Thursday Clutter: Supreme Court, Boston Red Sox, Jared Leto, Sheryl Crow, and more
06/28/2018
Hi everyone,
Welcome back! How are you? It's looking pretty dark outside, and the forecast calls for rain for most of the day. That's okay, the Clutter Tree needs a good soaking. BDH and Little Buddha say the birds are chirping that they agree, so bring on the rain. The guys also told me that reading their new book to them, after I finish today's errands, might be a fun way for me to spend a rainy day. They're always thinking of others, you know. First things first, let's check out today's headlines. The coffee is sitting on the counter, so help yourself to a nice medium DD, because it's time to clear out some Thursday Clutter.
This has been a week of bad news from the Supreme Court, and it got worse with the announcement that Justice Anthony Kennedy is retiring. Kennedy, a Ronald Reagan appointee, while strongly conservative, had played the occasional role of "swing voter" after Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's retirement, and now Donald Trump has the opportunity to make his second appointment (which he says will come from this list) to the court. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell who was all fired up about appointments not being made in election years, has already said a vote will be held this fall. It appears that rule only applies when there's a black president.
Justice Kennedy calls it quits. (pic via upi.com)
Just to review. The right-wing revolution that has dominated the Supreme Court for more than 30 years would finally have come to an end, if the United States had just kept Donald Trump out of the White House. This new vacancy would have shifted the court to a 6-3 center-left majority, and the hunch here is that Chief Justice John Roberts would have joined the majority more often than expected because he wouldn't want history to record him as consistently losing in his own court. That would have made it more like a 7-2 majority, with Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas shunned off to the margins.
Now, there's a very real chance that it will be another 30 years before this opportunity presents itself again. Let's be clear, elections have consequences, and the parties are not "all alike." If anyone close to you says otherwise, you have a little over 18 weeks before the midterm elections to explain to them why they're wrong.
A new study says that more Americans are now choosing to die at home rather than a hospital. That would certainly be the preference here. We'd pick being surrounded by plants in a warm environment at the end, rather than a sterile and impersonal room, every time.
If you would like to invest in socially and environmentally conscious companies, Vanguard has a new product for you. (The Clutter Investment Team says we have to point out this is not a formal endorsement of any product, simply a heads-up.)
The Boston Red Sox beat the Los Angeles Angels 9-6 last night. The Sox couldn't hold onto a 6-0 lead (which came courtesy of home runs from Sandy Leon, Eduardo Nunez, and JD Martinez), and the Angels tied the game in the top of the 7th inning. However, the Sox pulled ahead with RBI from Rafael Devers and Sandy Leon in the bottom of the 7th, added an extra insurance run in the 8th, and Craig Kimbrel sealed the deal with a 4-out save. The win means that the Sox are now a half game ahead of the New York Yankees on top of the AL East. Brian Johnson takes the mound for Boston tonight as the Sox go for the series sweep.
The Red Sox signed veteran infielder Brandon Phillips to a minor league deal. It's a bad sign that the team feels it needs even more depth at second base, because now there's discussion about whether or not Dustin Pedroia will play again at all this season, as he continues to battle knee inflammation.
Hey basketball fans, anyone have any objections to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver signing a six-year contract extension? We're all good? Moving on? Moving on...
Shifting over to movies, how do we feel about Jared Leto starring in a Spider-Man spin-off? Leto will play a vampire named Morbius, and for now, we'll hold off on the jokes about whether or not he'll suck in the role. (Vampire humor never gets old...because they're immortal...okay, we're done.)
We've got the first look at the new Quentin Tarantino movie called, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, along with a tremendous supporting cast, and it appears to have a Charles Manson connection.
Joe Jackson, father of Michael, Janet, and the rest of their famous siblings, died yesterday after battling cancer. The Jackson patriarch was 89 years old.
Okay kids, that's going to do it for now. Hold on, BDH and Little Buddha just said there's a flash flood warning in Boston and throughout Massachusetts today. Hmmm, might have to adjust the old schedule. Anyway, here's Sheryl Crow to close things out for us with, "All I Wanna Do," for today's, "Song of the Day."
Thanks for stopping by, everyone. It was great to see you, as always. Enjoy the rest of your day, be good, and we'll meet up again for more coffee soon. Until next time, that's today's Clearing out the Clutter, and we are outta here.
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