Frankensense: After a welter of accusations of inappropriate sexual behavior, Minnesota Democrat Al Franken announced on the Senate floor yesterday that he will be resigning within a few weeks.

Keeping his emotions in check and with a touch of bitterness check, Franken said, “I, of all people, am aware that there is some irony in the fact that I am leaving while a man who has bragged on tape about his history of sexual assault sits in the Oval Office, and a man who has repeatedly preyed on young girls campaigns for the Senate with the full support of his party.”

Franken is one of the biggest figures to fall in the sexual harassment cleanup sweeping the country. The comedian turned politician was a rising star in the Democratic Party, a sharp and effective senator who was mentioned as a possible presidential candidate for 2020.

He said he felt it was important to listen to women’s complaints but, “Some of the allegations against me are simply not true. Others, I remember very differently.”

After the most recent accusations went public, Franken lost the support of the majority of Senate Democrats. One working theory is that while Franken’s transgressions were not the worst, the Democrats are keeping their house clean in preparation for the election of accused child molester Roy Moore to the Senate from Alabama.

Now This: Republican Rep. Trent Franks of Arizona said he is resigning next month after revealing that he discussed birth surrogacy with two female staffers.

Franks and his wife have 3-year-old twins who were conceived through surrogacy. Franks evidently asked the two staffers if they would bear a child for the couple.

The Russia Thing: Congressional lawyers are vetting whether Donald Trump Jr.’s claim of attorney-client privilege in refusing to answer some questions is valid. Junior admitted that he spoke to his father on the phone about a meeting with a Russian woman dealing dirt on Hillary Clinton. But the younger Trump claimed the conversation is privileged because his father’s lawyer was on the line.

Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff of California said, “The presence of counsel does not make communications between father and son a privilege.”

Wildfire: A new wildfire broke out in San Diego County last night bringing to six the number of major fires burning in California. Whole blocks of homes burned to the ground. A thoroughbred horse raining center was overrun by fire and as many as 25 horses died. Overall, at least 500 homes and buildings have burned across Southern California.

Black Lives: Michael Slager, the white police officer who gunned down a fleeing unarmed black man in North Charleston, SC, has been sentenced in federal court to 20 years in prison. Slager had pleaded guilty to violating the civil rights of Walter Scott, shooting him to death in April 2015.

It is a rare conviction of a police officer for shooting an unarmed man.

The incident was captured on video, showing Slager shooting Scott as he ran, then placing his Taser next to the body. He later claimed Scott had grabbed the Taser, presenting a threat to the officer’s life.

Palestine: Palestinian protesters are clashing with Israeli soldiers for a second day in conflict over President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Ghost Ships: Japan is dealing with the mystery of what is described as “ghost ships” arriving on its shores from North Korea. One of them washed up carrying the skeletal remains of fishermen, but others have come ashore with live crew. Some Japanese wonder if it’s an effort by North Korea to plant agents in the guise of defectors. But another working theory is that fishermen with poor navigation skills are wandering far out to sea to sell their fish for cash to foreign vessels.

So far this year, 76 fishing vessels have come ashore, 28 of them in November alone.

The Sure Thing: The value of the virtual currency Bitcoin has topped $16,000 in what is almost surely a bubble straining to pop. The cryptocurrency began the year below $1,000. It’s entirely digital. There are no Bitcoin bills or coins.

Bitcoin has no underlying value, not gold, not the health of a national economy. It’s just digits in the cloud.

The LA Times’ Mike Hiltzik wrote that, “The only investment craze that has outpaced bitcoin thus far is thought to be the Dutch tulip mania of the 1630s, though exact price comparisons are hard to come by.” For a while back then, a handful of tulip bulbs was valued at more than a townhouse in Amsterdam.

How long the Bitcoin bubble will grow is anyone’s guess. But if it doesn’t break, it will defy every economic precedent. JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said, “If you’re stupid enough to buy it, you’ll pay the price for it one day,”

Realpolitik: Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he’s running for re-election to another six-year term. He stopped short of declaring victory already.

Naming Rights: The British Navy has named its newest aircraft carrier after Queen Elizabeth. It’s called “HMS Frumpy.”

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