In the first joint candidate event of the 2016 general election, presidential nominees Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump took questions on national security, military affairs and veterans’ issues.
8:54 p.m.
Republican nominee Donald Trump is once against praising Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling him a "leader" and saying Putin has "great control over his country."
Trump was asked at a presidential forum how he would de-escalate tensions between the U.S. and Russia if he's elected to the White House.
Trump says he thinks he'd "have a very good relationship with many foreign leaders," including Putin.
Trump has been criticized in the past for seeming to heap praise on Putin and other strongmen. But Trump was unapologetic on Wednesday night, saying he was happy to take a compliment from Putin. He says if Putin "says great things about me, I'm going to say great things about him." Trump added, however, that Putin's compliments would not influence his decision making as president.
------
8:48 p.m.
Donald Trump says he was shocked by one thing he learned at a classified intelligence briefing -- but he won't say what it was.
The Republican presidential nominee said at Wednesday's national security forum that he has learned that leading Democrats "did exactly the opposite" of what experts recommended in several instances. He said he did not learn anything, however, that changes the way he viewed his policies.
Presidential nominees in both parties get regular intelligence briefings to ensure they're prepared to serve as commander in chief immediately if elected.
------
8:41 p.m.
Republican Donald Trump says he has regrets as a politician.
He wishes he had won the Republican presidential nomination "in a nicer manner." But he says voters shouldn't worry about his temperament or judgment as commander in chief.
The Republican presidential nominee made the comments during Wednesday night's forum on national security.
He cited his recent trip to Mexico as an example of his ability to serve as commander in chief.
He noted that the Mexican officials who arranged the trip were forced out of government in recent days. He saw that as a good thing. He said, "That's how well we did."
------
8:39 p.m.
Donald Trump is once again incorrectly claiming that he was opposed to the war with Iraq before the invasion.
Trump said during a presidential forum Wednesday that he was "totally against the war in Iraq" because he worried it would destabilize the Middle East.
That position is contradicted by an interview Trump did with Howard Stern in September 2002. He said then that he supported the invasion, saying: "Yeah, I guess so."
The GOP nominee was also asked what experience he's had to prepare him to serve as commander in chief.
Trump says he's "built a great company" with plenty of international experience.
He adds: "I think the main thing is I have great judgment."
------
8:31 p.m.
Hillary Clinton is promising never again to send ground troops into Iraq.
The Democratic presidential nominee said the same of Syria.
Clinton made the comments during a Wednesday night forum on national security.
She noted that roughly 200,000 troops were deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan when she took over as secretary of state.
She declared, "We are not putting ground troops into Iraq ever again."
------
8:29 p.m.
Hillary Clinton is again saying that her vote in favor of the Iraq war was a mistake. But she's arguing that her opponent has not taken responsibility for his support of the war.
At an NBC "commander-in-chief" forum Wednesday, the Democratic nominee stressed that her 2002 vote was a mistake and said it was important to learn from it. She also asked to be judged on her entire record and argued that Republican Donald Trump had also voiced support for the war at the time, but "refuses to take responsibility."
Asked about whether her "hawkish" foreign policy, Clinton also said that she views "force as a last resort, not a first choice." She also again argued that she and Trump held similar positions in the past on Libya, saying that taking action in that country was the right decision.
------
8:27 p.m.
Hillary Clinton says she has a comprehensive plan to cut down on the epidemic of soldier and veteran suicides.
Speaking at a presidential candidates' focum, Clinton says. "We've got to remove the stigma" of mental health problems.
She says she wants to assure people serving that reporting a menatl health issue won't be a black mark against them.
And she says more also has to be done to combat drug and alcohol addiction.
The Democratic nominee is also assuring that she'll do more to improve veterans' healthcare.
She says, "I'm going to focus on this. I'm going to work on everybody. And we're going to fix the problems" withthe Department of Veterans Affairs.
------
8:24 p.m.
Hillary Clinton is defending the Iranian nuclear deal.
She said at Wednesday night forum that Iran was "on a fast track" to acquiring the material necessary to make a nuclear weapon before the deal was signed.
The deal, Clinton said, "put a lid on their nuclear program."
She insisted the U.S. is not "being played" by Iran.
Clinton said the deal allows enough insight into Iran's actions to ensure they're following the rules.
------
8:20 p.m.
Hillary Clinton is trying to assure voters that she was careful in her handling of classified information as secretary of state.
Clinton says, "I did exactly what I should have done and I take it very seriously. Always have, always will."
Clinton was asked by a veteran during a "commander in chief forum" hosted by NBC how she could be trusted, given her use of a private email server as secretary of state.
Clinton insists she never used an insecure system to handle classified material designated and marked with clear headers.
She says that she "communicated about classified material on a wholly separate system" and "took it very seriously."
------
8:00 p.m.
Democrat Hillary Clinton says none of the emails she sent or received had a header that clearly marked "top secret."
The former secretary of state addressed her use of private email during a forum Wednesday night on NBC.
She noted that she has years of experience dealing with classified material dating back to her time as a senator. Classified material usually has a heading marked "top secret," she said.
She insisted that none of the messages sent or received on her private server had such a heading.
Clinton conceded that some of the messages included references to the covert drone program. But she said there was no discussion of "covert actions" that were being considered in the messages.
She also said there was no evidence her email server was hacked.
------
7:00 p.m.
Donald Trump is once again predicting victory in New York State, despite polls showing rival Hillary Clinton way ahead.
Speaking in front of the Conservative Party of New York in Manhattan, the GOP nominee told the crowd Wednesday evening that, "We're going to win this state. It's going to shock people."
Trump spent much of his time on stage discussing one of his earliest projects: His work on the Wollman Rink in Central Park. He said that that he would use the same skills he used to rebuild the skating rink to rebuild parts of the state that have faced economic hardship.
------
6:00 p.m.
FBI Director James Comey has told his colleagues that the decision to not recommend charges against Hillary Clinton was not a close call.
In an internal memo Wednesday, Comey says "the case itself was not a cliff-hanger" and that there was not a prosecutable case "despite all the chest-beating by people no longer in government."
He also struck back against criticism that the FBI had timed for political reasons its release last Friday of documents related to the investigation.
He says the documents were released once they had been cleared for release. He says more documents will be released, "no matter the day of the week."
The memo was first reported by CNN.
------
5:53 p.m.
FBI Director James Comey has told his colleagues that the decision to not recommend charges against Hillary Clinton was not a close call.
In an internal memo Wednesday, Comey says "the case itself was not a cliff-hanger" and that there was not a prosecutable case "despite all the chest-beating by people no longer in government."
He also struck back against criticism that the FBI had timed for political reasons its release last Friday of documents related to the investigation.
He says the documents were released once they had been cleared for release. He says more documents will be released, "no matter the day of the week."
The memo was first reported by CNN.
------
5:32 p.m.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says Donald Trump can be trusted to oversee the nation's nuclear weapons if he wins the presidency.
McConnell was asked at his weekly press conference if he feels confident that Republican nominee Trump can be trusted "with his finger on the nuclear button."
Trump gave a speech Wednesday calling for major increases in defense spending.
"I didn't hear the speech today, but the answer is yes," McConnell said in response to the question about nuclear weapons.
McConnell said he agrees with Trump that the nation's defense is underfunded.
------
4:18 p.m.
The nation's largest investment bank is barring its top employees from contributing to certain political campaigns -- including Donald Trump's White House bid. But the policy does not bar those employees from contributing to Democrat Hillary Clinton's campaign.
That's because the new rules, which went into effect last week, prohibit partners at Goldman Sachs from donating to state officials who are seeking federal office. That applies to Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, Trump's running mate, so Goldman Sachs partners can't contribute to the Republican ticket.
But Clinton and her running mate, Tim Kaine, meet neither of those criteria, meaning top employees can contribute to the Democratic ticket.
The policy is meant to remove any implication of a "pay for play" scandal, according to a memo obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press.
------
4:13 p.m.
The nation's largest investment bank is barring its top employees from contributing to certain political campaigns -- including Donald Trump's White House bid. But the policy does not bar those employees from contributing to Democrat Hillary Clinton's campaign.
That's because the new rules, which went into effect last week, prohibit partners at Goldman Sachs from donating to state officials who are seeking federal office. That applies to Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, Trump's running mate, so Goldman Sachs partners can't contribute to the Republican ticket.
But Clinton and her running mate, Tim Kaine, meet neither of those criteria, meaning top employees can contribute to the Democratic ticket.
The policy is meant to remove any implication of a "pay for play" scandal, according to a memo obtained Thursday by The Associated Press.
------
4:01 p.m.
Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein is wanted on a warrant in North Dakota after she allegedly spray-painted construction equipment during a protest against the Dakota Access pipeline.
Stein was charged Wednesday in Morton County with misdemeanor counts of criminal trespass and criminal mischief.
------
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.
Download our free app for Apple and Android and Kindle devices.
Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox. Select from these options: Breaking News, Severe Weather, School Closings, Daily Headlines and Daily Forecasts.
