News

NBC’s Commander-In-Chief forum is just beginning in New York City with Matt Lauer as the moderator. Representatives for each candidate participated in a coin toss earlier today with the result being that Hillary Clinton is to go first. Watch below.

Vessel News reports: Recent comments made by Philipino President Duterte where he labeled President Obama the “son of a whore” overshadowed the outgoing leader of the free world’s G20 jaunt. It appears another head of state is jumping into the fray, adding further insult to injury. According to Zimbabwe Today, reporters asked Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe on Tuesday his thoughts …

The Texas Tribune reports: The federal government is accusing Texas of circulating “inaccurate or misleading information” to poll workers and would-be voters about relaxed identification requirements for the November elections. “Limited funds are being spent on inaccurate materials,” the U.S. Department of Justice wrote in a legal filing Tuesday. The filing asked U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos to “issue …

First he breaks with Trump on tax returns and now this. The Hill reports: Donald Trump’s running mate, Mike Pence, on Wednesday said he accepts that President Obama was born in the U.S., something the GOP presidential nominee himself has shied away from discussing. “I believe Barack Obama was born in Hawaii. I accept his birthplace,” the Indiana governor told …

The Associated Press reports: Most people are trying to avoid Florida mosquitoes, blamed for dozens of cases of the Zika virus. But Republican Rep. David Jolly decided to make a point Wednesday by bringing a container of them to the House floor. “The politics of Zika are garbage right now,” the Florida lawmaker said in a short, angry speech condemning …

The Associated Press reports: North Dakota authorities plan to pursue charges against Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein for spray-painting construction equipment at a Dakota Access Pipeline protest. Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier said Tuesday that the charges would be for trespassing and vandalism. State court records Tuesday evening didn’t yet list any formal counts against Stein. A spokeswoman for …

Oops. Via Politico: Evan McMullin is running as an independent conservative alternative to Donald Trump. Who McMullin is running with, however, is a bit of a mystery. In all nine states where he has officially qualified on the presidential ballot, McMullin has listed a “Nathan Johnson” as his vice presidential nominee. McMullin’s campaign won’t provide any more information about Johnson …

Via Raw Story: Donald Trump still has bare-bones operations in many key states just two months ahead of November’s election, but the Republican Party’s chief strategist insists the candidate’s ground game is “phenomenal.” Sean Spicer, who also serves as the GOP’s communication director, appeared Wednesday morning on CNN’s “New Day,” where he offered some lame spin to deflect from Trump’s …

Fox News reports: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said Tuesday that he plans to release several batches of documents pertaining to the Hillary Clinton campaign within the next few weeks and the first could come out as soon as next week. “The first batch is coming reasonably soon,” Assange said in an interview on “Hannity.” “We’re quite confident about it now. …

From the editorial board of the Dallas Morning News: There is only one serious candidate on the presidential ballot in November. We recommend Hillary Clinton. We don’t come to this decision easily. This newspaper has not recommended a Democrat for the nation’s highest office since before World War II — if you’re counting, that’s more than 75 years and nearly …

The lawsuit was threatened back in late July, but Trump never paid up. Via the Daily Beast: The USA Freedom Kids said in a newly filed lawsuit the Trump campaign broke verbal agreements for performances at two events and refused to pay even a $2,500 stipend for the group’s travel expenses. “We are not able to pay the girls or …

Mediaite reports: Retired Brigadier General Remo Butler went on CNN Tuesday to explain why he was one of the 88 retired generals to throw their support behind Donald Trump, but went off on a tangent to explain why he supported Trump as a black man. Butler said that watching TV, “you would think that all black people are on welfare, …

On same day that Fox News settled with Gretchen Carlson for $20M, Fox anchor Greta Van Susteren has quit, effective immediately. Via Business Insider: Greta Van Susteren will depart Fox News after 14 years with the network, Fox News announced Tuesday morning. Brit Hume will take over as the new host of On the Record. “We are grateful for Greta’s …

Settling so quickly means that the evidence was overwhelming. Variety reports: The Murdochs appear intent on putting the Ailes saga behind them as they move into the last stretches of an election and an attempt to corral crucial anchors, such as Megyn Kelly, to re-sign with the network. Now the company has agreed, on behalf of Ailes, to settle Carlson’s …

Via Mediaite: When asked about an apparent flip-flop on illegal immigration Tuesday morning, Donald Trump spokeswoman Katrina Pierson responded that the Republican presidential candidate had always billed himself as a negotiator. New Day‘s Alisyn Camerota challenged Pierson by playing two audio clips of Trump. In the first clip, he promised that illegal aliens could only gain legal status by leaving …

From an editorial in today’s Dallas Morning News: What does it mean to be a Republican? For generations, the answer had been clear: A belief in individual liberty. Free markets. Strong national defense. But what does it mean to be a Republican today? With Donald Trump as the party’s new standard-bearer, it’s impossible to say. We have no interest in …

CNN reports: Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton start the race to November 8 on essentially even ground, with Trump edging Clinton by a scant two points among likely voters, and the contest sparking sharp divisions along demographic lines in a new CNN/ORC Poll. Trump tops Clinton 45% to 43% in the new survey, with Libertarian Gary Johnson standing at 7% …

From the editorial board of the Washington Post: As the presidential campaign enters its final stretch, this seems like a good time to ask: Will American voters allow themselves to be insulted, taken for granted and made fools of? Donald Trump seems to be betting that the answer is yes. How else to judge his assumption that he can be …

Politico reports: President Barack Obama will no longer meet with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, the White House announced Monday, after Duterte’s expletive-filled rant directed at the commander-in-chief raised eyebrows worldwide. “President Obama will not be holding a bilateral meeting with President Duterte of the Philippines this afternoon,” National Security Council spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement. Duterte had warned …

TMZ reports: The LAPD has finally tracked down the woman Playboy Playmate Dani Mathers body shamed and they’ll ask prosecutors to nail her. We’ve learned the woman — in her 70’s — wants Mathers to feel the full force of the law for taking a pic of her while she was changing clothes in the locker room of an LA …