The Latest: NBA star, Ohio native LeBron James backs Clinton

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the presidential race between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton (EDT):

8:40 p.m.

Basketball star and Ohio native LeBron James is endorsing Hillary Clinton for president.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton meets with African American community leaders at Mert's Heart & Soul in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016, to discuss the urgency of addressing racial, economic and social justice issues. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

James says Clinton is a "champion for children and their futures." He also says Clinton is running on a message of "hope and unity" that is needed to address violence in black communities.

The Cleveland Cavaliers star cast a vote for Clinton as a way to build on the legacy of President Barack Obama.

James detailed his support for Clinton in an op-ed in Business Insider and the Akron Beacon Journal. The Akron, Ohio, native announced his support on the eve of Clinton's visit to his hometown.

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1 p.m.

Did Rudy Giuliani really mean to say Donald Trump would make a better president than Hillary Clinton because he's a man?

The former New York mayor told ABC's "This Week" that Trump was a "genius" for maneuvering around tax laws, unlike Clinton who was investigated by the FBI for using a private email server.

He said: "Don't you think a man who has this kind of economic genius is a lot better for the United States than a woman, and the only thing she's ever produced is a lot of work for the FBI checking out her emails?"

A phone call and email to Giuliani's staff asking if he would like to elaborate were not immediately returned.

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11:59 a.m.

Hillary Clinton says the spate of gun violence in the United States shows that "protecting all of God's children is America's calling."

The Democratic presidential nominee spoke at church services in Charlotte, North Carolina, which has been grappling with last month's shooting death of a black man by a police officer.

Clinton said at Little Rock AME Zion Church that the country should try to imagine gun violence "through our children's eyes."

She was joined at the pulpit by 9-year-old Zianna (Zee'-anna) Oliphant. The black child recently gave a tearful address to the city council on race relations, saying she couldn't "stand how we're treated."

The shooting of Keith Lamont Scott led to two nights of violent protests in downtown Charlotte.

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10:35 a.m.

Hillary Clinton's campaign manager says the report on Donald Trump's tax returns should resonate with many people who feel the U.S. tax system is unfair.

Robby Mook tells NBC's "Meet the Press" that voters clamoring for change are realizing that Trump isn't the solution.

Here's what Mook says: "We talk about the rigged system out there. Donald Trump embodies that."

Mook was referring to a New York Times report — based on 1995 tax documents — that showed Trump declared a $916 million loss that year. Such a loss is large enough to allow a person to avoid paying federal income taxes for as many as 18 years.

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10 a.m.

Donald Trump adviser Rudy Giuliani says the Republican candidate is a "genius" if he avoided federal income taxes and noted that poor people can take advantage of the same tax "loophole."

Giuliani tells NBC's "Meet the Press" that if Trump hadn't used his business losses to his advantage on his taxes, he would have been sued by any business partners and shareholders.

Giuliani says: "The reality is he's a genius."

The New York Times obtained tax documents from 1995 that showed a $916 million loss in federal taxable income, a loss large enough to allow him to avoid paying federal income taxes for as many as 18 years.

When asked whether such a loophole was fair, Giuliani noted that many Americans have such low incomes that they aren't required to pay federal income taxes either.

In Giuliani's words: "A lot of the people that are poor take advantage of loopholes and pay no taxes. Those are loopholes also."

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9:32 a.m.

Chris Christie says a new report showing Donald Trump's business losses in 1995 may have allowed him to avoid paying federal income taxes for years is a "very good story" for Trump."

The New Jersey governor said on "Fox News Sunday" that the New York Times story showcases "the genius of Donald Trump" because he has said he'd follow the law, would ease tax policy on working people and knows tax policy better than anyone.

Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill retorted Sunday that Trump's nearly $916 million loss in one year "represents real pain to many people who never got paid."

They were referring to a story late Saturday in which the Times said it anonymously received the first pages of Trump's 1995 state income tax filings in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. The filings show a net loss of $915,729,293 in federal taxable income for the year, a large enough loss to allow him to avoid paying federal income taxes for as many as 18 years.

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9:30 a.m.

Bernie Sanders says a report that Donald Trump's business losses in 1995 were so large that he could have avoided paying federal income taxes for 18 years underscores how the wealthy have manipulated the political system at the expense of the middle class.

Sanders said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union" that middle class Americans are working longer hours for lower wages. He says billionaires don't have that problem because they've got their friends on Capitol Hill.

Sanders said "That is why people are angry and want real change in this country."

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7:45 a.m.

Donald Trump is tweeting about the New York Times story that alleges he lost so much money in 1995 that he would have been allowed to pay no federal income taxes for as many as 18 years.

He tweeted early Sunday: "I know our complex tax laws better than anyone who has ever run for president and am the only one who can fix them. #failing@nytimes."

In a story published online late Saturday, the Times said it anonymously received the first pages of Trump's 1995 state income tax filings in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. The filings show a net loss of $915,729,293 in federal taxable income for the year, a large enough loss to allow him to avoid paying taxes for as many as 18 years.

Democratic rival Hillary Clinton's campaign manager, Robby Mook pointed to Trump's comments during his first debate with Clinton, in which he said that not paying federal income taxes would show he was "smart."

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, second from right, stands in the audience during a service at the Little Rock AME Zion Church in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

FILE - In this Monday, Aug. 29, 2016, file photo, Gov. Chris Christie listens to a question from the media in Trenton, N.J. Testimony that Christie was told about traffic jams at the George Washington Bridge while they were going on raises the question: Why wasn¿t he charged? Former prosecutors said the bar is high for such accusations, especially for someone of Christie¿s profile. (AP Photo/Mel Evans, File)

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump finishes his speech at Spooky Nook Sports Complex in Manheim, Pa., Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016. (James Robinson/PennLive.com via AP)

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a rally, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016, in Manheim, Pa. (AP Photo/John Locher)