Hi everyone,

Happy 2023, friends!  Glad to see you all made it back here in one piece.  How did you celebrate last night?  We stuck to our game plan and watched the Twilight Zone marathon, which is always fun.  (Might have to sneak in a few more episodes before and after the Patriots game.)  It's remarkable how many well-known actors appeared on that show early in their careers.  There was some thought that we might make it all the way to midnight, but we came up a little short.  That's okay, everyone slept great last night, and we're ready to start the new year.

On that note, BDH and Little Buddha just said the coffee is ready.  Grab yourself a nice medium DD, because it's time to clear out some Sunday Clutter.

Former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham told the January 6 House select committee that Donald Trump thought his supporters looked "very trashy" while they were storming the U.S. Capitol that dark day.  Gotta say, he wasn't wrong about that.  Of course Trump still loved that they were fighting for him, because the man's constant need for validation never ends.  This is one of the saddest things about the MAGA cult - these people took part in a coup attempt, and now they're going to jail, all in support of a man who views them with contempt. 

These sad fools made Trump into their idol, and he would never want to be in the same room with them.  They're clearly looking for some sort of validation they never received when they were kids, much like Trump himself.  Indeed, this country could have gone in a much different direction if Fred Trump had ever hugged his son.  Tell your children you love them, folks.  The future of our democracy may depend on it.

Donald Trump is disgusted by the people who worship him.  (pic via twitter.com)

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell recently called out Donald Trump, blaming him for the GOP's abject failures in the 2022 midterm elections.  McConnell's not wrong when he points out that Trump backed many candidates who were far too extreme to ever have a chance of winning a general election.  However, Mitch should also remember that he himself is responsible for the conservative Supreme Court that overturned Roe v. Wade, which was a major reason why Democrats performed so well.  Of course he doesn't think that was a big deal, but voters know otherwise.

In addition to everything else he lied about, Rep.-elect George Santos reportedly used to go by another name, and in fact incorporated a company under that alias.  Again we ask, who paid for this guy to be installed in Congress?

It's January 1, and Kevin McCarthy still can't lock down the support he needs to become the next House speaker.  At this point, even if he does get the gavel, everyone knows he'll just be a puppet for the MAGA caucus.

House Republican Whip Steve Scalise released a letter on Friday outlining House Republican priorities for the new session.  Despite talking about inflation ad nauseam during the 2022 elections, you might be shocked to find out not one of these bills actually addresses that issue.  Shocked, we say.  It's almost as if they lied for months or something.  There are bills about abortion, defunding the IRS (because we've got to protect tax cheats like Donald Trump), border security, and other issues, but nothing to actually help Americans with the high cost of living. 

None of these proposals will pass, but the GOP is doing Democrats a huge favor by showing how little interest they have in governing.  That will be remembered in 2024.

The world lost an icon with the passing of Barbara Walters on Friday.  She was the first woman to anchor a network news program, the first female co-host of the Today show, and the first $1 million a news anchor.  Walters also interviewed just about every major celebrity and political figure who came on the scene during the five decades of her career.  Barbara Walters was 93 years old.  Our condolences go out to her family and friends. 

Elon Musk made history as the first person to ever lose $200 billion, as Tesla's stock continues to plummet.  However, the guy is still worth $134 billion, so he shouldn't have to clip grocery store coupons just yet.  Of course, that could change if he continues to make a mess of everything he touches this year.

There was no winner in Friday's Mega Millions drawing, so Tuesday's jackpot is now expected to reach $785 million.  Should we buy our annual 1-3 tickets right out of the gate or hold off until later in the year?  Is it a sign that we would have had two of the winning numbers on Friday, or is that a meaningless coincidence?  While we discuss this at the next staff meeting, a reminder that we would be happy to accept a donation from any of you if you win.  Just click on either of the two links at the bottom of your screen to help us increase our coffee budget.  Thank you in advance for your consideration. 

The New England Patriots kick off the new year by playing the Miami Dolphins at home this afternoon.  We predicted last Friday that the Patriots would lose this game.  Now that we've had two more days to think about it...we still think they're going to lose, especially because they're missing cornerback Jack Jones and defensive back Marcus Jones, along with wide receiver DeVante Parker and tight end Jonnu Smith.  Miami's Teddy Bridgewater may be a backup quarterback, but he's a competent one, and the talent difference between the two offenses is too much for New England to overcome right now, especially with a thin secondary.  It will be a close game, but the Patriots' playoff chances likely end this afternoon.

The NFL and NFL Players Association released a statement yesterday saying the league's concussion protocol was properly applied to Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, after he slammed his head against the ground against the Green Bay Packers last week.  They claim that Tagovailoa didn't exhibit signs of a concussion immediately after the incident, so there was no need to start the protocol during the game.  The guy has already had multiple concussions this year, and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell clearly had some concerns that something was off during the game.  Tagovailoa should have been pulled off the field and examined right away.  We expect the league not to care about player safety, but that the union also signed off on this statement is particularly gross.

Of course it's anecdotal, but several friends recently posted such scathing reviews of Babylon, we're almost more interested to see the movie at this point.  Is it really that bad? There's no way we'll pay for a ticket, but sign us up when it comes to HBO Max.

The trailer for the Doctor Who 60th anniversary specials features some characters who have only appeared in the show's comic strips before now, so that should be fun.  We read a Twitter thread where someone was theorizing that Neil Patrick Harris' character views the Doctor as a TV character, and he wants to bring back "the good old days," so that's why he made the 14th Doctor look like David Tennant, while Ncuti Gatwa's version of the Time Lord remains trapped somewhere.  Basically it would be a meta-criticism of nostalgia by returning showrunner Russell T. Davies. No idea if that's right, but we love the idea.  We're also thrilled that we can now say we'll find out the answers later this year!

The Foo Fighters announced yesterday that they will continue on as a band, despite the death of drummer Taylor Hawkins last March, and that they'll be back "soon."  We're glad to hear that, although it's not really a surprise.  At the end of the day, Dave Grohl is still the core of the group, so we would imagine it will go on as long as he's still here and still wanting to perform.  Good luck to Hawkins' replacement - he has some huge shoes to fill.

We're sorry to hear Anita Pointer, of the famous Pointer Sisters, died yesterday.  The singer was 74 years old, and no cause of death was given.  Our condolences go out to her family and friends.

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  Today is Mom Clutter's birthday, so in her memory, we'll close things out with a tune from one of her favorite singers.  We leave you with Tina Turner and "The Best" for today's, "Song of the Day."

Thanks for stopping by, everyone.  It was a treat to start the new year with you.  Here's to good times ahead.  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.