Hi everyone,

Welcome back!  How are you?  We're all doing fine at the moment.  BDH and Little Buddha just finished reading their most recent book, so I need something to keep them occupied until our next trip to the bookstore.  Maybe there will be time to hop over to the library today.  That's a thought.  The guys say the weather forecast calls for highs in the low 80's, so it should be a nice day ahead.  Let's kick things off by checking out the headlines.  There's a fresh pot of coffee on the counter, so help yourself to a nice medium DD, because it's time to clear out some Thursday Clutter.

The New York Times reported yesterday that New York prosecutors subpoenaed Deutsche Bank for financial records provided by Donald Trump and the Trump Organization, and the bank complied with the request.   There aren't a lot of public details about the investigation at the moment, but it appears that the investigation is looking into allegations of widespread criminal activity in the Trump Organization going back years.

Both Facebook and Twitter removed a post from the Trump campaign yesterday that claimed children are "almost immune" to the coronavirus, saying that the post violated their policies prohibiting COVID-19 misinformation.  Cue the campaign's whining that the social media sites are biased against the Great Pumpkin.  We're up to almost 160,000 coronavirus-related deaths in the United States, and Trump's complaining about whether or not he's being treated fairly (while Facebook continues to widely disseminate right-wing conspiracy theories.)  As we've said before, that inferiority complex must be exhausting.

The State Department's acting watchdog Stephen J. Akard resigned from his post yesterday just three months after replacing Steve Linick, who was investigating Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.  No details were given about Akard's sudden departure, but concerns continue to grow over Pompeo, who is clearly trying to evade accountability for his actions.  Pompeo likely sees himself as a future Republican presidential candidate, and the public has a right to know what exactly is going on at the State Department.

Neither Joe Biden nor his eventual running mate will appear in-person at the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee later this month because of coronavirus-related concerns.  It sounds like most of the event will be virtual, which is the right call.  The convention begins on August 17, so we should be hearing about Biden's VP pick any day now.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is reportedly getting some pushback from his own members about his handling of the coronavirus pandemic relief legislation, with some saying he waited too long to come up with an alternative to the House version.  Senate Republicans see their majority slipping away from them in November, so if that means they want to turn on their leader, we're happy to watch.  Pass the popcorn.

The U.S. Supreme Court is enjoying its highest approval rating since 2009, at 58%.  Progressives and conservatives both had large victories during this term, so Chief Justice John Roberts must be pleased to see "his" court get this validation.

However, Vice President Mike Pence says he's disappointed in Chief Justice Roberts and the Supreme Court, and Pence reminded voters that the court's future is one of the primary issues of this year's election.  He isn't wrong on that one.  We can reverse many of this administration's harmful policies relatively quickly with a new administration, but the United States will likely be dealing with the appointments of Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh for decades to come.  Donald Trump can't be allowed to make any additional selections to the court.

Mike Pence is disappointed the Supreme Court doesn't bow to Donald Trump 100% of the time.  (pic via cbsnews.com)

As is the case across the country, the coronavirus pandemic has been brutal to the Massachusetts restaurant industry, and fears are growing that many restaurants won't survive once outdoor seating is no longer an option because of colder weather.

Warren Buffett is apparently bullish on Bank of America's future, since he bought $2.1 billion of the bank's stock over the last three weeks.

Mortgage rates hit a new all-time low last week at 3.14%, so congratulations if you're in position to take advantage of that opportunity.  For those who can refinance, a lower monthly mortgage payment sounds especially helpful during these challenging economic times.

The Boston Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-0 last night to snap their four-game losing streak and secure their first shutout win of the season.  It took Martin Perez 91 pitches to get through five innings, which is less than ideal.  However, he only gave up four hits, and the Sox bullpen took care of the rest, while the offense checked in with home runs from Alex Verdugo and Michael Chavis.  The Sox now return to Boston, where they have tonight off before starting a weekend series against the Toronto Blue Jays.  Here's hoping everyone on the team made it out of Florida without getting sick.

We''re trying not to read too much into his struggles so far this year, but at what point do we start worrying about Red Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi's future?  He was sold to fans as being part of the long-term future of the team, and he was the #1 prospect in baseball just a couple of years ago, but it seems like he's been stagnating for a while now.  Benintendi is only 26 years old, so he still has time to turn things around, but didn't we all have much higher expectations for him than what he's delivered so far?

The Captain Marvel sequel will reportedly be directed by Nia DaCosta.  We don't know much about DaCosta, but there's plenty of time to find out more about her, since the movie isn't expected to be released until July 8, 2022.

Actress Cameron Diaz hasn't made a movie since 2014, and she seems pretty pleased with her decision to step away from Hollywood and become a more self-sufficient adult.  More power to her.

E! News is being cancelled after 31 years on the air.  Did anyone here watch it?  It was one of those programs we would flip past or maybe catch the last five minutes of while waiting for the next House rerun to begin.

We're not ready to subscribe to HBO Max just yet, but if we change our minds, one of the first shows we'll check out is Flight Attendant, which stars The Big Bang Theory's Kayley Cuoco and former Doctor Who star Michelle Gomez.  It would be interesting to see Cuoco in a drama after so many years on the popular comedy, but really, we'd be all about watching Gomez, who was delightfully insane as the Master on Doctor Who. 

The popular animated series Ren & Stimpy is getting a reboot at Comedy Central.  Sure, why not?  It pairs well with the returning Beavis & Butthead, as well as the still-going South Park at the network.

Live Nation's net revenue for last quarter is down 98% from the same time last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.  The ticket company says they expect business to return to typical levels by next summer.  Here's hoping that prediction comes true.

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  Let's take a trip on the Wayback Machine to 1999 and have Tal Bachman close things out with, "She's so High," for today's, "Song of the Day."

Thanks for stopping by, everyone.  It was great to see you, as always.  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.