Today in Campaign 2016
Only 21 more days!
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Barack Obama has told Donald Trump to “stop whining” as Republicans continued to disown Trump’s claims that the US election is “rigged.” “If you start whining before the game’s even over, then you don’t have what it takes to be in this job, because they are a lot of things that don’t go your way,” added Obama, who called for a “peaceful transfer of power.”
- In three crucial states – Nevada, North Carolina and Ohio – the contest between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump remains incredibly close, according to polling data released by CNN/ORC today. The Clinton campaign seems to be well aware that they have work to do if they want to secure these three states, which together are worth 39 of the 270 electoral college votes needed to win the White House. Yesterday, Clinton’s campaign announced a $6m advertising push in these three key battleground states as well as Florida, Pennsylvania, Iowa and New Hampshire.
- Donald Trump’s “election protection” effort will be run by Mike Roman, a Republican operative best known for promoting a video of apparent voter intimidation by the New Black Panthers outside a polling place in 2008. Roman is to oversee poll-watching efforts as Trump undertakes an unprecedented effort by a major party nominee by calling into question the legitimacy of the popular vote weeks before election day. The Republican nominee has insisted, without evidence, that dead people and undocumented immigrants are voting in the United States.
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Michael Moore has announced the surprise release of a Donald Trump documentary. The Oscar-winning film-maker will bring Michael Moore in Trumpland to the big screen with an initial New York screening where tickets will be free. The film will then be officially released on 19 October. The official description reads as follows: “See the film Ohio Republicans tried to shut down. Oscar-winner Michael Moore dives right into hostile territory with his daring and hilarious one-man show, deep in the heart of TrumpLand in the weeks before the 2016 election.”
Hey NYC- Who wants a peek @ what I've been up 2? Tues, 9:30pm, IFC Center. TIx free, 1st come, b.o. opens 8:30pm. pic.twitter.com/SrAhaq74ME
— Michael Moore (@MMFlint) October 18, 2016
- Asked about allegations of sexual assault against Donald Trump, New Jersey governor Chris Christie told NBC News (video), “I can only take him at his word, and I am.” Asked whether he was proud of Trump’s campaign, Christie said it wasn’t his campaign:
It’s not my campaign... I’m proud of everything I’ve said. And that’s all I can control. The rest of it I can’t control.
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Ecuador has confirmed that it cut off internet access to Julian Assange, the founder of the whistleblowing site WikiLeaks, stating it believed he was using it to interfere in the US presidential election. The move followed a raft of leaked emails published by WikiLeaks, including some from the Democratic National Committee (DNC) released just before the party’s convention in July, and more recently a cache of emails from the account of Hillary Clinton campaign adviser John Podesta.
- And one more thing:
"Trump’s candidacy is a test of character, and Rubio is failing that test." https://t.co/vFbCF40HH0
— Scott Bixby (@scottbix) October 19, 2016
Hillary Clinton’s newest campaign idea: Automatic donation every time Donald Trump tweets.
Check out our new tool: Every time @realDonaldTrump tweets something offensive, automatically donate. https://t.co/6pWTY4BPhY
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) October 19, 2016
Miami Herald, calling Marco Rubio 'a disappointment,' endorses opponent
The largest newspaper in Florida has endorsed Democratic congressman Patrick Murphy in his run against Marco Rubio for one of the state’s seats in the US Senate, calling Rubio “a disappointment” whose work in the Senate has been overshadowed by “issues of sincerity and character” relating to his endorsement of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
“Mr. Trump’s candidacy is a test of character, and Sen. Rubio is failing that test,” the Miami Herald’s editorial board wrote. “He endorsed Mr. Trump, whom he called a con man during the campaign. And still at this late date, he continues to stand by that endorsement, even as the Republican candidate stumbles from gaffe to insult to outrage.”
The editorial board also dismissed as cynical Rubio’s citation of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando that left 49 people dead as the reason for his reentry into the race, noting that Rubio “has a disastrous record as far as LGBT issues are concerned, opposing marriage equality and adoption by gay parents, and voting against giving LGBT Americans workplace protections.”
Student newspapers at both candidates' alma maters endorse Hillary Clinton
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton was launched into political activism after she gave a fiery speech during her graduation from Wellesley College. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has often cited his attendance at the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League school, as evidence of his intelligence.
Fond as the candidates’ memories of their college days may be, however, the student newspapers at both schools only have eyes for one of them: Clinton.
In a rare joint editorial published by The Daily Pennsylvanian and the Wellesley News, the opinion boards at both college newspapers released an endorsement of Clinton’s candidacy, leaning heavily on the Latin mottos of the respective schools.
“Though Clinton embodies her alma mater’s institutional values, Trump does not,” the boards concluded. “It is clear that Trump has failed to dignify the morals of his institution. Penn’s motto, ‘Leges sine moribus vanae,’ translates as ‘Laws without morals [are] useless.’ In evaluating Donald Trump through this context, the Opinion Board cannot say that his actions attest to his morals: He does not embody the spirit of the school.”
While admitting that “we cannot expect every alumni to personify the values of their undergraduate institutions,” the opinion boards conclude that “each student, alumni and faculty member is then responsible to critique that representation.”
“While the Wellesley News has endorsed its alumna, Hillary Clinton, The Daily Pennsylvanian Opinion Board can not stand behind Donald Trump as a candidate.”
Democratic consultant resigns after 'Project Veritas' footage release
The Democratic consultant who has been accused of hiring activists to incite violence at Donald Trump’s campaign rallies has announced that he is “stepping back” from aiding the Democratic Party, according to CNN.
Robert Creamer announced the move after conservative activist James O’Keefe released an edited video in which Creamer was purportedly seen discussing ways of disrupting Trump’s rallies with activists aiming to incite violence.
“I am unwilling to become a distraction to the important task of electing Hilary Clinton, and defeating Donald Trump in the upcoming election,” Creamer said. “As a result I have indicated to the Democratic National Committee that I am stepping back from my responsibilities working with the campaign.”
Creamer, the husband of Illinois congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, denied the allegations made in O’Keefe’s video. “Contrary to the outrageous claims of the notorious right wing blogger James O’Keefe, we have always adhered to the highest standards of transparency and legality in our work for the DNC.”
A self-styled “entrapment journalist,” O’Keefe has been accused of selectively editing video footage in the past. In March 2013, O’Keefe agreed to pay $100,000 to settle a lawsuit with a former employee of a social welfare agency who accused him of misrepresentation.
Regardless, Creamer said in the statement, he regrets what he characterized as “unprofessional and careless hypothetical conversations” that took place.
“We regret the unprofessional and careless hypothetical conversations that were captured on hidden cameras of a regional contractor for our firm, and he is no longer working with us,” Creamer said. “While none of the schemes described in the conversations every took place, these conversations do not at all reflect the values of Democracy Partners.”
A preview of tomorrow’s closing arguments?
Trump reportedly asked this about nuclear weapons: "If we have them, why can't we use them?"
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) October 19, 2016
We can't let him become president. pic.twitter.com/iP0GDXnIVJ
Donald Trump has said he would use the US presidency to impose term limits on members of Congress as part of a drive to “drain the swamp” of Washington corruption.
Currently, House members can serve an unlimited number of two-year terms, while senators can serve an unlimited number of six-year terms. The Republican candidate told cheering supporters in Grand Junction, Colorado, that he would push for a constitutional amendment.
“Six years for members of the House and 12 years for members of the Senate,” Trump said at the rally in an airplane hangar. “Collusion must and will come to an end. It’s time to sweep the corruption out of Washington.”
Trump on Monday issued a five-point plan for “ethics reform” in government to underline his status as an outsider taking on the political establishment, which he claims Hillary Clinton personifies.
The celebrity billionaire’s pledge came as he warmed up for Wednesday’s third and final presidential debate with Clinton in Las Vegas, needing a convincing performance to change a race that seems to be inexorably slipping away.
Trump also spoke in racially charged terms as he defiantly reiterated his warning about potential voting fraud. He urged his supporters to “watch” cities with big African American populations on election day to prevent a “rigged” election.
“They even want to rig the election at the polling booths,” Trump said. “Take a look at St Louis. Take a look at Philadelphia. Take a look at Chicago. Look. Look. If nothing else, people are gonna be watching on November 8. Watch St Louis. Watch Philadelphia. Watch Chicago.”
The remarks came hours after Barack Obama, himself an African American from Chicago, scolded Trump for making the groundless claims that subvert traditions of American democracy, insisting that he had no evidence.
Former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice told CNN this evening that she “can’t wait until November 9!” after news broke that Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump called her a “bitch” in a 2006 speech.
“Condoleezza Rice, she’s a lovely woman, but I think she’s a bitch,” Trump said at the time, according to a story in the New York Daily News from 2006, initially resurfaced by Deadspin. “She goes around to other countries and other nations, negotiates with their leaders, comes back and nothing ever happens.”
Asked to respond to the comments, Rice said: “Exactly. Can’t wait until November 9!”
Rice disavowed Trump’s presidential run after video was released showing him brag about sexually assaulting women in a 2005 conversation with an entertainment journalist.
Trump Super Pac chair: Trump needs 'a miracle' to win the election
The head of the largest pro-Donald Trump Super Pac told a radio host today that the Republican presidential nominee needs “a miracle comeback” to win the upcoming presidential election, a departure from the triumphant confidence exuded by the candidate himself on the campaign trail in recent weeks.
“If somehow Trump pulls a miracle comeback here, which would take a miracle at this point, then obviously it’s his party, he can do what he wants with it,” Ed Rollins, the chair of Great America Pac, told Laura Ingraham on her radio show. “If not, I think we begin from ground zero and with lots of different factions and lots of different candidates.”
Ecuador confirms it cut internet access for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange
Ecuador has confirmed that it cut off internet access to Julian Assange, the founder of the whistleblowing site WikiLeaks, stating it believed he was using it to interfere in the US presidential election.
The move followed a raft of leaked emails published by WikiLeaks, including some from the Democratic National Committee (DNC) released just before the party’s convention in July, and more recently a cache of emails from the account of Hillary Clinton campaign adviser John Podesta.
Assange’s internet access was cut off on Monday morning. It was not immediately clear who was responsible, though a tweet from the site’s official account claimed it had been “intentionally severed” by a “state party”.
It is not known who perpetrated the hacks that brought the emails to WikiLeaks. Assange’s organization styles itself a whistleblowing outfit and claims not to do or encourage any hacking itself.
Yet cybersecurity experts have linked the hack of the DNC emails to hackers linked to the Russian government, leading many – including Clinton’s campaign manager Robby Mook – to allege that Russia is using both hackers and Assange as tools to help rig the presidential election in favour of Donald Trump.
Julian Assange's internet link has been intentionally severed by a state party. We have activated the appropriate contingency plans.
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) October 17, 2016
A clip from The Howard Stern Show, obtained by the Washington Post, shows Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump relaying a story from his seldom-discussed affair with Marla Maples (later Trump) during his first marriage to Ivana Trump, the mother of his three eldest children:
“This is a story I’ve never told about that mountain, because it was sort of a horrible thing,” Trump said in the tape, about a fight between Maples and Ivana on a ski slope during the waning days of his first marriage.
“I’m standing there putting on my skis, and I’m with one or the other, I didn’t know who,” Trump said, referring to one of the two women. “And the other one comes over, and they start screaming at each other. ‘I love him! I love him! Don’t you understand! I love!’ And they’re both screaming that I love them.”
“And this big fat bald guy is standing next to me,” Trump continues. “Guy weighs like 325 pounds, and I’m standing there mortified. Everybody’s looking, like a thousand people watching these two women screaming at each other, and this big fat guy is looking at me and he said, ‘Mr. Trump, that’s not the worst thing that could happen. I have never had a thing like that happen in my life.’ And I see this guy and I think, ‘You know, maybe this could be worse.’”
Debate notifications: reactions and fact-checks straight to your phone
During the final presidential debate on Wednesday, 19 October, the Guardian Mobile Innovation Lab, along with the Guardian US Opinion and News desks will send experimental web notifications with real-time reactions and live fact-checks from the Guardian US newsroom.
To sign up: Open this page in a Chrome browser from an Android phone (Samsung included) and tap to subscribe.
What you should know about our notifications:
- They’re currently only available on Chrome on Android devices.
- They’re meant for mobile but will also work on desktop Chrome browsers, too.
- They supplement the news alerts sent from the Guardian’s Android and iOS apps.
More about tonight’s experiment:
- The notifications are supposed to make it easy for you to keep listening to what the candidates and moderators are saying during the debate, while providing easy and convenient access to analysis, fact-checks and reactions from our experts on your phone throughout the night.
- We’ll send three alerts. Each will auto-update on your lockscreen with the following:
- Reactions from Guardian opinion editor David Shariatmadari and commentatorKate Aronoff. We’ll send their quick takes about the candidates’ policy statements, their debating styles, and who’s winning and who’s losing.
- Fact-check alerts for each of the two candidates, by Guardian reporter Alan Yuhas. The notifications will be color coded to indicate the degree of accuracy of the candidates’ statements.
- This project is the latest installment in ongoing experimentation with notifications, part of the Mobile Lab’s mission to learn more about mobile storytelling. After the experiment, we’ll send out a survey soliciting feedback on the experience.
Questions, suggestions or observations? Drop us a note: innovationlab@theguardian.com
How do you one-up bringing Bill Clinton’s accusers to the second presidential debate? By bringing President Barack Obama’s Kenyan half-brother to the third presidential debate.
Trump is bringing Obama's half-brother to the debate, @KatyTurNBC reports
— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) October 18, 2016
Malik Obama, the president’s half-brother, reportedly stopped supporting the Democratic Party - a moot point since he’s not a US citizen and cannot vote, as it happens - when Obama (the president) came out in support of same-sex marriage rights.
Donald Trump calls for three-term limit on House of Representatives, two-term limit on Senate
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has outlined his proposed term limits for members of Congress, telling a crowd of supporters in Grand Junction, Colorado, that under the constitutional amendment he envisions, members of the House of Representatives will be limited to serving six years, or three terms, while members of the Senate will be limited to serving twelve years, or two terms.
“Six years for members of the House and twelve years for members of the Senate,” Trump told the cheering crowd. “Collusion must and will come to an end. It’s time to sweep the corruption out of Washington.”
Donald Trump continued, pledging a ban on former lawmakers becoming lobbyists for five years, telling his supporters in Colorado that he wants to “drain the damn swamp” in the nation’s capital.
“Her international donors control her every single move,” Trump said, of Hillary Clinton’s “rigged” campaign. “If we let the Clinton cartel run this government, history will record that 2017 was the year America lost its independence. It’s true.”
“When it comes to Washington, DC, it is time to drain the damn swamp.”
Speaking in Grand Junction, Colorado, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump urged his supporters to “watch” cities with large African-American populations on election day to prevent a “rigged” election.
“They even want to rig the election at the polling booths,” Trump said. “Take a look at St. Louis. Take a look at Philadelphia. Take a look at Chicago.”
“Look. Look. If nothing else, people are gonna be watching on November 8. Watch St. Louis. Watch Philadelphia. Watch Chicago.”
Donald Trump campaigns in Colorado
Watch it live here:
Donald Trump is reigniting old accusations that the many protestors who appear at his rallies are paid disruptors who have been tasked with interrupting his speeches are financed by the Clinton campaign:
'Trump rally disrupter was once on Clinton's payroll'https://t.co/75oLLuD4SI
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 18, 2016
People Magazine publishes accounts supporting reporter who accused Donald Trump of assault
People Magazine has put forward five accounts of current and former employees that corroborate allegations made against Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump by Natasha Stoynoff, a former reporter for the magazine who alleged that Trump sexually assaulted her during an interview in 2005.
“She was very upset and told me how he shoved her against a wall,” said Liz McNeil, a current editor for the magazine and a former reporter. “The thing I remember most was how scared she was. I felt I had to protect her.”
“In an early conversation we had in her office, she told me about what happened with Donald Trump,” said Mary Green, another current editor who was reporting at the time. “She was shaky, sitting at her desk, relaying that, ‘He took me to this other room, and when we stepped inside, he pushed me against a wall and stuck his tongue down my throat. Melania was upstairs and could have walked in at any time.’
“She talked about her shock, and wondered why it had happened, if she had done anything wrong. I assured her she hadn’t,” Green continued. “She was also angry that he had forced himself on her, that she was glad someone had interrupted him, because he was surprisingly strong.”
Also featured in the article is “one woman (a friend of Natasha’s) who was actually with her when she bumped into Melania Trump on Fifth Ave., as outlined in her story,” according to People Magazine editor in chief Jess Cagle. Melania Trump has denied that she would ever remember Stoynoff.
Trump has denied the allegations, and attacked Stoynoff’s looks as evidence that he would not want to sexually assault her.
Why didn't the writer of the twelve year old article in People Magazine mention the "incident" in her story. Because it did not happen!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 13, 2016
Updated
Jennifer Lopez to host 'Get Out the Vote' concert for Hillary Clinton
Next Saturday, singer/actor/entrepreneur Jennifer Lopez will perform at a “Get Out the Vote” concert benefitting Hillary Clinton in Miami.
“This election is one of the most important in our lifetime,” Jennifer Lopez said, according to a campaign release. “Florida, home to one of my favorite cities, Miami, and millions of Latinos is a pivotal state in this election. It’s time to unify, support, and vote for the only choice that makes sense not only for Women or for Latinos, but for all Americans. Vote for Hillary. I’m with her.”
Lopez functionally endorsed Clinton in April of last year, one day after Clinton announced her candidacy for the White House.
70 Nobel Prize winners endorse Hillary Clinton
In an open letter released today, 70 Nobel Prize winners endorsed Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, declaring that the former secretary of state’s election is “imperative” to the future of the country - and the world.
“It is imperative that Hillary Clinton be elected as the next President of the United States,” the laureates wrote.
“Some of the most pressing problems that the new President will face - the devastating effects of debilitating diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and cancer, the need for alternative sources of energy, and climate change and its consequences - require vigorous support for science and technology and the assurance that scientific knowledge will inform public policy,” the laureates continued, making no mention throughout the letter of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
“Strong advocacy for science agencies, initiatives to promote innovation and sensible immigration and education policies are crucial to the continued preeminence of the U.S. scientific work force. We need a president who will support and advance policies that will enable science and technology to flourish in our country and to provide the basis of important policy decisions.”
Actor Aziz Ansari really, really wants you to vote:
A sample line from his millennial-geared get-out-the-vote advert:
There’s a fucking guy running that says he hates brown people. That’s not enough?
Donald Trump, on the Information Age:
Forget the press. Read the internet.
At least nine women have accused Trump of sexual misconduct in a variety of incidents, including unwanted kissing and groping, that span more than three decades. Many of the women spoke out after audio was released on 7 October in which Trump bragged of kissing and touching women without consent. However, others had alleged misconduct long before the tapes.
Trump has denied all claims, and in some cases publicly ridiculed the alleged victims.
Closing out his address in Colorado - a state that most recent polling shows him lagging by near-double digits - Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump tells the audience that they will become part of history by electing him.
“This is a movement like they have never seen before,” Trump said. “You’re going to look back at this election and say, this is by far the most important vote you’ve ever cast for anyone at any time. Once again we’re going to have a government of, by and for the people. You will see and be so proud of your country again and hopefully you’ll be so proud of your president again.”
“We will make America wealthy again. We will make America strong again. We will make America safe again. And we will make America great again!”
“The time for congressional term limits has finally arrived,” Trump says. He says it will end government corruption and economic stagnation.
Two-thirds congressional support would be needed for such an amendment before state ratification. Here’s how that played out in 1997:
1997 House vote on term limits constitutional amendment: pic.twitter.com/6s6l9Yj3y8
— Steve Kornacki (@SteveKornacki) October 18, 2016
Trump calls for term-limits amendment
“This is our final shot folks. In four years it’s over. We’re never going to be able to win. It’s going to be a final party system. This is your final shot.”
Then Trump describes how he would “drain the swamp” in Washington. He proposes various regulations on lobbyists.
“If I’m elected president I will push for a constitutional amendment to impose term limits on all members of Congress. They’ve been talking about that for years.”
Now Trump is dissing the Washington Post while quoting it. “Another beauty,” he calls it. Then he cites an article on non-citizen voters.
“The system is also rigged by the donors, giving hundreds of millions of dollars to Hillary Clinton’s campaign,” Trump says. Rigged rigged rigged.
Trump:
“We have only just begun to fight... and I hear we’re going to win Colorado. My people say you’re going to win Colorado, it doesn’t matter what they’re saying.”
Updated
Trump is now ten talons sunk deep in the media. They “attack my businesses, they attack my family.”
Trump says of Melania Trump’s appearance on CNN last night, “that she even has to do that is a shame.”
“This is election is about truth, and you’re not going to get it from the dishonest media. Some people can’t handle the truth.”
“Even though we’re doing pretty good in the polls, I don’t believe in the polls anymore... believe me folks, we’re doing great. If we keep our spirit, and if we go out and win, this is another Brexit.”
Then he points to the size of his crowd. Then he makes fun of Hillary Clinton for debate prep:
“You know what the debate prep is? It’s resting. It’s lying down and going to sleep.”
Then he goes back to attacking the media:
“Even my worst critics agree that the media has come after us like they have never come after anyone before.”
Then he says the New York Times is dying then he quotes from a Times piece about unbalanced media coverage.
Trump now says that Clinton has committed criminal acts as revealed in notes taken by the FBI indicating that state department employee Patrick Kennedy pressured an FBI agent to change classification levels of material in Clinton emails. The assertion is that there was some quid pro quo deal offered to the FBI by state.
It was the first question Obama took in his Rose garden news conference today. Obama said it did not reflect actual events, “what actually happened.”
Trump says the media refuses to cover the story. “This is a bigger event than Watergate and they practically refuse to cover it.”
Trump makes a bunch of promises. Your incomes will go up, jobs will go up, unemployment will go down, companies won’t be leaving, everything will work, America first.
He disses the “dishonest media” in an aside and we/they are booed.
Trump rattles off some growth statistics.
He then says that the DNC pays people to protest Trump:
“It’s rarely covered by the media, but it’s all over the Internet.. can you imagine? That’s a big story. Hardly covered by the media.”
Boos.
So how did he find out about it?
Trump predicts victory in Colorado. Then he actually delivers a locally tailored get-out-the-vote message, telling his audience to mail their ballots.
The Denver Post explained on Monday:
This week, the 2016 election gets real.
Colorado election officials will begin mailing ballots Monday to more than 3,125,300 active voters, and the initial wave of votes is expected by the end of the week.
The first mail-ballot presidential election marks a fundamental shift in how elections are managed in Colorado and introduces significant variables to the political calculus that will determine the winners. [...]
More than half of Colorado voters are expected to return the ballots before Nov. 8, and starting next week, state election officials will begin reporting vote totals by party. In-person voting begins at voting centers Oct. 24.
Hey look it’s Donald Trump in Colorado Springs, just beginning:
Democrat Chuck Schumer, possibly the next senate majority leader, is running for reelection in New York (running far ahead of his challenger). And if wrangling a cow is what it takes –
Updated
The Guardian’s Ben Jacobs sees Trump strength in absentee ballot returns in Iowa:
For all the talk of Dem gains in GA or TX, Trump looking very strong in IA as Dem margin in absentee ballots is 45k behind 2012 today
— Ben Jacobs (@Bencjacobs) October 18, 2016
It’s a close race (visit HuffPost Pollster):
Updated
Preparations are under way for Trump’s appearance at his event in Colorado Springs, Colorado this afternoon. “Several hundred Trump supporters are already here, listening to pre-Trump speakers, including Kimberly Jajack, a Trump alternate delegate from Colorado,” according to a pool report:
Jajack spoke of a “downward spiral of destruction” in the event Clinton is elected.
“Our sovereign nation is being slowly but surely destroyed,” she said.
As for Trump and the accusations before him, “forgive him as a child of God.”
As she spoke about Clinton, several chants of “Lock her up!” broke out. One man shouted “Off with her head!”
We’ll have a live video stream for you as showtime approaches.
Pretty good.
And @azizansari (reluctantly?) adds to the celebrities-telling-millennials-to-vote ad library: https://t.co/YRQ6I56IBo
— Nick Corasaniti (@NYTnickc) October 18, 2016
Republican vice-presidential nominee Mike Pence has paid a visit to the Republican campaign offices that were firebombed at the weekend in liberal-ish Orange County, North Carolina:
At the Orange County, NC GOP headquarters to stand solemnly with these courageous volunteers in the wake of an act of political terrorism. pic.twitter.com/mB2fRlEnko
— Mike Pence (@mike_pence) October 18, 2016
The phrase “Nazi Republicans, leave town or else” with a swastika was painted on an adjacent building. No one was injured in the attack. A GoFundMe campaign at the weekend raised $10,000 to rebuild the office and there were condemnations and calls for understanding and justice on all sides.
Well, not all sides:
Animals representing Hillary Clinton and Dems in North Carolina just firebombed our office in Orange County because we are winning @NCGOP
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 16, 2016
Who’s looking forward to tomorrow night’s debate? *ducks*
Getting set up in the media filing center for tomorrow night's Clinton-Trump debate pic.twitter.com/orqLv3pOs6
— Jamie Dupree (@jamiedupree) October 18, 2016
But in earnest, the audience for the second debate was off about 20% from the first debate. Will more or fewer people tune in for the third debate after the shambles that was No.2? To whet viewers’ appetites, Trump has announced that he has invited Pat Smith, the mother of a State Department IT consultant who was killed in the 2012 Benghazi terrorist attack.
Smith gave a wrenching speech at the Republican convention in which she said, “I blame Hillary Clinton personally for the death of my son.” Then a couple weeks later the guy who wrote the speech came out and said he would never vote for Trump and might vote for Clinton.
Hillary Clinton's guests at the third and final debate in Las Vegas will be Meg Whitman and Mark Cuban, per @jmpalmieri
— Monica Alba (@albamonica) October 18, 2016
Updated
Video: Obama tells Trump to 'stop whining'
America’s First Freedom, the official journal of the National Rifle Association, has a new cover featuring Hillary Clinton’s face wrinkles advocating for gun safety legislation:
It's that time of the month! Got my @NRA magazine in the mail. Live tweet begins now (with this horrendously designed cover) pic.twitter.com/HeKm9yyK4K
— Kira Lerner (@kira_lerner) October 18, 2016
Wait. Clinton's "wrinkles" have actually been cleverly-disguised fine print about gun restrictions THIS WHOLE TIME?? https://t.co/wZdHGpigNd
— Amy Sullivan (@sullivanamy) October 18, 2016
(h/t @lgamgam)
Vogue magazine has followed in the footsteps of USA Today in setting aside its practice of not endorsing presidential candidates. In 2016, Vogue’s with her:
Vogue endorses @HillaryClinton for president of the United States: https://t.co/4zstNuUu16 pic.twitter.com/k9tS50Gxy5
— Vogue Magazine (@voguemagazine) October 18, 2016
It looks like Hillary Clinton has just been told that 20 years hence she will be polling within three points of the Republican presidential nominee in Texas. 1993 portrait by Annie Liebovitz. From the endorsement:
Vogue has no history of political endorsements. Editors in chief have made their opinions known from time to time, but the magazine has never spoken in an election with a single voice. Given the profound stakes of this one, and the history that stands to be made, we feel that should change.
There go a bunch of canceled subscriptions.
Polls depict tight races in trio of swing states
In three crucial states – Nevada, North Carolina and Ohio – the contest between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump remains extremely close, according to polling data released by CNN/ORC today.
Voters were asked between 10 and 15 October which presidential candidate they support (the polls were conducted after the release of a video which showed Trump bragging about sexual assault). In Nevada, 46% of likely voters said they planned to back Clinton while 44% said they would support Trump. In North Carolina voters were split 48-47 in favor of Clinton, while in Ohio Clinton attracted only 44% of likely voters compared with Trump’s 48%.
Additional polling in Nevada only adds confusion to the picture:
WaPo has Trump up 4 in Nevada
— Simon Maloy (@SimonMaloy) October 18, 2016
Monmouth has Clinton up 7
unskewing opportunities for everyone!
The poor favorability ratings of both presidential nominees this year is an old story, but comparing those ratings with other political figures’ is still a bracing exercise:
Here are the fav/unfav ratings in our latest national NBC/WSJ poll pic.twitter.com/ceSWBchUL1
— Mark Murray (@mmurraypolitics) October 18, 2016
Read further here:
And for those who wonder whether 2016 might produce an election night-surprise on the model of “Dewey defeats Truman”:
If anyone tries to say this race is like 1948 in terms of a polling error, show them this... https://t.co/09LJFFZ54F pic.twitter.com/TJ37wAe6gf
— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) October 18, 2016
Updated
Reactions: Obama tells Trump to “stop whining”
.@POTUS to @realDonaldTrump: "Stop whining" about "rigged election" and go try to win votes https://t.co/TjNqB0WR08 https://t.co/vS3OU6RM4F
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) October 18, 2016
Obama to Trump: please take my bait and commence days-long feud
— Jonathan Martin (@jmartNYT) October 18, 2016
@nate_cohn OMFG.
— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) October 18, 2016
Obama: 'I'd invite Mr Trump to stop whining'
Obama is asked whether he’s concerned about a potential for violence on Election Day, given Trump’s call for supporters to surveil polling sites? And what does he make of Trump’s claim that the election is rigged?
Obama:
One of the great things about America’s democracy is we have a vigorous sometimes bitter political contest and when it’s done, historically, regardless of party...
[Trump’s charges of a rigged election are] unprecedented, it happens to be based on no facts. Every expert, ... regardless of ideology... will tell you that instances of significant voter fraud are not to be found. That keep in mind elections are run by state and local officials which means that there are places like Florida for example where you’ve got a Republican governor whose appointees will be running... that is both irresponsible, and by the way it doesn’t really show the leadership and toughness that you’d want out of a president. You start whining before the game’s even over? ... Then you don’t have what it takes to be in this job. Because there are a lot of times when things don’t go our way, or my way...
The larger point is that there is no serious person out there who would suggest that you could even rig America’s elections, in part because they’re so decentralized and the numbers of votes involved.. and so I’d invite Mr Trump to stop whining and try to make his case to get votes..
If Trump wins, Obama says, he’d expect Clinton to give a gracious concession speech and promise to work with him. If Trump wins, Obama says, he’ll welcome him to the White House and escort him over to the Capitol for a peaceful transfer of power.
That’s what Americans do. That’s why America’s already great. One way of weakening America and making it less great is if you start betraying those basic American traditions that have been bipartisan and helped to hold the democracy together now for the better part of two centuries.
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Obama: 'quid pro quo' accusations don't reflect 'actual events'
The president now answers a question about an apparent discussion, revealed in notes taken by the FBI, between the FBI and state department officials as to the appropriate classification level of certain Clinton emails. Critics say the discussion represents a negotiation in which the FBI expected favors for reducing the classification status of emails. The status was important as a measure of just how sensitive was the material Clinton handled on her private email server.
“Undersecretary of State Patrick Kennedy personally tried to convince FBI officials that the email should be declassified,” CNN reported. “One interviewee described feeling “pressured” by another FBI official at Kennedy’s request.” But the FBI has denied any quid pro quo.
Obama says the charges “aren’t based on actual events”:
I think you’ve heard directly from both the FBI and the state department that... the accounts that have been put out there are just not true... based on what we have seen, heard, learned, some of the more sensational implications or appearances... aren’t based on actual events, what actually happened, and I think derive from overly broad characterizations of interactions between the state department and the FBI that happen a lot, happens between agencies.
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“Mr Trump rarely surprises me these days. I’m much more surprised by Republican officials now supporting and in some cases echoing” Putin’s policy approaches, Obama says.
Obama calls out Republican hypocrisy on Trump and Putin
Obama is taking questions. Two doozies: he’s asked about Trump’s approach to Putin. And he’s asked about communication between the FBI and state department about classification of Hillary Clinton emails.
Obama says he’ll be subdued in discussing the race “in this context.” But he would like to talk about Russia. When he arrived in office, Russia had invaded parts of Georgia and Obama tried to reach out to Medvedev, “acknowledging enormous differences.” He names the new Start treaty and WTO membership for Russia as well as “international challenges.”
Obama said he’s talked with Putin about cooperation. “The challenge... is very much centered on Russian aggression... in Ukraine, where they have engaged in similar conduct to what they did in Georgia... in Syria... he doubled down in his support for Assad..”
“So any characterization that somehow we have improperly challenged Russian aggression or have somehow tried to encroach on their legitimate interest is just wrong. And Mr Trump’s continued flattery of Mr Putin and the degree to which he appears to model many of his... approaches to politics on Mr Putin is unprecedented in American politics.”
Then Obama questions how Republicans who criticized his efforts to reach out to Russia can now back Trump.
“You’ll have to explain to me how it is that some of the same leaders of the Republican party who were constantly haranguing us for even talking to the Russians... including Mr Trump’s selection for vice president now reconcile their endorsement of Mr Trump with their previous views.”
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Here’s a metaphor for the election. An elephant rushes into the water to rescue a trainer she believes is drowning (at least that’s how the action in this footage is described, and sure enough that looks like a lifeguard move on the elephant’s part). Just as the GOP sensing a nation in peril has leapt to its rescue but wait the nation was just going for a swim now what.
Baby elephant rushes into river to rescue her trainer who she thought was drowning at Elephant Nature Park in Thailand. pic.twitter.com/HaY9zfsNxn
— ABC News (@ABC) October 18, 2016
Here’s a live video stream of president Barack Obama’s ongoing news conference with Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi:
Hillary Clinton has just boarded her plane for Las Vegas, where the third presidential debate will be held tomorrow night. Donald Trump has two stops in Colorado today before arriving in Las Vegas tonight.
Hillary Clinton, boarding plane to Vegas, ignores shouted questions about debate prep, offering a thumbs up instead. pic.twitter.com/qZO2fmZQ2C
— Kenneth P. Vogel (@kenvogel) October 18, 2016
“Trump is doing some debate prep this morning,” according to a pool report. No details were provided.
COLORADO
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) October 18, 2016
Trump there today:
Clinton 45 (7 pts up)
Trump 37
Johnson 10
Stein 3
Q poll of likely voters Oct 10-16https://t.co/vaO45sbZmN
Trump spending 1 of 21 remaining campaign days in a state basically no one outside his team thinks is close to being in play https://t.co/DHQiUWow21
— Alex Burns (@alexburnsNYT) October 18, 2016
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The John Podesta emails released by Wikileaks include one with an early long list of potential running mates for Clinton, grouped by Podesta into what he calls “food groups” – Latinos, women, white men, African Americans, military officers and business leaders.
Bernie Sanders was his own food group (greens? dessert? Superfoods?). Here’s the full list of 39:
- Xavier Becerra
- Julian Castro
- Eric Garcetti
- Tom Perez
- Ken Salazar
- Tammy Baldwin
- Kirsten Gillibrand
- Amy Klobuchar
- Claire McKaskill
- Jeanne Shaheen
- Debbie Stabenow
- Elizabeth Warren
- Michael Bennet
- Sherrod Brown
- Martin Heinreich
- Tim Kaine
- Terry McAuliffe
- Chris Murphy
- Tom Vilsack
- Steve Benjamin
- Corey Booker
- Andrew Gillum
- Eric Holder
- Deval Patrick
- Kasim Reed
- Anthony Foxx
- John Allen
- Bill McCraven
- Mike Mullen
- Mary Barra
- Michael Bloomberg
- Ursula Burns
- Tim Cook
- Bill Gates
- Melinda Gates
- Muhtar Kent
- Judith Rodin
- Howard Schultz
- Bernie Sanders
The New York Times’ T fashion mag has a spread this weekend featuring the first lady. Click through for more photos, and for written tributes:
Michelle Obama has spent the past 8 years quietly and confidently changing the course of American history https://t.co/01mOOJXcj8 pic.twitter.com/JcwICwZ1vU
— The New York Times (@nytimes) October 18, 2016
What a wonderful tribute to Mrs. Obama & the incredible role model she’s been to countless people, including me https://t.co/FVTU8Y0dpi
— Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) October 18, 2016
From Trump’s Wisconsin rally Monday night:
Trump tried to kiss a little girl at his rally tonight and she isn't having it (via @GoAngelo) pic.twitter.com/rwlWe8bFQ4
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) October 18, 2016
Pictures: Hillary victory fund fundraiser
This happened last night in New York:
Rothenberg reports: Clinton will win
In a new Washington Post column, Stu Rothenberg, the well respected former Roll Call columnist and author of the eponymous report on politics, states flatly that Clinton will win the presidential election and the only remaining question is by how much:
It would be a mistake to call Trump’s current path to an electoral college victory narrow. It is nonexistent. Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, once part of the Trump scenario, have never been “in play,” and he is not competitive in 2012 states Obama won only narrowly, such as Virginia and Colorado. Trump is more likely to lose North Carolina than win it, which would put him under 200 electoral votes. [...]
Now, with early voting already underway and only three weeks left until Election Day, the writing is on the wall. Clinton is headed for solid popular vote and electoral vote victories that are larger than Obama’s were over Romney.
Read the full piece here.
Naked Clinton statue sets off skirmish in downtown Manhattan
Speaking of disliking Hillary Clinton – a naked statue of Clinton erected outside the Bowling Green subway station in downtown Manhattan Tuesday morning drew a crowd and caused a skirmish as a woman knocked down and attacked the statue while a man repeatedly tried to stand it back up.
“The statue was up for less than three hours before an enraged woman toppled it over and started yelling at the statue’s creator,” the Daily News reports:
“This is obscene!” shouted Nancy, an employee at the nearby National Museum of the American Indian who would only identify herself by her first name.
“To put something up like this in front of my work place...I shouldn’t have to see this,” she later told the Daily News, fighting back tears as she gestured toward the crude figure.
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Why do people dislike Hillary Clinton? The story goes far back
There is – and perhaps there always will be – a dedicated group of people who don’t know Hillary Clinton personally, but nonetheless hate her.
Whether they are truly a “vast rightwing conspiracy” (as Clinton called them in 1998) or just many in number and conservative in outlook, there’s no arguing that they exist or that they continue to try to influence public opinion on the Democratic nominee.
But even if people consider themselves savvy enough to reject the strangest conspiracy theories (sample claims include that she is a mass-murderer, a closeted lesbian faking her 40-year marriage, a member of the Illuminati and/or an agent of the devil himself), there seems little doubt that an undercurrent of hostility spanning decades has had an impact upon how she is viewed.
Clinton’s unfavorability rating may not be as low as Donald Trump’s, but in an election year which has frequently degenerated into name-calling, she has attracted invective from both the left and the right. Polls have frequently cited the public view that she is not trusted, while Trump has rallied his supporters with the “Crooked Hillary” epithet.
Her links to Wall Street, her missing emails and her supposed responsibility for the security failures that contributed to the attack on the Benghazi consulate are the ostensible reasons for some deeply personal attacks in 2016. But the roots of hostility towards her go much deeper.
Craig Shirley, a Ronald Reagan biographer and historian who spent decades as a conservative political consultant, said that, when Hillary Clinton arrived in Washington DC as first lady, “she came from Little Rock with a reputation already established” as “such a militant feminist, difficult to deal with”.
He noted that she faced hostility in Arkansas politics and media when Bill Clinton was first elected governor, because she kept her maiden name.“Here she comes, the feminist from Wellesley and Yale,” Shirley explained of the supposedly prevailing attitude of the time, “down to Little Rock and brings her attitudes with her”.
Read the full piece here:
Christie on Trump campaign: 'it's not my campaign'
Asked about allegations of sexual assault against Donald Trump, New Jersey governor Chris Christie told NBC News (video), “I can only take him at his word, and I am.”
Asked whether he was proud of Trump’s campaign, Christie said it wasn’t his campaign:
It’s not my campaign... I’m proud of everything I’ve said. And that’s all I can control. The rest of it I can’t control.
As Christie watches his political future crumble with the Trump campaign, the governor faces increasing legal peril. A New Jersey judge last week ruled that a misconduct complaint against Christie in the Bridgegate affair could move forward.
CNN’s Teddy Schleifer flags a JetBlue ad playing on the Clinton mantra borrowed from Michelle Obama: “When they go low, we go high.”
“Nabbing a great fare is never up for debate,” the ad copy begins. What do you think, does this ad work for Trump fans?
JetBlue just blatantly ripping up the Clinton HQ talking points this AM. pic.twitter.com/wMh84FkOJu
— Teddy Schleifer (@teddyschleifer) October 18, 2016
Here’s some data via NBC News that’s catching a lot of interest this morning. The provocative suggestion is that, your blood pressure medication aside, the presidential race between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton remains essentially unchanged since January 2016.
There, there. It was all but a dream.
The comparison is built on favorability ratings and polling of head-to-head matchups between Trump and Clinton over the last 10 months:
A-m-a-z-i-n-g, via @NBCFirstRead. pic.twitter.com/cUW9ulCp4k
— Alex Seitz-Wald (@aseitzwald) October 18, 2016
Is there a difference between a stable race and one moves a lot but then arrives back where it started? And what about that supposed shift by independents toward Hillary Clinton after the first debate – did that really happen?
Clinton's margin in the reweighted LAT/USC poll continues to follow the RCP 4-way average fairly well. pic.twitter.com/q2LV3jDEO0
— Ernie Tedeschi (@ernietedeschi) October 18, 2016
Republican Representative Mike Coffman, who’s running for reelection in Colorado’s 6th district east of Denver, has produced a very un-Trump-like ad showcasing his support for the local Ethiopian community:
Great @RepMikeCoffman ad, showing how GOP can win in diverse places https://t.co/1a7kgfMoy9
— Douglas Heye (@DougHeye) October 18, 2016
Activists stage 'this pussy votes' rally in Chicago
Activists have gathered outside Trump tower in downtown Chicago to protest the nominee with chants of “This pussy votes!” and “GOP, hands off me!” and signs reading “Pussy grabs back,” “Real men get consent” and “Fuck you Cheeto Voldemort.” Check out #GOPhandsoffme for more.
Anti Donald Trump protest in Chicago now about 200 strong, outside Trump Tower pic.twitter.com/vHWajtlWvE
— Marcus DiPaola (@marcusdipaola) October 18, 2016
#Trump protest this morning in front of the Trump Tower in downtown #Chicago. pic.twitter.com/8bqKnMfaSR
— Taylor Morris (@morristaylor14) October 18, 2016
Protest happening now across Trump Tower in Chicago pic.twitter.com/YiIOEpdgbP
— Leonor Vivanco (@lvivanco) October 18, 2016
Where the candidates are today
Hillary Clinton has no events on her public schedule today. The third and final presidential debate is scheduled for tomorrow night at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.
Donald Trump is to appear at two rallies in Colorado this afternoon. His running mate, Mike Pence, has two rallies scheduled in North Carolina.
Democratic vice-presidential nominee Tim Kaine and his wife, Ann Holton, have an event in Detroit, Michigan, today, while Bill Clinton is to campaign in Pennsylvania. Senator Bernie Sanders will be deployed in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Off the campaign trail, Barack and Michelle Obama are currently greeting the Italian prime minister, Matteo Renzi, at the White House. The Obamas are to host a state dinner in Renzi’s honor this evening.
White House Arrival Ceremony for Italian Prime Minister @MatteoRenzi - LIVE on C-SPAN2 https://t.co/UaNzIFfb2k pic.twitter.com/qg4DpJvEWT
— CSPAN (@cspan) October 18, 2016
Hello and welcome to our live-wire coverage of the 2016 race for the White House.
Florida senator Marco Rubio said last night that Donald Trump should “stop saying” that the upcoming election is “rigged” because “there is no evidence” of that happening.
It was the most direct admonishment yet of Trump by a top Republican for Trump’s repeated declarations that the election is about to be stolen. House speaker Paul Ryan has released a statement through a spokesperson voicing general confidence about the integrity of the election, while Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell has ignored the nominee’s attack on democracy.
“This election is not being rigged,” Rubio said in a debate last night with Representative Patrick Murphy, who is trying to take his senate seat. “And I’m going to explain to you why it’s not being rigged in Florida and why I hope he stops saying that – he should stop saying that.”
Rubio pointed out that Florida has a Republican governor and said “there is no evidence behind any of this, so this should not continue to be said.”
Trump says Ryan has an eye on 2020
Asked by ABC News whether Ryan wants him to win the election, Trump said, “maybe not, because maybe he wants to run in four years, or maybe he doesn’t know how to win.”
Ryan, the unsuccessful 2012 ticketmate of nominee Mitt Romney, could take on Hillary Clinton for the White House in four years if Trump loses (or Ryan could run against Trump in the primaries).
Donald Trump suggests Speaker Paul Ryan doesn't want Trump to win because of his own political ambitions in 2020. https://t.co/X66IOCQjW2 pic.twitter.com/kxS0ANmwTV
— ABC News (@ABC) October 18, 2016
Trump says assault accusers seeking fame
In the same interview with ABC News, Trump dismissed women who have accused him of sexual assault as fame-seekers. “These people come up, maybe for a little fame or maybe for some other reason, or maybe because they’re part of the Clinton campaign,” he said.
Trump: dead people are voting
“People that have died 10 years ago are still voting,” Trump told a crowd in Green Bay, Wisconsin, last night. “Illegal immigrants are voting.” He said that the election is “rigged” at “polling booths” and would be stolen. He did not mention any specific cases of voter fraud, name places where that has happened or explain why protections against voter fraud including transparency and decentralization weren’t working.
The vote-rigging in the Atlanta area appeared to be especially elaborate on Monday, with long lines of people outside polling stations for the first day of early in-person voting giving the impression of regular old participatory democracy in action:
Extremely long lines form at Atlanta-area polling locations on the first day of early voting in Georgia. https://t.co/n7TqA3VDnW pic.twitter.com/uoFc4WcxHk
— ABC News (@ABC) October 17, 2016
Melania Trump: ‘This is not the man I know’
Trump’s wife told Fox News’s Ainsley Earhardt that she did not recognize the man heard on a hot mic tape with TV host Billy Bush. “This is not the man that I know,” Trump said. “This is – we could see, as I always said, as my husband said, as well, for a successful businessman, entrepreneur, entertainer to achieving so much in his life, being in so many shows, so many tapes, it’s very hard to run for public office. And he did this anyway. He said, I want to help American people. I want to keep America safe. I want to bring back jobs, bring back economy, so our children, our futures will be the best way possible.”
#POLLS 10/17 8PM
— Jeff Gauvin (@JeffersonObama) October 18, 2016
■CBS/NYT: CLINTON +9
■MON: CLINTON +12
■BG: C+8
■NBC/WSJ: C+10
■NOLA: C+9
■PEW: C+7
■FOX N: C+8
■ATLANTIC: C+11
■REUT: C+7
Thanks for reading and please join us in the comments.
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