| All eyes are on Cleveland where Donald Trump will be the last man standing | Greetings from sunny Ohio where Republican delegates will be gathering this weekend ahead of the party's national convention to formally install Mr Donald J Trump as the party's candidate for the presidency of the United States.
We've come a long way, baby.
Not too long ago the brash businessman from New York was dismissed as a joke. Now he's the last man standing.
Anyone who laughs off his prospects of actually winning the election should take a good hard look at what's happened over the past few months.
We think it's going to be a hard fought contest from here.
Speaking of which, these latest poll numbers show Trump has the edge in key states.
So, what happens at the convention?
Usually it's an opportunity to fete the credentials of the chosen one. Senior party members get up and talk up the candidate in conjunction with selling the party platform.
This time, it's different.
A host of Republican leaders have elected not to attend.
"I would rather attend the public hanging of a good friend," Republican digital strategist Will Ritter told Politico.
Ouch.
There are no prizes for guessing why GOP stalwarts are skipping the party. Trump remains a controversial figure who has alienated the establishment and is hugely unpopular with the electorate.
Many don't want to be seen to be celebrating his nomination at a time when his divisive candidacy may threaten the very survival of the Republican Party.
Former presidents George H Bush and George W Bush are both avoiding the event, along with former hopefuls Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio and John Kasich.
Previous nominees Mitt Romney and John McCain are also giving the event a big miss.
Speakers will include former New York mayors Michael Bloomberg and Rudy Giuliani, former presidential hopeful Doctor Ben Carson and various members of Trump's family, including his wife Melania.
In a weird twist Nigel Farage (the former leader of the UK Independence Party who led the Brexit campaign) says he will attend the RNC as an observer and to share Brexit lessons.
As David Cameron would say - right, good.
With the usual parade of senior Republican speakers missing, Trump has promised a spectacle of sports and film stars to fill the slots and make the convention more entertaining.
Who they are exactly is still a work in progress.
Nevertheless the show will go on, in a fashion, including the formal endorsement of Trump and his acceptance speech on Thursday.
Oh, and the other reason people are avoiding the convention?
Security.
Protests are expected from a broad spectrum of groups - from Black Lives Matter to white nationalists.
After a couple of deadly mass shootings over the last few weeks to say America has the jitters is an understatement.
Some groups have cancelled peaceful marches in light of the Dallas attack that killed five police officers.
Cleveland authorities say they're well prepared but there are real concerns violence will erupt between Trump supporters and others.
We'll be keeping our heads down and our eyes and ears open.
HE SAID ...
Trump won't speak at the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement for Coloured People) Convention next week due to a scheduling conflict with the GOP event.
Amid serious racial tension after police shot two black men last week and then five police officers were killed in the retribution attack in Dallas, his refusal wasn't well received to say the least.
It's unlikely to help his low popularity among African Americans either.
SHE SAID ...
Clinton will speak at the NAACP event on Monday - the first day of the Republican national convention.
SUPREME ARGUMENT
Meanwhile, Trump has become embroiled in a highly unusual argument with Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg who has called him a "faker" who has "no consistency", joking that moving to New Zealand may be an option if he's elected.
The 83-year-old judge has been criticised for the remarks about the presumptive nominee.
Trump has dubbed the comments "highly inappropriate" and Supreme Court Justice Ginsburg has since said she regrets making the comments.
PARTY PLATFORM
In the lead up to the Convention, GOP delegates have been meeting in Cleveland to establish the party's platform.
The marathon sessions have produced positions on policy areas in line with presumptive nominee Trump's beliefs.
However, Republicans have also moved towards a more conservative platform on a variety of topics including: women's health, energy and pornography.
It's worth noting that some of Trump's policies and attitudes are actually pretty progressive compared to his more conservative Republican colleagues.
A FAIRLY ODD COUPLE
The long-awaited coming together of Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton has finally happened!
At a scheduled event in New Hampshire the two candidates entered to Bruce Springsteen's We Take Care Of Our Own against a backdrop of Stronger Together banners.
While Clinton supporters were enthusiastic, Bernie fans were a little more tepid.
KICKING UP A STINK
And some Sanders supporters aren't giving up.
Apparently, a bunch of progressive activists have a "fart-in" planned for the Democratic Convention in Philadelphia.
It's exactly what you think it is.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"I can't vote for Donald Trump, and I can't vote for Hillary Clinton. It breaks my heart."
Former candidate Jeb Bush lamented the state of US politics and the public fascination with reality TV personalities like the Kardashians in an interview with GOP strategist Nicole Wallace this week.
The Washington Post described it best with this headline:
"Jeb Bush has a major-league sad about the 2016 election"
BY THE NUMBERS
0 per cent - That's the level of support Trump has among black voters in Ohio and Pennsylvania according to an NBC/WJS Poll.
Seriously.
Oh and colour by the numbers
Cleveland is getting in the spirit of the Convention coming to town with a RNC-themed colouring-in book.
AND FINALLY ... VIDEO OF THE WEEK
You'll recall last week's poll pointing out that about 1 in 10 Americans would prefer a giant meteor to hit Earth than either Hillary or The Donald to become president.
Further to that, I'll leave you with this touching rendition of Amy Winehouse's Valerie from a Republican's perspective.
That's all from Cleveland for now.
I'll have a bumper wrap for you next week encompassing all of the colour and chaos.
Let's hope things don't go too crazy.
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