Three weeks to go until the Republican National Convention, so it's time to take stock of where things stand with Donald Trump and the city of Cleveland. Read more in Ohio Politics Roundup.

Countdown to Cleveland: We are precisely three weeks - 21 days - away from the start of the Republican National Convention. Our Cardboard Donald Trump is ready (see above).

But what about Real Donald Trump? "Republicans looking to dump Donald Trump at next month's convention have passion, energy and a fierce sense that their party will suffer unless Trump is unseated. What they appear to lack, however, are the votes to make it happen," reports Politico's Kyle Cheney, following a survey of the GOP's Rules Committee.

And what about Cleveland? Well, the city and the ACLU have a deal. "An agreement reached Friday between the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio and Cleveland officials will result in a 'much smaller' heightened-security zone during the Republican National Convention, among other security-related changes," cleveland.com's Andrew J. Tobias reports.

The new zone - the specific boundaries for which were not available - will exclude the west side of the Cuyahoga River, as well as public parks and other areas in and around downtown, according to ACLU of Ohio Executive Director Christine Link. Other terms include a longer 'parade' route for RNC protesters and additional time slots for demonstrators to march."

What about the airport? The city, writes cleveland.com's Robert Higgs, "is ready to cut the ribbon on $36 million in improvements at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.

"Mayor Frank Jackson and interim airport Director Fred Szabo will celebrate the completion of more than a year of construction work at 1 p.m. [today] at the airport."

What about John Kasich? Those close to the Ohio governor and former GOP presidential candidate tell me they are still determining what role he will play in the festivities. Any noticeable absence will be awkward, given that Kasich's state is hosting.

But Kasich has not endorsed Trump and doesn't seem close to doing so.

The Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee "are employing hard-nosed tactics, warning delegates that attempting to undermine ... Trump's claim to the nomination violates party rules, and threatening to deny speaking slots to Republicans they deem disloyal for not backing him," the New York Times' Jeremy W. Peters reports.

"'If there's no endorsement, then I would not invite them to speak,' Mr. Trump said in an interview, adding that former rivals like Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and Gov. John Kasich of Ohio should not expect to address the convention if they continue to withhold their support."

What about Reince? "As suits a man occupying what might be the toughest political job in America, [RNC Chairman Reince] Priebus does his best to stay availed of serene distractions," Mark Leibovich writes in New York Times Magazine. "He plays jazz piano at home late at night and gazes into the 29-gallon saltwater fish tank that he keeps next to his desk.

"'You see that big eel?' Priebus asked one day, pointing out a black slithery creature on the bottom, before noting others. 'That's a yellow tang, hippo tang, a spotted puffer. There's an anemone. An urchin. An orange clown fish.' He took a hunk of shrimp from a refrigerator and dangled it with a set of tongs into the water. A race to the bottom ensued as bits fell away and the fish vied for pieces of flesh. It was difficult to look away from the feeding frenzy.

"The big orange clown fish flailed at front and center. I asked Priebus if it reminded him of anyone. 'That's not funny,' he said with something between a slight grunt and chuckle."

Fresh national polls to start your week: ABC News and the Washington Post have Democrat Hillary Clinton leading Trump, 51 percent to 39 percent, in a head-to-head race. And the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey has Clinton ahead of Trump, 46 percent to 41 percent.

The usual caveats apply. It's early, of course. And these polls won't reflect sentiments in the immediate aftermath of last week's "Brexit" vote in the United Kingdom.

Also, when the NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll factored in the Libertarian and Green Party candidates, Clinton's lead over Trump shrunk to statistical dead heat territory.

Our Buckeye State summer of discontent: "In this divisive election year, Ohioans agree on two things: They are not happy, and they doubt the presidential candidates will change that malaise," the Columbus Dispatch's Jessica Wehrman writes.

"About 63 percent believe the nation is on the wrong track, compared with about 38 percent who say it's on the right track, according to a poll conducted for Ohio media outlets and led by the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron."

Veepstakes watch: Cory Booker's visit to Cleveland this month had the Philadelphia Inquirer's Jonathan Tamari wondering about the New Jersey senator's prospects as a Clinton running mate.

"The crowd responds by bolting to its feet as Booker tells them Ohio can make the difference, and his final shouted words are drowned out in applause," Tamari writes.

"The knock on Booker has long been that he puts on a great show, but is only so-so at governing. That his famous stories - rescuing a woman from a fire, saving a freezing dog, shoveling out snowbound neighbors - fueled hype that outpaced his work as mayor of Newark.

"But even his critics concede: Few politicians can stir a crowd like this."

Pepper points: Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper tells Tamari that Booker "represents the next generation of political leadership. ... "It's very hard usually for a senator from one state to have a national profile. He's one of the few who does."

The Portman connection: Corry Bliss, who is managing Sen. Rob Portman's re-election campaign, tells the Akron Beacon Journal's Doug Livingston that he has a "good relationship" with Bob Paduchik, Trump's newly hired Ohio director. Paduchik managed Portman's 2010 bid.

Bliss also believes the Portman ground game - 10 campaign offices and more than 2 million voter contacts - will help Paduchik and the Trump team. "We have a program that will help all Republicans ... from the top of the ticket on down," Bliss tells Livingston.

Portman has voiced support for Trump. His race against Democratic former Gov. Ted Strickland is seen as one of the most competitive Senate contests in the nation this fall.

And looking ahead to Ohio's 2018 Senate race ... Former GOP presidential hopeful Carly Fiorina "is coming to Northeast Ohio [tonight] to help Treasurer Josh Mandel raise money for a potential 2018 U.S. Senate campaign," cleveland.com's Jeremy Pelzer reports.

Mandel backed Florida Sen. Marco Rubio over Fiorina - and Kasich - in the primaries. Even so, an email promoting the Fiorina fundraiser attempts to fit Mandel for Kasich coattails, stating that Ohio finances have improved "under Governor Kasich and Treasurer Mandel's leadership."

Frankly speaking: "No plan to stem the violence epidemic among Cleveland's youth will succeed, if the city is unable to address the problem's root cause - an overall dearth of opportunities to climb out of poverty, says Mayor Frank Jackson. And yet, recent policies promulgated by both Republicans and Democrats will hamstring the city's ability to do just that," the mayor said during a meeting with cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer.

"Jackson and City Council President Kevin Kelley have decried [a $15-an-hour minimum wage] proposal, arguing that it would drive business from the city and kill jobs," cleveland.com's Leila Atassi notes. "Meanwhile, Gov. John Kasich recently signed into law Republican-sponsored House Bill 180, which bans cities from requiring contractors on publicly funded construction projects to hire city residents. The bill effectively shuts down the city's Fannie M. Lewis Cleveland Resident Employment Law, which was enacted 12 years ago to help combat poverty by ensuring that residents participate in the city's economic development."

Wolfe remembered: Former Columbus Dispatch publisher John F. Wolfe, prominent business leader and political player, died Friday after a two-year battle with cancer. Tributes poured in quickly from those on both sides of the aisle. Wolfe was key to the rise of Kasich and other Republicans. He also worked with Democrats such as former Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman and former Dispatch associate publisher Michael Curtin, now a state lawmaker.

Read the Dispatch obituary and memories from top Ohio pols.

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