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The states are: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and South Carolina.

Duncan was expected to officially announce the finalists at a speech at the National Press Club.

The competition rewards ambitious reforms aimed at improving struggling schools and closing the achievement gap. Applications were screened by a panel of peer reviewers, and finalists will travel to Washington in coming weeks to present their proposals.

In all, 35 states and the District of Columbia applied for the second round of the application. The 19 finalists have asked for $6.2 billion, though only $3.4 billion is available.

Dozens of states passed new education policies to make themselves more attractive to the judges.

New York, which was a finalist in the first round but did not win money, lifted its cap on the number of charter schools that can open annually from 200 to 460. Colorado passed laws that would pay teachers based on student performance and can strip tenure from low performing instructors.

Two states, Tennessee and Delaware, were awarded a total of $600 million in the first round.

Their applications were praised for merit pay policies that link teacher pay to student performance and for garnering the support of teachers' unions. Tennessee and Delaware also have laws that are welcoming to charter schools.

In the first round of the race, some stakeholders were reluctant to support applications tying teacher evaluations to student test scores.

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King was elected president in October, but it's not clear if she will ever take over.

For months, the group has been distracted by bitter infighting. King has remained silent and out of the spotlight.

Both sides have asked a judge to rule on who is in control of the organization co-founded by King's father, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

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Adam was warned by the judge that he would be stopped if he tells jurors about witnesses the prosecution did not call in the evidence phase of the trial.

Blagojevich has pleaded not guilty to charges including that he schemed to sell President Barack Obama's old Senate seat and illegally pressure people for campaign contributions.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

CHICAGO (AP) - An attorney for Rod Blagojevich has begun closing arguments in the former Illinois governor's corruption trial.

The judge earlier warned Sam Adam Jr. that he would be stopped if he tells jurors about witnesses the prosecution did not call in the evidence phase of the trial.

Judge James Zagel says it's improper for the defense to imply that witnesses who weren't called - including convicted political fixer Tony Rezko - would have helped Blagojevich's case.

Adam said Monday he was willing to go to jail rather than follow the order; Zagel says he doesn't expect that to happen.

Blagojevich has pleaded not guilty to charges including that he schemed to sell President Barack Obama's old Senate seat and illegally pressure people for campaign contributions.

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Jeffs is serving two consecutive terms of five years to life in the Utah State Prison on the convictions, but the high court ruled Tuesday that jury instructions on lack of consent were in error.

Jeffs is head of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The group, based on the Utah-Arizona state line, practices polygamy in marriages arranged by church leaders.

Defense attorney Wally Bugden has said the conviction should be overturned because the case facts never fit the charges and that prosecutors were motivated by a desire to dismantle the unpopular southern Utah-based church.

State attorneys contend Jeffs abused his religious authority to force the girl to marry and have sex.

Jeffs performed the couple's religious marriage in a Caliente, Nev., motel and later counseled Wall to be obedient and give her "mind, body and soul" to her husband.

During the trial and later in her book, "Stolen Innocence," Wall said she objected to the marriage and was forced into sexual relations with her husband.

"Under Utah law, that makes Warren Jeffs an accomplice to rape," Assistant Utah Attorney General Laura Dupaix argued before justice last fall.

The Associated Press does not typically name victims of alleged sexual assault, but Wall has frequently spoken publicly about the case.

Also Tuesday, Jeffs is scheduled to appear in 3rd District Court so a judge can ask him to sign a warrant seeking his extradition to Texas to face criminal charges there.

Texas authorities used family records gathered during a 2008 raid on a church ranch near Eldorado to charge Jeffs with bigamy, sexual assault of a child and aggravated assault. The charges allege marriages between Jeffs and girls ages 17 and 15 in 2005.

In an e-mail to The Associated Press last week, Bugden said Jeffs intends to oppose extradition.

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It says the company rarely endorses all positions of the organizations or candidates it supports, and adds, "We do not have a political or social agenda."

Steinhafel says he has been hearing from gay and lesbian employees concerned about Target's donations to a business-friendly group running ads for Tom Emmer, the presumptive Republican nominee. Emmer opposes gay marriage.

Steinhafel says the company's support of the gay community is "unwavering."

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Here's something Target Corp. isn't advertising in its Sunday circular: The discount retailer is now a major donor to a group backing the Republican candidate for Minnesota governor.

And that's not sitting well with every Target shopper.

Under new laws allowing corporations to spend company money on election campaigns, the Minneapolis-based chain gave $150,000 to a Republican-friendly political fund staffed by insiders from departing GOP Gov. Tim Pawlenty's administration. The group, MN Forward, is running TV ads supporting state legislator Tom Emmer, the presumptive GOP nominee.

Electronic retailer Best Buy Co., another major Minnesota-based corporation, gave $100,000 to the group, according to an MN Forward report made public Tuesday.

The corporate money has been flowing since the U.S. Supreme Court threw out parts of a 63-year-old law that prohibited companies and unions from donating to campaigns for or against candidates. The decision, which came earlier this year, changed rules in about half the states. But the change is so new that experts don't have a good handle on the likely impact nationally.

"This is the leading edge," said Ed Bender, who heads the National Institute on Money in State Politics in Montana.

In Minnesota, where Target has its headquarters and opened its first store 48 years ago, Democrats are grumbling about the large donation, and some are talking about striking back at the popular brand.

A few voices are even calling for a boycott in the state, one of Target's top three for sales. One Democratic-backed group is reaching out to Target employees through Facebook ads urging them to sign a petition opposing the donations.

"I think Target is making a huge mistake," said Laura Hedlund, a former Democratic campaign worker who picketed outside a suburban Minneapolis Target store on Saturday, urging shoppers to spend their money elsewhere.

A Target spokeswoman said the company supports causes and candidates "based strictly on issues that affect our retail and business objectives." Spokeswoman Lena Michaud said Target has a history of giving in state and local races where allowed, but wouldn't provide detail on those donations.

She added that TargetCitizens, the company's federal political action committee, has spread donations evenly between Democrats and Republicans so far this year. Political action committees contribute money collected from employees and shareholders, not from corporate funds.

Target's donations to MN Forward - $100,000 in cash and $50,000 in brand consulting - slightly exceeds the total amount the company has given this year to all campaigns and causes at the federal level. By contrast, individuals can give a maximum of only $2,000 to candidates under Minnesota law.

Emmer is a fiery conservative who opposes gay marriage, lauds Arizona's strict approach to illegal immigration, once advocated chemical castration for sex offenders and wants to lower taxes. His profile contrasts with Target's moderate image in Minnesota, where the company is known for donating to public school programs, food shelves and the annual Twin Cities Gay Pride Festival.

Three Democrats, House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton and former state Rep. Matt Entenza, are running in the Aug. 10 primary. Pawlenty chose not to seek a third term and is instead exploring a 2012 presidential bid.

Although corporate donations are now legal, they could be sensitive for companies that serve customers of different political orientation. "You're never going to please everyone," said Elliot Schreiber, a professor at Drexel University in Philadelphia and consultant on corporate image management. "Taking sides is only going to exacerbate the situation."

MN Forward is technically nonpartisan, but executive director Brian McClung, Pawlenty's former spokesman, said Emmer is the only gubernatorial candidate the group supports. As of Tuesday, Target was the largest single donor to the group, which had raised more than $1 million from industry trade groups and companies, including Pentair Inc., Hubbard Broadcasting Inc., Davisco Foods International Inc. and Polaris Industries Inc.

"We believe that everybody has the right to express their opinions and we're going to run a fair and factual campaign," McClung said. "Our first ad is a positive ad talking about a candidate's vision for creating jobs."

The Supreme Court ruling left in place state prohibitions against companies giving directly to the candidates. The money can go to independent groups supporting the candidates. But individuals can donate directly to the candidates' campaigns.

Money from Target's top executives has gone mainly to Republicans. Former Chief Executive Officer Robert Ulrich, who retired last year, gave $617,000 during his time as Target's leader, most of it to the state GOP. Current Chief Executive Gregg Steinhafel has donated about $25,000, almost exclusively to Republican candidates and causes.

Outside the SuperTarget in Roseville, on the site of the original Target store, most customers hadn't heard about the donations. Some weren't pleased to learn of the company's new political involvement in the state.

"Target usually has the appearance of wanting to be neutral," said Kevin Enberg, a 50-year-old dad from Arden Hills, who said he visits Target daily and wants to know more about the company's role in Minnesota politics.

He added: "You need to know where your money ends up."

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Four of the five council members were getting paid nearly $100,000 for their part-time jobs. Other officials were getting paid far more and the city manager, who made nearly $800,000, has already resigned. Attorney General Jerry Brown on Monday revealed he had subpoenaed hundreds of city records.

Hundreds of residents packed the community center on Monday to assail council members who listened to more than five hours of public comment. After the council announced its decision to cut its salaries, dozens of people waited for hours to vent their anger. Many demanded the council resign immediately.

"I can never, ever, forgive you," an emotional Marcelino Ceja shouted at the council members, who sat grim faced through the noisy public comment. "You need to resign today."

Vice Mayor Teresa Jacobo was defiant in saying she would not resign and that she would "stand by my people."

"How dare you try to take a penny more from our pockets," responded Raquel McLafferty, an 11-year-resident of Bell. "Do the city a favor, we don't want you here and we are not your people."

Bell's city manager, police chief and assistant city manager all resigned last week after it was revealed they were making salaries totaling $1.6 million a year.

The six-figure salaries at City Hall have prompted investigations by California Attorney General Jerry Brown and the Los Angeles County district attorney.

"We ask that you leave and give us our city back," said Alfredo Ruvalcaba, a 27-year-old college student. "I am here on behalf of my parents, who couldn't make it here today because they have to work to pay your salaries."

Last week, Mayor Oscar Hernandez defended the salaries of the city manager and other staff as being in line with similar positions in other jurisdictions. He also noted the city had achieved 15 years of balanced budgets.

Brown, a candidate for governor, said he had demanded to see employment contracts within two days to determine whether to file any charges.

The grass-roots Bell Association to Stop the Abuse had threatened to recall the council members if they didn't resign or slash their own pay.

The salaries exploded into public view after a Los Angeles Times investigation, based on California Public Records Act requests, showed the city payroll was bloated with six-figure salaries:

- Chief Administrative Officer Robert Rizzo made $787,637 a year, getting a series of raises since being hired in 1993 at $72,000. President Barack Obama makes $400,000.

- Assistant City Manager Angela Spaccia made $376,288 a year.

- Police Chief Randy Adams earned $457,000 - $150,000 more than Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck.

Councilman Lorenzo Velez makes about $8,000 a year, in line with the part-time pay for council members of similar-sized cities. He urged his colleagues to reduce their salaries to that level.

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"When you're looking at an incident like this, which has so many different parties in different states, you just simply can't get through the litigation quickly," Hollabaugh said. "It just takes a long time to move through the process."

So far, at least 300 federal lawsuits have been filed in 12 states against BP and the other three main companies involved in the April 20 explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon drill rig, which triggered the nation's worst-ever offshore oil spill. Virtually every lawsuit names as defendants BP, rig owner Transocean Ltd., well contractor Halliburton Co. and Cameron International, maker of the well's failed blowout preventer.

The plaintiffs make up the entire mosaic of the Gulf Coast: shrimpers and oystermen, charter boat captains, beach resort and condo owners, restaurants and bars, seafood suppliers, bait and tackle shops, even tourist attractions like Key West's Ripley's Believe It or Not museum. Most of the parties claim severe economic losses from the oil spill, ranging from the fish they can no longer catch to tourists who never arrived to rent rooms.

There are also a few wrongful death and injury lawsuits filed, mainly in state courts, by workers who survived the Deepwater Horizon explosion and relatives of some of the 11 men who died. And some BP investors also have sued, claiming the company's mistakes led to a sharp drop in its stock price.

A federal judicial panel is meeting Thursday in Boise, Idaho, to consider whether to consolidate some or all of the lawsuits for pretrial decisions before a single judge, a development that most observers say is a foregone conclusion. BP and the other companies favor federal court in Houston - near their major U.S. operations - while a majority of plaintiffs' attorneys have suggested New Orleans, closer to the broken well and to many of the hardest-hit victims. Courts in Florida, Mississippi and Alabama also are being suggested as venues.

It's difficult to estimate potential damages that BP could be forced to pay, or what shape a settlement might take. But legal experts say BP alone is looking at some $2 billion in costs just to defend itself, with the $20 billion fund set aside to pay oil spill claims and cleanup costs potentially not enough to foot the entire bill.

"There's no way it's going to be enough," said Victor Diaz, a Miami attorney experienced in similar large-scale cases such as those involving faulty Chinese drywall. "We still don't know what will happen later, what the second and third wave of damages might be. What happens if six months later, some fish species is wiped out?"

One example of post-spill lawsuits: the owners of a Louisiana shrimp boat claim in a new lawsuit they are suffering health problems including headaches, nausea and shortness of breath after working for BP in the collecting and burning of oil in the Gulf.

BP's liability is already larger than the Exxon Valdez case, which ultimately led to a $500 million payout to affected fishermen and residents. Other large "mass tort" cases include drug maker Merck & Co.'s agreement in 2008 to a $4.85 billion settlement of some 50,000 cases stemming from its withdrawn painkiller Vioxx. Also, Pharmaceutical company Wyeth initially settled claims over its diet drug fen-phen for $3.75 billion in 1999, but that soared to more than $21 billion by 2004 as more claims were filed.

Asbestos, which has caused widespread lung disease and other ailments, is the longest-running mass lawsuit case in U.S. history, costing a variety of companies more than $70 billion and involving more than 730,000 claims since the 1970s, according to an analysis by the nonprofit Rand Corp. And tobacco companies have been slapped with thousands of lawsuits over the dangers of cigarette smoking. They won most of them until the major companies agreed in 1998 to a 25-year, $206 billion settlement with 46 states who sued over the costs to their health programs.

The BP case will differ in many ways from those involving drug companies, automakers and asbestos manufacturers, where people died or suffered illnesses directly caused by the product. In an oil spill, oystermen whose beds were choked off by oil might have relatively easy claims to prove, but what about a beachfront hotelier whose business fell off, or a property owner whose house may suddenly be worth much less?

"People who have those indirect claims are going to have a difficult time under any situation," Hollabaugh said. "Where does it end? You could say the oil spill has harmed our whole country."

Many of the lawsuits are proposed class actions, in which a plaintiff such as a commercial fisherman or a property owner seeks to represent everyone else in the same situation. One task for the judge appointed to preside over the consolidated cases is sorting out which of those overlap, and which should be deemed class actions.

One wild card is the claims process created by BP and President Barack Obama's administration. That process, administered by attorney Kenneth Feinberg, promises oil spill victims quicker access to money for what BP calls "legitimate" claims than the traditional legal process. Feinberg is touting the plan as a generous alternative to a lawsuit, telling one audience in Washington that although legal action remains an option, "You're crazy to do so."

Feinberg made similar arguments in convincing most survivors and victims' families to join the federal 9/11 compensation fund rather than sue airlines or other companies individually over the terror attacks.

Some plaintiffs' attorneys have raised questions about how the claims process can guarantee a fair result. But Howard Erichson, a law professor at Fordham University, said people also are taking their chances with the court system.

"Litigation is expensive, it's time-consuming, it is unpredictable," Erichson said. "The results often vary in unpredictable ways. Plaintiffs in mass tort litigation end up losing a lot of the money to legal fees and expenses. If the compensation fund is fair, I'm all for it."

Another unknown is whether BP and the other Deepwater Horizon companies will work together to defend themselves or sue each other. Much depends on the outcome of a Justice Department criminal investigation that could point the finger more heavily at one or the other; Transocean is already asking a federal judge in Houston to limit its liability to $27 million under a century-old law meant to cut losses for shipping companies when vessels like the floating Deepwater Horizon rig are sunk.

Somewhat forgotten in all the economic litigation are the rig victims and their families. Michelle Jones, the wife of lost rig worker Gordon Jones, wants to keep her lawsuit separate so it does not get lost in the shuffle.

"While the damages incurred by the fishermen and property owners is significant, the stakes in Jones' case involves everyday living expenses and the education costs for her two children," Michelle Jones' attorney wrote in a federal court filing. "After losing her husband, and her sons losing their father, she may have to wait years."

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Authorities declined to name the victims at the farm, saying they were still notifying family members. A nurse who answered at the hospital late Monday would not release any information about the woman's injuries.

Don Simonsen of the National Weather Service in Glasgow said the tornado touched down west of Reserve between 7:15 p.m and 7:45 p.m. before crossing into North Dakota, where it weakened.

There also was at least one tornado reported about 20 miles south of Flaxville in Daniels County, Simonsen said.

Before the tornado touched down, authorities reported heavy hail and rain, along with strong wind pushing through.

Medicine Lake resident Brandon French said he and five other men were watching the tornado from a hillside when they got a call that a farm to the west had been hit. The men got into a pickup truck and were among the first to arrive.

The house, barn, lean-to and various buildings that had been there just moments before were simply gone, he said.

"There's no houses, there's no buildings, there's nothing left," French said. "The vehicles were all turned over, there was a pickup plowed into a tractor - it just wrapped the pickup around the tractor. You couldn't peel it off."

Ulrickson said the damage was devastating - the house was completely gone from the foundation. The tornado also destroyed mobile home and other buildings, he said.

"We had a Quonset hut that was crushed like a pop can," he said.

Northeastern Montana is part of the Hi-Line, with vast stretches of plains and rolling wheat fields just south of the Canadian border. The area where the tornado touched down was "extremely isolated," Fulkerson said.

Sheridan County's population has been shrinking, with just over 3,200 people in 2008, according the U.S. Census Bureau. The main source of income for its residents is farming.

In the northwestern corner of North Dakota, a sheriff's dispatcher in Divide County said they were no reports of storm damage or injuries.

Tornadoes are relatively rare in Montana, although on June 20, a tornado tore apart the state's largest indoor arena.

The June tornado touched down on top of the Rimrock Auto Arena in Billings, tearing off the roof and some siding and causing extensive damage to the interior. The arena was not in use at the time.

The tornado was the first large tornado to hit Billings in more than a half-century.

City officials said hundreds of households also suffered some damage, either from severe winds or hail that accompanied the twister.

James Kraft, Yellowstone County's emergency coordinator, has said insurance is expected to cover most or all of the rebuilding costs caused by that tornado.

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