Hi everyone,

Welcome back.  We hope you're doing well.  BDH and Little Buddha worked hard to carve out this window in our schedule so they could say hello to all of you.  Things are a little stressful here, but the guys are doing a great job of trying to keep me focused.  (No easy task.)  They really want to check out today's headlines with you, 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 Tuesday Clutter.

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Convicted felon Donald Trump had a pre-sentencing meeting with a New York probation officer yesterday.  The point of the meeting was for the officer to gather information which will help guide the punishment that Judge Juan Merchan hands down on July 11, following Trump being found guilty on 34 felony counts in his recent hush money case.  Trump should receive the same sentence that any other defendant in this position would get, especially one who showed his complete contempt for the court by repeatedly violating the gag order in the case.  No one in this country is above the law.

Lock him up.  (pic via yahoo.com)

Steve Bannon wants to make it clear that Donald Trump isn't kidding when he threatens retribution if he wins in November.  Bannon recently warned to former FBI directors to, "Get your passport, get the hell out of the country because hey, we're coming.”  Friends, the choice is really this simple:  If you support democracy, you vote for President Biden.  That's all there is to it.  The MAGA cult intends on destroying the United States if they return to power.  That can't be allowed to happen.

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito was caught on tape questioning if political compromise is possible, as well as agreeing that the United States should, "return our country to a place of godliness."  The comments were caught by liberal activist Lauren Windsor at the Supreme Court Historical Society’s annual dinner last week.  They are of course completely inappropriate for a judge on our nation's highest court and are just the latest evidence that Justice Alito makes his decisions based on a personal agenda, not the spirit of the U.S. Constitution.  The unethical behavior he and Justice Thomas continue to display on a regular basis fuels the erosion of the court's credibility.

Oh dear, Elon Musk is unhappy that Apple is partnering with OpenAI.  According to the linked article, Musk co-founded OpenAI and then left the company in 2018.  We're sure his arguments against the partnership are driven by facts and not at all by some personal grudge, or because he's working on a competitor.  Musk is just looking out for the little guy, like usual.  Yeah, that's the ticket.

Maybe Elon Musk is cranky because major Tesla shareholder, the California State Teachers’ Retirement System, indicated it will once again vote against the insane pay package the board offered him.  Musk has threatened to walk away from the company if the new deal is not approved this week.  Tesla should show him the door and wish him the best of luck with his plans to reach Mars.

Sorry, folks, even plant-based ultraprocessed foods are still bad for you.  Try to keep things as fresh as possible.

Former Boston Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo has some thoughts about returning to Fenway Park for the first time later this week since he was traded to the New York Yankees.  Verdugo was overhyped right from the start by the team ownership who was desperate to pretend they didn't blow the Mookie Betts trade.  It turns out that catcher Connor Wong was the actual value in that transaction (although the Red Sox still made a huge mistake.) Wilyer Abreu has taken Verdugo's spot in right field for Boston without missing a beat (at least until his recent injury), and no one is talking about Abreu's immaturity, so it looks like the Sox moved on from Verdgo without any difficulty.

New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson sounds optimistic that he'll reach a new deal with the team.  We're still getting used to the Patriots re-signing their own players.  However, they're keeping the right guys so far, so if they think the 26-year-old Stevenson is worth extending, we're here for it.

Congratulations to Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin on signing a new three-year contract extension that will take him through 2027.  Tomlin has never had a losing season in 17 years with the team, and ownership doesn't change coaches often, so they apparently see no reason to change course now.  Now that this is out of the way, let's see what Tomlin can do with new quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields.

Pro wrestler Ricochet was written off WWE television last night, following the news that he didn't intend to renew his expiring contract with the company.  Now, this being wrestling, anything can happen.  Perhaps he'll change his mind, sign a new deal, and be back on WWE Raw in a few weeks.  However, assuming Ricochet really is gone, good for him for pursuing other options if he thinks that will be better for his career. 

This is why it's important that WWE isn't the only game in town.  They have one style, and it works well for some performers, but not for others.  Whatever the industry, it's always good for labor to have different employment options.

It appears that Taylor Swift will not in fact appear in the upcoming Deadpool and Wolverine.  Maybe that's true, but we're still doubtful.  We don't have a horse in this race, but after years of listening to false statements from people connected to Doctor Who and professional wrestling, as they try to keep spoilers from leading ahead of time, we're still not convinced the singer won't show up on the big screen.  Guess we'll have to see the movie and found out for ourselves.

We want to wish Hugh Laurie a happy birthday.  The former House star turns 65 years old today.  It probably wouldn't make sense for Gregory House to return to TV at this point, but we still hold out hope that Laurie will be included in the new season of The Night Manager with Tom Hiddleston.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus disagrees with the lame argument that political correctness means good comedy no longer exists.  Pushing back against the recent comments from her former co-star Jerry Seinfeld, the actress said, (in part),  “I believe being aware of certain sensitivities is not a bad thing. I don’t know how else to say it.”  Life evolves, friends, and with it, so does what we find funny.  Those who are complaining these days are mad because they are apparently unable to adapt to an ever-changing world.  That's their problem, not ours.

Jack Quaid shared some thoughts about the upcoming season of The Boys, which starts on Amazon Prime Video this Thursday.  We can't wait to see what kind of insanity these characters get themselves into this time.

You say there's a new teaser clip for the next season of The Bear, which arrives on Hulu on June 27?  We say, yes, please:

Jon Bon Jovi and company had a surprise performance last Friday at a new Nashville bar owned by the singer.  That must have been a huge treat for the patrons.   Jon Bon Jovi has been dealing with throat issues for two years now, and he says he can sing, but not full shows on multiple nights each week.  We wish him the best with whatever the future brings.

Happy anniversary to Mammoth WVH's debut album which came out three years ago today.  Wolfgang Van Halen are currently tearing it up on the road with Metallica, but we're already looking forward to hearing the third record.

Sammy Hagar is bringing his annual birthday bash to Las Vegas on October 4 and 5 this year, before he hosts the usual party at the Cabo Wabo Cantina on October 11 and 13.  The 76-year-old Hagar still has a remarkable amount of energy. 

Who frontman Roger Daltrey is irritated about a specific aspect the Internet's impact on live shows.  You'll have to click on the link to find out what has him riled up, but we can see how it would be annoying.

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  We've been humming this tune ever since it appeared in last week's Doctor Who episode, so here's Billie Eilish to close things out with, "bad guy" for today's, "Song of the Day."

Thanks for stopping by, folks.  It was a treat to see you, as always.  Enjoy the rest of your day, be good, and we'll catch up with you again as soon as we can.  Until next time, that's today's Clearing out the Clutter, and we are outta here.