Hi folks,

Welcome back, and a happy Friday to you all.  Also, happy March 1!  As much as we love February for being BDH's birthday month, we're excited to finally get to March.  That's when thoughts of gardening start start to bubble up, and everything is better when it's garden time.  The weather is crazy these days, but sunsets are now much later, and spring is coming.  Can't wait.

So, what's the plan for the weekend?  I'm not sure what we're doing.  The schedule has been really off for the past two days, and we have a busy week coming up, so maybe we'll just have a quiet reset and chill.  Works for me.  In the meantime, BDH and Little Buddha are eager to check out the headlines, so let's get to it.  There's a fresh pot of coffee on the counter, so grab yourself a nice medium DD, because it's time to clear out some Clutter.

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The co-founders of Trump Media Group are suing Donald Trump, claiming he's trying to rip them off ahead of the company's planned merger with Digital World Acquisition Corporation.  Andy Litinsky and Wes Moss say Trump is disputing how many shares the two men are entitled to in the company they helped create.  In addition, the men argue that Trump is also seeking to dilute the value of their position by drastically increasing the number of authorized shares for no legitimate reason.  Frankly, we're shocked to hear that Donald Trump might be doing something shady, considering his pristine business record.

It's almost as if Trump is desperate for cash because he already owes over $500 million in legal fines and fees (so far) and can't pay his bills or something.  We'll see if this lawsuit effectively blocks the proposed merger, because the Great Pumpkin's financial issues will get even worse if that happens.

Anyone who does business with this mean should expect to get burned at some point.  (pic via apnews.com)

On a related note, E. Jean Carroll's attorneys are urging the judge in her defamation case not to let Donald Trump postpone putting up a bond for the $83.3 million award she secured against him in January.  It would be beyond foolish to simply take Trump at his word that he would satisfy the final judgment in this case after his appeal concludes.  As with the NY civil fraud verdict, make him post the full amount now, or start seizing his assets if he doesn't have the cash.

Hunter Biden's recent testimony before the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees made it clear once again that Republicans are grasping at straws to find any actual justification for their impeachment inquiry into President Biden.  This circus is meant to distract from the actual serial criminal who is running the GOP.

Alexei Navalny's funeral was held in Moscow today, as hundreds reportedly said their goodbye to the murdered Putin critic.  We applaud the mourners who had the courage to publicly pay their respects, because everyone knows opposing the Russian government can come at a heavy cost.

Facebook is getting rid of its news tab in the U.S. at some point in April.  The social media giant claims it's because people don't want to get their news from the site.  Maybe users don't need a dedicated news tab. (We honestly forgot it was still there.)  However, our feed remains full with news articles posted by friends and various media pages we follow, and many of those pages have millions of followers, so this claim doesn't hold water with us.  People want their news - Facebook just doesn't want the responsibility to distribute it.

The S&P 500 rose 0.5% to reach a a new all-time high yesterday, thanks to the latest inflation data coming in better than expected.  The Personal Consumption Expenditures price index was up 2.4% for the past 12 months as of January.  That's down from the 2.6% in December.  In addition, the AI Wall Street frenzy continues, seemingly without pause.  The S&P 500 is now up about 7% for 2024.  This market doesn't feel cheap to the Clutter investment team, so they'll continue to stand on the sidelines for the time being.  (As always, you should make your own investment decisions.  Our staff just likes to chat about what they're up to these days.)

A new study shows once again that ultra-processed foods are terrible for you in all sorts of ways.  It's hard to avoid these things, because they seem to be everywhere, and they're cheaper than healthier alternatives.  However, do whatever you can do to make the substitutions whenever possible and lower your risk for heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, and possibly mental health issues. 

It's nice to see that former pitcher Jon Lester has rejoined the Boston Red Sox as a special instructor this spring training.  The team really blew contract negotiations with the lefty back in 2014, and he made it clear for the next seven years that he still had plenty in the tank.  There's no doubt Lester has plenty of advice to share.  The younger guys in the starting rotation in particular would be wise to listen to him.

Boston Globe NFL writer Christopher Price is reviewing tight end options for the New England Patriots.  It's remarkable how badly the team needs help at just about every position on the offensive side of the ball.  New head coach Jerod Mayo and company have their work cut out for them here, but we're excited to see the results of their new approach, be it via the draft or free agency.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has been ordered to take a paternity test to see if he is the biological father of the woman who sued him last year.  It's too bad Jerry Springer isn't still with us to announce the results.

Texas Tech defensive back Tyler Owens apparently doesn't believe in outer space and other planets.  How many adults failed Owens as a kid to get him to this point?  Apparently all that mattered to any of them was that he could play football.  We haven't heard anyone mention Owens as a candidate for the New England Patriots, and here's hoping it stays that way.

We loved The Crow in 1994, but we'll probably take a pass on the remake, which comes out on June 7.  The late Brandon Lee will always be Eric Draven to us, and the soundtrack was closer to our mindset back in the 1990's.  Best of luck to stars Bill Skarsgård and FKA Twigs, but no thanks.

It turns out that Keanu Reeves and Alice Cooper have a fun connection.  Can you guess what it is before you click on the link?  Our hunch is that it won't be what you're expecting.

Hayden Christensen apparently thought he was out of the running for Anakin Skywalker when he found out that Leonardo DiCaprio was also negotiating for the role.  It seems safe to say that all worked out for the best.  While we're not hardcore Star Wars fans, our recollection is that Christensen was fine.  However, DiCaprio would have been too big of a star, and his presence would have been a major distraction for the franchise.  What do you think?

The arrival of March means Ncuti Gatwa's first full season as the Doctor is only two months away.  Hopefully that means we've got a new trailer to look forward to soon.  It's already been made clear that the latest Doctor Who star will have a variety of outfits, but the show's costume designer said she looked for opportunities to pay tribute to past incarnations of the Time Lord. 

Last night's Young Sheldon was a sweet episode when it came to George and Mary Cooper.  The audience is clearly being set up for George's death.  That's going to be brutal, and we can't stop wondering where it's going to fit into this strike-abbreviated season.  There are only nine episodes left.  His passing would be a rough way to end a sitcom, so let's say there are eight episodes to work with, but do you need to show the aftermath for a little while before the finale?  Whenever it happens, it will hit hard, and that's a tribute to the writers and actors.

The Van Halen News Desk has the official blurb for Alex Van Halen's upcoming autobiography.  The book will be released by Harper Collins on October 22.  We can't wait to read the legendary rock drummer's perspective on his life and time with brother Eddie Van Halen.

Judas Priest is hosting a global launch party on March 7 for their upcoming album, Invincible Shield.  Unfortunately, none of the locations are near us, but we're sure that this event will be a good time.  The music we've heard from this record so far has been terrific.  These guys are still in fine form after all these years.

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  Here's Sheryl Crow to close things out with, "Do It Again" for today's, "Song of the Day."

Thanks for stopping by, folks.  It was a treat to see you, as always.  Enjoy your weekend, 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.