The Latest: Clinton to unveil anti-bullying plan

The Associated Press
The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the U.S. presidential race (all times EDT):

12:20 p.m.

Hillary Clinton is unveiling a plan to reduce bullying.

Called “Better than Bullying,” the plan released Thursday by the Democratic presidential nominee would provide $500 million in new funding to states that develop comprehensive anti-bullying efforts.

Clinton is expected to talk about the plan during an appearance with first lady Michelle Obama Thursday. She has called Republican Donald Trump a bully for his derogatory comments.

The campaign said states must address verbal and cyber bullying and establish a process for addressing incidents.

They must also ban bullying on the “basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, and religion.”

States could get $4 dollars from the federal government for every $1 they spend. It would be paid for through Clinton’s proposed tax increases on the wealthy.

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11:25 a.m.

Al Franken is bringing some humor to the trail while he campaigns in Ohio alongside Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine.

The Minnesota senator and former comedian is encouraging about 100 union workers to knock on as many doors as possible until Election Day. He jokes: “Many of you have jobs, many of you have families — ignore them.”

Franken then took a more serious note, noting he won his 2008 Senate race by just about 300 votes. He said that’s proof that every door knock and vote matters.

Franken and Kaine are trying to energize voters near Cleveland. Kaine will campaign later Thursday near Columbus. Ohio is an important toss-up state in the Nov. 8 election.

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10:45 a.m.

Donald Trump is again raising the possibility of election rigging in a tweet that follows unsubstantiated claims in Texas of voters having their ballots changed.

The Republican presidential candidate on Thursday tweeted there was “a lot of call-ins about vote flipping” in Texas voting booths. He also said there were big lines and people “are not happy.”

Some social media posts claimed machines flipped Trump votes to Democrat Hillary Clinton. Election officials have said the machines aren’t malfunctioning, and that some voters may be inadvertently making errors. One county near Houston did report a software glitch affecting straight-ticket voting, but said the issue has been resolved.

Trump has claimed the vote nationwide may be soiled by widespread voter fraud, but has not provided evidence to back up that claim.

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8:20 a.m.

Melania Trump says that if her husband wins the presidency, she would like to work on helping children deal with social media.

Appearing with Donald Trump in an interview broadcast Thursday on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” Mrs. Trump said there’s a “need to teach” young people on how to use social media, “what is right to say, what is not right to say.”

Her husband is an avid user of Twitter, often using it to attack his opponents and critics in blunt, harsh terms.

Asked about his tweets, the Republican presidential nominee said, “I believe in fighting back when people are against me.” He called social media “an instrument” for doing that.

Mrs. Trump said she worries about the “negativity” of much of what is presented in social media.

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8:15 a.m.

Donald Trump won’t commit to working with Hillary Clinton if she’s elected president.

The Republican presidential candidate said Thursday on ABC’s “Good Morning America” that he will make the decision at a later date. He says: “I’m not saying that I’m not or I am. Hopefully I won’t have to make that decision.”

New York’s archbishop, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, has said that in a warm private exchange at an otherwise testy charity dinner last week, Clinton had told Trump that “whatever happens, we need to work together afterward.”

But Clinton sidestepped a question Wednesday about whether she will meet one-on-one with rival Donald Trump after the November election.

She told journalists that she will reach out to Republicans and independents and “the elected leadership of the Congress.”

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4 a.m.

Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama are slated to campaign together for the first time at a rally in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

The event Thursday afternoon will bring together two women who are a study in contrasts. Clinton is perhaps one of the least traditional first ladies in modern history, while Obama has fully embraced tradition.

Clinton dove into policy, undertook a massive project and failed under a harsh spotlight.

Mrs. Obama largely steered clear and enjoyed quieter, modest success. Both Ivy League-trained lawyers with their own careers, Clinton bridled under the stereotypes associated with the office, Mrs. Obama declared herself “mom in chief.”

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