Hi everyone,

How are you?  Things are okay on this end.  I struck out yesterday at the bookstore, and I also didn't finish the to-do list (although I came real close.)  However, there was a little garden time, so that was nice.  BDH and Little Buddha gave me a shorter list for today, and I'm also going to catch up with a friend I haven't seen in a long time, so that should be fun. 

Our crew is a little nervous about our big move next week (see the reminder below), but we're also excited to finally get going.  For now, 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.

REMINDER:  We are changing web host companies next week and expect to be offline from August 28 to September 4 and back on September 5.  Come hang out with us on our Facebook page while we move!

We have teamed up with Clearly Balanced Days, a NH-based/women-owned CBD company.  Enter promo code "cmoore" to get $5 off your next purchase!

The first 2024 GOP presidential primary debate is in Milwaukee tonight.  Donald Trump said he's not attending, so assuming that's true, what should voters look for this evening?  Our biggest question is, will anyone besides Chris Christie actually attack Trump, or will they all continue to dance around the front-runner?  On a related note, will Governor Ron DeSantis actually take the advice to defend Trump during the event?  If you can't find the backbone to go after the leading candidate for the job you want, you should just go home, because you have no business running for the office.

Our prediction is that Christie will be the only one to directly go after Donald Trump, and the rest of the candidates will show they're unserious candidates who won't do anything to change their standings in the polls.  The MAGA cult rules the GOP, and most of the debate participants are too scared to do anything about it.  Oh, and if they do actually discuss any policy questions, they will remind the country that this is a party of right-wing extremists. 

There will be one clear winner at the end of the night:  President Joe Biden.

Will any of these candidates stand out tonight?  (pic via cnn.com)

We all know Donald Trump will eventually violate the terms of his Georgia bail bond.  There's no way he makes it through the entire process without trying to intimidate his co-defendants or any witnesses.  Hell, we'll take bets on whether or not he gets through a week before the first violation.  That begs the question: How egregious will Trump's actions have to be for officials to revoke his bail?  Short of sending him to jail, the options are apparently, giving Trump other rules to violate, holding him in contempt, and/or fining him.  Those punishments wouldn't deter him in the least, so where is the line?

Apparently Rudy Giuliani hasn't been able to find a Georgia-based lawyer to help negotiate his surrender in the Fulton County election subversion case.  Giuliani is said to owe hundreds of thousands in legal bills already, and Donald Trump clearly won't help him out financially.  No wonder no one wants the job - odds are, they won't get paid.  If only Rudy had any advance warning that associating with Donald Trump would be a terrible idea that would ruin his life.  You know, something like even basic knowledge of the history of everyone who has ever been tied to the serial criminal.  Giuliani should be looking at making a deal with every prosecutor in every case, because you know Trump will be more than happy to throw him under the bus to save his own orange skin.

Yesterday was a mixed day for stocks, as the S&P 500 fell 0.3%, thanks to growing concerns about the economy and the usual anxiety over interest rates.  The index is down 3.67% over the past month.  However, the Clutter investment team is comfortable with that, because it's still up over 14% for 2023, which would be a strong year-end result.  Our staff still thinks investors got a little ahead of themselves this year, and they'd rather see a normal correction now, instead of a major downturn later.

COVID hospitalizations in the United States are up for the 5th straight week, according to the CDC.  The numbers are still well below this same time over the past two years, but 12,613 new cases isn't nothing, and the trend is moving in the wrong direction.  We're not trying to scare anyone here.  We just want to point out that COVID is still around, and it's still important to take care of yourself.

The Boston Red Sox lost 7-3 to the Houston Astros last night, as the team once again did themselves in with sloppy defense.  The Red Sox made three errors on Tuesday, to go along with the two they committed against the Astros on Monday.  You simply can't make that many mistakes and succeed, especially when you're also facing Justin Verlander.  The loss pushes Boston to five games back in the race for the final AL Wild Card spot, and time is running out. 

Next up:  Chris Sale takes the mound for the Sox against the Astros tonight.  Here's hoping Boston doesn't give away a third straight game.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers named Baker Mayfield as their new starting quarterback yesterday, thus making him Tom Brady's official successor.  No one is expecting Mayfield to perform at TB12's level, but we hope things go well for the quarterback who is now on his fourth NFL team.

Jennifer Aniston recently criticized the mythical "cancel culture" that some folks love to complain is running rampant, despite the fact that it doesn't exist.  We're talking about people being held accountable when they act poorly.  Yes,  you have freedom of speech, but that doesn't give you freedom from criticism.  You have the right to say something stupid/offensive, and everyone else has the right to call you out for it.  If you committed a crime (hello, Harvey Weinstein), you should be in jail. 

Besides, the only celebrities we can think of who have actually been "cancelled" in the last 25 years are the former Dixie Chicks, who were blackballed for criticizing the Iraq invasion.  Other than that, most celebrities get a short stint of bad press, and then life goes on for them without missing a beat, like Louis C.K. for example. 

Melissa Joan Hart recently said she was almost fired from Sabrina the Teenage Witch because she did a Maxim photo shoot.  Apparently the show's producers thought it was too risqué.  Read the linked article to find out everything else that happened that day.  Spoiler:  It was a brutal stretch for the young actress.

And Just Like That wraps up its second season tomorrow, but Carrie Bradshaw and company aren't done yet, because the series was just renewed for another year.

Doctor Who fans think they've figured out a possible guest appearance during the show's upcoming 60th anniversary specials.  We won't give it away, but we are wondering if this character might be involved in the eventual transition from David Tennant to Ncuti Gatwa.

The Frasier reboot will reportedly debut on Paramount+ on October 12.   We enjoyed Kelsey Grammer as Frasier Crane back in the day, but his return isn't enough to get us to subscribe to the streaming service.  Will you watch?

We want to wish a happy belated birthday to Dua Lipa.  The singer turned 28 years old yesterday.

It appears that  the Rolling Stones might be teasing the release of a new album next month.  If that's the case, this would be their first new record since longtime drummer Charlie Watts died in 2021. 

Diddy announced the upcoming release of his first solo album in 17 years yesterday.  The Love Album: Off the Grid comes out on September 15, and it's expected to feature a wide range of guest stars.  Click on the link to see the hype trailer.

Who wants to rent former Police drummer Stuart Copeland's house with us?  The three-bedroom is apparently available for just $25,000 a month.  Seems like a bargain, really.

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  With our car still in the shop, we continue this week's walking theme with the Bangles and, "Walk Like an Egyptian" for today's, "Song of the Day."

Thanks for stopping by, folks.  It was great to see you, as always.  BDH and Little Buddha aren't sure if that streaming Pluto TV channel they recently found is playing NCIS or FBI reruns tonight, but you're welcome to come back either way to watch with them if you like.  Otherwise, 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.