Hi everyone,

Welcome back!  Come on in, have a seat.  How are you?  Oh, before we get started, a quick programming note:  We may be a little off-schedule for the next couple of days.  Not sure about that yet, but if it happens, we'll be back on track as soon as possible.  Now, we're trying to get a handle on today's weather, and whether it would be dangerous to drive in it, or just annoying.  The last time we (accidentally) drove through a flash flood warning, there were several moments where it was a bad, bad call, and we vowed not to do it again.  It seemed like maybe there might be a window of opportunity for us this morning, but now it appears...not so much.  Well, on to plan B.  In any case, BDH and Little Buddha made some coffee, so help yourself to a nice medium DD, because it's time to clear out some Thursday Clutter.

After a lot of bluster, Donald Trump gave in and agreed not to give his State of the Union address until the government shutdown is over. Trump previously threatened to show up on Capitol Hill on January 29 without being invited.  He dared Speaker Pelosi to say no to that, and that's exactly what she said.  Given that both parties in Congress would need to approval his invitation, that was the end of that discussion.  Trump then apparently looked for other venues where he could give the speech, before finally conceding last night. 

The man looks to create chaos wherever he goes.  Maybe that's what he was counting on that to resolve the shutdown, but Pelosi is better at this than he is.  He's not getting his wall funding, and the fight is starting to cost him support with his base. Their support may be the biggest thing keeping him from impeachment hearings, so he needs them, but he's boxed himself in and has no facing-saving way out at this point.

Trump managed to build a wall around himself, and Speaker Pelosi won't help him find a way out.  (pic via cnn.com)

As we mentioned yesterday, the Senate will vote on two bills to reopen the government today.  One is a clean bill from the Democrats which does not include wall funding.  The other is a bad-faith effort by the GOP that would damage many immigration programs while funding the wall.  It's expected that both bills will fail, but it's interesting to hear that Senator Cory Gardner (R-Colorado) will vote for the clean bill.  Might other Republicans, who have to think about their own political survival if nothing else, follow suit?

Good for New York for enacting a new law which significantly strengthens legal protections for abortion services in the state. The right to choose is under attack as much as ever these days, both at the national and state level, and this is an important step in the right direction.  Other states should follow New York's lead and pass similar bills.

Yesterday was a tough day for media news companies, as Buzzfeed.com and Verizon both announced layoffs. Don't worry, though, we run a tight ship around here, so we're not going anywhere.  Of course, any donations to our coffee fund are always appreciated.

Seeing an opportunity in the recent Netflix price hikes, Hulu announced they're cutting the price of their basic plan by $2, although the live TV package will get an increase.  Our staff needs to sit down at some point this year and finally research the cord-cutting approach.  Our primary concern is being able to watch Red Sox games, and it appears we can do that on YouTube TV.  Have any of you used that?  If you have, drop us a line at [email protected] with your thoughts about it.  Much appreciated!

Is anyone here disappointed that Sweethearts will not be sold for Valentine's Day this year? They're like eating chalk.  Their original manufacturer went out of business last year, and apparently the new company didn't acquire the rights in time to get them in production for 2018, but they will be back next year.  In the meantime, just a reminder that our staff have birthdays on February 14, so you still have time to get us something.

Secondary market ticket prices are dropping for this year's Super Bowl. They're still insane, with a ballpark average price of $6000 per ticket, but if attending the game is on your to-do list, and you've got the cash, this might be your lucky year.  We prefer to watch the game at Dad Clutter's house, anxiously pace a bit, and maybe play with the cats as the game progresses.

Drew Pomeranz signed a one-year deal with the San Francisco Giants for $1.5 million with another $3.5 million in incentives.  Good luck to the former Red Sox pitcher, and if he suddenly regains his All Star form after returning to the National League, so be it.  At least he's not another Pablo Sandoval-type case costing the Sox a fortune in dead money.

Alex Rodriguez makes no bones about the fact that he wants Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame because it would make it easier for him to do the same. Rodriguez will make his first appearance on the ballot in 2022.  We're still torn about what to do with steroid users.  It used to seem clear - you cheat, you don't get in.  Now it feels like the hard-line approach basically wipes out an entire era.  A simple note about failing steroid tests on the appropriate plaques would help, but that's never going to happen.  Ahh, they're almost all going to get in at some point.

The Atlantic has a scathing piece on Bryan Singer with new accusations about the powerful director having sex with underage boys.  Singer, who has been accused of sexual misconduct for years, disputes the story and referred to it as a "homophobic smear piece."  The article makes it clear that Singer targeted vulnerable minors and intimidated them into not speaking about his actions, but those barriers are starting to come down in the #MeToo era.

Matthew McConaughey seems to be doing Matthew McConaughey things in the trailer for his new movie, Beach Bum.  Have a look:

Michael Jackson is getting his own Broadway show.  Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough will open in Chicago at the end of October before moving to New York in 2020.

Sorry, Suits fans, the show is coming to an end after season 9 later this year.  Lasting close to 10 years on the USA Network is an impressive run.

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  A look at the history books tells us that Skid Row's first album came out 30 years ago today.  That's a little startling, but in any case, here they are to close things out with a live performance of, "I Remember You," 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 careful if you have to be on the roads, and we'll see again for more fun soon.  Until next time, that's today's Clearing out the Clutter, and we are outta here.