Hi everyone,

Welcome back.  How are you?  We've completed the first five months of 2020, but this year already feels like it's been a decade.  The country is falling apart at the seams, whether it's the 100,000+ dead from the coronavirus, 40 million people unemployed, or protests against police brutality that in many cases end up become violent because of police aggression.  The coward in the White House fans the flames of hatred, because it's his only chance of staying in office/out of legal trouble, and then hides when the fires erupt.  We desperately need leadership, and it's nowhere to be found, but we'll find our way through all of this anyway, because we must.  BDH and Little Buddha wish they could give hugs to everyone who needs one.  For now, let's get to the headlines.  There's a fresh pot of coffee on the counter, so grab yourself a nice medium DD, because it's time to clear out some Monday Clutter.

As protests against police brutality spread across the country, many officers have demonstrated the violent behaviors that are being protested in the first place.  We're still dumbfounded by this footage of two NYPD SUV's driving into crowds.  It immediately brings back memories of the Nazi in Charlottesville, Virginia who did the same thing, killing a young woman.  When the police engage in this kind of behavior, knowing that they're being filmed, it sends a message:  They feel free to harm/kill anyone they like, and you can imagine what they'll do when there are no cameras:

Donald Trump says he wants to designate Antifa a "domestic terrorist organization."  First, there's no coherent group that goes by that name.  It's a movement, not an organization.  Second, trying to outlaw an ideology is the act of a dictator-wannabe.  Third, Trump has no legal authority to do anything of the sort, but he once again needs to deflect from his own many failures that have gotten us to this point.   Fourth, the whole story is a reminder that "terrorist" is by definition a political label, which is useful to remember.  Finally, if being anti-fascist is now somehow seen as criminal activity by this man-child, add us to the list.

Has no value to offer the country.  (pic via ksat.com)

The protests are a powerful push back against long-standing racial injustice.  They are also likely to lead to major coronavirus outbreaks.  How many hundreds, if not thousands, of people will get sick because Minneapolis was slow to deal with four criminal police officers?

For those who don't know how they can be helpful, this link will give you a number of options to support the protesters and speak out against police brutality. 

Donald Trump is postponing the annual G7 meeting until at least September.  He claims it's because the group is an outdated organization that needs more members, like, say, Russia, Australia, India and South Korea.  The real reason is because none of the other world leaders want to be seen in the same room with him, as American's standing continues to fall off a cliff.

The FBI pushed out top lawyer Dana Boente on Friday for his role in the prosecution of convicted former national security advisor Michael Flynn.  Remember, the DOJ says breaking the law doesn't count if you're a friend of Donald Trump.

The Lincoln Project is back with a new ad calling out the link between Donald Trump and the Confederate flag:

A new ABC News poll shows Joe Biden with a 1o-point lead over Donald Trump, as the country disintegrates under Trump's watch.  That's why the White House occupant is so desperate to prevent mail-in voting and is focused on creating as much division as possible.  He wants to scare everyone but his base out of voting in November.

Of course, as we all know, the popular vote is one thing, and the electoral college is another.  Going by predictions about the latter, Joe Biden still has the advantage, but this will likely come down to the usual handful of battleground states.  Biden leads in most of those as well, but Trump and his cronies will do whatever they can to steal another election.

Good for the Facebook senior staff members who have publicly opposed the company's handling of Donald Trump's violence-inciting posts.  We hope others will follow their lead.

The notion that Boston's traffic could significantly worsen from what it was in pre-pandemic times is deflating.  If that happens, it will choke the city, have a significantly negative impact on the environment, and just be all-around depressing.  We share the concerns about using public transportation, but we hope leaders will figure out how to make that a safer option again as soon as possible.

The NFL tried to pretend that they care about the protests by issuing a generic mealy-mouthed statement, and now Roger Goodell and the league are rightly being called out for being frauds.  Colin Kaepernick was banned for speaking his mind about this very issue.  He had to be silenced so that the owners could protect their billions.  These are the last people who should be trying to pretend they're on the side of the people who are speaking out against injustice. 

The Major League Baseball Players Association gave owners their counter-proposal, which calls for more games to be played, full prorated salaries, and the option for all players to opt-out of the 2020 season if they have coronavirus-related safety concerns.  The owners will likely continue to claim that more games played without fans means a bigger loss for them.  However, if they won't open their books, there's no reason to take that assumption at face value. 

Okay folks, that's going to do it for now.  We're going to close things out with a track that came out in 1992.  It's as timely now as it was then, and it came to mind as we watched a friend post a traffic stop on Instagram Live yesterday, "just in case."  Here's Ice Cube with "Who Got the Camera," 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.