Hi everyone,

Welcome back.  How are you?  Holy heck, did we have a case of the Mondays here yesterday.  Everything was a struggle, from start to finish.  It's been a while since that happened.  Thankfully, BDH and Little Buddha did a great job keeping me from throwing in the towel early, and we eventually completed most of the to-do list. 

Now I've got to take care of whatever needs to happen before this snowstorm hits tomorrow and Thursday.  Hopefully today's errands won't be such a fight.  At least the weather should be decent.  First, 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 Tuesday Clutter.

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The gag order against Donald Trump in his hush-money case has already been expanded, because Trump won't stop attacking Judge Juan Merchan's daughter via social media posts.  Trump has repeatedly claimed this case is politically motivated and that Merchan is doing the bidding of his daughter, who is the president of a progressive political consulting firm.  As always, the question in these situations remains, how strictly is Judge Merchan prepared to sanction Trump when he violates the order again, because you know that's coming.  If the penalties aren't stiff enough, Trump will continue to do whatever he wants without pause.

The serial defendant can't help himself.  (pic via www.pbs.org)

Donald Trump posted the $175 million bond for his NY civil fraud appeal yesterday.  The bond was backed by Knight Specialty Insurance, but it's unclear how Trump secured the financing.  The public has the right to know exactly what Trump's obligations are to the insurance company, given that he's running for president. 

Trump Media's stock price fell over 21% yesterday when the company revealed it had a net loss of $58.2 million, on just $4.1 million in revenue for 2023.  The company's filings also indicate that the company doesn't expect to make a profit anytime soon, and that their connection to Donald Trump is a significant risk.  It's also the only reason this isn't a penny stock.  This isn't a real company, it's a cash grab for Trump to pay his legal bills.  Even their auditor doubts Trump Media's ability to stay in business.

The people who bought the stock just because they're MAGA cult members are likely to lose their shirts when reality finally kicks in on these atrocious financials.  Donald Trump is praying that doesn't happen before his six-month waiting period on selling finally expires.   The Clutter investment team's advice can be summed up in one word:  Run.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said yesterday that there is a "risk" of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) becoming speaker if Republicans vote to remove Johnson from the position.  You mean, the House could be run by someone who is actually interested in governing, and not just catering to Donald Trump's wishes?  Egad, the horror.

Shame on the Florida Supreme Court for paving the way for the state's new six-week abortion ban yesterday.  We've seen voters repeatedly reject this kind of extremist government power grab over their lives and bodies.  However, the court also authorized a proposed constitutional amendment ballot question protecting abortion rights for this November's elections.  Abortion rights has been a winning issue for Democrats ever since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.  This new ban suddenly makes Florida a winnable state for President Biden and company.

It's disappointing to hear that Oregon is going back to criminalizing possession of small amounts of drugs, thus undoing a 2020 voter-approved ballot question.  Substance abuse is a medical issue, and treating it as a crime has gotten us nowhere.  Treatment is better than jail, and the whole criminalization approach is discriminatory against the poor and people of color.  This move is a mistake.

Convicted murder Alex Murdaugh was sentenced by a federal judge to 40 years in prison for a variety of financial crimes and also ordered to pay $8.7 million in restitution.  You can add that to the 27 years Murdaugh received from a state judge for similar charges, and the two life sentences without parole that was imposed on him for killing his wife and son.  Good riddance from society, Mr. Murdaugh.

No one won the Powerball drawing last night, so Wednesday's jackpot is now expected to be $1.09 billion.  Man, that would buy a lot of coffee.

An account-free version of ChatGPT will be available, starting today.  BDH and Little Buddha are a little curious about it, but they're not in a rush to check it out.  Maybe they'll give it a look while waiting out the upcoming snow.  We'll see.

The Boston Red Sox beat the lowly Oakland A's 9-0 last night, to improve to 3-2 on the season.  Boston's starting pitcher Tanner Houck had a strong first outing of the year, giving up just three hits, with 10 strikeouts, over six scoreless innings.  The Sox offense took advantage of Oakland, with nine hits on the night, and the A's were more than happy to help out their visitors with five errors. 

As the linked article mentions, each of the Red Sox starters went at least five innings in their first appearances of the season.  If they can keep that up, this year could be more entertaining than we thought.  Next up:  Brayan Bello takes the mound for Boston against Oakland tonight.

Congratulations to Houston Astros pitcher Ronel Blanco on throwing the first no-hitter of the season, as the Astros beat the Toronto Blue Jays 10-0 on Monday.  As the linked article explains, it's been a heck of a week for Blanco.

We're with Boston Globe sports columnist Chad Finn:  Ideally, we'd like to see the New England Patriots use their #3 draft pick on a quarterback, assuming they really like the options.  If they do, boom, end of discussion, let's move on to other topics.  If for some reason head coach Jerod Mayo and company aren't really in love with their choices, we're okay with the Pats trading back for more draft picks, but they better get a hell of a return.

The lawyer for Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice said Rice is cooperating with Dallas police after a Saturday car crash that left multiple people injured.

Veteran quarterback Carson Wentz has reportedly agreed to a one-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs.  Kansas City fans certainly have to be hoping they never see Wentz on the field, unless it's in the final minutes of a blow-out game.  However, he provides the team with a competent backup if they ever need someone to fill in for Patrick Mahomes.

We're saddened to hear that former NFL cornerback Vontae Davis was found dead at his Florida home yesterday.  The circumstances of his passing haven't been revealed yet, although it's being said that foul play isn't suspected.  However it happened, at age 35, Davis was far too young.  Our condolences go out to his family and friends.

Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman are reportedly teaming up on a remake of the classic War of the Roses, which originally starred Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner.  Cumberbatch and Colman sounds like a terrific pairing, so sign us up for this one when it's released.

Argh, next week's FBI: Most Wanted episode is a two-part crossover that ends with FBI the following Tuesday.  As much as we enjoy FBI, the Most Wanted show is unwatchable.  Will we have to sit through that to understand what's happening in the conclusion?  Again we say, argh.

Actor Rome Flynn said he was sad to see his character leave Chicago Fire, but it's still unclear what led to this abrupt departure.  Maybe the creative plans changed, but it sure seemed like the powers that be were preparing to make Flynn part of the next generation at Firehouse 51 for a while.

Larry David doesn't like it when you ask him how rich he is, but he's pretty wealthy.  Pretty, pretty wealthy.

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  Here's Shinedown to close things out with, "Evolve" for today's, "Song of the Day."

Thanks for stopping by, folks.  It was great to see you, as always.  It sounds like we should be able to connect with you tomorrow before the bad weather really gets going, so 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.