The Latest: Trump issues rare apology after video emerges
By Associated Press
Oct 7, 2016 3:55 PM CDT
Democratic vice presidential nominee, Tim Kaine, speaks during a Nevada Democratic Party rally at the Carpenters International Training Center in Las Vegas, Thursday, Oct. 6, 2016. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)   (Associated Press)

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

4:55 p.m.

Donald Trump is issuing a rare apology after a video showed him making lewd, sexually charged comments about women in 2005. He called it "locker room banter."

The Republican nominee said that "I apologize if anyone was offended." He issued the statement after The Washington Post revealed the video of Trump caught on a hot mic while talking with Billy Bush of "Access Hollywood."

Trump is heard saying he "did try and f--- her," referring to an unknown woman. He also used graphic terms to describe the woman's body and said he frequently tried to kiss beautiful women.

He boasted that "when you're a star they let you do it."

He said: "You can do anything."

Trump has a long history of making crude comments about women.

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4:35 p.m.

President Barack Obama is using a return to his hometown of Chicago to cast an early ballot in this November's election.

Obama's motorcade stopped at the Cook County Office Building after he had completed speaking at a fundraiser for Democratic House candidates.

Obama has been encouraging people in speeches and radio interviews to register to vote and to get to the polls. He led by example Friday. He shook the hands of about a dozen poll workers and was directed to a desk where cameras watched from about 30 feet away.

As Obama marked the ballot, he joked about the camera operators catching his every move. He said: "Now, they can't see me, can they?"

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3:40 p.m.

Donald Trump is changing up some of his advertising plans.

He's focusing more than ever on Pennsylvania and Ohio, a sign of the importance his campaign is placing on those two states.

The campaign plans to spend almost $1 million next week in Pennsylvania and $1.2 million there in each of the next three weeks. That's according to Kantar Media's political ad tracker.

In Ohio, he'll spend more than $700,000 next week and about $1 million in each of the following three weeks.

At the same time, Trump is slashing his media plans for Maine and Iowa

On Twitter, campaign spokesman Jason Miller wrote that reductions have occurred in "over-performing markets." Trump has been ahead in recent Iowa polls.

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2:35 p.m.

Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine is telling seniors in swing state Nevada that his running mate Hillary Clinton would better look after their needs than Republican Donald Trump.

Speaking at a retirement community outside Las Vegas, Kaine said Clinton would be "rock solid" in her commitment to preserving Social Security. Trump has vowed to protect the safety net program for seniors, but Kaine said the Republican presidential candidate can't be trusted because of his past criticism of Social Security. Trump once called the program a "Ponzi scheme" in one of his books.

Kaine said Clinton would be a better president for seniors because of her commitment to improving Medicare and lowering prescription drug prices. Kaine brought along his retired parents to the question and answer event.

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2:15 p.m.

Tim Kaine may not have wowed America in the vice presidential debate, but he's a hit with the donors who are fueling Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign.

An Associated Press analysis of data from the campaign shows the Democratic vice presidential nominee has raised at least $21 million and attended at least 70 fundraisers since joining the ticket in July.

Donors and people who have attended Kaine's smaller campaign rallies say they see Kaine as a down-to-earth policy wonk who is a good listener and persuasive speaker. That's in contrast to the Kaine who constantly interrupted Republican rival Mike Pence in Tuesday's debate.

Kaine is also an effective emissary to Republicans skeptical of Donald Trump. California venture capitalist Jillian Manus, who hosted Kaine in September, says her Republican friends walked away impressed.

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2 p.m.

Donald Trump says it's "outrageous" that the original suspects in one of New York's most notorious crimes were exonerated — even though someone else confessed to the attack.

Five black teenagers were charged in 1989 with brutally beating and raping a young woman jogging through Central Park. The suspects were known as "The Central Park Five." They were convicted in a racially charged case based on confessions they said were coerced.

But in 2002, another man confessed and DNA evidence matched him to the crime scene. The original suspects were released and paid $41 million by New York State

Trump told CNN this week that he condemned the settlement, declaring "they admitted they were guilty."

After the attack, Trump took out a full-page ad with the blaring headline: "Bring Back The Death Penalty. Bring Back Our Police!"

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1:35 p.m.

The U.S. government is keeping Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump informed about its response to Hurricane Matthew.

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and the deputy administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Joe Nimmich, briefed the candidates by phone Friday. That's according to a DHS statement.

Both candidates have issued statements and sent out tweets expressing concern about the storm and urging residents affected by it to be careful.

The hurricane sideswiped Florida's Atlantic coast early Friday.

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12:30 p.m.

Hillary Clinton is urging people in the path of Hurricane Matthew to follow evacuation orders and other instructions from federal and state authorities.

In a campaign statement, she's telling her campaign staff, volunteers and supporters that "nothing is more important" than taking care of "yourselves and your neighbors."

Clinton said to those impacted by the storm: "Stay safe and know that America is with you."

The Democratic presidential nominee is spending the day near her suburban New York home, preparing for the next presidential debate.

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12:15 p.m.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren is calling Donald Trump a "selfish little sleazeball," a "two-bit con man" and "the ultimate racist bully."

Warren spoke at a campaign rally Friday in Madison, Wisconsin, the day before Trump was to make his first joint campaign appearance with House Speaker Paul Ryan and other Wisconsin Republicans.

The Massachusetts senator said that will be "extreme Republican hug night."

Warren calls Ryan the "ultimate Republican insider" and Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson the "ultimate tea party" representative.

A favorite of liberals, Warren frequently makes biting criticism of Trump. The Republican nominee has derisively referred to her as "Pocahontas" for her claim that she is part Native American.

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11:55 a.m.

As Democrats push early voting in the presidential election, President Barack Obama is trying to lead by example.

Obama is on his way to Chicago for a long weekend that includes campaign events and fundraisers for Democrats. He said he plans to fill out his ballot while on his trip.

But Obama says he doesn't plan to show up at a precinct to vote early in-person.

Obama spoke in the Oval Office just before leaving for Chicago.

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11:50 a.m.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott is brushing aside questions about whether his decision to keep Florida's voter registration deadline in place is due to his support of Donald Trump.

The GOP governor is a strong supporter of Trump and is chairman of an organization supporting the Republican presidential nominee.

Democrat Hillary Clinton's campaign has asked Scott to extend the registration deadline. Florida's voter registration deadline is Tuesday.

Scott said Friday: "We're in the middle of a storm. My focus right now is keeping everybody safe."

On Thursday Scott said he would not extend the deadline because "everyone has had a lot of time to register."

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11:40 a.m.

A Border Patrol union spokesman is clarifying a union official's comments about immigration to Donald Trump.

Shawn Moran said some U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services employees have claimed they are being asked to ignore criminal histories for people applying for citizenship so they would be eligible to vote in the November election. There has been no evidence to support this.

Moran also said Border Patrol agents are seeing an uptick in the number of people trying to cross the border illegally.

Moran said union vice president Art Del Cueto inadvertently combined the issues when he met Friday with Trump. He wrongly suggested that agents have been told to admit immigrants into the U.S. illegally so they can vote, but provided no evidence to back up that assertion.

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10:05 a.m.

Donald Trump says border patrol agents have been told to allow immigrants into the United States illegally "so they can vote in the election." Neither Trump nor a border patrol union official supporting him offered evidence Friday to back up the claim.

Newly admitted immigrants are not eligible to vote, a right reserved to citizens.

Trump spoke Friday as he received the endorsement of the 16,500-person National Border Patrol Council on Friday at Trump Tower.

Union official Art Del Cueto says agents have told him they had directives to ignore immigrants' criminal records, so they can quickly become citizens and gain the right to vote.

Trump called it a huge story. Trump has repeatedly said he fears the election will be rigged. He has made a hardline stance on immigration the centerpiece of his campaign.

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3:30 a.m.

Like other Americans, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are steering clear of battleground Florida, where Hurricane Matthew threatens to wreak havoc on the final stretch of presidential campaigning.

The campaigns have rushed to move staff and volunteers, close offices and cancel events in the path of the storm. And as many Floridians heed calls to evacuate, both candidates have begun the delicate and difficult task of pursuing votes during a crisis.

Clinton's campaign has asked the state for more time to register voters, but Florida Gov. Rick Scott has rejected that as unnecessary. Meanwhile, the Trump team has pulled its negative TV ads from Florida airwaves.

The hurricane was expected to hit Trump's prized Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach.

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