Hi everyone,

Welcome back, and congratulations once again on making it through another week!  We still have one issue to deal with first, though.  The plumber is coming this morning, and we'll consider it a win if this bill ends up being less than a mortgage payment.  Other than that, our crew is doing well.  The birds have been chirping up a storm, and BDH and Little Buddha are still trying to figure out what they're talking about.  BDH thinks they're making plans for lunch, while Little Buddha wonders if they're talking about the start of baseball.  Either way, don't worry, the guys made coffee.  There's a fresh pot on the counter, so grab yourself a nice medium DD, because it's time to clear out some Friday Clutter.

More than 37,000 new coronavirus cases were reported across the United States yesterday, beating the previous record set in April.  It's impossible not to feel angry that we all spent three months in self-quarantine in order to give the federal government time to come up with a strategy for this public health crisis, and it was apparently all for nothing.  Donald Trump is telling any MAGA cult member who will listen that the crisis is ending and if it's not, it's not his fault, because China is responsible for everything, and everyone is really mean and unfair to him.  The states are on their own until there is a change in the White House.  What does that mean for the second half of 2020?  Above all else, it means Trump must be fired in November.  The United States won't survive another four years of this disaster.

The CDC now thinks the actual number of coronavirus cases is 10 times the reported number, which gives us about 23 million cases.  Folks, wear your masks.

The United States is in the middle of a pandemic that has already killed over 120,000 people, shows signs of worsening, and the Trump administration's response is to ask the Supreme Court to overturn the Affordable Care Act.  The ACA has already been debated twice before the Supreme Court.  There's no reason to do this, except that Donald Trump is doing whatever he can to appeal to his base, as polls show him losing badly to Joe Biden.  Trying to take away health insurance for 23 million Americans while we're in this crisis is an act of unconscionable cruelty.  It reconfirms that Donald Trump doesn't care how many people die from the coronavirus.  His only concern is himself. 

Donald Trump only cares about Donald Trump.  (pic via abcnews.go.com)

Hold on...an estimated 23 million coronavirus cases, and about 23 million people who would lose their health insurance if the ACA is overturned...does Donald Trump think everything will work out fine if 23 million people die because they can't get health care?  You'd have to be a sociopath to think that way, but who here will bet the house against him making an argument like that at some point?

A New York state court rejected the first attempt by Donald Trump's family to stop niece Mary Trump from publishing a tell-all book about the White House occupant.  It sounds likely there will be an appeal to the New York Supreme Court.  The family claims the non-disclosure agreement Mary signed after a 2001 court case about her grandfather's will prevents her from publishing the book.  Donald Trump has historically handed out non-disclosure agreements to everyone around him like they were candy.  One can only imagine the full volume of actions he's taken over the years that he's gone to such lengths to keep from the public.

The House is set to vote on a bill today that would grant statehood to Washington, D.C., a move which is long over-due.  Assuming the bill passes, it will likely die in the Senate, because Donald Trump and the GOP don't want to see more Democratic legislators.  It's worth noting they assume they can't come up with a strategy to win over voters who are people of color. 

We're sorry to hear that the Uno Pizzeria and Grill in Kenmore Square by Fenway Park has apparently permanently closed.  There aren't a lot of details at the moment, but we assume this is another pandemic-related economic casualty.  We enjoyed a lot of post-Red Sox game meals there over the years, particularly with Dad Clutter, so that's disappointing.  Who knows at this point when we'll be back to Fenway, but we hope there will eventually be another food option at that location.

It turns out that all of the craziness around this year's baseball season would theoretically leave new Boston Red Sox pitcher Collin McHugh owing the team some money.  Click on the link to find out why and why he won't have to pay them anything.  (Sorry, we try to avoid click-bait type nonsense here, but there's no way to explain it without giving away the details, and it's an interesting little story.)

Congratulations to Vince Carter, who announced yesterday that he's done playing basketball after a remarkable 22-year NBA career.  The 1999 Rookie of the Year was best known for his dunks, but he's also 19th on the all-time NBA scoring list.  Carter also got the chance to go out in style in March when the Atlanta Hawks put him in for the final seconds of their game against the New York Knicks on the night the NBA announced they were suspending the season because of the coronavirus:

Movie theater chains are preparing to reopen in July for the time being, but coronavirus fears (especially in light of the new spike in cases) are still impacting the calendar.  Christopher Nolan's new film Tenet had its release date moved again, this time from July 31 to August 12.  We'd like to see this one, but there's still almost no chance we'll see it on a big screen by then.  If Tenet doesn't have an on-demand release at the same time, we may just have to wait for it to come out on video.

Sammy Hagar tried yesterday to walk back comments he made in May indicating he was okay with people dying for the economy in light of the coronavirus pandemic.  The "clarification" didn't do much to change the fact that he originally said,

“I’m not going to go around spreading the disease,” he said. “But there may be a time where we have to sacrifice. I mean, how many people die on the Earth every day? I have no idea. I’m sorry to say it, but we all gotta die, man.”

We've enjoyed Van Hagar for over 30 years, so we're not going to trash the guy now, but this was a bad look for the singer.

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  Here's Of Monsters and Men to close things out with a live performance of, "Mountain Sound" for today's, "Song of the Day."

Thanks for stopping by, everyone.  It was great to see you, as always.  Not sure how long the plumber will be here, but our crew wants to make sure you know you're welcome to come back later if you like.  They always dig hanging out with you, but no pressure or anything.  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.