| | | | Minnesota Democratic Sen. Al Franken's political future is decidedly dicey in the wake of reports that he forcibly kissed and groped a woman named Leeann Tweeden during a 2006 USO tour of the Middle East.
Tweeden went public with her story on Thursday morning and within minutes Franken, one of the most high-profile senators in the chamber due to his past life as a successful comedian, became a ghost. He didn't attend Democrats' weekly lunch. He was nowhere to be found in the halls around the Senate chamber. He was bunkered in, hoping that his self-imposed storm would pass.
It's not clear whether it will. Franken was roundly condemned by his Democratic colleagues, who called his behavior inappropriate and unacceptable. His conduct was referred to the Senate Ethics Committee for further investigation. And he became part of the ongoing avalanche of men behaving badly that was begun with the myriad allegations of sexual misconduct against movie producer Harvey Weinstein and seems to envelop someone with each passing day.
Franken's silence -- aside from two statements he released (one far better than the other) -- coupled with the focus on referring the matter to the ethics committee, is a way for the Minnesota Democrat to buy time. He has to hope that the heat over these revelations dissipates somewhat over the Thanksgiving holiday -- and that some new outrage emerges that pushes his boorish behavior to the back burner.
What Franken cannot withstand at this point is further credible accusers to step forward against him. That, in the post-Weinstein world in which we live, would almost certainly mean the end of his political career -- an end that would be forced upon him by his Democratic colleagues.
And so, Franken waits and hopes that he can weather a storm that others who have admitted similar behaviors in the past few months have failed to survive.
The rules -- for celebrities, reporters and politicians -- have changed. Franken will be a test case of just how much bad behavior people are willing to tolerate from their politicians now.
-- Chris | | | CNN's Lauren Fox and Deirdre Walsh were busy on the Hill covering another big news story of the day: Tax reform. They reported: "The House of Representatives passed major tax reform legislation along party lines, advancing a key agenda item for President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans. The vote was 227-205, with 13 House Republicans joining all Democrats to oppose the bill. As the vote tally passed the majority mark, Republicans in the House began to cheer. At the same time, Democrats on the other side of the chamber also began to cheer -- and wave goodbye to their colleagues across the aisle, as both sides see the legislation as a polarizing issue going into next year's midterms.
While the bill's passage in the GOP-controlled House was largely drama free, the prospects for the measure are more unclear in the Senate, where Republicans hold a slim two-seat majority. Republican leaders have vowed to get a tax bill to the President's desk by the end of the year. Trump spoke to the conference ahead of the vote, but members say it's not because leadership is worried that they lack the votes."
Read more in their story here. | | It's been a busy day so Saba's taking over reads for tonight's the Point. Here are her recs:
The New York Times' Azmat Khan and Anand Gopal spent about two years reporting from Iraq. The result? This harrowing investigative feature "The Uncounted."
From the Washington Post's Marwa Eltagouri and J. Freedom du Lac: A sheriff went looking for a truck with a profane anti-Trump sticker. He found controversy instead.
Apparently, Melania and Donald Trump's stale wedding cake is up for auction.
Warner Bros. released the official title -- and PICS! -- for the next installment of Harry Potter prequel franchise "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald." Here's analysis on that from Nerdist.
Vulture's winter TV Preview: "The Crown," "The Chi," and More Shows to Watch For | | | H/T CNN's Leigh Munsil for this contribution: The Oh Hellos has a new song out. You can listen on NPR. | | We asked you to caption this photo of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and his wife, Louise Linton, who on Wednesday took a tour of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to see the new $1 bills with Mnuchin's signature. Here are some of our favorite caption suggestions: - "We'll just buy our own plane then..." -- Matt Loper
- "Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and his wife Louise Linton introduce their new line of holiday wrapping paper, offered for sale exclusively at Goop." -- Jesse Barnett
- "No, I married him for his looks. What makes you ask?" -- Michael Bushman
- "HAKUNA MNUCHIN" -- Michael Marchant
- "Money shot." -- Liz Okamura
- "On the first day of Christmas, my true Trump gave to me, a license to print money." -- Don Torino
- "I told you money doesn't grow on trees....we have to print it first." -- Rhonda Kennedee
Thank you for all your responses! | | "To those who were digging my political grave so they could jump into my seat, I know who you are and I won't forget you."
-Sen. Bob Menendez | | | Speaking of Sen. Menendez...
For weeks, CNN's Laura Jarrett and Sarah Jorgensen have done excellent coverage of Menendez's corruption trial in New Jersey. On Thursday, Judge Walls officially declared the case a mistrial. Here's Laura's latest reporter's notebook for The Point from the trial:
Hugs, tears, and kisses. This is how reporters in the courtroom knew it was over. Today, 12 jurors in New Jersey told the judge, as they did Monday, they were deadlocked.
This time the judge interviewed all of the jurors and then finally called it. When Sen. Menendez walked back into the courtroom after meeting with the judge and lawyers, he made a beeline for his family – who've been in the courtroom from the very beginning – and you could see the relief on his face.
So this trial is over for now, but the criminal case might not be gone for good…DOJ says it's looking at "next steps."
Read Laura and Sarah's full story here. | | | Many -- including CNN's Ted Barrett (who captured a pic above) -- spotted former Alaska Gov. and Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin on the Hill Thursday. Ted sent this feed to the Point about Palin's visit: Palin was on the Hill to meet with Sen. Rand Paul to discuss taxes. When asked if she supported Roy Moore's Senate bid, she pulled out her smart phone and quickly pulled up the photo of Sen. Al Franken reaching out to the breasts of the woman who said he groped her. "This is what you should be asking me. What's with the double standards being applied? We gotta make sure double standards aren't applied and people are consistent holding everybody accountable."
Asked if Franken should leave the Senate, she replied, "For a variety of reasons I do." | | | It's not Thanksgiving yet but we are throwing it back to Thanksgiving at the White House with former President Ronald Reagan. Before you fly the coop, make sure to tell others to subscribe to The Point. | | We'd love to share our other newsletters with you. Follow this link for daily coverage of the world's top stories, savvy market insights, an insider's look into the media and more. Our authors for The Point are Chris Cillizza and Saba Hamedy. Send your tips and thoughts via email to Chris or Saba. Follow on Twitter: Chris and Saba. | | | | | | |
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