Hi folks,

Happy Friday!  Congratulations on making it through another week.  What's on tap for the weekend?  The two big things on our list are 1) trying to get in some garden time (weather permitting), and 2) enjoying the new Doctor Who episode on Sunday.  Of course, Easter is coming, so maybe we'll also indulge in a little bit of candy.  Nothing too crazy though, BDH and Little Buddha get stomach aches when they overdo it.  Are you ready to check out the headlines?  Let's do it.  The guys made coffee, so grab yourself a nice medium DD, because it's time to clear out some Clutter.

The Kentucky Legislature wasted no time overriding Governor Andy Beshear's veto of a bill that effectively bans abortion in the state.  The only thing that motivates Republicans to move faster than passing anti-choice laws is passing tax cuts for the economic top 1%.  The new law, which goes into effect immediately, bans abortions after 15 weeks, imposes new requirements that have basically shut down providers for the moment, and it has no exceptions for rape or incest survivors.  Think about the loathing one must have for women to say they should be forced to remain pregnant after a crime has been committed against them.  (On a related note:  How much longer until Republicans argue these heinous acts should no longer be considered criminal?)   The law will be challenged in court, but in the meantime, the GOP's rabid extremism continues unchecked.

The GOP's "war on women" rages on as much as ever. (pic via www.columbian.com)

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis just signed a similar abortion ban into law yesterday.  It also outlaws the procedure after 15 weeks and has no rape or incest exceptions.  These bans don't reduce abortions, they reduce the number of safe abortions.  Women in Florida will be put at risk in order to further DeSantis' political aspirations.  If you're not a wealthy straight white guy, the GOP sees you as an asset to be controlled, and then eventually thrown away, to serve their own interests.

Speaking of the wealthy, a new report shows that the 25 richest Americans collectively paid a tax rate of just 3.4% between 2014 and 2018.  We're going to go out on a limb and assume no one reading this got off that easily.  Imagine what the country could accomplish if these guys paid their fair share.  We could make historic improvements to the lives of millions of ordinary people, and these folks would still have more money than they or their future generations could ever hope to spend.  The rich have us fight each other for crumbs while they walk away with billions year after year.

The Republican National Committee is withdrawing from debates sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates because the RNC knows their candidates are unable to answer reality-based questions about their policy positions.  Look for them to eventually work out an arrangement with One America Network where the only thing the candidates "debate" is which one of them is the strongest QAnon supporter.  The GOP is no longer a legitimate political party.  They're a bunch of anti-democracy conspiracy theory white supremacists who are out to destroy the country.

It's interesting to hear that former Trump aide Stephen Miller spoke with the January 6 House select committee yesterday.  It's hard to make an argument for a worse human being in the Trump administration than the architect of their inhumane immigration policies.  However, why did Miller agree to talk to the committee, rather than try to run out the clock like other accomplices are currently doing?  Did he contribute anything useful to the record, or did he engage in double-speak the entire time?

We like this new poll which shows Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor John Fettermen solidifying his front-runner status in the state's Democratic U.S. Senate primary.  As we've mentioned before, Pennsylvania is one of the best chances to flip a Republican Senate seat, and the pro-choice/pro-pot legalization Fetterman would be a great way to expand the Democratic majority and make Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema less relevant.  Plus, BDH and Little Buddha think Levi and Artie Feterman are a great Twitter follow.

Rather than be on the board, Elon Musk has now decided he'd rather buy Twitter.  What happened to his interest in creating a Twitter alternative?  This feels lazy.  Actually, what it really feels like is another P.R. stunt from the Tesla boss.  Musk said his first offer of $43 billion is also his last, and if the company doesn't take it, he might dump all of his shares.  Sounds good to us.  Also, again, think of the number of lives that could be improved with the $43 billion Musk casually offered for this company.  If he wanted to improve society, he could spend that money on ending homelessness, rather than buying a website.  The existence of billionaires is a moral failure of our economic system. 

The Boston Red Sox have their regular season home opener against the Minnesota Twins this afternoon.  The Sox have to be feeling good about finishing their first road trip of the year with a 3-3 record, especially after losing the first two games to the New York Yankees.  Nick Pivetta takes the mound for Boston, as the Sox try to get above .500 for the first time in 2022.

We've been under the assumption that Xander Bogaerts' days with the Boston Red Sox were numbered as soon as the team signed shortstop/second baseman Trevor Story to a six-year deal in the off-season. Now,  Jon Heyman says Boston only offered Bogaerts an additional year to his current deal at $30 million.  If that's true (and it presumably came from the Bogaerts camp), not only is it confirmation that the team doesn't want Xander for the long-term, they're also insulting him on his way out the door. 

Bogaerts signed a team-friendly six-year/$120 million extension 2019.  He's likely opting out at the end of the season because $20 million a year is too far below the current market for shortstops.  Bogaerts is reportedly looking for multiple years around $35 million.  He might not get that, but he will get multiple years at $30 million+. 

If Heyman's numbers are right, the Boston offer is insultingly low, much like how the team mishandled Jon Lester back in 2014.  They low-balled the lefty, and it came back to haunt them.  It looks like they're going to make the same mistake here, also not that far removed from how they also blew it with Mookie Betts.  The Red Sox will finally be done with David Price's contract this year, and J.D. Martinez will be gone after this season.  For a big-market team, they consistently treat their homegrown talent like they're the Oakland A's.

We need to wish a happy belated birthday to former Doctor Who star Peter Capaldi!  The 12th Doctor turned 64 years old yesterday.  It's been almost three years since we met Mr. Capaldi at the 2019 FanExpo Boston convention, and we're still a little giddy from the experience. 

Former Metallica bassist Jason Newstead said Alex Van Halen asked him to participate in a "Van Halen" tour last year.  Apparently Joe Satriani would have played guitar, but there's no word about who would have been the vocalist.  We would have paid to see that trio play together, and we'd like to see the legendary drummer back in action again at some point.  However, he should call the project something like, "Alex Van Halen and Friends," and not just "Van Halen."  Of course that's his last name too, but it's not "Van Halen" without Eddie.

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  Making it to the weekend deserves a little celebration, so here are Shakira and Wyclef Jean to close things out with a live version of, "Hips Don't Lie" for today's, "Song of the Day."

Thanks for hanging out with us today, friends.  It was terrific 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.