Hi everyone,

Welcome back.  How are you?  I was just telling BDH and Little Buddha it would be cool if we could keep today's to do-list kind of short.  I was up too late watching the Red Sox game with Dad Clutter last night, and now I'm moving slowly.  It's always terrific to have the time with him, but I don't get to bed until at least an hour after I leave his house.  A guy needs his rest, you know.

BDH and Little Buddha promised to keep the errands to the essentials, including some garden time later, so we should be in good shape.   I didn't find anything at the bookstore yesterday, so now I have to make sure to grab the new edition of our local weekly paper so we can do the rock & roll crossword puzzle together.

First, let's check out the headlines.  There's a fresh pot 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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Yesterday it was Arizona, and now Missouri becomes the latest state to put a proposed constitutional amendment protecting the right to abortion on the ballot in November.  If passed, the measure would protect abortions in Missouri until viability, which is around 24 weeks.  That's in direct opposition to the near-total ban currently in force in the state.  We see it time and time again across the country - people don't want the government interfering in their health care decisions.  They continue to fight back against the damage done by right-wing extremists, especially since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. 

As Governor Tim Walz so eloquently puts it, if you don't want to have an abortion, don't have one.  However, when it comes to other peoples' decisions, mind your own business.

Stop the bans.  (pic via missouriindependent.com)

The Harris - Walz ticket continues to build momentum across the country, and now a new poll shows the Democrats trailing Donald Trump and JD Vance by just 5% in Florida.   If they can make inroads like that in a state with such a strong Republican voter advantage, anything is possible.  Those numbers are sure to trigger yet another meltdown from Florida resident Trump any time now.  Regardless of his rantings, it's clear that people are embracing a view of the country that is welcoming to all.  Not the raging hellhole Trump and Vance want to inflict on everyone.

Not only did Donald Trump's Twitter return earlier this week do nothing to help his campaign, it seems to have angered his Truth Social investors. The company doesn't make any money, and now Trump is making nice with the real king of that part of social media.  The people who bought this stock deserve to lose every last penny they put into it.  Even a five-year-old child has better judgment than these cult followers.

We're glad to see that Representative Ilhan Omar won her Democratic primary in Minnesota last night.  After fellow "Squad" members Rep. Jamaal Bowman and Rep. Cori Bush were defeated because of their criticisms of Israel, we were wondering if Rep. Omar might be next.  However, AIPAC sat out this race after spending millions to beat Bowman and Bush, and the incumbent was able to turn back challenger Don Samuels.  She will now face Republican Dalia Al-Aqidi in November.  However, that is expected to be an easier contest.

Investors are eagerly awaiting the release of July's Consumer Price Index (CPI) report later today, as yet another wave of anticipation builds for a possible interest rate cut in September.  Things certainly do seem to be moving in that direction this time, so we'll see if the latest data throws more fuel on the fire. 

Mars Inc. is buying Cheez-it/Pringles maker Kellanova for almost $36 billion.  Don't think we buy too many Mars products, apart from an occasional M&M's package, but we do enjoy some Cheez-it goodness, so sure, take our money.

The Boston Red Sox beat the Texas Rangers 9-4 to win their series last night.  Boston starter Kutter Crawford's pitching line (three hits and four earned runs over 5 1/3 innings) doesn't tell the tale of his outing.  Crawford was perfect through the first 5 1/3 innings until he quickly gave up a run and the three hits.  Reliever Cam Booser then proceeded to let all of the inherited runners score.  Fortunately, the Red Sox offense delivered once again with nine runs on 12 hits.  It looks like the bats will have to stay hot for the rest of the way, because Boston's pitching seems to be fraying.

Next up:  The Red Sox go for the sweep when Tanner Houck takes the mound against the Rangers tonight.

The Dallas Cowboys became the first pro sports franchise to be valued at over $10 billion, according to Sportico, which places them at $10.32 billion.  Good for them.  Get back to us when the Cowboys finally win another Super Bowl, because it's been 28 years and counting since their last title.  We know, it's all about the money.  However, when it comes to actual winning, Dallas remains one of the two most overhyped teams in the country.  (Hey there, New York Yankees.)

Minnesota Vikings rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy will have surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee this week.  It's unclear if McCarthy will be able to play this season or have to sit out until 2025.  Either way, that's a disappointing start to his NFL career.  This is why we have no problem with NFL players in particular grabbing every last dollar they can get.  Their careers can change on a dime.  We hope McCarthy's procedure turns out to be minor, and that he will be back out on the field soon.

Good to see that French authorities are investigating the online abuse that was directed at Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif, when certain people (cough:  J.K. Rowling, Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Pat McAffee and others) falsely claimed Khelif was a transgendered man inappropriately competing against women.  We'll see how this investigation turns out, but if Khelif has the opportunity to make these people (literally) pay for their lies, we hope she succeeds. 

Oh dear, George Clooney is mad because Quentin Tarantino apparently doesn't think he's a "movie star."  Knowing that will probably ruin rest of the director's year.  Tarantino apparently made the comment in July 2023, so it can't really be bothering Clooney all that much either.  We will say that we've enjoyed a number of Clooney movies, but it's probably been about 10-15 years since he made something we really felt like we had to see.  The last one was probably The Descendants in 2011, and even that was a bit of a stretch.  Maybe Tarantino was onto something.

It was intriguing to hear about "a time travel comedy" starring Mary Louise Parker and Ayo Edebiri.  However, we get the sense from the Omni Loop trailer that it's going to end up getting dusty in here.  "Groundhog Day with tears" isn't quite what we had in mind, although we love both actresses.  We'll probably check this film out at some point, but we're looking for more laughs right now.  See for yourself:

The first full trailer for the upcoming new season of Only Murders in the Building is just what we're looking for today.  The next mystery starts on Hulu in less than two weeks on August 27.  Can't wait!

Jimmy Kimmel apparently isn't confident about the long-term future of late night TV talk shows, saying they might be gone in 10 years.  His argument is that a combination so many viewing options, plus the ability to watch clips online the next day, could mean the end for a number of programs over the next decade.  What do you think?  Will Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, and company still be on the air in 2034?

Jack White is on tour, but he doesn't plan on giving his fans much advanced notice.  Good for him for trying something new.  We're curious to see how well this business model works.

Okay kids, here's Richard Marx to close things outwith, "Endless Summer Nights" 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, don't forget your sunscreen, 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.