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The Latest: La. says it doesn't know about Trump visit

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on Campaign 2016 (all times local):

9:35 p.m.

Louisiana's governor's office says it has not been contacted by Donald Trump's campaign concerning a possible tour of the state's flood damage.

A campaign official had said the GOP nominee and his running mate Mike Pence will travel to the state Friday. That person spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the plans before they were officially announced.

Richard Carbo, spokesman for Gov. John Bel Edwards, says Trump "hasn't called the governor to inform him of his visit."

Carbo says Trump is welcome to Louisiana, "but not for a photo-op."

Instead, Carbo proposes Trump "consider volunteering or making a sizable donation to the LA Flood Relief Fund to help the victims of this storm."

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9:00 p.m.

Hillary Clinton's campaign says Donald Trump's statement of regret for causing pain was just him reading words from a teleprompter.

Clinton spokeswoman Christina Reynolds said in a statement that Trump's speech only revealed that, "his speechwriter and teleprompter knows he has much for which he should apologize, " adding that Trump should specify which of his "offensive, bullying and divisive comments he regrets - and changes his tune."

Trump on Thursday told supporters in Charlotte, N.C., that he regrets words he has spoken that have caused people pain. He did not explicitly apologize or name the people he referenced.

The Clinton campaign statement listed hundreds of Trump's "insults." They include Trump's feud with the Muslim American parents of an Army captain slain in Iraq, women and people with disabilities.

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8:37 p.m.

Donald Trump will tour the flood damage in ravaged Louisiana Friday.

A campaign official familiar with the plans says the GOP nominee and his running mate Mike Pence will travel to the state on Friday.

The person spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the plans before they were officially announced.

At least 13 people have died as a result of the flooding, and at one point 11,000 were in shelters.

Trump said at a rally Thursday that his prayers are with the people impacted.

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8:33 p.m.

A veterans group says Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton will appear next month at a televised forum to discuss national security, military affairs and veterans issues.

The sponsor of the forum, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, says the presidential candidates will appear back to back and take questions. The hour-long event will be televised Sept. 7 on NBC and MSNBC.

The veterans group says questions will come from NBC News and from members of an audience that will include military veterans and active-duty service members.

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8:23 p.m.

Donald Trump is accusing rival Hillary Clinton of "bigotry" - a claim Clinton's campaign has thrown back in Trump's face.

Trump says at a rally in Charlotte that Clinton "sees communities of color only as votes and not as human beings worthy of a better future."

He claims that she and other Democrats have failed to do enough to improve the lives of minorities and those who live in inner cities.

Trump says that, if African-American voters give him a chance by giving him their vote, "the result for them will be amazing."

He asks, "What do you have to lose by trying something new?"

Trump is trailing Clinton by vast margins among minority voters.

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8:11 p.m.

Republican Donald Trump is doubling down on the outsider message that helped power him to victory in the GOP primary.

Reading from prepared remarks at a North Carolina rally, Trump says that he is "running to be the voice for every forgotten part of this country that has been waiting and hoping for a better future."

In a nod to the continued frustration in his party over his unorthodox campaign and inability to stay on message, Trump says that he's "glad that I make the powerful a little uncomfortable now and again - including some powerful people in my own party."

He says that "means I am fighting for real change."

Trump has been denounced dozens of current and former GOP party officials, advisers, and White House staffers.

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7:46 p.m.

For the first time, Republican Donald Trump says he regrets some of his most heated campaign statements.

The GOP nominee says at a rally in Charlotte that, "sometimes in the heat of debate and speaking on a multitude of issues, you don't choose the right words or you say the wrong thing. I have done that. And believe it or not, I regret it," he says, "particularly where it may have caused personal pain."

Trump says that, "Too much is at stake for us to be consumed with these issues."

Trump is reading from prepared remarks, using a teleprompter instead of his usually off-the-cuff rally style after re-shaping his campaign team.

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7:37 p.m.

Donald Trump is addressing the devastating flooding in Louisiana.

He says that the country is united, and that "when one state hurts, we all hurt."

He is sending his prayers to the people affected.

Trump has been striking a new, more unifying tone in recent days as he's shaken up his campaign leadership once again.

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4:36 p.m.

It's Donald Trump like he's never been seen before.

Life-size naked statues of the Republican presidential nominee greeted passers-by in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle and Cleveland on Thursday. They are the brainchild of an activist collective called INDECLINE, which has spoken out against Trump before.

In a statement, the collective said the hope is that Trump "is never installed in the most powerful political and military position in the world."

The statues were created by an artist in Cleveland. They are of a stern-faced Trump with his hands folded over a bulging belly. Some parts of male genitalia are visible while others seemingly are missing.

"It is through these sculptures that we leave behind the physical and metaphorical embodiment of the ghastly soul of one of America's most infamous and reviled politicians," INDECLINE said in its statement.

Trump's campaign declined to comment on the statues.

A statue in Union Square quickly drew the attention of people before it was removed by the city's parks department. INDECLINE said statues on the West Coast were still in place.

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4:04 p.m.

Sen. Bernie Sanders has pushed hard for transparency on U.S. trade and campaign finance, but has been far less aggressive in disclosing his own personal finances.

Sanders' presidential campaign got two deadline extensions on filing a candidate disclosure with the Federal Election Commission, and then was excused from doing so after he dropped out of the race. He recently bought a third house for nearly $600,000.

The independent lawmaker from Vermont ran unsuccessfully for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, often faulting the secrecy surrounding U.S. trade deals and saying sources of campaign money needed to be more transparent. Sanders also ran as an advocate for working people.

Spokesman Michael Briggs says the senator has filed the required disclosure as a congressman and senator. But Richard Skinner of the pro-transparency Sunlight Foundation says Sanders' failure to make the usual disclosures as a presidential candidate was unfortunate.

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3:20 p.m.

Donald Trump says he'll "take a very serious look" at Congressional term limits if he's elected to the White House.

Trump was addressing local law enforcement officers in North Carolina Thursday when he was asked about the benefits, pensions and term limits of members of Congress. The questioner said he wanted to "get these bums out."

Trump responded by saying the man was not the first person to voice those complaints.

He said, "We're going to take a very serious look" at term limits. Changing term limits would require a Constitutional amendment.

Trump also boasted about his popularity with police. He says their vote for him in November "could be unanimous. That could be, no matter where you go in the country, we may get no negative vote."

He told the officers, "I'm on your side, 1,000 percent."

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3:00 p.m.

Mike Pence says he wants to help New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan, a Democrat who recently struggled when asked whether Hillary Clinton is trust-worthy.

During a town hall event in Manchester on Thursday, Donald Trump's running mate played a CNN interview with Hassan. Three times, Hassan evaded direct the interviewer's questions about whether her party's presidential nominee is honest or trustworthy. Hassan's spokesman later clarified that Hassan believes Clinton is both.

Pence showed the video clip after saying Americans are sick of the "pay-to-play" politics he accuses Clinton of engaging in as secretary of state.

The Indiana governor sarcastically offered to help Hassan with her answers by saying simply "no" and put in a plug for U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, a Republican whose seat Hassan is trying to win.

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2:50 p.m.

Donald Trump is getting in some target practice on the campaign trail.

The Republican presidential hopeful was scheduled to meet with law enforcement officers Thursday at a local FOP Lodge in Iredell County, North Carolina, but decided to stop by the lodge's gun range first.

"I gotta say, this man can shoot," said Iredell County Sheriff Darren Campbell, who accompanied Trump.

He said Trump used an M4 gun often carried by law enforcement.

Trump tells the gathered officers after that, "We just went down to the range and we had a little shooting practice."

Trump is a staunch gun rights supporter and often talks about the issue on the campaign trail.

He is licensed to carry a hand gun in New York, but sometimes jokes that his eldest sons, both hunting enthusiasts, are better shots.

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1:25 p.m.

Two Democratic senators are pushing legislation to require presidential candidates to release their tax returns.

Sens. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Chris Murphy of Connecticut say their bill is specifically aimed at Donald Trump, who has refused to release his returns even though it's standard practice for presidential candidates.

The lawmakers say Trump's returns could disclose his financial interests in foreign countries, among other things, and seeing them is a pressing national interest.

Trump claims he can't release his returns because he's being audited.

Wyden and Murphy are calling on GOP leaders to bring up their bill when Congress reconvenes next month.

A spokesman for Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says there are no scheduling announcements but there are certain to be "lots of political messaging ideas" raised in coming months.

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1:05 p.m.

Hillary Clinton says the nation needs to work together to "repair the bonds of trust and respect" between police officers and communities and not stoke more divisions.

The Democratic presidential nominee was meeting with law enforcement leaders in New York City, joining with chiefs of police days after Republican Donald Trump accused her of being "against the police."

Clinton said Thursday at the start of the meeting that deadly shootings in Dallas, Baton Rouge and Milwaukee show the need for respect between police officers and residents.

She said the country can't ignore the challenges and "certainly we must not inflame them."

She told the group that the nation needs to work together "to bridge our divides, not stoke more divisiveness."

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1:00 p.m.

Republican Donald Trump has begun reserving television air time for the first time in the general election.

Trump's campaign will spend roughly $4.9 million over the next 10 days on ads to air in Florida, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania, according to Kantar Media's political ad tracker.

The ads are expected to begin airing Friday.

Trump approved two different ads Wednesday that will begin airing in the coming days, his new campaign manager Kellyanne Conway told CNN.

He is woefully behind: Clinton's campaign has spent more than 75 million on ads in the weeks since she effectively locked up the nomination in early June, Kantar Media's political ad tracker.

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10:45 a.m.

Donald Trump is predicting he'll have a new nickname.

Trump tweeted Thursday "They will soon be calling me MR. BREXIT!"

He offered no further explanation and the post was widely discussed - and sometimes mocked - on social media.

But Trump appeared to be referring to comments he made Wednesday in an interview on Fox News. In that exchange, he was discussing the political "movement" fueling his campaign and the reporter noted that "the world is changing" and mentioned Brexit, the June vote for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union.

Trump then said "I think I will be called Mr. Brexit."

He supported the Brexit movement and suggested it was "the people taking the country back." His self-appointed nickname likely was drawing parallels between his campaign and that outcome.

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3:30 a.m.

Weary Republican leaders are accepting Donald Trump's latest staff shake-up, hopeful that a new leadership team can reverse the New York businessman's struggles even as some worry it's too little too late.

The Republican National Committee has already conceded it may divert resources away from the presidential contest in favor of vulnerable Senate and House candidates if Trump's standing does not improve in the coming weeks.

RNC chief strategist Sean Spicer calls Trump's staffing changes the "healthy growth of the campaign at a senior level at a key point."

Trump on Wednesday announced a staff overhaul at his campaign's highest levels, the second shake-up in the past two months.

A combative conservative media executive with no presidential campaign experience, Stephen Bannon, will serve as CEO of Trump's White House bid.

Iredell County, N.C. Sheriff Darren Campbell, right, introduces Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, as he arrives to speak to retired and active law enforcement personnel at a Fraternal Order of Police lodge, during a campaign stop in Statesville, N.C., Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) The Associated Press
An employee of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation removes a statue of a naked Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016 in New York's Union Square. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) The Associated Press
FILE - In this July 25, 2016 file photo, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. speaks at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. Sanders’ presidential campaign gottwo deadline extensions on filing a candidate disclosure with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), and then was excused from doing so after he dropped out ofthe race. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) The Associated Press
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, flanked by New York Police Commissioner Bill Bratton, left, and Clinton campaign senior adviser Maya Harris, right, pauses as she meets with law enforcement leaders at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) The Associated Press
Iredell County, N.C. Sheriff Darren Campbell, right, introduces Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, accompanied by former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, as Trump arrives to speak to retired and active law enforcement personnel at a Fraternal Order of Police lodge, during a campaign stop in Statesville, N.C. Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) The Associated Press
Iredell County, N.C. Sheriff Darren Campbell, right, introduces Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, as he arrives to speak to retired and active law enforcement personnel at a Fraternal Order of Police lodge, during a campaign stop in Statesville, N.C., Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) The Associated Press
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton talks with media as she meets with law enforcement leaders at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) The Associated Press
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton talks with media as she meets with law enforcement leaders at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) The Associated Press
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, flanked by New York Police Commissioner Bill Bratton, left, and Clinton campaign senior adviser Maya Harris, talks to media as she meets with law enforcement leaders at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) The Associated Press
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump smiles while autographing a hat as he speaks to retired and active law enforcement personnel at a Fraternal Order of Police lodge during a campaign stop in Statesville, N.C., Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) The Associated Press
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