The Latest: Klobuchar criticizes Trump over mosque massacre

By The Associated Press 17 March 2019, 12:00AM

The Latest on the Democratic contenders for president (all times Eastern):

1:10 p.m.

Democratic presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar is criticizing President Donald Trump for his response to the deadly attack in a New Zealand mosque, telling voters in Iowa "it's our job to stand up against" white supremacism.

Trump played down the threat posed by white nationalism on Friday after the mosque massacre that left 49 people dead. The man accused of the shootings has described himself as a white nationalist who hates immigrants.

Klobuchar spoke about the shooting during a campaign stop in Waterloo, Iowa, on Saturday. The Minnesota senator referenced Trump's comments after a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017 when he said "both sides" were to blame for violence.

She said, "that other side was white supremacism."

Another Democratic hopeful, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, also is criticizing Trump, who he says "uses exactly the same language of this monster who shot Muslims and talked about the invaders." He says the president "continually looks for dog whistles to spread hate rather than for looking for ways to search for the better angels of our nature."

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11:25 a.m.

Presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke is going the distance in Iowa — taking it on the run Saturday in a 5K road race.

The Texas Democrat finished the run in North Liberty in about 25 minutes. He said he was on pace for a slower, 40-minute time in the roughly 3-mile race but began chatting about health care with a fellow runner, kept pace with him and finished faster.

Before the race, many runners posed for pictures or asked if O'Rourke was a regular runner — he frequently jogs — but there was little talk of politics.

The former congressman entered the 2020 presidential race Thursday after months of speculation. He has four Iowa events scheduled Saturday.

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10:20 a.m.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has championed public service opportunities during a campaign stop in New Hampshire, saying the work could help treat some of the woes facing the country today.

The Democratic presidential hopeful says public service "changes your life." Gillibrand says, "That's why I want national service. That's why I want to make it the cornerstone of my presidency."

The New York senator held a civic service round table in Manchester on Saturday as she finishes a two-day swing through the first-in-the-nation primary state.

She said she "would like to tell anyone in America, if you're willing to do two years of public service, you can get your college degree paid for. So if you're willing to do a year and only a year, you can get two years paid for."

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1:05 a.m.

Joe Biden is the scheduled headliner at a Democratic Party dinner in Delaware, his home state, as the former vice president considers whether to make another White House run.

Others already in the 2020 race — including Beto O'Rourke, the former Texas congressman who's just joined the crowded field — are visiting early voting states.

New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is ending a two-day tour in New Hampshire. That's where Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is set to make some stops in his first visit to the state since announcing his presidential run.

In Iowa, O'Rourke is scheduled to appear at three events, starting with a St. Patrick's Day road race. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders will give a speech in Nevada.

By The Associated Press 17 March 2019, 12:00AM

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