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Version 8 Version 9
Clinton campaign accuses Trump of breaking Cuba embargo – live Clinton campaign accuses Trump of breaking Cuba embargo – live
(35 minutes later)
8.43pm BST
20:43
A would-be senator:
I am hoping to be wrong. But given a train ran at high speed INTO the station, I am going to say terrorism. If I'm wrong cool.
8.28pm BST
20:28
Donald Trump campaigns in Bedford, New Hampshire
Watch it live here:
8.13pm BST8.13pm BST
20:1320:13
Trump’s VP pick Mike Pence is with him in Bedford, New Hampshire, and he’s on stage now introducing Trump. Trump’s VP pick Mike Pence is in York, Pennsylvania, hosting a rally.
“Donald Trump is ready. He’s ready to leave this country after where we’ve seen America’s place in the world weakened,” saysPence.“Donald Trump is ready. He’s ready to leave this country after where we’ve seen America’s place in the world weakened,” saysPence.
“At a time when America’s crying out for something new and different the other party comes out with the most predictable of names and the most stale of agendas,” says Pence.“At a time when America’s crying out for something new and different the other party comes out with the most predictable of names and the most stale of agendas,” says Pence.
“Let’s decide it here and now in Bedford, New Hampshire: Hillary Clinton will never be elected president of the United States of America,” he says to applause. “Let’s decide it here and now... Hillary Clinton will never be elected president of the United States of America,” he says to applause.
Correction: this post previously said Pence was with Trump in New Hampshire, that was incorrect, a miscommunication thanks to a wrong YouTube livestream.
Updated
at 8.22pm BST
7.52pm BST7.52pm BST
19:5219:52
Here’s the talking points from the Trump campaign about the accusations he pursued illegal business opportunities in Cuba in the 1990s, leaked to Buzzfeed’s deputy politics editor.Here’s the talking points from the Trump campaign about the accusations he pursued illegal business opportunities in Cuba in the 1990s, leaked to Buzzfeed’s deputy politics editor.
Obtained from a source, here are the Trump surrogate talking points on report of Cuba business dealings... pic.twitter.com/tTz6gkpPAQObtained from a source, here are the Trump surrogate talking points on report of Cuba business dealings... pic.twitter.com/tTz6gkpPAQ
No denial of facts, it appears?No denial of facts, it appears?
7.37pm BST7.37pm BST
19:3719:37
Clinton ends with a plea for Iowa voters to register and her “love trumps hate” line.Clinton ends with a plea for Iowa voters to register and her “love trumps hate” line.
7.34pm BST7.34pm BST
19:3419:34
“I have no idea what he’s going to say the next time. But I will spend some time preparing for it,” says Clintons, to chuckles.“I have no idea what he’s going to say the next time. But I will spend some time preparing for it,” says Clintons, to chuckles.
7.33pm BST7.33pm BST
19:3319:33
“He spends all of his time dumping on America... that everything about America is in bad shape. But it’s probably true he hasn’t paid a penny in federal taxes to actually support our military, or our vets, or our schools or our roads or our education system,” said Clinton, doing the stump speech she’s been refining this week after Trump called himself “smart” for not paying income taxes during their debate on Monday.“He spends all of his time dumping on America... that everything about America is in bad shape. But it’s probably true he hasn’t paid a penny in federal taxes to actually support our military, or our vets, or our schools or our roads or our education system,” said Clinton, doing the stump speech she’s been refining this week after Trump called himself “smart” for not paying income taxes during their debate on Monday.
“If not paying taxes makes you smart, then what are we?” she asks.“If not paying taxes makes you smart, then what are we?” she asks.
7.30pm BST7.30pm BST
19:3019:30
Clinton now on stage in Des Moines (apologies, Reuters livestream isn’t working today).Clinton now on stage in Des Moines (apologies, Reuters livestream isn’t working today).
She’s talking about the college plan she announced with Bernie Sanders yesterday in New Hampshire.She’s talking about the college plan she announced with Bernie Sanders yesterday in New Hampshire.
“An education should give you a boost not hold you back. And we’re going to offer a relief for those of you who already owe debt,” says Clinton.“An education should give you a boost not hold you back. And we’re going to offer a relief for those of you who already owe debt,” says Clinton.
“It is outrageous that you can get a home mortgage at 3%, a car payment at 2%, and I met people paying 8, 10, 12% interest on their student loans. I am not going to allow the federal government to make a profit off young people trying to get their education,” she says.“It is outrageous that you can get a home mortgage at 3%, a car payment at 2%, and I met people paying 8, 10, 12% interest on their student loans. I am not going to allow the federal government to make a profit off young people trying to get their education,” she says.
“Four year college is not and should not be the only path to a good job that supports a real middle class job,” says Clinton.“Four year college is not and should not be the only path to a good job that supports a real middle class job,” says Clinton.
7.27pm BST7.27pm BST
19:2719:27
Update from Gary Johnson’s “Aleppo moment” last night, where he was unable to name a current foreign leader he admired during a MSNBC town hall interview.Update from Gary Johnson’s “Aleppo moment” last night, where he was unable to name a current foreign leader he admired during a MSNBC town hall interview.
It's been almost 24 hours...and I still can't come up with a foreign leader I look up to.It's been almost 24 hours...and I still can't come up with a foreign leader I look up to.
7.23pm BST7.23pm BST
19:2319:23
Clinton team accuses Trump of breaking Cuba embargoClinton team accuses Trump of breaking Cuba embargo
The Clinton campaign says Donald Trump “appears to have broken the law” following reports that he secretly paid $68,000 to pursue business in Castro-led Cuba despite US sanctions.The Clinton campaign says Donald Trump “appears to have broken the law” following reports that he secretly paid $68,000 to pursue business in Castro-led Cuba despite US sanctions.
“Trump’s business with Cuba appears to have broken the law, flouted U.S. foreign policy, and is in complete contradiction to Trump’s own repeated, public statements that he had been offered opportunities to invest in Cuba but passed them up,” said Clinton’s senior policy adviser Jake Sullivan.“Trump’s business with Cuba appears to have broken the law, flouted U.S. foreign policy, and is in complete contradiction to Trump’s own repeated, public statements that he had been offered opportunities to invest in Cuba but passed them up,” said Clinton’s senior policy adviser Jake Sullivan.
“This latest report shows once again that Trump will always put his own business interest ahead of the national interest - and has no trouble lying about it,” he added.“This latest report shows once again that Trump will always put his own business interest ahead of the national interest - and has no trouble lying about it,” he added.
This morning’s report in Newsweek revealed that back in 1998 Trump’s hotel and resort business paid $68,000 to a consulting firm to go to Cuba and meet with officials and business leaders in preparation for possible investment opportunities if sanctions lifted. Newsweek reports that the money was later declared as charity in order to hide it as only US government-approved and humanitarian money was allowed to be spent because of the embargo on Cuba.This morning’s report in Newsweek revealed that back in 1998 Trump’s hotel and resort business paid $68,000 to a consulting firm to go to Cuba and meet with officials and business leaders in preparation for possible investment opportunities if sanctions lifted. Newsweek reports that the money was later declared as charity in order to hide it as only US government-approved and humanitarian money was allowed to be spent because of the embargo on Cuba.
Trump himself has not addressed the allegations, but his surrogate Kelly Conway did not dispute the facts of the payment on The View today.Trump himself has not addressed the allegations, but his surrogate Kelly Conway did not dispute the facts of the payment on The View today.
7.03pm BST7.03pm BST
19:0319:03
As we await Clinton’s Des Moines event to kick off - it was supposed to start 30 mins ago - here’s a pic from yesterday with Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton hanging out before their joint event yesterday.As we await Clinton’s Des Moines event to kick off - it was supposed to start 30 mins ago - here’s a pic from yesterday with Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton hanging out before their joint event yesterday.
The photo is by Barbara Kinney, who was the Clinton White House photographer in the 1990s and now works as a photographer for the Clinton campaign.The photo is by Barbara Kinney, who was the Clinton White House photographer in the 1990s and now works as a photographer for the Clinton campaign.
6.32pm BST
18:32
Interesting point by NBC political reporter Benjy Sarlin, who covers the GOP in this election, about the difference between how Clinton and Trump handle a potential scandal.
A lot of Trump supporters are upset "Why isn't person X in Hillary's past a multi-day story." And I get it, coverage can feel arbitrary. 1/x
Smith is very sympathetic even if you disagree with her. Realizing that, HRC treaded lightly, didn't escalate: https://t.co/b34auVLuig 3/x
Is this how coverage should work? That's a big question. But it's 100% predictable to anyone who runs a campaign. You can plan for it. 5/x
6.20pm BST
18:20
Just some more from The View interview with Trump surrogate Kelly Conway, since she addressed the reports of Trump’s hotel and casino company doing secret business in Cuba in 1998 despite the US sanctions, and did not question any of the facts of the story.
Conway tried to dismiss the story when it was raised.
“Read the entire story. It starts out with a screaming headline, as it usually does, that he did business in Cuba and it turns out he decided not to invest there,”
Are you denying his company spent any money in Cuba? asked a panelist.
“They paid money, as I understand from the story, in 1998,” said Conway.
The panelist notes that due to sanctions only US government approved or aid money was allowed to be spent there.
“The question is did he spend money? He’s very critical of Cuba, he’s very critical of Castro, and he’s been critical, he gave a speech the very next year to the Cuban-American national foundation in Miami, critical of those who want to do business with Castro. He’s talked about this Cuban embargo even on this show,” said Conway.
“Again, we’re talking about did his hotel invest money in 1998 in Cuba? No. Did she get money from seven foreign governments while she was secretary of state? Yes. And somehow that’s not relevant,” said Conway.
5.44pm BST
17:44
Last night Gary Johnson was unable to name a single foreign leader that he admired.
“You gotta do this. Anywhere. Any continent. Canada, Mexico, Europe over there, Asia, South America, Africa – name a foreign leader that you respect,” said MSNBC’s Chris Matthews.
“I guess I’m having an Aleppo moment,” replied Johnson, a reference to when he asked “what is Aleppo” when quizzed about his strategy in Syria.
Late last night he tried to brush off the incident on Twitter, referencing it before asking a “better question.”
About those foreign leaders...Better question: Why are all the Hillary mouthpieces so concerned about Johnson/Weld? https://t.co/YDU6AuOFTD
He links to a Facebook post written by his national campaign manager Ron Nielson who decries the focus on Johnson not being able to name a foreign leader as “gotcha-ism at its finest.”
5.10pm BST
17:10
Trump surrogate Kellyanne Conway appeared on The View this morning, praising Donald Trump’s treatment of Hillary Clinton in the debate on Monday - while Whoopi Goldberg slammed his lack of policy detail.
Conway pointed out how Trump had asked Clinton if she preferred the term “Madame Secretary.”
“I thought he was a complete gentleman to her, and he hasn’t gotten a lot of credit for that,” said Conway.
"He was a complete gentleman to her," Trump's campaign manager @KellyannePolls says of his debate performance. https://t.co/z0ajZXVKSk
Goldberg then questioned why Trump hadn’t responded to their request for interview. “I notice he goes to all the shows where the guys are, how come he didn’t come here today?” she asked, to loud applause. “He’s been invited on numerous occasions to do this show,” she added.
“Is he scared of us cause we’re women?” asked Joy Behar.
Goldberg then dug into Trump’s focus on rhetoric rather than detail.
“He says nothing. He goes out and says ‘we’re going to make America great again,’ he doesn’t tell you how. He says all these people are bad and this is what’s going on but I’m not going to tell you why they’re bad,” she said.
4.48pm BST
16:48
Bill Clinton will head on a bus tour across Ohio next week to campaign for his wife and get voters signed up the week before the Ohio voter registration deadline.
Clinton had cancelled his planned bus tour through North Florida for this Friday and Saturday - from Panama City to Jacksonville - so that he could travel to Israel for the funeral of former president Shimon Peres.
His Ohio bus tour will include public events in Athens, Jefferson and Stark Counties, plus stops in Eastern Ohio and the Mahoning Valley.
4.31pm BST
16:31
Rubio 'deeply concerned' at Trump's Cuban allegations
Florida Senator Marco Rubio may have endorsed Trump for president, but he’s not happy with Newsweek’s report that Trump conducted business in Fidel Castro-controlled Cuba, saying he’s “deeply concerned.”
“I hope the Trump campaign is gonna come forward and answer some questions about this because if what the article says is true -- and I’m not saying that it is, we don’t know with a hundred percent certainty -- I’d be deeply concerned about it, I would,” said Rubio in an interview on the ESPN/ABC “Capital Games” podcast.
“This is something they’re gonna have to give a response to. I mean, it was a violation of American law, if that’s how it happened,” said Rubio.
Rubio backs the current US embargo on Cuba.
4.11pm BST
16:11
Trump broke Cuban embargo, says report
Donald Trump conducted secret business in Cuba through his hotel and resorts company when the US had strict economic sanctions on the island state, according to a just published Newsweek cover story.
Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts funneled at least $68,000 in 1998 to Cuba through an American consulting firm, Seven Arrows Investment and Development Corp, at a time when any US money spent in the country needed government approval, reports Newsweek.
Basically, Trump’s company helped fund a trip to Cuba to meet with government officials and business leaders to discuss potential business opportunities for the hotel and resorts company for when US sanctions were lifted, the magazine reported.
A former Trump exec told Newsweek that the Republican nominee knew about and supported the trip.
To hide the money, Newsweek says Seven Arrows later linked it to a charity. The Trump campaign did not respond to Newsweek’s request for comment.
Updated
at 5.49pm BST
3.42pm BST
15:42
After the Detroit News endorsement, this article from New Republic, on the number of conservative newspapers - including the Dallas Morning News and the Arizona Republican - that have come out in support of Clinton seems particularly apt.
As Brian Buetler writes, it’s too little too late.
Even before newspaper editorials shrunk into vestigial artifacts of a bygone era, their impact was self-limiting. Editorial boards tend to have durable leanings which undermine their persuasive power over partisan politics. Conservative editorial boards usually endorse Republican candidates, liberal ones endorse Democrats, and only in man-bites-dog scenarios, in which they depart from their own in-house orthodoxies, do any minds stand to get changed.
Man is biting dog now, but it is a tiny, shrunken man and the dog is rabid and enormous.
It is partly a failure of today’s media that the public views Clinton only slightly less unfavorably than it views Trump, and sees her as far more dishonest than he. But it is also a failure that goes back a quarter-century. Clinton is flawed in plenty of real ways, but she is also the victim of a hate debt that began piling up in the 1990s, undisrupted by most conservative public figures.
3.17pm BST
15:17
Detroit News endorses Gary Johnson
For the first time in its 143-year history, the Detroit News is backing a non-Republican, endorsing Gary Johnson for president in an editorial published today.
Since its founding in 1873, The Detroit News has backed a Republican every time it has made a presidential endorsement (three times we have sat on the sidelines — twice during the Franklin Roosevelt elections and in the 2004 Bush/Kerry contest).
We abandon that long and estimable tradition this year for one reason: Donald J. Trump.
The 2016 nominee offered by the Republican Party rubs hard against the editorial board’s values as conservatives and Americans. Donald Trump is unprincipled, unstable and quite possibly dangerous. He can not be president.
... We recognize the Libertarian candidate is the longest of long shots with an electorate that has been conditioned to believe only Republicans and Democrats can win major offices.
But this is an endorsement of conscience, reflecting our confidence that Johnson would be a competent and capable president and an honorable one.
The Washington Post mentioned the Detroit News’ endorsement this morning in their Morning Mix email... except, it looked like WashPo itself was backing Johnson at first viewing.
Um email from @washingtonpost looks like they're endorsing Gary Johnson for prez (they're not, it's a story about @detroitnews backing him) pic.twitter.com/GIcvV8mMSZ
2.57pm BST
14:57
Hello and welcome to our live-wire coverage of the 2016 race for the White House.
Trump hates on Holt
Monday night’s debate is still the hot topic, after Donald Trump criticized debate moderator Lester Holt in an interview with Fox News’s Bill O’Reilly yesterday.
Holt, a newscaster on NBC Nightly News, “was much, much tougher on me than he was on Hillary,” declared Trump, particularly miffed that Holt quizzed him on his support of the Birther conspiracy.
Initially Trump said he thought Holt did a decent job. “I though he was ok, he was fine,” Trump told Fox and Friends in an interview the morning after. But now he’s changed his mind “after seeing the way he badgered and even the questions I got,” he told O’Reilly.
Hillary’s debate bump
As a result of her debate performance, Hillary Clinton is likely to get a three to five percentage point bump in the polls, Democratic pollster Lincoln Park Strategies said.
The public research firm tracked trendlines in 10 key states for 48 hours following Monday night’s debate at Hofstra University, and says Clinton did best in the eyes of voters from Florida, New Hampshire and Virginia. Those in Nevada, Colorado and Pennsylvania were the least impressed.
And a thought from Politico’s Annie Karni (eager to hear your thoughts on this and more in the comments below):
How is openly mulling whether to bring up Clinton affairs different from bringing up Clinton affairs?
Today’s movements
Trump’s got a rally in Bedford, New Hampshire at 3pm. Clinton’s hosting an event in Des Moines, Iowa, while VP Tim Kaine’s wife Anne Holton, the former secretary of education for Virginia, is hosting events in Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Updated
at 3.00pm BST