Hi everyone,

Welcome back.  How are you?  BDH and Little Buddha were just checking out today's weather forecast again.  It looks like we've got some warm and steamy weather coming this afternoon.  Thus, the guys are figuring out what errands have to be done outside, so I can get to them first this morning.  I'm so lucky they're such terrific planners.

I think we have a good sense of the schedule, so let's put the to-do list to the side and check out today's 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 Wednesday Clutter.

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President Biden and other Democrats attacked Donald Trump yesterday for his new campaign video featuring a headline article celebrating a "unified Reich" if he wins in November.  (The video was finally taken down, but you know we haven't seen the last of it.)  This language immediately draws comparisons to Adolf Hitler's Third Reich, and that's no accident.  The MAGA cult runs on white nationalism and antisemitism, and that's been Trump's position for years, well before he ever ran for office.  The wannabe-dictator must never be allowed anywhere near the White House again.  Our country's future depends on it.

The Hitler wannabe must be stopped.  (pic via yahoo.com)

The Trump presidential campaign will now be accepting cryptocurrency.  Can't see how that could possibly go wrong.  It's not like this would make it easier for Trump to hide the donors who give him money this way or anything.

US District Judge Aileen Cannon will hear two motions today to dismiss the mishandling of classified documents charges against Donald Trump and his co-defendants.  Judge Cannon has repeatedly bent over backwards to help Trump (who appointed her to the federal bench), so while these motions should clearly fail, it can't be considered a lock.  Even if they are dismissed, Judge Cannon has been complicit in Trump's attempt to delay this trial until after the elections.  She should already have been removed from the case, and regardless of the eventual outcome, her conduct demands a formal review.

President Biden is cancelling another $7.7 billion in student loan debt for 160,000 borrowers.  His latest efforts involve people who are enrolled in either one of two income-driven plans or the Public Loan Service program.  This latest announcement brings the total impact of Biden's plan so far to $167 billion for almost five million Americans, according to the White House.  That's real relief to middle and working class people that will help them in their pursuit of the American dream.  You know, the kind of government action that infuriates Republicans.

Ireland, Norway and Spain announced they will formally recognize an independent Palestinian state, as of May 28.  The move comes in light of growing criticism of Israel for its actions during this war with Hamas.  We'll see if other countries take this step, but there's no doubt that Israel continues to isolate itself on the global stage.

We were hoping this headline was misleading, but it looks like American Airlines really is arguing that a nine-year-old girl should have known she was being secretly recorded in an airplane bathroom.  The child's family filed a lawsuit against the airline after it was revealed that a former flight attendant was arrested for installing a camera in the bathroom.  Rather than settle, the airline has seemingly gone with a victim-blaming approach.  That's outrageous.

Stop us if you've heard this one before:  It still doesn't seem that likely that the Fed will hike interest rates any higher at this point.  However, officials continue to throw cold water on the idea that rate cuts are coming soon.  They've been remarkably consistent with this message - inflation data would have to be at what the Fed considers acceptable levels for months before rates might be lowered, and we're not there yet.  The Clutter investment team remains amazed at how many people keep talking themselves into the idea that cuts are right around the corner.

BDH and Little Buddha found an interesting article about how to send secret messages via your iPhone's Notes application. 

Look at that - the Boston Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-2 last night to win their series.  Considering how the Rays have owned the Red Sox recently, that's impressive.  Boston continues to get terrific pitching performances, and now the offense has been showing signs of life since Sunday.  Rafael Devers didn't hit a home run for the first time in seven games on Tuesday, but Jarren Duran and Reese McGuire both hit shots, and Duran also stole three bases (including home!)  Throw in an error-free performance in the field, and now you're talking.

Next up:  The Red Sox go for the sweep tonight, with Bryan Bello taking the mound against the Rays.

The Boston Celtics beat the Indiana Pacers 133-128 in overtime in last night's Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals.  What, you thought the Celtics might blow the game because they needed Jaylen Brown to hit a three-pointer, with less than six seconds left in the fourth quarter, to tie the game and send it to OT?  Nah, they had it all the way.  This was obviously their response to all of the Boston sports radio talk show hosts who have complained that this team "needs to be tested."  Yeah, that's the ticket.  The Celtics will try to go up 2-0 against Indiana tomorrow night, as their quest for another championship banner continues.

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice was accused earlier this month of punching someone in a Dallas nightclub.  However, the alleged victim apparently now doesn't want to press charges.  Sure, nothing shady about that.

Arizona Cardinals rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. is being sued by Fanatics for breach of contract.  It's disappointing to see this kind of story appearing before Harrison Jr. has even played a down in the NFL.  Here's hoping the highly-regarded player doesn't let his business dealings derail his professional career before it even gets started.

Fox NFL analyst Greg Olsen won an Emmy last night, but he's still going to get bumped down a spot to make room for Tom Brady next season.  Yeah, that's not awkward at all.  The prediction here is that Fox will end up regretting making this move within a season or two.  They already have the award winner on the roster.  The dds are good that we're about to see a decline at the #1 spot.

The first reactions from some Bad Boys: Ride or Die screenings generally seem pretty positive.  It's early, but we'd call it a win if the movie (which hits theaters on June 7) is at least considered better than the third installment.

Yikes, The Fall Guy is apparently already on some streaming services, even though it's still in theaters.  We were always going to wait for this one, but the pairing of Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt seemed like it had a lot of potential.

Comcast's Netflix-Apple TV+-Peacock streaming bundle will apparently cost $15 a month.  We'll probably take a pass on that one for now.  We already have Netflix, Peacock didn't feel like a "must have" when it was part of our previous TV package, and what do we "need" to see on Apple TV+?  Yeah, we'll stick with our Disney+/Hulu combo for now.  How about you?  Will you sign up for this new deal?

Last night's FBI season finale was solid.  Not sure why, but we had a fear halfway through the episode that it was going to cut across all three shows in the franchise.  Thankfully that's not what happened.  They brought closure to a major story, and there was no dramatic cliffhanger, which we appreciated. The only major problem with this season was that it was too short, thanks to the strikes. 

FBI: International fans, how did you feel about Luke Kleintank's departure in the season finale?  Are you sad he's gone?  Excited to see how Colin O'Donnell does as the new lead?  Both?

We are really not looking forward to Detective Hailey Upton leaving Chicago P.D. after tonight's season finale, but hopefully the character will at least get a solid exit. 

This is funny:  We apparently missed the huge cameo during George Cooper Sr.'s funeral during the Young Sheldon series finale. 

There will be another Night Court cast change next season.  We won't give it away, but we will say we won't miss this character very much.  They've never really clicked for us, so here's hoping the producers found a better fit.

Now that Walker is coming to an end, might we see Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles team up again in some fashion?  The CW's new owners clearly wouldn't be interested in a Supernatural reboot.  Maybe Padalecki could follow Ackles and Jim Beaver on The Boys on Amazon Prime Video at some point down the road?

Sean Combs' legal troubles continue:  He's now being accused of a 2003 sexual assault, according to a new lawsuit.

Former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony shared some thoughts about Wolfgang Van Halen in a recent interview.  The linked article's headline is click-bait when it says Anthony thought Wolfgang, "probably wasn't excited" about playing in Van Halen.  Anthony's point was that the younger Van Halen wanted to establish his own musical identity, which makes sense.  It sounds like the two men get along fine, even though Wolfgang replaced Anthony in the group.  After all the stories we've read over the years, that was just the latest (maybe last) in a long line of hostile steps Eddie Van Halen made against Anthony.  It's too bad they were never able to patch things up before the guitarist's death in 2020.

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  Here's Hootie & The Blowfish to close things out with their cover of the Buffalo Springfield classic, "For What It's Worth" 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 tonight for the "One Chicago" season finales.  (We have some snacks, but you can also bring some if you like.)  Otherwise, enjoy the rest of your day, stay cool, 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.