Trump reaching out to Democrats on spending bill: aides

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - White House officials on Friday said Republican President Donald Trump has been talking to Democratic senators as well as lawmakers from his own party about the urgency of passing a spending bill to avert a government shutdown at midnight. "He's calling bipartisan members. He will continue to do that. He will lead on this issue," Marc Short, the White House Legislative affairs director, said at a briefing on the potential for the government to close operations. (Reporting by Ayesha Rascoe; Writing by Lisa Lambert; Editing by Bill Trott)