Bomb throwing

Daily Point

To the rulebook

If you’re searching Google for Donald Trump, most likely you are asking whether Trump is dropping out or what happens if he quits. Those are among the top trending searches. Yes, that’s how bad the last couple of days have been for the GOP nominee, who seems to be feuding with fellow Republicans while ignoring Democrat Hillary Clinton. ("Is Trump really a Democrat?" is also a top Google search.)

Right now, the Republican establishment is clutching its pearls, trying to decide whether to call on him to withdraw so he doesn’t blow up the chances of GOP Senate and House candidates down the ballot. However, the party cannot take the nomination away from Trump. The New York developer would have to walk away, which is highly unlikely.

But if Trump should fire himself, how does the party find a new standard-bearer?

If there is a vacancy, Rule 9 of the Republican National Committee gives it the power to “reconvene the national convention” or ask state delegates to vote again. But it’s unclear how any new person -- put your early bets on Paul Ryan -- or persons would be put in nomination, or whether the delegates are bound to their original primary candidates, a scenario that favor Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.

Rita Ciolli

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Talking Point

Leaving so soon?

There is no evidence that City Hall’s hopes that Bill Bratton be more responsive to two recent racially related incidents prompted the police commissioner to move up his retirement date. But the episodes yet again exposed differences between Mayor Bill de Blasio and Bratton. The first involved black Assemblyman Michael Blake, who demanded that Bratton apologize to him after Blake claimed he was roughed up by a cop in the Bronx while trying to defuse a street confrontation.

“It’s impossible to remove the thought that race is not a part of this,” Blake said at the time. “I was seen as a threat.”

While de Blasio apologized to Blake, Bratton said, “There will be no forthcoming apology from me.” He said he told Blake to follow protocol and file a formal “use of force” complaint.

The second incident involved a 2-year-old Facebook posting by Staten Island Det. Gregory Gordon, displayed last week in a front-page story in the Daily News, in which Gordon referred to de Blasio’s wife, Chirlane McCray, as a “former crack addict.”

“Explain to me a time when a mayor’s wife has ever been able to weigh in on police related topics ever before? Who cares what this former crack addict says!" Gordon wrote on Facebook on Nov. 3, 2014, according to the News.

Bratton said Gordon may be in “very significant violation” of department procedures, but did not discipline him, which police sources said some at City Hall wanted him to do.

Mayoral spokeswoman Monica Klein declined comment on the mayor’s position, referring calls to the police department’s public information office.

Len Levitt

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Point of No Return

A twitterstorm of concern

Donald Trump is questioning why the United States doesn’t use its nuclear weapons, according to a report by MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough.

“Several months ago, a foreign policy expert on the international level went to advise Donald Trump. And three times [Trump] asked about the use of nuclear weapons. Three times he asked at one point if we had them, why can’t we use them,” Scarborough said on his “Morning Joe” program.

John Noonan is a former nuclear launch officer in the Air Force and a former foreign policy adviser to Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney. On Wednesday, he posted these messages on Twitter about the use of nuclear weapons.

Click here to see his powerful message about a possible Trump presidency.

Sam Guzik

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Pencil Point

Make our cartoonist laugh

Here’s a sneak peek at Matt Davies’ next caption contest. Caption this cartoon for him.