Hi everyone,

Welcome back!  Come on in, have a seat.  How's your weekend going so far?  We had a decent amount of running around yesterday, so today might be a little quieter.  I might let the yard and garden beds thaw out for another week before I start raking leaves.  We're still having some chilly nights here, and the leaves provide some cover for the plants, so yeah, maybe we'll start next weekend.  BDH and Little Buddha just got a new book yesterday, so we'll have some reading time later.  For now, let's check out today's headlines.  The guys say the coffee is ready, so help yourself to a nice medium DD, because it's time to clear out some Sunday Clutter.

As expected, Donald Trump made it clear he has no intention of releasing his tax returns without a fight.  (Brief reminder:  Trump promised on several occasions that he would release his returns before he entered the 2016 race.)  Trump's lawyer William Consovoy sent a letter to the IRS where he threw everything at the wall, hoping something would stick for a reason why the IRS shouldn't release Trump's returns.  Somehow a 40-year tradition becomes an abuse of power and a violation of Trump's First Amendment rights in Trump World.  Also, Consovoy would argue, Congress has no power to go after an individual's tax returns (while somehow ignoring that Congress can review the auditing process of presidents.)  If no one falls for any of that nonsense, the Great Pumpkin's team will come up with something else to cover his tracks.

Donald Trump admitted he hasn't read the Mueller Report.  Given the Great Pumpkin's aversion to reading in general, this is no surprise.

The Trump administration now wants two years to reunite the thousands of migrant children that they separated from their families. That's unacceptable.  The United States government kidnapped these children in a gross human rights violation, and putting them back together with their parents needs to be a priority. 

This week's SNL opened with a look at former Vice President Joe Biden's inability to grasp that his behavior is offensive to some voters.  It also includes a peek at the factor that Biden is counting on most to drive his presidential campaign:

Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins is determined to make the justice system more equitable for everyone, and she's not backing down in the face of criticism from Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker's administration. Good for Rollins.  She knows the system is biased against minorities and low-income individuals, and she's not hesitating to tackle that head-on and call out those who benefit from the status quo.

A suspected rhino poacher was apparently killed by an elephant and then eaten by lions in South Africa on Tuesday.  There's an argument to be made that poaching is driven by a broken economic system, so one should feel sympathetic for a man driven to this kind of work to survive.  However, we're not feeling it. 

The woes continue for the Boston Red Sox who lost 5-4 to the Arizona Diamondbacks last night.  The team now falls to 2-8, which is a start that no one predicted.  While frustrating, we're relatively okay with this loss in a vacuum.  The Sox didn't get blown out, they didn't make any egregious mistakes (okay, apart from two fly balls that didn't go well), the offense was there, and David Price had an okay outing.  Price gave up four runs in six innings, but all four runs came in the 2nd inning, and hey, he got the first RBI of his career.  Yes, we've set a low bar here, but that's where we're at right now.  Hector Velazquez takes the mound for Boston as the Sox try to avoid being swept by the Diamondbacks.  Either way, this horrific road trip comes to an end today.

It's time to come home.  (pic via nbcsportsboston.com)

Meanwhile, the Red Sox placed Brock Holt and Brian Johnson on the 10-day injured list on Saturday.  Holt is dealing with a scratched cornea that was apparently caused on Opening Day by his two-year-old son Griffin.  Sounds like a pretty good explanation for Holt's .063 batting average.  Johnson has elbow inflammation.

The WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony was last night, and things took a turn when a fan stormed the ring and tackled the legendary Bret "the Hitman" Hart, who was giving an acceptance speech for his tag team, the Hart Foundation.  A number of wrestlers and security members quickly stormed the ring and subdued the guy.  (A few of them got in some punches as well.)  The man was arrested and charged with 3rd degree assault and disorderly conduct.  If this report is accurate, it sounds like the guy is either mentally ill, or perhaps he was trying to get signed as a professional wrestler and made a terrible decision about how to get the WWE's attention.

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  We're going to close things out with a tune we haven't heard in ages.  Take a trip in the "Wayback Machine" with us as we travel to 1994 and have Sister Hazel perform, "All For You," for 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 fun soon.  Until next time, that's today's Clearing out the Clutter, and we are outta here.