Hi everyone,

Welcome back, and a happy Friday to you all!  The birds are chirping like crazy again this morning, but BDH and Little Buddha are pretty sure they're talking about their weekend plans this time.  I am in no rush for this month/summer to end, but this humidity can leave anytime now.  I woke up at least 20 times last night because there was just no air flow in here.  Oh well.  The guys have already made the coffee, so help yourself to a nice medium DD, and let's clear out some Clutter.

Donald Trump's ridiculous military parade was postponed after it was revealed that this ego boost would cost $92 million.  The White House claimed that the point of the parade was to honor veterans, but think about how many of those soldiers could be helped if that money was allocated to direct services instead.  The parade is now being considered for 2019, but that's many political lifetimes from now.

As expected, Donald Trump had a meltdown over yesterday's defense of a free press which was organized by the Boston Globe. 

Retired Adm. William McRaven, the man behind the capture of Osama bin Laden, dared Donald Trump to also revoke his security clearance in a scathing op-ed in the Washington Post yesterday.   Is Trump disconnected enough from reality to take on McRaven?  We'll say there's a 20% chance he claims the man had nothing to do with the bin Laden raid, but either way, is this a line for anyone else in the GOP, or does the march towards the cliff continue without pause for Republicans?  Have we mentioned the mid-term elections are less than 12 weeks away?

What else do you think Omarosa has on tape?

The world lost a music icon with the passing of Aretha Franklin yesterday.  The Queen of Soul was a once-in-a-lifetime talent who moved audiences for over 50 years.   She was a multi-Grammy winner and the first woman ever inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, because really, no one else was going to go in front of her.  We can't remember who said it on TV yesterday, but all of her many awards and honors didn't confer greatness upon her, they recognized the greatness within her.  Our condolences go out to her family, friends, and fans.  Aretha Franklin was 76 years old.

A true legend.  (pic via jsonline.com)

ABC's decision not to air the Black-ish episode that dealt with athlete protests has come back to bite them, because show creator Kenya Barris has reportedly signed an exclusive three-year deal at Netflix for $100 million. 

The New England Patriots beat the Philadelphia Eagles 37-20 last night.  The biggest benefit of this preseason game is not having to listen to Philadelphia fans talk about a winning streak against the Patriots.   Tom Brady played almost the entire first half and went 19 for 26 for 172 yards and two touchdowns, so he seems to be ready for the season to begin.   The Pats take on the Carolina Panthers next week.

After a day off, the Boston Red Sox start a weekend series at home against the Tampa Bay Rays.  Brian Johnson takes the mound for Boston tonight.

It's expected to be announced today that the Pawtucket Red Sox will be moving to Worcester, Massachusetts.  If true, that will be the end of an era, as the Boston Red Sox AAA affiliate has been in Rhode Island for 48 years.  We have fond memories of seeing David Ortiz playing with the PawSox during an injury rehab stint many moons ago.  There was a great atmosphere at McCoy Stadium, no obstructed views, reasonable prices, and it didn't take three hours to get out of the parking lot.   The first question that comes to mind about this likely announcement is, how much is this move going to cost taxpayers?  We can appreciate the excitement in the area, and we will probably take a trip to see the club at some point down the road, but new stadium deals usually end up being a bad deal when the bill comes due.

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  We're obviously going to close things out with some Aretha Franklin.  There are so many fantastic clips to chose from, but here are three personal favorites for today's, "Songs of the Day." 

Thanks for stopping by, everyone.  It was great to see you, as always.  BDH and Little Buddha want you to know that you're welcome to come back later to watch the Red Sox game with us if you like.  Otherwise, enjoy the rest of your day, be good, and we'll see you back here again for more fun soon.  Until next time, that's today's Clearing out the Clutter, and we are outta here.