US Elections

More than 3.3 million Americans have already voted. And among that group, Democrats have improved their position in North Carolina, Nevada, Arizona and even Utah compared to this point in 2012.

Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana turned down the request from the Russian consulate in Houston. Louisiana Secretary of State Tom Schedler wrote that recent flooding had left his office extremely short-staffed trying to deal with the damage and prepare adequately for the vote on November 8. "Had this flood event not occurred, we certainly would have been open to such a visit," he told Consul General Alexander Zakharov.

Both Oklahoma and Texas denied the Russian proposal citing state laws that prohibit it.

Trump offered a stunning declaration during the final presidential debate that he might not accept the results of next month's election. In his first speech since the debate, Trump seemed to simultaneously double down on the stance he articulated Wednesday night while also trying to clean it up.

Trump argued forcefully during a rally here that he was being asked to "waive" his right to contest the election after critics slammed him for refusing to pledge to accept the results of the election the previous night during the final presidential debate.

Hillary Clinton was explaining her plans to raise taxes on the wealthy when she pointedly referred to Trump's possible tax avoidance: "My social security payroll contribution will go up, as will Donald's, assuming he can't figure out how to get out of it."

Trump's retort? "Such a nasty woman."

It quickly became one of the defining quotes of the night on social media.

Hillary Clinton will be joined at Wednesday's debate by two well-known billionaires who are backing her campaign, in what may be an attempt to rattle Republican nominee by su btly questioning his own net worth.

Meg Whitman, the Hewlett-Packard CEO and former Republican California gubernatorial candidate, and Mark Cuban, the outspoken billionaire owner of the Dallas Mavericks, will both be Clinton's guests at Wednesday's third and final presidential debate.

He said Mr Trump's attempt to discredit a poll before it has even taken place was "unprecedented" for a US presidential candidate.

Also "unprecedented", said Mr Obama, was the Republican candidate's "flattery" of Russia's president.

Mr Trump is facing sinking poll numbers and accusations of sexual assault.

The businessman-turned-politician has claimed the 8 November election will be "absolutely rigged" for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

Mrs Trump called those accusations "lies" and saying Mr Trump was "egged on" into "boy talk" during a 2005 tape in which he made lewd comments about women.

"I believe my husband. I believe my husband," she said in an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper on Monday.

"This was all organized from the opposition. And with the details ... did they ever check the background of these women? They don't have any facts."

She also said she hadn't heard her husband use that kind of language before.

"The flammable substance appears to have ignited inside the building, burned some furniture and damaged the building's interior before going out. The substance was housed in a bottle thrown through one of the building's front windows,"according to a statement by the town of Hillsborough.

His comments appear to contradict his running mate Mike Pence, who told NBC earlier Mr Trump would "absolutely" accept the election result, despite media "bias".

Mr Trump's adviser Rudy Giuliani has also accused Democrats of "cheating".

Polls suggest Mr Trump is losing ground in some of the key battleground states.

Meanwhile Hillary Clinton's running mate Tim Kaine has blasted Mr Trump's election-rigging claims as "scare tactics".

"The other day I'm standing at my podium and she walks in front of me, right? She walks in front of me and when she walked in front of me. Believe me, I wasn't impressed, but she walks in front of me," he said at a campaign rally in Greensboro, North Carolina.

It was not clear what he meant when he said he "wasn't impressed" and a message left with the Trump campaign was not immediately returned. But Trump has commented on women's appearances in recent days, particularly those who have made sexual assault allegations against him.