Hi everyone,

Welcome back!  How's your week going so far?  Yesterday's heat was brutal, and it led to a poor night's sleep, so at least one of us might need to take a nap at some point later today.  Of course, I have to stop at the bookstore first to see if there are any new releases that BDH and Little Buddha might enjoy this week.  Fingers crossed.  The guys say there's a chance of rain today, but if it doesn't happen, I need to water the garden either today or tomorrow.  Anyway, let's check out today's headlines.  The guys made a pot of extra strong coffee, so grab yourself a nice medium DD, because it's time to clear out some Tuesday Clutter.

Attorney General William Barr will appear before the House Judiciary Committee today, where he will apparently exonerate Russia for interfering in the 2016 presidential election and then say with a straight face that Donald Trump doesn't interfere in his decisions.  Barr has acted like Trump's personal attorney since he took office, and his mission to save his boss, rather than protect the country, has eroded confidence in the DOJ.   House Democrats should draft articles of impeachment against Barr after he finishes lying to them today.

Unfit for office.  (pic via kstp.com)

Is anyone surprised to find out that Donald Trump was never actually asked to throw out the first pitch at Yankees Stadium this year?  He apparently made it up because he was jealous of the attention Dr. Fauci received for being invited to do it at the Washington Nationals' season opener.  How pathetic.  That's a lie told by an overgrown child who has been unhappy and felt inferior his entire life, and who will never have any meaningful sense of self-worth.  Mary Trump laid it all out in her new book that her uncle is a fundamentally broken man.

The Lincoln Project's latest ad features former U.S Navy SEAL Dr. Dan Barkhuff, who may not agree with Joe Biden on much, but he knows Biden's a better choice for the White House than Donald Trump:

Coronavirus case numbers in Massachusetts are slowly moving in the wrong direction.  Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker doesn't seem prepared to do anything about right now, apart from the new travel restrictions he issued last week.  However, if this trend continues, the state will have to backtrack on re-opening the economy.

The Boston Globe Editorial Board endorsed Senator Ed Markey in his primary against Rep. Joe Kennedy III, and we agree with their call.  Senator Markey has long been a champion of progressive causes, particularly around the environment and technology, and he should be sent back to Washington for another term.

Target is joining Walmart's lead and closing on Thanksgiving this year due to coronavirus-related fears about large crowds starting their holiday shopping that day.  Target hopes customers will begin shopping earlier this year.  We encourage people to do as much of it online as possible and avoid the stores altogether.

This year's baseball season is already in trouble after 13 players and coaches on the Miami Marlins tested positive for the coronavirus.  That led to the Marlins postponing their series against the Baltimore Orioles, and the Philadelphia Phillies having to postpone a game against the New York Yankees after having just played the Marlins.  It's time to shut this down, folks.  The Marlins now basically need to replace about 50% of their team, and who knows how many people they've put at-risk now because of their outbreak. 

There's no reason to think this won't keep happening, since Major League Baseball didn't put these guys in a bubble like the NBA.  Much like the federal government, the owners mismanaged the risk and thought they could wish the danger away.  We all want sports back, but there's no way to play these games safely in 2020.  The entire country needs to be shut down again, and baseball is no exception.

To be clear, we're not saying the season has to be scrapped just because the Boston Red Sox look awful.  The Sox lost 7-4 to the New York Mets last night to fall to 1-3.  Two guys named Josh Osich and Jeffrey Springs combined to give up seven runs over the first 3 1/3 innings to the Mets.  The bullpen settled down after that, but it was too little, too late.  A fellow named Matt Hall pitches for Boston against the Mets tonight.

If anyone can help us get a Dr. Fauci baseball card, we'd be grateful.  That would make a terrific Christmas present for BDH and Little Buddha.  (Don't worry, they didn't see this.  They just went to get more coffee.)

Two New England Patriots players are opting out of the 2020 season because of coronavirus concerns.  Offensive tackle Marcus Cannon is out because he's in a high-risk category after battling non-Hodgkin's lymphoma a few years ago.  New fullback Danny Vitale is also gone, which makes sense given that he and his wife just had a baby a few months ago.  Will other New England players follow their lead?  If baseball does end up shutting down soon, will that impact the NFL's plans to move forward with training camps?  It should push them to close up shop, but the lure of money produces bad decisions.

Christopher Nolan's new movie Tenet is now scheduled for an international release on August 26, before (hopefully) opening in select U.S. cities on September 3.  However, no one should bet the house on that September date holding up, given our country's ongoing inability to get the coronavirus pandemic under control.  If the powers-that-be put any weight on releasing the movie in the United States this year, they may want to revisit the video-on-demand option.

Ellen is under an internal investigation after recent reports of a hostile workplace.  It feels like those rumors have been circulating about the show for years, but there seems to be less tolerance for it in Hollywood these days in light of the #MeToo movement.

Who else here is old enough to remember when bookstores had thriving magazine sections?  One of the local stores here had one that ran almost the entire length of the building.  Now, you're lucky if you find a single rack.  The Internet has demolished the industry, because why would you spend money for information that's weeks to months old when you can get real-time data for free?  The latest magazine to fall is Oprah Winfrey's O, which will cease its regular print edition in December after  20-year run.  The magazine will still exist in a digital format, and there may still be periodic special print issues, but the racks just got that much smaller.

Have you ever wanted to go to a music festival like Lollapalooza, but packed crowds aren't your thing?  They shouldn't be anyone's thing this year, so Lollapalooza is going virtual from July 30 to August 2 for free on YouTube.  It will be a collection of live and past performances, and you can dance and sing along to your heart's content while maintaining your social distancing.

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  Still dragging a bit here, so maybe it will help if we have Ozzy close things out with a terrific live version of, "Bark at the Moon," for today's, "Song of the Day."

That should do the trick.

Thanks for stopping by, everyone.  It was great to see you, as always.  BDH and Little Buddha say you're welcome to come back later if you want to see if they got a new book today.  Otherwise, stay cool, wear your masks, 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.