The New York Times: “‘Voucher’ is a fighting word in education, so it may be understandable that when Mitt Romney speaks about improving the nation’s schools, he never uses that term. Nonetheless, as president, Mr. Romney would seek to overhaul the federal government’s largest programs for kindergarten through 12th grade into a voucher-like system. Students would be free to use $25 billion in federal money to attend any school they choose — public, charter, online or private — a system, he said, that would introduce marketplace dynamics into education to drive academic gains. His plans, presented in a recent speech at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, represent a broad overhaul of current policy, one that reverses a quarter-century trend, under Republican and Democratic presidents, of concentrating responsibility for school quality at the federal level.”

"Former governor Mitt Romney’s administration in 2006 blocked publication of a state antibullying guide for Massachusetts public schools because officials objected to use of the terms “bisexual’’ and “transgender’’ in passages about protecting certain students from harassment, according to state records and interviews with current and former state officials," The Boston Globe writes. "Romney aides said publicly at the time that publication of the guide had been delayed because it was a lengthy document that required further review. But an e-mail authored in May of that year by a high-ranking Department of Public Health official - and obtained last week by the Globe through a public records request - reflected a different reason."

ARIZONA: The Hill: "From the start of the race, Republicans attempted to make the contest about Obama and Democrat Ron Barber’s support for the president and his policies. But in recent weeks, as the national fight between the two parties has escalated, the race has taken on a larger significance for both. Limping out of a brutal two weeks for Democrats punctuated by a damaging jobs report, a major loss in Wisconsin and a gaffe by Obama, Democrats are eager for a win in a nationally watched contest to stop the bleeding and demonstrate that momentum is still on their side. But for voters in Tucson, Ariz., the contest between Barber and Republican Jesse Kelly to finish the rest of Giffords’s term evokes memories of the assassination attempt in January 2011 that killed six people, critically wounded Giffords and left much of the community traumatized."

FLORIDA: "Gov. Rick Scott and the Obama administration traded legal barbs and counteraccusations Monday as each side announced it would sue the other over Florida’s controversial noncitizen voter purge. Scott’s chief elections official sued first, filing a federal lawsuit in Washington that accused the U.S. Department of Homeland Security of unlawfully refusing Florida access to a federal database that could help the state spot and remove noncitizens from the voter rolls," The Miami Herald notes.

MAINE: Per National Journal, "Maine's Senate primary is on Tuesday, but the frontrunner vying to replace retiring Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe isn't even on the ballot. Six Republican and four Democratic candidates are in the running for a chance to take on Independent former Gov. Angus King in November, who most observers regard as the clear frontrunner in the race to succeed Snowe. The moderate senator's surprise late February retirement announcement sent scrambling to raise money and mount a campaign, resulting in a muddled field on both sides. The winners then face an uphill battle against King, a popular two-term former governor who remains well-known in Maine."

MASSACHUSETTS: Sen. Scott Brown and democratic opponent Elizabeth Warren agree to multiple televised debates according to The Boston Globe.

NEVADA: The Las Vegas Sun reports the prospect of record-low voter turnout in today's primary could lead to some surprising results.

NORTH DAKOTA: "Since Californians shrank their property taxes more than three decades ago by passing Proposition 13, people around the nation have echoed their dismay over such levies, putting forth plans to even them, simplify them, cap them, slash them. In an election here on Tuesday, residents of North Dakota will consider a measure that reaches far beyond any of that — one that abolishes the property tax entirely," The New York Times reports.

SOUTH CAROLINA: “Residents are going to the polls in South Carolina in a primary where the focus has been as much about who is not on the ballot as who is,” according to the Associated Press. “About 436,000 registered voters won't be able to participate after hundreds of candidates were tossed off the ballot. That was the result of a state Supreme Court ruling last month that the law requires candidates to file their economic interest forms at the time they file their intension to run.”

VIRGINIA: The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports voter turnout is expected to be low in today’s primary where voters will head to the polls for congressional candidate races, along with the statewide contest for Republican U.S. Senate nominee. In the most recent U.S. Senate primary — the 2006 race between Democrats Jim Webb and Harris Miller — statewide turnout was less than 3.5 percent.

The Obama campaign and its allies hold a nearly 2-to-1 ad-spending advantage this week over the Romney campaign and its supporters, $8.8 million to $4.7 million according to ad-spending data from NBC/SMG Delta.

But over the course of the early general election, Romney and GOP-leaning outside groups have outspent Obama and his supporters.

Here's ad-spending breakdown for this week:

Colorado: Obama $531K, Romney $90K, Crossroads GPS $169K, Priorities USA $179K
Obama/Pro-Obama $710K
Romney/Pro-Romney $259K

Florida: Obama $1.2M, Crossroads GPS $794K, Priorities USA $289, Planned Parenthood Action Fund $149K
Obama/Pro-Obama $1.638M
Romney/Pro-Romney $794K

Iowa: Obama $592K, Romney $103K, Crossroads GPS $185K, Planned Parenthood Action Fund $103K
Obama/Pro-Obama $695K
Romney/Pro-Romney $288K

Michigan: Crossroads GPS $223K
Obama/Pro-Obama $0
Romney/Pro-Romney $223K

Nevada: Obama $516K, Romney $30K, Crossroads GPS $172K
Obama/Pro-Obama $516K
Romney/Pro-Romney $202K

New Hampshire: Obama $482K, Romney $33K, Crossroads GPS $310K
Obama/Pro-Obama $482K
Romney/Pro-Romney $343K

New Mexico: Obama $18K
Obama/Pro-Obama $18K
Romney/Pro-Romney $0

North Carolina: Obama $1.1M, Romney $193K, Crossroads GPS $449K
Obama/Pro-Obama $1.1M
Romney/Pro-Romney $6.42M

Ohio: Obama $1.7M, Romney $277K, Crossroads GPS $514K, Priorities USA $166K
Obama/Pro-Obama $1.866M
Romney/Pro-Romney $791K

Pennsylvania: Obama $474K, Crossroads GPS $427K, Priorities USA $214K
Obama/Pro-Obama $688K
Romney/Pro-Romney $427K

Virginia: Obama $772K, Romney $128K, Crossroads GPS $615K, Priorities USA $145K, Planned Parenthood Action Fund $193K
Obama/Pro-Obama - $1.11M
Romney/Pro-Romney - $743K

Total:
Obama/Pro-Obama $8.823M
Romney/Pro-Romney $4.712M

According to an aide at the House Oversight and Government Affairs Committee, the committee will proceed with a motion on June 20 to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress in relation to the investigation into the so-called "Fast and Furious" gun-running operation.

Charles Dharapak / AP

Attorney General Eric Holder testifies on Capitol Hill, Thursday, June 7, 2012, before the House Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on the Justice Department.

The motion will have to pass through committee before it sees a full vote in the House.

The AP reports that House Republicans are pursuing this motion against Holder "for failing to produce some documents the panel is seeking.... To date, the the Justice Department has produced 7,600 pages of documents to the committee."

More from the AP:

Darrell Issa, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, says Congress needs to examine records regarding the Justice Department's conduct following public disclosures in early 2011 that hundreds of guns illicitly purchased at gun shops on the U.S. side of the border wound up in Mexico, many of them at crime scenes.

The Justice Department says many of the documents deal with open criminal investigations and prosecutions -- matters relating to sensitive law enforcement activities that cannot be disclosed.

Contempt of Congress is used when the House or Senate wants to punish a recalcitrant witness for not complying with an investigation and, by doing so, is done to deter others from similar conduct.

If found in contempt of Congress, punishments can range from jail time, to fines, to probation, but it typically does not get that far.

If the committee passes this motion to proceed June 20, it is then sent to the full House of Representatives for a vote. If it passes through the full House, it then is referred to the U.S. Attorney. 

Two recent contempt of Congress considerations:
2008: Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee found White House counsel Harriet Miers and Chief of Staff Josh Bolton in contempt for not cooperating with an investigation into possible political motivation in the handling of federal prosecutors by the Bush adminstration. The full House passed the measure, but most Republicans (including Boehner and Issa) boycotted the vote.

1998: Janet Reno was found in contempt of Congress by Republicans on the House Oversight and Government Affairs Committee for not complying with a subpoena regarding possible campaign-finance law violations. The full House never voted on the measure after the documents they had requested were turned over.

Edited by NBC's Natalie Cucchiara.

BOSTON -- Mitt Romney will embark on a five-day, six-state bus tour beginning on Friday in the first major series of campaign events of the general election, his campaign announced this morning.

After weeks of a campaign defined primarily by fundraising and televised back-and-forth exchanges launched by surrogates, the bus tour marks the first true foray of either candidate into traditional general election-style barnstorming of swing states.

The bus tour, entitled "Believe in America: Every Town Counts" will begin this Friday with an event at New Hampshire's Scamman Farm, where Romney first announced his candidacy last June.

From there, the bus tour will make several stops per day in small towns across the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Iowa, before concluding in Romney's native state of Michigan next Tuesday.

For Obama, the bleeding doesn’t stop… Romney campaign pounces on “The private sector is doing fine” remark… Obama camp tries to capitalize on Romney’s own firefighter/police gaffe… Mitch Daniels on Romney and why he’s not going to be on the VP shortlist… Commerce secretary cited in hit-and-run accident… Obama camp to highlight auto industry’s recovery in Michigan… Pro-Obama Super PAC and SEIU blast Romney in new Spanish-language ad campaign… Breaking down this week’s ad spending… Gabby Giffords stumps in AZ-8 special election… And Scott Brown’s new TV ads and his play for female voters.

Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

President Barack Obama answers reporters' questions during a news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House June 8, 2012.

*** The bleeding doesn’t stop: If last week couldn’t have gotten worse for President Obama and his campaign, well, it did on Friday when Obama uttered these six words at his news conference: “The private sector is doing fine.” In context, the president was noting that the private sector is doing fine IN COMPARISON with the public sector, and the job numbers back that up. But in politics, the context often doesn’t matter. (Remember Romney’s “I’m not concerned about the very poor”?) Also in politics, a gaffe is dangerous when it plays into a narrative the opposition wants to create, and Team Romney has been building the narrative that the president just doesn’t understand the economy; just see the Romney campaign’s latest web video and the RNC’s research responding to Obama’s “private sector is doing fine” remark. The good news for the Obama campaign is that 1) Romney has the challenge of proving he’s more in touch than Obama, 2) this is June, and 3) this race remains competitive. But right now, the Obama campaign looks caught off guard on so many levels; Friday was simply the icing on the cake.

*** Overly reactive: Being caught off guard is very surprising, given that the Obama campaign has been preparing for Romney over the past two or three years. They look overly reactive to the hourly news cycle -- something they would have mocked four years ago -- and seem to be unsure of their own message pushes against Romney. In fact, this all started with the Bain attacks, which privately they knew would get criticism in the Acela Corridor and yet the attacks really seemed to knock them off their game and they haven’t recovered since. Bottom line: There’s a tightness and a message discipline that looks to outsiders as if it’s missing in Chicago. Perhaps this is the growing pains of trying to run a campaign an entire time zone away, which was supposed to be an asset and right now looks like a liability since the principle they represent is in DC. Team Obama also learned this lesson on Friday: If you don’t have much to say, don’t do a presser. The lack of news in the president’s remarks allowed the Romney campaign and GOP to pounce on those six words.

*** Obama campaign tries to capitalize on Romney own gaffe: For its part, the Obama campaign tried to highlight what it saw as Romney’s own gaffe on Friday afternoon -- just as Romney was reacting to the president. “[Obama] says we need more firemen, more policemen, more teachers. Did he not get the message of Wisconsin?” Romney said in Iowa. “The American people did. It’s time for us to cut back on government and help the American people.” The Obama campaign pounces on gaffe with this web video.

*** Mitch Daniels on Romney: How do we know that Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels just isn’t a big fan of Mitt Romney? Here’s the latest example: Daniels said on FOX yesterday that Romney can’t run on just being the anti-Obama. "The American people, I think, will rightly demand to know something more than he's not President Obama,” Daniels said. “He better have an affirmative and constructive message and one of hope." Folks, let’s not even pretend Daniels is on the VP shortlist… Meanwhile, Jeb Bush is wrapping up an off-camera, on-the-record breakfast with NYC-based reporters, and it is not exactly on the Romney set of talking points, either. Put it this way: Go through your Twitter feed of reporters attending this breakfast and replace “Jeb” with “Clinton” and “Romney” with “Obama,” and you’d probably believe you’d know the biggest story of the day. Jeb is that OFF MESSAGE when it comes to Romney’s needs. Topics include: immigration, Hispanic outreach, Europe’s drag on the U.S. economy, and more.

*** Hit and run: You might not have known who the U.S. Commerce secretary is -- his name is John Bryson -- but now A LOT more people are going to know his name. The Los Angeles Times: “Bryson was driving a Lexus in the 400 block of South San Gabriel Boulevard shortly after 5 p.m. Saturday, when he allegedly rear-ended a Buick as it was waiting for a train to pass… After briefly stopping to talk to the three men inside the Buick, Bryson left the location in the Lexus and then struck the Buick a second time, authorities said. The men followed Bryson's car and called 911 to ask for police assistance. Bryson continued to drive his Lexus into Rosemead, which is patrolled by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. There, he allegedly crashed into a second vehicle near the intersection of San Gabriel Boulevard and Hellman Avenue. There authorities found him alone and unconscious behind the wheel of his car.” More: “Authorities said drugs or alcohol do not appear to have played a role in the crash… He was cited for felony hit and run but was not booked into jail because he had been admitted to the hospital. His condition was not known.” And this just in: A Commerce Department official now confirms Bryson has since been released from the hospital.

*** Obama camp to highlight auto industry’s recovery in Michigan: Turning back to the presidential campaign, the Detroit News reports that the Obama campaign is launching a statewide effort in Michigan touting the administration’s rescue of the auto industry. “Instead of just focusing on the turnaround of General Motors Co. and Chrysler Group LLC, which rebounded since the $85 billion federal auto bailout, the Obama campaign intends to shine a weeklong spotlight on other manufacturers, restaurants, tourist spots and firms that benefitted from the auto recovery… Sen. Carl Levin, D-Detroit, will kick off the Michigan Road to Recovery Tour on Monday with a press call.” Of course, this effort comes after a poll last week showed a statistical tie between Obama and Romney in Michigan.

*** Pro-Obama Super PAC and SEIU blast Romney in new Spanish-language ad campaign: In a $4 million advertising buy, the pro-Obama Super PAC Priorities USA Action -- in partnership with the labor union SEIU -- is up with a Spanish-language advertising blitz hitting Mitt Romney on his work at Bain Capital and some of his more memorable gaffes. After playing this soundbite from Romney (“You can focus on the very poor, that’s not my focus”), a Hispanic female says in Spanish, “What about us? He’s not thinking about us.” A Hispanic man adds, “It’s easy for him to say that since he doesn’t have the same necessities as us.” Then the ad displays this across the screen: “Mitt Romney made millions of dollars leaving thousands of people without work.” The ads will air in the battleground states of Colorado, Florida, and Nevada throughout the summer, and Priorities and SEIU will hold a conference call on them at 2:30 pm ET.

*** This week’s ad spending: Given that new Priorities USA ad, here’s a look at the battleground ad spending for THIS WEEK, per data from NBC/SMG Delta. Bottom line: Team Obama (the campaign and its Super PAC) have a significant spending edge over Team Romney.
CO: Obama $531K, Romney $90K, Crossroads GPS $169K, Priorities USA $179K
FL: Obama $1.2M, Crossroads GPS $794K, Priorities USA $289, Planned Parenthood Action Fund $149K
IA: Obama $592K, Romney $103K, Crossroads GPS $185K, Planned Parenthood Action Fund $103K
MI: Crossroads GPS $223K
NV: Obama $516K, Romney $30K, Crossroads GPS $172K
NH: Obama $482K, Romney $33K, Crossroads GPS $310K
NM: Obama $18K
NC: Obama $1.1M, Romney $193K, Crossroads GPS $449K
OH: Obama $1.7M, Romney $277K, Crossroads GPS $514K, Priorities USA $166K
PA: Obama $474K, Crossroads GPS $427K, Priorities USA $214K
VA: Obama $772K, Romney $128K, Crossroads GPS $615K, Priorities USA $145K, Planned Parenthood Action Fund $193K

*** On the trail: Romney raises money in Atlanta, GA… Meanwhile, President Obama conducts affiliate TV interviews with anchors from Roanoke, VA; Jacksonville, FL; Greenville, SC; Sioux City, IA; Green Bay, WI; Colorado Springs, CO; Reno, NV; and Fresno, CA.

*** Giffords stumps for Barber: Tomorrow is the special election between Ron Barber (D) and Jesse Kelly (R) to fill the Arizona congressional seat that Gabby Giffords (D) vacated earlier this year. Per NBC’s John Boxley, Giffords campaigned in Tucson over the weekend for Barber, her former staffer. On Saturday night, Giffords attended a get-out-the-vote concert that drew more than 800 people, as Giffords danced to the tunes of Calexico, her favorite band. Boxley adds that on Sunday, Giffords – accompanied by her husband, Mark Kelly -- visited a phone bank for Barber, where she was greeted with loud cheers, as well as hugs and kisses. Some in the crowd were moved to tears, after seeing Giffords.

*** Scott Brown’s new TV ads and the play for female voters: And in that competitive Massachusetts Senate race, Scott Brown’s campaign is up with two new TV ads (here and here) that feature Brown’s wife, Gail -- the first time that she has appeared in a TV ad. Make no mistake: This is an effort to play to female voters, given that Brown’s opponent is Elizabeth Warren (D). By the way, that Brown pickup truck is featured in both ads.

Countdown to GOP convention: 77 days
Countdown to Dem convention: 84 days
Countdown to Election Day: 148 days

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*** Monday’s “Daily Rundown” line-up: Looking at this week’s battleground ad spending and what it tells us strategically with Democratic strategist Steve McMahon and Republican ad maker Kim Alfano… A deep dive into some “why not” names for Romney’s running mate with The Hotline’s Reid Wilson… More 2012 headlines with NBC’s Luke Russert, National Review/Bloomberg View’s Ramesh Ponnuru and the Washington Post’s Anne Kornblut.  

*** Monday’s “MSNBC Live with Thomas Roberts” line-up: MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts interviews Democratic strategist Bob Shrum, GOP strategist Robert Traynham, Wendy Schiller, Politico’s Alexander Burns, the Christian Science Monitor’s Patrik Jonsson, lawyer BJ Bernstein, and Enrico Moretti, who’s author of the book “The New Geography of Jobs.”

*** Monday’s “NOW with Alex Wagner” line-up: Alex Wagner’s guests include former George W. Bush Communications Director Nicolle Wallace, New York Magazine’s John Heilemann, Politico’s Glenn Thrush, and CNBC’s Eamon Javers.

*** Monday’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” line-up: NBC’s Andrea Mitchell interviews Romney adviser Eric Fehrnstrom, GOP Strategist John Brabender, Priorities USA Action Co-founder Bill Burton, Politico’s Roger Simon, Author and Save the Children USA Managing Director Mark Shriver, the Washington Post’s Jonathan Capehart and Author and former Nixon White House Counsel John Dean.

*** Monday’s “News Nation with Tamron Hall” line-up: MSNBC’s Tamron Hall interviews former Obama White House communications aide  Jen Psaki, Politico’s Alex Burns, and the National Journal’s Josh Kraushaar on Arizona’s special election to fill Gabby Gifford’s seat.

Under fire from Republicans, President Obama clarified an earlier assessment of the health of the private sector, explaining that it's "absolutely clear" the economy is not doing "fine."

The president, in response to a question Friday afternoon in the Oval Office, backtracked somewhat on his comments his morning that "the private sector is doing fine."

"It is absolutely clear that the economy is not doing fine. That's why I had a press conference," Obama said.

Obama's original comment drew immediate scrutiny from Republicans; Romney, speaking in Iowa, said the comment showed that Obama was "out of touch."

The president's initial remarks were intended to portray the relative weakness in public sector hiring -- an outgrowth of spending cuts at the federal, state and local level -- versus the private sector. The drop off in public employment has been a drag on the overall employment picture; the economy added just 69,000 jobs last month, a number that was so low, in part, because of anemic public sector hiring.

A variety of Republicans pounced on the comments nonetheless, proclaiming Obama as disconnected from economy, the central issue in this fall's election.

The president used the opportunity to take a shot at Romney and those Republicans.

"You know, and what I'm interested in hearing from Congress and Mr. Romney is what steps are they willing to take right now that are going to make an actual difference?" Obama asked. "And so far, all we've heard are additional tax cuts to the folks who are doing fine, as opposed to taking steps that would actually help deal with the weaknesses in the economy and promote the kind of economic growth that we would all like to see."

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA -- Mitt Romney condemned President Obama's assessment of the private sector's health as "fine" on Friday as a misreading of historic proportions.

The presumptive presidential nominee seized on the president's comments hours earlier at the White House, accusing Obama of being "out of touch."

"He said the private sector is doing fine," Romney said. "Is he really that out of touch? I think he's really defining what it means to be out of touch with reality."

Republicans were quick to pounce on Obama's line at a press conference this morning, which was meant to contrast the relative health of the private sector versus the public sector, which has had to weather layoffs prompted by cuts to government spending.

"The truth of the matter is that, as I said, we've created 4.3 million jobs over the last 27 months; over 800,000 just this year alone," Obama said. "The private sector is doing fine."

(An Obama campaign spokesman emphasized the 3.4 million private sector jobs to have been created during the president's tenure, though said much more work needs to be done.)

"For the president of the united states to stand up and say the private sector is doing fine is going to go down in history as an extraordinary miscalculation by a president who is out of touch," Romney said.

Obama's remarks were intended to goad lawmakers into taking action on his stalled jobs plan, particularly to boost hiring of government workers -- teachers, police and firefighters, among them -- at the state and local level.

Romney labeled that plan as effectively a new round of stimulus.

"He wants another stimulus, he wants to add more government workers," Romney said, "Did he not get the message in Wisconsin?"

NBC's Carrie Dann contributed reporting.

CHICAGO -- Rick Santorum is fully behind Mitt Romney.  Kind of.

Speaking to reporters ahead of his address to the Conservative Political Action Conference here, the former Republican presidential candidate called Romney "a tremendous improvement" over President Obama. But, he added, "As I said during the campaign, I think we could have been even more of an improvement, but that issue has passed."

The former Pennsylvania senator said he will be campaigning for Romney, though he did not have any specifics on when the two will be together.

Instead he said he will support the GOP nominee through his new non-profit group, "Patriot Voices," launched Friday to promote conservative candidates and the issues he pushed in his campaign.

Santorum endorsed the former Massachusetts governor in a late-night email to supporters last month after the two held a private meeting in Pittsburgh.  He has dismissed speculation that any bad blood exists between the two after what became a fierce and negative primary battle.

The role Santorum will play at the convention is still unclear. He met with Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus recently to ensure his delegates are able to play a role in Tampa.

"I want to make sure that the folks who represent the values that I did during this campaign are also able to come to that convention and have their voices heard," said Santorum. "I certainly have encouraged everyone to support Gov. Romney as I have, but there are a lot of other issues at a convention other than just, you know, voting for the nominee.”

Like the annual CPAC event in February, Santorum took the stage after an introduction from Foster Friess, the chief backer of the pro-Santorum Super PAC Red, White and Blue Fund.  Back then, Friess joked that Romney was a conservative, moderate and liberal all wrapped into one.  But on Friday, he had nothing but words of encouragement for the man he spent so much money trying to defeat. In front of the crowd of conservative activists, Santorum also expressed support for Romney when he took the stage.

And Santorum declined to weigh in on what will be one of Romney's vice presidential pick. "If I was the nominee I wouldn't want other people telling me who to put in."

Romney catches up to Obama -- in more ways than one… Obama to hold press conference at 10:15 am ET… Breaking down Romney’s VP possibilities if they were stocks… Romney’s new response TV ad… New poll measuring the Latino vote shows Obama with a big lead… Romney campaigns in Iowa… And if you missed seeing Bachmann, Cain, and Santorum, you’re in luck today at CPAC… And good news for Dems in North Dakota.

*** Catching up: If we learned two things this week, it’s 1) that Team Obama was put on the defensive, and 2) that Team Romney has caught up in more ways than one. Indeed, this is the week Romney caught up in fundraising (his campaign and the RNC outraised Obama and the DNC, $76.8 million to $60 million), in some national and battleground state polls (the national FOX, EPIC-MRA in Michigan, and Purple Strategies’ swing states), and even on the airwaves (the Romney camp is up in seven states versus the Obama camp’s nine). As the GOP presumptive nominee, there was always a time when Romney was going to catch up; just see where John Kerry was at around this point in 2004. But that time is now.

*** Obama to hold press conference: Against this backdrop -- his worst week of the campaign year coupled with Romney’s best – President Obama today holds a mini-press conference in the White House briefing room at 10:15 am ET. The issues that are likely to come up: the economy, Europe, Syria. But it’s also an attempt to wrest back control of the narrative a bit as the questions are likely to be a mix of both international and campaign. What’s more, it’s the first opportunity for the press corps to ask him about Wisconsin.

*** If the VP picks were stocks: With some possible Romney VP picks speaking at the CPAC gathering in Chicago (more on that below), we’re introducing a way to look at Romney’s running mate candidates. There are plenty of Top 10 lists out there, but what we’re introducing is a way to look at their value -- much like a stock. Who is overvalued right now (in terms of risk vs. reward)? Who is underpriced? Who is priced correctly? Here are our thoughts:

The most expensive: Rob Portman, Marco Rubio. These guys -- right now -- would be your most expensive stocks to buy because they are being viewed both internally and externally as the clear-cut frontrunners. But you can argue the potential risk each brings has NOT been priced into their stock (Bush years for Portman, unvetted record for Rubio).
Other Overvalued Picks: Chris Christie, Bob McDonnell. These two governors get lots of attention, but maybe more attention than Team Romney is giving them as both present some downsides that too many in the media overlook.
Undervalued: Tim Pawlenty, Bobby Jindal, John Thune: If you were looking for a good deal, you would consider this category, especially Pawlenty, who was McCain’s runner-up in 2008. All of these folks are probably under more serious consideration than the C.W. crowd believes.
Valued just about right: Kelly Ayotte, Paul Ryan, Susana Martinez. Their risks and rewards have all been priced about right by the C.W. crowd.

*** Romney’s new response ad: In a response to this week’s hard-hitting Obama TV ad that criticizes Romney’s job-creation record in Massachusetts -- that it ranked 47^th in the nation -- the Romney camp is up with its own ad. “As governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney had the best jobs record in a decade,” the ad goes. “Romney reduced unemployment to just 4.7%. “He balanced every budget without raising taxes. He did it by bringing parties together to cut through gridlock.” Some quick facts: The unemployment rate in Massachusetts was 4.7% in Dec. 2006, which was Romney’s last full month as governor, but that was higher than the nation’s overall 4.4% rate. While the ad states that Romney balanced the budget without raising taxes, he raised revenues and fees as governor.

*** Measuring the Latino vote: Obama continues to lead Mitt Romney by a wide margin, 66-23%, according to a new Latino Decisions poll. And the poll looked at feelings among Latinos toward the Democratic DREAM Act shepherded by Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) vs. Sen. Marco Rubio’s (R-FL) proposed bill, aka “DREAM Act Light.” Latinos strongly preferred Durbin’s. By an 87%-10% margin, Latinos had a favorable view of the Democratic version, as opposed to being split, 49%/46% for Rubio’s. Then, they were asked which version they preferred. They said Democrats’ by an 82%-13% margin.

*** On the trail: Romney holds an event in Council Bluffs, IA at 11:30 am ET, and then he heads to Utah, where he’ll appear with Sen. Orrin Hatch at 4:25 pm ET and then hit a fundraiser.

*** If you missed seeing Bachmann, Cain, and Santorum, you’re in luck: Conservatives are gathering in the Chicago area for another CPAC confab. (Is it just us, or does there seem to be a CPAC almost every few months? The national one, in DC, took place four months ago in February.) Here are some of the notable speakers: Rick Santorum (who has announced a new group, at 10:45 am ET, John Kasich at 11:15 am ET, Rand Paul (who just endorsed Romney) at 11:30 am ET, Chris Christie at noon ET, Herman Cain at 1:30 pm ET, Bobby Jindal at 2:45 pm ET, Bob McDonnell at 6:40 pm ET and Michele Bachmann at 6:40 pm ET.

*** Just askin’: Why is it that Bill Clinton or Cory Booker going off-script becomes national news, but not when Sen. Lisa Murkowski disagrees with the GOP and Romney attacks on Solyndra, or when Jeb Bush praises Obama on education -- a subject on which Romney recently criticized the president? Are those things also going off-script?

*** Good news for Dems in North Dakota: This has been a tough week for Democrats, but they got some good news with a new Mason-Dixon poll out of North Dakota, which shows Heidi Heitkamp (D) running even with Rick Berg (R). In the poll, it’s Heitkamp at 47% and Berg at 46%. Meanwhile, for the Indiana Senate race, the Dem groups American Bridge and Majority PAC are up with a new website, WhoIsRichardMourdock.com.

*** Rick Scott = George Wallace? As the drama in Florida continues to unfold over voter registration and voter roll purges, the influential Tampa Bay Times editorial page scolds Gov. Rick Scott (R), comparing him to Gov. George Wallace: “This June, the governor of another Southern state is challenging the federal government's authority. Nearly 50 years after Wallace's showdown, you are standing between Floridians and their right to vote as U.S. citizens. We agree that only citizens should vote, but your approach to cleaning up the voter rolls is fatally flawed. The U.S. Justice Department and county supervisors of election have reached the same conclusion and told you to stop, yet you persist.”

Countdown to GOP convention: 80 days
Countdown to Dem convention: 87 days
Countdown to Election Day: 151 days

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*** Friday’s “Daily Rundown” line-up: Libertarian presidential nominee and former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson… Democratic nominee Ron Barber on Tuesday’s special election to fill the seat of former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-AZ)… Vanity Fair’s Todd Purdum takes a deep dive into the president’s cabinetmaking…. More 2012 headlines with The Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza, The Grio’s Perry Bacon, and USA Today’s Jackie Kucinich.

*** Friday’s “Jansing & Co.” line-up: MSNBC’s Chris Jansing interviews Rep. Donna Edwards (D-MD), former Bush White House spokesman Tony Fratto, Dem strategist Steve Elmendorf, the Washington Post’s Anne Kornblut, National Journal’s Ron Fournier; and Romney campaign senior adviser Hector Barreto.

*** Friday’s “MSNBC Live with Thomas Roberts” line-up: MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts interviews Sen. Mark Warner, Rep. Barney Frank, GOP strategist Hogan Gidley, Dem strategist Jen Psaki, presidential historian Douglas Brinkley, and MSNBC’s Melissa Harris-Perry

*** Friday’s “NOW with Alex Wagner” line-up: Alex Wagner’s guests include Bloomberg Businessweek’s Joshua Green, Rolling Stone’s Michael Hastings, BuzzFeed Editor-in-Chief Ben Smith, Author & Journalist Catherine Crier, and Princeton University Prof. Justin Wolfers

*** Friday’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” line-up: NBC’s Andrea Mitchell interviews Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI), former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, Presidential Historian and Author Doris Kearns Goodwin, Film Producer Jerry Weintraub, the Washington Post’s Jonathan Capehart, and GOP strategist Fred Malek.

*** Friday’s “News Nation with Tamron Hall” line-up: MSNBC’s Tamron Hall interviews GOP strategist Chip Saltsman, the Washington Post’s Anne Kornblut, and Dem strategist Richard Fowler.

*** Saturday’s and Sunday’s “Weekends with Alex Witt” line-up: As part of her weekly “Office Politics series, Alex Witt interviews LA Mayor Antonio Villraigosa.

*** Saturday’s and Sunday’s “Melissa Harris-Perry” line-up: On the show Saturday, NBC Latino’s Raul Reyes, Columbia University’s Dorian Warren, the University of Pennsylvania’s Anthea Butler, BYU’s J. Spencer Fluhman, Joanna Brooks, author of "The Book of Mormon Girl", the Boston Globe’s Matt Viser, and Sister Simone Campbell from Sisters of Social Service. On Sunday, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL), MSNBC’s Al Sharpton, WNYC’s Ailsa Chang, UPenn’s Butler, Judith Browne Dianis of the Advancement Project, Joe Olivo of the National Federation of Independent Business, and culture critic Joan Morgan.

Mitt Romney has narrowed the gap in another poll. Romney and Obama are tied at 43% in the latest FOX poll. Obama had led 46-39% last month (though the two were tied in April also at 46% apiece).

Meanwhile, Obama leads 46-42% in a national Monmouth University poll. Among those who say they’re the most likely to vote, the gap narrows to Obama 47%-46%.

And get this: on religion, 31% say Obama comes closest to their religious beliefs, 27% say Romney, and 32% neither.

The Tampa Bay Times: “Poll: Voters prefer full Dream Act to Rubio's version.”

Just 44% approve of the Supreme Court.

MICHIGAN: Romney leads in a new Epic/MRA poll 46-45%, a reversal from Obama’s 47-43% lead in April.

“The Obama campaign raised questions Thursday over Mitt Romney’s secrecy when it comes to his finances, especially with regards to his investments and whether he pays his fair share of taxes, and called upon the Republican candidate to release his retirement contract from Bain Capital,” the Boston Globe reports.

Clinton’s weird walk back on the Bush tax cuts: "I'm very sorry about what happened. I thought something had to be done on the 'fiscal cliff' before the election. Apparently nothing has to be done until the first of the year."

The health law remains largely unpopular. A CNN poll finds 51% say they’re opposed to the law, while 43% say they’re in favor of it.

Netroots Nation is happening in Providence. Said one person to USA Today of Obama: "I thought he was more to the left than he is. Disappointed that he's not, but I'm going to wholeheartedly support him. Because there is no one else."

Said another, from Florida who is fighting the voter purges: "You learn that no one is going to be the end-all and be-all," she says. "Most of us are pragmatists. There's no way we're going to vote for someone like Mitt Romney."

GOP 12’s Heinze on Romney’s new ad: “One ad isn't going to sufficiently beat back attacks on his record, but it's smart to get a jump on defending it.”

“Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign is planning a trio of major fundraising events in the Washington area later in June, including a $50,000-per-person private dinner in Georgetown with the presumptive Republican nominee,” the Washington Post reports.

“When it comes to bunking down in hotels, Mitt Romney's campaign is giving some of its business to the company founded by a family friend,” USA Today writes. “The presumptive GOP presidential nominee's campaign has spent more than $475,000 on travel expenses at Marriott hotels, according to a Center for Responsive Politics analysis.”

According to his financial disclosure, released last week, Romney sits on Marriott’s board.

“Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire casino owner, is reportedly ready to support Mitt Romney for president with a $1 million donation to a super PAC,” USA Today writes.

As First Read did this week, the AP also notes the irony of the GOP praising Bill Clinton: “Republicans who tried to strip Bill Clinton of his presidency have eagerly embraced the Democrat, taking his words on taxes and decisions on Bosnia and using them to pound another Democratic president, Barack Obama.”

From Alex Moe and Andrew Rafferty

CPAC starts tomorrow in Chicago, and there will be a slew of potential veeps on hand.

Mark it down… Both Rep. Paul Ryan & Sen. Rob Portman will be special guests at a young professionals for Romney event in Washington, DC on June 25th, the Washington Post reports.

BUSH: Also from this AM’s CBS interview, Slate points out: the former Florida governor offered praise to President Obama for his approach to fixing education, and suggested Republicans would be willing to raise taxes if this was not an election year.

GOP 12 headlines of Bush’s TV interview: “Jeb: I'm not ‘100,000 percent against President Obama’.”

CHRISTIE: In Jersey, per Businessweek: Gov. Chris Christie is asking New Jersey senior citizens to work against a property tax credit plan that's partially paid for by reinstating a tax on millionaires.

JINDAL: The education reformer is hitting some road blocks. From the Shreveport Times:  “The Louisiana Federation of Teachers has filed lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s education package enacted by the Legislature and using public school funds to pay for private and parochial school vouchers.”

Jindal’s response: "Forty-four percent of our public schools are failing...The coalition of the status quo have fought reform every step of the way, so it is no surprise they are making this last ditch effort to convince the courts to overrule the vote of the people and the Legislature. Holding up these reforms in court will only deny parents and students the opportunity to escape failing schools. Our kids do not get a second chance to grow up."

MARTINEZ: She’s selling airplanes in New Mexico. And from the AP, some perspective on Tuesday’s results in the state: “Republican Gov. Susana Martinez and her allies flexed their muscle in legislative races by reaching across party lines to help moderate Democrats survive challenges from liberals, but the governor's favored GOP candidate lost in a Senate contest in eastern New Mexico. The first-term governor ended up with a potentially more favorable legislative landscape after Tuesday's primary election despite the loss of the candidate she endorsed in a two-way race to replace state Sen. Clint Harden of Clovis, who is retiring after 10 years.”

PAWLENTY:  He said yesterday about the president: "His drone strikes and killing of Osama Bin Laden obviously are positives, but they don't go far enough.”

He was mum on all things regarding himself as the VP, but said Portman, Rubio and Christie would be strong VP choices

RUBIO: Wrote an op/ed in the WSJ today which argued the U.S. should help establish safe zones in Turkey, offer medicine and intelligence, work to unify the Syrian opposition, and certainly abandon hope in Kofi Annan.  The piece comes the same day a new CNN poll shows 6 in 10 Americans feel US has no responsibility to end the fighting in Syria.

Yesterday he joined Sen. Menendez (D-NJ) for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee subpanel hearing on freedom in Cuba. They were the only two senators who showed, and did not make much progress with the Obama administration, The Hill reports.

RYAN: Appeared on Hannity last night and again dodged the VP question:
Hannity: If Governor Romney gave you a call and said, ‘Congressman, I would like to you run with me.’ Your answer would be?
Ryan: You mean go jogging with him? I’d go for a run.
Hannity: All right, would you go jogging with him to the vice presidency?
Ryan: Sure. I am not going to comment on any of that stuff …
Hannity: It’s part of my job, Congressman.
Ryan: I know it is.

ARIZONA: “A PAC supporting Jesse Kelly in the race to replace Gabrielle Giffords in Congress has sent an e-mail using an image of the Republican candidate holding an assault rifle,” USA Today writes.

And Nancy Pelosi’s name was attached to an email sent out by another Super PAC, House Majority PAC, trying to raise money off the Gabby Giffords tragedy. The subject line: “For Gabby...” The ask: “Right now, my friends at House Majority PAC are airing a powerful new ad exposing the Republican in the race for who he is. If we want to continue Gabby's great work in Congress, we must elect Democrat Ron Barber and other Democratic candidates. That means getting the truth out about Tea Party extremists like Jesse Kelly. We have set a goal to raise $50,000 more to help House Majority PAC bring home a victory on Tuesday and beyond. Will you join us?”

FLORIDA: As the drama in Florida continues to unfold, the Tampa Bay Times editorial page scolds Gov. Rick Scott (R), comparing him to Gov. George Wallace: “This June, the governor of another Southern state is challenging the federal government's authority. Nearly 50 years after Wallace's showdown, you are standing between Floridians and their right to vote as U.S. citizens. We agree that only citizens should vote, but your approach to cleaning up the voter rolls is fatally flawed. The U.S. Justice Department and county supervisors of election have reached the same conclusion and told you to stop, yet you persist.”

“Florida's noncitizen voter purge looks like it's all but over,” the Miami Herald’s Caputo writes. “The 67 county elections supervisors — who have final say over voter purges — are not moving forward with the purge for now because nearly all of them don't trust the accuracy of a list of nearly 2,700 potential noncitizens identified by the state's elections office.”

NORTH DAKOTA: Start re-jiggering those Senate Top 10s. “A new Mason-Dixon poll in North Dakota shows Heidi Heitkamp (D) holding a very slim lead over Rick Berg (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 47% to 46%,” Political Wire writes.

PENNSYLVANIA: There’s an anti-union push in the Keystone state as well, drumming up controversy.

Carolyn Kaster / AP

President Barack Obama talks about the economy, Friday, June 8, 2012, in the briefing room of the White House in Washington.

Updated 11:47 a.m. - President Barack Obama urged Congress to pass stalled elements of his jobs plan, warning that severe cuts to government spending, combined with reverberations from Europe's economic downturn, could spend the U.S. economy into a tailspin.

At a press conference on Friday at the White House, the president offered his own kind of warning against deep and immediate cuts to government spending, which he said would only stall the pace of the recovery, and in turn, exacerbate the government's ability to address debt and deficits.

"We've got a couple of sectors in our economy that is still weak. Overall, the private sector has been doing a good job of creating jobs," Obama said. "The big challenge we have in our economy right now is state and local government hiring has been going in the wrong direction."

Romney condemns Obama as 'out of touch'

Losses of government jobs have been a major factor in lackluster hiring reports in recent months; the most recent monthly jobs report, released last Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, indicated that the economy added only 69,000 jobs last month -- a number well below expectations.

A major factor in the slowed pace of hiring, reports had indicated, were layoffs associated with government spending.

The debate over jobs and the mouting national debt have framed the general election campaign between Obama and presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney. The former Massachusetts governor's team was quick to seize on the president's press conference, particularly his pronouncement that the private sector was doing "fine" versus public sector employees.

"The truth of the matter is that, as I said, we've created 4.3 million jobs over the last 27 months; over 800,000 just this year alone," Obama said. "The private sector is doing fine."

In response, Ryan Williams, a spokesman for Romney, said: "Today, President Obama inexplicably claimed that ‘the private sector is doing fine.’ But the 23 million Americans who are struggling for work are not ‘doing fine.’ Job creators and small businesses are not ‘doing fine.’ The middle class is not ‘doing fine.’ There is no denying that President Obama has been fundamentally hostile to job creators and his policies have prevented our economy from rebounding. America needs a president who understands the economy and knows how to get our country back on track."

Romney condemns Obama as 'out of touch'

Romney was set to speak late Friday morning in Iowa, where he was spending most of the day campaigning. House Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor scheduled an afternoon press conference on Capitol Hill to respond to the president, as well.

Obama avoided explicitly political barbs toward Romney or Republicans in Congress, but today's press conference came againist an explicitly political backdrop. The president's re-election team has been reeling from last week's jobs report, one of only a handful remaining federal reports that could sway voters' perceptions of the central issue of the campaign: the economy.

European nations' struggles to address a growing financial and monetary crisis have only slowed already-tight markets, and Obama was sure to note the impact on U.S. businesses.

But the overarching purpose of the press conference was to urge action by Congress, which has struggled to reach agreement on only a few elements of the jobs plan.

"They left most of the jobs plan just sitting there," Obama said of congressional gridlock in advancing elements of his jobs plan, which he first unveiled last fall. "And in light of the headwinds we're facing right now, I urge them to reconsider. Becuase there's steps that we can take right now to get people back to work."

But given Republican control of the House and Democratic control of the Senate -- and the deep differences that separate them -- action on any part of the plan seems unlikely. Cantor outlined the summer agenda for the House a few weeks ago, which included more politically-themed votes to frame the election this fall than advancing the president's agenda.

Republicans have long complained that much of the president's recent policy actions have been motivated by election year politics; the GOP has extended that claim to recent leaks of national security victories, suggesting that the White House might have released details of top-secret operations in order to aid Obama's re-election.

The president called that suggestion "offensive," and suggested that his administration has a "zero tolerance" policy for leakers, who could face possible prosecution if they're discovered.

"The notion that my White House would purposely release classified national security information is offensive. It's wrong," Obama said.

Obama declined to comment on an reported cyber-sabotage operation against the Iranian nuclear program, as well as a reported "kill list" containing the names of high-value targets that he allegedly supervises.

He also would neither confirm nor deny any existing investigation into leaks, saying that his administration always looks to identify the source of any intelligence leak.

Cliff Owen / AP

First lady Michelle Obama has her photograph made with patrons at Mom's Apple Pie Bakery in Occoquan, Va., Thursday, June 7, 2012.

DALE CITY, VA --- Campaigning for her husband in Virginia's vote-rich Prince William County on Thursday, first lady Michelle Obama focused on women's economic and physical well-being, telling a largely female crowd of supporters that the administration's efforts to offer preventative health services like contraception isn't an election year ploy.

"Protecting women’s health is a mission that has nothing to do with politics,” she told an audience of about 700 volunteers and Obama backers.  “It’s about ensuring that women have the screenings we need to stay healthy and the health care we need when we are sick and it’s about ensuring that women can make basic health decisions for ourselves."

The first lady, in one of her first solo appearances open to reporters, emphasized the president's push for equal pay for women, whom she said often serve as "the breadwinners" in American families.

"It is now easier for women to get equal pay for equal work," she said to applause.

Mrs. Obama urged supporters to keep those accomplishments in mind when they boost the president in conversations with people in their communities.

And that includes "the yoga people."

"Reach out to your friends and your neighbors and your colleagues and your congregation and your social club members," she said. "And the other ladies you have tea with, and the people you walk with in the morning, and the yoga people," she said.

The first lady appeared in Virginia's Prince William County, an area that George W. Bush won handily in 2000 and 2004 but that swung in Obama's favor by a 58 percent to 42 percent margin in 2008.  The diverse audience at the event appeared to reflect the area's cultural melting-pot; per the Census Bureau, African-American and Latino residents make up more than half of Dale City's population.

Minority populations -- as well as female voters -- will be key to Obama's efforts to beat Mitt Romney in battleground Virginia in the fall.

That's a fight that will not be easy, she added.

"This election will be closer than the last one," she said. "That we can count on."

NORTH ST. LOUIS COUNTY, MO -- Mitt Romney on Thursday recast perhaps his favorite stump speech topic -- the central role of free enterprise in America's success -- as a moral issue, while also taking on President Obama's arguments about economic fairness.

"It is called the free enterprise system because we are both free to engage in enterprise and through those enterprises we ensure our freedom. But sadly, it has become clear that this president simply doesn’t understand or appreciate these fundamental truths of our economic system," Romney told an audience of several hundred supporters on a factory floor outside St. Louis.

"Over the last three and a half years, record numbers of Americans have lost their jobs or just disappeared from the work force, or can only find part time jobs. Record numbers of Americans are now living in poverty –-  46 million people. In this country. Living below the poverty line," Romney said. "This is not just a failure of policy; it is a moral failure of tragic proportion. Our government has a moral commitment to help every American help himself... And that commitment has been broken."

The former Massachusetts governor also used his morality argument to reframe President Obama's campaign for greater economic fairness.

"President Obama's vision is very different –- and deeply flawed. There is nothing fair about a government that favors political connections over honest competition and takes away your right to earn your own success," Romney said. "And there is nothing morally right about trying to turn government dependence into a substitute for the dignity of hard work."

Romney regularly casts himself as a defender of the free enterprise system and a champion of small business, and while he regularly speaks of the national debt as a moral issue, today's casting of free enterprise as morally good and the president's policies as morally bad was a rhetorical shift, performed before two of the campaign's own cameras, likely for a future television ad.

After the speech, Romney did not gloat about his Victory Fund's May fundraising totals, which surpassed those of the president's re-election campaign, telling reporters along the rope line that the campaign has "got a long way to go."

The presumptive GOP nominee also told reporters that he called Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker on Tuesday night to congratulate him on his victory in the recall effort there. He did not respond to a follow up question about whether he could win Wisconsin outright. His campaign advisers say they view the Badger state with cautious optimism, as a place to go on offense, but that they don't have to carry to reach the White House in 2012.

Evan Vucci / AP

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney gestures during a campaign stop at Production Products, Thursday, June 7, 2012, in St. Louis, Mo.

The trees may be the right height after all.

An EPIC/MRA poll out today shows Mitt Romney and Barack Obama in a statistical tie in Michigan, with Romney edging the president 46-45 percent.

The numbers are a reversal from April when the same poll had Obama up 47-43 percent.

"EPIC co-founder John Cavanagh said the softening in support for Obama is likely related to a robust TV advertising campaign by pro-Romney PACs which have been critical of his handling of the economy," the Detroit Free Press writes.

Conservative outside groups have spent a combined total of $3.4 million so far in Michigan.

The Obama and Romney campaigns have spent nothing. All that's been spent there on the Democratic side is $10,000 from Priorities USA.