Hi everyone,

Welcome back!  Come on in, have a seat.  We hope you all had a nice Christmas (if that's what you celebrate) yesterday.  We had a good day here.  BDH and Little Buddha enjoyed their presents, and they got to talk to some relatives, which is always fun.  We're doing things a little differently this year, so there are also more activities happening today.  However, let's check out today's headlines before any of that craziness begins.  The guys made coffee, so help yourself to a nice medium DD, because it's time to clear out some Wednesday Clutter.

It's heartbreaking to hear that another child died under the watch of the U.S. Border Patrol.  Eight-year-old Felipe Alonzo-Gomez died on Tuesday from what officials claim was first thought to be a cold.  There aren't many details being released, but there must be a full investigation that explains what happened.  We also need an immediate end to this racist approach to migrant families who are being sacrificed so Donald Trump has something to use to distract his base from his ever-expanding legal and political problems.

This has to stop.  (pic via thedailybeast.com)

Donald Trump couldn't be bothered to visit the troops on Christmas Day,  but he made time to call them and whine about the border wall, his corrupt foreign policy, and the Mueller investigation. That's some solid leadership from the commander-in-chief.  Those brave men and women must have felt inspired and ready to enjoy the day after that pep talk. 

Apparently the doctor who wrote the note claiming Donald Trump had bone spurs did it as a favor to Fred Trump who was his landlord at the time.  That sounds about right.

It isn't surprising to hear that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin's job is now reportedly in jeopardy because of Wall Street's recent woes. Donald Trump claimed 100% ownership of the stock market when it was doing well, but he's certainly not going to take an ounce of responsibility for the downturn.  Our Great Pumpkin doesn't do "personal accountability," so someone else will have to take the fall.  We're just wondering if Mick Mulvaney will also add this job to his portfolio.

Wall Street is open today after having yesterday off, and with all of this chaos, we'd say anything less than a 3% drop would be considered a win for the day.  This is another example of why the Clutter investment team is always preaching the importance of a long-term perspective.  Stocks will eventually move past Trump, but it could be ugly for a while before it happens.

Kyrie Irving had himself a game, as the Boston Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers 121-114 in an overtime win on Wednesday.  He may not consider Christmas a holiday, but Irving celebrated in style with 40 points and 10 rebounds for the night.

ABC's fall ratings are in, and A Million Little Things is hanging in there, right in the middle of the pack, in its rookie season.  A reminder that we'll resume our weekly recaps when the show returns in January.  If you need to catch up before then, just click on the "Million Little Things" option in our categories list.

General Hospital fans probably won't love Jack Wagner's recent comments about the idea of a possible return to the soap opera.

We had no intention of seeing Holmes & Watson, and the reviews confirm that's the right move.  Will Ferrell could stand to go away for a few years and try to figure out how to reinvent himself for the next stretch of his career.

On the other hand, Jordan Peele's new movie, Us, looks like it could be great...but we don't do horror movies, so we're not going to see that one either.  However, feel free to drop us a line and let us know what you think if you see it.

What we definitely will be watching in 2019 is Captain Marvel.  Check out the newest trailer:

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  We just heard this tune again for the first time in ages, so here's Simon & Garfunkel to close things out with, "Late in the Evening," 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 don't forget to come back tomorrow when we reveal "The 2018 Best of Clearing out the Clutter!"  We had a lot of fun putting that together, so let us know if your favorite is on the list.  Until then, that's it for today.  Have a good one!