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Trump implies 'second amendment folks' could stop Clinton judge picks – live Trump implies 'second amendment folks' could stop Clinton judge picks – live
(35 minutes later)
9.14pm BST
21:14
The last time that a major candidate joked - or appeared to offhandedly suggest - that their opponent be assassinated, it helped result in their resounding defeat.
In 2010, Nevada senate candidate Sharron Angle said in a radio interview that the Second Amendment’s right to bear arms could be construed to encourage firearm-bearing Americans to throw off the shackles of elected officials, including her then-opponent, senate minority leader Harry Reid.
“I feel that the Second Amendment is the right to keep and bear arms for our citizenry,” Angle said at the time. “This not for someone who’s in the military. This not for law enforcement. This is for us. And in fact when you read that Constitution and the founding fathers, they intended this to stop tyranny. This is for us when our government becomes tyrannical.”
“t’s to defend ourselves. And you know, I’m hoping that we’re not getting to Second Amendment remedies. I hope the vote will be the cure for the Harry Reid problems.”
9.07pm BST
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Members of Congress are already responding to Donald Trump’s comments, reading them as a call for Hillary Clinton’s assassination or that of her would-be supreme court nominee:
Donald Trump suggested someone kill Sec. Clinton. We must take people at their word. @SecretService must investigate #TrumpThreat.
Was @realDonaldTrump suggesting his supporters shoot Hillary? Shoot her nominee? Who knows. It's all so disgusting and embarrassing and sad.
9.03pm BST
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Clinton campaign: 'What Trump is saying is dangerous'
In comment provided to the Guardian, Hillary Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook called Trump’s suggestion that firearms be used in response to Hillary Clinton’s nomination of supreme court judges “dangerous.”
This is simple - what Trump is saying is dangerous. A person seeking to the be President of the United States should not suggest violence in any way.
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Donald Trump campaign: '2nd Amendment people have amazing spirit and are tremendously unified'
Donald Trump’s presidential campaign has responded to accusations that the candidate implied that the use of firearms might be an appropriate response to Hillary Clinton’s election to the presidency and nomination of supreme court judges, blasting “dishonest media” for quoting Trump.
“It’s called the power of unification – 2nd Amendment people have amazing spirit and are tremendously unified, which gives them great political power,” Jason Miller, the campaign’s senior communications adviser, said in a statement. “And this year, they will be voting in record numbers, and it won’t be for Hillary Clinton, it will be for Donald Trump.”
8.59pm BST
20:59
The Guardian’s David Smith has more on Rudy Giuliani’s introduction of Donald Trump in Wilmington, North Carolina, in which he implied that Hillary Clinton should face a similar punishment to a man who was executed by Iran for spying.
Trump was introduced by Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor, who brought up the case of Shahram Amiri, an Iranian nuclear scientist executed for spying for the US. Clinton received emails mentioning him on her controversial personal server when she was secretary of state.
Giuliani said: “Remember Hillary told us there was no top secret information on her emails? Remember she told us that. Well, she lied! And I don’t know the connection between that and the death of Mr Amiri, but what I do know is it put a lot more attention on him when they found those emails. It certainly put him at great risk, even if they didn’t find them, and it shows you that when the director of the FBI said she was extremely careless, he was being kind.”
But Giuliani repeatedly waved away chants of “Lock her up!” from the crowd.
Related: Trump hints at assassination of Hillary Clinton by gun rights supporters
8.54pm BST
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Priorities Action USA, a Super-Pac that supports Democratic candidates, has issued a succinct statement in response to Donald Trump’s apparent implication that firearms might be used in response to Hillary Clinton’s selection of supreme court justices in an email titled “Donald Trump Just Suggested That Someone Shoot Hillary Clinton”:
THIS IS NOT OK.
8.52pm BST
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The apparent implication that the use or ownership of firearms would be a potential recourse for Hillary Clinton’s selection of supreme court justices from Donald Trump this afternoon is not the first time that such a suggestion has come out of the Trump campaign.
Trump’s adviser on veterans issues, Al Baldasaro, called for Clinton’s execution by firing squad in a radio interview last month. “This whole thing disgusts me, Hillary Clinton should be put in the firing line and shot for treason,” Baldasaro said, calling Clinton a “piece of garbage.”
Trump campaign spokesperson Hope Hicks said that Trump’s campaign was “incredibly grateful for [Baldasaro’s] support, but we don’t agree with his comments.” Baldasaro was later investigated by the US Secret Service for the comments.
The Guardian has reached out to the US Secret Service regarding Trump’s comments today.
Updated
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8.32pm BST8.32pm BST
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Donald Trump: 'Second Amendment folks' may prevent Clinton from selecting judgesDonald Trump: 'Second Amendment folks' may prevent Clinton from selecting judges
Speaking at a rally in Wilmington, North Carolina, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump appeared to suggest the use of firearms as a solution to rival Hillary Clinton choosing federal judges in the event of her election.Speaking at a rally in Wilmington, North Carolina, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump appeared to suggest the use of firearms as a solution to rival Hillary Clinton choosing federal judges in the event of her election.
“Hillary wants to abolish, essentially abolish the second amendment, and by the way, and if she gets to pick, if she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks. Although the second amendment people, maybe there is, I dunno,” Trump said.“Hillary wants to abolish, essentially abolish the second amendment, and by the way, and if she gets to pick, if she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks. Although the second amendment people, maybe there is, I dunno,” Trump said.
The audience cheered and whistled.The audience cheered and whistled.
“But I’ll tell you what, that will be a horrible day,” Trump continued. “If Hillary gets to put her judges... right now, we’re tied - you see what’s going on. We’re tied, ’cause, Scalia, this was not supposed to happen. Justice Scalia was going to be around for ten more years, at least, and this is what happens. That was a horrible thing.”“But I’ll tell you what, that will be a horrible day,” Trump continued. “If Hillary gets to put her judges... right now, we’re tied - you see what’s going on. We’re tied, ’cause, Scalia, this was not supposed to happen. Justice Scalia was going to be around for ten more years, at least, and this is what happens. That was a horrible thing.”
The Guardian has reached out to the Trump campaign for clarification of the comment.The Guardian has reached out to the Trump campaign for clarification of the comment.
UpdatedUpdated
at 8.42pm BSTat 8.42pm BST
8.26pm BST8.26pm BST
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Appearing at a campaign rally in North Carolina, Donald Trump lashed out at Hillary Clinton as Isis’ “most-valuable player,” and forewarned that voter fraud will rob him of victory in the general election if his followers are not vigilant.Appearing at a campaign rally in North Carolina, Donald Trump lashed out at Hillary Clinton as Isis’ “most-valuable player,” and forewarned that voter fraud will rob him of victory in the general election if his followers are not vigilant.
“If I’m Isis, I call her up and give her the Most Valuable Player award,” Trump said of his general election opponent, further saying that the late general George Patton is “spinning in his grave” over American military operations fighting Isis.“If I’m Isis, I call her up and give her the Most Valuable Player award,” Trump said of his general election opponent, further saying that the late general George Patton is “spinning in his grave” over American military operations fighting Isis.
He then elaborated on a frequent theme from his recent rallies, declaring that his possible loss in the general election would be the result of voter fraud.He then elaborated on a frequent theme from his recent rallies, declaring that his possible loss in the general election would be the result of voter fraud.
“Voter ID, what’s with that? What’s with voter ID? Why aren’t we having voter ID?” Trump asked the crowd. “In other words, I wanna vote. Here’s my identification. I wanna vote. As opposed to somebody coming up and voting 15 times for Hillary. Well, and I will not tell you to vote 15 times. I will not tell you to do that, okay? You won’t vote 15 times, but people will. They’ll vote many times. And how that could have happened is unbelievable and the governor just told me that they’re going before the United States supreme court. Justice Roberts. And maybe they can get a stay. let’s see what happens, okay? Let’s see what happens. That’s a very important thing.”“Voter ID, what’s with that? What’s with voter ID? Why aren’t we having voter ID?” Trump asked the crowd. “In other words, I wanna vote. Here’s my identification. I wanna vote. As opposed to somebody coming up and voting 15 times for Hillary. Well, and I will not tell you to vote 15 times. I will not tell you to do that, okay? You won’t vote 15 times, but people will. They’ll vote many times. And how that could have happened is unbelievable and the governor just told me that they’re going before the United States supreme court. Justice Roberts. And maybe they can get a stay. let’s see what happens, okay? Let’s see what happens. That’s a very important thing.”
7.19pm BST7.19pm BST
19:1919:19
Sabrina SiddiquiSabrina Siddiqui
Russell Simmons, the American entrepreneur and founder of Def Jam Records, said his one-time friend Donald Trump has “fueled a lot of hate” in the pursuit of the presidency.Russell Simmons, the American entrepreneur and founder of Def Jam Records, said his one-time friend Donald Trump has “fueled a lot of hate” in the pursuit of the presidency.
Appearing on the inaugural episode of Politics for Humans, a podcast hosted by Guardian US political reporter Sabrina Siddiqui, Simmons recalled taking Trump to a mosque in New York City years before he sought the Republican nomination for president. Back then, Trump, who as the Republican nominee has proposed banning all Muslim immigration to the US, was more amenable to meeting with Muslim leaders.Appearing on the inaugural episode of Politics for Humans, a podcast hosted by Guardian US political reporter Sabrina Siddiqui, Simmons recalled taking Trump to a mosque in New York City years before he sought the Republican nomination for president. Back then, Trump, who as the Republican nominee has proposed banning all Muslim immigration to the US, was more amenable to meeting with Muslim leaders.
“He was very kind and that was the end of it,” Simmons said.“He was very kind and that was the end of it,” Simmons said.
“But years later this fire has come up. He’s fueled a lot of hate and a lot of people are ignorant, and he’s helped to promote that ignorance.”“But years later this fire has come up. He’s fueled a lot of hate and a lot of people are ignorant, and he’s helped to promote that ignorance.”
Simmons said he was once good friends with Trump - they traveled together to Trump’s Florida resort Mar-A-Lago each weekend, and Simmons even recalled being present for the real estate mogul’s first date with his wife Melania Trump. But the Trump he now sees on the campaign trail is someone he no longer recognizes.Simmons said he was once good friends with Trump - they traveled together to Trump’s Florida resort Mar-A-Lago each weekend, and Simmons even recalled being present for the real estate mogul’s first date with his wife Melania Trump. But the Trump he now sees on the campaign trail is someone he no longer recognizes.
“It’s scary, you don’t want him to be president for God’s sake,” Simmons said, adding that Trump was “a grudge carrier” and the two no longer speak. “He don’t talk to me after I said I’d rather Kim Kardashian be president.”“It’s scary, you don’t want him to be president for God’s sake,” Simmons said, adding that Trump was “a grudge carrier” and the two no longer speak. “He don’t talk to me after I said I’d rather Kim Kardashian be president.”
In the podcast, which examines the Black Lives Matter movement, Simmons also reflected on his experience as a black male and encounters with law enforcement.In the podcast, which examines the Black Lives Matter movement, Simmons also reflected on his experience as a black male and encounters with law enforcement.
“As a young person, I was always afraid of the police, and I have had experiences of being mistreated and yelled at and talked down to,” Simmons said.“As a young person, I was always afraid of the police, and I have had experiences of being mistreated and yelled at and talked down to,” Simmons said.
Listen to the podcast here:Listen to the podcast here:
Related: Russell Simmons talks Black Lives Matter – Politics for humans podcastRelated: Russell Simmons talks Black Lives Matter – Politics for humans podcast
7.09pm BST7.09pm BST
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Donald Trump holds rally in North CarolinaDonald Trump holds rally in North Carolina
Watch it live here:Watch it live here:
6.58pm BST6.58pm BST
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Donald Trump will commit to debates - with conditionsDonald Trump will commit to debates - with conditions
After being challenged by opponent Hillary Clinton to accept the terms of three upcoming presidential debates after quibbling on the schedule, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump told Time in an interview that he will commit to the debates - but some of the terms might be “renegotiated.”After being challenged by opponent Hillary Clinton to accept the terms of three upcoming presidential debates after quibbling on the schedule, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump told Time in an interview that he will commit to the debates - but some of the terms might be “renegotiated.”
“I will absolutely do three debates,” Trump said. “I want to debate very badly. But I have to see the conditions.”“I will absolutely do three debates,” Trump said. “I want to debate very badly. But I have to see the conditions.”
The nonpartisan organization in charge of general-election debates, the Commission on Presidential Debates, selected the dates, format and venues of the three presidential debates and single vice-presidential debate in September of last year - but that hasn’t kept Trump from insisting that the schedule was “rigged” by Clinton’s team.The nonpartisan organization in charge of general-election debates, the Commission on Presidential Debates, selected the dates, format and venues of the three presidential debates and single vice-presidential debate in September of last year - but that hasn’t kept Trump from insisting that the schedule was “rigged” by Clinton’s team.
“I renegotiated the debates in the primaries, remember?” Trump said, of the primary debates, one of which he elected not to appear on. “They were making a fortune on them and they had us in for three and a half hours and I said that’s ridiculous. I’m sure they’ll be open to any suggestions I have, because I think they’ll be very fair suggestions. But I haven’t [seen the conditions] yet. They’re actually presented to me tonight.”“I renegotiated the debates in the primaries, remember?” Trump said, of the primary debates, one of which he elected not to appear on. “They were making a fortune on them and they had us in for three and a half hours and I said that’s ridiculous. I’m sure they’ll be open to any suggestions I have, because I think they’ll be very fair suggestions. But I haven’t [seen the conditions] yet. They’re actually presented to me tonight.”
Trump also declared that he is willing to veto the selection of moderators, which have not been announced.Trump also declared that he is willing to veto the selection of moderators, which have not been announced.
“I’ll have to see who the moderators are,” Trump said. “Yeah, I would say that certain moderators would be unacceptable, absolutely. I did very well in the debates on the primaries. According to the polls, I won all of them. So I look forward to the debates. But, yeah, I want to have fair moderators … I will demand fair moderators.”“I’ll have to see who the moderators are,” Trump said. “Yeah, I would say that certain moderators would be unacceptable, absolutely. I did very well in the debates on the primaries. According to the polls, I won all of them. So I look forward to the debates. But, yeah, I want to have fair moderators … I will demand fair moderators.”
Last night, Clinton’s campaign released a statement urging Trump to commit to the debates, calling it “concerning that the Trump campaign is already engaged in shenanigans around these debates.”Last night, Clinton’s campaign released a statement urging Trump to commit to the debates, calling it “concerning that the Trump campaign is already engaged in shenanigans around these debates.”
The three debates are scheduled for 26 September in Hempstead, New York; 9 October in St. Louis; and 19 October in Las Vegas. The lone vice-presidential debate will be held on 4 October in Farmville, Virginia.The three debates are scheduled for 26 September in Hempstead, New York; 9 October in St. Louis; and 19 October in Las Vegas. The lone vice-presidential debate will be held on 4 October in Farmville, Virginia.
6.46pm BST6.46pm BST
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Former nuclear launch officer: Trump 'mentally unfit' to oversee nuclear arsenalFormer nuclear launch officer: Trump 'mentally unfit' to oversee nuclear arsenal
In a damning editorial published in the Los Angeles Times, a former Minuteman III nuclear launch officer wrote that Donald Trump “cannot be trusted” to responsibly wield America’s nuclear arsenal.In a damning editorial published in the Los Angeles Times, a former Minuteman III nuclear launch officer wrote that Donald Trump “cannot be trusted” to responsibly wield America’s nuclear arsenal.
The op-ed, titled “I was a Minuteman III nuclear launch officer. Take it from me: We can’t let Trump become president,” was penned by John Noonan, who worked more than 300 nuclear “alerts,” 24-hour shifts in which he was entrusted with the execution of US nuclear protocols if so ordered by the president. Noonan “spent five years of my life as a Minuteman III launch officer,” and an additional year as an instructor.The op-ed, titled “I was a Minuteman III nuclear launch officer. Take it from me: We can’t let Trump become president,” was penned by John Noonan, who worked more than 300 nuclear “alerts,” 24-hour shifts in which he was entrusted with the execution of US nuclear protocols if so ordered by the president. Noonan “spent five years of my life as a Minuteman III launch officer,” and an additional year as an instructor.
In the piece, Noonan expressed horror at Trump’s apparent fascination with nuclear weapons, and his lack of familiarity with the concept of deterrence as a strategy.In the piece, Noonan expressed horror at Trump’s apparent fascination with nuclear weapons, and his lack of familiarity with the concept of deterrence as a strategy.
“It gives me no pleasure to say this, but I believe my party’s nominee for president is mentally unfit to assume this heavy responsibility,” Noonan, a longtime Republican, wrote. “Trump cannot be trusted with weapons that can kill millions ... These duties are simply too grave to entrust to a man who has exhibited sociopathic and chronically narcissistic behavior throughout his checkered career.”“It gives me no pleasure to say this, but I believe my party’s nominee for president is mentally unfit to assume this heavy responsibility,” Noonan, a longtime Republican, wrote. “Trump cannot be trusted with weapons that can kill millions ... These duties are simply too grave to entrust to a man who has exhibited sociopathic and chronically narcissistic behavior throughout his checkered career.”
6.24pm BST6.24pm BST
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Bernie Sanders campaigns against Debbie Wasserman SchultzBernie Sanders campaigns against Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Citing the hacking of Democratic National Committee emails that revealed bias against his presidential campaign among senior members of the party, Vermont senator and former Democrat Bernie Sanders is using his considerable fundraising apparatus to kick Debbie Wasserman Schultz out of Congress.Citing the hacking of Democratic National Committee emails that revealed bias against his presidential campaign among senior members of the party, Vermont senator and former Democrat Bernie Sanders is using his considerable fundraising apparatus to kick Debbie Wasserman Schultz out of Congress.
“This race is very important for Our Revolution because if we can win this tough fight in Florida, it will send a clear message about the power of our grassroots movement that will send shockwaves through the political and media establishments,” Sanders penned in an email to his followers.“This race is very important for Our Revolution because if we can win this tough fight in Florida, it will send a clear message about the power of our grassroots movement that will send shockwaves through the political and media establishments,” Sanders penned in an email to his followers.
“The recent emails leaked from Democratic Party staff showed that under Debbie Wasserman Schultz, DNC staff were not exactly fair and even-minded during the presidential primary,” Sanders continued. “What was revealed wasn’t much of a shock to us, because we knew all along that the establishment wasn’t on our side.”“The recent emails leaked from Democratic Party staff showed that under Debbie Wasserman Schultz, DNC staff were not exactly fair and even-minded during the presidential primary,” Sanders continued. “What was revealed wasn’t much of a shock to us, because we knew all along that the establishment wasn’t on our side.”
After her resignation as chair of the DNC, however, Sanders wrote that “we have the opportunity to transform the Democratic Party and open up its doors to working people and young people - people who want real change.”After her resignation as chair of the DNC, however, Sanders wrote that “we have the opportunity to transform the Democratic Party and open up its doors to working people and young people - people who want real change.”
5.59pm BST
17:59
Hannah Ellis-Petersen
With a DayGlo-orange face and his trademark floppy hair, Donald Trump stands gleefully holding an inflatable globe. He has the whole world in his hands and he is thrilled.
This scene, while possibly not far from reality, is drawn from one of the most topical satirical shows at this year’s Edinburgh fringe.
Trumpageddon invites its audience to an intimate political rally where they can fire questions at the Republican nominee, play golf with him and even help him decide on policy – which country he would invade first, for example.
The show is the creation of satirist Simon Jay, who is the only person taking on the persona of Trump at the fringe. Jay, who first landed on the idea of creating a caricature of the billionaire businessman in January, said he never anticipated that the show would be quite so topical by August.
Walking through the streets of Edinburgh dressed as Trump, he said he regularly has groups of US tourists shout: “We’re not voting for you,” at him.
“This is so out of my comfort zone,” he said. “I’m the antithesis of him, really – a gay, liberal, English socialist who usually prefers playing women. And here I am playing an alpha male with racist and misogynistic views.”
With so many US tourists visiting Edinburgh for the festival, Jay said he hopes his satire will be a release valve. At the end of every show, he asks for a show of hands from those who intend to vote for him; he has yet to have a Trump fan reveal themselves.
He said: “The show features so many of the ludicrous things he has said and presented as fact – that Isis wants to take over the Vatican, or calling Hillary Clinton the devil. And when I repeat those things, I’ve had Americans in the audience who shake their heads and look pained, as if they are saying: “Help me.” People are terrified, and rightly so.”
Related: 'It makes you recoil': Trumpageddon at the Edinburgh fringe
5.16pm BST
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Scenes from a Trump rally:
Logan Ratcliff, 20, hadn't heard Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) isn't supporting Trump. "The Hunger Games author?" pic.twitter.com/3hnMKo9zsi
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Poll: Trump supporters in North Carolina think election will be rigged
Public Policy Polling’s latest numbers out of North Carolina show good signs for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s chances in the state - and not-so-good signs of post-election bipartisanship.
According to the survey, released this morning, Clinton leading in North Carolina for the first time since March, 43% to Donald Trump’s 41%, with 7% of voters saying they plan to support Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson and 2% expressing support for Green candidate Jill Stein. In a head-to-head contest, Clinton’s lead shrinks to a single point over Trump, 47% to 46%.
But Trump’s insistence that the election may be “rigged” in Clinton’s favor appears to have found fertile ground in North Carolina Republicans. The survey found that 69% of Trump supporters believe that if Clinton wins the election, it will have been due to voter fraud, compared to only 16% who think that it would mean that she received more support than Trump. A full 40% of Trump voters think that Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN, will steal the election for Clinton, despite the organization’s notable handicap of not existing since 2010.
PPP also asked a few more troll-y questions, resulting in statistics that show that 41% of Trump voters in North Carolina say that they think Clinton is the devil, 47% of his voters say they saw a nonexistent video of Iran collecting $400m from the United States and only 38% of voters think Trump can be trusted with nuclear weapons.
4.45pm BST
16:45
Richard Wolffe
The rise of Trump has led, perversely, to the revival of Obama. Republican candidates are saying they will not vote for their presidential nominee, and the party’s national security officials are lining up to condemn Trump as a reckless danger to the Republic. How could the incumbent not look like a statesman compared to a man who apparently can’t be trusted with the elevator button, never mind a nuclear one?
Inside the White House, Obama’s aides talk about a president liberated from previous constraint. On the trail, and at the podium, he seems to love campaigning against his orange nemesis. His party’s candidates can’t get enough of him, and his potential successor – instead of putting distance between them – believes Obama doesn’t get enough credit for his economic achievements.
This one-term president is having an unusually successful end to his second term, and for that he can thank the Republicans who were so determined to destroy him.
Related: The GOP tried to sink Obama. Instead, the party imploded | Richard Wolffe
Updated
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4.14pm BST
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Clinton campaign: father of Orlando terrorist not invited to rally
The father of the man who killed 49 people in a gay Orlando nightclub in June has endorsed Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid, appearing behind Clinton at a rally in Kissimmee, Florida, last night.
“Hillary Clinton is good for United States versus Donald Trump, who has no solutions,” Seddique Mateen, father of the deceased shooter Omar Mateen, told WPTV. Of his attendance at the rally, Mateen said: “It’s a Democratic party, so everyone can join.”
The Clinton campaign has issued a short statement stating that Mateen was not invited to the Kissimmee event, despite his proximity to the candidate. “The rally was a 3,000-person, open-door event for the public,” the campaign said. “This individual wasn’t invited as a guest and the campaign was unaware of his attendance until after the event.”
Clinton began the rally in Kissimmee by paying tribute to those killed in the Pulse nightclub shooting in June.
“I know how many people, families, loved ones and friends are still grieving, and we will be with you as you rebuild your lives,” Clinton said.
Updated
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15:35
Donald Trump’s sharpest critic: Donald Trump.
3.18pm BST
15:18
Ryan Felton
When Donald Trump visited Detroit on Monday to unveil his economic vision for the US, the Republican presidential nominee held the Rust Belt city up as a bastion of failed Democratic party policies, calling it a “living, breathing example of my opponent’s failed economic agenda”.
“Detroit is still waiting for Hillary Clinton’s apology,” Trump said in a nearly hourlong speech before the business-friendly Detroit Economic Club.
But in a town that has consistently voted for the Democrats, Trump will be hard-pressed to find support, warned residents and business owners.
“If he really knew, like, the politics of Detroit, for example, a lot of the failed policies were Republican, like the schools,” said Alyson Turner, of Source Booksellers, a nonfiction bookstore located outside of downtown Detroit. Turner said the appointment by Republican governor Rick Snyder of several emergency managers to take over operations of the Detroit public school system has led to disastrous effects. Teachers this year, for example, have staged large-scale protests in light of the possibility they might work without pay.
Turner’s mother and Source owner, Janet Webster Jones, pointed to the expansion of US highways under President Eisenhower as another Republican policy with a major impact on the city. Among the litany of problems that led Detroit into fiscal uncertainty and, eventually, a massive municipal bankruptcy, the highway system in metro Detroit is viewed by researchers as having helped accelerate white flight – in turn, decimating the city’s tax base.
The highway act “tore up the city of Detroit”, Jones said.
Trump may have delivered his remarks before a welcoming crowd on Monday. But the candidate was interrupted by protesters more than a dozen times, a notable reminder of the multiple derailments along the way of his unconventional campaign.
Related: Trump tells a tale of Democrats' failure in Detroit, but locals aren't buying it
3.00pm BST
15:00
Lauren Gambino
Hillary Clinton will seize on criticism of Donald Trump’s plan to repeal the so-called “death tax”, which only benefits families with multi-million dollar estates like his own. Clinton will dismiss Trump’s proposal as further proof of the charge that he is only interested in policies that benefit himself, labeling it the “friends and family discount”, according to a Clinton campaign official.
Trump, who has put himself forward as the champion of the American workers, laid out his economic agenda, which included a roster of proposals that align with Republican orthodoxy, including slashing tax rates,reducing the corporate tax rate and eliminating the so-called “death tax”.
Trump presented his pledge to repeal the estate tax, worth an estimated $25 billion a year, as a boon for the working class, but it only applies applies to estates larger than $5.45m for individuals, or $10.9m for married couples – effectively, people like himself and his children.
“American workers have paid taxes their whole life, they shouldn’t be taxed again when they die,”he said Monday.
Clinton will explain how this applies only to people in and around Trump’s tax bracket.
If Trump is truly worth “in excess of ten billion dollars” as he’s claimed, she will say, then he wold pay 40% for the estate tax, or approximately $3.996 billion when he passes his estate along to his heirs.
Clinton will also make the case that it’s “no coincidence” Trump is pushing tax reforms that largely benefit his own family. Clinton has said she will push for a tax system that ensures the wealthiest Americans and large corporations pay higher rates than middle class households.
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Parents of men killed in Benghazi attack sue Hillary Clinton
The families of two Americans killed in the 2012 terrorist attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya, have filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Hillary Clinton, accusing the former secretary of state of “extreme carelessness in handling confidential and classified information,” which they say contributed to the death of their sons.
Patricia Smith, mother of Foreign Service information management officer Sean Smith, and Charles Woods, father of Navy SEAL Tyrone Woods, accuse the former secretary of state and Democratic presidential candidate of making “false and defamatory statements negligently, recklessly, purposefully, and/or intentionally with actual malice … by stating that plaintiffs were lying about Clinton having told them that the Benghazi attack was caused by an anti-Muslim YouTube video.”
The lawsuit, filed on Monday in the US District Court of DC, claims that “as a direct result” of Clinton’s use of private email servers during her tenure as secretary of state, “Islamic terrorists were able to obtain the whereabouts of Ambassador Christopher Stevens ... and subsequently orchestrate, plan, and execute the now infamous September 11, 2012 attack.”
Nick Merrill, the Clinton campaign’s traveling press secretary, issued a statement in response, saying that “while no one can imagine the pain of the families of the brave Americans we lost at Benghazi, there have been nine different investigations into this attack and none found any evidence whatsoever of any wrongdoing on the part of Hillary Clinton.”
In the 2012 attack, Islamic militants attacked the American diplomatic compound in the port city of Benghazi, killing four Americans, including Smith and ambassador Chris Stevens. A second assault a few hours later targeted another compound, during which Woods was killed.
The State Department was criticized in the aftermath of the attacks for not providing adequate security for the facilities, and for initially reporting that the attack was the outgrowth of a spontaneous protest over an anti-Muslim film made by an American preacher. Later investigations revealed that the attack was premeditated, and had been joined by rioters who were protesting the video.
Smith and Woods have been vocally critical of Clinton as a presidential candidate, accusing her of fabricating the narrative that riots sparked the attack. At the Republican National Convention in Cleveland last month, Smith told the audience that she blamed “Hillary Clinton personally for the death of my son.”
The suit was filed by infamous Washington DC attorney Larry Klayman, a conservative former Justice Department prosecutor who filed 18 lawsuits of against the Clinton administration in the 1990s. Among other cases, Klayman has brought legal action against Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the National Security Agency, supreme court justice Elena Kagan and Barack Obama, whom he accused of secretly allowing the Ebola virus to enter the United States so it could be used against US citizens who are members of the “Caucasian race and Jewish-Christian religion”.
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14:22
Good morning, and welcome to the Guardian’s campaign live blog, as we continue our minute-by-minute coverage from the US presidential campaign trail.
Republican nominee Donald Trump’s address to the business-friendly Detroit Economic Club yesterday was intended to reset his campaign after a calamitous post-convention week, but Democratic rival Hillary Clinton doesn’t appear ready to let him shift gears quite yet.
Late last night, the former secretary of state’s campaign announced that she has preemptively accepted the Commission on Presidential Debates’ invitation to three presidential debates this fall – in an apparent bid to force Trump, who has expressed concerns about the dates of the debates, to agree to meet with her.
Campaign chair John Podesta said in a statement:
Secretary Clinton looks forward to participating in all three presidential debates scheduled by the independent debate commission. It is concerning that the Trump campaign is already engaged in shenanigans around these debates. It is not clear if he is trying to avoid debates, or merely toying with the press to create more drama.
Either way, our campaign is not interested in playing along with a debate about debates or bargaining around them.The only issue now is whether Donald Trump is going to show up to debate at the date, times, places and formats set by the commission last year through a bipartisan process. We will accept the commission’s invitation and expect Donald Trump to do the same.
The dates for this year’s debates have been set since before Trump was a candidate, but that hasn’t kept the Republican nominee from accusing Clinton of scheduling misbehavior.
“Well, I tell you what I don’t like. It’s against two NFL games,” Trump told ABC’s This Week on 31 July of the debates. “I got a letter from the NFL saying this is ridiculous … because the NFL doesn’t want to go against the debates because the debates are going to be pretty massive, from what I understand.”
(The NFL, for what it’s worth, says it did not send Trump any kind of letter.)
The presidential debates were set some time ago by the Commission on Presidential Debates for Monday 26 September, Sunday 9 October, and Wednesday 19 October, with the vice-presidential debate on Tuesday 4 October.
We’ve put in word to the Trump campaign inquiring whether their candidate plans to attend the debates. We’ll let you know what they say.
Here’s today’s events schedule:
Updated
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