Dead Heat: Recent political polling reveals a mixed picture, but Hillary Clinton certainly lost points after FBI Director James Comey condemned her handling of email while she was Secretary of State. Some polls, including the NY Times, are calling the race a statistical dead heat.

The stunning thing about this election is the negatives. The majority of Americans, 81 percent, say they are afraid of at least one of the candidates, according to the Associated Press. A quarter of voters say they are afraid of both candidates.

A new NY Times poll says 67 percent of Americans believe Clinton is not honest and trustworthy, and that 62 percent don’t trust Donald Trump.

The real Clear Politics average of polls still has Clinton up by four points. Reuters has Clinton up by 11 points, but Rasmussen Reports finds Trump leading by two.

Steve Benen writes for MSNBC, “Don’t be shocked if Trump’s narrow deficit turns into a narrow advantage after the Republican National Convention. Candidates routinely get a post-convention bounce.”

1950: As the population of Punditstan wait for Donald Trump to announce his running mate, the Republican party has cobbled together a fall election platform that crusades against gay marriage and encourages Bible study in public schools. It would move the party further to the right, often in conflict and disagreement with trends and beliefs among the population, which is becoming less religious and more tolerant.

The draft platform that will be offered for approval at next week’s convention includes:

-A constitutional amendment to end gay marriage.

-Encouraging “reparative therapy” for people who are gay.

-Support for building Donald Trump’s wall on the southern border.

-A declaration that coal is “an abundant, clean, affordable, reliable domestic energy resource.”

-A declaration that the “Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement (BDS) is anti-Semitic in nature and seeks to destroy Israel.”

-A declaration that internet porn is “a public health crisis.”

-A clause that encourages states “to offer The Bible as a literature curriculum and elective.”

-Barring military women from combat.

Politi-Salad: Former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski is still getting paid severance from the campaign while he appears on CNN as a political analyst — Trump is taking former political adviser Sam Nunberg to arbitration, demanding $10 million for leaking to the press and violating a nondisclosure agreement — Clinton spent a good deal of time in a “unity” speech yesterday in Springfield, Ill. nipping at Trump. “Imagine if he had not just Twitter and cable news to go after his critics and opponents, but also the I.R.S. — or for that matter, our entire military,” she said.

Black and White: Race relations are at their worst since the beating of Rodney King and the 1992 Los Angeles riots, according to a NY Times/CBS News poll. The survey says 69 percent of Americans believe race relations are worse, up from 38 percent a year ago.

Order in the Court: A NY Times editorial slams Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg for voicing her objections to Donald Trump in three separate interviews. The Court traditionally stays out of politics, although politics will determine the balance of the new court. The Times says, “Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg needs to drop the political punditry and the name-calling.”

Trump tweeted, “Justice Ginsburg of the U.S. Supreme Court has embarrassed all by making very dumb political statements about me. Her mind is shot – resign!”

Game of Thrones: Japan’s Emperor Akihito, 82, son of the World War II emperor Hirohito, has told aides that he intends to abdicate and pass the throne to his son, Crown Prince Naruhito, 56, before he dies and leaves the traditional way.

The last emperor to abdicate was Emperor Kokaku, in 1817.

The Emperor was once considered a god, but since Hirohito was stripped of governing power after the war, the emperor has been only a ceremonial figure.

Brexit and Exit: Theresa May became Britain’s new Prime minister yesterday. She’ll have to lead the exit from the European Union. Her predecessor, David Cameron, made the political mistake of the century calling for a national referendum on leaving the EU. He thought he would win and solidify his position. As he left, Cameron said, “I was the future once.”

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