Trump calls video 'locker room talk,' attacks Bill Clinton

ST. LOUIS - US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said in the opening moments of a debate on Sunday that he was embarrassed by a video in which he made obscene comments about groping women without consent, but dismissed it as "locker room talk."



Trump, who is facing a party rebellion over the 2005 video that emerged on Friday, said former President Bill Clinton had done worse to women. "Mine are words and his are action," he said. He also accused Bill Clinton of going on the attack against women who had alleged sexual misconduct by her husband.

Clinton said Trump's comments showed he was unfit for the White House.

"He has said the video doesn't represent who he is but I think it's clear to anyone who heard it that it represents exactly who he is," Clinton said in response.

A flood of Republicans have withdrawn their support for Trump over a 2005 video that emerged on Friday showing the businessman, then a reality TV star, talking on an open microphone about groping women and trying to seduce a married woman.

The controversy has pitched Trump, 70, into the biggest crisis of his 16-month-old campaign and deepened fissures between him and establishment Republicans with only a month to go to the Nov. 8 election.

Trump met just hours before the debate on Sunday with three women who had accused Bill Clinton of sexual misconduct and a fourth woman who was a victim in a rape case that Hillary Clinton participated in as a defense attorney. All four sat in the first row of the audience at the debate.

Before the debate, Trump had threatened he was going to attack Bill Clinton for his marital infidelities in response to criticism from Hillary Clinton that the Republican nominee is a misogynist who has a history of mistreating women.

Trump appeared with Paula Jones, who filed a sexual harassment suit against Bill Clinton in 1991, Juanita Broaddrick, who accused Bill Clinton of rape in 1978, and Kathleen Willey, a former White House aide who accused Bill Clinton of groping her in 1993.

None of the accusations was new. Bill Clinton was never charged in any of the cases, and he settled a sexual harassment suit with one of the women, Paula Jones, for $850,000 with no apology or admission of guilt.

Also at the event was Kathy Shelton, who was raped at the age of 12. Hillary Clinton, a practicing attorney at the time, defended the rapist who ultimately pleaded guilty to a reduced charge.

Clinton's campaign responded to Trump's pre-debate event by calling it a "stunt" and a "destructive race to the bottom."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

LeBron endorses Clinton for president

WASHINGTON -- NBA superstar LeBron James is endorsing Hillary Clinton for president of the United States in a move that could carry a lot of weight with voters in the pivotal state of Ohio.

"I support Hillary because she will build on the legacy of my good friend, President Barack Obama," James wrote in an Op-Ed piece published on the Business Insider website on Sunday.

"I believe in what President Obama has done for our country, and support her commitment to continuing that legacy."

The article is slated to run on Monday in the Akron Beacon Journal, the newspaper in James's hometown.

James returned to his home state after a spell with the Miami Heat, and led the Cleveland Cavaliers to an emotional NBA title in June.

In endorsing Clinton he writes about his decision to return to Ohio, recalling his childhood as the son of a single mother.

"Only one person running truly understands the struggles of an Akron child born into poverty," James writes. "And when I think about the kinds of policies and ideas the kids in my foundation need from our government, the choice is clear.

"That candidate is Hillary Clinton."

James, a three-time NBA champion and four-time NBA Most Valuable Player, has become increasingly outspoken on social issues, including the racial tension that has flared across the country over police killings of black men.

James praised Democratic candidate Clinton's message of unity.

"I don’t know everything it will take finally to end the violence," James wrote. "But I do know we need a president who brings us together and keeps us unified.

"Policies and ideas that divide us more are not the solution. We must all stand together — no matter where we are from or the color of our skin. And Hillary is running on the message of hope and unity that we need."

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Obama tells Clinton fundraiser US still grapples with powerful women

NEW YORK - U.S. society is uncomfortable with powerful women and that is why the United States has not yet elected a woman president, President Barack Obama said on Sunday.

Obama, who is eager to see fellow Democrat Hillary Clinton succeed him in office, told a fundraiser for her in New York that the election between his former secretary of state and Republican businessman Donald Trump should not be close.

However, political polarization in the country would make it tight, he said.

The first African-American U.S. president then told the group of donors why he thought a woman had never held the office.

"There's a reason why we haven't had a woman president," he said. "We as a society still grapple with what it means to see powerful women. And it still troubles us in a lot of ways, unfairly. And that expresses itself in all sorts of ways."

Obama has often spoken about the role of strong women in his life, including his mother, grandmother, wife and daughters.

Polls have tightened between Clinton, a former U.S. senator and first lady, and Trump, a real-estate tycoon.

"This should not be a close election, but it will be," Obama said. "And the reason it will be is not because of Hillary's flaws, but rather because, structurally, we've become a very polarized society," he said.

The president has not hidden his disdain for Trump, who was one of the leaders of the movement that questioned whether Obama was born in the United States. Trump conceded on Friday that Obama was U.S. born.

Obama told the donors that Trump was unlike the two candidates he faced in the 2008 and 2012 general elections.

"When I ran against John McCain, we had deep differences, but I couldn't say that he was not qualified to be president of the United States," Obama said of his 2008 opponent.

"I couldn't say that electing Mitt Romney would be an unmitigated disaster. This guy (Trump) is not qualified to be president."

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'I didn't think it was a big deal,' Clinton says of pneumonia bout

WASHINGTON - Democrat Hillary Clinton said on Monday she could resume presidential campaigning in a couple of days after a bout of pneumonia that she initially had not believed was "that big a deal."

Clinton's health scare after she almost collapsed at an event on Sunday, causing her to cancel some campaign trips, revived concerns about a tendency toward secrecy that has dogged her campaign, and underscored perennial worries about the medical fitness of candidates for one of the world's most demanding jobs.

"Well, it will be in the next couple of days. ... I just want to get this over and done with and get back on the trail as soon as possible," she said in an interview on CNN on Monday night, adding she had ignored doctor's orders to rest.

"I just didn't think it was going to be that big a deal."

Her campaign acknowledged on Monday it may have been too slow disclosing her pneumonia diagnosis after she nearly fainted at a New York memorial ceremony for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. She was diagnosed with the lung infection on Friday.

"I think that in retrospect, we could have handled it better in terms of providing more information more quickly," Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon told MSNBC earlier in the day.

The health problem was the latest blow for the Democratic presidential nominee at a time when Republican rival Donald Trump has erased most of her lead in national opinion polls and is competitive again in many battleground states where the Nov. 8 election is likely to be decided.

Clinton, 68, said she had dealt with similar episodes of dizziness before. "You know, it is something that has occurred a few times over the course of my life. I'm aware of it and usually can avoid it," she told CNN.

Asked if she passed out during the incident on Sunday, she said: "No, I didn't. I felt dizzy and I did lose my balance for a minute. Once I got in. Once I could sit down. Once I could cool off. Once I had some water, I immediately started feeling better."

Her campaign said her husband, former President Bill Clinton, would campaign on her behalf while she rests.

Both Clinton and Trump, 70, said they intended to release more of their medical details in the coming days, as their campaigns gear up for the November election.

'DEEPLY SHOCKED'

Questions about the incident reinforced the perception of Clinton as secretive, a view fueled by the controversy surrounding her use of a private email server while serving as President Barack Obama's secretary of state from 2009 to 2013.

A federal investigation of that issue said she was "extremely careless" in her handling of classified emails, but did not recommend criminal charges.

Trump said on Monday that health was a campaign issue but he did not attack Clinton over her physical condition. "I just hope she gets well and gets back on the trail," he said in an interview with Fox News.

He focused his criticism on comments by Clinton last week in which she dismissed half of his supporters as a "basket of deplorables" of racist, homophobic people. Clinton said she regretted the remark.

Trump has compared the comment with a much-criticized remark by 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney that 47 percent of the electorate was dependent on the government.

"I was deeply shocked and alarmed to hear my opponent attack, slander, smear, demean these wonderful, amazing people who are supporting our campaign by the millions," Trump told a conference of National Guard members in Baltimore.

Trump has himself aroused controversy with comments in which he called some Mexican immigrants criminals and rapists, questioned whether a US-born judge could be fair because of his Mexican heritage and criticized the Muslim parents of an American soldier who died in combat in Iraq.

'SHORT-TERM TURBULENCE'

Clinton's pneumonia disclosure was made public hours after her campaign said she had become "overheated" to explain why, her knees buckling and unsteady, she was rushed from the Sept. 11 ceremony.

"The short-term turbulence will be more about the handling of this than the substance," David Axelrod, a former political adviser to Obama, told Reuters.

"Antibiotics can take care of pneumonia," Axelrod tweeted later. "What's the cure for an unhealthy penchant for privacy that repeatedly creates unnecessary problems?"

Trump had suggested for weeks that Clinton lacked the energy needed to be president. He has raised questions about her stamina, reprising a tactic from the Republican primary campaign when he derided rival Jeb Bush as a "low-energy" candidate.

Democrats said her attendance at events despite her pneumonia diagnosis proved her toughness.

Trump's campaign has issued a short letter from his doctor saying he was in excellent health with "extraordinary" strength and stamina. But the letter did not mention what medicine Trump might be taking or other details typically included in such disclosures.

In July 2015, Clinton released a two-page letter outlining her medical condition that sought to reassure Americans about her health after she fell and suffered a concussion at home in 2012 near the end of her tenure as secretary of state.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Clinton calls on voters to reject Trump 'bigotry'

WASHINGTON -- Democrat Hillary Clinton called on Friday for voters to reject the "bigotry" of Donald Trump's White House campaign, releasing a television ad criticizing his efforts to appeal to black voters and saying she was reaching out to people from all parties who are troubled by his candidacy.

The ad shows video of Trump's controversial pitch to black voters, in which the Republican candidate urges them to support him by asking, "What do you have to lose?" It also shows headlines about a racial discrimination lawsuit the New York real estate mogul faced in the 1970s.

Clinton's presidential campaign said the ad, released a day after she gave a speech accusing Trump of fueling America's "radical fringe," would air in the hotly contested states of Florida, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Polls give Clinton a wide margin over Trump among Hispanic voters, but he is on a pitch to reduce her advantage by stressing he would create jobs for all.

Trump pressed on with trying to broaden his appeal to minority voters on Friday, as he met with Hispanic business leaders at his signature hotel in Las Vegas.

"We've been doing very, very well with the Latinos. We've been doing amazing, far, far greater ... than anyone understands. They want to see jobs come in, we're going to bring jobs. They want to see things happen," Trump said.

He said the country's GDP growth rate of 1.1 percent in the second quarter was not a good sign for the U.S. economy. "The country has some very, very serious problems," he said.

Clinton, meanwhile, followed up on Thursday's tough speech by saying that Trump's temperament and divisiveness made him unfit for the White House.

"I am reaching out to everyone, Republicans, Democrats, independents, everyone who is as troubled as I am by the bigotry and divisiveness of Donald Trump's campaign," she told MSNBC, adding she was asking "fair-minded Americans to repudiate this kind of divisive demagoguery" at the Nov. 8 election.

Clinton attacks came during a difficult week for her campaign, as the release of new emails from her time as secretary of state revived criticism of her decision to use a private address and server rather than a government one.

The emails also stoked scrutiny of her family's charitable foundation, including accusations that major corporate and foreign donors gave money in hopes of securing more access to then-Secretary Clinton. Her campaign says no donors received any special favors.

Republican National Committee spokesman Sean Spicer told MSNBC Clinton was only talking about Trump and race this week to deflect attention from that controversy.

Trump countered her rhetoric on Friday by releasing a video showing Clinton in the 1990s discussing a crime bill and referring to "super-predators," or at-risk youth she said needed to be brought under control. The video also shows U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, Clinton's main opponent in the Democratic primary this year, calling that phrase a "racist term."

CONTROVERSIAL STATEMENTS

In targeting what she terms Trump's bigotry, Clinton hopes to remind voters of controversial statements he has made over the course of the campaign. Those include describing some Mexican immigrants as criminals and rapists, suggesting a judge could not be fair because of his Mexican-American heritage, and proposing a temporary ban on Muslim immigration to combat terrorism.

Trump has tried to sidestep these dust-ups by saying Democrats have failed minorities with their economic policies, leaving them living in poverty and attending failing schools.

Jennifer Hochschild, a professor at Harvard University who focuses on race and immigration, said she did not think Trump could fix his relationship with black and Hispanic voters.

"General cluelessness about racial dynamics will diminish any possible black support that comes from Trump's emphasis on job creation," Hochschild said in an email. "And Clinton has a lot of deep roots among black politicians."

Trump also has been criticized for vowing to deport millions of people living in the United States illegally. In recent days, he had appeared to hold out the possibility of toning down his hardline stance, although his precise plans on immigration have been harder to pin down.

On Thursday, he denied he would loosen his proposed immigration restrictions.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Clinton says US presidential election an 'alternative reality'

LOS ANGELES - Democrat Hillary Clinton said on a late-night television show on Monday that sometimes she feels she is in an ''alternative universe'' in the U.S. presidential race against Republican Donald Trump.

"I do feel sometimes like this campaign has entered into an alternative universe," Clinton said on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live. "I have to step into the alternative reality, answer questions about am I alive, how much longer will I be alive."

Clinton was for the first time responding to allegations made by Trump and some of his backers that she is suffering health problems that could be problematic in the White House should she win the Nov. 8 election.

Both Clinton and Trump have released notes from doctors declaring them physically fit for the presidency.

Kimmel asked Clinton to open a jar of pickles as a test of her strength. She did so successfully.

"This has become one of their themes. Take my pulse while I'm talking to you - make sure I'm alive," Clinton said to Kimmel of the health rumors.

Clinton said that sometimes Trump's remarks about her - such as a recent charge that President Barack Obama and Clinton co-founded the Islamic State, which he later said was sarcasm - go beyond personal attacks and become harmful to U.S. national security.

"There's enough evidence now that when Trump talks the way he talks it actually helps the terrorists," Clinton said. "I think it's crazy, but I think it's also harmful."

Clinton said she had begun preparing for the three presidential debates scheduled in September and October.

"I want to take it seriously," Clinton said. "But you've got to be prepared for, like wacky stuff that comes at you and I am drawing on my experience in elementary school."

Clinton brushed off the possible release of an additional 14,900 emails that the FBI found when investigating her use of a private email server as secretary of state.

"My emails are so boring," Clinton said. "What's a few more?"

The U.S. State Department has already reviewed some 30,068 emails from her 2009-2013 tenure and released most of them, amounting to some 55,000 pages.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Democrat Clinton picks Kaine as vice presidential running mate

I'm thrilled to announce my running mate, @TimKaine, a man who's devoted his life to fighting for others. -H pic.twitter.com/lTVyfztE5Z

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) July 23, 2016

WASHINGTON - Hillary Clinton named U.S. Senator Tim Kaine as her running mate on Friday, making a safe choice that will help her present the Democratic ticket as a steady alternative to the unpredictable campaign of Republican presidential rival Donald Trump.

The selection of Kaine, a self-described "boring" Virginian with wide governing experience and a reputation for low-key competence, could appeal to independents and moderates but is likely to anger liberal groups who object to his advocacy for an Asian free-trade pact.

But the Spanish-speaking former Virginia governor and Richmond mayor fits Clinton's long-stated criteria that the vice presidential choice be a capable partner who is ready to take over the presidency if necessary.

Clinton made the announcement via Twitter after the first day of a two-day campaign swing in Florida.

Kaine, 58, edged out two other finalists - Cory Booker, a U.S. senator from New Jersey, and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, according to a Democratic source familiar with the discussions.

Clinton also bypassed candidates who would have generated more excitement among liberal and Hispanic activists, including progressive favorite U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren and two Hispanic Cabinet members, Julian Castro and Thomas Perez.

The former secretary of state will be formally nominated as the party's presidential candidate for the Nov. 8 election at next week's Democratic convention in Philadelphia. She leads Trump in many opinion polls.

Clinton's choice of a running mate could give her campaign momentum heading into the convention, as the fight for the White House begins a more than three-month push to the finish.

Clinton acknowledged in an interview earlier this week that even Kaine admits he is boring, and said she did not mind.

"I love that about him," she told Charlie Rose of CBS News and PBS. "He's never lost an election. He was a world-class mayor, governor and senator and is one of the most highly respected senators I know."

Kaine's first appearance with Clinton could come on Saturday at an event in Miami.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Donald Trump accepts Republican nomination, vows to put 'America first'

CLEVELAND - Donald Trump accused Democratic rival Hillary Clinton of a legacy of "death, destruction, terrorism and weakness" as U.S. secretary of state and vowed to be tough on crime and illegal immigrants in a speech on Thursday accepting the Republican presidential nomination.

Trump's 75-minute speech was designed to set the tone for the general election campaign against Clinton, an answer to Republicans who say the best way he can unify the divided party is to detail why the Democrat should not be elected on Nov. 8.

As the crowd chanted: "Lock her up" for her handling of U.S. foreign policy, Trump waved them off and said: "Let's defeat her in November." Thousands of supporters who were gathered in the convention hall roared their approval.

When it was over, Trump was joined on stage by family members as balloons cascaded from above and confetti blew around the arena.

A CNN snap poll of viewers of the speech said 57 percent had a "very positive reaction" to the address and 18 percent a somewhat positive reaction, while 24 percent said it had a negative effect.

Social media sentiment toward Trump based on tweets that mentioned his name was slightly more negative than positive shortly after his speech.

The acceptance speech by Trump, 70, closed out a four-day convention that underscored his struggle to heal fissures in the Republican Party over his anti-illegal-immigrant rhetoric and concerns about his temperament. The event was boycotted by many big-name establishment Republicans, such as 2012 nominee Mitt Romney and members of the Bush family that gave the party its last two presidents.

Trump presented a bleak view of America under siege from illegal immigrants, threatened by Islamic State militants, hindered by crumbling infrastructure and weakened by unfair trade deals and race-related violence.

Accusing illegal immigrants of taking jobs from American citizens and committing crimes, Trump vowed to build a "great border wall" against the border-crossers.

"We will stop it," Trump said.

Trump took positions in conflict with traditional Republican policies. He said he would avoid multinational trade deals but instead pursue agreements with individual countries. He would renegotiate the NAFTA trade accord linking the United States, Canada and Mexico. He would penalize companies that outsource jobs and then export their foreign-made products back into the United States.

"We will never sign bad trade deals," Trump thundered. "America first!"

The New York businessman, who has never held elected office, filled his speech with some of the bravado he used to win the Republican nomination over 16 rivals, punctuating his rhetorical points by waving an index finger.

"I have joined the political arena so that the powerful can no longer beat up on people that cannot defend themselves," Trump said. "Nobody knows the system better than me, which is why I alone can fix it."

In his speech, Trump portrayed himself as a fresh alternative to traditional politicians, willing to consider new approaches to vexing problems and help working-class people who may feel abandoned.

Laying out his case against Clinton, he denounced nation-building policies that were actually put in place to some extent by George W. Bush, without mentioning by name the Republican president who launched wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Trump said policies pursued by Clinton in Iraq, Libya, Egypt and Syria had made a bad situation worse. He blamed her for the rise of Islamic State militants and blasted her willingness to accept thousands of Syrian refugees.

"After 15 years of wars in the Middle East, after trillions of dollars spent and thousands of lives lost, the situation is worse than it has ever been before. This is the legacy of Hillary Clinton: death, destruction, terrorism and weakness," Trump said.

Clinton senior adviser John Podesta dismissed the speech as painting "a dark picture of an America in decline" and called it a reminder that Trump "is temperamentally unfit and totally unqualified to be president of the United States."

John Weaver, a senior adviser to Ohio Republican Governor John Kasich, a former presidential rival to Trump, said in a tweet that Trump had delivered the "saddest, darkest, most depressing acceptance speech in modern history."

'THINGS HAVE TO CHANGE'

Trump needed a strong performance on Thursday night to improve his chances of getting a boost in opinion polls as Democrats prepare for their own, more scripted convention next week in Philadelphia.

In a contest that pits two politicians viewed as unfavorable by large segments of the American people, Trump also accused Clinton, 68, of being the puppet of big business, elite media and major donors who want to preserve the current political system.

"That is why Hillary Clinton's message is that things will never change. My message is that things have to change - and they have to change right now," Trump said.

Trump said he would speedily address the violence that has dominated headlines, such as the shooting deaths of five Dallas police officers earlier this month. He vowed to defeat "the barbarians of ISIS," the acronym for Islamic State.

"I have a message for all of you: The crime and violence that today afflicts our nation will soon come to an end. Beginning on Jan. 20, 2017, safety will be restored," Trump said. The next president takes office on Jan. 20.

CONVENTION DISCORD
The prevailing narrative at the Cleveland convention has not been about Trump's positions, but dominated instead by the failure of he party's various factions to unite behind Trump.

A series of distractions at the convention largely thwarted a bid by the Trump campaign to show him as a caring father and magnanimous business leader who would bring greater prosperity and safety to the United States.

But in the end, many of these points were made when Ivanka Trump, Trump's daughter, introduced her father.

"I have seen him fight for his family. I have seen him fight for his employees. I have seen him fight for his company and now I am seeing him fight for our country," she said.

Trump's text of his speech, released by his campaign, included extensive footnotes to show where the material originated.

That was perhaps in reaction to the speech given on Monday night by Trump's wife Melania, who was accused of plagiarism when she repeated lines from a 2008 speech by Michelle Obama, Obama's wife.

A staff writer for the Trump Organization later took responsibility for the misstep.

(Additional reporting by Emily Stephenson, Angela Moon, Michelle Conlin and David Alexander; Writing by Steve Holland; Editing by Howard Goller and Peter Cooney)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Trump rolls unrivaled, Sanders takes West Virginia

WASHINGTON - Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump cruised to victory in two more states Tuesday, while Bernie Sanders beat rival Democrat Hillary Clinton in West Virginia to bolster his argument for remaining in the race.

The substantial wins in West Virginia and Nebraska according to early results put Trump ever closer to clinching the 1,237 delegates he needs to be declared the party's nominee at its convention in July.

"Thank you West Virginia!" and "Thank you Nebraska!" Trump said in a pair of tweets.

Now the sole Republican candidate in the contest after his remaining rivals dropped out last week, Trump is transitioning from the fierce primary battles with the likes of Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio to a general election showdown with Clinton, even amid deep Republican discord about the celebrity billionaire.

He has narrowed his picks for running mate, telling Fox News he is considering five vice president options.

"I think they are excellent," he added. "I'll announce whoever it will be at the convention" in Cleveland, Ohio, Trump said.

With Republican concern about their nominee sizzling, a Quinnipiac University poll out Tuesday showed Trump closing in on Clinton's lead in two major battleground states -- Florida and Pennsylvania -- and overtaking her in swing state Ohio.

No candidate has won the presidential election without taking at least two of those three states.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell seized on the polls as a sign that Trump will mount a strong challenge against Clinton.

"It's a long time 'til November, but the early indications are that our nominee is likely to be very competitive," McConnell told reporters.

UNYIELDING SANDERS

Despite Clinton's overwhelming delegate lead, Sanders ensured the race would go on with his win in West Virginia, where he was ahead of Clinton by 11 percentage points with about a third of precincts reporting.

With eight contests remaining, "we think we have a good chance to win many of those states," Sanders told supporters Tuesday in San Francisco, according to CBS News.

"We hope we can win some of them with big majorities."

Quinnipiac's poll also found that Sanders, a democratic socialist who commands an enthusiastic following on the left, would do better against Trump than Clinton in all three states if he were the Democratic nominee.

The 74-year-old Vermont senator, who defeated Clinton in Indiana, has mounted an unyielding come-from-behind challenge that has exposed weaknesses in the former secretary of state's campaign.

Although almost certain to win the Democratic nomination -- she is only about 160 delegates short of that goal -- Clinton's ability to excite young and white working-class Democrats going into the general election has been put in doubt by Sanders's primary successes.

But she has used her campaign stops in Appalachia -- including an event in Kentucky, which holds its Democratic primary on May 17 -- as opportunities to win over blue-collar white voters.

"If I am so fortunate enough to be the nominee, I'm looking forward to debating Donald Trump come the fall," she said in Louisville.

"We can't be scapegoating and finger-pointing and blaming and demeaning and degrading and insulting our Americans."

In coal-mining West Virginia, Clinton shot herself in the foot in March by telling voters in neighboring Ohio she would slash mining jobs and put coal companies "out of business."

She later apologized and suggested her remarks were misunderstood, but in a state where livelihoods have hinged on coal for generations, many are unconvinced.

TRUMP CHALLENGES

While Clinton still has Sanders to worry about, Trump faces a rebellion within the Republican leadership over the insulting tone and shifting substance of his candidacy.

House Speaker Paul Ryan last week announced he was "not ready" to support Trump, a rare rebuke that put the power struggles within the Republican Party on very public display.

Ryan and other Republican congressional leaders were due to huddle with Trump Thursday in Washington, in highly anticipated meetings that could help gauge GOP support for the real estate tycoon.

McConnell said he expected "a cordial meeting to discuss the way forward."

It may be thorny. A defeated Cruz ruled out a third-party bid, but when pressed by reporters as he returned to the US Senate he declined to say whether he would endorse Trump.

Rubio said he would "support the Republican nominee" but would not offer an outright endorsement.

The Republican establishment is still reeling from Trump's hostile takeover of the party, aghast at positions he's taken on trade, foreign policy and taxes that fly in the face of conservative dictums.

But Trump has shown no sign of backing down, and some Republicans are looking to heal, embrace the nominee and turn to defeating Clinton in November.

"I think the party needs to come together," said Senator John McCain, the 2008 Republican nominee.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com