Obama Tells Democratic Donors He’ll Keep Reaching Out to G.O.P.

DALLAS â€" President Obama vowed Wednesday night to continue trying to work with Republican lawmakers even if doing so irritates some of his Democratic supporters who think he is “a sap.”

Straddling the line between governance and politics, Mr. Obama told wealthy contributors at a Democratic fund-raiser here that their party was not the only one that cared about the troubles of the country, and he renewed his commitment to bipartisanship despite the divisions in Washington.

“Occasionally I may make some of you angry because I’m going to reach out to Republicans, and I’m going to keep on doing it,” he said. “Even if some of you think I’m a sap, I’m going to keep on doing it because that’s what I think the country needs.”

He went on to say he still would prefer a Democratic-controlled Congress, because when his party can set the agenda, “we don’t have a country where just a few are doing really well.”

The fund-raiser was held the night before the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum here, which Mr. Obama will attend. In keeping with the spirit of that event, he offered praise for Mr. Bush to an audience of Texas Democrats who have long opposed him. “Whatever our political differences, President Bush loves this country and loves its people and shares that same concern,” he said.

About 60 donors paid between $10,000 and $32,400 to attend the dinner at the home of Naomi Aberly, a Democratic bundler, and her husband, Laurence Lebowitz, a hedge fund investor. The 12,000-square-foot home, which resembles a concert hall, was valued at $10.9 million and ranked as the 41st most expensive in the Dallas area by the local D Magazine. It is about a mile from Mr. Bush’s home.

In his talk, Mr. Obama expressed sorrow about the terrorist attack in Boston and the fertilizer plant explosion in West, Tex., but said both had shown the character of the country.

He expressed pride in his record but said he had more that he wanted to accomplish. “We’ve got a lot of work to do,” he said. “Unfortunately, right now Washington is not - how do I put this charitably? It’s not as functional as it should be. It could do better.”

In Israel, O’Malley Talks Jobs, Foreign Policy and, of Course, 2016

JERUSALEM - Gov. Martin O’Malley of Maryland said Wednesday that he would spend the second half of this year mulling whether to run for president in 2016. He seems already to have a campaign theme: jobs and innovation.

At least that’s what he insisted was the sole focus of his eight-day trip to Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian territories, and pretty much all he wanted to talk about with a handful of reporters he had summoned to the King David Hotel for coffee. “I’m sure all of you will ask me foreign policy questions,” he said as he opened the floor. “I respect your right to ask them, and I hope you’ll respect my right to shy away from answering them.”

And so, on the news of the day â€" apparent differences between the Obama administration and the Israeli military on whether chemical weapons had been deployed by the Syrian military â€" Mr. O’Malley, a Democrat, deferred to the president’s judgment. “It’s certainly one of the great challenges,” he allowed.

Asked whether the American people, weary from a decade of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, would be ready to engage in another military operation to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, Mr. O’Malley avoided specifics. “I believe that the president will make that call,” he said, “and the president will have the primary responsibility of making that case to the American people and also to Congress.”

How about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? “All of us hope for peace in the Middle East.”

Governor O’Malley, 50, said it was his third visit to Israel, and that he had brought with him about 50 high-tech executives, Jewish leaders, and Maryland officials for what is essentially a trade mission. After a side trip to Jordan in which he met with Prince Faisal - “What we spoke about was the huge challenge that the ongoing conflict in Syria has for the entire region” - much of his itinerary here is filled with companies that have offices in his home state, including one that makes radar for the vaunted Iron Dome missile defense system.

Mr. O’Malley was also set to meet with President Shimon Peres of Israel; two rising stars in Israeli politics, Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, both of whom head economic ministries; and Salaam Fayyad, who resigned earlier this month as prime minister of the Palestinian Authority. (Scheduling with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel was still being worked out.)

“I’m hoping in discussions with him to learn,” Mr. O’Malley said of Mr. Fayyad. “That’s part of the obligation that goes along with travel.”

The visit comes two months after Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, a Republican similarly put forth as a potential 2016 candidate, made headlines during his own trip here by referring to Jerusalem as its capital, a point of contention with the Palestinians. Might he face off against Governor O’Malley?

“I plan for the latter half of this year to dedicate some more thought time, reflection time, to the question of whether or not I would run,” he said Tuesday. “The key question in running for any office is having a clear and refined understanding of the shared reality we face and the better set of choices we need to make as a people to meet those challenges and to create a better future for our kids.”

For the latter half of this week, Mr. O’Malley plans to tour the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum, the Western Wall and the Old City, and attend Mass at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem with his 15-year-old son, one of four O’Malley children who attend Catholic schools, as their father did.

A reporter pointed out that on his way into Bethlehem, he would see the controversial separation barrier Israel has erected in the West Bank. Mr. O’Malley said he had seen something similar in Northern Ireland. “They call it the peace wall,” he noted.

Martian Watch Brings Wristphone Technology to Earthlings

The Martian Passport puts smartphone voice controls and a speakerphone on a wrist.

An outfit called Martian Watches has created one of the most advanced options yet to put smartphone technology on your wrist.

The three lines of Martian Watches control your Apple or Android phone through a Bluetooth connection, but with a difference â€" the device has a microphone so you can speak voice commands to your watch that your phone will carry out.

It also has a speaker, so your phone can read your texts and e-mails aloud to you through your watch.

The combination of speaker and microphone means you can also make phone calls and hear the responses through the watch, like a speakerphone.

The face of the watch has a lot going on. There is an analog clock face that runs on a watch battery, which will last an estimated two years. There is also an LED that blinks to let you know if you have a phone call or message, or if the battery is low. There is also a small OLED screen that shows you texts and e-mails in a ticker-style scroll of up to 40 characters.

The phone functions are powered by a separate rechargeable battery with an estimated two hours of talk time and seven days of standby. It is recharged through a Micro USB cable.

Toggling the two buttons on the left of the watch case lets you see the date or local weather or get to menus to change the watch’s settings.

Clever features include a “leash” that lets you know if your phone and watch are parted, so you won’t mistakenly leave one behind. A “do not disturb” feature lets you set the hours that your watch is active, so you don’t get alerts in the middle of the night or during meetings. And there is a remote shutter control for your phone’s camera.

In use, all of the features worked well, although the voice command feature has the same Achilles’ heel as the one on phones - it is often confounded by background noise. It worked more consistently in quieter places.

There are three models of Martian Watches in a variety of colors. They are priced at $250 to $300 on pre-order from Martian for delivery in about a month.

Tip of the Week: Customize the Microsoft Office Ribbon

The Ribbon â€" Microsoft’s tabbed, consolidated command bar for its Office programs â€" can be overwhelming to new users, but a little customization can make it feel more comfortable. In Office 2010 and Office 2013 for Windows, you can create a personal tab on the Ribbon and add all your favorite most-used commands to it for quicker access.

In Office 2010 and later, right-click on any tab on the Ribbon and choose “Customize the Ribbon” from the contextual menu. In the Options box, you can create your custom tab and choose the commands you want to add. Microsoft’s site has instructions (and a demonstration video) for Office 2010 users here. Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac has its own customization options, including the ability to rearrange and hide tabs.

The Early Word: Consideration

In Today’s Times

• The Securities and Exchange Commission is mulling a new rule to require publicly traded companies to disclose all of their political donations to shareholders, setting up a fight between businesses and a loose coalition advocating for greater transparency, Nicholas Confessore writes.

• The bipartisan immigration proposal under consideration in the Senate would improve national security, Janet Napolitano, the secretary of homeland security, told the Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, as the bill’s architects considered ways to minimize political fallout, Ashley Parker writes.

• Democrats have one more seat to defend in 2014 if they hope to keep control of the Senate after Senator Max Baucus of Montana announced that he would retire after 36 years in the chamber, Jonathan Weisman reports.

• Members of the Senate Intelligence Committee worry that the handling of clues about one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects indicates that communication barriers between intelligence agencies, which they sought to break down after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, are being rebuilt, Eric Schmitt and Julia Preston write.

Happenings in Washington

• Economic reports expected Wednesday include durable goods for March and weekly jobless claims at 8:30 a.m., followed at 10 a.m. by weekly mortgage rates.

• Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew and Michael P. Huerta, the administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, will discuss President Obama’s budget proposal before separate House Appropriations subcommittees.

• At 10 a.m., Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of health and human services, will testify about the president’s budget proposal at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing. At a separate hearing, Ray Mabus, the Navy secretary; Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert, the chief of naval operations; and Gen. James F. Amos, the commandant of the Marine Corps, will testify on the budget proposal.

• At 10:30 a.m., the Joint Economic Committee will begin hearings to examine long-term unemployment, focusing on consequences and solutions.

• At 2 p.m., Ashley Campbell will testify on behalf of her father, the country music singer Glen Campbell, at a hearing of the Senate Special Committee on Aging on a national plan to address Alzheimer’s disease.

• Mr. Obama will meet with Mr. Lew and Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. at 3:30 p.m. before traveling to Dallas for a fund-raiser and the opening of the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum.

The Early Word: Consideration

In Today’s Times

• The Securities and Exchange Commission is mulling a new rule to require publicly traded companies to disclose all of their political donations to shareholders, setting up a fight between businesses and a loose coalition advocating for greater transparency, Nicholas Confessore writes.

• The bipartisan immigration proposal under consideration in the Senate would improve national security, Janet Napolitano, the secretary of homeland security, told the Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, as the bill’s architects considered ways to minimize political fallout, Ashley Parker writes.

• Democrats have one more seat to defend in 2014 if they hope to keep control of the Senate after Senator Max Baucus of Montana announced that he would retire after 36 years in the chamber, Jonathan Weisman reports.

• Members of the Senate Intelligence Committee worry that the handling of clues about one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects indicates that communication barriers between intelligence agencies, which they sought to break down after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, are being rebuilt, Eric Schmitt and Julia Preston write.

Happenings in Washington

• Economic reports expected Wednesday include durable goods for March and weekly jobless claims at 8:30 a.m., followed at 10 a.m. by weekly mortgage rates.

• Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew and Michael P. Huerta, the administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, will discuss President Obama’s budget proposal before separate House Appropriations subcommittees.

• At 10 a.m., Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of health and human services, will testify about the president’s budget proposal at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing. At a separate hearing, Ray Mabus, the Navy secretary; Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert, the chief of naval operations; and Gen. James F. Amos, the commandant of the Marine Corps, will testify on the budget proposal.

• At 10:30 a.m., the Joint Economic Committee will begin hearings to examine long-term unemployment, focusing on consequences and solutions.

• At 2 p.m., Ashley Campbell will testify on behalf of her father, the country music singer Glen Campbell, at a hearing of the Senate Special Committee on Aging on a national plan to address Alzheimer’s disease.

• Mr. Obama will meet with Mr. Lew and Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. at 3:30 p.m. before traveling to Dallas for a fund-raiser and the opening of the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum.