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| Trump seeks Florida knockout as Kasich battles for Ohio upset – as it happened | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 2.33am GMT | |
| 02:33 | |
| Today in #Campaign2016 | |
| On the eve of Super-er Tuesday, here are some of the biggest stories from the campaign trail: | |
| We’ll be back tomorrow with wall-to-wall coverage of Super-er Tuesday! | |
| 2.32am GMT | |
| 02:32 | |
| Ben Jacobs | |
| Ted Cruz said that Donald Trump’s campaign manager, who is accused of assaulting a reporter, committed “a fireable offense”. | |
| Corey Lewandowski allegedly forcibly grabbed Michelle Fields, then a reporter for Breitbart News, at a Trump event last week and pushed her towards the ground, leaving bruises. | |
| Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Cruz described the Trump campaign as reaching a new “height of disdain from a candidate for reporters and voters.” | |
| He contrasted the “allegations of significant assault” to a controversy last year over Hillary Clinton’s campaign roping off reporters in a 4th of July parade in New Hampshire. He noted: “What a bizarre world we are in where reporters are forced to ask the question: should political campaign staffers physically assault reporters?” | |
| Cruz added, “At the end of the day, the responsibility for any campaign rests with the candidate.” | |
| Related: Cruz on Trump's campaign manager: assault on reporter is a 'fireable offense' | |
| 2.09am GMT | 2.09am GMT |
| 02:09 | 02:09 |
| Bernie Sanders may be the first credible Jewish candidate for president in American history but, to the heavily Jewish Democratic electorate in Florida, he might as well be chopped liver, report the Guardian’s Richard Luscombe and Ben Jacobs. | Bernie Sanders may be the first credible Jewish candidate for president in American history but, to the heavily Jewish Democratic electorate in Florida, he might as well be chopped liver, report the Guardian’s Richard Luscombe and Ben Jacobs. |
| Eight years after both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama rallied Democratic voters with the historic nature of their candidacies – Clinton as the first credible female candidate for president and Obama as the first credible African American – the historic nature of Sanders’ candidacy is drawing a shrug from his co-religionists in the first state with a significant Jewish population to hold a primary. Florida goes to the polls along with Ohio and other key states on Tuesday. | Eight years after both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama rallied Democratic voters with the historic nature of their candidacies – Clinton as the first credible female candidate for president and Obama as the first credible African American – the historic nature of Sanders’ candidacy is drawing a shrug from his co-religionists in the first state with a significant Jewish population to hold a primary. Florida goes to the polls along with Ohio and other key states on Tuesday. |
| Even though Jewish voters are disproportionately Democratic and almost 70% of Jewish votes nationally went to Obama when he won re-election in 2012, Sanders has not campaigned in Palm Beach County – home to more than a third of Florida’s estimated 640,000 Jews – once. | Even though Jewish voters are disproportionately Democratic and almost 70% of Jewish votes nationally went to Obama when he won re-election in 2012, Sanders has not campaigned in Palm Beach County – home to more than a third of Florida’s estimated 640,000 Jews – once. |
| Although he did pay a brief visit to Miami, about an hour south of Palm Beach County, he has ignored this vote-rich area where a disproportionate number of residents are – like the Vermont senator – elderly Jews originally from New York City. | Although he did pay a brief visit to Miami, about an hour south of Palm Beach County, he has ignored this vote-rich area where a disproportionate number of residents are – like the Vermont senator – elderly Jews originally from New York City. |
| As one voter there, retired hotel investor Michael Slosberg, 77, who moved to West Palm Beach from New York eight years ago, said of Sanders: “We haven’t seen the guy or heard much from him. We know where Hillary stands and I’ll be surprised if she doesn’t win Florida.” | As one voter there, retired hotel investor Michael Slosberg, 77, who moved to West Palm Beach from New York eight years ago, said of Sanders: “We haven’t seen the guy or heard much from him. We know where Hillary stands and I’ll be surprised if she doesn’t win Florida.” |
| Related: Bernie Sanders' candidacy is a first for Jews. Why isn't he talking about it? | Related: Bernie Sanders' candidacy is a first for Jews. Why isn't he talking about it? |
| 1.52am GMT | 1.52am GMT |
| 01:52 | 01:52 |
| Megan Carpentier | Megan Carpentier |
| John Kasich made his final appeal to Ohio voters on Monday night to a hometown crowd at Westerville Central High School, in an appearance that (finally) felt more like a pep rally than a town hall. | John Kasich made his final appeal to Ohio voters on Monday night to a hometown crowd at Westerville Central High School, in an appearance that (finally) felt more like a pep rally than a town hall. |
| Final pre-election Kasich rally in Westerville Central High School. (Also the first one that they prohibited purses) pic.twitter.com/JoNl7LRx0F | Final pre-election Kasich rally in Westerville Central High School. (Also the first one that they prohibited purses) pic.twitter.com/JoNl7LRx0F |
| Senator Rob Portman, 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney and Karen Kasich all served as warm-up acts for the Ohio governor whose long-shot candidacy may have picked up just enough steam over the last few weeks to deny front runner Donald Trump a clear shot at a majority of delegates and thus assure him the nomination - if Kasich can pull out a win in his home state. | Senator Rob Portman, 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney and Karen Kasich all served as warm-up acts for the Ohio governor whose long-shot candidacy may have picked up just enough steam over the last few weeks to deny front runner Donald Trump a clear shot at a majority of delegates and thus assure him the nomination - if Kasich can pull out a win in his home state. |
| True to form, Kasich eschewed outright insults down to the last, instead exhorting the crowd to remember that the country and the world is watching the race in Ohio (and that their children have been watching the fractious debates and, more recently, the violence at some other, unnamed candidate’s rallies). | True to form, Kasich eschewed outright insults down to the last, instead exhorting the crowd to remember that the country and the world is watching the race in Ohio (and that their children have been watching the fractious debates and, more recently, the violence at some other, unnamed candidate’s rallies). |
| “We don’t fix America by demonizing people” he said. “We fix America by bringing people together.” | “We don’t fix America by demonizing people” he said. “We fix America by bringing people together.” |
| In a normal election cycle, that might have sounded more banal than the average political pablum. But in the 2016 Republican race, Kasich’s message almost sounds revolutionary - and it brought cheers and applause from his audience. | In a normal election cycle, that might have sounded more banal than the average political pablum. But in the 2016 Republican race, Kasich’s message almost sounds revolutionary - and it brought cheers and applause from his audience. |
| 1.39am GMT | 1.39am GMT |
| 01:39 | 01:39 |
| Jamiles Lartey | Jamiles Lartey |
| Hundreds of Chicago factory workers who are fighting to keep their jobs in the US received a visit from Hillary Clinton, the eve of a tightly contested Democratic primary in Illinois, reports the Guardian’s Jamiles Lartey. “It is imperative that we do more to keep jobs here, and we do more to attract jobs to places like Chicago, well, really across our country,” Clinton said after the meeting. | Hundreds of Chicago factory workers who are fighting to keep their jobs in the US received a visit from Hillary Clinton, the eve of a tightly contested Democratic primary in Illinois, reports the Guardian’s Jamiles Lartey. “It is imperative that we do more to keep jobs here, and we do more to attract jobs to places like Chicago, well, really across our country,” Clinton said after the meeting. |
| In the summer, Mondelēz International, the multinational food and beverages group and owner of Nabisco, announced that the company’s factory on Chicago’s South Side would be cutting 600 jobs and transferring the production to new facilities in Monterrey and Salinas, Mexico. “I wanted to come by and talk with some of the workers and their representatives to ... figure out how we can stop this,” Clinton said. | In the summer, Mondelēz International, the multinational food and beverages group and owner of Nabisco, announced that the company’s factory on Chicago’s South Side would be cutting 600 jobs and transferring the production to new facilities in Monterrey and Salinas, Mexico. “I wanted to come by and talk with some of the workers and their representatives to ... figure out how we can stop this,” Clinton said. |
| According to the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers’ Union, who represent many of the plant’s employees, nearly 70% of the workers affected are black and Latino. The first of the workers to be laid off received notice in January, leaving others in the plant on edge that they will be next. | According to the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers’ Union, who represent many of the plant’s employees, nearly 70% of the workers affected are black and Latino. The first of the workers to be laid off received notice in January, leaving others in the plant on edge that they will be next. |
| “They don’t treat us like they used to treat us. They treat us like we’re nobody,” said Cristina Ramirez, a longtime employee in the factory. Ramirez said that many people in the plant feel like they are just waiting for the other shoe to drop. “We’re just going to keep doing the best we can do as long as we can,” Ramirez said. | “They don’t treat us like they used to treat us. They treat us like we’re nobody,” said Cristina Ramirez, a longtime employee in the factory. Ramirez said that many people in the plant feel like they are just waiting for the other shoe to drop. “We’re just going to keep doing the best we can do as long as we can,” Ramirez said. |
| Related: Clinton meets with Nabisco factory workers facing imminent job cuts | Related: Clinton meets with Nabisco factory workers facing imminent job cuts |
| 1.21am GMT | 1.21am GMT |
| 01:21 | 01:21 |
| Ben Carson: Even if Trump is a terrible president, "we're only looking at four years" | Ben Carson: Even if Trump is a terrible president, "we're only looking at four years" |
| Onetime presidential candidate and current Donald Trump endorser Ben Carson declared in an interview with Newsmax that even if the billionaire Republican proves to be a sub-par president, “we’re only looking at four years.” | Onetime presidential candidate and current Donald Trump endorser Ben Carson declared in an interview with Newsmax that even if the billionaire Republican proves to be a sub-par president, “we’re only looking at four years.” |
| “Even if Donald Trump turns out not to be such a great president, which I don’t think is the case, I think he’s going to surround himself with really good people,” Carson said. “But even if he didn’t, we’re only looking at four years as opposed to multiple generations and perhaps the loss of the American dream forever.” | “Even if Donald Trump turns out not to be such a great president, which I don’t think is the case, I think he’s going to surround himself with really good people,” Carson said. “But even if he didn’t, we’re only looking at four years as opposed to multiple generations and perhaps the loss of the American dream forever.” |
| Carson sees himself as one of those “really good people” surrounding Trump, according to the interview. “I will be doing things as well … Certainly in an advisory capacity.” | Carson sees himself as one of those “really good people” surrounding Trump, according to the interview. “I will be doing things as well … Certainly in an advisory capacity.” |
| “We haven’t handled out all the details but it is very important that we work together in this country,” the retired neurosurgeon said. “Again, I’m not going to reveal any details about it right now because all of this is still very liquid.” | “We haven’t handled out all the details but it is very important that we work together in this country,” the retired neurosurgeon said. “Again, I’m not going to reveal any details about it right now because all of this is still very liquid.” |
| 1.01am GMT | 1.01am GMT |
| 01:01 | 01:01 |
| Chris Christie sacrificed his plum position in the Republican establishment when he endorsed Donald Trump’s candidacy for the party’s presidential nomination, and in return he has received... a public shaming from the candidate himself. | Chris Christie sacrificed his plum position in the Republican establishment when he endorsed Donald Trump’s candidacy for the party’s presidential nomination, and in return he has received... a public shaming from the candidate himself. |
| At a rally for Trump in Columbus on the eve of the Ohio primary, Trump slammed Christie by proxy when he took a shot at Ohio governor John Kasich’s frequent absence from his home state during the campaign. | At a rally for Trump in Columbus on the eve of the Ohio primary, Trump slammed Christie by proxy when he took a shot at Ohio governor John Kasich’s frequent absence from his home state during the campaign. |
| “Your governor is absentee,” Trump said. “He goes to New Hampshire, he’s living in New Hampshire. Living! Where’s Chris, is Chris around? Even more than Chris Christie - he was there, right? Even more!” | “Your governor is absentee,” Trump said. “He goes to New Hampshire, he’s living in New Hampshire. Living! Where’s Chris, is Chris around? Even more than Chris Christie - he was there, right? Even more!” |
| Trump then turned to Christie. “I hated to do that, but I had to make my point,” he said. | Trump then turned to Christie. “I hated to do that, but I had to make my point,” he said. |
| Christie has been frequently lambasted for his absence from New Jersey, both during his now-late presidential campaign and in the weeks after its suspension, during which he has traveled as a campaign surrogate for Trump, even appearing as a | Christie has been frequently lambasted for his absence from New Jersey, both during his now-late presidential campaign and in the weeks after its suspension, during which he has traveled as a campaign surrogate for Trump, even appearing as a |
| hostage | hostage |
| introductory speaker during Trump’s Super Tuesday victory speech. | introductory speaker during Trump’s Super Tuesday victory speech. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 1.04am GMT | at 1.04am GMT |
| 12.35am GMT | 12.35am GMT |
| 00:35 | 00:35 |
| Bonus material from the #Bam4Ham concert: Barack Obama queuing up prompts for a freestyle rap by Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator/star of Hamilton, the Most Important Thing On Broadway. | Bonus material from the #Bam4Ham concert: Barack Obama queuing up prompts for a freestyle rap by Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator/star of Hamilton, the Most Important Thing On Broadway. |
| Wait for it... 🎤⬇ #Bam4Hamhttps://t.co/vpwTuNf5zn | Wait for it... 🎤⬇ #Bam4Hamhttps://t.co/vpwTuNf5zn |
| 12.12am GMT | 12.12am GMT |
| 00:12 | 00:12 |
| Dan Roberts | Dan Roberts |
| It is telling that Bernie Sanders has been boasting to pre-election crowds all year that if they turn out to the polling station in big enough numbers the next day they will win the state, reports the Guardian’s Dan Roberts. | It is telling that Bernie Sanders has been boasting to pre-election crowds all year that if they turn out to the polling station in big enough numbers the next day they will win the state, reports the Guardian’s Dan Roberts. |
| That was certainly the message this morning in Akron, Ohio, where the opinion polls show him almost level with Clinton. Here in Charlotte, North Carolina, though, the senator is in more realistic mood this afternoon - especially given his recent experience in all the other southern states to have already voted. Instead, he says if supporters here and in the other four states voting tomorrow turn out in big numbers, the campaign is certain to add to its list of recent victories. | That was certainly the message this morning in Akron, Ohio, where the opinion polls show him almost level with Clinton. Here in Charlotte, North Carolina, though, the senator is in more realistic mood this afternoon - especially given his recent experience in all the other southern states to have already voted. Instead, he says if supporters here and in the other four states voting tomorrow turn out in big numbers, the campaign is certain to add to its list of recent victories. |
| What goes unspoken is that in North Carolina, at least, Bernie’s presence is more about limiting Clinton’s delegate gains than joining that list. | What goes unspoken is that in North Carolina, at least, Bernie’s presence is more about limiting Clinton’s delegate gains than joining that list. |
| 11.43pm GMT | 11.43pm GMT |
| 23:43 | 23:43 |
| Ben Jacobs | Ben Jacobs |
| Ted Cruz plays well in Peoria . . .and across the rest of the state of Illinois, reports the Guardian’s Ben Jacobs. | Ted Cruz plays well in Peoria . . .and across the rest of the state of Illinois, reports the Guardian’s Ben Jacobs. |
| On his third stop of the day in a last minute barnstorm across Illinois, Cruz has met warm crowds so far as he desperately tries pick up delegates in the Land of Lincoln. Most of Illinois’s delegates are awarded on a winner-take-all basis by congressional district, and the Texas senator is hopscotching the state to hit every media market and maximize his chances of getting close to the magic number of 1,237 needed to clinch the Republican nomination. | On his third stop of the day in a last minute barnstorm across Illinois, Cruz has met warm crowds so far as he desperately tries pick up delegates in the Land of Lincoln. Most of Illinois’s delegates are awarded on a winner-take-all basis by congressional district, and the Texas senator is hopscotching the state to hit every media market and maximize his chances of getting close to the magic number of 1,237 needed to clinch the Republican nomination. |
| A Illinois Republican operative told the Guardian that Cruz’s crowd in suburban Chicago on early Monday afternoon was similar to large crowds that Rick Santorum drew during his 2012 race as the former Pennsylvania senator desperately tried to catch up to Mitt Romney. The operative said that gerrymandered Republican districts in suburban Chicago, Cruz had to be considered the favorite right now as he had vacuumed up voters who would once supported Marco Rubio before the Florida senator’s collapse. | A Illinois Republican operative told the Guardian that Cruz’s crowd in suburban Chicago on early Monday afternoon was similar to large crowds that Rick Santorum drew during his 2012 race as the former Pennsylvania senator desperately tried to catch up to Mitt Romney. The operative said that gerrymandered Republican districts in suburban Chicago, Cruz had to be considered the favorite right now as he had vacuumed up voters who would once supported Marco Rubio before the Florida senator’s collapse. |
| Cruz though is not campaigning inside Chicago city limits, avoiding the city where massive protests derailed a scheduled rally by Donald Trump on Friday night. However, the Texas senator is making the city’s continued political ills a talking point as he has repeatedly blasted Donald Trump’s past donations to embattled Democratic mayor Rahm Emanuel as well as to the Cook Country Democratic Party. | Cruz though is not campaigning inside Chicago city limits, avoiding the city where massive protests derailed a scheduled rally by Donald Trump on Friday night. However, the Texas senator is making the city’s continued political ills a talking point as he has repeatedly blasted Donald Trump’s past donations to embattled Democratic mayor Rahm Emanuel as well as to the Cook Country Democratic Party. |
| Current polls of Illinois’s Republican primary show Trump with a slim statewide lead over Cruz. | Current polls of Illinois’s Republican primary show Trump with a slim statewide lead over Cruz. |
| 10.51pm GMT | 10.51pm GMT |
| 22:51 | 22:51 |
| Lauren Gambino | Lauren Gambino |
| Hillary Clinton promised a group of mothers who lost their children to gun violence that if elected president she would do “everything” within her power to stem the tide of premature deaths on Chicago’s streets, reports the Guardian’s Lauren Gambino in Chicago: | Hillary Clinton promised a group of mothers who lost their children to gun violence that if elected president she would do “everything” within her power to stem the tide of premature deaths on Chicago’s streets, reports the Guardian’s Lauren Gambino in Chicago: |
| “Let me pay tribute and express gratitude to all the families who created this memorial so that people don’t forget,” Clinton during an emotional stop at the Kids Off The Block Memorial in Chicago. “I agree with you, it should not be here.” | “Let me pay tribute and express gratitude to all the families who created this memorial so that people don’t forget,” Clinton during an emotional stop at the Kids Off The Block Memorial in Chicago. “I agree with you, it should not be here.” |
| Clinton addressed the mothers under a tarp covering the memorial, where more than 500 stones are on display – each representing a local child who lost their life to gun violence. The youngest was just one year old. | Clinton addressed the mothers under a tarp covering the memorial, where more than 500 stones are on display – each representing a local child who lost their life to gun violence. The youngest was just one year old. |
| “Every mother you see here worked so hard to protect her child and yet we allow this epidemic of gun violence to stalk our streets, our playgrounds, our buses, our schools our churches,” Clinton said, the riser of stones behind her. | “Every mother you see here worked so hard to protect her child and yet we allow this epidemic of gun violence to stalk our streets, our playgrounds, our buses, our schools our churches,” Clinton said, the riser of stones behind her. |
| Clinton told the mothers that she will “increase and intensify” to push for more effective gun control while also working to attack the issue from the other side by removing economic barriers and creating more educational and professional opportunities for young people. | Clinton told the mothers that she will “increase and intensify” to push for more effective gun control while also working to attack the issue from the other side by removing economic barriers and creating more educational and professional opportunities for young people. |
| “I pledge to you in front of this heartbreaking memorial that as mother and grandmother and as a president if i’m so fortunate to be a president,” she said. “I will work every day to save and protect the lives of our children.” | “I pledge to you in front of this heartbreaking memorial that as mother and grandmother and as a president if i’m so fortunate to be a president,” she said. “I will work every day to save and protect the lives of our children.” |
| Clinton was joined at the memorial by the reverend Jesse Jackson, who lead the attendants in a prayer. | Clinton was joined at the memorial by the reverend Jesse Jackson, who lead the attendants in a prayer. |
| 10.33pm GMT | 10.33pm GMT |
| 22:33 | 22:33 |
| Oliver Laughland | Oliver Laughland |
| Interviews with former employees of Republican frontrunner Donald Trump point to detail-obsessed boss with little regard for diversity or low-level staff, reports the Guardian’s Oliver Laugland. | Interviews with former employees of Republican frontrunner Donald Trump point to detail-obsessed boss with little regard for diversity or low-level staff, reports the Guardian’s Oliver Laugland. |
| Randal Pinkett’s first day in the Trump Organization was one he would never forget. Summoned to the offices in Trump Tower, the billionaire’s garish midtown skyscraper, Pinkett entered the room as Trump thumbed through a stack of the day’s newspapers and magazines. | Randal Pinkett’s first day in the Trump Organization was one he would never forget. Summoned to the offices in Trump Tower, the billionaire’s garish midtown skyscraper, Pinkett entered the room as Trump thumbed through a stack of the day’s newspapers and magazines. |
| It was 2005, and having just won season four of The Apprentice, the only African American to do so in the show’s history, Pinkett expected Trump’s attention. But as the two spoke about his hard-won contract with the company, it was clear Trump really only cared about one thing: himself. | It was 2005, and having just won season four of The Apprentice, the only African American to do so in the show’s history, Pinkett expected Trump’s attention. But as the two spoke about his hard-won contract with the company, it was clear Trump really only cared about one thing: himself. |
| He broke off from the conversation intermittently, pulling a paper from the pile, carefully scanning each page with a yellow Post-It note stuck to it and disregarding the rest – an aide had already combed through the publications to mark out every article that mentioned the boss. This was his morning routine. | He broke off from the conversation intermittently, pulling a paper from the pile, carefully scanning each page with a yellow Post-It note stuck to it and disregarding the rest – an aide had already combed through the publications to mark out every article that mentioned the boss. This was his morning routine. |
| “I think that just speaks volumes,” Pinkett said in an interview. “Donald loves Donald. | “I think that just speaks volumes,” Pinkett said in an interview. “Donald loves Donald. |
| “His identity is wrapped around being a winner. If you challenge him, or if he’s put into a losing position, now you begin to take Donald out of his comfort zone.” | “His identity is wrapped around being a winner. If you challenge him, or if he’s put into a losing position, now you begin to take Donald out of his comfort zone.” |
| In interviews with 12 former employees of Donald Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination and now one of the most controversial figures in modern American politics, none disagreed with Pinkett’s frank assessment of his former boss’s inflated sense of self. | In interviews with 12 former employees of Donald Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination and now one of the most controversial figures in modern American politics, none disagreed with Pinkett’s frank assessment of his former boss’s inflated sense of self. |
| Related: Ex-Trump workers describe egocentric micromanager: 'Donald loves Donald' | Related: Ex-Trump workers describe egocentric micromanager: 'Donald loves Donald' |
| 10.19pm GMT | 10.19pm GMT |
| 22:19 | 22:19 |
| Live: Donald Trump speaks in Vienna, Ohio. | Live: Donald Trump speaks in Vienna, Ohio. |
| 10.03pm GMT | 10.03pm GMT |
| 22:03 | 22:03 |
| Ben Jacobs | Ben Jacobs |
| A pro-Donald Trump protester interrupted Ted Cruz’s rally in Peoria, Illinois shouting “go back to Canada” and waving a Trump sign. | A pro-Donald Trump protester interrupted Ted Cruz’s rally in Peoria, Illinois shouting “go back to Canada” and waving a Trump sign. |
| Cruz responded to his shouts by saying “one difference between this and a Donald Trump rally is I’m not asking anyone to punch you in the face” as security eventually appeared to lead the protester away. It likely marked the first time a supporter of Donald Trump showed up to protest at a Cruz rally. | Cruz responded to his shouts by saying “one difference between this and a Donald Trump rally is I’m not asking anyone to punch you in the face” as security eventually appeared to lead the protester away. It likely marked the first time a supporter of Donald Trump showed up to protest at a Cruz rally. |
| Although Trump rallies have been beset by protests and violence in recent weeks, culminating with a Trump event in Chicago that was cancelled on Friday, Cruz’s events have been peaceful and in line with the norms of American presidential elections. | Although Trump rallies have been beset by protests and violence in recent weeks, culminating with a Trump event in Chicago that was cancelled on Friday, Cruz’s events have been peaceful and in line with the norms of American presidential elections. |
| Although Cruz was interrupted by an animal rights protester at earlier event on Monday and pro-immigration reform protests have showed up at his events in the past, the interruption of his event represented a sea change in the presidential campaign. | Although Cruz was interrupted by an animal rights protester at earlier event on Monday and pro-immigration reform protests have showed up at his events in the past, the interruption of his event represented a sea change in the presidential campaign. |
| Trump, who has claimed without evidence that many of the protesters at his events had been sent by campaign of Democratic hopeful Bernie Sanders and has threatened to send his supporters to disrupt campaign events held by the Vermont senator. | Trump, who has claimed without evidence that many of the protesters at his events had been sent by campaign of Democratic hopeful Bernie Sanders and has threatened to send his supporters to disrupt campaign events held by the Vermont senator. |
| 9.54pm GMT | 9.54pm GMT |
| 21:54 | 21:54 |
| The White House is streaming a live performance of the blockbuster musical Hamilton from the East Room. For those of you who haven’t sold your kidneys in order to purchase a ticket to the must-see musical (#SorryNotSorry), this might be the closest you get. | The White House is streaming a live performance of the blockbuster musical Hamilton from the East Room. For those of you who haven’t sold your kidneys in order to purchase a ticket to the must-see musical (#SorryNotSorry), this might be the closest you get. |
| Just you wait. | Just you wait. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 9.58pm GMT | at 9.58pm GMT |
| 9.46pm GMT | 9.46pm GMT |
| 21:46 | 21:46 |
| David Smith | David Smith |
| Sarah Palin has weighed into the controversy over violence at Donald Trump rallies, dismissing it as “petty punk-ass little thuggery stuff” and blaming the media for distorted coverage, reports the Guardian’s David Smith in Tampa, Florida: | Sarah Palin has weighed into the controversy over violence at Donald Trump rallies, dismissing it as “petty punk-ass little thuggery stuff” and blaming the media for distorted coverage, reports the Guardian’s David Smith in Tampa, Florida: |
| The former Alaska governor, whose husband Todd is in intensive care after a snow machine accident, made a surprise appearance at Trump “town hall” event in Tampa, Florida, where again tensions ran high. | The former Alaska governor, whose husband Todd is in intensive care after a snow machine accident, made a surprise appearance at Trump “town hall” event in Tampa, Florida, where again tensions ran high. |
| “What we don’t have time for is all that petty punk-ass little thuggery stuff that’s been going on with those quote-unquote protesters who are doing nothing but wasting your time and trying to take away your first amendment rights, your rights to assemble peacefully,” Palin told the crowd. | “What we don’t have time for is all that petty punk-ass little thuggery stuff that’s been going on with those quote-unquote protesters who are doing nothing but wasting your time and trying to take away your first amendment rights, your rights to assemble peacefully,” Palin told the crowd. |
| “And the media being on the thugs’ side - what the heck are you guys thinking, media? It doesn’t make sense! Well, you all get it. I think the media and too many of the other candidates are underestimating the wisdom of the people. You’re smart, energized, optimistic, positive and that’s why you’re here today and I thank you for spending your time here today.” | “And the media being on the thugs’ side - what the heck are you guys thinking, media? It doesn’t make sense! Well, you all get it. I think the media and too many of the other candidates are underestimating the wisdom of the people. You’re smart, energized, optimistic, positive and that’s why you’re here today and I thank you for spending your time here today.” |
| Trump stands accused of encouraging political violence at his campaign events. Last Friday a rally in Chicago was cancelled and descended into chaos. | Trump stands accused of encouraging political violence at his campaign events. Last Friday a rally in Chicago was cancelled and descended into chaos. |
| As the billionaire businessman addressed a predominantly white crowd in Tampa, a black protester jumped on a chair and ripped two Trump placards while shouting and waving her arms. The woman was escorted by police and security guards amid loud booing but a female Trump supporter confronted her, jabbing an angry finger and shouting. The two women squared up for a moment, their faces close to each other, before the demonstrator was led away. | As the billionaire businessman addressed a predominantly white crowd in Tampa, a black protester jumped on a chair and ripped two Trump placards while shouting and waving her arms. The woman was escorted by police and security guards amid loud booing but a female Trump supporter confronted her, jabbing an angry finger and shouting. The two women squared up for a moment, their faces close to each other, before the demonstrator was led away. |
| A white female protester was ejected in the same incident. Soon after a young white man wearing spectacles who rushed towards the stage where the Republican frontrunner was speaking was also grabbed and taken away as the crowd threatened to turn on him. | A white female protester was ejected in the same incident. Soon after a young white man wearing spectacles who rushed towards the stage where the Republican frontrunner was speaking was also grabbed and taken away as the crowd threatened to turn on him. |
| Before the event, around 30 demonstrators marched past the queue of Trump supporters waiting outside the Tampa Convention Center, waving placards and singing: “Build a wall / Build it high / Let’s put Donald Trump inside!” | Before the event, around 30 demonstrators marched past the queue of Trump supporters waiting outside the Tampa Convention Center, waving placards and singing: “Build a wall / Build it high / Let’s put Donald Trump inside!” |
| Some of the candidate’s supporters made obscene gestures and a group began chanting: “USA! USA!” The demonstrators joined in the chant too. | Some of the candidate’s supporters made obscene gestures and a group began chanting: “USA! USA!” The demonstrators joined in the chant too. |
| Kofi Hunt, 33, a community organizer, said: “We’re non-violent. We’ve organized marshals to keep a distance between them us. They’re telling us to ‘get a job’. There’s only 30 of us here. There’s hundreds of them here.” | Kofi Hunt, 33, a community organizer, said: “We’re non-violent. We’ve organized marshals to keep a distance between them us. They’re telling us to ‘get a job’. There’s only 30 of us here. There’s hundreds of them here.” |
| “Donald Trump is saying a lot of hateful things and trying to divide Americans. He is going to hear from us every time he comes to Tampa Bay with his hateful rhetoric.” | “Donald Trump is saying a lot of hateful things and trying to divide Americans. He is going to hear from us every time he comes to Tampa Bay with his hateful rhetoric.” |
| Trump supporter Anthony Arnold, 45, a publisher, was unimpressed. “It’s ridiculous,” he said. “It’s nonsense. They’re not doing anything, they’re not trying to change anybody’s mind. They’re just trading off ignorance.” | Trump supporter Anthony Arnold, 45, a publisher, was unimpressed. “It’s ridiculous,” he said. “It’s nonsense. They’re not doing anything, they’re not trying to change anybody’s mind. They’re just trading off ignorance.” |
| At the event Trump received the endorsement of Florida attorney general Pam Bondi. He reiterated his pledge to build a wall on the Mexican border, telling his noisily enthusiastic supporters: “You watch and that wall will go up like magic.” | At the event Trump received the endorsement of Florida attorney general Pam Bondi. He reiterated his pledge to build a wall on the Mexican border, telling his noisily enthusiastic supporters: “You watch and that wall will go up like magic.” |
| 9.24pm GMT | 9.24pm GMT |
| 21:24 | 21:24 |
| NAACP president on Trump's rhetoric: “This is hateful; this is racist” | NAACP president on Trump's rhetoric: “This is hateful; this is racist” |
| Cornell Williams Brooks, president and CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), didn’t mince words in an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer about the impact of billionaire Republican frontrunner Donald Trump’s rhetoric on the tone of the 2016 presidential campaign. | Cornell Williams Brooks, president and CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), didn’t mince words in an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer about the impact of billionaire Republican frontrunner Donald Trump’s rhetoric on the tone of the 2016 presidential campaign. |
| “This is hateful; this is racist,” Brooks said, calling Trump’s past comments about Barack Obama “morally silly and politically dangerous.” | “This is hateful; this is racist,” Brooks said, calling Trump’s past comments about Barack Obama “morally silly and politically dangerous.” |
| “We need to begin to think about the american people and begin to understand that they’re the central characters in this narrate,” Brooks said, calling Trump’s candidacy “a sideshow.” | “We need to begin to think about the american people and begin to understand that they’re the central characters in this narrate,” Brooks said, calling Trump’s candidacy “a sideshow.” |
| “Stop engaging in the politics of demagoguery,” Brooks told Trump. Every time Trump engages in what Brooks characterized as un-American rhetoric, “his poll numbers go up, his votes go up, but the fact of the matter is, those votes are being extracted from who we are as a country.” | “Stop engaging in the politics of demagoguery,” Brooks told Trump. Every time Trump engages in what Brooks characterized as un-American rhetoric, “his poll numbers go up, his votes go up, but the fact of the matter is, those votes are being extracted from who we are as a country.” |