Hi everyone,

Welcome back!  How are you?  Everyone here is doing okay at the moment.  We had a solid rain for a few hours yesterday afternoon which was good for the garden.  Things are just about ready for next week's compost delivery.   I have to go grocery shopping later, and of course that's an adventure these days.  I'll try to be in and out of there as quickly as possible.  Other than that, we're just plugging away and keeping our distance from everyone.  BDH and Little Buddha just made coffee, so grab yourself a nice medium DD, and let's clear out some Wednesday Clutter.

The Senate passed another coronavirus-related relief bill yesterday.  The legislation allocates almost $500 billion to further help small businesses, hospitals, and testing, among other things, and Donald Trump is expected to sign it by the end of the week. 

Here's a sign that Republicans don't have a good feeling about the upcoming elections:  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is now pretending to care about how these bills impact the national debt.  That "concern" only happens when Republicans aren't calling the shots.  When they're in charge, none of them care about supposed fiscal responsibility.   If they get sent back to the minority in the Senate, and/or lose the White House, they'll do whatever they can to cripple federal efforts to recover from the economic damage of the pandemic, just like they did after the 2008 financial collapse.

Someone sees storm clouds ahead.  (pic via nbcnews.com)

Actual experts recommend doctors not use a drug combination that includes hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for the coronavirus, because it brings an increased risk of sudden cardiac death.  Of course, this is contrary to the suggestion Donald Trump's been making for weeks.  How about we listen to the people who know what they're talking about, and not a corrupt foreign agent/failed casino owner who has filed for bankruptcy four times and has a financial interest in giving bad guidance.  Sound good?

No one will want to hear this, but let's just get it out of the way now:  CDC Director Robert Redfield says the next wave of the coronavirus this winter could be even more deadly than what we're dealing with now, because it would coincide with flu season.  Social distancing will once again likely be critical, but this country has got to have exponentially more testing and contact tracing.  We also need someone in the White House who is actually concerned with public health.

Donald Trump can't get it together to help save the lives of millions of Americans, but he'll make it a priority to bail out the oil industry.

Trump's top lackey/protector Attorney General William Barr is prepared to go after states who are actually trying to keep their citizens from dying, because that's definitely what the top law enforcement officer in the country should be looking at right now.  How is this corrupt clown still in this job?  This whole administration should be in prison.

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker ordered all public and private schools to close for the remainder of the academic year yesterday because of the coronavirus pandemic.  We feel bad for all of the high school seniors who won't get to have their graduation ceremonies, proms, and the like.  Our sympathies also go with all of the parents who are exhausted from trying to balance their children's remote education needs with all of their other concerns and responsibilities.  We just hope that the schools will be able to reopen by September. 

It would be nice to have gotten here a different way, but there's no doubt that the pandemic has been a boon for the planet, as pollution levels plummet around the world while people are stuck at home.  It's a stark reminder of the daily assault we inflict upon the Earth during "normal" times.  We need to figure out how how to change that as we determine what the new "normal" looks like in the future.

Is anyone shocked to hear that Chipotle has been hit with a $25 million fine for national food safety violations? 

Gronk is back:  The New England Patriots traded Rob Gronkowski to the Tampa Buccaneers yesterday.  The Pats will send the tight end and a seventh-round pick to the Bucs in exchange for a fourth-round pick.  Guess Gronk wasn't loving his new post-retirement WWE deal.  We don't say this as bitter Patriots fans or anything, but Gronkowski looked like he got out at the right time when he retired after the 2018 season.  He had occasional flashes of greatness, but he generally looked like the man who took immense physical punishment during his NFL career.  A fourth-round pick sounds about right for a return on him.  He's got one year left on his contract, and if he wanted one more turn with Tom Brady, more power to him, and best of luck to them both.  However, if he and TB12 light up the NFL next season, Bill Belichick is going to get blasted for letting both men go early.

Former XFL commissioner Oliver Luck is suing Vince McMahon for wrongful termination of contract.  We wish Luck the best, but anyone who gets into business with the WWE CEO has to know they're taking their chances.  The only difference between McMahon and Donald Trump is the color of their hair.

We're saddened to hear about the sudden death of Travis Scott Bowden on Monday.  Bowden was a longtime pro wrestling figure who was a manager in the 1990's.  He eventually created the Kentucky Fried Rasslin'  website (and subsequent podcast), which was a terrific insider look at the history of the Memphis wrestling scene.  Bowden knew his stuff, and was clearly a fan, but he provided an objective look at that craziness, and he did so with humor.  Bowden was only 48 years old.  Our thoughts go out to his family and friends, and we say thank you for all of the years of entertainment.

Ryan Murphy has a new Netflix miniseries called Hollywood that will be released on May 1, and there's a whole heck of a lot going on in the trailer.  Have a look:

Damn it, we missed the Prince all star tribute last night.  Maybe CBS has it on demand.  Did you see the show?  What did you think?

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  In honor of yesterday being the 4th anniversary of Prince's death, how about we have him close things out with a tune that probably sums up where most of us are at right now?  Here's, "Let's Go Crazy," for today's, "Song of the Day."

Thanks for stopping by, everyone.  It's always great to see you.  We may have to keep our physical distance, but we can still stay connected.  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.