• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, February 27, 2024

Less than a week after Alabama's Supreme Court ruled frozen embryos are recognized as people under the state's law, freezers are once again dominating the start of this week's campaign news cycle, albeit for delectable reasons.

And while a spectrum of news organizations -- from right to center-left -- poked fun of President Joe Biden's campaign ice cream stop on way to his appearance on NBC's "Late Night with Seth Meyers," his selection of mint chip was an inspired choice. Or was it a politically calculated one?

At first I wasn't sure, so I Googled where the flavor stacks among America's favorites, and it turns out it ranks No. 3 -- just behind vanilla and chocolate, according to a YouGov survey.

I guess that makes mint chip the Independents of ice cream flavors, but the truth is, it was tied with strawberry and butter pecan for third place. Which only goes to prove it appeals to undecideds too.

The ice cream cone stop, Biden's comment that he expects a ceasefire in Gaza soon, and his appearance on Meyers show dominated news headlines during the past 24-hour cycle, including Biden quips about Trump's age, and his "its classified" response to questions about a Taylor Swift endorsement, were a nice counterbalance to the depressing news of the previous week, and a potential government shutdown heading into next.