Maine governor’s outburst tests limits of anger politics

Assange says WikiLeaks to release ‘significant’ Clinton campaign data
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – WikiLeaks founder and editor-in-chief Julian Assange said on Wednesday his organization planned to release “significant” information linked to the campaign of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton before the Nov. 8 election.

California legislature passes climate change bills
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – California lawmakers voted to extend the state’s climate change fighting efforts out to 2030 on Wednesday, giving a new lease on life to the most ambitious greenhouse gas reduction program in the country.

Trump adviser’s Russia credentials come under scrutiny
MOSCOW (Reuters) – When Donald Trump named a little-known U.S. energy consultant as part of his foreign policy team, the adviser’s ex-boss was puzzled; how could the relatively junior banker he knew in Moscow a decade ago be qualified to brief a presidential candidate?

Trump targets China trade, says plans serious measures
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump threatened on Wednesday to slap tariffs on Chinese products to show Beijing that the United States is “not playing games anymore” when it comes to leveling the field on trade.

Chorus grows for Clintons to shutter charitable foundation
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Clinton Foundation, the family philanthropy of Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, should shut down or transfer operations to another charity despite its good work to avoid perceptions of “pay-for-play,” The Washington Post and USA Today said in editorials on Wednesday.

Exclusive: Clinton leads Trump in key swing states, would likely win election – poll
NEW YORK (Reuters) – If the U.S. presidential election were held today, Democrat Hillary Clinton would win the key swing states of Florida, Ohio and Virginia and have a 95 percent chance of beating Republican Donald Trump to become America’s first female president, according to the Reuters/Ipsos States of the Nation project.

Trump says immigration enforcement would protect jobs for minorities
TAMPA, Fla. (Reuters) – U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would crack down on illegal immigrants disobeying the law to help protect the jobs of minority workers, as he seeks to widen his appeal to black and Hispanic voters.

Drug price hikes can damage company reputations: White House
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House on Wednesday said pharmaceutical firms risked damaging their reputations with big price hikes, but it sidestepped commenting directly on Mylan NV’s decision to raise the price of its severe allergy treatment drug EpiPen.

Hillary Clinton to receive intelligence briefing Saturday: sources
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is scheduled to receive a pre-election briefing from U.S. intelligence officials on Saturday, a source familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

Clinton calls for reduction in cost of allergy drug EpiPen
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Hillary Clinton called on pharmaceutical company Mylan NV to voluntarily drop the price of their severe allergy treatment drug EpiPen, which has increased in price by 400 percent in the past decade.

Brexit campaigner Farage says to address Trump rally
LONDON (Reuters) – Nigel Farage, an anti-immigration politician who was a figurehead of the successful campaign to get Britain out of the European Union, intends to address a Donald Trump rally on Wednesday, a spokesman said.

Chorus grows for Clintons to shutter charitable foundation
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The foundation started by Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton should shut down despite its good work, two major newspapers said in editorials on Wednesday, calling for its closure to avoid perceptions of “pay-for-play” amid the U.S. presidential campaign as critics step up their attacks over the issue.

Trump suggests potential softening in hardline position on immigration
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) – U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump held out the possibility on Tuesday of a softening of his hardline position on illegal immigration, a move that could help move him to the political center but hurt him with his most ardent supporters.

Kansas asks U.S. appeals court to reinstate strict voter ID rule
DENVER (Reuters) – Kansas on Tuesday asked a U.S. appeals court to reinstate rules requiring proof of U.S. citizenship from people registering to vote, the latest political battle over stringent identification laws enacted in Republican-led states ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

Appeals court upholds Ohio law that shortens early voting
(Reuters) – A federal appeals court on Tuesday upheld an Ohio law passed in 2014 that shortened the state’s early voting period and abolished a so-called Golden Week when residents could register and cast ballots in the same week.

Illinois governor’s office warns of crippling pension payment hike
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Potential action this week by Illinois’ biggest public pension fund could put a big dent in the state’s already fragile finances, Governor Bruce Rauner’s administration warned.

Texas, four other states sue over U.S. transgender health policy
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) – Texas and four other states sued the Obama administration on Tuesday over extending its healthcare nondiscrimination law to transgender individuals, saying the move “represents a radical invasion of the federal bureaucracy into a doctor’s medical judgment.”

Clinton leads Trump by 12 points in Reuters/Ipsos poll
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton leads Republican rival Donald Trump by 12 percentage points among likely voters, her strongest showing this month, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Tuesday.

U.S. CBO says budget deficit to reach $590 billion for fiscal 2016
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. budget deficit is expected to grow to $590 billion in fiscal year 2016 due to slower than expected growth in revenues and higher spending for programs including Social Security and Medicare, the Congressional Budget Office said on Tuesday.

Trump finds Republican rallying cry in Clinton Foundation attacks
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who has struggled to drive a consistent message and consolidate the support of his own party, is honing his attack on Democratic rival Hillary Clinton and the foundation bearing her last name, making it a rallying cry for fellow Republicans to get behind his campaign.

Biden tells Baltic states: Don’t take Trump seriously
RIGA (Reuters) – U.S. Vice President Joe Biden told Baltic leaders on Tuesday not to take seriously comments by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump that called into question the U.S. commitment to protect NATO allies in the face of Russian aggression.

In re-election bid, Ohio senator keeps safe distance from Trump
COLUMBUS, Ohio/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Rob Portman is largely ignoring Donald Trump, which is hard to do in U.S. politics today, but the strategy seems to be working for the Republican senator in his re-election bid in Ohio.

Clinton proposes standard tax deduction for small businesses
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign released additional details on Tuesday about how she would support U.S. small businesses if elected, including establishing a standard tax deduction that has previously only been available to individuals.

Obama, Biden meet Costa Rica’s president, discuss steps to protect migrants: White House
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden met Costa Rica’s President Luis Guillermo Solis on Monday to discuss Central America and new steps to improve security and governance and protect vulnerable migrants, the White House said.

Clinton says U.S. presidential election an ‘alternative reality’
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Democrat Hillary Clinton said on a late-night television show on Monday that sometimes she feels she is in an “alternative universe” in the U.S. presidential race against Republican Donald Trump.

U.S. lawmakers press Mylan on EpiPen price increases
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Two senior lawmakers on the U.S. Senate’s Judiciary Committee on Monday pushed for information regarding sharp price increases for EpiPens, drug-filled injectable devices used by people to counter potentially deadly allergic reactions.

Republicans urge U.S. Treasury to overhaul tax inversion proposals
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republican lawmakers called on U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew on Monday to overhaul proposed regulations intended to crack down on American companies that try to reduce their U.S. taxes by rebasing abroad in a process known as inversion.

Trump says he’s not flip-flopping on immigration plan: Fox News
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said on Monday he is not changing his tune on his immigration policy, which includes plans to deport 11 million people who are in the United States illegally.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Powell brushes off Clinton over emails
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Former Secretary of State Colin Powell over the weekend dismissed reports that Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Hillary Clinton told federal investigators that it was at his suggestion that she used a personal email account, according to a media report.

Trump campaign signals possible shift on immigration stance
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A senior aide to U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump signaled a possible shift in his hardline immigration policies on Sunday, saying his plans to deport 11 million people who are in the country illegally were under review.

Democrats fear hackers targeted tight Florida races for latest data leaks
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Leading Democrats are growing increasingly worried that the hackers who made public leaked documents this week were trying to sabotage the Democratic candidates in several central Florida congressional races, the first time such leaks have been targeted so directly.

FBI probing possible U.S. ties to corruption by former Ukraine president: CNN
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The FBI and U.S. Justice Department are investigating possible U.S. ties to alleged corruption involving the former president of Ukraine, including the work of firms headed by political operatives Paul Manafort and Tony Podesta, CNN reported on Friday, citing multiple U.S. law enforcement officials.

Trump tours flooded Louisiana, Obama to visit next week
BATON ROUGE, La. (Reuters) – U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his running mate toured flood-damaged Louisiana on Friday, despite the Democratic state governor’s urging not to make political stops in areas affected by recent deadly rains.