Hi everyone,

How are you?  Our crew is moving a little slowly right now.  We had all sorts of running around yesterday, and we were just about ready for bed, when BDH and Little Buddha discovered at the last minute that there was finally a new "Chicago P.D." episode.  We had to stay up for that, of course, so we're dragging a bit.

I think today might end up being a little on the quiet side, which is good, because a new round of craziness starts tomorrow.  Let's check out the headlines first, and then we'll go from there.  The guys made coffee, so grab yourself a nice medium DD, because it's time to clear out some Thursday Clutter.

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Donald Trump will start his day with another contempt of court hearing in his hush money case.  Prosecutors want Trump fined an additional $4,000 for four statements he made on his wannabe-Twitter social media platform.  That's on top of the $9,000 he was just fined for nine other statements that violated the limited gag order prohibiting attacks on witnesses, jurors, and others connected to the case.  Judge Juan Merchan knows these small sums aren't enough of a financial penalty to change Trump's behavior.  If state law won't allow the judge to increase the amount, he's got to put Trump behind bars like any other defendant in the same situation.

Once the contempt of court hearing is over, the trial will discuss Trump's multiple infidelities in more detail.  Remember, friends - never accept a lecture from a Republican.  If they accept this guy as their leader, they never hold the moral high ground on anything.

Donald Trump made it clear once again yesterday that he'll only accept the results of the 2024 presidential election if he wins.  One has to hope that the Biden administration and state governments are preparing for another violent response if Trump loses again.  The man will do whatever it takes to stay out of prison.  If he has to burn down the country to do it, he won't hesitate for a second, and his cult followers will blindly follow whatever instructions he gives them.

Donald Trump is a threat to the United States.  (pic via aol.com)

As expected, Fed chairman Jay Powell announced yesterday that interest rates will remain unchanged for now, as the fight continues to bring inflation down to the 2% target rate.  The S&P 500 fell about a third of a percentage point at the end of the day on Wednesday, so there was no overreaction to this news.  Powell did say that additional interest rate hikes seem unlikely at this time, which is good news for investors.  However, at this point, the Clutter investment team would be surprised if there was more than one rate cut at most in 2024.  Regardless, the team remains focused on the long-term picture.

The Boston Red Sox beat the San Francisco Giants 6-2 last night to improve to 18-13 on the season.  Boston's starting pitching continues to be outstanding, as Kutter Crawford gave up the two runs over seven innings.  These guys are getting better at going deeper into games, which is fun to watch.  Crawford also got some help from catcher Connor Wong, who made an incredible play to throw out Matt Chapman in the sixth inning and his pitcher out of a jam.  The Sox got offense from six different players, including new first baseman Dominic Smith, who had just signed with the team a few hours earlier.  That's a great way to make a good impression on your new teammates.

Next up:  Josh Winckowski will take the mound for the Red Sox as they try to sweep the Giants this afternoon.

Boston Red Sox boss Craig Breslow reportedly hired an outside consulting agency to do an audit of the organization.  The first thing the people from the Sportsology Group should tell them is that trading Mookie Betts was an awful decision, and everyone connected to that move should no longer be connected to the team.  After that, they can say whatever they like to Breslow.

It sounds like running back Rhamondre Stevenson would like to stay with the New England Patriots.  Injuries derailed him last season, but when healthy, the 26-year-old Stevenson was a great fit.  Granted, that was under the old regime, but new head coach Jerod Mayo knows what Stevenson can do, and the Patriots are suddenly re-signing guys they like these days, so maybe an extension can come together soon.

Just like Mac Jones and Zach Wilson on Tuesday, the Dallas Cowboys announced on Wednesday they are not picking up quarterback Trey Lance's 5th-year option.  That means Lance will also join the free agent ranks after this season.  Boy, the Class of 2021 quarterbacks have really been busts, apart from Trevor Lawrence.  It will be interesting to see if any of these guys can salvage their careers.  In the meantime, our fingers are crossed that the New England Patriots made the right call this time with Drake Maye.

Congratulations to the Boston Celtics on beating the Miami Heat 118-84 last night to win their series 4-1 and advance to the next round of the NBA playoffs.  The Celtics have had several postseason battles with the Heat in past years, but Boston is a much better team than Miami this season.  There was no reason for this series to go long, and the Celtics took care of business.  Now they wait to find out if they will play the Orlando Magic or Cleveland Cavaliers next.

Former movie mogul Harvey Weinstein will face a new sexual assault trial in New York this fall, after his 2020 conviction was recently overturned on appeal, due to a technicality.  Weinstein will remain in jail in California until then, as he serves out a sentence for another rape.

TV producer Dan Schneider is suing for defamation over how he was portrayed in the recent docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, which looked at stories of sexual abuse of child actors on various television shows.  We don't want to get sued, but after everything we've read over the years, it's hard to see why Schneider would want to discuss this issue under oath.  Our money says this one gets settled out of court with a confidential agreement.

This is exciting:  Steve Martin said the cast of Only Murders in the Building is about halfway through the filming of the fourth season.  Only Murders was one of the first programs we got hooked on after finally subscribing to Hulu.  It's fantastic.  Everyone in the casts is terrific, and the mysteries are engaging.  The only problem was that we binge-watched the first three seasons way too quickly.  What can we say - was hard to turn off the TV.  Can't wait to see how this latest mystery works out, and who shows up along the way.

Vanessa Lachey shared her thoughts about the unexpected cancellation of NCIS:  Hawai'i, including her regret for fans that the series won't get a proper ending.  As we've discussed here many times before, that's the sad reality for the majority of shows - one way or another, the ending is likely to disappoint, which makes it all the more remarkable when one actually sticks the landing.

The trailer is out for the restored version of the 197o Beatles movie, Let It Be, and it looks gorgeous.  Let It Be arrives on Disney+ on May 8, and then Doctor Who premieres on May 10, so it looks like we'll be getting a lot of value out of our subscription next week:

On a similar note, Ghost's long-awaited movie, "Rite Here Rite Now" will reportedly run in theaters on June 20 and 22.  According to the linked article, it's a concert film that also has a storyline.  That's not something we need to see on the big screen, but we'd probably give it a look if it eventually lands on one of our streaming service subscriptions.  In the meantime, we'll keep an eye out for the trailer when it gets released next Thursday.

It looks like Linkin Park is thinking about a reunion tour next year with an as-of-yet-unnamed female vocalist.  Good for them.  The late Chester Bennington will have been gone for eight years as of 2025, so if the band is ready to move forward, we wish them the best.  We also say good luck to anyone who has to fill in for the singer, because that's going to be a daunting challenge.

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  Let's have Metallica give things a kick in the backside and take us out with a live version of, "For Whom the Bell Tolls" for today's, "Song of the Day."

That should help.

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.