Wednesday Clutter: Vice President Harris, Trump, Rudy Giuliani, Abercrombie & Fitch, McDonald's, Tampa Bay Rays, New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys, Only Murders in the Building, NCIS: Origins, Queen, Squeeze, and more
10/23/2024
Hi everyone,
Welcome back. How are you? Our crew is doing pretty well at the moment. Apart from striking out at the bookstore, I crushed yesterday's to-do list, so that felt good. I was particularly pleased to be able to mow the lawn one more time, thanks to this current warm spell. The fact that the mowing also cleared out the current layer of leaves and saved me some raking was a bonus.
We have an appointment this morning, but apart from that, today shouldn't be too crazy. Let's kick things off by taking a peek at the headlines. BDH and Little Buddha just made a pot of coffee, so grab yourself a nice medium DD, because it's time to clear out some Wednesday Clutter.
Vice President Kamala Harris said during an interview with NBC News yesterday that she and the Democrats are prepared if Donald Trump tries to prematurely declare victory in November. However, Vice President Harris also said the first priority is to in fact beat him next month. We hope Vice President Harris is right that Democrats are prepared for anything. Trump and the MAGA cult have spent years trying to diminish confidence in our elections. There's no doubt they'll use every weapon at their disposal, from court challenges to more violent mobs, if he loses again.
Vice President Harris she is ready for whatever Trump is planning. (pic via www.ctvnews.ca)
On a related note: From Fox News to NBC News, Vice President Harris continues to make the media rounds, while Trump hides from mainstream networks, because he knows he can't handle anything except for obsessive fawning over him.
Donald Trump is now resorting to referring to Vice President Harris as "lazy," a long-used racist slur against people of color. This is all he's got, folks. Nothing that's going to help ordinary Americans. Just racism, misogyny, and whatever random topic floats into his melting brain at any given time.
Donald Trump is alleging that UK's Labour Party is interfering in the election because some members have come to the U.S. to volunteer between now and November. History tells us that all Trump attacks against his opponents are deflections of his own issues, so that would mean this noise is meant to distract from Russia and other countries once again interfering on his behalf. Let's leave the foreign agent behind once and for all next month.
The Georgia Supreme Court unanimously rejected a bid to revive voting rules that were approved by Trump allies on the State Election Board. This is a big deal, because even the conservative majority on this court wouldn't go along with the MAGA attempts to steal the election. According to the article, 25% of the state's active voters have already cast their ballot. It's good to know that they and the rest of the voters in Georgia can feel confident that their voices will be counted.
Judge Aileen Cannon is reportedly on the list for possible attorney general candidates if Donald Trump returns to the White House. Looks like we're now seeing what it took to get her to throw out the classified documents case against the man who nominated her for the federal bench in the first place. Special counsel Jack Smith is appealing Cannon's decision. The case should be reinstated, and Cannon's conduct should be reviewed.
A federal judge ordered Rudy Giuilani to turn over his Manhattan apartment and other assets to the two former Georgia election workers he defamed after the 2020 presidential election. You love to see it. Giuliani owes Ruby Freeman and Wandrea “Shaye” Moss $146 million, and he should be forced to come up with every last penny. You sell your soul to Donald Trump, you deserve to literally pay the price for it.
North Korean troops have apparently been spotted in Russia. Is North Korea joining the war against Ukraine? If so, will South Korea respond?
Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries and two associates were arrested on sex trafficking charges yesterday. If they're guilty, we hope the courts throw the book at them.
An E. coli outbreak has been linked to McDonald's Quarter Pounder hamburgers. We haven't eaten at the fast food chain in almost 35 years, and it was definitely the right call. These cases have reportedly mostly been in western and Midwest states, according to the linked article, but maybe reconsider your eating options for the time being, even if you live in another part of the country. It can't hurt to be overly cautious.
We're sad to hear that Fernando Valenzuela died yesterday at age 63. No cause of death was provided. The former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher/broadcaster was one of the first baseball stars we ever learned about when we started getting into the sport back in the early 1980's. He was amazing in his rookie year and was in fact the only player to ever win Rookie of the Year and the Cy Young Award in the same season. Our condolences go out to his family, friends, and many fans.
Major League Baseball wants the Tampa Bay Rays to stay in the area, even if Tropicana Field's destroyed roof hasn't been fixed by the start of the 2025 season. That would likely mean playing in one of the nearby minor league parks in Florida. Those stadiums only seat a few thousand people. However, that's how many fans the team generally brings in anyway, so at least the place would actually look full for a change.
Sorry, we're just not fazed that New England Patriots rookie head coach Jerod Mayo is having a tough first season. The Week 1 win against the Cincinnati Bengals was a nice surprise, but no one had high hopes for this team this year. They're weak on talent in multiple positions, they've had injuries, and of course Mayo is going to have some bumps in his first time as the boss. If you put in any other coach, what's the best-case scenario for this 1-6 team? They might be 3-4? Even that's a reach. Buckle in, fans. This rebuild is going to take a while, no matter who is in charge.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is still trying to convince himself that he made the right move by not pursuing then-free agent running back Derrick Henry in the offseason. Henry is currently leading the league in rushing with 873 yards, while the Cowboys are at the bottom of the NFL with just 463 rushing yards. If Jones really thinks Henry couldn't have helped his team, he has no business making player decisions. The more realistic answer is that the billionaire was too cheap to give Henry the 2-year/$16 million contract he eventually got from the Baltimore Ravens, and it came back to bite him.
The Los Angeles Rams are reportedly looking to trade wide receiver Cooper Kupp and are apparently willing to pay some of his salary to move him. The Rams are said to be looking for a second-round draft pick in return. Kupp has been injured and has only played in two games so far, but would the New England Patriots be interested in at least talking to the Rams? New England's extensive rebuild will require an abundance of draft picks to accomplish, but if the Rams will pick up some of the money this year, and Kupp only is only guaranteed $5 million in 2025, it seems like that's worth a phone call.
The Boston Celtics spent last night unveiling Banner #18, getting their championship rings, and then crushing the New York Knicks 132-109, while tying an NBA record by making 29 three-pointers. All in all, we'd have to say it was a successful start to the season.
This week's episode of Only Murders in the Building was mixed. Any scenes involving the three lead characters (played by Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez) continue to be terrific, and the latest interactions between Martin and Short were particularly strong. Ron Howard also did a terrific job as this week's celebrity cameo. However, the apparent reveal of this season's killer didn't do anything for us. There seems to be somewhat of a motive, but we're also guessing there's at least one more twist coming. Next week's season finale (boo!) has a lot of ground to cover before the closing credits roll.
We enjoyed the latest episode of NCIS: Origins. It's the story of Leroy Jethro Gibbs' early days at the then-NIS, but Mike Franks is the star of this show so far. Actor Kyle Schmid feels like Muse Watson (who originally portrayed Franks on the NCIS mothership) stepped into a time machine. The character and actor both demand your attention every time Franks is on the screen (as was the case with Watson on the original show), while Austin Stowell continues to develop as a younger Gibbs.
The second season of Beef is officially a go at Netflix, and the cast includes Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan. Outstanding. Season one was some of the most amazing television we've watched in years, and we can't wait to see what creator Lee Sung Jin has in mind this time.
Former One Tree Hill star Bethany Joy Lenz's memoir about her time in a cult is out now. Hmm, we might have to circle back to the bookstore to give that one a look.
Queen guitarist Brian May said former bassist John Deacon is still involved with the business end of the band, even though he retired shortly after frontman Freddie Mercury died in 1991. Going by May's comments in the linked article, it sounds like Mercury's death hit Deacon hard, and he decided he was better suited for a more private life at that point. If that's the case, good for him. We imagine it had to be hard to leave such a successful group, but it all comes down to the importance of self-care.
Okay kids, that's going to do it for now. Here's Squeeze to close things out with, "Tempted" 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.
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