Hi everyone,

Welcome back, and a happy Friday to you all!  We've got a busy day planned here today.  There are a couple of errands to be done this morning, and then there's the fun that is waiting for a repair appointment that has a four-hour window this afternoon.  Thankfully, BDH and Little Buddha found a new book to read, so they can focus on that while we wait.  Good times.  Anyway, let's check out today's headlines.  The guys just brought in a fresh pot of coffee, so grab yourself a nice medium DD, because it's time to clear out some Clutter.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders is leaving her position at the end of the month, according to a Donald Trump tweet yesterday.  To that we say, good riddance.  Huckabee lied to the press on a daily basis over the past two years, and the country is worse off for her having been in the job.   It's not like there's any reason to be optimistic about her eventual replacement, but it's hard to imagine how anyone could be more dishonest.  Sanders is reportedly leaving so she can move back to Arkansas and perhaps start her own political career. 

Meanwhile, Federal Election Commission Chairwoman Ellen Weintraub reminded everyone that, "It is illegal for any person to solicit, accept, or receive anything of value from a foreign national in connection with a U.S. election." It's a concept so straight-forward, that even a third grader could understand it.  This comes in response to Donald Trump's admission in a televised interview this week that he would accept dirt on a political opponent from a foreign country.    So Trump colluded with a foreign power in the 2016 election, he openly solicited new collusion allies for 2020, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi's response is to depend on that 2020 election being a fair contest.  Of course, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has no problem with Trump's comments.   What are we doing here?

One more Trump-criminal activity related note:  The Office of the Special Counsel has recommended that White House adviser KellyAnne Conway be fired for repeatedly violating the Hatch Act, which prohibits executive branch employees from engaging in political activity.  Of course Donald Trump has already defended Conway, because the man has no respect for the law.

These two should both be fired for breaking the law.  (pic via abcnews.go.com)

The Boston Red Sox beat the Texas Rangers 7-6 in a slugfest yesterday. David Price was shelled for six runs in just 1 1/3 innings.  However, seven Boston relievers combined to shut down the Rangers after that, and the Sox offense responded with five home runs (Jackie Bradley Jr., J.D. Martinez, Rafael Devers, Xander Bogaerts, and Michael Chavis) for the eventual win.  Hopefully the Sox will build on that performance by taking advantage of the lowly Baltimore Orioles this weekend.  Eduardo Rodriguez gets the ball for Boston tonight.

Congratulations to the Toronto Raptors on beating the Golden State Warriors 114-110 to win the NBA Finals last night. Roughly three people outside of Toronto gave them any chance of winning that series.  We didn't have any skin in this game, but the upset is better for the NBA, because there should always be some level of uncertainty about the outcome of the finals, otherwise they get boring real fast. 

The New England Patriots continue their search for a new tight end.  The Pats acquired Michael Roberts in a trade with the Detroit Lions yesterday. It's unclear at the moment what New England gave up in exchange for Roberts, who is starting his third season in the NFL.  It sounds like he might be more of a depth option, but given that it's only mid-June, who knows if he'll even still be here by the start of the regular season.

Bruce Springsteen's new album Western Stars is getting positive reviews.

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  Let's have Taylor Swift close things out with her smackdown of homophobes and online trolls.  Here's, "You Need to Calm Down," for today's, "Song of the Day."

Thanks for stopping by, everyone.  It was terrific to see you, as always.  BDH and Little Buddha say you're welcome to come back later if you want to either watch the Red Sox - Orioles game, or have them read their new book to you.  Otherwise, enjoy the rest of your day, be good, and we'll catch up with you again soon.  Until next time, that's today's Clearing out the Clutter, and we are outta here.