Hi everyone,

Welcome back!  How are you?  I'm hobbling a bit at the moment.  I scheduled the annual compost delivery yesterday, which means that the garden needs to be cleaned up first.  I was outside for about six hours, raking and weeding.  The back half of the garden looks pretty good, but I want to get to the front half before it rains this afternoon.  That's going to require some stretching first.  It was great to be outside, particularly while the painter finished the kitchen wall.  That project was not well-timed, but it could not have gone smoother.   BDH and Little Buddha are eager to check out the headlines, so let's get to work.  The guys put a fresh pot of coffee on the counter, so grab yourself a nice medium DD, because it's time to clear out some Tuesday Clutter.

Donald Trump stated he is temporarily suspending all immigration into the United States, supposedly as a measure to battle the coronavirus.  We can hear him, Stephen Miller, and the rest of the hood-wearing crew in the White House panting with excitement over this announcement.  It has nothing to do with keeping the United States safe from the pandemic.  Trump has continually shown over the last few months that he doesn't care about that at all.  This is an excuse to demonize people who aren't white, which remains one of the top priorities of this administration.  (It's right under, "grab every public dollar you can get your hands on and divert it to Trump.")  This man is a threat to this country, and he can not be allowed a second term.

Another poll shows the majority of the country gives Donald Trump negative marks for his handling of this pandemic.  People tend to notice when you ask them to risk dying to make sure the wealthy stay rich.

With more than 40,000 coronavirus-related deaths and counting, the United States is nowhere near done with the worst part of this crisis.  We may top the total number of US casualties in the Vietnam war before the end of the month.  Given that, it's infuriating that some states are talking about reopening soon, thus running the high risk of triggering a major setback for the country.  For instance, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp will allow places like movie theaters, gyms, hair salons, bowling alleys and tattoo parlors to open on Friday.  This from the man who claimed he only just learned at the start of April that asymptomatic people can spread the virus.  He's putting lives at risk to please his lord and master Donald Trump.

Governor Kemp is a fool.  (pic via nymag.com)

The City of Boston released a map showing all of the coronavirus testing sites.  The testing is free and available to anyone, but you have to call ahead to make an appointment.

Nearly 3 million Americans are at least one month behind on their mortgage payments because of the coronavirus pandemic, and that number is expected to grow, with over 22 million people applying for unemployment benefits over the last month.

Facebook launched their own gaming app yesterday.  That's not really our gig, but this seems like a good time to unveil such a product, since everyone is stuck at home and glued to their computers/phones.  If anyone who knows anything about gaming wants to send us a review, drop us a note at [email protected] with your thoughts.

Add Coca-Cola to the rest of the companies hurt by the pandemic.  The Clutter investment team still likes the stock over the long-term, but it could be a rough stretch for the time being, as the pandemic has significantly weakened worldwide demand for the beverage giant's products.

Has anyone here tried a pot-infused beverage?  Not sure we've even seen any for sale in this neck of the woods, but we'd be interested in hearing what you think about them.  Again, let us know your take at [email protected].

BDH and Little Buddha suggest we take a quick pause from all of these headlines to watch this video featuring a dog checking out a whole lotta kittens.  Sounds good:

A pair of fans are suing Major League Baseball because teams haven't offered refunds for games that haven't been played due to the coronavirus.  MLB is acting like the games that have been missed so far have been postponed, and not cancelled.  That already feels like a stretch, but we're willing to wait a little while longer before we join the crowd on this issue.  That's mostly because we like to dream that baseball will return to Fenway Park at some point this year, even if it seems increasingly unlikely by the day.

Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez are still looking for partners to help them buy the New York Mets.  The team's selling price is $2.6 billion, and the duo are reportedly worth about $700 million.  If we all chip in some of the money we've saved from not going out as much, we should be able to cover the difference, right?  BDH and Little Buddha feel skeptical about that math.

The New England Patriots unveiled their new uniforms yesterday.  The team is in a transition period, so this is as good a time as any to shake things up with the outfits.  We're fine with the home colors, but the away jerseys make us think of the Cincinnati Bengals, and no one ever wants to think about them.

Tom Brady was allegedly cited for working out in a closed Tampa Bay park.   Unless we're missing something here, shame on Brady.  There's no excuse for that behavior.  The park is closed for public health reasons, and they apply to a rich quarterback as much as anyone else. 

A number of release dates have been changed for upcoming Warner Brothers movies like The Batman, The Many Saints of Newark, and Shazam 2, but they could all be changed again, depending on how long production is shut down for during this crisis.  2020 appears to likely be a lost year for movie theaters, but we're interested to see how 2021 plays out, assuming people (who live in states where the governors understand science) have been given the okay to return to theaters by then.

The Guardian has a revealing interview with Alicia Silverstone, where the actress discusses some of the challenges she's faced over her 25-year career. 

Congratulations to Lady Gaga and the rest of the artists and organizations who were involved in last weekend's One World: Together at Home concert.  It was a moving event, and it also raised $128 million for coronavirus treatments and vaccine development.

Cheers as well to Bon Jovi for cancelling their 2020 concert, rather than postponing it.  This should make it easier for their fans to get refunds instead of vouchers, which is particularly helpful during this time of economic uncertainty.  We encourage other groups to follow the band's lead here.

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  Keith Urban covered a Steve Winwood tune during the Together at Home concert.  Urban probably meant well, but the whole thing was a mistake.  Let's have Winwood himself close things out with a live version of, "Higher Love," for today's, "Song of the Day."

That's much better.

Thanks for stopping by, everyone.  It's always a treat to see you.  BDH and Little Buddha say you're welcome to come back and hang out while it's raining.  They'll see what's playing on Netflix.  Otherwise, 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.