Hi everyone,

Welcome back!  Come on in, have a seat.  How are you?  The day is off to a rainy start here.  It's a good thing I was able to sneak in a bike ride after all yesterday, because it doesn't seem likely today.  Of course, I said that yesterday, so maybe I'll be wrong again.  I definitely won't have to worry about watering the garden this week.  I haven't had to do it for the last few weeks, and the rain probably does a better job, but I miss doing it myself.  As long as the flowers are healthy, that's all that matters.  Well, that and having coffee, of course.  BDH and Little Buddha just made a fresh pot, so help yourself to a nice medium DD, and let's clear out some Tuesday Clutter.

Donald Trump went on a tirade yesterday after former aide Omarosa Manigault Newman accused him of having used "the N word" on a tape.  Now, Omarosa isn't the most trustworthy person on the planet (which made her a perfect fit for this White House), but this story shouldn't surprise anyone if it turns out to be true.  It's telling that Trump's argument was that TV producer Mark Burnett called him to tell him there were no such tapes.  In other words, at best, Trump couldn't remember one way or the other.  The question now becomes, assuming Trump is lying as usual, how will Republicans react if such a tape becomes public?  Will they finally come to their senses and stop following the Russian puppet off the cliff, or will they just claim the tape is doctored, or some other such nonsense?

When he wasn't having a meltdown about tapes, Donald Trump went out of his way to diss John McCain while signing a defense spending bill named after the Arizona senator.  It would be more of a story if Trump hadn't done it, and we would all be better off if the media spent more time explaining what's actually in the bill, because it's likely much more troubling than the Great Pumpkin being a buffoon.

If you haven't already seen it, check out this powerful column by Stephen Miller's uncle blasting the White House aide for incredible hypocrisy as Miller pushes Donald Trump's extreme anti-immigrant agenda. 

Folks are buzzing over the news that two of Senator Elizabeth Warren's aides have taken jobs with the New Hampshire Democratic Party.  The midterm elections are 12 weeks from today, and then 2020 is right around the corner after that.

The speculation continues re: Senator Warren's future plans.  (pic via cnbc.com)

This is interesting:  The FDA approved an app for use as a contraceptive.  Would you use it?

The Boston Red Sox start a two-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies tonight.  Rick Porcello takes the mound for the Sox as he tries to bounce back from a rough start against the Toronto Blue Jays.  Until then, check out Chad Finn's column which takes a minute to put this season into context for the Sox.

While the Red Sox had yesterday off, the New York Yankees were busy losing 8-5 to the New York Mets, so Boston now has a 10 game lead over New York in the AL East.

We send our best wishes for a full recovery to Cleveland Indians outfielder Leonys Martin, who is in the hospital battling a serious bacterial infection.

We're sorry to hear that the Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin is apparently receiving hospice care.

We're also saddened by the news that former pro wrestler Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart died yesterday.  Neidhart was known to millions of wrestling fans as part of the legendary "Hart Foundation" tag team in the 1980's with his brother-in-law Bret "The Hitman" Hart.  Neidhart was the insane powerhouse  in contrast to Hart's cool technician, and it never felt like Neidhart was acting all that much.  There seem to be a number of different stories floating around about Neidhart's health in recent years, as well as the cause of death, so all we'll say right now is that we send our condolences to his family (including daughter/current wrestling star Natalya Neidhart), friends, and fans.  Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart was just 63 years old. 

The first pictures from the new Chilling Adventures of Sabrina have been released, and the show does look creepy.  Pretty sure we're not the target demographic for this "coming of age" story of the teenage witch, but we would like to see former Doctor Who star Michelle Gomez (who has a supporting role in the series) in action again, so we might check out an episode or two when they come out on Netflix on October 26.

Sammy Hagar says his new supergroup The Circle's first album with original songs is about...the world monetary system.  What, you were expecting something different?

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  Let's have Death Cab for Cutie close things out with a track off their new album.  Here's, "Gold Rush," for today's, "Song of the Day."

Thanks for stopping by, everyone.  It's always a treat to hang out with you.  Enjoy the rest of your day, be good, and we'll meet up again for more shenanigans soon.  Until then, that's today's Clearing out the Clutter, and we are outta here.