The Latest: Kaine predicts Catholic shift on gay marriage

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Published September 11, 2016 2:30AM (EDT)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the 2016 presidential campaign (all times EDT):

10:15 p.m.

Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine is predicting the Roman Catholic Church may eventually change its opposition to gay marriage.

Kaine is a devout Roman Catholic as well as a U.S. senator from Virginia and a former governor of that state. He told the Human Rights Campaign during its national dinner Saturday in Washington that he changed his mind about gay marriage in 2005 and that his church may follow suit one day.

Kaine points to God and what he calls the beautiful diversity of the human family and says he believes "we're supposed to celebrate it, not challenge it."

The president of the Human Rights Campaign, Chad Griffin, called Republican nominee Donald Trump the "gravest threat" the LGBTQ community has faced in a presidential election.

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4:36 p.m.

Donald Trump is planning to mark the 15th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks by attending the official commemoration at ground zero.

A person familiar with the decision, but not authorized to discuss it until it's announced publicly, told The Associated Press on Saturday that Trump is expected to attend the annual commemoration at the World Trade Center site.

His Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, is also attending. It is not clear whether the two will cross paths, and neither candidate is expected to make public remarks.

Both Trump, a native New Yorker, and Clinton, who was senator from New York at the time of the attacks, have agreed to refrain from campaigning Sunday, continuing the tradition of setting aside partisan politics on the somber anniversary.

— by Jonathan Lemire

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4:05 p.m.

Donald Trump says that Hillary Clinton's remarks calling half of his supporters a "basket of deplorables" is "the worst mistake of the political season."

Trump said in a statement Saturday that "her true feelings came out, showing bigotry and hatred for millions of Americans."

Clinton made her comments at an LGBT fundraiser in New York late Friday, then walked them back Saturday, saying in a statement that it was "grossly generalistic, and that's never a good idea."

She specified that she believes the word "deplorable" was reasonable to describe much of Trump's campaign.

Trump is calling Clinton's comments a "grotesque attack" and questioning how she can be president when "she has such contempt and disdain for so many great Americans."

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3 p.m.

Donald Trump told mourners at a funeral service for conservative icon Phyllis Schlafly that she promoted the idea that the "little person" can beat "the rigged system."

Trump spoke at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis Saturday, where he said that Schlafly is looking down on those gathered, telling them to "keep up the fight."

The Republican nominee said Schlafly was "there for me when it was not at all fashionable."

Trump concluded his brief remarks speaking to Schlafly, saying, "we will never, ever let you down."

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2:50 p.m.

Donald Trump has arrived at the funeral of conservative icon Phyllis Schlafly.

The Republican nominee arrived Saturday with his wife, Melania, at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, where the funeral will be held.

Trump is expected to speak at the Catholic service for Schlafly, who died Monday at the age of 92.

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2:05 p.m.

Hillary Clinton says she regrets describing half of Donald Trump supporters as a "basket of deplorables."

In a statement Saturday, Clinton said that, "many of Trump's supporters are hard-working Americans who just don't feel like the economy or our political system are working for them."

She said she was "grossly generalistic" in her remarks at the LGBT fundraiser in New York Friday and, she added, "that's never a good idea."

She said she regrets only half of her statement, emphasizing that it is "really deplorable" that Trump is affiliated with people from the right-winged "alt-right movement," and that "David Duke and other white supremacists see him as a champion of their values."

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1:55 p.m.

The head of the Republican National Committee is describing Hillary Clinton's description of Donald Trump supporters as "insulting."

In a statement Saturday, a day after Clinton said she regards half of Trump's supporters as a "basket of deplorables," Reince Priebus said Clinton is showing "her outright contempt for ordinary people."

He added that millions of Americans support the Republican nominee because, "they are sick of corrupt career politicians like Hillary Clinton."

Clinton made her remarks at an LGBT fundraiser in New York late Friday. She then pivoted and tried to characterize the other half of Trump's supporters, putting them in "that other basket" and saying they need understanding and empathy.

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12:00 p.m.

Donald Trump's running mate is firing back at comments by Hillary Clinton in which she described Trump supporters as a "basket of deplorables."

Mike Pence said Saturday at the Values Voters Summit in Washington that Clinton's comments should be "denounced in the strongest possible terms."

He said that Trump supporters are "not a basket of anything," adding, they are "members of every class of this country who know that we can make America great again."

Clinton made her comments at an LGBT fundraiser in New York late Friday, adding that Trump supporters are "The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamaphobic — you name it."

Pence said, "the men and women who support Donald Trump's campaign are hard-working Americans: Farms, coal miners, teachers, veterans, members of our law enforcement community."

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11:05 a.m.

Donald Trump says he'll be in St. Louis later Saturday to attend the funeral of Phyllis Schlafly, the conservative activist who helped defeat the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s and founded the Eagle Forum political group.

Schlafly died Monday at age 92.

Trump tweets that he'll be in Missouri with his wife, Melania, for the funeral of "a wonderful and truly respected woman."

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11 a.m.

Hillary Clinton has verbally banished half of Donald Trump's backers to a "basket of deplorables," and the Republican presidential nominee is quickly pouncing.

He says she's smeared many Americans and will pay a heavy political price.

Clinton — who's said she's the candidate to unify a divided country— made the comment at an LGBT fundraiser Friday night at a New York City restaurant, with about 1,000 people in attendance.

Here's what she said:

"To just be grossly generalistic, you could put half of Trump's supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables. Right? The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamaphobic — you name it."

Clinton then pivoted and tried to characterize the other half of Trump's supporters, putting them in "that other basket" and saying they need understanding and empathy.


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