Hi everyone,

Welcome back.  How are you?  BDH and Little Buddha started working on today's to-do list, but they got distracted by the chirping birds.  (The guys think they're talking about the weather.)  My guess is that we won't have that many errands, but we'll circle back to that later.  (The birds apparently say heavy rain is coming soon.)   In any case,  there should be some new "One Chicago" shows tonight, so we know the day will end on a good note.

However, the day has to start before it can end, so let's get to work.  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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Adult film star Stormy Daniels testified in Donald Trump's hush money trial yesterday and told her account of their 2016 encounter.  Her story sounds a lot like those told by women who dealt with Harvey Weinstein.  According to Daniels, Trump invited her to dinner after an event, and then he invited her to his hotel room to supposedly talk about her career.  Trump then stripped to his underwear while blocking her way out of the room. 

Trump's lawyers tried to get a mistrial but failed.  They also spent time attacking Daniels' credibility, but nothing they did shook her recollection of the night.  Trump has long claimed none of this happened, but Daniels' story was convincing.  The fact that she said he expressed no concerns about keeping their time together secret is revealing.  Trump was long-used to forcing himself on women, and he clearly assumed this was business as usual for him. 

Court is out of session today, and then the actress will continue testifying tomorrow.

Lock him up.  (pic via nashuatelegraph.com)

Judge Aileen Cannon has indefinitely delayed Donald Trump's classified documents case because, gosh darn, it's just too complicated for the court to understand all of the pieces in time to hold the trial before the November election.  Judge Cannon, who was appointed to the federal bench by Trump, has bent over backwards to protect him right from the beginning.  The linked article indicates there will be a hearing on May 22 regarding motions to dismiss the case.  Should Judge Cannon agree to do so, prosecutors should be looking at her as an unindicted co-conspirator.  Even if she doesn't, she should already have been removed, because she's in over her head.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wants to debate Donald Trump at the Libertarian Party convention which takes place on May 24 and 25.  That sounds like a fantastic idea.  It would show real weakness from Trump if he was too afraid of Kennedy to accept his challenge.  Let's find out what the differences are between the two men, because as far as we can tell, they're just different sides of the same extremist MAGA coin.  What do you say, Donald?  Take a nap ahead of time, and you'll be fine.

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem got angry at a Fox News host for asking if Noem's story about killing her dog should disqualify her from consideration as Donald Trump's VP choice.  We don't say this often, but it was a reasonable question from a Fox employee.  Not only should this end any chance of Noem being on the GOP ticket, it should be the beginning of the end of her time as governor.  Shooting a dog, and rabidly defending the decision, isn't a demonstration of strength.  It's a display of awful judgment that has no place in our government.

TikTok is suing to block the new law which would force the sale of the company, or else it will be banned in the United States.  Their argument is correct - this is a blatant 1st Amendment violation being hidden behind unproven claims that the company is a national security threat.  The U.S. shouldn't be in the business of blocking media platforms.  That's the work of authoritarian governments.  Here's hoping the lawsuit succeeds.

It doesn't look like interest rate cuts are coming anytime soon, and the Clutter investment team still thinks they may not happen until 2025.  However, Minneapolis Fed president Neel Kashkari is now hinting that another hike could be on the table if inflation doesn't break below the current 3% level. 

Panera announced it is discontinuing its Charged Sips drinks after they were the focus of two wrongful death lawsuits against the company.  A large version of these beverages contained as much caffeine as about three cups of coffee, according to the linked article.  That's enough to jolt anyone's nervous system, and if you have a heart condition, it could be tied to a much worse result.  Everything in moderation, friends.

BDH and Buddha think you should check out this video of a police dog named Raider and some of her pals.  The guys are convinced they'd be buddies with Raider if they met:

The Boston Red Sox lost 4-2 to the Atlanta Braves last night.  Boston starter Kutter Crawford had another quality outing, giving up just two earned runs over six innings.  However, the Red Sox offense left 13 men on base, and it's hard to win when you squander so many opportunities.  Tonight should be a great match up when Nick Pivetta returns from the IL to take on old friend Chris Sale.

At least the Boston Celtics took care of business and handily beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 120-95 in Game 1 of their NBA Eastern Conference semi-final series yesterday.  Game 2 is tomorrow night, and as long as the Celtics stay focused, it should be a repeat of Tuesday's result.  Anything then less than a title for this year's team will be a disappointment.

Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said he's keeping J.J. Watt's phone number in case things go horrifically wrong for the team this year.  Watt recently said he'd be open to playing for former teammate Ryans if it was absolutely necessary.   As we discussed yesterday, given Watt's extensive injury history, we hope we've seen the last of him on the field for his own good.  Everyone can have a good laugh here, but stay in the CBS studios as an analyst, big guy.

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce continues to prepare his transition to a post-NFL life:  Kelce will reportedly have a role in Ryan Murphy's FX horror series, Grotesquerie.  There aren't many details at the moment, but we'll be curious to see how this goes.

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice is reportedly a suspect in an alleged assault that took place earlier this week in a Dallas nightclub.  Rice is already facing legal problems due to his role in a seven-car crash in Dallas in March.

It's lame that Netflix apparently edited out Kim Kardashian being booed at the Tom Brady roast, an event which is the last place where participants should be worrying about hurt feelings.

Oh no, someone else is leaving Chicago Fire.  We don't care for that at all.

The title of the new NCIS spin-off featuring Tony and Ziva is...NCIS:  Tony and Ziva.  Feels a little cheesy.  We're a little curious about the show, but it still won't be enough to get us to subscribe to the Paramount+ streaming service to watch it.

NBC cancelled Extended Family after just one season.  That was the right call.  We still remember being irritated at how bad the first episode of the Jon Cryer sitcom was after being subjected to constant hype for it.  Cryer was playing a variation of his  Alan Harper character from Two and a Half Guys, and the entire thing was way too forced.  However, the good news is that the linked article also says NBC renewed Night Court for a third season, so we have that to look forward to in the fall.

Mr. Big has a new album coming out on July 12.  The band is currently in the middle of a "farewell" tour, but it sounds like the members are open to making more music together in the future.

Michael Anthony recently discussed why the rumored Van Halen tribute tour of 2022 fell apart.  There were reportedly tentative plans for shows featuring Anthony returning on bass, with Alex Van Halen on drums, David Lee Roth on vocals, and Joe Satriani on guitar, but then...nothing.  Anthony is too polite to name names, but it's pretty clear which one of these guys blew up the project. 

It's a shame, but Wolfgang Van Halen playing Van Halen tunes during the Taylor Hawkins tribute concerts was probably as close as we'll get to a real goodbye to Eddie.  In the meantime, VH fans can still enjoy Anthony, Satriani, Sammy Hagar, and Jason Bonham playing these songs this summer. 

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  Let's have R.E.M. close things out with, "Superman" for today's, "Song of the Day."

Thanks for stopping by, folks.  It was great to see you, as always.  BDH and Little Buddha say you're welcome to come back tonight if you want to watch the new "One Chicago" shows with them.  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.