Hi folks,

Welcome back, and a happy Monday to you all.  Did you enjoy the rest of your weekend?  As expected, yesterday was pretty quiet around here while I recovered from my booster shot.  I'm generally feeling better now.  However, today will also probably be low-key, because most of the afternoon is blocked off for a furnace maintenance appointment.  Gotta make sure we don't have any heating problems this winter.  I also might need to take a nap to make sure I stay awake for tonight's New England Patriots game.  In any case, let's get to work.  BDH and Little Buddha made coffee, so grab yourself a nice medium DD, because it's time to clear out some Clutter.

Dr. Anthony Fauci said the early signs indicate that the Omicron variant of the coronavirus isn't as severe as the Delta version, as the latter continues to be the cause of most of the current hospitalizations.  Fauci did warn that it's too early to say that definitively, but at least the first impression is encouraging.  In the meantime, it's as critical as ever for people to get their vaccinations, booster shots, and wear masks around strangers.

Donald Trump may have infected over 500 people after he contracted the coronavirus last year.  There should be criminal charges for knowingly risking the health of so many people.  The con man is a danger to the country on multiple levels, and the GOP still bows before him as if he's the second coming of Jesus Christ.  This party is corrupt to its core, and it can not be saved.  It must be burnt down to the ground and rebuilt from scratch, if this country is going to survive.

A threat to the United States.  (pic via bbc.com)

Since this past May, people who live in counties that voted heavily for Donald Trump last year are three times more likely to die from the coronavirus than people who live in pro-Biden counties.  Republicans are truly a death cult.  Dying to "own the Libs" is not what you call "a brilliant strategy." Whatever psychological issues led them to this point, it's still not too late for the rest to turn back.   These deaths can almost be entirely avoided.  All people have to do is stop blindly following a WWE Hall of Famer off the cliff. 

Conservatives recently worked themselves into a frenzy over Vice President Kamala Harris buying an expensive pot.  However, none of them have a problem with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) tweeting a picture of him and his family all heavily armed, just days after four students were killed in the Michigan shooting.  Reminder, kids:  Never tolerate a lecture from a Republican about anything.  They've abandoned any right to talk about basic decency.

Former U.S. Senator Bob Dole died over the weekend.  The 1996 Republican presidential nominee had been battling lung cancer.  He was 98 years old.

Former U.S. Senator David Purdue reportedly intends to challenge Georgia Governor Brian Kemp in next year's Republican gubernatorial primary, because he believes Kemp would lose to Stacey Abrams.  He's not wrong, since Kemp only beat Abrams last time by stealing the election.  Here's hoping the two Republicans devour each other.

Now-former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo was accused of sexual harassment just days before he was fired for abusing his position to help brother Andrew fight similar allegations.  

Better.com CEO Vishal Garg held a Zoom conference call with 900 employees so he could tell them they were all fired.  Pretty sure there was a better way to make that announcement. 

The crypto exchange BitMart has lost a reported $196 million because of a hack.  The Clutter investment team can't get far away enough from this scam. 

The investment team is much more interested in the fact that the Russell Index is down more than 10% from its 52-week high, which means it's in correction territory.  The Russell Index tracks small stocks, so that's not a good sign for the economy.  However, the index is still up over 9% for the year and 16.8% for the last 12 months, so it has a ways to go before our staff starts looking for bargains.

Congratulations to Buck O'Neill, Jim Kaat, Gil Hodges, Minnie Minoso, Tony Oliva, and Bud Fowler on being elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame yesterday.  We didn't know who Fowler was until just a minute ago, but apparently he's considered to be the first African American to play organized professional baseball.  As for the rest of the players, they're all deserving of induction.  It's good to see that MLB is creating more opportunities for players to be considered, via their various veterans committees.  Now, we wait to hear about the rest of the Class of 2022, when those results are announced on January 25.

The New England Patriots face the Buffalo Bills on the road tonight, in a battle for control of the AFC East.  You have to think the Bills and their fans were settling in for an extended run of division titles after last year, but Bill Belichick, Mac Jones, and company have other plans.  It's a battle of the two best defenses in the NFL, and the weather is supposed to be crazy.  Thus, the outcome will likely boil down to who does a better job of running the ball and minimizing any quarterback errors.  Our gut says Bill Belichick's defense forces Bills quarterback Josh Allen into one or two costly mistakes, while Mac Jones manages the clock on his end.  We'd have more confidence if this was a home game, but it says here the Patriots win their seventh in a row and secure a winning record for the season.

Look at that, the Detroit Lions finally won a game.  The Lions upset the Minnesota Vikings 29-27 yesterday on a 75-yard drive by quarterback Jared Goff with less than two minutes left in the fourth quarter.  Wonder how many gambling types took a bath on that result.

The first full trailer is out for Peacemaker, starring WWE star John Cena, which starts streaming on HBO Max on January 13.  We're not huge fans of Cena's acting, and this character didn't do much for us in The Suicide Squad.  However who knows, maybe we'll check this out on night when nothing else is on TV:

Alec Baldwin deleted his primary Twitter account just days after his ABC interview where he denied responsibility for the shooting death of Halyna Hutchins.  Was Baldwin getting too much criticism for his comments for his ego to handle?  As we said right after the interview aired, he seems determined to erase whatever sympathy he garnered for this tragedy.  That interview felt like an attempt to corrupt the legal process around this case.  If there's sufficient evidence to take action against Baldwin for handling the gun, or as one of the film's producers, charges should be filed.

We would not have guessed Prince William is an AC/DC fan, but he said on a new podcast he enjoys starting each week by listening to "Thunderstruck."  According to the Duke of Cambridge, "(I)t’s the best tonic for a Monday morning. It absolutely wakes you up, puts your week in the best mood possible, and you feel like you can take on anything and anyone." 

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  We're going to follow Prince William's advice and close things out with a live version of, "Thunderstruck" for today's, "Song of the Day."

It turns out the Duke is a wise man.

Thanks for stopping by, everyone.  It was great to see you, as always.  Enjoy the rest of your day, be good, 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.