The Latest: Obama says nominees should receive briefings

WASHINGTON – The Latest on the U.S. presidential campaign (all times local):

5:00 p.m.

President Barack Obama says Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton should receive classified security briefings as the presidential nominees because it’s both tradition and required by the law.

He adds that he expects them to “start acting like a president” and keep them secret.

Obama had been asked during a Pentagon press conference whether he is concerned about Trump getting classified security briefings as the Republican presidential nominee.

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4:45 p.m.

Mike Pence says his running mate, Donald Trump, does not have time for the “thousands of rules of political correctness.”

The Indiana governor and Republican vice-presidential nominee told a crowd on Thursday in Virginia Beach, Virginia, that Trump speaks “straight from his heart, straight from his mind.”

It was just the latest instance of Pence attempting to smooth over controversy provoked by Trump, who has feuded with the family of a slain Army captain and refused to endorse prominent Republicans facing re-election.

Earlier Pence said that he and Trump “have different styles.” And he added that his even keeled demeanour was partly intended to balance out Trump’s personality.

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4:40 p.m.

Secret service agents stepped on stage next to Hillary Clinton after protesters interrupted a Thursday campaign rally in Las Vegas.

The protesters were animal rights activists.

“Apparently these people are here to protest Trump because Trump and his kids have killed a lot of animals,” Clinton said.

Trump has said his sons “love to hunt.” They’ve been pictured with dead exotic game animals, including a leopard and elephant tail. Killing endangered species is highly controversial and illegal in some places.

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4:20 p.m.

Hillary Clinton is attacking rival Donald Trump for outsourcing at his companies, saying he’s sending overseas the very jobs he’s promised to create back at home.

Clinton said after touring an electric manufacturing company : “Everything he’s made he’s made somewhere else. He’s not put Americans to work.”

She said: “I’ve met people who were destroyed by Donald Trump, so take a look at what he’s done, not what he says.”

Clinton is campaigning in Las Vegas where she’s been talking about her economic plans. She’s been hitting Trump for manufacturing his branded products, including ties and clothing, at overseas factories.

Clinton aides see the attacks as a way to undercut Trump’s business credentials, which have formed the core of his campaign message.

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4:15 p.m.

Republican Donald Trump is praising House Speaker Paul Ryan, whom he has thus far declined to endorse in his primary race.

Trump told supporters at a rally in Maine, that “Paul Ryan’s a good guy.”

Trump said in an interview this week that he’s “just not quite there yet” when it comes to endorsing Ryan, who has not shied away from criticizing the Republican nominee on a number of issues.

The mention of Ryan drew some boos from the crowd.

Trump’s running mate, Mike Pence, on Wednesday delivered a full-throated endorsement of Ryan on Wednesday, marking a break from the nominee,

Trump said Pence called him to ask if he’d mind the endorsement. “I said go ahead and do it, 100 per cent,” Trump said.

He also dismissed reports that the endorsement suggested there was “a fissure” between the two.

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4 p.m.

Protesters holding pocket U.S. Constitutions are interrupting Donald Trump’s rally in Portland, Maine.

At least three groups of protesters have stood up to voice their opposition to the Republican presidential nominee.

As one group was led out by private security officials, a Trump supporter tried to grab at the documents.

The protesters appeared to be referencing Khizr Khan, a vocal Trump critic whose son was killed in the Iraq war. Khan delivered an emotional appeal at the Democratic National Convention, holding up a copy of the Constitution as he challenged Trump.

The protesters were met by boos and chants of “USA!” from Trump supporters.

Trump’s rallies used to be marked by constant protesters, but they have died down in recent weeks.

Trump responded by saying, that he “sort of missed my protesters.”

“We need law and order,” he said.

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3:50 p.m.

Republican Donald Trump is again referencing footage of Iranians off-loading $400 million in cash from a plane that his campaign says he didn’t see.

Trump repeated at a rally in Maine that he saw footage distributed by the Iranians showing the cash being delivered to Tehran in January.

“They want to embarrass our president” he said.

But Trump’s campaign said earlier Wednesday that Trump was simply referring to old footage shown “on all major broadcasts this morning” when he mentioned the video. That footage was not taken in Iran and did not show Iranians offloading money.

The Washington Post said the footage Trump saw was grainy nighttime video of people getting off a small plane, holding bags. “Geneva, January 17,” the footage is clearly labeled.

Trump apparently mistakenly assumed that this footage depicted the cash transfer.

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3:35 p.m.

Republican Gov. Paul LePage of Maine says he has an answer for reporters who keep asking whether he still supports his party’s nominee, Donald Trump.

“The answer’s very simple: Yes. More than ever,” he said at a mid-day Trump rally in his state.

LePage is introducing Trump in Portland, where he is campaigning Thursday.

LePage said the media has been “very tough” on Trump since the beginning of the race, but is giving rival Hillary Clinton a “free pass.”

“They attack him every single day,” he said. “They love to sensationalize a few comments and then they make a big deal about it.”

Trump’s supporters responded to his mention of Clinton by chanting, “Lock her up!”

LePage labeled her the “queen of corruption.”

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3:30 p.m.

A Koch brothers group is announcing a new $1 million ad buy in the Wisconsin Senate race to support Republican incumbent Ron Johnson.

The announcement Thursday comes two weeks after the group, Freedom Partners Action Fund, acknowledged it was cancelling $2.2 million in ad reservations in the state. That earlier move was widely interpreted as Republicans writing off Johnson’s chances against Democrat Russ Feingold, who has led in polls.

Freedom Partners fund spokesman James Davis says the decision to get back into the race reflects “some shifts in the polls” and that it was a “false interpretation” to think the group had given up on Johnson.

Johnson is one of the most vulnerable senators this election cycle.

Billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch are major donors to Republicans.

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12:45 p.m.

A Colorado congressman is the first House Republican to expressly distance himself from Donald Trump in a campaign ad.

Rep. Mike Coffman faces a tough challenge in Colorado’s most ethnically diverse congressional seat, in suburban Denver. His Democratic opponent repeatedly compares him to Trump.

Coffman starts a new television ad talking about his party’s presidential nominee. Coffman looks at the camera and says he’s always asked about Trump and then says, “Honestly, I don’t care for him much.”

Coffman promises that if Trump is elected, “I’ll stand up to him.” Coffman adds that he would also stand up to Hillary Clinton.

The 30-second ad begins airing in Denver Friday. Politico first reported the ad.

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12:30 p.m.

Mike Pence came under harsh questioning at a campaign event. His interrogator: an 11-year old.

At a town hall Thursday in Raleigh, North Carolina, Pence, Donald Trump’s running mate, took a question from a boy who identified himself as 11-year old Matthew.

Matthew said Pence has been “softening up on Mr. Trump’s policies and words” and questioned whether that would be his role in a Trump administration. That prompted an outburst of laughter from the crowd and led Pence to predict that Matthew will be governor of North Carolina someday.

Apparently alluding to controversial comments by Trump, Pence said, “sometimes things don’t always come out like you mean.”

Pence added that he and Trump “have different styles — you might have noticed that.”

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11:45 a.m.

Democratic vice-presidential candidate Tim Kaine says “a profound distance” has grown between law enforcement and communities in many parts of America, and that distance is dangerous.

Kaine spoke Thursday at National Urban League’s “Save our Cities” conference in Baltimore. He says the nation needs to invest more in training to deescalate heated situations involving police so that they don’t turn violent. He says Hillary Clinton has pledged to make that investment.

Kaine also says Clinton understands the need for criminal justice reform and rebuilding trust between police and communities.

The Democratic and Republican presidential campaigns were invited to speak at the conference. Republican Donald Trump’s campaign declined an invitation to speak.

The National Urban League is among the leading national advocacy organizations for African Americans.

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11:35 a.m.

Democratic vice-presidential candidate Tim Kaine says cities would have strong partners in Washington if Hillary Clinton wins the White House.

Kaine spoke Thursday at National Urban League’s “Save our Cities” conference in Baltimore. He says Clinton will focus on bringing jobs to urban areas and investing in infrastructure.

Kaine also says Clinton understands the need for criminal justice reform and rebuilding trust between police and communities.

The Democratic and Republican presidential campaigns were invited to speak at the conference. Republican Donald Trump’s campaign declined the invitation.

The National Urban League is a leading advocacy organization for African-Americans. The four-day conference has been focusing on issues such as poverty, housing, education and strategies to combat joblessness.

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11 a.m.

House Speaker Paul Ryan is reaffirming his support for Donald Trump in his first comments since the Republican nominee declined to endorse the speaker in his upcoming GOP primary.

Ryan brushed off Trump’s stance, telling a radio interviewer in Green Bay, Wis., that the only endorsement he cares about is from voters in his congressional district.

But he also says that Trump “has had a pretty strange run since the convention. You would think we should be focusing on Hillary Clinton and all of her deficiencies.”

Ryan says it’s “distressing” that that’s not what the conversation is about.

Ryan made his comments on the “Jerry Bader Show” on WTAQ radio in Wisconsin.

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8:45 a.m.

Another Republican congressman is saying he’s unlikely to support Donald Trump for president.

Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois said the Republican nominee is “beginning to cross a lot of red lines of the unforgivable in politics.”

Kinzinger said on CNN Wednesday that he won’t support Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, but suggested he may write somebody in at the polls or skip voting in the presidential race.

Republican House members Richard Hanna of New York, Pennsylvania’s Charlie Dent and Florida’s Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Carlos Curbelo have said they won’t support Trump. Hanna has said he will vote for Clinton.

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7:55 a.m.

Donald Trump’s campaign chairman is playing down a rift between the Republican nominee and House Speaker Paul Ryan.

Paul Manafort acknowledged “a conflict within the Trump campaign” after vice-presidential candidate Mike Pence endorsed Ryan a day after Trump declined to do so. Manafort spoke on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

Manafort said the campaign has “sort of had a rule of not getting involved in primaries.” He said Ryan’s primary rival “is not going to win,” but noted he has supported Trump.

“Of course he’s going to work with Paul Ryan,” Manafort said Trump has “tried to bridge the party together” with Ryan.

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3:20 a.m.

Donald Trump’s running mate Mike Pence has tried to focus on winning over conservatives who are skeptical of the New York billionaire, but his new boss keeps getting in the way.

The Indiana governor has been called on several times to do damage control this past week after the Republican presidential nominee made incendiary remarks.

Trump feuded publicly with the family of deceased Army Capt. Humayun Khan after they criticized Trump’s anti-Muslim rhetoric. Trump also refused to endorse Arizona Sen. John McCain and Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan.

Pence responded by saying Khan’s family should be cherished. He also had a meeting with McCain and publicly endorsed Ryan.

There’s no indication Trump is unsatisfied with Pence’s approach. Some supporters hope Pence will counterbalance Trump’s more provocative remarks.