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TYNDALL HEADLINE: HIGHLIGHTS FROM JANUARY 04, 2007
Politicians love a photo-op with a baby. The new Speaker of the House of Representatives staged the grandmother of all such photo-ops as the 110th Congress was sworn in. Democrat Nancy Pelosi stood in the well of the House directing her followers with her infant grandson in her arms. All three networks led with the handover on Capitol Hill from Republicans to Democrats. ABC went the extra mile, sending anchor Charles Gibson to Washington to witness the proceedings. He called Pelosi's image "the ultimate in multitasking."
TYNDALL PICKS FOR JANUARY 04, 2007: CLICK ON GRID ELEMENTS TO SEARCH FOR MATCHING ITEMS
SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI Politicians love a photo-op with a baby. The new Speaker of the House of Representatives staged the grandmother of all such photo-ops as the 110th Congress was sworn in. Democrat Nancy Pelosi stood in the well of the House directing her followers with her infant grandson in her arms. All three networks led with the handover on Capitol Hill from Republicans to Democrats. ABC went the extra mile, sending anchor Charles Gibson to Washington to witness the proceedings. He called Pelosi's image "the ultimate in multitasking."
CBS' Sharyl Attkisson surveyed the children and grandchildren, the celebrity spectators, the Majority Whip being presented with a real whip, and oaths by two Buddhists and one Mormon. ABC's Jake Tapper (subscription required) showed us a "more stoic Senate" including the oath by Robert Byrd, embarking on his ninth six-year term. NBC's Chip Reid cautioned the "giddy" Democrats: "With such a narrow majority in the Senate and with the President holding the veto pen, turning their agenda into law will not be easy."
SENIOR AND JUNIOR The new boss is the highest-ranking woman ever to serve in the federal government, NBC's Andrea Mitchell noted. She quoted Pelosi: "We have broken the marble ceiling." She does not look like her predecessors, Mitchell understated, showing pictures of Frederick Muhlenberg, Henry Clay, Schuyler Colfax and Joe Cannon.
At the freshmen end of the seniority scale, CBS' Richard Schlesinger went up-close and personal with a newly-arrived Democrat from New Hampshire. The social worker was such an inexperienced politician that her campaign manager was a medieval historian and her party chairman could not even remember her name. "Carol Shea is a hyphenated last name. Anyone know what I am talking about?" Howard Dean inquired during a November C-SPAN press conference. That is Shea-Porter.
WHAT WILL THEY DO ABOUT IRAQ? CBS News released a poll showing that 45% of Americans consider Iraq policy to be Congress' top priority. Yet, CBS' Attkisson shrugged, "82% say they do not think Democrats have a clear plan--but apparently they think any action is better than the status quo." NBC's Tim Russert previewed "robust, vigorous hearings" in opposition to any troop build-up while ABC's George Stephanopoulos (no link) pointed out that the Democrats had already foresworn telling pressure on the President: "They have already taken cutting off funding for the troops off the table."
FLYING SAILOR From the White House, ABC's Martha Raddatz (subscription required) announced "wholesale changes" in US military leadership in Iraq, "a new plan and new commanders." Adm William Fallon will take over the Pentagon's regional Central Command and Gen David Petraeus will be commander in Iraq itself. "Fallon is a wildcard choice," a naval aviator in charge of ground operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. "Defense Secretary Robert Gates clearly decided that he needed to get his own team in place," CBS' Gloria Borger concluded.
GOING POSTAL NBC filed an In Depth report into claims by the White House that it has the right to search our first class mail without a warrant. George Bush asserted the authority for "foreign intelligence collection" when he signed USPS legislation in December. "Members of Congress, both Republicans and Democrats, say that is not what they intended the law to do," Pete Williams pointed out.
ANTI-PLACEBO The start of the New Year is weight-loss resolution time, the appropriate week for the Federal Trade Commission to fine marketers of four over-the-counter diet pills: Trimspa, Cortislim, One-A-Day and Xenadrine. They will pay $25m for deceptive advertising. ABC's Lisa Stark (subscription required), who yesterday covered the new so-called calorie-burning soft drink Enviga, aired clips from a couple of the offending ads and reported that Xenadrine had conducted research and found that its product was actually worse than a placebo.
CBS' Sandra Hughes told us the fines were levied for "unsubstantiated claims about everything from reducing the risk of cancer to rapid weight loss." Because none of the products was ordered pulled from the shelves, Hughes cited FTC critics: "Little more than a slap on the wrist."
RIDERS ABC's closing feature showed us the Patriot Guards, a posse of bikers that roams the country attending military funerals. The bikers started the ritual in order to protect mourners from the jeers of pickets. Erin Hayes observed their scruffy appearance. "They are bikers dressed as bikers." Now a USMC colonel has "grown to have such respect for them." See the grown men cry as their flag-draped convoy rides off into the mist.
MENTIONED IN PASSING The network newscasts do not assign correspondents to all of the news of the day. If Tyndall Report readers come across videostreamed reports online of stories that were mentioned only in passing, post the link in comments for us to check out
Today's examples: the implications of the reshuffle of the White House intelligence bureaucracy…the nomination of Zalmay Khalilzad as United Nations Ambassador…renewed fighting in the Gaza Strip between Palestinian political factions…the rapid fall in the world price of crude oil.
CBS' Sharyl Attkisson surveyed the children and grandchildren, the celebrity spectators, the Majority Whip being presented with a real whip, and oaths by two Buddhists and one Mormon. ABC's Jake Tapper (subscription required) showed us a "more stoic Senate" including the oath by Robert Byrd, embarking on his ninth six-year term. NBC's Chip Reid cautioned the "giddy" Democrats: "With such a narrow majority in the Senate and with the President holding the veto pen, turning their agenda into law will not be easy."
SENIOR AND JUNIOR The new boss is the highest-ranking woman ever to serve in the federal government, NBC's Andrea Mitchell noted. She quoted Pelosi: "We have broken the marble ceiling." She does not look like her predecessors, Mitchell understated, showing pictures of Frederick Muhlenberg, Henry Clay, Schuyler Colfax and Joe Cannon.
At the freshmen end of the seniority scale, CBS' Richard Schlesinger went up-close and personal with a newly-arrived Democrat from New Hampshire. The social worker was such an inexperienced politician that her campaign manager was a medieval historian and her party chairman could not even remember her name. "Carol Shea is a hyphenated last name. Anyone know what I am talking about?" Howard Dean inquired during a November C-SPAN press conference. That is Shea-Porter.
WHAT WILL THEY DO ABOUT IRAQ? CBS News released a poll showing that 45% of Americans consider Iraq policy to be Congress' top priority. Yet, CBS' Attkisson shrugged, "82% say they do not think Democrats have a clear plan--but apparently they think any action is better than the status quo." NBC's Tim Russert previewed "robust, vigorous hearings" in opposition to any troop build-up while ABC's George Stephanopoulos (no link) pointed out that the Democrats had already foresworn telling pressure on the President: "They have already taken cutting off funding for the troops off the table."
FLYING SAILOR From the White House, ABC's Martha Raddatz (subscription required) announced "wholesale changes" in US military leadership in Iraq, "a new plan and new commanders." Adm William Fallon will take over the Pentagon's regional Central Command and Gen David Petraeus will be commander in Iraq itself. "Fallon is a wildcard choice," a naval aviator in charge of ground operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. "Defense Secretary Robert Gates clearly decided that he needed to get his own team in place," CBS' Gloria Borger concluded.
GOING POSTAL NBC filed an In Depth report into claims by the White House that it has the right to search our first class mail without a warrant. George Bush asserted the authority for "foreign intelligence collection" when he signed USPS legislation in December. "Members of Congress, both Republicans and Democrats, say that is not what they intended the law to do," Pete Williams pointed out.
ANTI-PLACEBO The start of the New Year is weight-loss resolution time, the appropriate week for the Federal Trade Commission to fine marketers of four over-the-counter diet pills: Trimspa, Cortislim, One-A-Day and Xenadrine. They will pay $25m for deceptive advertising. ABC's Lisa Stark (subscription required), who yesterday covered the new so-called calorie-burning soft drink Enviga, aired clips from a couple of the offending ads and reported that Xenadrine had conducted research and found that its product was actually worse than a placebo.
CBS' Sandra Hughes told us the fines were levied for "unsubstantiated claims about everything from reducing the risk of cancer to rapid weight loss." Because none of the products was ordered pulled from the shelves, Hughes cited FTC critics: "Little more than a slap on the wrist."
RIDERS ABC's closing feature showed us the Patriot Guards, a posse of bikers that roams the country attending military funerals. The bikers started the ritual in order to protect mourners from the jeers of pickets. Erin Hayes observed their scruffy appearance. "They are bikers dressed as bikers." Now a USMC colonel has "grown to have such respect for them." See the grown men cry as their flag-draped convoy rides off into the mist.
MENTIONED IN PASSING The network newscasts do not assign correspondents to all of the news of the day. If Tyndall Report readers come across videostreamed reports online of stories that were mentioned only in passing, post the link in comments for us to check out
Today's examples: the implications of the reshuffle of the White House intelligence bureaucracy…the nomination of Zalmay Khalilzad as United Nations Ambassador…renewed fighting in the Gaza Strip between Palestinian political factions…the rapid fall in the world price of crude oil.
