Hi everyone,

How are you?  Our crew stayed up too late last night after a lot of running around yesterday, so we're moving a little slowly this morning.  BDH and Little Buddha don't seem to think today's to-do list will be that hectic, so hopefully we'll get to sneak in a nap at some point before tonight's presidential debate.  (Some garden time would also be outstanding.  Just saying.) 

Let's check out the headlines and see what's going on in the world.  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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The first presidential debate of 2024 will be tonight at 9:00 ET on CNN (with other networks carrying the broadcast.)  The debate will feature just President Biden and Donald Trump onstage, and it will be moderated by CNN's Jake Tapper and Dana Bash.  There will be no audience, and microphones will be muted, except when it's one man's turn to speak.  President Biden challenged Trump to debate before this year's nominating conventions, and he's clearly hoping to benefit by drawing the contrast between himself and the convicted felon.  The best strategy for Trump would be to stay as reality-based as possible, but that's always a struggle for him.

The stakes are high tonight, as both men make their case to the small pool of undecided voters who may determine this race.  Donald Trump has been attacking President Biden's mental and physical health for so long, Biden may win simply by delivering a competent performance.  At the end of the day, one of them supports democracy, and the other wants to install himself as a dictator, completely immune from the law.  The choice really is that simple.

Two men who have completely different visions for this country.  (pic via latimes.com)

It looks like the U.S. Supreme Court prematurely leaked another abortion-related decision:  The first time was the early circulation of the ruling overturning Roe v. Wade two years ago.  Now, it appears the justices are prepared to rule 6-3 to send a challenge to Idaho's abortion ban back to a lower court.  The state's law doesn't provide an exception for when the woman's health is at risk, because conservatives don't care about that.  The court is expected to say that it got involved too early, and that the case will continue at the 9th U.S. Circuit Court.  That means Idaho's ban won't go into effect for now, but you know Samuel Alito and company are chomping at the bit for yet another shot at this issue in the future.

A new poll shows a strong majority of Americans think the U.S. Supreme Court is driven by ideology.  The court's credibility is in tatters, but Chief Justice John Roberts is apparently fine with having this stain on his legacy.

We finally took 30 seconds to find out the story behind the currently viral "Hawk Tuah Girl."  Was it the best use of time?  Probably not, but hey, you won't know for sure until you read the article.

More than 60 ice cream products are being recalled nationwide, due to a potential listeria contamination problem.  That's no good.  People shouldn't have to worry about a potentially fatal illness just because they want to enjoy a cool treat on a hot day.  Click on the linked article to see all of the involved names.  If you bought any of them, bring them back to your supermarket for a refund.

Last night's Boston Red Sox - Toronto Blue Jays game was suspended due to rain and will resume as part of a double-header on August 26.  The Sox have today off before starting a weekend home series against old friend Xander Bogaerts and the San Diego Padres on Friday. 

In the meantime, Boston Globe baseball writer Peter Abraham points out that the Red Sox are on track to acquire a first baseman slugger and All-Star reliever without even making a trade:  That's because Triston Casas and Liam Hendriks are both working to return from injuries in the next month or two.  It would be a major positive if both men can return to anything resembling their previous form.  This team might just cause some damage yet.

Boston Globe football writer Ben Volin has an update on how things are going with rookie New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye.  The kid has a lot to work on, but offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt sounds confident he is moving in the right direction.  Of course, the team knew there would be a steep learning curve to start, which is why they signed veteran QB Jacoby Brissett.  Now we wait to see how long it takes Maye to grab that #1 spot.

Retired NFL center Jason Kelce says he's already lost 20 lbs and is feeling better since calling it quits on his playing career.  Kelce said his goal is to get his weight down about another 20 lbs to get to somewhere around 250-260 so he can continue to enjoy life with his family, and the start of his broadcasting gig.  NFL linemen take an insane pounding on the field, and we wish the 36-year-old Kelce a long and happy/healthy retirement.

The first trailer for Here has arrived.  As we mentioned yesterday, the movie stars Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, and the entire film takes place in one location - as in, the camera apparently doesn't move at all.  It seems like it could be interesting.  Also feels like it might be pretty schmaltzy.  Maybe both.  Guess we'll have to wait and see when Here arrives in theaters on November 15.  Have a look:

Doctor Who boss Russell T. Davies points out that there's a major structural flaw with this year's season finale that we haven't seen others discuss.  The error apparently came about as the result of an editing decision, which is a touch surprising when you think about how many people must look at these episodes before they air.  We generally enjoyed this season, but that last adventure was uneven at best.  Hopefully this year's Christmas special won't have any similar problems.

Soon-to-be-ousted British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak criticized David Tenant for the former Doctor Who star's critical comments about government minister Kemi Badenoch, who is an opponent of transgendered people.  You can probably guess whose side we're on here.  Sunak and Badenoch are trying to make themselves out to be victims of bullying ahead of the country's upcoming election, which the Tories are expected to lose.  We stand with Tennant and other defenders of the LGBTQ+ community.

Season 3 of The Bear dropped last night, and we're proud to say we didn't watch the entire thing in one sitting.  In fact, we didn't see a single episode.  The presidential debate might prevent us from starting tonight, so the new goal is to only watch two episodes at most on Friday.  We'll see how that goes.  So, no spoilers for us for the moment, but here's a brief piece on one of the stars, Abby Elliot.

We mentioned yesterday that a major character is returning to General Hospital.  Now we learn that a big name is leaving Port Charles, and that their last air date is today.  That seems abrupt.  Maybe there's more to this story?  In any case, the character could use an extended absence anyway, but we hope this actor will eventually return at some point down the road.

First it was MTVNews.com, and now Paramount is erasing the websites for Comedy Central, TV Land, and other networks.  What an immense loss of decades of content, all in the name of saving a buck.

The Price is Right host Drew Carey claims contestants are frequently high or drunk when they participate in the show.  That's something to keep an eye out for the next time we see the program on at the gym.

It was disappointing to come across some pro-cryptocurrency tweets on Metallica's feed earlier this week.  We didn't want to think the metal icons would associate themselves with such a sham.  However, it sounds like Metallica might have been hacked.

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  Here's Fatboy Slim to close things out with, "Role Model" 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.