in the Washington Post that Trump's Second Amendment remark was the final straw. "What else could Trump do that would be worse than implying the positive impact of a political assassination?" the former US lawmaker wrote. "The Republican Party needs to start examining quickly their options for removing the Republican nominee," Scarborough said (AFP)

Trump accused of calling for Clinton's assassination

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

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

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

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

Terming the Republican presidential nominee &nbsp;as &quot;ridiculous&quot;, US President Barack Obama has assured to preserve the integrity of the voting process. 
 
&quot;I don&#39;t even really know where to start on answering this question. Of course the elections will not be rigged. What does that mean? The federal government doesn&#39;t run the election process, it is states, cities and communities all across the country. They are the ones who set up the voting systems and voting booths,&quot; Obama said during a news conference yesterday when asked about Trump&#39;s allegations. 
 
&quot;And if Mr Trump is suggesting that there is a conspiracy theory that is being propagated across the country, including in places like 
Texas, where typically it is not Democrats who are in charge of voting booths. That is ridiculous,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;Trump&#39;s allegations do not make any sense and I don&#39;t think anybody would take that seriously,&quot; he added. 
 
&quot;We do take seriously, as we always do, our responsibility to monitor and preserve the integrity of the voting process. If we see signs that a voting machine or system is more vulnerable to hacking, then we inform those local authorities who are running the elections that they need to be careful,&quot; Obama said. 
 
&quot;If we see jurisdictions that are violating federal laws in terms of equal access and aren&#39;t providing ramps for disabled voters or are discriminating in some fashion, or are otherwise violating civil rights laws, then the justice department will come in and take care of that,&quot; he said. 
 
Taking a dig at Trump, Obama said this will be an election like every other election, and all of us at some points in our lives have played sports and sometimes some people, if they lose, they start complaining that they got cheated. 
 
&quot;But I never heard of somebody complaining about being cheated before the game was over, or before the scored was even tallied,&quot; he said.&nbsp;&quot;So my suggestion would be go out there and try to win the election. If Mr Trump is up 10 or 15 points on election day and ends up losing maybe he can raise some questions. That doesn&#39;t seem to be the case at the moment,&quot; the US president said. 
 
Further attacking Trump, Obama urged the people of America to make their own judgements on the Republican presidential nominee.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Just listen to what Mr Trump has to say and make your own judgement with respect to how confident you feel about his ability to manage things like our nuclear triad,&quot; he said.&nbsp;He said he has a very strong opinion about the two candidates who are running for president. 
 
Obama is supporting Hillary Clinton, Trump&#39;s Democratic presidential rival, in the upcoming presidential elections. 
 
&quot;One is very positive and one is not so much, and I guess you will just hear any further questions that are directed at this subject, I think you&#39;ll hear pretty much variations on the same thing,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;What I can say is this is serious business, and the person who is in the Oval Office and who our secretary of defence, and our joint chiefs of staff, and our outstanding men and women in uniform report to, they are counting on somebody who has the temperament and good judgement to be able to make decisions to make America safe,&quot; Obama said. 
 
That should be very much on the minds of voters when they go to the voting booth in November. At the end of the day, it is the American people&#39;s decision, he said. 
 
Obama further said if someone wins the election and becomes the president, then his constitutional responsibility will be&nbsp;to peacefully transfer power to the individual and do everything to help them succeed.&nbsp; 
 
(PTI)

Trump claimed the upcoming election will be rigged. 'I never heard of somebody complaining about being cheated before the game was over...'

Terming the Republican presidential nominee as "ridiculous", US President Barack Obama has assured to preserve the integrity of the voting process. "I don't even really know where to start on answering this question. Of course the elections will not be rigged. What does that mean? The federal government doesn't run the election process, it is states, cities and communities all across the country. They are the ones who set up the voting systems and voting booths," Obama said during a news conference yesterday when asked about Trump's allegations. "And if Mr Trump is suggesting that there is a conspiracy theory that is being propagated across the country, including in places like Texas, where typically it is not Democrats who are in charge of voting booths. That is ridiculous," he said. "Trump's allegations do not make any sense and I don't think anybody would take that seriously," he added. "We do take seriously, as we always do, our responsibility to monitor and preserve the integrity of the voting process. If we see signs that a voting machine or system is more vulnerable to hacking, then we inform those local authorities who are running the elections that they need to be careful," Obama said. "If we see jurisdictions that are violating federal laws in terms of equal access and aren't providing ramps for disabled voters or are discriminating in some fashion, or are otherwise violating civil rights laws, then the justice department will come in and take care of that," he said. Taking a dig at Trump, Obama said this will be an election like every other election, and all of us at some points in our lives have played sports and sometimes some people, if they lose, they start complaining that they got cheated. "But I never heard of somebody complaining about being cheated before the game was over, or before the scored was even tallied," he said. "So my suggestion would be go out there and try to win the election. If Mr Trump is up 10 or 15 points on election day and ends up losing maybe he can raise some questions. That doesn't seem to be the case at the moment," the US president said. Further attacking Trump, Obama urged the people of America to make their own judgements on the Republican presidential nominee. "Just listen to what Mr Trump has to say and make your own judgement with respect to how confident you feel about his ability to manage things like our nuclear triad," he said. He said he has a very strong opinion about the two candidates who are running for president. Obama is supporting Hillary Clinton, Trump's Democratic presidential rival, in the upcoming presidential elections. "One is very positive and one is not so much, and I guess you will just hear any further questions that are directed at this subject, I think you'll hear pretty much variations on the same thing," he said. "What I can say is this is serious business, and the person who is in the Oval Office and who our secretary of defence, and our joint chiefs of staff, and our outstanding men and women in uniform report to, they are counting on somebody who has the temperament and good judgement to be able to make decisions to make America safe," Obama said. That should be very much on the minds of voters when they go to the voting booth in November. At the end of the day, it is the American people's decision, he said. Obama further said if someone wins the election and becomes the president, then his constitutional responsibility will be to peacefully transfer power to the individual and do everything to help them succeed. (PTI)

Obama hits back at Trump, calls his claims 'ridiculous'

Lashing out at American media, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump termed CNN as &quot;Clinton News Network&quot; and called the New York Times &quot;dishonest&quot; for allegedly favouring his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. 
 
&quot;You look at CNN, it&#39;s called the Clinton news network. All day long, Trump, Trump -- all day long, CNN, Trump, Trump, such a bad guy,&quot; Trump yesterday said at a town hall in Columbus, Ohio.&nbsp; 
 
Targeting the New York Times, Trump said, &quot;The New York Times is really, really dishonest, and it&#39;s failing. I don&#39;t think they&#39;ll be in business more than two or three years. Look at their numbers. They&#39;re failing.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
The Republican presidential nominee alleged these newspapers write stories favouring his rival Hillary Clinton. &quot;Crooked Hillary they write beautifully about,&quot; he alleged. 
 
Trump accused CNN of &quot;inaccurate information&quot;, and said he won&#39;t be doing any of their shows until they &quot;straighten up&quot;. &quot;I think their ratings are going to go down really sharply now. They&#39;ve been asking me to go on for months. I won&#39;t do their shows.When people finally realise that I&#39;m not doing their shows they stop watching.That&#39;s what happens,&quot; Trump said.&nbsp; 
 
Trump alleged media outlets, except Fox are very tough on him. 
 
&quot;Fox has at least been fair. So at some point, at some point we&#39;re just gonna keep barrelling through,&quot; he said.&nbsp; 
 
Referring to the recent decision of his campaign to revoke the press credentials of the Washington Post, Trump said the newspaper &quot;got a little bit better lately&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
The billionaire from New York who claims to have 22.5 million followers on Twitter and Facebook, said that he would continue to use Twitter. &quot;You know who says don&#39;t use Twitter? Your enemies. Why wouldn&#39;t I use it? Why wouldn&#39;t I -- if I have all these millions of people, and it&#39;s a great way to get a message out. &quot;So when they write falsely, or say something totally false on the Today Show, or Good Morning America, I&#39;ve put out a tweet. And you&#39;ll see all over television -- we have breaking news,&quot; he said.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;I may be tweeting from bed. OK? It&#39;s true. It&#39;s instantaneous. If I put out a beautiful, long, perfectly scripted press release like I did yesterday nobody puts it out. If I put out a 140-character tweet they go crazy. They break into every story. So you got to use it,&quot; Trump added. 
 
(PTI)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

'Crooked Hillary they write beautifully about,' the Republican presidential nominee alleged adding the newspapers favour his rival

Lashing out at American media, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump termed CNN as "Clinton News Network" and called the New York Times "dishonest" for allegedly favouring his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. "You look at CNN, it's called the Clinton news network. All day long, Trump, Trump -- all day long, CNN, Trump, Trump, such a bad guy," Trump yesterday said at a town hall in Columbus, Ohio. Targeting the New York Times, Trump said, "The New York Times is really, really dishonest, and it's failing. I don't think they'll be in business more than two or three years. Look at their numbers. They're failing." The Republican presidential nominee alleged these newspapers write stories favouring his rival Hillary Clinton. "Crooked Hillary they write beautifully about," he alleged. Trump accused CNN of "inaccurate information", and said he won't be doing any of their shows until they "straighten up". "I think their ratings are going to go down really sharply now. They've been asking me to go on for months. I won't do their shows.When people finally realise that I'm not doing their shows they stop watching.That's what happens," Trump said. Trump alleged media outlets, except Fox are very tough on him. "Fox has at least been fair. So at some point, at some point we're just gonna keep barrelling through," he said. Referring to the recent decision of his campaign to revoke the press credentials of the Washington Post, Trump said the newspaper "got a little bit better lately". The billionaire from New York who claims to have 22.5 million followers on Twitter and Facebook, said that he would continue to use Twitter. "You know who says don't use Twitter? Your enemies. Why wouldn't I use it? Why wouldn't I -- if I have all these millions of people, and it's a great way to get a message out. "So when they write falsely, or say something totally false on the Today Show, or Good Morning America, I've put out a tweet. And you'll see all over television -- we have breaking news," he said. "I may be tweeting from bed. OK? It's true. It's instantaneous. If I put out a beautiful, long, perfectly scripted press release like I did yesterday nobody puts it out. If I put out a 140-character tweet they go crazy. They break into every story. So you got to use it," Trump added. (PTI)

Trump attacks American media, calls CNN 'Clinton News Network'

US First Lady Michelle Obama on Monday told the Democratic convention in Philadelphia that Hillary Clinton was the one candidate ready to be President, as she poured scorn on Donald Trump&#39;s behaviour and temperament. 
 
&quot;In this election, there is only one person who I trust with that responsibility, only one person who I believe is truly qualified to be President of the United States, and that is our friend Hillary Clinton,&quot; she said to standing ovations. 
 
&quot;In this election, I&#39;m with her.&quot; 
 
Obama painted a picture of her husband&#39;s first secretary of state as a competent, steely politician who does not make &quot;snap decisions&quot; or judgments. 
 
&quot;You can&#39;t have a thin skin or tendency to lash out. You need to be steady and measured and well informed,&quot; she said. 
 
And she noted how Clinton, when she lost her Democratic nomination race to Barack Obama in 2008, &quot;didn&#39;t get angry or disillusioned.&nbsp;As a true public servant, Hillary knows that this is so much bigger than her own desires and disappointments.&quot; 
 
The First Lady also turned personal, her voice cracking at times, when she discussed the future at stake for her two daughters. 
 
&quot;Because of Hillary Clinton, my daughters and all of our sons and daughters now take for granted that a woman can be President of the United States.&quot; 
 
Obama&#39;s warm, eloquent remarks brought the house down, appearing to generate the unity that had eluded much of the first day&#39;s proceedings, when die-hard Bernie Sanders supporters jeered speakers when they offered their support for Clinton. 
 
Obama took a veiled dig at Republican nominee Trump, whose campaign slogan is &#39;Make America great again&#39;. 
 
&quot;Don&#39;t let anyone ever tell you that this country is not great,&quot; she said. &quot;Because this right now is the greatest country on Earth.&quot; 
 
The nation, she said, needs &quot;a leader who will be guided every day by the love and hope and impossibly big dreams that we all have for our children&quot;. 
 
Americans must not turn cynical by the rhetoric of this year&#39;s presidential election, she said.&nbsp;&quot;No, hear me,&quot; Obama added. &quot;Between now and November... we need to pour every last ounce of our passion and our strength and our love for this country into electing Hillary Clinton.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

She spoke of Hillary as a competent, steely politician who does not make 'snap decisions' or judgments

US First Lady Michelle Obama on Monday told the Democratic convention in Philadelphia that Hillary Clinton was the one candidate ready to be President, as she poured scorn on Donald Trump's behaviour and temperament. "In this election, there is only one person who I trust with that responsibility, only one person who I believe is truly qualified to be President of the United States, and that is our friend Hillary Clinton," she said to standing ovations. "In this election, I'm with her." Obama painted a picture of her husband's first secretary of state as a competent, steely politician who does not make "snap decisions" or judgments. "You can't have a thin skin or tendency to lash out. You need to be steady and measured and well informed," she said. And she noted how Clinton, when she lost her Democratic nomination race to Barack Obama in 2008, "didn't get angry or disillusioned. As a true public servant, Hillary knows that this is so much bigger than her own desires and disappointments." The First Lady also turned personal, her voice cracking at times, when she discussed the future at stake for her two daughters. "Because of Hillary Clinton, my daughters and all of our sons and daughters now take for granted that a woman can be President of the United States." Obama's warm, eloquent remarks brought the house down, appearing to generate the unity that had eluded much of the first day's proceedings, when die-hard Bernie Sanders supporters jeered speakers when they offered their support for Clinton. Obama took a veiled dig at Republican nominee Trump, whose campaign slogan is 'Make America great again'. "Don't let anyone ever tell you that this country is not great," she said. "Because this right now is the greatest country on Earth." The nation, she said, needs "a leader who will be guided every day by the love and hope and impossibly big dreams that we all have for our children". Americans must not turn cynical by the rhetoric of this year's presidential election, she said. "No, hear me," Obama added. "Between now and November... we need to pour every last ounce of our passion and our strength and our love for this country into electing Hillary Clinton." (AFP)

Michelle Obama: Clinton only one qualified to be next US President

Hillary Clinton named US senator Tim Kaine as her running mate on Friday, making a safe choice that will help her present the Democratic ticket as a steady alternative to the unpredictable campaign of Republican presidential rival Donald Trump. 
 
The selection of Kaine, a self-described &quot;boring&quot; Virginian with wide governing experience and a reputation for low-key competence, could appeal to independents and moderates but could also anger liberal groups that object to his advocacy for an Asian free-trade pact. 
 
But the Spanish-speaking, former Virginia governor and Richmond mayor fits Clinton&#39;s long-stated criteria that the vice presidential choice be a capable partner who is ready to take over the presidency if necessary. 
 
Clinton made the announcement via Twitter and a text message to supporters after the first day of a two-day campaign swing in Florida. She called Kaine to tell him about 40 minutes before the announcement, and called President Barack Obama shortly after Kaine. 
 
&quot;I&#39;m thrilled to tell you this first: I&#39;ve chosen Sen. Tim Kaine as my running mate. Welcome him to my team,&quot; she said in her text message. 
 
Kaine, 58, edged out two other finalists - Cory Booker, a US senator from New Jersey, and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, according to a Democratic source familiar with the discussions. 
 
Clinton also bypassed candidates who would have generated more excitement among liberal and Hispanic activists, including progressive favourite US senator Elizabeth Warren and two Hispanic members of Obama&#39;s Cabinet, Julian Castro and Thomas Perez. 
 
The former secretary of state will be formally nominated as the party&#39;s presidential candidate for the November 8 election at next week&#39;s Democratic convention in Philadelphia. She leads Trump in many opinion polls. 
 
Clinton&#39;s choice of a running mate could give her campaign momentum heading into the convention, as the fight for the White House begins a more than three-month push to the finish. 
 
Clinton acknowledged in an interview earlier this week that even Kaine admits he is boring, and said she did not mind. 
 
&quot;I love that about him,&quot; she told Charlie Rose of CBS News and PBS. &quot;He&#39;s never lost an election. He was a world-class mayor, governor and senator and is one of the most highly respected senators I know.&quot; 
 
Kaine&#39;s first appearance with Clinton will be on Saturday at an event in Miami, a campaign aide said. 
 
New opening to attack democrats 
 
Liberal groups, which had pressured Clinton not to pick Kaine because of his support for fast-track authority for the White House to negotiate the Trans-Pacific Partnership, were dismayed by the choice. 
 
Critics of the Asia free-trade deal, including Trump and Clinton&#39;s Democratic primary rival Bernie Sanders, say it would be unfair to US workers and kill jobs. Clinton praised the deal when she was secretary of state, but has since distanced herself from it. 
 
&quot;Republicans will run hard against Democrats on trade this year. Unfortunately, since Tim Kaine voted to fast-track the Trans-Pacific Partnership, Republicans now have a new opening to attack Democrats on this economic populist issue,&quot; said Stephanie Taylor, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee. 
 
Hispanic activists also may be annoyed with the pick of Kaine given that Latino candidates were again passed over. 
 
But Kaine could help Clinton in Virginia, a heavily contested swing state, and choosing Kaine will not cost Democrats a seat in the Senate, where Republicans now hold a majority, at 54 seats. Virginia&#39;s Democratic governor, Terry McAuliffe, a close Clinton friend and ally, will name a replacement for Kaine if he and Clinton win the White House. 
 
Kaine has good relations with senators from the opposing party, according to senior senate Republican congressional aides. One aide speculated Kaine would be effective in reaching out to congressional Republicans if he becomes vice president, a role that Vice President Joe Biden has played for Obama. 
 
Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services committees, has been a leading voice calling for a formal authorization of war against the Islamic State militant group. He played an important role in securing congressional review of the 2015 international deal on Iran&#39;s nuclear program, although he eventually backed it. 
 
He has a track-record of backing liberal causes such as ending across-the-board automatic budget cuts and providing a pathway to citizenship to millions of undocumented immigrants. 
 
Kaine, a Catholic who became fluent in Spanish speaker while serving as a missionary in Honduras, has expressed personal opposition to abortion, but has a public record in support of abortion rights. 
 
(Reuters)

Kaine's reputation of 'boring' but steady competence stands in contrast to the unpredictable rival campaign of Donald Trump

Hillary Clinton named US senator Tim Kaine as her running mate on Friday, making a safe choice that will help her present the Democratic ticket as a steady alternative to the unpredictable campaign of Republican presidential rival Donald Trump. The selection of Kaine, a self-described "boring" Virginian with wide governing experience and a reputation for low-key competence, could appeal to independents and moderates but could also anger liberal groups that object to his advocacy for an Asian free-trade pact. But the Spanish-speaking, former Virginia governor and Richmond mayor fits Clinton's long-stated criteria that the vice presidential choice be a capable partner who is ready to take over the presidency if necessary. Clinton made the announcement via Twitter and a text message to supporters after the first day of a two-day campaign swing in Florida. She called Kaine to tell him about 40 minutes before the announcement, and called President Barack Obama shortly after Kaine. "I'm thrilled to tell you this first: I've chosen Sen. Tim Kaine as my running mate. Welcome him to my team," she said in her text message. Kaine, 58, edged out two other finalists - Cory Booker, a US senator from New Jersey, and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, according to a Democratic source familiar with the discussions. Clinton also bypassed candidates who would have generated more excitement among liberal and Hispanic activists, including progressive favourite US senator Elizabeth Warren and two Hispanic members of Obama's Cabinet, Julian Castro and Thomas Perez. The former secretary of state will be formally nominated as the party's presidential candidate for the November 8 election at next week's Democratic convention in Philadelphia. She leads Trump in many opinion polls. Clinton's choice of a running mate could give her campaign momentum heading into the convention, as the fight for the White House begins a more than three-month push to the finish. Clinton acknowledged in an interview earlier this week that even Kaine admits he is boring, and said she did not mind. "I love that about him," she told Charlie Rose of CBS News and PBS. "He's never lost an election. He was a world-class mayor, governor and senator and is one of the most highly respected senators I know." Kaine's first appearance with Clinton will be on Saturday at an event in Miami, a campaign aide said. New opening to attack democrats Liberal groups, which had pressured Clinton not to pick Kaine because of his support for fast-track authority for the White House to negotiate the Trans-Pacific Partnership, were dismayed by the choice. Critics of the Asia free-trade deal, including Trump and Clinton's Democratic primary rival Bernie Sanders, say it would be unfair to US workers and kill jobs. Clinton praised the deal when she was secretary of state, but has since distanced herself from it. "Republicans will run hard against Democrats on trade this year. Unfortunately, since Tim Kaine voted to fast-track the Trans-Pacific Partnership, Republicans now have a new opening to attack Democrats on this economic populist issue," said Stephanie Taylor, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee. Hispanic activists also may be annoyed with the pick of Kaine given that Latino candidates were again passed over. But Kaine could help Clinton in Virginia, a heavily contested swing state, and choosing Kaine will not cost Democrats a seat in the Senate, where Republicans now hold a majority, at 54 seats. Virginia's Democratic governor, Terry McAuliffe, a close Clinton friend and ally, will name a replacement for Kaine if he and Clinton win the White House. Kaine has good relations with senators from the opposing party, according to senior senate Republican congressional aides. One aide speculated Kaine would be effective in reaching out to congressional Republicans if he becomes vice president, a role that Vice President Joe Biden has played for Obama. Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services committees, has been a leading voice calling for a formal authorization of war against the Islamic State militant group. He played an important role in securing congressional review of the 2015 international deal on Iran's nuclear program, although he eventually backed it. He has a track-record of backing liberal causes such as ending across-the-board automatic budget cuts and providing a pathway to citizenship to millions of undocumented immigrants. Kaine, a Catholic who became fluent in Spanish speaker while serving as a missionary in Honduras, has expressed personal opposition to abortion, but has a public record in support of abortion rights. (Reuters)

US presidential race: Hillary Clinton picks Virginia senator Tim Kaine as running mate

Donald Trump faced an embarrassing plagiarism scandal today that tarnished his wife Melania&#39;s prime-time speech to a Republican National Convention already roiled by an opening day rank-and-file revolt. 
 
It was a rough start to the four-day buildup to Trump&#39;s presidential nomination, one designed for maximum media exposure for the Republican standard bearer and his supporters. 
 
With millions watching on TV at home, Melania Trump delivered a defence of her husband and his bid to be the next president of the United States before thousands of cheering convention delegates. 
 
But unmistakeable similarities between a passage in her speech about her guiding values and one in a speech given by Michelle Obama at the 2008 Democratic convention soon came to light. 
 
A senior Trump communications adviser, Jason Miller, acknowledged in a statement that Melania Trump&#39;s team of writers &quot;in some instances included fragments that reflected her own thinking.&quot; 
 
However, Paul Manafort, Trump&#39;s campaign chief, denied there was any &quot;cribbing of Michelle Obama&#39;s speech.&quot; 
 
&quot;I mean, she was speaking in front of 35 million people last night. She knew that. To think that she would be cribbing Michelle Obama&#39;s words is crazy,&quot; he said on CNN. 
 
The development came after a chaotic start to the Republican gathering in Cleveland which erupted in jeers from Trump opponents after their bid to hold a roll call vote on convention rules was quashed. 
 
&quot;We deserve to be heard, this is the people&#39;s convention!&quot; said Diana Shores, a delegate from Virginia, while pro-Trump delegates tried to drown out the rebels with shouts of &quot;Shame! Shame!&quot; 
 
Today the convention holds a state-by-state roll call vote with each delegation confirming the winner in their primary election. 
 
Although a routine procedure, it too could be the scene of further disruptions by anti-Trump factions.&nbsp;But Trump fans insist delegates heed the will of the grassroots of the party and make him the Republican nominee without equivocation. 
 
The billionaire won a thumping victory in a series of statewide party elections, garnering more than 13 million votes - the most of any Republican nominee ever.&nbsp;This was meant to be Trump&#39;s moment - the point at which he sealed Republican divisions and marched the party toward November&#39;s election and the White House. 
 
Making a surprise cameo appearance at the gathering in Cleveland to introduce his wife, the bombastic tycoon showed confidence that belied the day&#39;s spasm of public division.&nbsp;&quot;We&#39;re going to win so big&quot; said Trump. &quot;Ladies and gentlemen, it is my great honour to present the next First Lady of the United States.&quot; 
 
Ahead of the convention, he had tried to assuage conservative critics, and bring the party together by naming Indiana governor Mike Pence as his running mate. 
 
First the lady 
 
But it was Trump&#39;s Slovenian-born wife Melania, until now only a minor presence in the campaign, who stepped up as his chief advocate on the convention&#39;s opening day.&nbsp;She took the stage with all the allure of a former model and in a strong accent made the case for Americans to entrust Trump with the presidency. 
 
&quot;Donald is, and always has been, an amazing leader,&quot; said the 46-year-old. &quot;Now, he will go to work for you.&quot; 
 
&quot;He does not give up,&quot; she said of her husband, portraying him as a loving father and successful businessman who would be a strong and compassionate president.&nbsp;She also sought to put a more human face on a candidate many voters see as brash and egotistical. 
 
&quot;Donald intends to represent all the people, not just some of the people. That includes Christians and Jews and Muslims. It includes Hispanics and African-Americans and Asians and the poor and the middle class.&quot; 
 
Plagiarism 
 
No sooner had the speech been delivered it was overshadowed by the plagiarism controversy.&nbsp;In a passage that appeared to be lifted from Michelle Obama&#39;s speech eight years ago, Melania discussed her parents&#39; influence on her. 
 
&quot;My parents impressed on me the values: that you work hard for what you want in life. That your word is your bond and you do what you say and keep your promise. That you treat people with respect. They taught me to show the values and morals in my daily life. That is the lesson that I continue to pass along to our son,&quot; Melania Trump said. 
 
&quot;And we need to pass those lessons on to the many generations to follow. Because we want our children in this nation to know that the only limit to your achievements is the strength of your dreams and your willingness to work for them.&quot; 
 
In her 2008 speech, Michelle Obama had said: 
 
&quot;And Barack and I were raised with so many of the same values: that you work hard for what you want in life; that your word is your bond and you do what you say you&#39;re going to do; that you treat people with dignity and respect, even if you don&#39;t know them, and even if you don&#39;t agree with them. 
 
&quot;And Barack and I set out to build lives guided by these values, and pass them on to the next generation. Because we want our children - and all children in this nation - to know that the only limit to the height of your achievements is the reach of your dreams and your willingness to work for them.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

Trump's campaign chief denied the analogy

Donald Trump faced an embarrassing plagiarism scandal today that tarnished his wife Melania's prime-time speech to a Republican National Convention already roiled by an opening day rank-and-file revolt. It was a rough start to the four-day buildup to Trump's presidential nomination, one designed for maximum media exposure for the Republican standard bearer and his supporters. With millions watching on TV at home, Melania Trump delivered a defence of her husband and his bid to be the next president of the United States before thousands of cheering convention delegates. But unmistakeable similarities between a passage in her speech about her guiding values and one in a speech given by Michelle Obama at the 2008 Democratic convention soon came to light. A senior Trump communications adviser, Jason Miller, acknowledged in a statement that Melania Trump's team of writers "in some instances included fragments that reflected her own thinking." However, Paul Manafort, Trump's campaign chief, denied there was any "cribbing of Michelle Obama's speech." "I mean, she was speaking in front of 35 million people last night. She knew that. To think that she would be cribbing Michelle Obama's words is crazy," he said on CNN. The development came after a chaotic start to the Republican gathering in Cleveland which erupted in jeers from Trump opponents after their bid to hold a roll call vote on convention rules was quashed. "We deserve to be heard, this is the people's convention!" said Diana Shores, a delegate from Virginia, while pro-Trump delegates tried to drown out the rebels with shouts of "Shame! Shame!" Today the convention holds a state-by-state roll call vote with each delegation confirming the winner in their primary election. Although a routine procedure, it too could be the scene of further disruptions by anti-Trump factions. But Trump fans insist delegates heed the will of the grassroots of the party and make him the Republican nominee without equivocation. The billionaire won a thumping victory in a series of statewide party elections, garnering more than 13 million votes - the most of any Republican nominee ever. This was meant to be Trump's moment - the point at which he sealed Republican divisions and marched the party toward November's election and the White House. Making a surprise cameo appearance at the gathering in Cleveland to introduce his wife, the bombastic tycoon showed confidence that belied the day's spasm of public division. "We're going to win so big" said Trump. "Ladies and gentlemen, it is my great honour to present the next First Lady of the United States." Ahead of the convention, he had tried to assuage conservative critics, and bring the party together by naming Indiana governor Mike Pence as his running mate. First the lady But it was Trump's Slovenian-born wife Melania, until now only a minor presence in the campaign, who stepped up as his chief advocate on the convention's opening day. She took the stage with all the allure of a former model and in a strong accent made the case for Americans to entrust Trump with the presidency. "Donald is, and always has been, an amazing leader," said the 46-year-old. "Now, he will go to work for you." "He does not give up," she said of her husband, portraying him as a loving father and successful businessman who would be a strong and compassionate president. She also sought to put a more human face on a candidate many voters see as brash and egotistical. "Donald intends to represent all the people, not just some of the people. That includes Christians and Jews and Muslims. It includes Hispanics and African-Americans and Asians and the poor and the middle class." Plagiarism No sooner had the speech been delivered it was overshadowed by the plagiarism controversy. In a passage that appeared to be lifted from Michelle Obama's speech eight years ago, Melania discussed her parents' influence on her. "My parents impressed on me the values: that you work hard for what you want in life. That your word is your bond and you do what you say and keep your promise. That you treat people with respect. They taught me to show the values and morals in my daily life. That is the lesson that I continue to pass along to our son," Melania Trump said. "And we need to pass those lessons on to the many generations to follow. Because we want our children in this nation to know that the only limit to your achievements is the strength of your dreams and your willingness to work for them." In her 2008 speech, Michelle Obama had said: "And Barack and I were raised with so many of the same values: that you work hard for what you want in life; that your word is your bond and you do what you say you're going to do; that you treat people with dignity and respect, even if you don't know them, and even if you don't agree with them. "And Barack and I set out to build lives guided by these values, and pass them on to the next generation. Because we want our children - and all children in this nation - to know that the only limit to the height of your achievements is the reach of your dreams and your willingness to work for them." (AFP)

Melania Trump's speech echoes that of Michelle Obama's, slammed for plagiarism

Millions of supporters stood up in this election to fight for a platform that we have never seen.&nbsp; The leader at the helm of that platform was Senator Bernie Sanders.

After a fierce campaign, he has elected to endorse Hillary Clinton despite the stark difference they have in policy and belief system.&nbsp;I am a Bernie Sanders supporter.&nbsp;An avid supporter to say the least.&nbsp;Let me tell you why.

This campaign taught me that if you have thoughts and beliefs that are different from others but you feel they are right, you not only can but should&nbsp;stand up and fight for what you believe in with all your heart.&nbsp;It taught me that having non-populist views is not always a losing battle. It taught me to not be a quiet status quo reformer but be one publicly and join with others who believe the same.

In short, more than the politics, policy, and engagement in public service, this campaign has taught me that my voice, even though it doesn&#39;t fall in&nbsp;line with most, counts! &nbsp;

Bernie was the leader to help us realise that we have a voice and we now have a place in public service to make an impact.&nbsp;It&#39;s our turn to make a difference.

So you may ask, your leader has endorsed Hillary, why not Hillary?&nbsp;It&#39;s simple.&nbsp;My voice has not changed.&nbsp;My belief system has not changed.&nbsp;If I switched sides because it is all of the sudden &quot;popular&quot;, I&#39;d now be contradicting why I stood up in the first place.&nbsp;What type of person would I be now if I&#39;m all of the sudden just following what popular leaving aside the core reason why you starting fighting in the first place? (maybe a politician?) &nbsp;

The popular saying, &quot;if the one you follow jumps off a bridge, would you do the same?&quot;.&nbsp;I&#39;m not jumping with Sander&#39;s off the bridge to Hillary.&nbsp; I&#39;m gonna be around far longer to fight that battle in the coming years than he is and its going to have a direct impact on my life, my families life, and my future kids. That&#39;s a fight I intend to stay in for the right reasons.

Leaving all grievances and opinions aside of Sanders&#39;s blatant disregard of his own platform and people who believed in him because he was consistent and showing that when it really counted he wasn&#39;t, we weren&#39;t standing up to fight for Bernie Sanders.&nbsp;We are&nbsp;fighting for the principles and policies we believe is best for our people and country.&nbsp;So the fight goes on and it goes on with even greater vigour without &nbsp;Senator Sanders.

You can&#39;t change the trajectory of the country, young people want progressive policies.&nbsp;They are the group who will be the greatest influence in the next 20 to&nbsp;30 years. &nbsp;

Stay tuned for the next article in this 2 part series:

In the next article, I&#39;ll break down &quot;Why Not Hillary Even with Sander&#39;s Endorsement?&quot;

My belief system has not changed.?If I switched sides, I'd now be contradicting why I stood up for Bernie in the first place

Millions of supporters stood up in this election to fight for a platform that we have never seen. The leader at the helm of that platform was Senator Bernie Sanders. After a fierce campaign, he has elected to endorse Hillary Clinton despite the stark difference they have in policy and belief system. I am a Bernie Sanders supporter. An avid supporter to say the least. Let me tell you why. This campaign taught me that if you have thoughts and beliefs that are different from others but you feel they are right, you not only can but should stand up and fight for what you believe in with all your heart. It taught me that having non-populist views is not always a losing battle. It taught me to not be a quiet status quo reformer but be one publicly and join with others who believe the same. In short, more than the politics, policy, and engagement in public service, this campaign has taught me that my voice, even though it doesn't fall in line with most, counts! Bernie was the leader to help us realise that we have a voice and we now have a place in public service to make an impact. It's our turn to make a difference. So you may ask, your leader has endorsed Hillary, why not Hillary? It's simple. My voice has not changed. My belief system has not changed. If I switched sides because it is all of the sudden "popular", I'd now be contradicting why I stood up in the first place. What type of person would I be now if I'm all of the sudden just following what popular leaving aside the core reason why you starting fighting in the first place? (maybe a politician?) The popular saying, "if the one you follow jumps off a bridge, would you do the same?". I'm not jumping with Sander's off the bridge to Hillary. I'm gonna be around far longer to fight that battle in the coming years than he is and its going to have a direct impact on my life, my families life, and my future kids. That's a fight I intend to stay in for the right reasons. Leaving all grievances and opinions aside of Sanders's blatant disregard of his own platform and people who believed in him because he was consistent and showing that when it really counted he wasn't, we weren't standing up to fight for Bernie Sanders. We are fighting for the principles and policies we believe is best for our people and country. So the fight goes on and it goes on with even greater vigour without Senator Sanders. You can't change the trajectory of the country, young people want progressive policies. They are the group who will be the greatest influence in the next 20 to 30 years. Stay tuned for the next article in this 2 part series: In the next article, I'll break down "Why Not Hillary Even with Sander's Endorsement?"

Why I can't root for Hillary even if Bernie endorses her

The US State Department will restart its investigation into Hillary Clinton&#39;s handling of classified material as Secretary of State. Earlier this week, the FBI said that Democratic Presidential nominee Clinton will not face criminal charges over her use of private email. 
 
The FBI said that although she had sent and received sensitive material there was no evidence of intent. Now that the inquiry is over, the State Department will reopen its review. 
 
State Department spokesperson John Kirby said the department will aim to be as expeditious as possible. He said former officials can still face administrative sanctions.&nbsp; 
 
(ANI)&nbsp;

State Department spokesperson John Kirby said the department will aim to be as expeditious as possible

The US State Department will restart its investigation into Hillary Clinton's handling of classified material as Secretary of State. Earlier this week, the FBI said that Democratic Presidential nominee Clinton will not face criminal charges over her use of private email. The FBI said that although she had sent and received sensitive material there was no evidence of intent. Now that the inquiry is over, the State Department will reopen its review. State Department spokesperson John Kirby said the department will aim to be as expeditious as possible. He said former officials can still face administrative sanctions. (ANI)

US State Department restarts Hillary Clinton email probe

Donald Trump has praised late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein for killing off &quot;terrorists&quot;, reprising previous comments in support of dictators in the Middle East and earning a swift rebuke from White House rival Hillary Clinton. 
 
The United States &quot;shouldn&#39;t have destabilised&quot; Iraq, now a hotbed for the Islamic State (IS) group 13 years after the US-led invasion, said Trump, who showed lukewarm support for the war before it took place and later opposed it. 
 
&quot;He was a bad guy -- really bad guy. But you know what he did well? He killed terrorists. He did that so good,&quot; Trump told supporters. 
 
&quot;They didn&#39;t read them the rights. They didn&#39;t talk. They were terrorists. It was over. Today, Iraq is Harvard for terrorism,&quot; the Republican firebrand added, referring to the prestigious US university. 
 
Rival Clinton&#39;s campaign pounces after remark&nbsp; 
 
Shortly after the remarks, Clinton&#39;s campaign pounced on Trump&#39;s apparent support of a strongman, who was hanged in Iraq in 2006 for ordering the sectarian killings of nearly 150 Shiites two decades earlier. 
 
&quot;Tonight, Trump yet again lauded Saddam Hussein as a great killer of terrorists, noting with approval that he never bothered to read anyone their rights. In reality, Hussein&#39;s regime was a sponsor of terrorism,&quot; Clinton&#39;s senior policy advisor Jake Sullivan said in a statement. 
 
&quot;Trump&#39;s cavalier compliments for brutal dictators, and the twisted lessons he seems to have learned from their history, again demonstrate how dangerous he would be as Commander-in-Chief and how unworthy he is of the office he seeks,&quot; he added.&nbsp; 
 
Republican speaker calls Saddam &#39;one of 20th century&#39;s most evil people&#39; 
 
Paul Ryan, the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, did not back Trump when asked about the comments.&nbsp;Saddam &quot;was one of the 20th century`s most evil people. He was up there, and he committed mass genocide against his own people using chemical weapons. Saddam Hussein was a bad guy,&quot; Ryan said on Fox News. 
 
Last year, Trump said the world would be &quot;100 per cent&quot; better off if Saddam and slain Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi were still in power, adding that human rights abuses are &quot;worse than they ever were&quot; in Iraq and Libya. 
 
&quot;I mean, look at Libya. Look at Iraq. Iraq used to be no terrorists. He (Saddam) would kill the terrorists immediately, which is like now it`s the Harvard of terrorism,&quot; Trump said at the time.&nbsp; 
 
(AFP)&nbsp;

Last year, Trump said the world would be '100%' better off if Saddam and slain Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi were still in power

Donald Trump has praised late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein for killing off "terrorists", reprising previous comments in support of dictators in the Middle East and earning a swift rebuke from White House rival Hillary Clinton. The United States "shouldn't have destabilised" Iraq, now a hotbed for the Islamic State (IS) group 13 years after the US-led invasion, said Trump, who showed lukewarm support for the war before it took place and later opposed it. "He was a bad guy -- really bad guy. But you know what he did well? He killed terrorists. He did that so good," Trump told supporters. "They didn't read them the rights. They didn't talk. They were terrorists. It was over. Today, Iraq is Harvard for terrorism," the Republican firebrand added, referring to the prestigious US university. Rival Clinton's campaign pounces after remark Shortly after the remarks, Clinton's campaign pounced on Trump's apparent support of a strongman, who was hanged in Iraq in 2006 for ordering the sectarian killings of nearly 150 Shiites two decades earlier. "Tonight, Trump yet again lauded Saddam Hussein as a great killer of terrorists, noting with approval that he never bothered to read anyone their rights. In reality, Hussein's regime was a sponsor of terrorism," Clinton's senior policy advisor Jake Sullivan said in a statement. "Trump's cavalier compliments for brutal dictators, and the twisted lessons he seems to have learned from their history, again demonstrate how dangerous he would be as Commander-in-Chief and how unworthy he is of the office he seeks," he added. Republican speaker calls Saddam 'one of 20th century's most evil people' Paul Ryan, the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, did not back Trump when asked about the comments. Saddam "was one of the 20th century`s most evil people. He was up there, and he committed mass genocide against his own people using chemical weapons. Saddam Hussein was a bad guy," Ryan said on Fox News. Last year, Trump said the world would be "100 per cent" better off if Saddam and slain Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi were still in power, adding that human rights abuses are "worse than they ever were" in Iraq and Libya. "I mean, look at Libya. Look at Iraq. Iraq used to be no terrorists. He (Saddam) would kill the terrorists immediately, which is like now it`s the Harvard of terrorism," Trump said at the time. (AFP)

Trump hails Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein for 'killing terrorists'

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

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

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

Will vote for Clinton, says Bernie Sanders