Hi everyone,

Welcome back!  How are you?  We scored a win at the bookstore yesterday!  I picked up a copy of Allie Brosh's new book, Solutions and Other Problems for BDH and Little Buddha.  They really enjoyed her first book, Hyperbole and a Half, and that came out in 2013, so they've been waiting ages for a new batch of stories.  This one is about 500 pages long, but a lot of that is pictures, so it's a good balance for the guys.  It should keep them busy until tomorrow at least.  Anyway, I have to water the garden later this morning.  That's not usually when we do it, but it needs to be warm enough for the water not to cause damage, so that creates a window from about 10-4 today.  First, 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 Wednesday Clutter.

We've now had over 200,000 coronavirus-related deaths in this country, and the White House's defense of their incompetence is, "Hey, at least it's not 2 million."  Donald Trump will move the goalposts to any number to try to stay in office.  If we got to 2 million deaths, he'd claim it would have been 4 million without his "leadership."  If we got to 10 million, he'd claim the number was 20 million, and so on.  He's a sociopath who literally doesn't care about another human being besides himself.  He's the biggest public health threat facing the United States, and he must be removed from the White House.

Trump would sacrifice anyone in a heartbeat to stay in office.  (pic via cnn.com)

Donald Trump once again falsely claimed that the coronavirus doesn't impact younger people, when we all know different, and we know Trump knows that's not true.  The man blatantly lied, got caught lying on tape, and his supporters just shrug.

Cindy McCain endorsed Joe Biden, but we support Biden's election anyway.  There's no argument that John McCain showed incredible courage as a prisoner of war in Vietnam.  However, the myth of the "Straight Talk Express" has distorted his hard right-wing views, and his introduction of Sarah Palin to the national stage in 2008 was one of the many factors that opened the door for Donald Trump to rise to the top of the GOP.  Once he established that the party would support completely unqualified candidates on their presidential ticket, it was full speed ahead for Trump.

Senator Mitt Romney says he's fine with the Senate confirming a new Supreme Court nominee before the election, which should come as a surprise to no one.  Romney is the male version of Senator Susan Collins.  He may express his "disappointment" with Donald Trump's tone every once in a while, and he tried to claim independence when he voted for Trump's impeachment (knowing his vote didn't count.)  However, when it matters, he's a loyal Trump soldier who will do as he's told by Mitch McConnell.  Romney version 9.0 isn't any more of a leader than every other persona he's tried during his political career.

Donald Trump went after Rep. Ilhan Omar, mocking her Somali background during a rally on Tuesday, and Rep. Omar hit back hard with her response:   “Firstly, this is my country and I am a member of the House that impeached you. Secondly, I fled civil war when I was 8. An 8-year-old doesn’t run a country even though you run our country like one.”

Good for Mike Bloomberg for helping to raise $16 million to allow former convicts in Florida to regain their ability to vote by paying off their outstanding fines.  That requirement is a poll tax designed to keep poor people from voting.  This money will help an estimated 32,000 individuals go to the ballot box for this year's election.  We don't know what the total amount owed is for all of these folks, and we suspect Bloomberg could cover the entire bill without taking a real hit to his own wallet.  However, this is a good start and a step forward for the democracy that Republicans despise so much.

We have noted over the years that Wells Fargo's seemingly never-ending list of scandals should inspire customers to flee from the bank as fast as possible.  If that's not enough motivation by itself, you can also add racism to the list, as Wells Fargo CEO Charles Scharf told employees the bank doesn't do well on diversity efforts because, "the unfortunate reality is that there is a very limited pool of black talent to recruit from."  If they can't find qualified candidates, it's because they're not looking very hard, and Scharf's comments make it clear this isn't a priority for Wells Fargo.

YouTube is reportedly preparing to tweak their systems to age-restrict many more videos.  The move is a response to complaints that the site isn't appropriate for younger kids.  We've heard numerous people talk about how YouTube is geared to drive users towards right-wing extremist videos, and we don't doubt that.  However, after 15 years of visiting the site, we still almost never get past looking up 1980's music videos and film trailers, and those are appropriate for BDH and Little Buddha.

The Boston Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-3 last night to improve to 21-34 on the "season."  Pretty sure we had a bet with someone that the team would win more than 20 games this year.  We should double-check on that.  In any case, Nick Pivetta had a solid for start for Boston.  Acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies in the Brandon Workman trade, Pivetta gave up just one run and four hits with eight strikeouts over five innings.  Not bad. 

We're jumping way too far ahead here, but if Eduardo Rodriguez can return next year, Chris Sale comes back at mid-season, Nate Eovaldi stays healthy, and it turns out Pivetta and rookie Tanner Houk are legit, there might be reason to get excited about the 2021 Red Sox.  At least we'll have something do discuss over the winter.   Speaking of Eovaldi, he takes the mound against Baltimore tonight.  We find a little odd, because the Red Sox have nothing to play for, so why have Eovaldi risk getting hurt again?  Here's hoping he has a strong final outing for the year.

There's a new documentary about the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.  The film's producers are looking for a buyer at the moment, so we'll keep you updated once we know where and when you can find Ruth. 

Bradley Cooper is writing and directing a Netflix film about legendary composer Leonard Bernstein, and Carey Mulligan will play his wife Felicia.  We loved Bernstein's recording of Peter and the Wolf when we were little.  Cooper has shown himself to be solid behind the camera, and we also like Mulligan (whom we first encountered in the terrific Doctor Who story "Blink"), so we're looking forward to watching this movie.

It looks like the new season of Chicago P.D. will get into the issue of police reform with the addition of actress Nicole Ari Parker as the new deputy superintendent who wants Hank Voight and company to play by the new rules.  That probably won't end well.

Sorry Supergirl fans, the show is apparently coming to an end after this season.  At least they get the chance to end their story how they choose, which is always the best way to finish a run. 

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  We heard this tune on the radio for the first time in ages last weekend, and it seems like a good way to push through the midpoint of the week.  We give you Haddaway to close things out with, "What is Love," for today's, "Song of the Day."

That should put a little bounce in your step.

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.