Hi everyone,

Welcome back!  How are you?  BDH and Little Buddha were just reminding me that today is supposed to be the start of another heat wave,  so I should take care of any errands as soon as we're done here before it gets too hot.  Those two are always up for bird-watching, and then the Red Sox take on the Blue Jays this afternoon, so that should get us through a good portion of the day.  I've started combing through the bookcases for things our crew might like to read.  They devoured James Baldwin's The Fire Next Time yesterday, so maybe I can find something else for them to enjoy after the game.  Anywhoo, that's it on this end.  Let's check out the headlines.  The guys made coffee, so grab yourself a nice medium DD, because it's time to clear out some Sunday Clutter.

Donald Trump's latest gimmick for re-election is to sign an executive order deferring the worker portion of payroll taxes for the rest of the year and then forgive the taxes entirely if he wins a second term.  In other words, he's cutting Social Security and Medicare in the middle of a pandemic.  Mind you, it's not a tax cut, because this money has to be repaid next year, and Trump doesn't have the power to unilaterally make this permanent.  However, ff he's re-elected, democracy is being thrown out the window anyway.  This is a direct assault on the safety net for millions of seniors and people with disabilities in this country.  These programs have both been hit hard by the pandemic-inspired spike in unemployment, and it's already going to take a long time to undo that damage.  This is a blow they can't afford, and we can't afford another term of this dumpster fire.

Still a threat to Americans.  (pic via boston.cbslocal.com)

Donald Trump has repeatedly lied about being the one to pass the Veterans Choice program (it became law in 2014), so you can imagine what his response was when CBS News reporter Paula Reid called him out on it.  That's right - Trump abruptly ended his press conference and ran off the stage like a frightened child.  Few things make Trump more uncomfortable when women call him out on his lies.  It raises the question of why the media doesn't fact-check him much more often.  He tells untruths like he breathes, and the press doesn't push him on it nearly hard enough in real time.  They give him the headline, mention in passing that it's not "factually accurate," but they rarely challenge him.  When they do their jobs, he crumbles like a cookie.

Donald Trump and the Republicans aren't hiding it - they're doing everything they can to steal this year's election with their war on mail-in voting.

Up to 250,000 people are expected to attend this year's Sturgis biker rally, in what is likely to end up being a coronavirus super spreader event.  Masks are not required at the event, and you know there won't be any social distancing.  Sometimes, you just have to wonder if maybe we're collectively too stupid to survive this pandemic.

New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd wrote a piece claiming it has been 36 years since a man and woman ran together on the Democratic presidential ticket.  That came as a large surprise to everyone else who remembers Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine doing the same thing just four years ago.  How many people have to sign off on something like that before it makes it to print?

Today marks the 75th anniversary of the United States dropping an atomic bomb on  Nagasaki, Japan, and this powerful essay by Dr. Masao Tomonaga, a survivor of that tragedy, explains why nuclear weapons shouldn't exist.  The notion that these weapons protect us is pure fantasy.  A full-scale nuclear war would lead to unimaginable global devastation and possibly the end of humanity on this planet.  We must be able to do better than this.

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway reported an 11% revenue drop for the second quarter, but their investments rose by almost $30 billion compared to last year, so no one should worry about the "Oracle of Omaha's" financial stability anytime soon.  Berkshire is also helped by the fact that it is currently sitting on $147 billion in cash.  The Clutter investment team can relate since they just checked their wallets and are currently holding $9.

The Boston Red Sox lost 2-1 to the Toronto Blue Jays last night to fall to 5-9 on the season.  Give Boston's pitching credit - they showed up.  Red Sox starter Zack Godley gave up three hits and no runs over three innings, and the bullpen gave up two runs in the 6th and 7th innings.  However, they did their jobs and kept the team in the game for once.  Unfortunately, the Sox offense was fast asleep, apart from Christian Vazquez driving in Xander Bogaerts in the 2nd inning.  Apart from Bogaerts, none of the Red Sox big bats are doing anything so far this season. 

Andrew Benintendi's struggles are now so bad, he was lifted for a pinch-hitter in the 4th inning.  J.D. Martinez looks like a shell of his former self since he hasn't been allowed to watch in-game video, and Rafael Devers is swinging at everything and not making contact.  Mitch Moreland, Alex Verdugo, and Vazquez are all taking care of business at the plate, but the Sox need the other guys to warm up soon to make this "season" interesting.  Nate Eovaldi take the mound for Boston this afternoon as the Sox try to get a series win against the Blue Jays.

The New York Yankees split a doubleheader with the Tampa Bay Rays yesterday, but the big news is that Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton left the second game with a tight hamstring.  There's no doubt that Stanton is an offensive threat every time he comes to the plate when he's healthy, but injuries are starting to become an issue for him. (He played only 18 games last year.)  New York certainly isn't hurting for money, but paying Stanton $25 million - $32 million annually between now and 2028 could eventually become a bit of a drag.  We were originally a little jealous when the Yankees got him instead of the Red Sox, but now it feels like Boston may have dodged a bullet there. 

This weekend's St. Louis Cardinals - Chicago Cubs series was postponed because the Cardinals are still dealing with a coronavirus outbreak, and now Monday's Cardinals - Pittsburgh Pirates game has also been put on hold for the same reason.  The St. Louis Cardinals haven't played a game since July 29, and they've only played five games in total, while some other teams have now played as many as 15.  At what point does MLB put the Cardinals in some sort of time-out?

James Cromell looks back at his work in the movie Babe, as the film celebrates its 25th anniversary.  A few quick thoughts, 1) If you've somehow never seen Babe, go out of your way to fix that immediately.  2)  There's some discussion in the linked article about how the film's producer wanted the original movie to have a darker feel, and that he eventually got his way in a sequel that we don't remember.  We're glad George Miller didn't get his way, because Babe is one of the all-time sweet movies.  3) You'll never guess how many pigs played the lead character.  4) Finally, it got a little dusty in here when we read Cromwell's final quote at the end of the article.

Actor Greg Vaughan explains why he's the latest Days of Our Lives cast member to leave the soap opera.  Might there be a return to General Hospital in his future?  It's been a while since Lucky Spencer was seen in Port Charles.

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  Here's Tom Morello to close things out with his new tune, "You Belong to Me," for today's, "Song of the Day."

Thanks for stopping by, everyone.  It was great to see you, as always.  BDH and Little Buddha want to make sure you know you're invited to come back later to watch the Red Sox game and/or read with them, if you like.  They'll even share their spot in front of the fan with you.  Otherwise, enjoy the rest of your day, 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.