The Latest: Gillibrand blasts Trump’s emergency declaration

The Latest on Democratic presidential candidates on the campaign trail(all times local):

12:50 p.m.

New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is calling President Donald Trump’s decision to declare a national emergency to construct a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border “inappropriate” and says Trump manufactured a crisis to justify the move.

Gillibrand, a Democratic presidential candidate, said during a visit to New Hampshire that the only national emergency “is the humanitarian crisis that President Trump has created at our border from separating family from children and treating people who need our help inhumanely.”

Trump declared a national emergency on Friday that allows him to bypass Congress and use billions of dollars from other agencies to build the wall. Congress approved far less money than Trump had sought, and the move drew bipartisan criticism on Capitol Hill.

Gillibrand visited a coffee shop in downtown Concord before stopping to listen to a homeless man, Kevin Clark, play a song by Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), “Father and Son.” She praised his singing and gave him a hug before heading off to a consignment shop, where she bought a vase and a small plate.

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11:36 a.m.

Several Democratic presidential candidates are spending the long holiday weekend on the campaign trail.

Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Kamala Harris are visiting early voting states on Friday that will be critical to securing the Democratic nomination next year.

Gillibrand is in New Hampshire to participate in a walking tour of downtown Concord before visiting businesses in Dover and meeting members of the LGBT community in Somersworth. New Hampshire is home to the nation’s first presidential primary.

Harris is in South Carolina, where she’ll hold a town hall in North Charleston. The South Carolina primary is the nation’s first-in-the-South contest and is a crucial test of African-American support.

The Associated Press