Hi everyone,

Welcome back!  How are you?  We are a little uncertain about tomorrow's schedule right now, and BDH and Little Buddha didn't want to risk going the whole weekend without seeing you, so we thought we'd say hi.  Not really sure about today's schedule either, to be honest.  The guys say the real heat wave begins tomorrow, so I should think about whether there are any errands to take care of before then.  Anyway, we'll figure that out later.  Let's check out the headlines first.  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 Saturday Clutter.

Senate Republicans are already trying to block President Biden's bipartisan infrastructure compromise, because they object to him saying he won't sign the bill unless the larger "human infrastructure" bill also reaches his desk.  Who could have seen that coming?  Oh wait, we predicted that yesterday.  Let's be clear:  People who still prioritize bipartisanship above all else are acting in bad faith at this point.  Mitch McConnell spelled it out:  Republicans intend to stop Biden at every turn on every issue.  Democrats have to stop letting McConnell act like he's still the majority leader.  They need to be aggressive about passing their agenda so they have a record of accomplishments to present to voters in the 2022 midterm elections.  Whining that, "We tried to do stuff, but Republicans wouldn't play fair" will not be a winning message. 

Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22.5 years in prison for murdering George Floyd yesterday.  The sentence basically splits the difference between the 30 years prosecutors asked for, and the 12.5 years normally called for by state guidelines.  One can argue whether or not it's long enough, but it does recognize that a serious crime was committed by a former police officer, and he must be held accountable for it.  That's an important step forward in this country, but Chauvin must not be the exception to the rule.  Police reform work must continue to move forward, and other officers who commit criminal acts must also be treated the same by the courts as any other defendant.   Hopefully the verdict brings some comfort to the Floyd family, as well as the witnesses who were traumatized by Chauvin's criminal actions.

Justice requires accountability.  (pic via indianexpress.com)

It's great to see that the Department of Justice is suing Georgia in response to the state's new voter suppression law.  The biggest concern we have at this point is that any challenge seems likely to end up before U.S. Supreme Court, who has already shown no hesitation in limiting the Voting Rights Act.

Prosecutors may be filing criminal charges against the Trump Organization and chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg as early as next week, according to reports.  The charges allegedly deal with tax evasion on employee compensation.  This better be the opening round, and not the end result of the investigation into the Trump Organization's activities.

Here's a quick primer on the delta variant.  Here's an even quicker summary:  Get vaccinated.

FYI - Windows 11 is expected to become available around the end of this year.  Here's a look at what you can expect from the next software update.

We had a great time at Fenway Park last night.  The fun started with Dustin Pedroia's retirement ceremony.  It was a treat to be able to cheer for the former Red Sox second baseman one more time in person and express our appreciation for everything he did for the city during his 17 years with the organization.  No one played the game with more heart than Pedroia, who truly gave it his all night in and night out on the field.  His career ended abruptly because of a knee injury, and he deserved to get a proper send-off.

There were a number of Red Sox alumni in attendance, like Pedro Martinez, Mike Lowell, and Jacoby Ellsbury.  There were also taped messages from folks like former Sox manager Terry Francona and former announcer Don Orsillo, as well as the one and only Big Papi David Ortiz (who is apparently recovering from surgery.  Get well soon!)  Pedroia was clearly emotional about the whole thing, and he gave a terrific speech.  The Red Sox also announced that they are waving the usual three-year waiting period and are instead inducting Pedroia into their Hall of Fame this year.  The ceremony came to a surprising, but fitting end when the one and only "Nature Boy" Ric Flair came out to present Pedroia with his own championship belt.  That was at least Flair's second trip to Fenway Park, and we just happened to be there for both of them.

All of that was fun, but the best part of the night was that the Boston Red Sox beat the New York Yankees 5-3.  The Sox jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, but Sox starter Martín Pérez immediately let the Yankees tie the game right back up in the top of the second.  To be fair, it was three unearned runs, but Perez once again lasted less than four innings in the outing, which has to be a source of concern.  Hunter Renfroe gave the Sox the lead back with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of third inning, and then Christian Vazquez added a bonus run in the bottom of the eighth. 

The Boston bullpen did a great job of keeping the Yankees in check for the rest of the game.  Closer Matt Barnes made things a little dicey in the 9th, but the game ended on a 6-4-3 double-play, something which Dustin Pedroia was part of many of during his career.  Next up, Nate Eovaldi takes the mound against the Yankees tonight.

The WWE had yet another round of talent cuts yesterday, as the company continues to pare back its roster.  Speculation continues to grow about whether or not all of the recent releases are a cost-saving measure to prepare the WWE for a sale.  Regardless, we wish the talents the best of luck with their future endeavors.  The good thing for them is that the non-WWE wrestling scene is thriving these days, so all of these folks have plenty of options of other places to look for work.

Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles have apparently resolved whatever tension there was between the two men about Ackles not giving Padalecki a heads-up that he is working on a Supernatural prequel.  We'll see if that lasts.  It is interesting that Ackles didn't tell his former co-star ahead of time, but he must had a reason for it.  Padalecki also could have just picked up the phone and called Ackles after he heard the news, rather than hijacking the story on Twitter and making it about himself instead.  Padalecki has always seemed like a lot to deal with, and maybe that's why Ackles didn't call him in the first place.

Sorry, Good Girls fans:  Time's up for your crew.  The show has been cancelled after four seasons, and it apparently won't be looking for a new home.

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  Here's Janet Jackson to close things out with, "What Have You Done for Me Lately" for today's, "Song of the Day."

Thanks for stopping by, everyone.  It was great to see you, as always.  If we're not here tomorrow, we promise we'll be back on Monday.  In the meantime, enjoy the rest of your day, wear your sunscreen, 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.