Does that mean no more surprise?
"The big surprise is still going to happen, so stay tuned," promises Trump spokesman Michael Cohen.
GOP officials are playing along. Says convention planner Russ Schriefer: "Just because he isn't here, doesn't mean he's not going to show up."
— Nancy Benac — Twitter http://twitter.com/nbenac
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THE PRESIDENT'S PEN
His rivals may be convening in Florida this week. But at the White House, President Barack Obama is getting ready for his big moment next week — at the Democratic National Convention.
Aides say Obama spent part of Monday working on the speech he'll deliver at his party's gathering in Charlotte, N.C. A working draft, they say, has already been developed.
— Ken Thomas — Twitter http://twitter.com/AP_Ken_Thomas
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DOG FIGHT
At least one Tampa, Fla., rally's gone to the dogs already.
Amid a protest objecting to the way Mitt Romney transported the family pet on a years-ago vacation — inside an animal carrier strapped atop the car — a woman stepped into the crowd and began loudly defending the GOP candidate.
"What Mitt Romney did to his dog, his dog liked and it was safe and enjoyable," said Barbara Seidenberg. As several canine-toting protesters tried to shout her down, she pressed on.
"Barack Obama was a 10-year-old boy when he ate dog," she said, apparently referring to a passage in one of Obama's books in which he writes about eating dog meat as a boy in Indonesia. "But he was a grown man when he decided his whole persona and his life was going to be committed to turning this country into less of a country so that — "
She was drowned out by a protester yelling "Obama 2012!"
A shouting match ensued, and Seidenberg stormed off.
__ Peter Prengaman — Twitter http://twitter.com/peterprengaman
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CAIN WEIGHS IN
At one point, he was a serious challenger for the GOP nomination. But Herman Cain says he's not upset about being excluded from the list of speakers at the Republican National Convention this week.
Cain's 9-9-9 tax plan helped him carve out a unique niche in the primary, with some polls showing him moving toward taking the lead in the fall. But allegations of sexual harassment derailed his candidacy.
Cain is making the rounds in Tampa. He tells CNN that he has met one-on-one with presumptive nominee Mitt Romney on at least three occasions in recent months. He says he's not upset about his lack of a speaking slot because other black Republican speakers needed the exposure more than he did.
Cain says the allegations that derailed his candidacy were part of a coordinated attack, but he didn't say whether the effort was undertaken by a particular Republican or a Democratic campaign: "I don't want to say anything that might jeopardize what we might do in the future in terms of exposing what happened."
— Kevin Freking — Twitter http://twitter.com/APKFreking
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ISAAC'S UGLY, BUT NO KATRINA
Isaac is sweeping up the Gulf Coast just in time for the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans.
A tropical storm expected to strengthen into a hurricane, Isaac could prove punishing. But it's nowhere near as powerful as the bruiser that struck on Aug. 29, 2005.
At one point, Katrina reached Category 5 status with winds over 157 mph. It made landfall as a Category 3 with a huge storm surge. Levee failures caused catastrophic flooding.
This time, Federal Emergency Management Agency officials say the updated levees around New Orleans are equipped to handle storms stronger than Isaac. City officials had no plans to order evacuations, instead telling residents to hunker down and make do with the supplies they have.
"It's going to be all right," said New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu.
Isaac promises a soaking but not much more for Tampa, Fla., where the Republican National Convention was pushed back a day just in case.
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