If you must eat while the R[epublican]s control the White House, both houses of Congress, and the judiciary, you might want to consider becoming a vegetarian about now.

--Molly Ivins and Lou Dubose, Bushwhacked

They always announce the outrages on Friday afternoon, because few people read the Saturday papers or watch the Saturday TV news.

--Paul Krugman in the current New York Review of Books

In Initial Finding, F.D.A. Calls Cloned Animals Safe as Food

Milk and meat from cloned animals are safe to consume, the Food and Drug Administration has tentatively concluded, a finding that could eventually clear the way for such products to reach supermarket shelves and for cloning to be widely used to breed livestock.

The agency's conclusions, which could face some opposition, are being released today in advance of a public meeting on the issue on Tuesday in Rockville, Md. Agency officials said that after receiving public comments, they hope by late next spring to outline their views on how, if at all, cloning would be regulated, including whether food from cloned animals should be labeled.

But if the preliminary conclusion stands, labeling would not be needed and there would be little regulation, Dr. Stephen Sundlof, director of the agency's Center for Veterinary Medicine, said in an interview....

The major safety concern is that cloning results in many failed pregnancies and abnormal babies, raising the risk that milk or meat from such animals could be tainted....

--New York Times

Well, the Times did get this story into today's paper (though it was tucked in the back of the A section, on page A20). But I watched network news last night and didn't see anything about it, and that's where it'll probably be discussed ... tonight, the night of the official announcement. And well, gosh, it'll be Friday night tonight, won't it?