Hi everyone,

Welcome back!  Come on in, have a seat.  How are you?  I was just telling BDH and Little Buddha that yesterday made it clear how dependent I am on technology to make my day run smoothly, and how quickly things can get thrown out of whack when said technology doesn't feel like working correctly.  It's not the greatest feeling, but fortunately I was able to fix the things that were acting up and get back on track.  Anyway, do you have any big plans for the weekend?  Dad Clutter needs more help moving some stuff, so I better start stretching once we're done here.  In the meantime, the guys brought you some coffee, so help yourself to a nice medium DD, and let's clear out some Friday Clutter.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is holding their vote on Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination today, after an intense daylong hearing yesterday featuring Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who accused him of sexually assaulting her in high school.  Yesterday's hearing will not be forgotten by anyone, as Ford, clearly terrified (and admitting as much) told her story, and Kavanaugh responded with an unhinged and combative rant of a privileged bully who was facing accountability for the first time in his life.  Putting the sexual assault issue to the side for one second, Kavanaugh's rambling and angry comments displayed a temperament that is completely inappropriate for any judge.  It's not entirely clear if the GOP has the votes to push this nomination through, but if they do, it's not because they didn't believe Ford, it's because they didn't care.  If that's the case, November 6 will be their judgment day.

Unsuitable for any court.  (pic via c-span.org)

As Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) had his own meltdown yesterday, one must still wonder what Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are holding over him.

It's not surprising to hear that the SEC is suing Elon Musk for fraud after his tweets a few weeks ago saying he had financing to take Tesla private, when it turned out that wasn't the case.  It doesn't seem like any support systems have been put in place for the Tesla founder after his struggles this year, and we have to wonder if there is a self-destructive aspect to Musk's refusal to agree to a settlement with the SEC.  Good luck to the investors who stick around for this fight.

Our condolences go out to the family and friends of former Massachusetts state senator Brian Joyce, who was found dead in his home yesterday.  He was apparently in a car accident on Wednesday, and it's not clear if that played a role in his death, but authorities say no foul play is suspected.  Joyce was indicted by the federal government in 2017 on multiple counts of mail fraud, corruption, money laundering, and embezzlement, and his trial was expected to begin next year.

It's raining at the moment, but the Boston Red Sox are supposed to start their final regular season series against the New York Yankees, so hopefully they'll be able to get the game in tonight.  Brian Johnson takes the mound for the Sox.

Accusing the New England Patriots of cheating is a popular pastime in the NFL, but New York Jets offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates has taken it to the next level by apparently blaming the Pats for the Jets having headset problems in their first three games this season.  Mind you, the Jets and Patriots have yet to play each other yet this year.   It's always helpful to have a scapegoat to try to distract from the fact that you're a dysfunctional organization.

Boxing fans, how do you feel about HBO dropping the sport next year?  Not sure we've watched a fight since Mike Tyson left the ring, but the HBO - boxing relationship is older than anyone on our staff.  Is this a big deal or just a reflection of changing times?

We've got a new House of Cards trailer where Claire Underwood declares that everything is going to be different now that she's in charge.  The final season comes out on Netflix on November 2.

Here's something cheerful that everyone should enjoy:  We've got the first picture of Tom Hanks as Fred Rogers in the upcoming movie about the host of everyone's favorite neighborhood.  The movie comes out in October 2019.

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  Let's have Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper close things out with a tune from their new movie which seems to be gaining more buzz by the hour.  Here's, "Shallow (A Star is Born)," for today's, "Song of the Day."

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