Hi everyone,

How are you?  Yesterday was more running around on this end.  However, I made some progress on my Christmas shopping, so that was good.  Today looks to be busy again.  I'm going to need a nap to stay up for tonight's New England Patriots game (because I'm a glutton for punishment.)  Some coffee right now would also help.  Fortunately, BDH and Little Buddha just made a fresh pot, so grab yourself a nice medium DD, and let's clear out some Thursday Clutter.

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Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced that he'll resign from Congress at the end of the year.  It's a fittingly embarrassing end to a 17-year political career that was never about anything but the pursuit of power.  McCarthy was happy to cover for Donald Trump at every turn, when he knew full well Trump was responsible for the January 6 riot.  That direct attack on U.S. democracy was easily overlooked, as long as it led to McCarthy taking the gavel from Nancy Pelosi.  Kevin McCarthy did nothing to help this country, and he won't be missed.

Good riddance.  (pic via cbsnews.com)

Another reminder that the House Ethics Committee is still investigating Rep. Matt Gaetz.  The Florida Republican bomb-tosser is accused of a number of serious allegations, including "violat(ing) sex trafficking laws, shar(ing) inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, us(ing) illicit drugs, convert(ing) campaign funds to personal use and accept(ing) a bribe."  Will House Speaker Mike Johnson turn a blind eye if the committee finds sufficient evidence to support those allegations?

Meanwhile, House Republicans are preparing to push through a censure measure against Rep. Jamaal Bowman for pulling a fire alarm during the budget funding debate last September.  Rep. Bowman shouldn't have done it, and he's already pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge.  However, no one should ever take a scolding from these traitor-protecting, democracy-attacking, incompetent clowns seriously.  This corrupt party has no moral authority on any issue.

The final GOP presidential debate of the year was last night.  The media will love talking about how it was a "fiery" evening, but that's missing the point.  These events are about deciding who is going to finish a distant second place to Donald Trump, which makes them borderline meaningless.  Chris Christie is the only Republican candidate calling Trump out in explicit terms, and the GOP primary voters will punish him for it.  The rest of them are too terrified to take on the man who is excited to be "a dictator" on his first day in office.  That disqualifies any of them from leading this country.

(In case you missed it, Trump once again made it clear he's eager to resume abusing his presidential power if elected to a second term.)

Senator Tommy Tuberville finally dropped his hold on most military promotions yesterday.  He had been blocking them for close to a year in protest of a Pentagon policy reimbursing military members for travel expenses if they have to go to another state for abortion services.  The blockade was a stupid move in the first place, and it achieved exactly nothing but holding back our armed forces because Tuberville hates women that much.

Meta is finally implementing end-to-end encryption as the default setting for Facebook Messenger chats.  The company has been promising this for years, so it's about time.  Of course, we remain skeptical that there isn't some loophole that allows Mark Zuckerberg and associates to still somehow access your messages.  Complete privacy and Facebook don't exactly have a strong connection to each other.  However, this still seems like a move in the right direction.

On a related note:  We don't like push notifications in general, because who needs your phone to be even more aggressive about taking up your time?  No thanks.  It turns out there's another reason to reject these dings:  Governments are likely using them to spy on you. 

One more privacy tip before we move on to another topic:  We encourage you to limit how often your iPhone tracks your geolocation as much as possible.  People don't need to know where you are every waking moment.

The New England Patriots face the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road tonight.  Yes, it's the quarterback battle we've all been waiting for - Bailey Zappe vs. Mitchell Trubisky.  Can't wait.  Pittsburgh's offense is almost as bad as New England's (16 ppg vs 12.3 ppg), so it's no accident that the over/under for tonight is 30.  Take the under.  Throw in the fact that New England running back Rhamondre Stevenson is out, and the fact that this offense was shut out by the Los Angeles Chargers last week, and it's possible the Patriots could lose 6-0 for the second straight week.  Maybe that's too pessimistic.  Make it a 6-3 nail-biter.

Congratulations to Boston Red Sox radio announcer Joe Castliglione on winning the Ford C. Frick award for broadcasting excellence.  It's the highest honor MLB has for broadcasters, and this moment is long-overdue for Castiglione.  He's been a pure delight on the radio for 41 seasons.  We're thrilled to hear he'll be recognized at the Baseball Hall of Fame during induction weekend next July.

The New York Yankees acquired slugger Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres in a seven-player trade yesterday.  Soto is certainly a boost for New York, but giving up five players for a guy who becomes a free agent at the end of the 2024 season is a risk.  Of course, the Yankees certainly have the resources to sign Soto to a longer deal if things work out well for him in the Bronx.

Former Boston Red Sox pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez reportedly agreed to a four-year/$80 million deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks.  E-Rod is a talented lefty, but he was only 18-14 in his two years with the Detroit Tigers.  It will be interesting to see how he handles the switch to the National League, but in a best-case scenario, he improves Arizona's starting rotation.

We were sorry to hear about the passing of the legendary Norman Lear yesterday.  The TV icon was known for his beloved ground-breaking sitcoms, including All in the Family, Sanford and Son, One Day at a Time, Different Strokes, and more.  He used comedy to discuss the political and cultural topics of the day and gave the country a more realistic look at itself.  Lear was a proud progressive who wasn't shy about sharing his views.  Norman Lear was 101 years old.  Our condolences go out to his family, friends, and fans, and we thank him for the decades of terrific entertainment.

Time magazine named Taylor Swift their 2023 Person of the Year.  We won't argue with that call.  Between her tour, which was deemed an economic engine in its own right, to the still-phony-looking "relationship" with Travis Kelce, to her record-breaking concert film, Swift dominated 2023.

A fourth sexual assault-related lawsuit was filed against Sean Combs.  The music mogul is accused this time of participating in a gang rape in 2003.  Combs once again denies the allegation and said his accuser is simply looking for money.

It sounds like we've got some new Guns N' Roses music coming tomorrow.

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.   Let's have Taylor Swift close things out with, "Now That We Don't Talk (Taylor's Version) (From the Vault)" for today's, "Song of the Day."

Thanks for stopping by, folks.  It was great to see you, as always.  BDH and Little Buddha say you're welcome to come back tonight if you want to watch the New England Patriots game with them.  Otherwise, enjoy the rest of your day, stay warm, 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.