Vice presidential speculation swirled anew yesterday following a report by the conservative columnist Robert Novak that Senator McCain may announce his running mate this week while his opponent, Senator Obama, is overseas. In a posting on the Human Events Web site, Mr. Novak quoted sources close to the campaign as saying the pick could be disclosed by the end of the week. The speculation has lately centered on a former Republican rival of Mr. McCain’s, Mitt Romney. Separately, the Washington Post reported yesterday that the presumptive Republican nominee would meet tomorrow with Governor Jindal of Louisiana, another oft-mentioned vice presidential possibility. Mr Jindal, 37, has drawn support from influential conservatives, including Newt Gingrich and Grover Norquist, but his youth would undermine Mr. McCain’s argument against Mr. Obama’s lack of experience. The McCain campaign told NBC News that it had nothing to announce yesterday afternoon.

NEW YORK TIMES REJECTS MCCAIN OP-ED ON IRAQ

The McCain campaign was crying foul yesterday over a decision by the editorial page of the New York Times to reject an op-ed by the Arizona senator responding to an article by Senator Obama on Iraq last week. In what appeared to be a deliberate leak by the McCain campaign, the news of the rejection was splashed across the top of the Drudge Report yesterday, along with the suggestion from the campaign that the Times had rejected the piece because of its position on the war. The article, which was reprinted in full on the Drudge Report, largely focused on criticism of Mr. Obama’s Iraq policy. The newspaper said it wanted more specifics on Mr. McCain’s plan for Iraq, and in a statement, the Times said it was “standard procedure” to go back and forth on an op-ed with the author. The statement noted that the Times had endorsed Mr. McCain in the Republican primary.

POLL SHOWS TIGHT RACE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

A new poll shows a dead heat between Senators Obama and McCain in New Hampshire, with Mr. Obama holding a statistically insignificant lead over his Republican rival. Mr. Obama tops Mr. McCain, 46% to 43%, in the University of New Hampshire survey, but the three-point edge is within the 4.5 point margin of error. The McCain campaign is making an aggressive push in the Granite State, hoping that the Arizona senator’s victory there in both the 2000 and 2008 primary with carry over into November. Mr. Obama lost the state to Senator Clinton in the Democratic primary in January, despite a wide lead in the polls heading into Election Day.

RICE TO EMBASSIES: LIMIT AID TO CANDIDATES

As Senator Obama began an overseas tour, Secretary of State Rice told employees at American embassies to provide only minimal help to visiting presidential candidates. The orders went to all overseas posts and told government employees not to do anything that might show favoritism or amount to improper campaign activity. The department said the State Department issued similar orders ahead of Senator McCain’s overseas tours to Iraq, Mexico, and elsewhere this year, but limited the communication to embassies in countries the Republican planned to visit. Officials said the orders had been in the works for months and it was just coincidence that they were issued yesterday, the day the presumptive Democratic candidate left Washington for a much-watched trip to Afghanistan, Iraq, the Middle East and Europe. As an example of appropriate logistical help, Ms. Rice’s memo said, “If the campaign staff wants to rent a bus for press, tell them where they can rent a bus.”

SMALL-DOLLAR DONORS BOOST OBAMA

Senator Obama’s army of small-dollar donors gave his presidential campaign its biggest boost in June, contributing more than $30 million in individual sums of $200 or less. Overall, the presumed Democratic presidential nominee hauled in $52 million for the month, reversing a three-month fund-raising decline. He also had his lowest spending of the year, permitting him to build a $72 million end-of-month cash reserve. “This is the highest amount raised in amounts of $200 or less in the history of presidential fund raising,” said Michael Malbin, executive director of the Campaign Finance Institute, a nonpartisan organization that analyzes campaign money. By comparison, Senator McCain raised $21.5 million in June, with a third coming from donors who gave in increments of $200 or less, according to the institute’s analysis.