Clinton, Trump battling for Ohio at start of final campaign stretch

Hillary Clinton struggled to begin a campaign speech in Cleveland on Monday, coughing repeatedly for several minutes as she sipped water and took a cough drop. Later in the day, she was joining with labor leaders in the Quad Cities community of Hampton, Illinois, across the Mississippi River from Iowa, where she is locked in a tight contest with Trump.

Unwilling to allow Trump to modify his immigration stances, she said his address later that night in Arizona amounted to a “doubling down on his absurd plan to send a deportation force to round up 16 million people”.

In a Reuters/Ipsos poll taken during the week of August 26 to September 1, Trump had the support of 40 percent of likely voters while Clinton had the backing of 39 percent. He has called for a wall to be built on the border that would be paid for by Mexico. Any immigrants who want full citizenship must return to their countries of origin and get in line, he told reporters – but he would not rule out a pathway to legal status for the millions living in the USA illegally, as he did in a long-awaited policy speech last week.

“We’re going to make that decision into the future”, Trump told reporters in his most extensive comments on immigration since last week’s policy speech.

“The last time we did that kind of stuff, it didn’t work out too well for us”, he said.

Trump told reporters Monday that “on occasion”, he will invite journalists to travel with him. Her husband, former president Bill Clinton, is attending events in MI and Ohio.

She added that there has also never been a candidate who urged a country to hack into American computer networks.

‘I’m ready, I’m more than ready, ‘ Clinton said before takeoff.

The disclosure from Bondi’s spokesman to The Associated Press in June provided additional details around the unusual circumstances of Trump’s $25,000 donation to Bondi.

“I don’t know anything about that”, Clinton said.

On the Russian president, Clinton said it was “very clear [Putin] is quite satisfied with himself” for the intrusions.

The airplanes of Trump and his running mate, Mike Pence, were parked on the tarmac as Clinton and her vice presidential pick, Tim Kaine, arrived in separate planes.

The Republican nominee was rumored to be considering skipping at least one of the debates. But he told journalists Monday that only something along the lines of a “hurricane” or “natural disaster” would keep him from participating. “That was not something I was aware of and I think the fact point out that there was no connection”.

As for preparation, Trump said he does not believe in doing mock debates, as is tradition for many candidates. “Over the years, thousands and thousands of Hispanics have worked for me”.

Trump also appeared with Democratic Mayor Tom Coyne, of Brook Park, Ohio, who said he supported Trump in this spring’s Republican primary and would vote for him this fall. “You need energy, man”.

Under extensive criticism from her rival and journalists for not holding a full press conference in more than eight months, Clinton welcomed reporters on her plane and briefly entertained questions before taking off from NY. “There are so many of them I have lost track of them”.

Asked if they were sexist, Clinton simply said, “Hmmmmmm”.

President Barack Obama has tried to close the detention center amid opposition from Congress, which has prohibited transferring detainees to the USA for any reason.