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Version 9 Version 10
Trump: 'I'm not flip-flopping' on immigration plan – campaign live Trump: 'I'm not flip-flopping' on immigration plan – campaign live
(35 minutes later)
9.17pm BST
21:17
Arizona senator: Republican party should shift resources from Trump to Congress
Republican senator Jeff Flake told an Arizona public-access show that the Republican party should reallocate resources dedicating to electing Donald Trump president to aid vulnerable Republican candidates for senate, recalling a similar abandonment of the party’s nominee two decades ago.
“I can tell you, it’s gonna be tough to see, if we see Hillary Clinton in office appointing supreme court nominees. It’s gonna be even tougher if she does so and they are confirmed by a Democratic Senate,” Flake told PBS. “So I do hope that we shore up the senate. Right now, if the election were today, it would be very dicey.”
Flake recalled the final weeks of the 1996 general election, in which Republicans reallocated funds to bolster their congressional majority as a “check” on Bill Clinton’s power, functionally abandoning nominee Bob Dole before his defeat.
“He had full support of the Republican Party,” Flake said of Dole. “That wasn’t enough, and he wasn’t gonna get there and everybody knew it by the time we got to September, particularly October, so the senate committee spent a lot of time focusing on the senate ... the RNC, just to make sure that they were shored up.”
Updated
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9.03pm BST
21:03
David Smith
Nearly 15,000 emails recovered by the FBI from the private server used by Hillary Clinton when she was secretary of state are set to be made public just before the presidential election in November, it emerged in court today.
The state department said it was reviewing 14,900 documents that came to light in the now-closed investigation into the handling of sensitive information that flowed through the server in question. That is a major addition to the 30,000 emails that Clinton’s lawyers considered work-related and returned to the department in December 2014.
The FBI cleared Clinton of criminal conduct but found her to have have been “extremely careless”, and the saga continues to dog her. On 5 August the FBIcompleted a transfer of several thousand previously undisclosed work-related emails for the state department to review and publish.
Responding to the news, the Republican National Committee chairman, Reince Priebus, said Clinton “seems incapable of telling the truth”.
State lawyers told federal judge James Boasberg on Monday they expected to release the emails in batches on 14, 21 and 28 October and 4 November. The election, against Republican nominee Donald Trump, takes place on 8 November.
Boasberg ordered that the department should aim for a more ambitious deadline. The judge set another hearing for 22 September, so progress can be reviewed.
Tom Fitton, president of the conservative legal group Judicial Watch, which brought the case under a Freedom of Information Act (Foia) request, tweeted: “FBI found almost 15,000 new Clinton documents. When will state release them?”
Another federal judge, Emmet Sullivan, last week ordered Clinton to answer written questions from Judicial Watch. Her answers are not due until after the presidential election.
8.33pm BST8.33pm BST
20:3320:33
One of Donald Trump’s most trusted (if informal) advisors has told a radio interviewer today that the Republican presidential nominee should release his tax returns “immediately”.One of Donald Trump’s most trusted (if informal) advisors has told a radio interviewer today that the Republican presidential nominee should release his tax returns “immediately”.
Roger Stone, equally reviled and renowned as one of the Republican party’s most aggressive campaign strategists, told The Fernand Amandi Show on 610 WIOD Miami radio that “I think he should release his tax returns immediately,” referring to the vast trove of tax documents that the Trump campaign has refused to release, citing an audit.Roger Stone, equally reviled and renowned as one of the Republican party’s most aggressive campaign strategists, told The Fernand Amandi Show on 610 WIOD Miami radio that “I think he should release his tax returns immediately,” referring to the vast trove of tax documents that the Trump campaign has refused to release, citing an audit.
In the interview, first reported by Buzzfeed News, Stone was asked whether Trump, whose business success stands as his largest self-stated qualification for the presidency, should release his tax information publicly “in the interest of transparency”.In the interview, first reported by Buzzfeed News, Stone was asked whether Trump, whose business success stands as his largest self-stated qualification for the presidency, should release his tax information publicly “in the interest of transparency”.
8.12pm BST8.12pm BST
20:1220:12
2015 email says Powell 'does recall' email conversation with Clinton2015 email says Powell 'does recall' email conversation with Clinton
The author of a book that first recounted a scene at a dinner of Colin Powell telling Hillary Clinton about how he used a private email account while secretary of state – this author, Joe Conason, has called baloney on Powell’s current claim that he recalls no such dinner conversation.The author of a book that first recounted a scene at a dinner of Colin Powell telling Hillary Clinton about how he used a private email account while secretary of state – this author, Joe Conason, has called baloney on Powell’s current claim that he recalls no such dinner conversation.
On Friday, Powell’s office released a statement saying he “has no recollection of the dinner conversation.”On Friday, Powell’s office released a statement saying he “has no recollection of the dinner conversation.”
But Conason has now published an email from last June from Powell’s assistant stating explicitly that Powell “does recall sharing with Secretary Clinton his use of his email account”:But Conason has now published an email from last June from Powell’s assistant stating explicitly that Powell “does recall sharing with Secretary Clinton his use of his email account”:
His principal assistant, Margaret “Peggy” Cifrino, informed me then via email that their calendar showed that the Albright dinner had occurred in June 2009. While he didn’t recall some details of the dinner because it had occurred seven years ago, according to Cifrino, he remembered what he did and didn’t say to Clinton on the topic in question that evening:His principal assistant, Margaret “Peggy” Cifrino, informed me then via email that their calendar showed that the Albright dinner had occurred in June 2009. While he didn’t recall some details of the dinner because it had occurred seven years ago, according to Cifrino, he remembered what he did and didn’t say to Clinton on the topic in question that evening:
He does recall sharing with Secretary Clinton his use of his email account and how useful it was and transformative for the Department. He knew nothing then or until recently about her private home server and a personal domain, nor, therefore, could he have advised her on that or suggested it. By June I would assume her email system was already set up.He does recall sharing with Secretary Clinton his use of his email account and how useful it was and transformative for the Department. He knew nothing then or until recently about her private home server and a personal domain, nor, therefore, could he have advised her on that or suggested it. By June I would assume her email system was already set up.
So it is perplexing for him to say he doesn’t remember that dinner conversation at all now, since, according to his own assistant, he remembered at least some of what he said as recently as two months ago.So it is perplexing for him to say he doesn’t remember that dinner conversation at all now, since, according to his own assistant, he remembered at least some of what he said as recently as two months ago.
Read further.Read further.
UpdatedUpdated
at 8.13pm BSTat 8.13pm BST
7.53pm BST7.53pm BST
19:5319:53
It appears that the Trump campaign is motivating first-time Hispanic voters in North Carolina. But not in a positive way?:It appears that the Trump campaign is motivating first-time Hispanic voters in North Carolina. But not in a positive way?:
North Carolina: since Trump launch 6/14/15, Hispanic voter registration has increased 22%, vs. 5% for all other voters.North Carolina: since Trump launch 6/14/15, Hispanic voter registration has increased 22%, vs. 5% for all other voters.
The Trump campaign’s perceived hostility to nonwhite voters may start with the candidate, but it’s promulgated by the rank and file on social media, according to a new AP examination of “the social media feeds of more than 50 current and former campaign employees who helped propel Trump through the primary elections”:The Trump campaign’s perceived hostility to nonwhite voters may start with the candidate, but it’s promulgated by the rank and file on social media, according to a new AP examination of “the social media feeds of more than 50 current and former campaign employees who helped propel Trump through the primary elections”:
The campaign has employed a mix of veteran political operatives and outsiders. Most come across as dedicated, enthusiastic partisans, but at least seven expressed views that were overtly racially charged, supportive of violent actions or broadly hostile to Muslims.The campaign has employed a mix of veteran political operatives and outsiders. Most come across as dedicated, enthusiastic partisans, but at least seven expressed views that were overtly racially charged, supportive of violent actions or broadly hostile to Muslims.
Trump's paid campaign staffers during GOP primary used social media to spread racist, inflammatory content: https://t.co/6lbn2nfq0oTrump's paid campaign staffers during GOP primary used social media to spread racist, inflammatory content: https://t.co/6lbn2nfq0o
A graphic designer for Trump’s advance team approvingly posted video of a black man eating fried chicken and criticizing fellow blacks for ignorance, irresponsibility and having too many children. A Trump field organizer in Virginia declared that Muslims were seeking to impose Sharia law in America and that “those who understand Islam for what it is are gearing up for the fight.” [...]A graphic designer for Trump’s advance team approvingly posted video of a black man eating fried chicken and criticizing fellow blacks for ignorance, irresponsibility and having too many children. A Trump field organizer in Virginia declared that Muslims were seeking to impose Sharia law in America and that “those who understand Islam for what it is are gearing up for the fight.” [...]
Before being tapped as statewide director of coalitions, Craig Bachler of Bradenton, Florida, posted jokes in 2015 about Mexican accents superimposed over pictures of an overweight man wearing a sombrero. Bachler was named by the campaign as official staff in November, though there is no record he has been paid for his work. Bachler did not respond to a request for comment via Facebook or a message left at his office voicemail. After AP’s inquiries, Bachler blocked access to an AP reporter, and his Facebook account — which included a photo of Bachler with Trump — was scrubbed to remove the offensive post.Before being tapped as statewide director of coalitions, Craig Bachler of Bradenton, Florida, posted jokes in 2015 about Mexican accents superimposed over pictures of an overweight man wearing a sombrero. Bachler was named by the campaign as official staff in November, though there is no record he has been paid for his work. Bachler did not respond to a request for comment via Facebook or a message left at his office voicemail. After AP’s inquiries, Bachler blocked access to an AP reporter, and his Facebook account — which included a photo of Bachler with Trump — was scrubbed to remove the offensive post.
Read the full piece here.Read the full piece here.
7.35pm BST7.35pm BST
19:3519:35
In which the Breitbart site, the house organ of the Donald Trump campaign, mischaracterizes, we’d say, what happened to the Guardian’s Adam Gabbatt when he bravely committed last week to only getting all of his news from reading Breitbart for 48 hours straight.In which the Breitbart site, the house organ of the Donald Trump campaign, mischaracterizes, we’d say, what happened to the Guardian’s Adam Gabbatt when he bravely committed last week to only getting all of his news from reading Breitbart for 48 hours straight.
“That’s not to say Breitbart is objective,” Adam wrote afterwards. “It just pushes its rightwing message with a surprising subtlety.”“That’s not to say Breitbart is objective,” Adam wrote afterwards. “It just pushes its rightwing message with a surprising subtlety.”
Adam’s project was inspired by the appointment of Breitbart chief Steve Bannon as “CEO” of the Trump campaign.Adam’s project was inspired by the appointment of Breitbart chief Steve Bannon as “CEO” of the Trump campaign.
Here’s the Breitbart home page from a couple minutes ago (since revised):Here’s the Breitbart home page from a couple minutes ago (since revised):
Adam does not use the word “genius” in his piece although it did make the stand-first. Here’s the piece if you would like to read it for yourself:Adam does not use the word “genius” in his piece although it did make the stand-first. Here’s the piece if you would like to read it for yourself:
.@adamgabbatt only read Breitbart for two days and you won't believe what happened next https://t.co/RMzSHy2LtN.@adamgabbatt only read Breitbart for two days and you won't believe what happened next https://t.co/RMzSHy2LtN
This isn’t Adam’s first tango with Trumpland. Back in 2012 when Trump was trying to get Barack Obama to release his passport and college records, Adam called Trump gatekeeper Michael Cohen to place a reciprocal request for Trump’s records. Cohen deemed the request “stupid.”This isn’t Adam’s first tango with Trumpland. Back in 2012 when Trump was trying to get Barack Obama to release his passport and college records, Adam called Trump gatekeeper Michael Cohen to place a reciprocal request for Trump’s records. Cohen deemed the request “stupid.”
Update: the Breitbart commenters are manhandling Gabbatt!Update: the Breitbart commenters are manhandling Gabbatt!
Breitbart commenters have very good takes on @adamgabbatt pic.twitter.com/rliV1jMQcPBreitbart commenters have very good takes on @adamgabbatt pic.twitter.com/rliV1jMQcP
UpdatedUpdated
at 8.12pm BSTat 8.12pm BST
7.08pm BST7.08pm BST
19:0819:08
Tim Kaine’s in Las Vegas today. And Mike Pence is about to speak on a flatbed truck. The running mates get all the plum assignments:Tim Kaine’s in Las Vegas today. And Mike Pence is about to speak on a flatbed truck. The running mates get all the plum assignments:
GOP VP nominee @mike_pence will speak from this flatbed truck of a stage in Cedar Rapids this afternoon pic.twitter.com/yjPg5CNhBOGOP VP nominee @mike_pence will speak from this flatbed truck of a stage in Cedar Rapids this afternoon pic.twitter.com/yjPg5CNhBO
Kaine speaks at the ironworkers' union convention in Las Vegas. His father—who owned an ironworking shop—is here too pic.twitter.com/7472eEw3EzKaine speaks at the ironworkers' union convention in Las Vegas. His father—who owned an ironworking shop—is here too pic.twitter.com/7472eEw3Ez
7.02pm BST7.02pm BST
19:0219:02
Support the GuardianSupport the Guardian
And now, a noteAnd now, a note
from our sponsorsfrom our sponsors
TO our potential sponsors, i.e., you! TO our potential sponsors, i.e., you!
If you enjoy the Guardian’s political coverage, please help to fund our journalism.If you enjoy the Guardian’s political coverage, please help to fund our journalism.
Like the rest of the media, we are operating in a challenging commercial environment. Never have more people read our work. Never have fewer people paid for it. Producing in-depth, thoughtful, well-reported journalism is difficult and expensive. If you use it, if you like it, why not pay for it?Like the rest of the media, we are operating in a challenging commercial environment. Never have more people read our work. Never have fewer people paid for it. Producing in-depth, thoughtful, well-reported journalism is difficult and expensive. If you use it, if you like it, why not pay for it?
• Give a one-off or recurring contribution to the Guardian.• Give a one-off or recurring contribution to the Guardian.
And thanks for reading!And thanks for reading!
6.42pm BST6.42pm BST
18:4218:42
Campaign: Clinton 'never took action... because of donations'Campaign: Clinton 'never took action... because of donations'
In a statement replying to the new emails released today by the Judicial Watch group, the Clinton campaign says that “Hillary Clinton never took action as Secretary of State because of donations to the Clinton Foundation.”In a statement replying to the new emails released today by the Judicial Watch group, the Clinton campaign says that “Hillary Clinton never took action as Secretary of State because of donations to the Clinton Foundation.”
Requests that action be taken, after all, are different from actual action being taken. Or so they might say. Here’s the statement:Requests that action be taken, after all, are different from actual action being taken. Or so they might say. Here’s the statement:
Re JW emails, HRC campaign maintains HRC "never took action as Secretary of State" due to foundation donations. pic.twitter.com/PAOCFcBSQXRe JW emails, HRC campaign maintains HRC "never took action as Secretary of State" due to foundation donations. pic.twitter.com/PAOCFcBSQX
6.31pm BST6.31pm BST
18:3118:31
Clinton camp denies withholding work emailsClinton camp denies withholding work emails
The Clinton campaign responds to the Judicial Watch announcement that Clinton did not turn over “almost 15,000 documents” to the state department in accordance with an internal investigation of her handling of classified material.The Clinton campaign responds to the Judicial Watch announcement that Clinton did not turn over “almost 15,000 documents” to the state department in accordance with an internal investigation of her handling of classified material.
The Clinton camp says “Hillary Clinton provided the state department with all the work-related emails she had in her possession in 2014.”The Clinton camp says “Hillary Clinton provided the state department with all the work-related emails she had in her possession in 2014.”
Clinton campaign statement after @washingtonpost report on FBI discovery of more emails pic.twitter.com/RnrPDv5QyJClinton campaign statement after @washingtonpost report on FBI discovery of more emails pic.twitter.com/RnrPDv5QyJ
FBI director James Comey said last month that the FBI had “discovered several thousand work-related e-mails that were not in the group of 30,000 that were returned by Secretary Clinton to State in 2014.”FBI director James Comey said last month that the FBI had “discovered several thousand work-related e-mails that were not in the group of 30,000 that were returned by Secretary Clinton to State in 2014.”
6.15pm BST
18:15
A new poll of likely voters in Ohio by Monmouth University finds a four-point edge for Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump in a race that includes Libertarian party candidate Gary Johnson and the Green party’s Jill Stein.
RealClearPolitics’ average has Clinton up by 4 points in a four-way race in the Buckeye state. HuffPost Pollster has her up 2.3 points.
New Monmouth Poll of OhioClinton: 43%Trump: 39%Johnson: 10%
The poll finds that Ohio governor John Kasich’s non-endorsement of Trump has not hurt him:
This has not hurt the governor’s reputation among his fellow Buckeyes – 38% say they think more highly of Kasich because he is not supporting Trump and just 17% think less highly of him. Another 44% say Kasich’s stand against Trump has had no impact on their opinion of the governor.
Further:
Monmouth poll finds that if @JohnKasich were the Republican nominee he'd be leading @HillaryClinton 57% to 33% in Ohio.
Updated
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6.05pm BST
18:05
'Huma, I need your help now to intervene please'
Here’s another juicy email unearthed by Judicial Watch. Note that there’s no explicit nexus to the Clinton foundation here. It’s more a corporate interest cracking the whip to demand government access. The writer is a top Democratic political operative and paid consultant (this year she is a “top-ten bundler” for the Clinton campaign, the New York Times reports). The recipient is Abedin:
This does indeed go without saying https://t.co/CZau8mjsvf pic.twitter.com/BbpopepWSo
“Hope you are well.”
5.48pm BST
17:48
New Clinton emails contain additional requests for access for foundation donors
The conservative group Judicial Watch has released previously unseen emails sent and received by Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin in 2009 that appear to show that Abedin was repeatedly approached by foundation consultant Doug Band, her friend, to ask for favors from the state department – meetings, embassy appointments – for foundation “friends” and donors.
Judicial Watch has obtained Clinton emails through a Freedom of information act lawsuit. Earlier this month, the group released additional emails between Band, Abedin, and another Clinton aide, also seeking a meeting with state department officials for an important Clinton foundation donor.
In a separate but related development, Judicial Watch said the Clinton team had failed to turn over “15,000 documents” to the state department as part of an internal investigation into how classified information was handled under the private server system Clinton used.
FBI director James Comey said last month that the FBI had “discovered several thousand work-related e-mails that were not in the group of 30,000 that were returned by Secretary Clinton to State in 2014.”
FBI found almost 15,000 new Clinton documents. When will State release them? Court hearing today.
Here’s one Abedin-Band email chain highlighted by Judicial Watch. In the chain, Band, the foundation consultant, asks Abedin, then a state department employee, about arranging a meeting between the crown prince of Bahrain, a “good friend” of the foundation, and Clinton, then secretary of state.
Abedin’s email makes it clear that the request from Band does not represent “normal channels”:
From: Doug Band
To: Huma Abedin
Sent: Tue Jun 23 1:29:42 2009
Subject:
Cp of Bahrain in tomorrow to Friday
Asking to see her
Good friend of ours
From: Huma Abedin
To: Doug Band
Sent: Tue Jun 23 4:12:46 2009
Subject: Re:
He asked to see hrc thurs and fri thru normal channels. I asked and she said she doesn’t want to commit to anything for thurs or fri until she knows how she will feel. Also she says that she may want to go to ny and doesn’t want to be committed to stuff in ny…
From: Huma Abedin [Huma@clintonemail.com]
Sent: Thursday, June 25, 2009 10:35:15 AM
To: Doug Band
Subject:
Offering Bahrain cp 10 tomorrow for meeting woith [sic] hrc
If u see him, let him know
We have reached out thru official channels
Read the latest from Judicial Watch here.
4.22pm BST
16:22
Trump calls for shuttering Clinton Foundation
Bill Clinton last week told staff with the Clinton Foundation – the charitable organization whose projects include everything from literacy in Haiti to farming in east Africa to earthquake relief in Nepal – that the foundation would stop accepting gifts from foreign donors and he would resign from the board if Clinton is elected president.
Not good enough, Donald Trump said in a statement issued Monday morning calling the foundation “the most corrupt enterprise in political history”:
Hillary Clinton is the defender of the corrupt and rigged status quo. The Clintons have spent decades as insiders lining their own pockets and taking care of donors instead of the American people. It is now clear that the Clinton Foundation is the most corrupt enterprise in political history. What they were doing during Crooked Hillary’s time as Secretary of State was wrong then, and it is wrong now. It must be shut down immediately.
– Donald J. Trump
Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook told ABC News that “millions of people around the world depend on the life-saving health treatment that the foundation provides” and shutting it “would threaten lives”:
Clinton camp manager: "Just pulling the plug" on Clinton Foundation "would threaten lives" https://t.co/yI4E7SCQ4N https://t.co/CeN6N9LGAm
Updated
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4.05pm BST
16:05
In which Donald Trump running mate Mike Pence finds Trump’s gasbaggery about attracting African American supporters casually funny:
“Why are you laughing?” My god, this video of Pence on Fox News is incredible. https://t.co/iYGF8VUKkV pic.twitter.com/B1q6LxaiVf
Pence reflects the view of some Trump supporters that Trump’s hyperbole is part of his charm and it’s foolish to take him literally.
3.54pm BST
15:54
The candidates are preparing for their meeting in the first presidential debate, at Hofstra University on Long Island, on 26 September. Donald Trump held his first debate prep session on Sunday at a golf club in New Jersey, the New York Times reported.
Clinton, meanwhile, will practice against an adversary “expected to confront her about the death of Vincent Foster, label her a rapist’s enabler, and invoke the personally painful memories of Monica Lewinsky and Gennifer Flowers,” Politico reports:
“You have to start off by saying, ‘I want to thank the American people, especially Monica and Gennifer Flowers,” anticipated a top Clinton ally with close ties to the campaign. “Nobody who is a friend of hers is going to want to say that in debate prep.”
Anthony Weiner should play Trump in the debate prep. I am dead serious. https://t.co/RcWXi8edmr
3.33pm BST
15:33
12-year-old in charge of Trump operation in key Colorado county
Donald Trump’s get-out-the-vote operation in Jefferson County, Colorado – part of the Denver metropolitan area – is being run by 12-year-old Weston Imer, local KMOV reports:
Imer is in charge of the operation where volunteers will gather and help get out the vote, and while sitting behind a desk may not be the coolest thing to do, he hopes to use the position to inspire others.
“Get involved,” Imer said. “That’s what I’m going to say. Get involved. Kids need to be educated.”
Imer’s mother, Laurel Imer, is the official field coordinator on paper, but she wants to give her son most of the responsibility and help show other parents - Democrat or Republican - how to get their kids involved.
“You have a responsibility to your children to teach them,” Laurel Imer said.
For those interested, the video on the WMOV web site is worth a watch. “Weston is hoping to continue his role until school starts in September,” the reporter says.
New FEC fillings show that the Trump campaign, which maintains a skeleton staff of about 70 people, has not significantly increased spending on payroll, office leases or other line items to indicate a national footprint.
The Hillary Clinton campaign employs about 700 people and runs a ground operation built on the template that delivered Barack Obama double victory. Colorado is theoretically a swing state but polling averages have Clinton far ahead there.
And don’t miss our previous coverage:
Updated
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3.18pm BST
15:18
Trump: 'I'm not flip-flopping' on immigration
Donald Trump has denied that he is rejiggering his best-known policy suggestion, a plan to use a “deportation force” to expel millions of undocumented migrants from the United States and build a wall along the border with Mexico.
“I’m not flip-flopping,” Trump told Fox News. “We want to come up with a really fair but firm answer.”
Trump was pressed on the issue after reports surfaced that he had hinted to Latino leaders in a private weekend meeting that he was open to pathways to legal status for some undocumented people. His new campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, said on Sunday that Trump’s position on deportations was “to be determined.”
Here’s a transcript of Trump’s insistence on his consistency:
Trump this morning on immigration: "I'm not flip flopping. We want to come up with a really fair but firm answer." pic.twitter.com/Phdi3E5KsT
Read further:
Updated
at 3.19pm BST
3.04pm BST
15:04
Clinton on Louisiana: 'I am committed to visiting'
Following Donald Trump’s visit to flood zones in Louisiana on Friday, and the announcement that Barack Obama will visit the area on Tuesday, Hillary Clinton has issued a statement saying “I am committed to visiting communities affected by these floods, at a time when the presence of a political campaign will not disrupt the response.”
“This month’s floods in Louisiana are a crisis that demand a national response,” begins her statement, which continues:
More than 30,000 people have been rescued by the Coast Guard, National Guard, and other emergency responders. Thousands of people have lost everything. At least 13 lost their lives. We must make sure that all resources are brought to bear in responding to the crisis and helping communities rebuild.
“That is why I have called on supporters of this campaign to give what they can to the Red Cross, to bring much-needed aid and supplies to the more than 100,000 people affected by the floods. We also need to make sure that this crisis is not compounded by another, by ensuring mosquito abatement is happening hand-in-hand with flood response, to reduce the riska [sic] of mosquitoes that could carry the Zika virus from gaining a foothold in Louisiana.
“The best way to help Louisianans affected by these terrible floods is to make sure they have the resources they need today. I am committed to visiting communities affected by these floods, at a time when the presence of a political campaign will not disrupt the response, to discuss how we can and will rebuild together.
“In times of crisis, Americans have always come together to lift each other up, support each other, and rebuild stronger and better than before. That is what we must do now in Louisiana, and I am committed to standing with Louisianans every step of the way.”
1.58pm BST
13:58
Hello, and welcome to our live-wire coverage of the 2016 race for the White House. Former secretary of state Colin Powell has accused the Hillary Clinton cabal of trying to “pin” her email scandal on him, after the revelation last week that Clinton brought up Powell in discussing the issue with the FBI.
“Her people have been trying to pin it on me,” Powell told People magazine at a fundraiser for the Apollo theater in East Hampton, New York, on Saturday night. “The truth is, she was using [the private email server] for a year before I sent her a memo telling her what I did.”
Powell told NBC News last week he sent a memo to Clinton “describing his use of his personal AOL email account for unclassified messages and how it vastly improved communications within the State Department”. The New York Times reported last Thursday that Clinton told the FBI that Powell had “advised her to use a personal email account”. The report was based on a leak by Congress of notes from a classified interview.
“It doesn’t bother me,” Powell, 79, told People. “But it’s OK; I’m free.”
It doesn’t bother Powell. Will it bother voters?
Big Clinton ad buy
The Clinton campaign has reserved $80m in air time in eight competitive states for the fall, bringing their total spending on TV ads to $150m, the Associated Press reports. Donald Trump only began airing ads in recent days and has reserved just $5m worth.
A new ad the Clinton camp will air is called Just One, as in: “All it takes is one wrong move. Just one”…
The ad is running in Florida, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Iowa, Nevada, Ohio, North Carolina and Omaha, Nebraska. Prominently excluded from that list: Virginia (where polling averages have Clinton up 8 points) and Colorado (ditto).
Trump teases dirt on TV hosts
A day after his newly minted campaign manager told a Sunday show host that “he doesn’t hurl personal insults”, Trump, apparently riled by something he saw on the MSNBC program Morning Joe, tweeted that he would “tell the real story” of the show’s hosts “when things calm down”.
Trump may have been reacting to this segment (although who knows how Trump’s brain cooks tweets):
.@rickwtyler: Reince Preibus sort of talked about Trump 'as if he graduated from diapers to big boy pants' https://t.co/5NlRA9O5L7
Some day, when things calm down, I'll tell the real story of @JoeNBC and his very insecure long-time girlfriend, @morningmika. Two clowns!
Donald Trump’s life lately: totally craaazzzy. He just wants to be elected president so all you people will go away and he can spill the beans about Joe and Mika, presumably in his first turn in the Brady briefing room.
Trump wriggles on deportation plan
Trump may also be reversing himself on a call to deport undocumented migrants:
Thanks for reading, and please join us in the comments.