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Independent presidential candidate Evan McMullin on Sunday labeled Republican nominee Donald Trump a racist, calling for more people to "come out and say that cleanly." "Donald Trump is a racist," McMullin said in an interview at the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin. "Trump is a racist brand. We need to call a spade a spade, and any American leader needs to stand up for equality in this country."

WASHINGTON — Independent presidential candidate Evan McMullin was certified Friday as a write-in candidate in Texas after fixing an eligibility hiccup that initially led the Texas secretary of state to deny his application. ... In McMullin’s initial application, one of the 38 electors he submitted — Brittany Gilbert of Austin — was not a registered voter, said Alicia Pierce, a spokeswoman for Secretary of State Carlos Cascos. As a result, Gilbert was not an eligible elector, and McMullin’s application was denied. But Keith Ingram, the secretary of state’s director of elections, wrote in a letter to McMullin on Friday that...

McDonald's made a minor change to its Egg McMuffins, and sales of the sandwiches have exploded as a result. The company recently changed its recipe for the sandwiches to replace margarine with butter. Adding butter had an immediate impact, driving up sales of Egg McMuffins by double digits, executives said on an earnings call Thursday. In addition to the McMuffins, executives said another butter-based recipe also helped drive McDonald's sales in the most recent quarter: the buttermilk crispy sandwich. "It outperformed the high end of our expectations," McDonald's CEO Steve Easterbrook said of the sandwich. The company on Thursday reported...

On Monday’s Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas confessed that she celebrated her gold medal by enjoying a McDonald’s Egg McMuffin. For a 16 year-old who has been training for years and working non-stop such a guilty pleasure was certainly deserved. Unfortunately, seated next to Gabby on the couch was First Lady Michelle Obama, the nation’s unofficial health and wellness czar. She was taken aback by the youngster’s “shocking” meal choice. She told Douglas that “you’re setting me back” and that in her view Americans should not be encouraged to eat Egg McMuffins.

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: By the way, did you hear what Michelle did? Gabby Douglas was on the Leno show, The Tonight Show. You gotta hear this. Gold medal gymnast, Gabby Douglas. She's on The Tonight Show with Michelle (My Belle) Obama. Leno says, "Gabby after you won your gold medal, how did you celebrate? What did you do?" DOUGLAS: After the competition, I splurged on a Egg McMuffin... LENO: Egg McMuffin! DOUGLAS: ...at McDonald's. (laughter) Michelle Obama Scolds Olympics Hero Gabby Douglas for Eating an Egg McMuffinOBAMA: Gabby, we don't... LENO: Egg McMuffin! OBAMA: ... don’t encourage him! I'm sure...

LOS ANGELES - Herb Peterson, who invented the ubiquitous Egg McMuffin as a way to introduce breakfast to McDonald's restaurants, has died, a Southern California McDonald's official said Wednesday. He was 89. Peterson died peacefully Tuesday at his Santa Barbara home, said Monte Fraker, vice president of operations for McDonald's restaurants in that city. He began his career with McDonald's Corp. as vice president of the company's advertising firm, D'Arcy Advertising, in Chicago. He wrote McDonald's first national advertising slogan, "Where Quality Starts Fresh Every Day."