FLORIDA voters have begun to line up outside polling places on the first day of the early voting.
30 million Americans have already cast their ballots in November's presidential election.
It comes as Trump tweeted earlier today that he is "already winning many states" but that it is "not reported".
Meanwhile, Trump called coronavirus expert Anthony Fauci a "disaster" earlier today as virus cases surge throughout the country.
During a call with campaigners at his signature hotel in Las Vegas, Trump said: "Fauci is a disaster. If I listened to him, wed have 500,000 deaths.
"People are saying, 'Whatever. Just leave us alone.' They're tired of it. People are tired of hearing Fauci and all these idiots."
“Fauci is a nice guy. He's been here for 500 years,” Trump added.
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- Niamh Cavanagh
CONTINUED
Trump went on to say that “all” CNN host Chris Cuomo, who was diagnosed with coronavirus earlier this year, talks about is Covid.
“I'm not sure he had it,” the president alleged. “Only time his ratings were up was when he had Covid.”
Trump explained to the crowd of his supporters that he was also diagnosed with Covid – which some of his critics have also been doubtful about.
“Well I had it and they say, 'You're not gonna catch it again,' and that's OK with me.”
- Niamh Cavanagh
TRUMP TIRADE
President Donald Trump called CNN “dumb bast**ds” during his campaign rally in Arizona on Monday.
Trump claimed the news network is only covering the coronavirus pandemic to try to prevent Americans from voting in the election.
“You turn on CNN that's all they cover,” Trump said. “Covid, Covid pandemic, Covid.”
“They're trying to talk everybody out of voting. They're not buying it, CNN, you dumb bast**rds.”
As of Monday, more than 8.3million Covid cases and over 224,000 virus-related deaths have been reported in the US.
Those numbers far exceed other countries’ reported coronavirus numbers, with India coming in second with 7.5million reported cases and nearly 115,000 deaths.
- Niamh Cavanagh
FIGHT TO RECOVER
President Donald Trump confessed on Monday that he “didn't feel too great” after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 two weeks ago.
Trump told a crowd of his supporters in Prescott, Arizona, that he wasn't feeling good and that he “didn't like to admit that.”
The president said that when you're in his position, “you have a million doctors” working to get you better.
Trump appeared to lose his voice as he spoke to his fans at the Prescott Regional Airport.
Trump went on to say he's planning to make regeneron — the drug that he claims cured his coronavirus — “available for everybody for free.”
- Niamh Cavanagh
HILL BE BACK
Donald Trump is “obsessed” with Hillary Clinton because he “never got over the fact she got 3million more votes,” her daughter Chelsea has said.
Clinton made the comments about her mom during an interview on The Real on Monday.
“He's obsessed with her!” she said. “I mean, he talks about her all the time.
“He talks about her in interviews. He talks about her in rallies. He tweets about her.”
“I think it’s really clear that he has never gotten over the fact that she won the popular vote by more than 3million votes,” she said.
- Niamh Cavanagh
CONTINUED
Earlier on Monday, Trump called a reporter a “criminal” for not reporting on what he says is Biden's criminal background.
While he was about to embark on a plane in Phoenix, ahead of his campaign rally, Trump said: “Joe Biden is a criminal.”
“He's been a criminal for a long time. And you're a criminal – and the media – for not reporting it,” Trump told Reuters correspondent Jeff Mason.
More on the story here.
- Niamh Cavanagh
‘CAUGHT COLD’
President Donald Trump said during a campaign rally in Arizona on Monday that his rival, Joe Biden, “should've been locked up weeks ago.”
Trump told a crowd of his supporters in Prescott that Biden is lucky that William Barr Barr is the attorney general “because I know people that would have had him locked up five weeks ago.”
“Bill Barr is a very nice man and a very fair man,” Trump said. “Just remember it, because I get angry too.”
Earlier on Monday, House Republicans urged Barr to appoint a special counsel to investigate allegations stemming from a laptop that allegedly belongs to Hunter Biden.
Lawmakers said they want Barr to look into claims that Biden “played a role in his son’s alleged lucrative business dealings in Ukraine and China.”
- Niamh Cavanagh
CONTINUED
When the Trump administration initially proposed its new rules in December for limiting access to the program, the US was enjoying record low unemployment and a strong economy.
Although, since the start of coronavirus pandemic those numbers have since turned upside-down – as almost 25 million adults are currently claiming unemployment benefits and the jobless rate stood at 7.9 percent in September.
Secretary Sonny Perdue said at the time that the changes were made “in order to restore the dignity of work to sizable segment of our population and be respectful of the taxpayers who fund the program.”
More on the story here.
- Niamh Cavanagh
STAMPED OUT
A federal judge on Sunday struck down a Trump administration rule that would have reduced food stamp benefits for nearly 700,000 people, calling the blocking “arbitrary and capricious.”
In her Sunday hearing, US District Court Chief Judge Beryl Howell wrote that implementing the change “radically and abruptly alters decades of regulatory practice,” which would increase food insecurity for Americans.
Howell added, “Whether USDA could, using a legally proper process, adequately explain how the Final Rule’s changes both comport with the statutory scheme and make sense is a question for another day. For now, the agency has not done so.”
The ruling comes after a year-long effort from the Trump administration to trim the number of people who rely on food stamps – also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP.
- Niamh Cavanagh
CONTINUED
Democrats have been left worried that the Biden campaign is in jeopardy after the Hunter Biden bombshell was dropped.
The New York Post uncovered several emails and a “smoking crack during a sex act” video, amid scrutiny over Hunter's job at oil and gas giant Burisma.
The emails appear to show that VP Biden met with Burisma exec Vadym Pozharskyi while the Ukrainian was in the US, reports the Post.
A spokesperson for Joe Biden denied any such meeting in a statement on Wednesday.
On Sunday, Biden appeared to walk away as a reporter asked him about the FBI after the agency seized his son Hunter's laptop.
The emails come from a trove of files found on a damaged MacBook Pro, which was reportedly dropped off at a repair shop in Biden's home state of Delaware. Among the files is reportedly a 12-minute video of Hunter engaging in a sex act with an unidentified woman, according to The Post.
More on the story here.
- Niamh Cavanagh
TRUMP CARD
Donald Trump has bragged that he has “never felt stronger” about beating Joe Biden and said that Hunter's laptop scandal is “devastating.”
Directing the message at New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman, the president insisted that his team is doing a “fantastic job.”
Trump wrote: “There has never been a time in either of my two Campaigns when I felt we had a stronger chance of winning than we do right now. Early voting reports look far stronger than originally anticipated. Every RALLY is BOFFO. @MarkMeadows & team are doing a fantastic job….
“….There has never been more enthusiasm or spirit, by everyone. Great fun, and so good for our Country. Already winning many states, but not reported. Biden put the LID on again – raising money with promises. They finally caught him, COLD, and he knows it. Laptop is devastating!”
- Niamh Cavanagh
TRUMP CALLS FAUCI 'DISASTER'
President Trump called coronavirus expert Anthony Fauci a “disaster” during a call with campaign workers which allowed reporters to join in on.
“Fauci is a disaster. If I listened to him, wed have 500,000 deaths.”
Speaking from his signature hotel in Las Vegas ahead of two rallies in Arizona, Trump said Americans were fed up with pandemic restrictions.
“People are saying, 'Whatever. Just leave us alone.' They're tired of it. People are tired of hearing Fauci and all these idiots,” said Trump, whose rallies include many supporters not wearing masks and standing shoulder to shoulder at odds with the guidance of Fauci and other public health experts.
“Fauci is a nice guy. He's been here for 500 years,” Trump added.
- Niamh Cavanagh
CONTINUED
Police said 911 received several calls about what was happening and they responded around 12.10 local time.
“Upon arrival officers learned that a couple from Douglas were located at the intersection promoting Donald Trump with their flags and signs,” police said.
“Approximately 30 minutes after they arrived, they were approached by a party opposing their support that began to berate them with insults and demanded that they leave.”
The veteran reportedly suffered a finger injury in the incident, although further information was not immediately available.
Dudley was arrested over the weekend but posted $250 cash bail.
More on the story here.
- Niamh Cavanagh
HERO 'SHOVED'
A Vietnam veteran waving a pro-Trump sign was reportedly knocked to the ground by a woman who taunted him with insults in a hateful attack on Saturday.
Kiara Dudley, 34, is accused of berating the unidentified vet, 73, who was with another person waving their flags and signs in support of President Donald Trump in Douglas, Massachusetts.
The couple tried to move away from Dudley, but she continued to follow them, MassLive.com reported, citing local police.
According to the veteran, Dudley bumped the man with her body before knocking down the man’s “Veterans for Trump” sign and stepping on it. As the elderly man tried to pick up the sign, police said Dudley knocked the Vietnam vet to the ground.
- Niamh Cavanagh
CONTINUED
Trump said that if he listened to the experts, the economy would be in a different place, adding to the crowd: “We’re like a rocketship. Take a look at the numbers.”
Trump told his supporters on Sunday that the 2020 presidential race “is a choice between a Trump super recovery, which we’re in right now, or a Biden depression.”
“Depression,” he said. “Just remember the word.”
In response to Trump’s rally remarks, the Biden campaign said that Trump is responsible for “tanking” the economy.
More on the story here.
- Niamh Cavanagh
ANTI-DEPRESSANT
President Donald Trump said the US would “be in a massive depression” if he listened to experts – as doctors now warn the country is heading into its “darkest hour.”
Speaking at a campaign rally in Nevada on Sunday, Trump said the US would be in a much different place if he “totally” took advice from scientists on coronavirus lockdowns.
Trump claimed that if his Democratic rival Joe Biden is elected, Americans would see another Great Depression.
“He’s gonna lock down. This guy wants to lock down,” Trump said of Biden, referencing coronavirus lockdowns the United States saw earlier this year.
“He’ll listen to the scientists. If I listened totally to the scientists, we would right now have a country that would be in a massive depression.”
- Lottie Tiplady-Bishop
DANGLING ACTIVIST PICTURED SPEAKING TO REPORTERS AFTER CLIMBING DOWN FROM TRUMP TOWER
- Lottie Tiplady-Bishop
DANGLING ACTIVIST IN CUSTODY AFTER BEING TALKED DOWN
A man who spent 13 hours dangling from Trump Tower has been taken into police custody.
The Chicago Police Department said on Monday morning that the situation “resolved peacefully by Negotiators. Suspect in custody. No injuries.”
Video from the scene showed the man – who was dangling for more than 13 hours – eventually climbing up onto the balcony, where a Swat team was waiting.
The activist, who has not yet been identified but was said to be in his 20s, was holding a knife as negotiators tried to talk him down while a police helicopter circled the skyscraper.
- Lottie Tiplady-Bishop
VOTERS TAKE TO THE POLLS IN FLORIDA
- Lottie Tiplady-Bishop
COVID IN THE WHITE HOUSE – WHO HAS HAD IT?
The first of Trump's inner circle to have a positive diagnosis confirmed was his top aide Hope Hicks.
Since then the president and first lady, their son Barron, ex-adviser Kellyanne Conway and her daughter also tested positive.
Trump's speechwriter Stephen Miller, campaign manager Bill Stepien, debate adviser Chris Christie and press secretary Kayleigh McEnany have fallen ill.
- Lottie Tiplady-Bishop
DR FAUCI ‘NOT SURPRISED’ BY TRUMP’S COVID DIAGNOSIS
DrAnthony Fauci has revealed his reaction to the moment he learned that Donald Trump had Covid and said he was “absolutely not surprised” by the diagnosis.
The coronavirus expert made the comments on Sunday night's CBS “60 Minutes,” just weeks after the president revealed he was battling Covid.
Fauci said “oh my goodness,” when he saw the lack of masks and social distancing during a “superspreader event” at the White House.
The doctor called the event “a completely precarious situation.”
“Nothing good can come out of that,” Fauci said. “That's got to be a problem — and then sure enough it turned out to be a super spreader event.”
- Lottie Tiplady-Bishop
ALEXEI NAVALNY CALLS ON TRUMP TO DENOUNCE CHEMICAL WEAPONS
Poisoned Putin foe Alexei Navalny has called on Trump to denounce chemical weapons.
Speaking during a 60 Minutes interview the Russian opposition leader said: “I think it's extremely important– that everyone, of course, including and maybe in the first of all, President of United States, to be very against using chemical weapons in the 21st Century.”
- Joseph Gamp
IN PICTURES: EARLY VOTING BEGINS IN FLORIDA
- Joseph Gamp
TRUMP WARNS BIDEN WILL ‘CANCEL XMAS’ WITH TOUGH COVID RESTRICTIONS
President Trump has warned that Joe Biden will cancel Christmas with tough coronavirus lockdowns turning cities into “ghost towns” if he wins the election.
The President launched his latest attack on his Democrat rival as he also boasted he “brought back Christmas” from politically correct censors.
Trump invoked the “war on Christmas” talking point with the election just 16 days away as Biden is believed to have a lead in the national polls ahead of November 3.
Speaking in Carson City, Nevada, he said: “Under the Biden lockdown, the lights of Reno and Las Vegas were extinguished.
“Carson City will become a ghost town. If he comes in, Carson City will become a ghost town. And the Christmas season will be cancelled.”
- Joseph Gamp
EXPLAINED: WHO IS TRUMP SUPERFAN CHARLIE KIRK AND WHAT IS 'TURNING POINT'?
Donald Trump ally Charlie Kirk blasted Twitter for blocking his account after sharing “misleading information about voting”.
So why is Kirk again hitting the headlines, and what exactly is Turning Point USA?
Read our explainer here.
- Joseph Gamp
VEEP IMPACT
An asteroid is heading for Earth at an estimated 21,300mph — the night before the hotly contested US presidential election.
The space rock, known as 2018VP1, has a one in 240 chance of striking on November 2, according to astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Read more here.
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