Hi everyone,

Welcome back.  How was your weekend? 

Our annual garden compost delivery came on Saturday, and that's always an adventure.  It took about six hours to spread the three cubic yards (which is enough to cover the garden 2+ times.)  BDH and Little Buddha supervised from the window, and they did a terrific job.  The weather was perfect, and everything looks great.  The workout left me a little crippled, as usual, but it was worth it. 

I'm still moving slowly this morning, but I expect to be back to 100% by tomorrow.  The guys said they'd keep today's to-do list short while I recover.  First things first, let's check out the headlines.  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 Monday 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!

Donald Trump's hush money trial continues today.  According to the linked article, prosecutors have been mum about their next witness, due to fears that Trump would attack this person on social media.  That's a well-founded concern, since intimidation is a key part of every Trump defense strategy.  It's especially true when things aren't going well for this serial defendant, and so far, this trial isn't going well for him at all.

Donald Trump continued his obsession with Nazi Germany by referring to the Biden White House as "a Gestapo administration" over the weekend.  It's no coincidence Trump won't stop working Nazi rhetoric into his speeches.  The goal is to dehumanize his opponents and radicalize his supporters even more.  Trump has spent years normalizing antisemitism and has no business being anywhere near the Oval Office ever again.  This wannabe-dictator has to be stopped.

It seems South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem isn't satisfied with killing her own dog - now she apparently wants to do the same to President Biden's as well.  Governor Noem wrote in her new book that removing Biden's German Shepard named Commander would be a priority on her first day in office if she was Donald Trump's VP. ("Commander, say hello to Cricket for me")  Folks, that's deranged.  It's been long-established that cruelty fuels conservative ideology, and now we see that this hatred isn't limited to other humans.  Send all of these people packing.

Sick.  (pic via cwsf2005.ca)

Meanwhile, Governor Noem's book publisher is removing her story about allegedly meeting North Korea leader Kim Jong Un while she was a member of Congress, because it's a lie.

It looks like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene still plans to go forward with her motion to remove House Speaker Mike Johnson this week.  The move will likely fail, since House Democrats have already said they'll oppose it.  However, Greene needs the spotlight again, and her boss Vladimir Putin needs to show there are consequences for allowing a vote on aide to Ukraine.  We have one simple question - how does any of this serve the American people?  One simple answer - it does not, because the MAGA cult couldn't care less about this country.

Steward Health Care filed for bankruptcy this morning.  The company owns eight hospitals in Massachusetts, but officials say those facilities will stay open, and that patients should continue to seeks health care while this process is underway.  Governor Maura Healey has been calling for Steward to sell its holdings in the Commonwealth for a while now, so we'll see if this development has any impact on that idea.

CNBC.com has a detailed recap of  last weekend's Berkshire Hathaway's annual shareholder meeting.  The Clutter investment team always appreciates the chance to hear Warren Buffett's thoughts about the stock market.  "The Oracle of Omaha" was the one who really hammered home the importance of a long-term perspective for our crew in their early days.  Here's hoping the 93-year-old Buffett will be able to continue sharing his insight for the foreseeable future.

Google is updating its policies to prohibit ads that allow users to create so-called "deepfake porn."  The change goes into effect on May 30.

PLANTERS is recalling two of its products because of Listeria concerns.  The items were sold at Publix and Dollar Tree locations, so make sure you click on the linked article if you shop at either of those chains.

The Boston Red Sox beat the Minnesota Twins 9-2 yesterday to avoid getting swept in their weekend series.  Minnesota starter Joe Ryan looked unhittable for the first three innings of the game.  However, the Red Sox offense eventually broke through, including a home run from Ceddanne Rafaela in the fifth inning.  They also got a key two-run double from rookie second baseman Vaughn Grissom, which was his first hit with Boston. 

Red Sox starter Cooper Griswell got into a jam by loading the bases with no outs in the second inning.  However, he managed to keep the Twins from scoring, and he was solid for the day, giving up one run in 4 1/3 innings.  The Sox may have something there.

Next up:  The Red Sox have today off, and then they start a series against the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday.

New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge was ejected from the game against the Detroit Tigers on Saturday, which was the first time that's happened in his career.  Judge apparently said something bad as he was walking away from the plate after disagreeing with a third-strike pitch.  You don't see that all that often.  However, it's still not as egregious (and funny) as Yankees manager Aaron Boone being tossed out earlier this year for something a fan said. 

We missed the Tom Brady roast on Netflix last night.  It sounds like Brady gave as well as he received, so if celebrity roasts are your thing, this one might be worth a watch.

Retired NFL defensive end J.J. Watt said he'd come back to the Houston Texans for one more season if head coach/former teammate DeMeco Ryans "absolutely needed" him.  Watt also said this was the last year he'd make that offer, because he won't continue training at this same level in the future.  Here's hoping Ryans never makes that call.  Given Watt's extensive injury history, the last thing his body needs is to return to the field.  Enjoy your life as a CBS analyst and ignore your phone, man.

WrestleMania 41 will take place in Las Vegas next year, not Minnesota, as many had expected.  The change in plans was said to be due to the WWE's new ownership, which is based in Vegas.  Perhaps Endeavor Sports and Entertainment wants to show off its new toy to the hometown audience.

We tried to give Jerry Seinfeld's new movie, Unfrosted, a chance this weekend.  Really, we did.  That lasted all of about five minutes.  By the time Hugh Grant finished his first scene as Tony the Tiger, it was clear that staring out the window would be a better use of time.

The new season of Doctor Who finally starts this Friday!  There are some new publicity photos from the second episode (which will also be released on May 10) to obsess over between now and then.  We've heard great things about drag queen Jinkx Monsoon, who plays the Doctor's latest enemy, Maestro.  Can't wait to see her, as well as Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson, in action.

The official trailer is out for the fourth season of The Boys, which starts on Amazon Prime Video on June 13.  It looks like we have a superhero war, some commentary on today's society, and a number of moments that will make you say, "What the hell was that?"  Sounds about right.  This show is one of the main reasons we've kept our Prime membership, so we'll be in on the action, right as Doctor Who wraps up on Disney+.  Have a look:

There's apparently some marriage trouble on the way for a Chicago Fire couple.  The synopsis makes it sound like this is something fans should have noticed all season, but we've barely seen any evidence of it.  Have you?

Sorry, General Hospital fans - Nicholas Alexander Chavez confirmed that he has no plans to return as Spencer Cassadine "anytime soon."  It seems a little weird that this "temporary" absence to film Monsters:  The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story turned into a permanent departure, particularly since Chavez seemed to be part of the soap opera's new hot young couple.  Is there more to this story? 

In any case, Chavez did leave the door open to a return to Port Charles at some point in the future, so we'll see if the role of Spencer Cassadine gets recast in the short-term, or if this is really the end of that character for a while.

Actress Reily Keough is selling her home for $1.6 million.  The linked article includes pictures, and we've got to say, it's pretty cute.  Should we all go in on this together?

CBS announced their 2024-2025 schedule last week.  The good news is that NCIS: Origins is on Monday night, so it's not in conflict with anything else we want to watch.  The bad news is that it will air at 10:00, which is past our bedtime.  Oh well, that's what DVR's were made for.  Thankfully, FBI isn't moving from the 8:00 time-slot on Tuesdays.

Congratulations to guitarist Nita Strauss, who married her drummer/manager Josh Villalta on Saturday and had WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley as the officiant.  It sounds like the couple had exactly the ceremony they wanted.  Good for them and best wishes for the future.  Now Strauss and Villata can go back to playing teeth-loosening songs on the road.  (We speak from experience.  Strauss and her band opened for Mammoth WVH in Boston last year, and it was the heaviest music we've ever heard live.)

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  Let's close things out with a new track from Dua Lipa.  We leave you with, "I'm Happy for You" for today's, "Song of the Day."

Thanks for stopping by, folks.  It was great to see you, as always.  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.