Hi everyone,

Welcome back, and a happy Friday to you all!   Any big plans for the weekend?  I don't think we've got anything major happening, besides me trying to make some progress on the Christmas shopping.  I've got friends who have everything done by the end of Cyber Monday, which I envy, but my internal clock just doesn't work that fast.  BDH and Little Buddha asked me what I want this year, and I told them it's the same thing I ask for every year -  for them to continue hanging out with me and the Clutter Tree.  They beamed and said they were pretty sure Santa would deliver that present.  In the meantime, they made a fresh pot of coffee, so help yourself to a nice medium DD, and let's clear out some Clutter.

Everyone is once again waiting to see what new information Robert Mueller reveals when he files documents regarding Michael Cohen and Paul Manafort today.  What will he recommend for a jail sentence for Cohen, and why did he accuse Manafort of lying?  Of course, it seems likely that these filings will be heavily redacted, much like the one for Michael Flynn earlier this week, but hopefully they'll still give us more of a sense of where this investigation is going.

What's next?  (pic via usatoday.com)

Donald Trump has already launched another Twitter ramble today.  Someone is expecting some bad news.

It's not surprising, but this story about what happened at the Department of Justice (DOJ) in the immediate aftermath of of James Comey's firing is alarming.  The DOJ clearly understood what a danger Trump could be to this country, even before Robert Mueller was appointed.

Congratulations to Michigan on becoming the 10th state to legalize recreational marijuana.  It sounds like it may not be legal to sell it in the state until some time in 2020, but it's still another step forward towards a more rational/reality-based drug policy in this country.

Those internal Facebook emails have been leaked in the United Kingdom, and the prime take-away seems to be confirmation that it's always been a bad idea to trust the company with your personal information.  We may need to schedule another profile clean-up before the end of the year.  On the flip side, BDH and Little Buddha want to point out that the only thing they do with the names of the people who like our Facebook page is count them so we can make sure we have enough coffee for everyone.

This is a really interesting story about how two women were able to wipe out $1.5 million of strangers' medical debt for just $12,500. 

Following up on yesterday's blurb, it's official:  The Boston Red Sox and Nathan Eovaldi have come to an agreement on a 4-year/$68 million contract.  It's a risky move, but it's one the Sox can (literally) afford to make, and if Eovaldi stays healthy, he could provide some stability to the starting rotation after Chris Sale and Rick Porcello become free agents.  At this point, it seems like the Sox just need to shore up their bullpen a bit, including finding a closer.  Other than that, this team should be in good shape to make another World Series run in 2019.

We send our best wishes to quarterback Alex Smith who is reportedly battling an infection after multiple surgeries on his broken right leg.  Rumors are now swirling that we may be talking about a career-ending injury for Smith, but we hope that turns out to not be the case.

That didn't last long:  Kevin Hart stepped down as the host of the Oscars after facing a barrage of criticism for his many homophobic tweets over the years.  Gotta wonder how much research goes into potential hosts before a decision is made, because it seems like this would have come up pretty quickly in the process, no?

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  BDH and Little Buddha were heard singing, "You've Got a Friend," before they fell asleep last night, and it was adorable.  In honor of our favorite duo, here's James Taylor and Carole King to close things out with today's, "Song of the Day."

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