But first, you might want to rethink that selfie: Appeals court to consider ban on voter selfiesIs banning selfies in the voting booth is a violation of free expression or legitimate way to combat fraud? That’s the question that the First Circuit...

But first, you might want to rethink that selfie: Appeals court to consider ban on voter selfies

Is banning selfies in the voting booth is a violation of free expression or legitimate way to combat fraud? 

That’s the question that the First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston will try to answer today —  the first time a federal appeals court will consider the issue.

At issue is a 2014 New Hampshire law that makes it a crime, punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, for voters to take pictures of their ballots and share them on social media. Enforcement of the law was blocked a year ago by a federal judge, and the state appealed.

Only nine states appear to either explicitly allow ballot selfies or have no currently enforceable state law clearly forbidding it.

Most of the states, 26, explicitly ban it through various laws, including prohibitions on bringing cameras into polling places.

The law is unclear in Arkansas, Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, Ohio, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.

Read more here: http://on.msnbc.com/2ctqLrb

Tune in to the first joint candidate event of the 2016 general election! Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will take questions on national security, military affairs and veterans’ issues from a live audience comprised of service members and veterans...

Tune in to the first joint candidate event of the 2016 general election! 

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will take questions on national security, military affairs and veterans’ issues from a live audience comprised of service members and veterans on the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum.

Clinton surges past 270 electoral votes in new battleground map We’ve updated our NBC battleground map. The states in Hillary Clinton’s column now add up to 288 electoral votes, which exceeds the 270 needed to win the presidency. Donald Trump,...

Clinton surges past 270 electoral votes in new battleground map 

We’ve updated our NBC battleground map. The states in Hillary Clinton’s column now add up to 288 electoral votes, which exceeds the 270 needed to win the presidency. Donald Trump, meanwhile, is at 174 electoral votes, and an additional 76 are in the Tossup category. Our last map, back in July, showed Clinton with a 255-190 advantage — so Clinton’s tally has gone up since the conventions, while Trump’s has declined.

The significant changes in our map: 

- We’ve moved Colorado, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Nebraska’s one electoral vote from Tossup to Lean Dem. 

- We’ve also moved Florida from Lean Dem to Tossup.

- Georgia moves from Lean GOP to Tossup. 

- And we’ve changed Kansas and South Carolina from Likely GOP to Lean GOP. 

(Our regular caveat here, of course: These designations are subject to change as we get more poll numbers and reporting.)

Explore more here: http://on.msnbc.com/2bxZx7G 

Trump calls Obama the “founder of ISIS”

Donald Trump on Wednesday night appeared to blame President Barack Obama for the global terror threat, erroneously accusing him of creating ISIS and saying the group “honors” him.

“In many respects, you know, they honor President Obama,” Trump said at a rally in Florida. “He’s the founder of ISIS. He’s the founder of ISIS. He’s the founder. He founded ISIS.”

Trump continued: “I would say the co-founder would be crooked Hillary Clinton.”

And then he doubled-down on his comments. Read more here: http://on.msnbc.com/2b1qldw