Windows Server 2016 stuck on wsus update(s)

[NOTE this issues appears to be isolated to the handful of W2K16 servers we have on our network - or at least the W2K16 updates that are stuck in limbo.]

We have several W2K16 servers that are apparently stuck on the same update(s) (KB5001402, KB4535680).  I'm working the problem with one server in the hopes that we can repeat the winning process on the others.  

In the beginning it appeared to get stuck on the download of one of these two updates.  So we tried downloading the specific updates from the Microsoft Catalog. At first neither would 't install.  They just sat there "copying".  After stopping and restart wuauserv, and rebooting the server a couple of times, I'm now told that neither update is applicable to my server.  

We did the following at this point :

net stop wuauserv
delete C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution
net start wuauserv
usoclient StartScan

We now see "Error 0x80070776" for both of these updates.

We ran the PS command Get-WindowsUpdateLog and I see plenty of errors.  But I need help with the translation:

2021/07/08 14:52:23.5596079 5308  3016  Handler         Error 0x800706be: at CreatePackage
2021/07/08 14:52:23.5596088 5308  3016  Handler         Error 0x800706be: at CreatePackage
2021/07/08 14:52:23.5749344 5308  3016  Handler         Saved state: cCompleteIterations: 1, pt: Express, nNextRequestID: 1.
2021/07/08 14:52:23.5749409 5308  3016  Handler         Request generation for CBS update complete with hr=0x800706be and pfResetSandbox=0
2021/07/08 14:52:23.5749418 5308  3016  Handler         Error source is 106.
2021/07/08 14:52:23.5756279 5308  3016  DownloadManager Download request generation failed with 0x800706be.

A few minutes later, these errors appear

2021/07/08 14:57:15.2001473 5308  364   Handler         Error 0x80070776: at EvaluateApplicability
2021/07/08 14:57:15.2010084 5308  364   Agent           Failed to evaluate Installed rule, updateId = {{5E794BA4-CE3E-4BC0-8672-652F5AE5D1D9}.501}, hr = 80070776
2021/07/08 14:57:15.2122342 5308  364   Handler         Error 0x80070776: at EvaluateApplicability
2021/07/08 14:57:15.2128212 5308  364   Agent           Failed to evaluate Installable rule, updateId = {{5E794BA4-CE3E-4BC0-8672-652F5AE5D1D9}.501}, hr = 80070776
2021/07/08 14:57:15.2234996 5308  364   Handler         Error 0x80070776: at EvaluateApplicability


2021/07/08 15:01:39.5903372 5308  1740  Misc            Got WSUS SimpleTargeting URL: http://wsus1:8530""
2021/07/08 15:01:39.5926040 5308  1740  WebServices     Proxy Behavior set to 1 for service url http://wsus1:8530/SimpleAuthWebService/SimpleAuth.asmx
2021/07/08 15:01:39.5926054 5308  1740  ProtocolTalker  Proxy Behavior set to 1 for service url http://wsus1:8530/SimpleAuthWebService/SimpleAuth.asmx
2021/07/08 15:01:39.5927143 5308  1740  ProtocolTalker  Initializing simple targeting cookie, clientId = 69315b69-62e5-4473-8a5a-d290cb5a35c7, target group = Servers, DNS name = argus8wrk-tst.ms.rhoworld.com
2021/07/08 15:01:39.5927152 5308  1740  ProtocolTalker    Server URL = http://wsus1:8530/SimpleAuthWebService/SimpleAuth.asmx
2021/07/08 15:01:39.5927715 5308  1740  WebServices     Auto proxy settings for this web service call.
2021/07/08 15:01:39.6007978 5308  1740  WebServices     Auto proxy settings for this web service call.
2021/07/08 15:01:39.6420395 5308  1740  WebServices     WS error: The body of the received message contained a fault.
2021/07/08 15:01:39.6420423 5308  1740  WebServices     WS error: Fault occurred
2021/07/08 15:01:39.6420460 5308  1740  WebServices     WS Error code: Client
2021/07/08 15:01:39.6432306 5308  1740  WebServices     WS error: <detail><ErrorCode>ConfigChanged</ErrorCode><Message></Message><ID>6313029b-b92b-4d51-a693-117cd1d2f268</ID><Method>http://www.microsoft.com/SoftwareDistribution/Server/ClientWebService/GetCookie"</Method></detail>"

The update history only shows the errors from the past 24 hours.  Control Panel shows no updates that can be uninstalled.  I assume this is due to the fact we deleted the "SoftwareDistribution" folder.