Are you overwhelmed by political jargon? Can’t stand disecting the latest election headlines? Then check out staff reporter Lee Fisher’s election update. She sets out to inform readers in an easily digestible style.

Creative Commons Gage Skidmore

By Lee Fisher

Latest Polls
According to leading poll agency FiveThirtyEight, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton currently leads Republican nominee Donald Trump with a predicted 61.7 percent chance of winning the 2016 presidential election. FiveThirtyEight predicts that Clinton will be able to garner 46.7 percent of the popular vote and 291 electoral votes, putting her well above the 270 required to take the presidency. Other national polls taken Friday have put Clinton up by a margin of six to seven points. Although Clinton’s lead has been steadily slipping since mid-August, the tides turned for her earlier this week and she has made incremental gains in the polls.

Donald Trump
Scandals
This past week, Trump’s momentum in the polls has begun to decrease. Even Bruce Springsteen is critical of Trump’s positions. “Well, you know, the republic is under siege by a moron, basically,” Springsteen said in Rolling Stone on Friday. However, in a stunning turn of events, former presidential hopeful Sen. Ted Cruz endorsed Trump today after months of bitter rivalry. In addition, calls for Trump to release his tax returns increased after his son, Donald Trump, Jr., told the public that his father’s returns were a distraction earlier this week.

Policies
This week, Trump introduced a new maternity leave plan that supports paid maternity leave for mothers for up to six weeks. He also called for the broad implementation of “stop and frisk” across America, a policy that is highly contentious among voters and lawmakers alike for its aggressiveness and questionable legality.

Events
Trump has been campaigning throughout the United States this week, in Colorado, North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Nevada, and Ohio. His rallies and campaign stops continue to draw large crowds.

Hilary Clinton
Scandals
After being sidelined from her campaign trail last week with pneumonia, Clinton has bounced back in the polls. However, voters and analysts alike are concerned about Clinton’s “likeability.” Is Clinton trustworthy enough for America to vote for her come November? Some also question whether her platform is disproportionately anti-Trump, and not pro-Clinton.

Policies
Like Trump, Clinton also introduced a maternity leave plan that would implement paid maternity leave. Unlike Trump, however, her plan would allow for up to 12 weeks of leave, and would cover both men and women, as opposed to Trump’s female-only plan. Clinton also added to her fiscal policy, proposing a 65 percent inheritance tax for the wealthiest Americans, and reiterating her support for a low-cost college experience for all.

Events
Clinton has used this past week to conduct interviews and make stops along her campaign trail, as well as appear on a Funny or Die skit, “Between Two Ferns.”

What to Look For
On Monday, September 26, look out for the first Clinton-Trump presidential debate on NBC. This debate will pit the two candidates against each other for the first time after their respective conventions, and is certainly a must-see. This debate will certainly have a big impact on polling numbers and could potentially determine which candidate breaks ahead as October looms.

For More Info
To find out more about the 2016 election, consult the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, CNN, FiveThirtyEight, or your local newspaper. But be sure to check back next Friday for a weekly update from the Coat of Arms!