Trump pulls nearly even with Clinton after Republican convention: Reuters/Ipsos poll

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has pulled nearly even with Democratic rival Hillary Clinton for the first time since May, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll taken over the course of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland this week. The July 18-22 national online poll found that 41 percent of likely voters supported Clinton, while 38 percent supported Trump.

Trump’s Party Is Bush’s Party: The GOP Hasn’t Changed

It is always equal parts amusing and sad to me when the national pundit consensus reaches some new and completely incorrect position out of a combination of mind meld and laziness. The popular one, culminating in Donald Trump's acceptance of the Republican Party's presidential nomination, is that he represents a strange and dark turn away from what the party has previously stood for.

Your View: Rick Holmes – Other than the demagoguery, convention kind of dull

As Donald J. Trump made his exhilarating run through the Republican primaries, the last thing anyone would have predicted was that the culmination of his takeover of the GOP would be, well, boring. People expected blood on the floor as the #NeverTrump die-hards went down swinging.

Rep. Cleaver to deliver high-profile speech at Democratic convention

U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri has snagged a prime speaking slot at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia next week, his chief of staff said. Cleaver, a former Kansas City mayor and Methodist pastor, will speak to delegates on Wednesday night about the importance of unity and civility, said Cleaver Chief of Staff John Jones.

Clinton to name running mate as early as Friday

Democrat Hillary Clinton, who is running against Republican Donald Trump in the Nov. 8 presidential election, is expected to announce her running mate as early as Friday. The U.S. senator from Virginia is a former Roman Catholic missionary and civil rights lawyer who is fluent in Spanish.

In Cleveland, sea of white reflects GOP’s math problem

Delegates on the floor of the convention are reflected in a mirror on the side of a camera stand during the second day of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Tuesday, July 19, 2016. Delegates on the floor of the convention are reflected in a mirror on the side of a camera stand during the second day of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Tuesday, July 19, 2016.

Cruz booed after not endorsing Trump in RNC speech Read Story Patrick Svitek, The Texas Tribune

JULY 20: Sen. Ted Cruz delivers a speech on the third day of the Republican National Convention on July 20, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. CLEVELAND - Ted Cruz, in a highly anticipated speech at the Republican National Convention, offered no direct support for presidential nominee Donald Trump, setting off a furious reaction as he told delegates to vote their conscience in November.

Trump, Clinton Told Can’t Win White House Without Black Vote

Civil rights activists frustrated by police slayings of blacks across the nation are looking to flex their voting power to push for reforms. The continued alarm over how police treat black men has been a major focus of the five-day NAACP national convention that was wrapping up Wednesday for thousands of participants in Cincinnati.

About Michelle Obama/Melania Trump’s “Values”: Their Husbands Don’t Really Live By Them

There's an important point missed in all the pearl-clutching by partisans on both sides about the allegations that a portion of Melania Trump's speech was plagiarized from a speech by Michelle Obama-the Trump campaign has denied the speech was plagiarized. They might as well have asked what difference, at this point, does it make.

War crimes court refers Djibouti and Uganda to UN

London, July 18, GNA - The governments of Djibouti and Uganda have been referred by the International Criminal Court to the UN and the ICC's Assembly of States Parties for their failure to arrest Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir - who is facing war crimes charges at the court - when he visited these countries. The Sudanese leader, for whom the ICC has issued two arrest warrants, is facing five counts of crimes against humanity, two counts of war crimes and three counts of genocide allegedly committed in the Darfur Region in western Sudan.

ICYMI: Semi-retired president decides the time is right to revisit the public option for Obamacare

Well, it seems like the public option, a long coveted provision by liberal Democrats on health care is making a comeback. President Obama announced that he would like to see a government-run option to compete with private insurance, which represents another step towards socialized medicine : "Public programs like Medicare often deliver care more cost-effectively by curtailing administrative overhead and securing better prices from providers," Obama writes in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Portman’s Ohio campaign differs sharply from Trump’s

Ohio Republican Sen. Rob Portman and his re-election team have been beating the bushes and sifting through reams of data for more than a year. Republicans say Trump needs to take a page from Portman's playbook, and they worry that Trump's flyby approach to one of the most important states on the electoral map won't give him the edge he needs over Democrat Hillary Clinton, who already has a strong Ohio operation.

On eve of convention, an underwhelming rollout of GOP ticket

While the Donald Trump-Mike Pence presidential ticket made its debut at a weekend event that was awkward at times, it highlights a pairing designed in part to bring together fractious elements of the Republican Party on the eve of its national convention. Trump spent more time talking about himself, "crooked" Hillary Clinton and standard policy positions than he did praising running mate Mike Pence in a nearly 30-minute introduction.

EDITORIAL: Here comes Darryl Glenn

It is unwise for the political class to continue underestimating El Paso County Commissioner and U.S. Senate candidate Darryl Glenn, who consistently brings audiences to their feet. Glenn will have the entire country's attention Monday, when he speaks during a prime-time slot on the opening night of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.

Bill Whitaker: Can Republicans heal our nation’s festering racial wounds?

Whatever one thinks of his embattled and often erratic presidency, President Obama remains unrivaled as an orator. And America's first black president put both law enforcement and the African-American community on notice during his 40-minute address at Tuesday's memorial service for five Dallas police officers slain by a Black Lives Matter sympathizer bent on cold-blooded murder during an otherwise peaceful protest regarding, ironically, police use of deadly force nationwide.

Pence taps loyalists, new guard for VP staff

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence tapped into his national network of operatives and loyalists to shepherd his bid for vice president, Donald Trump's campaign announced Saturday evening. Nick Ayers, a veteran Republican operative and former manager of Tim Pawlenty's 2012 White House bid, will serve as a senior adviser.

Mark Shields: Vice President Nomination Often a Steppingstone to Oblivion

The first very first "presidential" test in public for every nominee for the White House is the selection of a vice presidential running mate. Right after the 1968 Miami Beach convention where he had won the Republican nomination, Richard M. Nixon explained why he chose his running mate: "There is a mysticism about men.

Portman’s Ohio campaign a sharp contrast to Trump’s

Ohio Republican Sen. Rob Portman and his re-election team have been beating the bushes and sifting through reams of data for more than a year. Republicans say Trump needs to take a page from Portman's playbook, and they worry that Trump's flyby approach to one of the most important states on the electoral map won't give him the edge he needs over Democrat Hillary Clinton, who already has a strong Ohio operation.