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Donald Trump has doubled down on his attacks on a former Miss Universe in a stream of early-morning tweets.

Trump's verbal barbs directed at Alicia Machado, who won the Miss Universe title in 1996, started after the first presidential debate Monday when Hillary Clinton mentioned her and claimed that Trump used to call her "Miss Piggy" and "Miss Housekeeping."

Rather than back away from the accusations, Trump has repeatedly defended his criticisms of the woman and her weight.

His latest came online this morning:

He posted a third tweet in which he makes reference to her past, but doesn't mention specific allegations.

Both Clinton and Machado responded today online to Trump's latest claims, with Clinton calling him "unhinged" on Twitter.

Machado posted a lengthy response on her Instagram account next to a picture of her posing while wrapped in a U.S. flag.

"The Republican candidate and his campaign team are again generating attacks, insults, and attempting to revive defamations and false accusations about my life, she wrote in Spanish.

All this with the goal of intimidating me, humiliating me and throwing me off once more. The attacks that have come up are slanderous and cheap lies with bad intentions, that have no foundation.

"When I was a young woman, the now candidate, humiliated me, he insulted me, he publicly disrespected me, like he accustomed to do in private in the most cruel of ways. As this has happened to me, it has become clear over the course of the years, that his actions and conduct have repeated themselves over the decades towards other woman.

Thus, I will keep standing, sharing my story, my absolute support in the name of woman going to Secretary Clinton, for my sisters, aunts, grandmothers, female cousins, female friends and the female community," she wrote.

Trump's Twitter tirade wasn't the first round of shots he has fired this week at Machado, 39, a naturalized U.S. citizen who won Miss Universe two decades ago representing Venezuela.

On Tuesday morning, hours after leaving the debate stage at Hofstra University, Trump called into Fox and Friends and talked about how the pageant organizers "had a tremendously difficult time with" Machado.

"She was the winner, and, you know, she gained a massive amount of weight, and it was a real problem, Trump said. We had a real problem. Not only that, her attitude, and we had a real problem with her.

Machado has been speaking out since the debate, defending Clinton's accusations against Trump.

"He was really aggressive, Machado said of Trump on CNN Tuesday. He was really rude. He was a bad person with me. And that is the story that I need to share.

She added that there are less-than-stellar moments in her personal history, and did not deny the allegation when CNNs Anderson Cooper asked her about media reports that she drove a getaway car during an attempted murder allegedly committed by her then-boyfriend.

"You know, I have my past. Of course, everybody has. Everybody has a past, she said. And I'm not a saint girl. But that is not the point now.

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Donald Trump Doubles Down on Attacks Against Beauty Queen ...

The Trump plan will rewrite the tax code to allow working parents to deduct from their income taxes child care expenses for up to four children and elderly dependents.

The Trump plan would create new Dependent Care Savings Accounts (DCSAs) so that families can set aside extra money to foster their childrens development and offset elder care for their parents or adult dependents.

Mr. Trumps plan will provide regulatory reform to promote new family-based and community-based solutions, and also add incentives for employers to provide child care at the workplace.

The Trump plan will guarantee six weeks of paid maternity leave by amending the existing unemployment insurance (UI) that companies are required to carry.

Last weeks GDP report showed that the economy grew a mere 1.2% in the second quarter and 1.2% over the last year. Its the weakest recovery since the Great Depression the predictable consequence of massive taxation, regulation, one-side trade deals and onerous energy restrictions.

Its an easy decision for Mexico. There are several ways to compel Mexico to pay for the wall.

Since March of 2010, the American people have had to suffer under the incredible economic burden of the Affordable Care ActObamacare. This legislation, passed by totally partisan votes in the House and Senate and signed into law by the most divisive and partisan President in American history, has tragically but predictably resulted in runaway costs, websites that dont work, greater rationing of care, higher premiums, less competition and fewer choices.

The most important component of our China policy is leadership and strength at the negotiating table. We have been too afraid to protect and advance American interests and to challenge China to live up to its obligations. We need smart negotiators who will serve the interests of American workers not Wall Street insiders that want to move U.S. manufacturing and investment offshore.

The current state of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is absolutely unacceptable. Over 300,000 veterans died waiting for care. Corruption and incompetence were excused. Politicians in Washington have done too little too slowly to fix it. This situation can never happen again, and when Donald J. Trump is president, it will be fixed fast.

The Donald Trump plan will revise and update both the individual and corporate tax codes.

Donald J. Trump on the Right to Keep and Bear Arms

The Second Amendment to our Constitution is clear. The right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed upon. Period.

Real immigration reform puts the needs of working people first not wealthy globetrotting donors. We are the only country in the world whose immigration system puts the needs of other nations ahead of our own. That must change.

Excerpt from:
Positions - Donald J Trump | Donald J Trump for President

Hillary Clinton used the first presidential debate of the general-election season to launch a full frontal attack on Donald Trump, baiting him into fights over his personal finances, taxes, sexism, race relations, business dealings and personal honesty.

If Clinton came looking for a fight, she found it. Her aggressive tone drew Trump in.

He attacked Clinton right back, showing flashes of anger that channeled public frustration and also the coarser side of his public persona.

It made for some lively exchanges, including several that brought an edge to Trumps tone.

She doesnt have the look, Trump said toward the end of the debate. She doesnt have the stamina.

Trump appeared rattled at times, particularly as the debate wore on. Yet his main attacks on Clinton were rooted in policy grounds, as he sought to give voice to public anger not just at Clinton but at the broader political class.

Youve been doing this for 30 years why are you just thinking about these solutions now? Trump said in a section of the debate about ways to create jobs.

I have thought about this quite a bit, Clinton countered.

Yeah, for 30 years, Trump responded.

Trump stretched facts and attacked Clintons temperament. He for the most part kept his cool.

Throughout the debate, Clinton called Trump Donald. He almost always referred to her as Secretary Clinton and made sure that was all right with her.

I want you to be very happy. Its very important to me, Trump said, challenging the fact-checkers once again.

Trump was brought onto his shakiest ground of the night when moderator Lester Holt brought up President Barack Obamas birthplace specifically why it took Trump until just weeks ago to declare the matter settled.

Trump flatly said, I say nothing to those who wonder why he pushed the matter as long as he did. And he falsely accused Clinton of starting the birther question in 2007, claiming credit for putting the issue to rest.

Just like she cant bring back jobs, she cant produce Obamas birth certificate, Trump said.

Clinton pounced on an issue with resonance among black voters and other parts of the Obama coalition.

It cant be dismissed that easily. He has really started his political activity based on this racist lie that our first black president was not an American citizen, she said. The birther lie was a very hurtful one.

Apparently worried that Trump would be on his best behavior, Clinton started her barrage early. She suggested that Trumps success is inherited, and that hes hiding his tax returns to avoid embarrassment.

Maybe hes not as rich as he says he is, she said. Maybe hes not as charitable as he claims to be.

Trump didnt even bother to deny Clintons suggestion that he hasnt paid income taxes for a lot of years, turning even that into an argument against the status quo.

It would be squandered too, believe me, Trump said.

Clinton also found a groove in attacking Trump on Iraq. Trump again insisted that he was against the Iraq War before it started, a statement for which there is no public record in support of his claim.

For his part, Trump took Clinton on consistently, attacking her on jobs, trade and national security, using her as a stand-in for politicians in general.

I have a feeling that by the end of this evening, Im going to be blamed for everything that ever happened, Clinton said at one point.

Trump: Why not?

Clinton: Just join the debate by saying more crazy things.

Clinton had one of her better moments in declaring her fitness for office, keying off of Trumps criticism of her for retreating from the campaign trail.

Donald just criticized me for preparing for this debate. And yes, I did, she said. And you know what else I prepared for? I prepared to be president. And I think thats a good thing.

Later in the debate, Trump allowed that Clinton has experience, but its bad experience, he said.

This country can't afford to have another four years of that kind of experience, Trump said.

After the first extraordinary encounter between two extraordinarily unpopular nominees, the plays are clear. Clinton is putting her experience up against the anger Trump is channeling, anger that has two distinct sides to it.

They proved they can get under each others skin. But neither candidate proved that he or she has a winning message, not on the night of the first debate.

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ANALYSIS: Hillary Clinton Baits Donald Trump Into Fight ...

As Donald Trump courted African-American voters in Cleveland on Wednesday at a town hall taped by Fox News to air Thursday evening, he seemed to express support for establishing the stop and frisk policing policy on a national level.

When asked by an audience member how he would stop violence in the black community, Trump responded, "I would do stop and frisk. I think you have to. We did it in New York. It worked incredibly well. And you have to be proactive, and you know, you really help people sort of change their mind automatically."

He added, "New York City was incredible, the way that worked, so I think that could be one step you could do."

The law enforcement policy in which police officers stop and question pedestrians regardless of whether they believe a crime has been committed, then search the pedestrians if the officers suspect violations has been extremely controversial, particularly in communities of color, and has been the subject of several legal challenges alleging racial profiling and discrimination. The policy gained prominence in the 1990s under New York City Police Commissioner Bill Bratton and Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who is now a close confidant of Trump's.

Trump previously expressed his support for the policy, praising Giuliani for its success in New York. Trump has as of late also been an ardent supporter of profiling regarding immigration, believing it is a helpful tactic in stopping terrorism.

He has drawn the ire of some African-Americans not only for praising stop and frisk but also for painting a grim portrait of black life.

On Tuesday night, Trump said, "Our African-American communities are absolutely in the worst shape that they've ever been in before, ever, ever, ever" seeming not to take into account slavery, institutional segregation or the often violent reactions in the civil rights movement.

On Thursday morning, however, in an interview on "Fox & Friends," he sought to amend his position, saying he never meant to suggest that stop and frisk should be implemented nationally.

"Now Chicago is out of control. I was referring to Chicago with stop and frisk," Trump said.

His initial answer came in response to a question that did not mention Chicago, though Trump cited the city in a previous answer as a place that is "out of control."

Of course, as president, Trump would not be able to unilaterally implement the policy in a single city; he would have to defer to local officials and law enforcement.

During a press conference, the members of the Congressional Black Caucus were asked about Trump's stop-and-frisk remarks. "The notion that stop and frisk had anything to do with the improving public safety numbers in New York is ludicrous, and Donald trump needs to check his facts," said Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York.

"We would ask Donald Trump to bone up on his knowledge of what is constitutional and what is unconstitutional," said Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-New York.

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Donald Trump Calls for Nationwide Stop-and-Frisk Policy, Then Rolls It ...

"Any person in this party that does not support Trump at this point is increasing the chances of Hillary Clinton becoming president and destroying the Constitution," Franks said.

On the other side, Cruz backers say that the first-term senator should stick to his guns and withhold an endorsement -- or risk angering his own supporters who detest Trump.

"I have five rules for political endorsements," said Steve Deace, an Iowa radio talk show host who was an outspoken Cruz backer during the primary. "And Cruz endorsing Trump violates every single one of them."

Less than two months until Election Day, Trump has once again put Cruz in a bind. As Trump's poll numbers rise and now is neck-and-neck against Clinton, the GOP nominee's backers are looking for every last ounce of support to showcase that there is momentum and energy behind his campaign. If Trump falls short of Clinton by a narrow margin, Trump's backers are bound to blame holdouts like Cruz for failing to do more to help their party.

Yet if Cruz backs Trump now, he'll be accused of political opportunism and anger his core supporters who hailed his controversial speech at the Republican National Convention where he pointedly declined to endorse his party's nominee.

It would mean embracing a man who during the primaries taunted the senator with the nickname "Lyin' Ted," suggested Cruz wasn't eligible to be president due to his Canadian birthplace, and speculated that Cruz's father was involved in the JFK assassination.

Cruz risks getting little credit for backing Trump belatedly, while turning off the anti-Trump wing of the party that is bound to become more vocal -- and potentially more powerful -- if Clinton wins the White House.

"He's in a box," said one senior Senate Republican.

Yet, Trump has hired key Cruz allies, including campaign manager Kellyanne Conway and spokesman Jason Miller. And in a sign of a thawing of relations, Trump on Wednesday expressed support for a Cruz-backed, Internet-related proposal in government funding talks in the Senate.

Cruz tweeted his appreciation for Trump. But when the Senate dropped the language from the government funding bill Thursday, the Texas Republican stayed mostly quiet in the chamber -- a departure from his usually outspoken style.

In recent days, Cruz has been making comments of the GOP nominee that are emblematic of the tightrope he's trying to walk. He is declining to say if he would formally offer his endorsement of Trump, but argued that Clinton should never be elected president. In effect, he's trying to show that he is willing to help the party without formally giving his blessing to Trump.

"My focus is on defeating Hillary Clinton and helping preserve a Senate Republican majority," Cruz told CNN. "Because we need a federal government that is devoted to defending the Constitution, to defeating radical Islamic terrorism and keeping this country safe."

Asked if that meant he could endorse Trump before November, Cruz added: "I've given you my answer."

"He thinks about it every day," Cruz's former campaign Jeff Roe, who was Cruz's campaign manager, told reporters at a Bloomberg event this week.

"I'm hoping there's still time for him to come forward, or I think he and all the other people you named will be left in the rear view mirror of the Republican Party moving forward," Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a Republican, told radio talk show host Laura Ingraham this week.

The back-and-forth comes as Cruz is trying to showcase a more collaborate style in the Senate in recent weeks. After calling his colleagues part of a corrupt "Washington cartel," criticizing their convictions and battling them over policy and tactics for three years, he has, in the words of one of his colleagues, made "nice." He transferred $100,000 over to the National Republican Senatorial Committee recently.

And next month, he is joining the senior Texas senator, John Cornyn, to headline two fundraising events in Houston and Dallas for GOP senators up for reelection, including Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt, Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr, New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte and Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey.

"We're working on that together," Cornyn said.

Cruz himself may need help from his fellow lawmakers in two years. He faces a possible 2018 Senate primary challenge from Texas Rep. Michael McCaul, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, who has increasingly made an issue of Cruz's failure to endorse Trump.

"I mean, [Cruz] pledged to support him," McCaul told Ingraham this week. "He broke his word."

CNN's Theodore Schleifer contributed to this report.

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Donald Trump's rise puts Ted Cruz in a bind - CNNPolitics.com