| | | | Sen. Jeff Flake tweeted the picture above on Tuesday afternoon, the most visible sign yet that his break from the Trump-led Republican Party may not only be permanent but also could lead to a national bid for the Arizona Republican down the line.
The check is made out to Doug Jones, the Democratic nominee against Roy Moore in next Tuesday's Alabama special election to fill the Senate seat of now Attorney General Jeff Sessions. And it carries the now-familiar refrain of the anti-Trump wing of the GOP: "County over party."
Flake's decision to cut a check to the Democrat Jones comes 24 hours after President Donald Trump formally endorsed Moore's candidacy -- despite the fact that the Alabama Republican faces charges of pursuing inappropriate relationships with teenage girls when he was in his 30s.
It also comes hard on the heels of the Republican National Committee's decision to reinvest in the Alabama race just weeks after pulling out following the bevy of accusations against Moore.
What is Flake up to?
On the one hand, he undoubtedly believes that Moore -- given the allegations against him -- should not be in the Senate.
On the other, Flake's decision to write a check to Moore's Democratic opponent -- coupled with his book published this spring in which he blasts the Republican Party for accepting Trump into its ranks and his willingness to repeatedly hammer away at the President over the past 10 months -- suggest that the Arizona senator may have his eye on a third-party presidential bid in 2020.
And Flake's answers on whether he might run in 2020 have been very cagey. Check out this back-and-forth with CNN's Jake Tapper on the day Flake announced he wasn't running for reelection to the Senate earlier this fall:
TAPPER: "(Should) somebody in the Republican Party, perhaps you, should challenge the President in 2020?" FLAKE: "I won't go there. That's a long time away." TAPPER: "So, you're not -- you're not discounting it?" FLAKE: "Certainly, I didn't support the President in the last election, and -- but it's early. That time will take care of itself."
Which is, um, not a "no." And if you did want to run a third-party party bid for president in 2020, casting yourself as a conscientious objector to Trumpism and a voice for "country over party" isn't a bad place to be.
The Point: Flake isn't actively planning to run for president. But he's doing things -- like releasing the fact that he wrote a check to Moore's opponent -- that he knows will draw attention to him and raise his profile as a Trump rejectionist. That's not by accident.
-- Chris | | From CNN's Juana Summers, Ross Levitt and Sarah Jorgensen:
Embattled Democratic Rep. John Conyers told a Detroit area radio show that he'll step down from his seat in Congress on Tuesday, the first member of Congress to resign amid a nationwide reckoning over sexual harassment in the workplace.
Conyers, who spoke for the first time in public since returning to his home district amid allegations of sexual harassment, announced his retirement on Mildred Gaddis' radio show in Detroit. He endorsed his son to replace him in Congress.
'My legacy can't be compromised or diminished in any way by what we're going through now," he said, calling in from a local hospital. "This too shall pass.'"
Read more in CNN's story here. | | RICK PERRY LIVING HIS BEST LIFE | | | Bruce Springsteen stopped by "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" to sing a different take on a holiday jam: "Robert Mueller's Comin' to Town." | | "There's a great spirit in the Republican Party like I've never seen before -- like a lot of people said they have never seen before. They have never seen anything like this community so I think a lot of very good things are going to happen and they are going to happen very fast."
-- President Donald Trump | | | MAKE CHRISTMAS GREAT AGAIN | | Per CNN's Sam Petulla, if President Trump wants to save Christmas, he might start with the trees.
"Christmas trees are more expensive, and for the second year in a row. For a President who consistently alleges there is 'fake news' out to get him, it is beyond debate that there has been a rise in fake trees to celebrate the holiday he pledged to save.
'Real' trees, especially, are going up in price and are less popular than decades ago. More consumers are choosing fake trees, which are often imported from China, or skipping the tree altogether.
The Great Recession is to blame for the price increase. Christmas tree farms often cut down trees only as they are sold. Because the farms sold fewer trees during the recession, they had less space in which to plant new ones. Nearly 10 years later, the trees that should have been planted then are not around to be cut in a better sales climate. So prices are up, and farms are still recovering." | | CNN's Ariane De Vogue sent The Point this analysis from Supreme Court today, where they heard same-sex marriage cake case. She writes:
The justices wrestled with a clash between religious freedom and LGBT rights in the case as they considered the arguments from the Colorado baker.
Jack Phillips, who owns Masterpiece Cakeshop declined to make a cake to honor the same-sex couple's wedding because he thinks marriage should be between a man and a woman.
The arguments exceeded their 60 minute time allotment and were rapid fire -- featuring hypotheticals and at times credulity -- on the part of the liberals as they digested Phillips' free-speech arguments. But crucial to everything was Justice Anthony Kennedy. He seemed to be the man in the middle, as he often is and he was torn. At times he positively scowled.
On the one hand, Kennedy had a concern for the dignity of the couple: Would bakers hang a sign in windows saying we don't bake cakes for gay weddings? That made it seem like he was ready to side with the liberals especially Justice Elena Kagan, who was so vocal. (She pounced on a lawyer for Philllips asking where they were supposed to draw a coherent line designating which business owners could qualify for an exemption from state anti-discrimination laws).
But Kennedy then seemed to veer toward Phillips' side when he began asking about religious liberty. He seem to worry about Phillips's religious freedom and a "hostility" toward religion. He noted that "tolerance" is essential in a free society and questioned whether Colorado had been "tolerant" of Phillips' religious beliefs.
Read Ariane's full story here. | | | Speaking of Rick Perry ... here he is, living his best life again while dancing on "Dancing With The Stars." Remember to tell everyone you know 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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