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JANUARY 13,  2022

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – OVERNIGHT: 

AND NOW FOR THE BIG STORY – OVERNIGHT:   As readers know and appreciate, we attempt to find here at Urgent Agenda the most important, the most telling, and the most historic stories of the day.  And this day, there is something truly special.  From the New York Post:  The Food and Drug Administration said it will stop regulating French dressing after keeping a tight rein on its key ingredients since 1950.  The US agency announced on Wednesday that it would lift guidelines that required manufacturers to sell a product with 35% vegetable oil if it wanted to market it as “French dressing.”
French dressing also had been required to contain vinegar or lemon or lime juice. Other ingredients like salt, tomato paste, and spices were permitted, but not required.  The FDA said that the stringent threshold “no longer promotes honesty and fair dealing” for the benefit of consumers.  By removing the standard, the FDA hopes to “provide greater flexibility in the product’s manufacture, consistent with comparable, nonstandardized foods available in the marketplace.”  The move was made in response to a 1998 petition that was filed by the Association of Dressings and Sauces. It is unclear why the FDA waited until recently to address the group’s petition.  The FDA has regulated French dressing and an assortment of other foods for decades.  The trade group argued that the FDA’s strict guidelines stifled innovation and left consumers with limited options in the market.  Customers who were looking for low-fat or fat-free versions of the condiment were out of luck since those products could not legally be marketed as “French dressing,” according to the ADS.  We pay tribute to the Association of Dressings and Sauces for its contribution to this joyous day.  Its heroism and persistence will long be remembered.

January 13, 2022       Permalink

YESTERDAY'S NEWS COMES BACK – OVERNIGHT:  Remember the indictment of six Baltimore police officers in the death of a black prisoner, Freddie Gray?  Remember how each was exonerated by an African-American judge?  Remember the woman who threw the six officers to the mob, despite a lack of evidence?  Well, this gem is now back in the news.  I wonder how she'll get out of this one.  From WBAL: 

Baltimore City State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of perjury related to a COVID-19 financial hardship withdrawal and a false statement on a loan application.

A federal grand jury returned the indictment Thursday charging Mosby on federal charges of perjury and making false mortgage applications, relating to the purchases of two vacation homes in Florida.

According to the four-count indictment, on May 26, 2020, and Dec. 29, 2020, Mosby submitted "457(b) Coronavirus-Related Distribution Requests" for one-time withdrawals of $40,000 and $50,000, respectively, from the city of Baltimore's Deferred Compensation Plans.

Prosecutors said, in each request, the indictment alleges that Mosby falsely certified that she met at least one of the qualifications for a distribution as defined under the CARES Act, specifically, that she experienced adverse financial consequences stemming from the coronavirus as a result of "being quarantined, furloughed or laid off" or "having reduced work hours" or "being unable to work due to lack of child care or "the closing or reduction of hours of a business I own or operate."

In signing the forms, Mosby "affirm(ed) under penalties for perjury the statements and acknowledgments made in this request." The indictment alleges Mosby did not experience any such financial hardships and, in fact, her gross salary in 2020 was $247,955.58 and it was never reduced: "Rather than experiencing a reduction in income in 2020, Mosby's gross salary in 2020 increased over her gross salary in 2019, which was $238,772.04."

The indictment further alleges that on July 28, 2020, and Sept. 2, 2020, as well as on Jan. 14, 2021, and Feb. 19, 2021, Mosby made false statements in applications for a $490,500 mortgage to purchase a home in Kissimmee, Florida, and for a $428,400 mortgage to purchase a condominium in Long Boat Key, Florida.

The indictment alleges that by falsely executing a "second home rider," Mosby could obtain a lower interest rate on the mortgage for the Kissimmee property than she would have received without it.
WBAL-TV 11 News reached out to Marilyn Mosby's office and is awaiting a response.

COMMENT:   Obviously, we make no judgment as to innocence or guilt.  It's sad.  Mosby is not without her talent, but in the Gray case she made it clear she was answering the demands of the mob when she went after those six officers.  It was one of those moments that contributed to the law-and-order crisis in Baltimore, a city having trouble finding qualified officers to patrol its streets.  At one time Mosby was seen as a rising star.  She is no longer.  Prosecutors are supposed to serve justice, not the mob, or cheering television commentators.  I guess she just forgot.

January 13,  2022     Permalink 

JANUARY 12,  2022

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – OVERNIGHT: 

CNN CONTINUES TO SINK – FROM THE NEW YORK POST:   CNN’s ratings took a nosedive by a massive 90 percent both overall and in the all-important demographic coveted by advertisers in the first week of the new year.  The Jeff Zucker-led cable news network averaged just 548,000 viewers during the week of Jan. 3 — a major drop from the nearly 2.7 million viewers for the same week in 2021, according to Nielsen ratings.  The year-ago ratings were jolted by the left-leaning network’s coverage of the Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol, which resulted in CNN having its most-watched day since Ted Turner launched the news outlet in 1980.  But on the one-year anniversary of the attacks, viewers flipped over to CNN’s right-wing rival, Fox News, which topped the ratings for coverage of the event.  CNN has been plagued by a cascade of high-profile scandals, most notably the firing of its primetime star Chris Cuomo after the anchor was found to be secretly aiding the defense of his embattled older brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, over sexual harassment allegations that resulted in his resignation.  CNN’s ratings took a nosedive in the first week of the new year.  CNN ousted primetime anchor Chris Cuomo in December after the anchor had secretly helped defend his scandal-ridden brother Andrew Cuomo, who resigned last year as New York governor.  CNN does not provide its viewers with any compelling reason to watch.  It is really not a news network that strives to present a complete news report.  It's a cross between an editorial page and the funnies.   I don't feel I need it.  Many others apparently feel the same way.

January 12, 2022       Permalink

THE SINKING SHIP – OVERNIGHT:  I've seen presidents "slip" in the polls, but I've never seen one go down so fast, and in his first year.  Biden is in trouble, and he's bringing down his party by appealing only to its most extreme elements.  From Hot Air: 

There’s a new Quinnipiac poll out today and the news is not good for Joe Biden.

Americans give President Joe Biden a negative 33 – 53 percent job approval rating, while 13 percent did not offer an opinion. In November 2021, Americans gave Biden a negative 36 – 53 percent job approval rating with 10 percent not offering an opinion.

Among Democrats in today’s poll, 75 percent approve, 14 percent disapprove and 11 percent did not offer an opinion.

In a November poll, 87% of Democrats approved and just 7 percent disapproved. Clearly, Joe Biden is not the comeback kid. Over at National Review, Charles Cooke says the poll looks like an outlier but one that seems to have not a bit of good news for Biden...

...But this isn’t just bad news for the president. As Stuart Rothenberg argues today at Roll Call, having Biden’s approval rating in the dumpster means there’s a real possibility of a red wave in the Senate in 2024.

While some Democrats worry that carving out an exception to the filibuster might set a bad precedent, the imbalance in the three Senate classes, which I wrote about in May, may give Republicans a chance at a filibuster-proof majority during the 2024 elections, when the Senate map strongly favors the GOP.

Of course, when I noted that, President Joe Biden’s job approval was sitting in the low-to-mid 50s, while his disapproval was about 10 points lower.

Now, those numbers have reversed…

So, circumstances look dramatically more challenging for the Democrats now than they did last spring.

Democrats seem to be stuck in a rather unenviable loop at this point. There is objectively bad news on a number of fronts and that bad news drives Biden’s approval ratings underwater. Lower approval ratings puts additional pressure on elected members of Congress to hold onto their seats. That additional pressure leaves Democrats feeling increasingly desperate about their chances of retaining power.

But Democrats mustn’t forget the iron law of dating, which also applies to winning over voters: Desperation is not attractive. The more flop-sweat you produce trying to win over voters by shouting about the end of democracy, the less appealing voters are likely to find you. This is how an objectively bad situation becomes an even worse one as the spiral of desperation continues. And if Democrats lose control of the House this November, as seems likely, they’ll be even more desperate as we head into the 2024 election.

All of this could change of course. Democrats are probably due for some kind of favorable break eventually and maybe that will make them a little more confident and a little less desperate, but right now it’s not looking good. How low can Biden’s approval rating go? We may find out.

COMMENT:  President Reagan faced some pretty daunting challenges in his first time, including some bad polling results.  But Reagan was popular.  Biden is not.  Reagan had discipline in his speeches.  Biden does not. Comparing the opposition to slaveholders isn't particularly presidential.  Reagan had an optimistic personality.  Biden does not.  And Reagan did not have a vice president dragging him down.  Biden does. 

January 12,  2022     Permalink