Jeffrey Epstein autopsy concludes death was a suicide – live updates

That’s all our live coverage for today, thanks for following along. Some key links and developments from the day:

The president says he is dining tonight with Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO:

Having dinner tonight with Tim Cook of Apple. They will be spending vast sums of money in the U.S. Great!

President Donald Trump called Apple CEO Tim Cook "Tim Apple" during a meeting at the White House on Wednesday pic.twitter.com/B6z3tzeBeO

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Pelosi ‘deeply saddened’ over Israel’s decision to block Omar and Tlaib’s visit – live

Several more Democratic presidential candidates have issues statements condemning Israel’s decision to block Omar and Tlaib’s planned trip.

I don't believe any nation should deny entry to elected Members of Congress, period. It’s an affront to the United States. Open and engaged foreign relations are critical to advancing U.S. interests. Trump is playing politics as he weakens our global leadership. https://t.co/UnMt9Tsd7Q

It’s appalling that President Trump continues to attack two sitting Congresswomen and encouraged another country to deny U.S. officials entry. Trump's behavior is unacceptable, dangerous, and un-American. Israel's decision should be reversed immediately. https://t.co/jHd0VYVJ1u

Nancy Pelosi has put out a statement saying she is “deeply saddened” by Israel’s decision to block Omar and Tlaib’s trip.

“As one who loves Israel, I am deeply saddened by the news that Israel has decided to prevent Members of Congress from entering the country,” the House speaker said.

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US commerce secretary says Hong Kong protests are an ‘internal matter’ – as it happened

Donald Trump is linking US-China trade talks with the Hong Kong protests on Twitter, suggesting that if the China government wants to work out a deal it has to “humanely” work with the protestors.

Whereas investors and foreign leaders have blamed uncertainty around trade negotiations between the US and China is triggering economic volatility around the world, Trump has insisted that negotiations between himself and China’s Xi Jinping are going well and that Jerome Powell, the chairman of the Fed chairman that Trump nominated in 2017, is to blame.

I know President Xi of China very well. He is a great leader who very much has the respect of his people. He is also a good man in a “tough business.” I have ZERO doubt that if President Xi wants to quickly and humanely solve the Hong Kong problem, he can do it. Personal meeting?

..deferral to December. It actually helps China more than us, but will be reciprocated. Millions of jobs are being lost in China to other non-Tariffed countries. Thousands of companies are leaving. Of course China wants to make a deal. Let them work humanely with Hong Kong first!

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McConnell warns Beijing any violent crackdown of Hong Kong protests ‘unacceptable’ – live

Federal agents descended upon the private island of accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein as part of an ongoing investigation into the late financier, the FBI announced Monday.

Epstein died of an apparent suicide on Saturday while in federal custody at New York’s Metropolitan Correctional Center after being arrested on federal sex trafficking charges last month.

The New York Police Department is investigating attacks on Hasidic Jews in Brooklyn early Monday morning as a hate crime.

The hate crimes unit and local precinct are investigating the assaults, which were carried out against at least three people between the ages of 56 and 71.

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Texas, a Republican powerhouse, could shift to Democrats as demographics change

The Republicans have dominated the state for 30 years, but a host of retirements and a rise in Hispanic voters may mean that Texas becomes a battleground again as Democrats seek a path to power.

Sri Preston Kulkarni has just moved into his campaign headquarters, which for now could hardly be more bland: a faceless office with blinds on the windows in a tucked-away suburban Houston business park.

Not far away, though, are a Muslim community centre, a Korean market, Hindu temples, Vietnamese, Chinese, Indian and Mexican restaurants – reminders that this sprawling Texas metropolis is one of the most diverse urban areas in the nation.

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Why Trump’s ‘maximum pressure’ foreign policy yields minimum results

The president is heading into 2020 with no major successes and looming crises – so many expect him to attempt to reverse the trend with dramatic deals

Donald Trump is heading into the 2020 elections with no clear-cut foreign policy successes, some dramatic failures and a string of looming crises around the world that could undermine his bid for re-election.

For that reason, many expect the president to try to reverse the trend with dramatic interventions around the globe with uncertain outcomes – which will make the next 16 months even more volatile than his presidency so far.

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Biden in his element in Iowa – is he still the Democrat most likely to beat Trump?

The former vice-president’s folksy charm went down well at the state fair – but critics say the party needs a bolder 2020 candidate

Joe Biden hardly seemed to be sweating.

He was standing on a small wooden stage at the Iowa state fair, a large crowd around him, no shade in sight. He wore a dark polo and his signature aviator sunglasses, and spoke with a vigor that was absent in his first two Democratic debate performances. But while his audience perspired in the oppressive August sun, cooling themselves with paper fans, Biden seemed at ease.

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Trump: boycott of Equinox and SoulCycle only makes owner Stephen Ross ‘hotter’ – live

President speaks amid protests against two fitness companies over Ross’s involvement with Trump campaign

Walmart has sent a memo to its stores asking them to take “immediate action” to remove signing and displays that “contain violent themes or aggressive behavior.”

“We’ve taken this action out of respect for the incidents of the past week, and this action does not reflect a long-term change in our video game assortment,” a Walmart spokesperson said in a statement.

Apparently Walmart is telling its employees to take down displays that show violent video games, specifically shooters, as well as movies and hunting videos. pic.twitter.com/2N3t4B86tf

Twitter has unlocked an account connected to Mitch McConnell’s campaign, which was frozen after it tweeted a video of a protest outside the Senate majority leader’s Kentucky home.

Twitter initially said the video violated its rules about violent threats, but the social media giant said in a statement that it has reviewed the case further.

Victory!!!

Thank you to EVERYONE for helping #FreeMitch.

Help us keep winning: https://t.co/u56exRnfKv pic.twitter.com/7Y28QdkrKv

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Trump campaign’s Facebook ads target Latinos in Texas days after shooting

The ads were launched just before US immigration officials raided food processing plants in Mississippi

On Monday, less than 48 hours after 22 people were killed in what is believed to be an anti-Latino domestic terror attack in El Paso, Texas, Donald Trump’s reelection campaign launched a new batch of Facebook ads referencing the grieving border city.

“¡Únete ya!” (“Join now!) the video ad declared, before displaying footage of two smiling fans holding a sign with the slogan, “LATINOS FOR TRUMP/FUND THE WALL TOUR 2019/EL PASO, TX.”

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Trump visits intensify US divisions as calls for action on gun control grow – live

Nancy Pelosi is leading a bipartisan congressional delegation to Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, after which the group will see a migrant detention center in McAllen, Texas.

Estoy entusiasmada de viajar a Guatemala con la Presidenta de la Cámara @SpeakerPelosi y la delegación del Congreso para que escuchen y hablen directamente con el pueblo guatemalteco como lo he hecho yo. https://t.co/1mZQcJjrKp

Trump has turned his focus to the Federal Reserve, which he has repeatedly bashed for not lowering interest rates fast enough.

....John Deere, our car companies, & others, to compete on a level playing field. With substantial Fed Cuts (there is no inflation) and no quantitative tightening, the dollar will make it possible for our companies to win against any competition. We have the greatest companies...

....in the world, there is nobody even close, but unfortunately the same cannot be said about our Federal Reserve. They have called it wrong at every step of the way, and we are still winning. Can you imagine what would happen if they actually called it right?

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Trump arrives in El Paso as hundreds of people protest his visit – live updates

Beto O’Rourke has said that Donald Trump is a white supremacist.

The former El Paso representative earlier spoke at a rally protesting the president’s visit.

Donald Trump has been very clear about who he wants to keep out of this country — with walls and cages and militarization and torture and cruelty. We in El Paso have borne the brunt of that, but we in El Paso are standing up to that. https://t.co/nEdgJvfwwy

Trump just posted photos from his visit to a hospital in Dayton, where the press pool was not allowed because it was “not a photo op”

White House @presssec says reporters were not included in Dayton hospital visit "because the visit was not 'a photo opp’" https://t.co/LKkI3bOkm5

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Nancy Pelosi teases statement on impeachment inquiry – live news

Emerald Garner, the daughter of Eric Garner, urges the New York Police Department to follow through with the firing of officer Daniel Pantaleo for the chokehold death of her father in July, 2014.

WATCH: Emerald Gardner, the daughter of Eric Garner, reacts to news that administrative judge recommends that NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo should be fired.

“We’ve waited 5 years... Commissioner O’Neill, fire Pantaleo.” pic.twitter.com/WE4R1wMLsY

The former US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, who resigned from the post in 2018, has replied directly (via Twitter, also) to the president’s offensive tweet earlier about congressman Elijah Cummings suffering an intruder at his house in Baltimore last weekend.

This is so unnecessary.

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Joe Biden confuses debate viewers with bizarre ‘website’ plug – video

Delivering what must have been one of the most cryptic gaffes of his career, Joe Biden caused mass confusion during the final moment of the latest Democratic debate, after he apparently urged viewers to visit a website that does not exist. Biden laid out his 2020 vision before telling those watching: 'If you agree with me, go to Joe 30330.' He had in fact meant to refer them to a phone number

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Joe Biden clashes with rivals in second Democratic debate – video

Joe Biden was the central target as 10 Democratic presidential candidates clashed in Detroit on Wednesday in the party's second 2020 debate. The former vice-president stood his ground against criticism of his healthcare and immigration plans, unlike in last month’s debate when he visibly struggled to defend his record

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Joe Biden stands his ground and resists rivals’ attacks in testy second debate

  • Former vice-president targeted in second Democratic debate
  • Biden rejects criticism of healthcare and immigration plans

Joe Biden was the central target as 10 Democratic presidential candidates took the stage for the second debate in Detroit on Wednesday, with rivals attempting to knock the former vice-president from his frontrunner status.

Unlike last month’s debate in Miami, however, where Biden visibly struggled to defend his decades-old record, this time Biden was ready for the fight.

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Outsider Marianne Williamson moves beyond the fringe in Democratic debate

  • New Age author was most-Googled candidate of the night
  • Williamson spoke for under nine minutes but won loud cheers

With her talk of harnessing love, her Hollywood friends and background in spiritual guidance and self-help books, many instantly wrote Marianne Williamson off as a joke candidate for the presidency after she jumped into the race.

But she has proved curiously magnetic during the brief moments she’s actually been able to speak from her lectern, literally on the fringe, at the televised Democratic primary debates so far.

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Marianne Williamson’s best moments from Democratic debate – video

Marianne Williamson was the most-searched candidate during the live broadcast, according to Google. The New Age author was widely written off as a joke when she entered the Democratic presidential contest and, while she remains a fringe candidate, she received praise for her answers last night on race, environmental justice and slavery reparations. Here is a look at her best moments during the debate

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Warren and Sanders give rivals Bonnie and Clyde treatment during fiery debate

Analysis: pair were dominant at event showcasing Democratic party’s split personality, pitting progressives against moderates

Bonnie and Clyde. Mulder and Scully. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. On Tuesday night it was Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders who, defying predictions that they would turn on each other, instead formed a leftwing tag team against the forces of moderation at the latest Democratic primary debate on Tuesday.

Warren and Sanders stood centre stage in the ornate Fox Theatre in Detroit, had the most speaking time – more than 35 minutes between them – produced the best lines of the night (with the possible exception of self-help guru and long-shot candidate Marianne Williamson) and had all the appearance of incumbents fending off pesky challengers. Barack Obama’s party this isn’t.

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Democratic debates: Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren among 10 candidates set to face off – live

Ten of the 20 candidates participating in the debates, which are hosted by CNN, will appear on the debate stage tonight in Detroit

The main attraction tonight is the duel on the left between septuagenarian senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. In football or soccer terms, it’s like a local derby. Could it turn nasty?

Aaron Kall, director of debate at the University of Michigan, said: “The key $10,000 question is whether the friendship lasts for the two hours of the debate because they’re colleagues and they have not gone negative with each other on the campaign trail. When you get on the stage under the bright lights, it could certainly change.

“I think Sanders has the incentive to do that, frankly, because he fared much better in the last cycle. He’s slipping to almost single digits now. If anyone needs to make a move and have the focus on the campaign it’s Sanders and, by going negative against Warren, that could be the way.”

Kall, editor of the book Debating the Donald, added: “I think she would be hesitant to respond and we saw in the first debate there were many instances where she could have interjected herself forcefully into the debate but she kind of disappeared for an hour. So if she doesn’t respond, it could be successful for him and put some more spotlight on him, which has been lacking in the last several weeks or months of this campaign.”

The debate’s proximity to Flint, Michigan, has thrown a spotlight on the need for candidates to better flesh out their plans to ensure safe drinking water and fight environmental racism.

The facts are clear: climate change and pollution disproportionately harm low-income communities and communities of color — and are major contributors to ongoing economic and racial inequality.

Today, I’m releasing my plan to build a just and inclusive clean energy economy. pic.twitter.com/qfb7xznEJd

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‘Own up to reality’: 2020 Democrats urged to confront US racial divide

As the NAACP gathered in Detroit, leaders warned presidential hopefuls not to shy away as Trump fans the flames

In August 2016, Donald Trump stood before an overwhelmingly white crowd in Dimondale, Michigan, and asked black people for their votes.

Related: Trump 'rat-infested' attack on Elijah Cummings was racist, Pelosi says

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