Tuesday Clutter: Trump, Elon Musk, Boston Red Sox, Shohei Ohtani, NFL Notes, Scarlett Johansson, Sean Combs, The Replacements, and more
Thursday Clutter: Trump, President Biden, Abortion Support, Boston Red Sox, NFL Notes, Florence Pugh, Doctor Who, Skid Row, Lorde, and more

Wednesday Clutter: Trump, Ronna McDaniel, U.S. Supreme Court, Mega Millions, McDonald's, Boston Red Sox, NFL Notes, Bad Boys, Mr. Big, and more

Hi everyone,

Welcome back.  How are you?  Yesterday was a bit challenging, so I'm a little on the cranky side at the moment.  BDH and Little Buddha are doing their best to cheer me up, though.  They said today's to-do list isn't all that long, it's not supposed to rain or snow, and we have new "One Chicago" shows to watch tonight, so that's a start.  They're the best, always seeing the bright side.

The guys also made coffee, so grab yourself a nice medium DD, because it's time to clear out some Wednesday Clutter.

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 judge in Donald Trump's hush money case imposed a gag order on Trump yesterday that prohibits the defendant from publicly attacking the witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors.  That's important, because we've all seen time again that intimidation and the threat of violence are key parts of the MAGA legal strategy.  However, we have to ask what Judge Juan Merchan will do when Trump violates the order, because we all know that's coming. 

Trump certainly won't care about a contempt citation, and a fine won't stop him unless it's for a significant amount.  Donald Trump will push the boundaries as far as he can.  Hopefully Judge Merchan is prepared to push back.

Donald Trump March 27 2024Lock him up.  (pic via yahoo.com)

Donald Trump is now selling bibles for $59.99.  Hey, those legal bills don't pay themselves.  When will he make his first appearance on QVC?  It almost gets to the point where you can't blame him for running these scams when his cult followers continue to fall for them every single time.

It's good to see that Ronna McDaniel is already out as a paid NBC News contributor, just days after her hiring.  It shouldn't have taken the network's anchors publicly calling out the decision to hire her to realize this was a bad move in the first place, but here we are.  It's not just that the former Republican National Committee chairwoman is a partisan hack.  Network news has far too many of those people (from both parties) wasting time on the airwaves.  The issue here is that McDaniel actively tried to help Donald Trump subvert democracy after the 2020 election, while she also attacked the media. 

There was no reason to give McDaniel this kind of megaphone, except to generate controversy and ratings.  Shame on NBC News management for approving the idea to begin with, but cheers to the journalists who stood up for both their profession and the country.

Alabama Democrat Marilyn Lands flipped a Republican state House seat in a special election yesterday.  Lands ran on a strong reproductive health rights platform that once again resonated with voters.  We've seen it time and time again since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade:  Republicans are completely out of touch with the majority of the country when it comes to issues like abortion and in vitro fertilization.  Voters don't want the government controlling their bodies, which is why Democrats continue to win on this subject. 

The U.S. Supreme Court justices seemed skeptical about the plaintiff's arguments in the case to restrict the use of the abortion drug mifepristone yesterday.  The anti-abortion organization that filed this case (and went judge-shopping to get their initial favorable verdict) couldn't even establish that they represented anyone who suffered actual harm.  Any doctor who feels the use of the drug violates their conscience should apply for an individual exemption, not try to deny anyone else the ability to access it.  There's also the issue that any ruling supporting this nonsense threatens to disrupt the entire drug regulatory process. 

You know the argument is weak when the likes of Justices Alito and Thomas can't do much with it.  The case never should have gotten this far in the first place.  The court should shut it down once and for all.

Our thoughts go out to the loved ones of the six people who are presumed dead after a cargo boat took out the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore on Tuesday.  What a terrible tragedy.

We bought a couple of lottery tickets with Dad Clutter yesterday, but none of them were the winner of the $1.1 billion Mega Millions jackpot.  There's always tonight's $865 million Power Ball, but assuming that doesn't work out, this should scratch our lottery itch for at least six months.  Thankfully, the Clutter investment team is hard at work actually securing our long-term financial health.  Of course, if one of you has the lucky Mega Millions ticket, we are always accepting donations for our coffee budget.  Just click on the link right at the top of your screen.

Speaking of the investment team, they want to warn folks to be prepared for the Fed to not cut interest rates much, if at all, in 2024.  We see it time and time again:  Officials repeatedly make it clear that they'd rather be overly cautious, and yet some investors convince themselves that they don't really mean it.  Inflation has certainly moved in the right direction from its peak of 9%, but it is still not at the goal of 2%.  Our crew isn't making predictions, but they will be surprised if there are multiple rate cuts this year.  In the meantime, they'll enjoy the healthy return on their savings account.

McDonald's will start selling Krispy Kreme donuts later this year, with the nationwide implementation reportedly expected to be complete by the end of 2026.  We need someone to work out the math of exactly how much damage an individual would do to their health by consuming a meal of two Big Macs and two donuts. 

Sorry, Boston Red Sox fans:  In case any of you were still hoping the team might finally reach an agreement with free agent pitcher Jordan Montgomery, the lefty is going to the Arizona Diamondbacks on a one-year deal for $25 million, with a vesting player option for 2025.  Sox ownership has made it clear they have no confidence in this year's team.  Here's hoping this group surpasses expectations and forces management to change their minds when the trade deadline approaches.

Boston Globe columnist Chad Finn has some thoughts on what exactly it would take to make this year's Red Sox team interesting.  This crew should hit and also be much better in the field than the 2023 roster.  It's all about the pitching.  We're not counting on this year's team making the playoffs or anything (particularly given ownership's apathy), but please let these guys not be mathematically eliminated by the beginning of August. 

Sorry to hear that former New England Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler was recently arrested for suspicion of drunk driving.

We don't love the news that the NFL will play two two games on Christmas this year.  It was one thing (and still greedy) when the league played three Christmas games last year, because the holiday fell on a Monday.  You can at least see how it would have been disruptive to change the schedule.  However, this Christmas falls on a Wednesday.  The players should get that day off as usual to be able to spend it with their families. 

The NFL is making two games streaming exclusives this season:  One is the Week 1 Philadelphia Eagles opener, which will be on Peacock, and the other is a Wild Card game, which will once again be on Amazon Prime Video, just like last year.  How do you feel about about this growing trend, fans?  Does it simply reflect the fact that more people are moving towards streaming services, or do you think these games are being held hostage in the name of greed?

The first trailer is out for Bad Boys: Ride or Die, which hits theaters on June 7.  Are the odds high that this movie is good?  No.  Are the odds high that we'll still watch it anyway?  Definitely.

It's early, but a Bruce Springsteen biopic is reportedly in the works.  Jeremy Allen White is said to be in talks to play the singer.  Sounds like perfect casting to us.

Former Guns N' Roses drummer Matt Sorum loves dogs.  That's all we need to know about him.

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  Here's Mr. Big to close things out with a live version of, "Alive and Kickin'" for today's, "Song of the Day."

Thanks for stopping by, folks.  It was great to see you, as always.  BDH and Little Buddha want to make sure you know you're welcome to come back later to watch tonight's "One Chicago" shows with them.  (They really want to know where you think Chicago P.D. is heading.)  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.

 

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