Thursday Clutter: Vaccine Doctor Demoted, Trump, Joe Biden, Las Vegas Mayor Disgrace, Red Sox Report, Gronk, Whitney Houston, Back to the Future, Comedy Festival, Bruce Springsteen, and more
04/23/2020
Hi everyone,
Welcome back! How are you? We're all doing well, although it's just a touch chilly in here. I'm reminded that it is in fact only about the third week in April, so that's still going to happen this time of year. The days are all blurring together just a bit these days, but at least BDH and Little Buddha are still keeping track of the calendar for us. In any case, it should warm up soon. The guys made you coffee, so grab yourself a nice medium DD, and let's clear out some Thursday Clutter.
Just when you think the Trump administration can't find a new way to botch their response to the coronavirus pandemic, they always manage to find a new way to prove you wrong: The doctor who was in charge of overseeing federal efforts to create a coronavirus vaccine says he was demoted for resisting "cronyism," as well as Donald Trump's dangerous push to use the dangerous combination of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine to treat the virus. This mixture has been shown to have no consistent benefit and can in fact lead to a greater chance of sudden cardiac arrest. Doctor Rick Bright says he will file a whistleblower complaint with the Department of Health and Human Services' inspector general.
Dr. Bright says he was pushed out for putting science before politics. (pic via nbcnews.com)
The coronavirus is dangerous enough by itself without the government being led by a corrupt fool who doesn't care how many Americans he gets killed, as long as he can make a buck. Just imagine how Republicans would react if Barack Obama had handled this crisis so badly, as we approach nearly 50,000 American casualties. They would have already impeached and convicted him. Donald Trump has blood on his hands, and the GOP just shrugs, because the wealthy are still doing fine, and that's what matters to them.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp clearly expected to earn Donald Trump's praise by reopening his state so soon. However, Trump criticized Kemp for the decision. Trump knows that this is a bad idea, and he doesn't want any association with it. At the end of the day, not only did Governor Kemp put lives at risk, he doesn't even get a pat on the head from his hero.
Donald Trump is confident the coronavirus will not be an issue next fall/winter, because that's what this voices in his head tell him, even as actual experts argue the exact opposite. The country's best chance of surviving another round of this pandemic is for the Great Pumpkin to be a lame duck by the time we get to that point in the year.
Speaking of which, a new poll shows Joe Biden leading Donald Trump in the key states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Of course, the election is still about 200 days away, which is multiple political lifetimes from now, so none of this can be taken for granted. Trump and his Russian allies will throw everything they can at those states to steal a win.
Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman made a fool out of herself yesterday in an interview calling for the city's businesses to reopen, while claiming no role in figuring out how to do it safely. She also offered to make Las Vegas a test city for what it would be like to open without social distancing guidelines in place. Awfully generous of her to be willing to sacrifice all of her constituents for a buck. There's also the little matter of all of the people who come to Las Vegas from across the country and then head back home after a few days. The mayor hasn't got a clue what she's talking about and should be ignored by the casinos and other businesses in the area.
Another four million people are expected to have filed unemployment claims over week ending April 18. The best spin on this is that it would be about a million fewer applications than the previous week. However, it would still bring the total number of filed claims to 26 million over the last five weeks, thus wiping out all of the gains since the Great Recession, as the coronavirus crisis continues to wreak havoc on the economy.
Good for Abigail Disney for criticizing the company's management for protecting their bonuses and dividends while implementing pay cuts for 100,000 employees yesterday. She has no role at Disney, but her Twitter thread on the topic lays out why this is such a poor decision.
MLB finally released their report on the sign-stealing allegations against the Boston Red Sox yesterday. The league didn't seem to find much, apart from video replay staff member J.T. Watkins occasionally relaying signs. Watkins, who denies the allegations, is suspended for the rest of the year, and the Red Sox lose a draft pick, but that's it. No players or coaches will be disciplined (similar to the Houston Astros), and there will be no extra punishment for former manager Alex Cora, as he serves his suspension this year.
This doesn't pass the smell test. Alex Cora was the mastermind of a a system that helped the Houston Astros win a championship, but he just skipped it the next year? Doubtful. However, MLB clearly wants to move on from this story as they continue to work on a way to play any games this year. It seems the door is now open for Alex Cora to return to managing in 2021, but does it make sense for him to return to Boston? Current manager Ron Roenicke only has one year on his deal, but maybe new boss Chaim Bloom has someone else in mind for the gig in 2021.
Rob Gronkowski talked to the media yesterday about his return to the NFL next season. The tight end wouldn't burn any bridges with his comments, but he made it clear that playing again with Tom Brady in a place that was not New England was enough to reignite his competitive drive. We still think Gronk should have hung it up for good in 2018, but he's certainly earned the right to show what he can do in a place that he thinks will make him happier. Wait, will we have to become Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans this year?
A Whitney Houston biopic is in the works. No word yet on casting or any projected release date for I Wanna Dance with Somebody, but we'd be interested in seeing that movie (probably at home.) The late singer had a complicated life, and it seems like it would make for an engrossing film.
Actor Val Kilmer has a new memoir out this week, in case you're looking for something to read. It's not really BDH and Little Buddha's cup of tea, so we're still taking suggestions for something they might like. Drop us a line at [email protected] if you think of something they might like.
One of the good things about staying at home for an extended period is that it allows us time to finally resolve the important questions of our time, like why Marty McFly's parents don't recognize him at the end of Back to the Future. It's a relief to be able to put that behind us and move forward to the next great mystery, like why didn't Rose share the door with Jack at the end of Titanic?
We could all use a few laughs these days, so the all-star comedy festival coming on May 9 sounds like a great idea. The Feeding America Comedy Festival livestream will include Eddie Murphy, Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Kenan Thompson, Tiffany Haddish, and a host of others when it runs from 8-11 p.m. on the Weather Channel and other outlets.
Okay kids, that's going to do it for now. Let's close things out with a tune we just started listening to again recently that seems like a good fit for the quarantine world. Here's Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band with, "Radio Nowhere," for today's, "Song of the Day."
Thanks for stopping by, everyone. It was great to see you, as always. Be good, stay safe, and we'll catch up with you again soon. Until next time, that's today's Clearing out the Clutter, and we are outta here.
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