Trump claims coordinated attack in allegations 

Donald Trump is denying allegations of sexual assault and calls them "coordinated, vicious attack" from the media and Hillary Clinton campaign.
Republican U.S. presidential nominee Donald Trump holds up signs at the end of a campaign rally in Lakeland, Florida | Reuters
Republican U.S. presidential nominee Donald Trump holds up signs at the end of a campaign rally in Lakeland, Florida | Reuters

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

1:30 p.m.

Donald Trump is denying allegations of sexual assault and calls them "coordinated, vicious attack" from the media and Hillary Clinton campaign.

Trump said Thursday at a rally in Florida that he has evidence to disprove allegations of sexual assault and will release it at the "appropriate time."

Several women have come forward in a series of reports claiming that Trump groped or kissed them without their consent and made unwanted advances.

Trump said the claims "are totally and absolutely false." He called them "pure fiction and outright lies."

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1:20 p.m.

Donald Trump has dodged reporter's question as to whether he has ever touched or kissed a woman without her consent.

Trump met with local business leaders Thursday before a rally in West Palm Beach, Florida. The rally comes amid a series of reports about women who claim Trump had groped them and made other unwanted sexual advances.

Trump did not answer the question as the roundtable attendees booed.

Trump then turned to the room and declared "what a sleazebag."

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1:09 p.m.

Michelle Obama said she "was shaken to the core" by comments that GOP Republican nominee Donald Trump made in which he is heard on a 2005 tape bragging about how his fame allowed him to "do anything" to women.

Speaking at campaign rally in New Hampshire for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, Obama called the comments "shocking and demeaning. She also dismissed suggestion that they were simply "locker room talk," saying they were affront to all women and parents.

The GOP nominee has lost support in New Hampshire following the release of a 2005 video in which Trump is heard bragging about how his fame allowed him to "do anything" to women. Sen. Kelly Ayotte said over the weekend that she no longer plans to vote for him.

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12:55 p.m.

First lady Michelle Obama says Donald Trump's crude sexual comments about women should not be seen as "politics as usual."

Mrs. Obama was speaking at a Hillary Clinton rally in New Hampshire. She called the Republican presidential nominee's language disgraceful and intolerable.

She said that it should outrage all, regardless of political affiliation. She said he was bragging about sexually assaulting women.

Mrs. Obama was referring to a 2005 video in which Trump is heard bragging about how his fame allowed him to "do anything" to women. He later dismissed his language as "locker room talk."

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12:10 p.m.

There's unprecedented uncertainty about how conservative Utah will vote in the November election.

That's because the usual cohesion of voters in the Republican stronghold has been blown up by Donald Trump's crudeness and volatility.

Utah is a must-win state for Trump, and he may end up squeaking out a victory. But the state's widespread aversion to the brash billionaire has soared following the release of a recording of Trump degrading women.

An increasing number of Utah's mostly Mormon voters are considering going with third-party candidates Evan McMullin and Gary Johnson.

It could mean an improbable Utah victory for Democrat Hillary Clinton if she captures just one-third of the state's votes. That's a level achieved several times in past three decades by Democratic candidates.

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11:50 a.m.

Tim Kaine says Hillary Clinton's marriage is "not an issue for the voters," despite Donald Trump's efforts to highlight Bill Clinton's misconduct.

The Democratic vice presidential nominee is reacting to the campaign's new focus on both candidates' treatment of women. He was appearing Thursday on ABC's "The View." Trump has been talking about Bill Clinton's affairs and making unproven charges of sexual assault.

Kaine said the latest allegations from several women who said Trump touched or kissed them without permission are "shocking."

Kaine is also playing down the latest batch of hacked emails of Clinton campaign staffers.

He says you "can't automatically assume" the hacked emails are real.

It's impossible to authenticate each hacked email published by Wikileaks, but Democrats have not pointed to specific cases in which emails were altered.

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9:40 a.m.

Donald Trump is trying to discredit new allegations of groping and sexual assault.

The Republican nominee says on Twitter that a New York Times story on two women who allege he groped them years ago is "phony" and a "total fabrication."

Trump is also going after a People Magazine writer who alleges Trump pinned her against a wall and kissed her without consent in 2005 as she was interviewing him for a wedding anniversary story.

He tweeted: "Why didn't the writer of the twelve year old article in People Magazine mention the "incident" in her story. Because it did not happen!

The writer says she didn't publicize the incident at the time because she was ashamed, afraid of the repercussions and blamed herself for what she says happened.

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8:05 a.m.

The soap opera actress in the video that has rocked the presidential campaign says Donald Trump's comments were offensive.

But actress Arianne Zucker says she wasn't shocked by it, given "that type of personality." She says that's "probably why it doesn't mean a lot to me."

Zucker spoke in an interview broadcast Thursday on NBC's "Today."

Zucker is the actress who meets Trump and TV personality Billy Bush on a soap opera set in the 2005 video. In the video, Trump boasts of using his fame to kiss and grab women. Trump, before greeting Zucker, tells Bush he needs to use Tic Tacs in case he starts kissing her.

Trump has said he regrets the remarks, which he describes as "locker room" banter. Zucker describes that as "an interesting apology."

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3:10 a.m.

America's campaign for president is quickly devolving into an ugly fight over who has treated women worse: Donald Trump, whose White House bid is floundering, or Bill Clinton, who isn't on the ballot.

Trump's campaign is now openly signaling it will spend the election's final month re-litigating Bill Clinton's marital affairs and unproven charges of sexual assault, as well as his wife and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's unverified role in intimidating the women who were involved. But Trump is a deeply imperfect messenger: his attacks on the Clintons' treatment of women are being overshadowed by a flood of allegations that he kissed and groped women without their consent.

The New York Times and the Palm Beach Post reported stories about three women who alleged Trump had inappropriately touched them.

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