Defense attorneys have begun presenting their case in the trial of Roger Clemens. The former baseball pitching star is accused of lying to Congress when he denied using performance enhancing drugs. NBC?s Pete Williams reports.
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This year promises to be a revolutionary year for the internet. After years of being constrained by a limited number of domain names, businesses, organizations and individual registrants are set to gain access to a whole host of new online naming options. In the coming months, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is set to approve the launch of hundreds ? potentially even thousands ? of new generic top-level domain names (gTLDs), opening up a vast expanse of online real estate.
On June 20th 2011, ICANN?s board voted to end most of the restrictions on gTLDs, freeing up stakeholders to register domain name extensions of their choosing. Up until recently there were just 22 gTLDs ? such as .com, .net, .org and .info ? in existence, plus the new .xxx registry ? meaning choice was severely limited. As more and more people have headed online, this has applied pressure on the domain name system, and there have been a lack of ?simple? naming options for new registrants. Launching new gTLDs means companies, public bodies, charities and other organisations will be able to create domain names which more closely match their purpose, without the need to invest hundreds of thousands ? sometimes even millions ? of dollars.
The use of non-Latin characters ? such as Cyrillic, Arabic, Chinese ? will also be allowed in gTLDs, meaning web users across the world will have greater variety of choice and more opportunities to build their brands online. In countries whose main language is not based on Latin script, this can help boost engagement levels with consumers. Firms will be able to create gTLDs using their own brand names, main activities or purpose ? or even the name of the industry they are working in. Providing they pay ICANN?s $185,000 application fee and meet other regulatory criteria, parties can apply to register any gTLD of their choosing.
One potential issue this raises is the potential for new gTLDs to infringe on the intellectual property rights of another operator. With businesses and organizations around the world able to apply for gTLDs, it is possible there could be some crossover and duplication. Multiple parties may apply for the same gTLD ? for example .sport, .film or .music ? an issue which could create difficulties if they wish to use their main branding in the extension. The names of smaller companies in particular are likely to be repeated across the world. And larger companies often find themselves embroiled in intellectual property disputes, given the commercial significance of their brandings.
ICANN is expected to approve at least 1,000 gTLDs later this year, although some commentators expect this figure to be closer to 3,000.? The current application window closes on May 30th, but ICANN is planning to run further rounds in the future, giving more parties the opportunity to claim a particular domain registry. And with so many gTLDs likely to be launched, it is crucial that all parties take steps to ensure their brands are protected. Organizations need to have a strategy in place to quickly identify potentially infringing applications ? irrespective of whether they have applied for a gTLD or not.
Businesses and organizations can use gTLD application list watch and monitoring services to make sure their brands do not become exposed. If a new domain registry is likely to have a negative impact on their existing branding, they need to know about it as soon as possible. Specialist monitors can search the list of gTLD applications ? which is set to be published by ICANN in May ? for the use of names or terms which may affect another party?s activities. Firms can be notified of any exact matches in third-party gTLD application strings, plus close variations, phonetic similarities and related industry terms. Weekly checks can be conducted, allowing the search provider to keep their clients up to date on the latest developments.
This can help ensure that businesses ? where there is an appropriate case ? benefit from the launch of gTLDs, without the risk of suffering brand damage. The internet economy is worth billions per year, and companies are increasingly active over the web. They want to reap the benefits of online activity, and increased domain name options, without increased exposure to risk.
Tags: domain name, domain name management, domain names, new gTLD, new gtld's
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San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker (9), of France, reacts against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half of Game 2 in their NBA basketball Western Conference finals playoff series, Tuesday, May 29, 2012, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker (9), of France, reacts against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half of Game 2 in their NBA basketball Western Conference finals playoff series, Tuesday, May 29, 2012, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
San Antonio Spurs center Tim Duncan (21) gestures after a scramble for a loose ball against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first half of Game 2 in their NBA basketball Western Conference finals playoff series, Tuesday, May 29, 2012, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Oklahoma City Thunder coach Scott Brooks reacts on the bench against the San Antonio Spurs during the second half of Game 2 in their NBA basketball Western Conference finals playoff series, Tuesday, May 29, 2012, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)
SAN ANTONIO (AP) ? Tony Parker and the San Antonio Spurs are making this look way too easy.
Parker had 34 points and eight assists, Manu Ginobili added 20 points and the Spurs stayed perfect in the playoffs with a 120-111 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals Tuesday night.
So far, the Spurs have turned a hotly anticipated matchup between the league's top two scoring teams into a lopsided mismatch more befitting of an early round.
Game 3 is Thursday night in Oklahoma City, and the Thunder can only hope that a change of venue throws San Antonio out of its groove. The Spurs put on an offensive clinic for three quarters on Tuesday night, shooting 60 percent and building a 22-point lead.
"We like to play like that," said Parker, who hit 16 of 21 shots. "That's the way we play."
The Spurs set an NBA record with their 20th consecutive victory bridging the regular season and the playoffs. They came in sharing the longest such streak with the 2000-01 Lakers, who won 19 straight before losing to Philadelphia in the first game of the finals.
Those Lakers went on to win the championship and Parker's performance is yet another reason to think the Spurs will do the same.
"It's great and it is a great run," said Tim Duncan, who had 11 points and 12 rebounds. "But we are only worried about the next two wins in this series. That is all that matters, at this point."
The Thunder made a late surge to get within six points, but Parker, Ginobili and Duncan helped San Antonio finish them off. Oklahoma City is 5-0 at home in the playoffs, but only 14 teams have come back from 2-0 deficits to win a series in NBA playoff history.
"First, we've got to worry about Game 3," Thunder guard Russell Westbrook said. "Regardless of what's going on with this last game or the next game, we've got to worry about Game 3 and come in with the same mindset and try to get a win."
Kevin Durant had 31 points, Westbrook had 27 points and eight assists and James Harden rebounded from a rough Game 1 to score 30 for the Thunder, who have lost two straight for the first time since early April. Oklahoma City dropped to 15-4 in games after losses this season.
"There are no moral victories for us," Durant said. "We were down. We dug ourselves a hole. We did what we normally do, which is fight all game, and we lost."
San Antonio picked up where it left off from the 39-point fourth quarter that turned Game 1 on Sunday. With sharp passes and hot shooting, the Spurs jumped to a 19-9 lead after the Thunder missed six of their first seven shots and had three turnovers in the first 4 minutes.
Durant was on the bench at the start of the second quarter, and Parker and the Spurs put together a 14-4 spurt to stretch the gap to 13 points. Westbrook hammered Parker's arm on a drive and he crumpled to the court. That didn't faze Parker, who scored the Spurs' next seven points to keep San Antonio rolling.
The Spurs shot 58 percent (22 of 38) and had 13 assists in the first half. They also cut down their turnovers, committing only six in the first half after giving away 14 in the first two quarters of Game 1.
"You never go out and say, 'We're going to start out fast,'" San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. "You don't know what is going to happen. You just want your team to be aggressive."
After the break, the Spurs resumed picking apart Oklahoma City's defense with precision passes, scoring on five straight possessions. The biggest cheer from the crowd came after Ginobili flipped a behind-the-back pass to Parker in the corner for another 3 and the lead ballooned to 78-58.
Late in the third quarter, the Thunder began intentionally fouling Tiago Splitter, a 32 percent free-throw shooter during the playoffs.
That backfired, too. Splitter went 5 for 10 over a 54-second span before Popovich replaced him with Duncan, and Oklahoma City trailed by the same margin ? 16 ? that it did when Brooks called for the "Hack-a-Splitter" strategy.
It may not have showed on the scoreboard, but the Spurs seemed to lose their edge after that.
"There's a reason why you do it, to kill the rhythm," Parker said. "I think it got us out of our rhythm."
Parker, Ginobili and Duncan were on the court together at the 8-minute mark, after the Thunder cut the deficit to eight. Ginobili's floater in the lane was only the Spurs' third field goal of the fourth quarter and put San Antonio up 99-89.
The Thunder had the deficit down to six with just over 5 minutes remaining. The Spurs missed 12 of 15 shots during one stretch, but Parker hit an off-balance, high-arcing jumper with 3:39 left for a 107-96 lead and San Antonio controlled the game from there.
Notes: The Spurs' winning streak is the longest in the NBA overall since the Houston Rockets won 22 straight between Jan. 29-March 18, 2008, all in the regular season. ... The Thunder are the first team to reach 100 points against San Antonio in the postseason. ... Kawhi Leonard scored 18 points, including three 3-pointers for the Spurs. ... Duncan blocked four shots to tie Hakeem Olajuwon for second in career blocks in the postseason (472). Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the leader (476). ... Oklahoma City's Derek Fisher went 2 for 11 from the field after scoring 13 points in Game 1.
Associated Pressrachel crow steelers browns va tech dan gilbert david stern david stern julian beever
When you hear the term skin care, most often than not you will find that you are thinking about the face, if not that then you are either looking at or rubbing your hands on your forearms. We look at our arms because it?s the first place that we notice where the skin is dry and we often think of the face because of all the care and effort we have to put into it, to make sure that it feels good and looks great. Throughout your whole life, you will constantly be tending to your face in one way or another. As children our parents do it for us, but as get older and we lose that cuteness, our faces then become our own responsibility. We often neglect our skin because don?t see it for actually is.
There are so many people that don?t know that your skin is actually an organ and it functions just like all the others ? with purpose.
You can find skin care solutions like the ones on ellabache.com.au just about anywhere, and all you need to do is search online or at your nearest shopping centre to find what you are looking for in your area. Local stores will help if you don?t feel like travelling far, and the internet is in case you don?t feel like travelling at all. You can sit back in your chair and click your way to healthy skin if you like. You can buy everything you need to keep your face healthy, but you can also get products that can care for your arms and legs, your stomach and back and of course your hands and arms as well. You?ll be surprised how much of a beating your hands actually take on a daily basis and if you can?t take care of them, they will end up looking scruffy and course. If you are a person that works with your hands every day, then it?s particularly important for you because you are constantly doing something with them. Eye creams help reduce wrinkles and dark patches under the eyes by nourishing and replenishing the skin with healthy nutrients and fibres to keep your eyes looking fresh and revived.Even if you just want to add a bit of colour to your skin before the summer starts, you can either go in for a few sun bed sessions, or you can have a bronzing solution applied to your skin to get it there. Regardless of what it is, you can find the right skin answers online.
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By MICHAEL FALCONE ( @michaelpfalcone ) and AMY WALTER ( @amyewalter )
NOTABLES:
A DAY WITH THE DONALD: Say what you want about him, Donald Trump is the 2012 presidential race's most reliable provider of shock and awe. Mitt Romney invited The Donald to stand shoulder to shoulder with him on what was one of the most symbolically significant nights of his campaign - even after he spouted his "birther" theory on cable news. And while it might have been Romney's day to celebrate - after all, he did clinch the GOP nomination - it was the Democrats who were declaring victory, at least for one news cycle.
NEW WEEK, NEW ATTACK: ABC's Jake Tapper and Devin Dwyer have learned that the Obama campaign is opening a new front in its war against GOP rival Mitt Romney with planned attacks to begin this week on Romney's record as governor of Massachusetts and the campaign promises Democrats say he left unfulfilled.
NOTE IT! In our virtual political roundtable, Amy Walter and Jonathan Karl weigh in on the results of the closely-watched Republican Senate primary in Texas where, as Karl notes, the GOP sees the second coming of Marco Rubio.
VEEP BEAT: In today's Veep Beat, Two VP contenders take their turn boosting their foreign policy credentials as Sen. Rob Portman heads to Israel while Sen. Marco Rubio returns from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.? Gov. Bob McDonnell says the Romney camp hasn't asked for vetting documents, and is John Thune the dark horse candidate for VP?
THE NOTE:
It's hard to believe that roughly one year and one month ago today, Donald Trump and his entourage landed at a private airfield in New Hampshire where The Donald declared, "I'm very proud of myself."
Trump, of course, was taking credit for managing to do what his fellow "birthers" had not - compelling ?President Obama to release a copy of his Hawaiian birth certificate.
Watching Trump's midnight black helicopter touch down as President Obama held a news conference at the White House to answer questions about a discredited theory was one of those surreal moments that most of us never thought would be repeated.
Until yesterday.
Trump's masterful ability to claim an entire news cycle was on full display in Las Vegas yesterday - a day that was meant to be Mitt Romney's coming out party as the official heir to the Republican presidential nomination. Instead, it turned into another one of Trump's three-ring circuses.
Just a two days after conservative commentator George Will called the reality television star and real estate mogul a "bloviating ignoramus," Trump took to the airwaves, and in an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, told the host that, "I think you sound ridiculous" for pressing him on why he was still espousing the belief that the president was not born in the United States.
Somewhere there was a primary going on that helped Romney pass the magic number of delegates needed to clinch the nomination, but you'd hardly know it. And somewhere there was a presumptive Republican nominee and a campaign trying to push a message - about energy policy and jobs - against President Obama. But you'd hardly know that either.
CHALK THIS ONE UP IN OBAMA'S COLUMN. As ABC News Political Director Amy Walter points out, most voters - especially those highly sought after independent, swing voters - aren't monitoring their computer and television screens like those of us inside-the-bubble. They have jobs and lives and like, real things to do.
Why the Trump incident really mattered for them is not for what they did see, but for what they didn't.
No attention was given to the fact that Romney was in Colorado talking energy policy and whacking Obama on Solyndra. Or that he was campaigning in a swing state with double digit unemployment. Or that the Conference Board reported consumer confidence suffered its biggest decline in eight months in May.
Every day that Trump, or other shiny objects like him (read: the reports of a super PAC going after Jeremiah Wright) distract the media, is another day that talk of the economy and jobs is on the back burner. And that is a small, but significant, victory for Team Obama.
At the end of the day, however, "winning the news cycle" only goes so far toward winning the race. Voters perceptions of the economy are going to drive this contest more than any one celebrity or ad or campaign flub.
WATCH David Muir's "World News" report rounding up all of the yesterday's action in Trump World: http://abcn.ws/KvGaGn
EXCLUSIVE: OBAMA CAMP OPENS NEW LINE OF ATTACK ON ROMNEY. ABC's Jake Tapper and Devin Dwyer reports: The Obama campaign is opening a new front in its war against GOP rival Mitt Romney, ABC News has learned, with planned attacks to begin this week on Romney's record as governor of Massachusetts and the campaign promises Democrats say he left unfulfilled. Team Obama will point to Romney's rhetoric on job creation, size of government, education, deficits and taxes during the 2002 gubernatorial campaign and draw parallels with his presidential stump speeches of 2012. The goal is to illustrate that Romney has made the same promises before with unimpressive results, officials say. http://abcn.ws/KbVngR
The approach appears aimed at shifting some focus off of President Obama, who has an underwater approval rating and has struggled to bring down unemployment - currently above 8 percent nationally. He and his campaign are aggressively trying to make Romney an unacceptable alternative on the November ballot. Obama campaign officials say the latest line of attack will be a major focus from now through the election. It dovetails with a major $25 million positive TV ad campaign touting the president's first-term record. A 14-page research document compiled by the campaign and obtained by ABC News reveals the breadth of material Democrats plan to deploy, listing dozens of examples of Romney rhetoric and corresponding video clips from 2002, 2012, and the comparative "results in Massachusetts."
Jake Tapper reported for "Good Morning America" on the Obama campaign's new messaging. WATCH: http://abcn.ws/KHFso5
SHELDON SHELL GAME??A smart Democratic strategist and Friend of The Note offers up this theory: "Donald Trump's frenzy of paranoid statements was a clear distraction from Mitt Romney's true mission of the day - to butter up Sheldon Adelson, the casino magnate poised to fuel the Romney campaign's attack machine with millions of dollars of secretive money." This operative points out that Romney's 45 minute sit-down with Adelson yesterday at his?office?at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas almost went overlooked.
From the Boston Globe: "There is inherent irony in the alliance with a man whose profession so clearly conflicts with Romney's religious mores. But gambling is an activity on which Romney has generally favored regulation over condemnation. And the meeting with Adelson - who has contributed $25.3 million to conservative candidates and committees during the current election cycle, none of it to Romney - is only the latest example of the presumptive Republican presidential nominee's willingness to embrace people and policies with which he personally disagrees." http://b.globe.com/LEDFkY
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NOTE IT!
ABC's JONATHAN KARL: There was a major tea party victory in Texas last night. No, not Romney's victory in the Texas presidential primary. In the Republican Senate primary, a 41-year-old Cuban-American Tea Partier named Ted Cruz has forced the establishment candidate, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, into a run-off, which will take place on July 31. ?For most tea party groups, Cruz's campaign is this year's number one priority.? The see him as another Marco Rubio - a young, Hispanic, conservative firebrand.? Cruz came in second (with 34 percent of the vote) to Dewhurst (47? percent).? But with the seven other candidates now out of the race, Cruz now has what he needed:? a one-on-one race against Dewhurst.
ABC's AMY WALTER: Lots of folks are suggesting that a run-off benefits Cruz, but Dewhurst backers note that 1) No U.S. senate candidate has gone in to a run off with 41 percent or more of the primary vote and lost; and 2) Dewhurst's strongest vote came from seniors and multiple election voters - those who always vote.
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DEMOCRATS DE-FRIEND ROMNEY. A Democratic National Committee spokesman passes on a new video they are using to mark Mitt Romney's big night: "In honor of Mitt Romney securing the delegates he needs to clinch the GOP nomination for President - after six years of trying and millions of dollars spent - we're releasing a new video of our version of Mitt Romney's Facebook time line for the last year.? In that time we've learned that Mitt Romney and his brand of Romney Economics is wrong for the middle class." WATCH: http://bit.ly/JOQXIS
VIDEO OF THE DAY: WHY ROMNEY CAN'T QUIT TRUMP. ?In the?latest episode of the ABC News/Yahoo! Power Players series Top Line, ABC's Rick Klein and Amy Walter, along with Yahoo!'s David Chalian ponder the following: The?Romney campaign is no longer just wooing Republican base voters, it is in the hunt for those crucial independents, too. So why cater to the Donald? WATCH:? http://yhoo.it/L24Iro
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THE BUZZ
with ABC's Elizabeth Hartfield ( @LizHartfield)
OBAMA STOKES OUTRAGE WITH 'POLISH DEATH CAMP' REFERENCE. ?ABC's Jake Tapper reports,?Poles and Polish-Americans expressed outrage on Tuesday at President Obama's reference earlier to "a Polish death camp" - as opposed to a Nazi death camp in German-occupied Poland.?"The White House will apologize for this outrageous error,"?Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski tweeted.? Sikorski said that Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk "will make a statement in the morning. It's a pity that this important ceremony was upstaged by ignorance and incompetence."?The president had been trying to honor a famous Pole, awarding a Presidential Medal of Freedom to Jan Karski, a resistance fighter who sneaked behind enemy lines to bear witness to the atrocities being committed against Jews. President Obama referred to him being smuggled "into the Warsaw ghetto and a Polish death camp to see for himself."? http://abcn.ws/ JzcRmS
FORECAST: BRUTAL IN WISCONSIN. The conventional wisdom suggests that Gov. Scott Walker will - narrowly - win his recall election on June 5. But, the latest ad by the Governor's campaign suggests that he's not taking any chances, ABC's Amy Walter reports. Check out this very, very tough ad he's running against Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. ?The attack, in a nutshell: Tom Barrett did nothing while a 2 year old was almost beaten to death. Also note: A new Marquette Law School poll will be out Wednesday afternoon. WATCH: http://bit.ly/L0kvXQ
NOTED: ? WISCONSIN GOV REPORTS HUGE FUNDRAISING AHEAD OF RECALL. ?Politico's Robin Bravender reports: "Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker raked in at least $6 million in the last five weeks as he prepared to fight for his political life in the June 5 recall election, according to campaign finance reports released Tuesday.?The GOP governor's latest haul puts his total fundraising at over $30 million since January 2011, with about $19 million coming in just this year.?Walker's cash intake has dwarfed that of his opponent, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, who didn't enter the race until late March and had to fend off a primary challenge. Barrett's campaign reported raising $3.4 million in the past five weeks, bringing his total to $4.2 million since he began his campaign."? http://politi.co/ KR28CO
ROMNEY OFFICIALLY CLINCHES GOP NOMINATION.?The Associated Press has projected Romney has won the Texas GOP primary, and ABC News estimates he will win 97 of Texas's 155 delegates, giving him the 1,144 needed to win the nomination, ABC's Chris Good reports:?Romney isn't the nominee yet. The 2,286 Republican delegates will officially confer that mantle in August when they select the nominee in a floor vote at the Republican National Convention in Tampa.?His campaign planned no victory party for this long-predicted mathematical triumph.? http://abcn.ws/JNVyed
TEXAS GOP PRIMARY GOES TO A RUNOFF.?The Texas Republican Senate primary will go to a runoff, the AP projected on Tuesday night, with Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst and former Solicitor General and tea party up-and-comer Ted Cruz facing off in the contest, which is scheduled for July 31st, reports ABC's Elizabeth Hartfield.? http://abcn.ws/ JOJF7V
GINGRICH: I DISAGREE WITH TRUMP'S BIRTHER CLAIM. ?ABC's ?Emily Friedman reports that former presidential candidate Newt Gingrich said that he believes President Obama was born in Hawaii, despite the birther controversy perpetuated by Donald Trump ahead of a high-dollar fundraiser tonight in honor of Mitt Romney.?"Governor Romney is not distracted, the Republican party is not distracted," Gingrich said when asked about Trump's claims that Obama was not born in the United States might not serve Romney's candidacy well. "We believe this is an American born, job killing president."? http://abcn.ws/ JTC6Ln
NOTED: ANN ROMNEY GETS A PRESS SECRETARY. ?ABC's Emily Friedman reports that the Romney campaign has hired a new press secretary to handle the schedule of Ann Romney, an indication that the 63-year-old grandmother of 18 will soon be ramping up her public schedule, ABC News has learned.? http://abcn.ws/ LcKB67
RON PAUL SUPPORTERS GET ORGANIZED.?In the days leading up to the Republican National Convention, Tampa could see a very different political gathering just blocks away, reports ABC's Chris Good.?Ron Paul supporters are organizing?Paul Festival, to be held at the Florida State Fairgrounds on Aug. 24-26, the?Tampa Bay Times reported. The Republican National Convention is scheduled to begin the next day, Aug. 27, eight miles across town at the Tampa Bay Times Forum.? http://abcn.ws/K9rBcB
REPUBLICAN GROUPS PLAN RECORD $1 BILLION AD BLITZ. ?Politico's Mike Allen and Jim Vandehei report: ?"Republican super PACs and other outside groups shaped by a loose network of prominent conservatives - including Karl Rove, the Koch brothers and Tom Donohue of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce - plan to spend roughly $1 billion on November's elections for the White House and control of Congress, according to officials familiar with the groups' internal operations."? http://politi.co/ KRafj0
SENATE DEMS OUTSPENT 3 TO 1 ON ADS BY SUPER PAC'S.?Bloomberg's Heidi Przybyla reports: "While the presidential campaign commands the most attention, Senate Democrats are bearing an early?television advertising?assault by Republican-leaning groups that is reshaping those races.?Senator?Sherrod Brown?of Ohio and former Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, who is seeking a Senate seat, are being outspent by at least a 3-to-1 ratio on television advertising as super political action committees supporting Democrats struggle to raise money and President?Barack Obama?and the national party conserve resources for the fall election."? http://bloom.bg/ N9s5NT
DECADES LATER, TRUMAN'S PAPER BOY GETS PAID.?From beyond the grave, Harry Truman has paid off a debt to his paperboy 65 years late, reports ABC's Matt Negrin.?George Lund has finally been paid the $7.50 he was owed, plus interest, from his days delivering The Independent Examiner to Truman, according to Kansas City's KMBC-TV.?"I could never get anybody at the Truman home, you know, to answer the doorbell," Lund told the station.? http://abcn.ws/KYkHCA
ROMNEY CALLS FOR ACTION ON SYRIA, BUT PARTY IS DIVIDED.?The New York Times' Mark Landler reports: "?Mr. Romney, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, condemned Mr. Obama on Tuesday for a "policy of paralysis" toward Syria that he said had allowed President Bashar al-Assad to "slaughter 10,000 individuals."?But Mr. Romney's own prescriptions for ending the mounting death toll in Syria have been less definitive than his denunciations of the president. He called for the United States to "work with partners to organize and arm Syrian opposition groups so they can defend themselves"- a policy that goes somewhat further than Mr. Obama's but falls short of the airstrikes advocated by Republicans like Senators John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina."? http://nyti.ms/L38ddH
THE MULTIFACETED PRESIDENT. Roll Call's Steven Dennis reports: "It's a tale of two presidents - the ice-cold killer who orders drone attacks against a secret "kill list" of targets as young as 17, and the peacemaker winding down the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and resisting calls to start new ones.?The White House has worked hard in recent weeks to show both sides of President Barack Obama as it tries to sell his work to end the wars of the past decade while ramping up efforts to take on terrorists. The narrative aims to boost Obama's foreign policy credentials and serves to counter Republican criticism that Obama is weak on Syria and Iran."? http://bit.ly/KZbryn
MICHELLE OBAMA: DAUGHTERS NEED THICK SKIN IN POLITICS. ?The AP's Nancy Benac reports: "Michelle Obama says her daughters are learning that even the kids of politicians have to have a thick skin. 'Politics is tough,' the first lady said Tuesday. 'That's just sort of the nature of the beast.'"? http://apne.ws/JzRzoZ
IN THE NOTE'S INBOX:
PLANNED PARENTHOOD ENDORSES OBAMA. From the Planned Parenthood Action Fund: "Planned Parenthood Action Fund announces its endorsement of President Barack Obama for president and simultaneously launches its first major ad campaign of the 2012 election cycle.? ? This marks only the third time that Planned Parenthood Action Fund has endorsed a candidate for president.? This is the first in a series of planned ads for the cycle that will hold Mitt Romney accountable for his out-of-touch and harmful views on women's health. ? Planned Parenthood Action Fund's first ad - "Out of Touch", will be running through June 19 in three key swing markets - West Palm Beach, Des Moines, and Northern Virginia, as well as Washington, DC - on broadcast and cable, and online. Planned Parenthood Action Fund is spending over $1.4 million dollars on this campaign."
WISCONSIN SENATE CANDIDATE PAINTS RIVALS AS 'DC INSIDERS' A memo from the campaign of Wisconsin Democratic Senate candidate Tammy Baldwin: "In the 2012 race for U.S. Senate, Wisconsin voters across the political spectrum agree on one thing; they believe Washington is disconnected from the economic challenges they face, and the last thing they want? right now is a candidate who will listen to the big special interests in Washington D.C. and put the? wealthy and corporations ahead of Wisconsin's middle class. ? Eric Hovde, Washington D.C. hedge fund banker, was the first candidate rejected by party activists in the endorsement vote, garnering only 16% of the vote. Former Bush Administration Cabinet Secretary, Tommy Thompson, who has spent the last seven years peddling influence in Washington, was the second candidate rejected by party activists winning only 18% of the vote. Two Beltway insiders with one thing in common - if elected, they would both be a voice for the wealthy and the powerful interests who call the shots in Washington at the expense of Wisconsin's middle class."
VEEP BEAT: Our daily look at all the action on the veepstakes front, brought to you by ABC's Arlette Saenz ( @ArletteSaenz ):
PORTMAN TO MEET WITH ISRAELI LEADERS: ?ABC's Gregory Simmons and Alex Marquardt report that?Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Thursday in Israel. An Israeli official confirmed the meeting to ABC News Tuesday.? http://abcn.ws/KZ7zxf
RUBIO TOUCHED BY FIRST CUBA TRIP: ?Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla, whose parents emigrated to the United States from Cuba in 1956, made his first trip to the Island Tuesday when he toured Guantanamo Bay.??"Certainly, it was touching to be able to fly over the island from a distance and see it and know that's the land that saw your parents and your grandparents born," Rubio said at a press conference in Miami after his return, the Miami Herald reports. 'It's a place I hope to visit one day soon - a free Cuba, one where the people of Cuba can chose their own leaders and chose their own future.'??Rubio dismissed suggestions that the trip was an attempt to boost his VP credentials, saying it was a routine stop as "a member of the intelligence committee."? http://hrld.us/LeeTWh
THUNE, A DARK HORSE VP? ?Last Week, Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., said he has not been asked to submit vetting documents, but as National Review's Bob Costa reports, Thune may be a "dark horse" candidate for VP. "As Mitt Romney's senior advisers consider their vice-presidential prospects, they're keeping an eye on a dark horse: Senator John Thune, a lanky and telegenic South Dakota Republican.??'Even though he's not from a battleground state, he's seen as serious and credible," says John Sununu, a Romney confidant. "There's no question, in my mind, that he's on the list for consideration.'?According to sources close to the Romney campaign, the former Massachusetts governor may be inclined to tap a mild-mannered, business-friendly Midwestern senator."? http://bit.ly/LSSwaX
McDONNELL NOT ASKED FOR VP DOCUMENTS: ?Va. Gov. Bob McDonnell told MSNBC's Chuck Todd Tuesday that he has yet to be asked to submit documents to the Romney team for vetting.??"Nope," McDonnell said as he laughed.??"But I'm going to do everything I can to help him win Virginia." WATCH: http://on.msnbc.com/JPk9PR
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WHO'S TWEETING?
@maggiepolitico : Yep, it's the media and not Donald Trump, Arpaio or the AZ elex chief who keep bringing up birtherism. If only we would leave it alone
@DavidMDrucker : "Massachusetts Moderate" caricature that caused? @MittRomney?fits in primary cld boost him in general: http://bit.ly/LeeanS
@feliciasonmez : Gavin Newsom, on Sacramento: "It's just so dull. Sadly, I just, ugh, God."? http://bit.ly/KpbOFy?(h/t? @njhotline)
@woodhouseb : . @MittRomney?secured the nomination tonight and unveiled a brand new logo.? #Amercia? http://yfrog.com/h8m29dpj
@BuzzFeedBen : Polish anti-Obama meme factory just getting rolling over there http://300polityka.pl/300krotka/pierwszy-antyobamowy-mem-w-sieci
?
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-Mitt Romney has no public events; he is on a fundraising swing on the West Coast.
-President Obama will sign the reauthorization of the U.S. Export-Import Bank at the White House.
?Check out The Note's Futures Calendar:? http://abcn.ws/ZI9gV
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Guest post by Jack Hassard, originally posted here.
In May, 2012, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) issued a report entitled: What Teacher Education Programs Teach About K - 12 Assessment. Anthony Cody mentioned this study in a recent post entitled Payola Policy: NCTQ Prepares its Hit on Schools of Education.
The title intrigued me, so I went over to the NCTQ website, and read and studied the report which is about what education courses teach about assessment. This post is my review of the NCTQ study, and I hope after you finish reading the post you will realize how bogus reports like these are, given the quality of research that professors of education have been doing for decades. The study reviewed here would never have been published in a reputable journal of research in education, not only in the U.S., but in any other country in the world. I'll make it clear why I make this claim.
The NCTQ
The National Council on Teacher Quality is a conservative think-tank that publishes reports on education that the council claims to be research studies in the field of education. The subhead for the group on their website is: A research and policy group working to ensure that every child has an effective teacher. The NCTQ has a staff of 18, an advisory group of 36 people, and a 13-member board of directors. The individuals on these various committees come from the corporate, educational, and consulting worlds. Some of the organizations represented include: Pearson Publishing, Teach Plus, KIPP Schools, the Hoover Foundation, American Enterprise Institute, Core Knowledge, Piton Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Thomas Fordham Foundation, N.F.L Players Association, B & D Consulting, Students First, Abell Foundation, Teach for America, New Schools Venture Fund, and others including a few universities and two public schools.
Many of these groups have worked very hard to denigrate teachers, insist that the Common Core State Standards be adopted by all states, believe that teaching and learning should be data-driven, and that student achievement data on high-stakes tests should be used to make decisions about student, teacher and principal effectiveness, and school success.
The NCTQ publishes reports with titles such as Building Better Teachers, Student Teaching in the Nation, and the most recent one What Prep Programs Teach About Assessment.
According to Anthony Cody's post, the NCTQ was founded by the Thomas Fordham Institute, a conservative think-tank that publishes non-peer reviewed reports on education, and has an appalling opinion of teacher education institutions. And of course, the Thomas Fordham Foundation has membership on the NCTQ Board of Directors.
I've reviewed two reports previously published by the Thomas Fordham Institute. You read my reviews of these reports here:
Framework of K-12 Science Education
State of the State Standards
In each report I found the methodology weak, the results misleading, and both reports were published as non-peer reviewed research. The NCTQ study on assessment in teacher education uses the same methodology as the Fordham studies. Even with such a poorly designed and unreliable data, think tanks get away with publishing their works in this fashion, and because of the financial resources, and the identities of their funding agencies, they carry a good deal of clout. The Fordham Foundation and the NCTQ are two such foundations.
Is teacher education going to take hit? Probably so. The NCTQ organization has the resources and the connections to make trouble for university teacher education programs. There is a movement to hold teacher education institutions accountable for the achievement test scores and gains that their graduates produce in their students once they begin teaching. As absurd as this sounds, the U.S. Secretary of Education is supportive of such an idea. Organizations such as NCTQ are on the accountability bandwagon, and carry weight at the policy level in education.
What Teacher Preparation Programs Teach About K-12 Assessment
This report was released in May, 2012, and according to the preface of the report, it provides information "on the preparation provided to teacher candidates from teacher training programs so that they can fully use assessment data to improve classroom instruction." The results reported in the final document were based on reading and analyzing 450 syllabi received from 98 institutions of higher education representing 180 teacher preparation programs.
Why This Study?: The First Disagreement
The purpose of the study was to find out what professors in teacher education are teaching their students about assessment so that when they begin teaching in the classroom they will be able to use assessment data to improve classroom instruction.
To rationalize their study, the NCTQ authors, Julie Greenberg and Kate Walsh, impress upon the reader the importance of assessment in today's schools, and the need for prospective teachers to know how to use assessment in their future classrooms. The authors say,
Effective instruction requires that teachers have a well grounded sense of student proficiency in order to make a daunting number of instructional decisions, such as making snap judgments in the midst of interactions with students, and planning lessons, be they for the next day, the next unit or the entire school year.The purpose and rationale for this study was not based on previous research, or a review of the literature. The authors allotted less than one page on "previous research." Three references were cited. One of the references they cited is research done by Black and Wiliam, two of the leading assessment researchers in the field of education. The authors of the NCTQ study rejected the Black and Wiliam research,which is extensive, published in peer-reviewed journals, and highly cited, BECAUSE the NCTQ researchers said that the research was old (1998), and back then education research had weaker designs, and THEREFORE those studies are suspect. The researchers fail to tell the reader the Black and Wiliam are leading research proponents of formative assessment as a way to improve instruction and learning and have been publishing their research for decades. Even now. And if they were concerned that the studies were old (>1998), all they have to do is a Google search, or link to Dr. Black's or Dr. Wiliam's site for their research on assessment. Greenberg and Walsh claim that education studies prior to 1998 used weaker designs. I did my Ph.D. work in the late 1960?s in science education at Ohio State University, and let me tell you the research designs and methodologies that my colleagues in graduate school, and in the literature used in their research were quite robust, not weak. The research in education is enormous, and it's a testament to the incompetence or bias of Greenberg and Walsh that they couldn't cite more than three studies.
The rationale the NCTQ study is rooted in political and ideological beliefs in schooling rather than one that builds upon previous research. For example they make this claim:
The evidence for the connection between using data to drive instruction and student performance is emerging, just as the practice of using data is emerging.
There is no previous research cited in their report that would support this claim, or help us see how their work is connected to other scholars. Instead they were cherry picking any research that would support their view, or downplaying or dismissing research that might have questioned their intentions.
Biased Questions?
The researchers were bent on showing that teacher educators weren't doing the job of teaching their students about assessment. And they undertook this task with the clarion call that there is new focus on "data driven instruction," and they cite examples of schools that prove that using data to drive instruction will reduce the achievement gap among low-income and high-income students. And sure enough, they cite two Broad Prize Winners, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, NC, and Adline Independent Schools, TX as examples. Teachers in these schools, according to Greenberg and Walsh, were trained in using data to drive instruction, and that is what led to such positive test results. And by the way, the Broad Foundation is a major funding source for NCTQ.
But here is the problem. Instead of trying to document or uncover what is being taught about assessment in teacher preparation programs, the researchers decided what they thought was important and then proceeded to go and compare what teacher preparation program are doing compared to their own ideas. The researchers started with three categories of assessment that they thought ought to be included in teacher prep programs. Their three categories, which turned into their research questions, were as follows:
You might think this is legitimate. But it is not really helping with the inquiry. If the researchers were really interested in making a contribution to the field they would have approached the problem inductively. That is, they would have worked their way up from the syllabi to generalizations that they could make based on their observations of the syllabi.
The inductive method is a scientific method that educators have used for decades to make generalizations about educational phenomena, such as the types of questions that teachers ask during class. In this case data analysis would have been determined by multiple readings (of the syllabi) and interpretations of the raw data. Because the researchers would be looking for evidence of assessment in the syllabi, they would identify specific parts of the syllabi and label these parts to create categories (e.g. diagnostic methods, formative techniques, using computers to analyze test data, etc.) The point is that instead of starting with the three categories that the researchers at NCTQ thought should be taught in teacher preparation programs, they could have uncovered what the syllabi reveal about the teaching of assessment, and report that data. There is more to say about this kind of research, such as teaching the researchers how to code, the use of computer programs to make the task easier, assessing the trustworthiness of the data, and reporting the findings.
According to the authors, and the opinions of their experts in the field, teacher education institutions have not figured out what knowledge a new teacher needs in order to enter a classroom with the ability to use data to improve classroom instruction. Their review of the literature certainly didn't lead them to this opinion. They have no basis for saying this, other than they can, and it supports the basis for their study.
The purpose of their study was to show that teacher preparation program coursework does not adequately prepare students to use assessment methods with K-12 students. Their study does not shed new light on the teaching of assessment in teacher prep, but it does shed light on how research can be biased from the start by asking questions based on your beliefs and ideologies, rather than research in the field.
The Study Sample: Found Wanting
According to the report, NCTQ obtained course syllabi from 180 teacher education programs in 98 institutions of higher education in 30 states. Using the open records requests, the reporters used the states' course syllabi from colleges that first responded to their request. The "researchers" don't tell us if they actually contacted any of these institutions, tried to talk with any of the professors, or perhaps visit a few institutions so that they could interview not only professors, but students, and cooperating teachers with whom these institutions worked. None of this was done. Or at least it wasn't stated in the their report. They got their data by requiring the institutions to hand over their course syllabi.
All of the data is embedded in the course syllabi they received. I don't know about you, but course syllabi vary from one course to another. Some professors create very detailed course syllabi, have well developed websites, use course software such as Blackboard, textbooks, and online data bases. All of these sources should have been examined if the NCTQ researchers wanted get a full picture of these courses. This was not done.
They only looked at the paper they received. On the basis of this alone, the data that the researchers used for this report is incomplete. Syllabi are no doubt inconsistent in design and scope from one institution to the next. And relying solely on a paper syllabus does the research study an injustice, and makes the analysis and conclusions invalid.
The syllabi they selected had to have the word "assessment" in the course title, or it had to be a methods course, e.g. science methods. Other syllabi were thrown out, and not analyzed. Somehow, the researchers perused the course syllabi looking for "evidence" (or lack thereof) for assessment by reading the objectives, lectures (if they were included in the syllabi), assignments, textbooks and readings. Whether the researchers actually looked at the texts is unknown. They said they looked at the publishers' descriptions of the content of the required texts. And then they looked for "capstone projects," such as work samples or portfolios.
The sample that the researchers report in their study does NOT represent teacher preparation institutions in the U.S. It only represents the 98 institutions that responded to the open records request of NCTQ. Their "finding" can not be generalized beyond the sample they studied. I don't trust the sample that they are basing their findings on. For one thing, there didn't seem to be an open two way exchange between the NCTQ and the universities cited in the report. How do we know if the syllabi the researchers received is a true record of the course syllabi for these teacher prep institutions?
It's possible that NCTQ is making decisions for some universities based on one syllabus, and for others using multiple syllabi. We have no idea, however, because the researchers did not report this in their report. The universities in the study have been short changed, and even worse have been lumped together in a report that paints a negative picture of teacher preparation programs.
If you take a look at examples of teacher education programs, you'll find that if they are graduate level teacher preparation programs leading to a masters degree and certification, there are at least 10 courses that should be examined to evaluate the coursework. At the undergraduate level, there are as many as 19 courses that should be evaluated. The researchers at NCTQ failed in giving a real picture of a university's teacher prep program.
Methodology
The researchers over-laid three rubrics on the course syllabi to find out to what extent professors were teaching (1) assessment literacy (2) analytic skills and (3) instructional decision making. Assessment literacy meant searching the syllabi for key words including diagnostic, formative and summative. Analytic skills meant looking for key words such as dissect, describe or display data from assessment. Instructional decision-making meant looking for evidence that teacher educators helped their students use assessment data to drive instruction.
The rubrics were very simple using a Likert measuring scale from "0? to "4." A "0? meant there was no evidence, while a "4? meant the criteria was met with a high degree. For example to evaluate the syllabi for assessment literacy, the scale used was as follows (you can view all of the rubrics here):
0-There is no or almost no instruction or practice on the various types of assessment (inadequate)
1-Instruction on the various types of assessment is very limited and there is no or almost no practice (slightly adequate)
2-Case 1: The scope of Instruction on the various types of assessment is not comprehensive and practice is very limited to adequate. OR Case 2: The scope of instruction on the various types of assessment is comprehensive, but practice is very limited or limited.
3-The scope of instruction on various types of assessment is comprehensive and there is adequate practice.
4-The scope of instruction on the various types of assessment is comprehensive, including concepts such as "validity" and "reliability," and there is adequate practice ( adequate)
The researchers rated each syllabus on three criteria and judged each criteria as inadequate (0)to adequate (4) using the 0 - 4 point scale. They were then able average scores on the syllabi from each teacher education program. Presumably either the two researchers did the actual rating, or they hired raters. Whether did or not, the researchers failed to provide data on inter rater reliability. We have to question the trustworthiness of the data.
As mentioned above, NCTQ started with a biased set of questions, and used these questions to analyze the syllabi of the teacher prep coursework. On face value, they findings only reflect their own biases and way of assuming how and what teacher prep courses should include about assessment.
In this study, 455 courses were evaluated, anywhere from one to six courses per institution. The only average mentioned was that 2.5 courses per program reference assessment. This statistic is difficult to believe given our knowledge of teacher education courses. If they looked at methods courses, the chances are very high that assessment was included in these courses. I don't know if these researchers examined course syllabi for internships or student teaching, but all of these experiences would have included assessment strategies as part of the experience. So you have wonder about the validity of their data.
Results: Did the Teacher Education Programs Reach the Bar
The results of this study have to be examined cautiously and with reluctance. In my own opinion, the data that was collected in this study is inadequate to answer the questions posed in the study. Firstly, the institutions did not directly participate in the study. There is no evidence that there was any attempt to contact the deans of these colleges, or department heads to ask them to provide additional documentation on their teacher education courses. Nor is there evidence that the researchers made any attempt to seek out course websites that would have included more details and content of the courses.
It seems to me that the researchers wanted to limit the data, yet make sweeping statements about teacher education programs, and make recommendations based on such an inadequate study.
According to the researchers, "the bar to earn a passing rating in this study was set low." They said they did this to give institutions the benefit of the doubt. Actually, it is a way out for the researcher because they were dealing with very limited data, a few course syllabi from major institutions of higher education, and they were going to use this meager data to make decisions about howassessment.
According to this study only 3% of teacher preparation programs adequately teach the content of assessment in their courses. But actually all they can say is that in their opinion only 3% of the syllabi they received reflected this value.
The sample they used in their study was biased from the start. Why did these universities respond to the open records request? Why did universities refuse to respond to the open records request? Did the researchers treat the universities with any respect, and try and open up a dialog on teacher preparation content?
One More Thing
There are quality teacher education programs in the United States. Linda Darling-Hammond, in her book Powerful Teacher Education: Lessons from Exemplary Programs, documents seven highly successful teacher education programs, and discusses the way in which teacher education has changed to create more clinically based teacher education programs.
The researchers of the NTCQ study are stuck in a 19th-century model of teaching, and simply want to hold accountable teacher education institutions to the principles and practices that teacher education rocketed through years ago.
But at the same time, the NTCQ study cleverly uses percentages and numbers in such a way to convince some that teacher education programs are inadequate, and need to be regulated in ways that satisfy their interests. If you look at their sources of funding, and the names of individuals who sit on their boards, you will see the conservative agenda in action in this organization.
My advice is to call them to task on this study. Tell them that their study in no way sheds any light on how assessment is taught in teacher education programs. The only light that is shed is on their own deficiencies as a research organization.
What do you think about the NCTQ study? Do think their study is to be taken as a valuable contribution to the literature of teacher education?
Jack Hassard is a former high school science teacher and Professor Emeritus of Science Education, Georgia State University. While at Georgia State he was coordinator of science education, and was involved in the development of several science teacher education programs, including the design & implementation of TEEMS, a clinically based masters program for mathematics, science, and engineering majors. He was director of the Global Thinking Project, an Internet-based environmental program linking schools between Russia and U.S.A at first, and then many countries around the world. He also conducted seminars around the country on science teaching, inquiry and technology for the Bureau of Education and Research and for school districts' staff development programs. He is author of more than 20 books including The Whole Cosmos Catalog of Science, Science Experiences, Adventures in Geology, and most recently The Art of Teaching Science, 2nd Edition, and Science as Inquiry, 2nd Edition. His blog is The Art of Teaching Science.
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Apple's product naming polices can be somewhat confusing and arbitrary: And today an audience member at D10 called Apple CEO Tim Cook out on the somewhat bizarre strategy, "How did you guys go from an iPad to an iPad 2 to an iPad 4 to a 4s?" "A lot of people ask me that question," he said.oklahoma city thunder act rajon rondo sunoco titanic ii babe ruth new jersey nets
Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, speaks during a campaign event at the Somers Furniture warehouse in Las Vegas, Tuesday, May 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, speaks during a campaign event at the Somers Furniture warehouse in Las Vegas, Tuesday, May 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney greets supporters after speaking at a campaign event at the Somers Furniture warehouse in Las Vegas Tuesday, May 29, 2012 in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
Chart shows delegates won by GOP presidential candidates since January
LAS VEGAS (AP) ? Mitt Romney has won the Republican presidential nomination after years of fighting, though his triumph was partially overshadowed by the celebrity businessman who helped him along the way.
As primary voters in Texas on Tuesday pushed him past the 1,144-delegate threshold he needed to win the nod, Romney was raising money in Las Vegas with Donald Trump, the real estate mogul who has stoked doubts about whether President Barack Obama was born in America.
It's the start of a weeklong push to raise millions of dollars during a West Coast swing as Romney looks to bring in as much cash as possible ahead of a ramped-up campaign schedule later this summer.
"Mr. Trump, thank you for letting us come to this beautiful hotel and being with so many friends. Thank you for twisting the arms that it takes to bring a fundraiser together," Romney told the approximately 200 people who paid thousands to attend the event at the Trump International Hotel. "I appreciate your help."
The Trump event and surrounding controversy overshadowed the Texas primary win that officially handed Romney the nomination, a triumph of endurance for a candidate who came up short four years ago and had to fight hard this year as voters flirted with a carousel of GOP rivals. According to the Associated Press count, Romney surpassed the 1,144 delegates needed to win the nomination by winning 105 delegates in the Texas primary, pushing his total to 1,191 delegates.
The former Massachusetts governor reached the nomination milestone with a steady message of concern about the U.S. economy, a campaign organization that dwarfed those of his GOP foes and a fundraising operation second only to that of Obama, his Democratic general election opponent. He outlasted a half-dozen Republican opponents to clinch the nomination later in the calendar than any recent GOP nominee.
Romney must now fire up conservatives who still doubt him while persuading swing voters that he can do a better job fixing the nation's struggling economy than Obama. In Obama, he faces a well-funded candidate with a proven campaign team in an election that will be heavily influenced by the economy.
Romney will continue his push to raise money with fundraisers this week in wealthy California enclaves like Hillsborough, near San Francisco, and Beverly Hills. He has at least one major fundraising event every day for the rest of the week, as well as a series of smaller events.
But the focus Tuesday was on Trump, who once led polls of GOP primary voters. He endorsed the former Massachusetts governor just before the February Nevada caucuses, offering his support at a morning endorsement event in ballroom in the hotel that bears his name. In the same room Tuesday night for the fundraiser, Trump introduced Romney. He steered clear of the "birther" issue as he spoke to donors, though just hours earlier he had repeated his doubts about the authenticity of the birth certificate that shows Obama was born in Hawaii.
"A lot of people do not think it was an authentic certificate," Trump told CNN of Obama's birth certificate. When CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer told Trump he was "beginning to sound a little ridiculous," Trump responded, "I think you sound ridiculous."
Such allegations about Obama's birthplace have been repeatedly proven false. The state of Hawaii recently re-affirmed that he was born there.
Trump's comments, repeated in several media interviews Tuesday, overshadowed Romney's attempts to focus on failed stimulus projects and federal money given to companies like Solyndra, the green energy company that received millions from the government only to go bankrupt.
Romney hasn't condemned Trump's assertions. On Monday night, he told reporters aboard his campaign plane that Trump is entitled to his opinion. Even as Trump-related criticism from Democrats and Republicans intensified in recent days, Romney showed no sign of distancing himself from the polarizing figure.
"I don't agree with all the people who support me. And my guess is they don't all agree with everything I believe in," Romney said. "But I need to get 50.1 percent or more."
Trump remains popular among the conservative base and boasts ties to deep-pocketed donors. He has recorded automated phone calls for Romney, hosted a fundraiser with Romney's wife, Ann, in New York, and pressed the candidate's case as a television surrogate.
The Obama campaign released a video Tuesday criticizing what it considers Romney's unwillingness to stand up to Trump and the more extreme elements in his party.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, once a rival for the GOP nomination and now a Romney supporter, suggested that the Trump issue will not derail Romney's campaign.
"Gov. Romney's not distracted. The Republican Party's not distracted," said Gingrich, who attended the Trump fundraiser. "We believe that this is an American-born job-killing president. Other people may believe that he was born somewhere else and still kills jobs."
Gingrich was one in a series of rivals who challenged Romney during the prolonged primary fight.
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A woman walks past displays at the Stock Exchange in Athens on Friday, May 25, 2012. Uncertainty over Greece's future in the eurozone has hammered markets ahead of June 17 general elections in the crisis-hit country. Shares on the Athens Stock Exchange hit a new 22-year low Thursday, closing down 4.53 percent despite gains made elsewhere in Europe. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
A woman walks past displays at the Stock Exchange in Athens on Friday, May 25, 2012. Uncertainty over Greece's future in the eurozone has hammered markets ahead of June 17 general elections in the crisis-hit country. Shares on the Athens Stock Exchange hit a new 22-year low Thursday, closing down 4.53 percent despite gains made elsewhere in Europe. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
ATHENS, Greece (AP) ? Greek stock markets rebounded strongly on Monday from a 22-year low on hopes a pro-bailout party will win crucial national elections next month, which would avoid a catastrophic rift with international creditors and keep the struggling country within the euro currency union.
The main stock index in Athens soared to close up 6.9 percent, with the battered bank sector chalking up solid gains.
Four polls published Sunday reversed previous trends to indicate that conservative New Democracy could come first in the June 17 vote, slightly ahead of the anti-austerity radical left Syriza party. Although the conservatives would still fall short of a governing majority, the surveys suggested they could form a coalition government with socialist PASOK, which have also pledged to stick to Greece's austerity commitments.
Banks also received a boost Monday: The country's four largest lenders received promised support of ?18 billion ($22.62 billion) to compensate for losses suffered in a massive debt restructuring deal earlier this year. The announcement was made by Greece's Financial Stability Fund after the Athens bourse closed.
Debt-crippled Greece is being kept afloat by huge international rescue loans, granted on condition of harsh cutbacks and reforms that slashed living standards.
The austerity, however, also caused huge popular resentment toward New Democracy and PASOK, the two parties that accepted the terms. Voters expressed that anger clearly in May 6 elections, giving a boost to anti-bailout parties. But the election proved inconclusive, with none of the parties able to form a coalition government, leaving Greece to hold another ballot next month.
Greece's bailout creditors ? the other countries in the 17-nation eurozone and the International Monetary Fund ? insist that if the country reneges on its austerity commitments, the rescue loans will stop.
That would unleash chaos. The government would be unable to pay hospital workers, police and teachers, pensions would dry up, and a potential panic run on bank deposits would destroy the tottering financial system. Eventually, the country could be forced to abandon the eurozone, reverting to a vastly devalued form of its old drachma currency.
Fears of such an outcome have battered Greek financial markets for weeks, pushing the Athens General Index to close at a 22-year low of 485.18 points on Friday. The latest polls, however, helped it claw back some of those losses, rising to 518.49 points.
"This is clearly due to the polls," said Sergios Melahrinos, analyst at Solidus Securities.
He noted that if the two pro-bailout parties manage to win the election and have Greece honor its austerity commitments, banks would gain access to rescue money needed to avoid collapse. Under the country's latest international bailout, domestic banks that took huge losses from a bond swap that more than halved Greece's privately-held debt will receive billions of euros to boost their capitalization. If a new government in Athens unilaterally tears up the bailout deal ? as Syriza has threatened to do ? the recapitalization would fall through.
"A potential win by the parties that back their recapitalization would be extremely good for lenders."
But Melahrinos warned that the market would remain vulnerable to the ups and downs in the polls in the leadup to the elections. "New polls that show a reversal would obviously change the market picture."
Sunday's surveys gave New Democracy a lead over Syriza ranging from 0.5 to 5.7 percent, with PASOK coming third. The polls also estimated that the two pro-bailout parties would gain a combined 159 to 165 seats in the 300-member parliament, up from 149 after the May 6 vote.
One survey in To Vima newspaper found that 65 percent want Greece to remain in the eurozone even if it has to implement the bailout agreement as it stands, while 24 percent said they would prefer to exit the euro rather than implement austerity policies.
Since the beginning of 2010, Greeks have suffered repeated income cuts and tax hikes, while unemployment has hit record levels with more than one in five workers jobless after tens of thousands of businesses closed. The country is in a fifth year of deep recession, and continues to import about twice as much as it exports.
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