Hi everyone,

Welcome back, and a happy Monday to you all.  BDH, Little Buddha, and I were just discussing how we still lost a little sleep last night because of the Boston Red Sox - New York Yankees game.  However, at least they started it at 7:00 this time, so we're not complete zombies around here this morning.  We were also talking about how the ESPN baseball announcing crew throws out a lot of useless words into each broadcast, but that's a conversation for another day.

The guys tell me it's going to be pretty warm again today, so they're suggesting a trip to the movies.  That's an idea.  Anyone here want to join us?  We'll take a look at the listings later.  For now, let's check out today's headlines.  There's a fresh pot of coffee on the counter, so grab yourself a nice medium DD, because it's time to clear out some Clutter.

(As always, if you'd like to support our coffee budget, please consider using the Clutter Amazon page for your shopping needs.)

While Donald Trump escalates his racist attacks on his critics, just a quick reminder that son-in-law Jared Kushner is a slumlord in addition to being a national security risk.

Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats has been pushed out of office after repeatedly refusing to lie about Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election.  Donald Trump obviously can't have someone in his own administration acknowledging that his stint in the White House is illegitimate.  Coats also gave honest assessments about North Korea, Iran, and ISIS, among other topics, and Trump wasn't having any of it.  Coats is being replaced (subject to Senate confirmation) by Representative John Ratcliffe (R-Texas), a three-term congressman.  The best argument we have seen for this Trump-defending/conspiracy theory-pushing lackey is that he's not Representative Devin Nunes (R-California), which isn't a high bar to clear.

We've got another set of 2020 Democratic candidate debates this week.  The thing we're probably most interested in seeing is if former Vice-President Joe Biden can recover from his disastrous performance in the first round.  Biden seemed ill-prepared that night as he was trying to stay above the fray, and in the process, punctured the supposed air of inevitability around his campaign. He sounds ready to fight with Senators Kamala Harris and Cory Booker this time, but that could also easily blow up in his face.

The stakes are high for Joe Biden at this week's debate.  (pic via phillyvoice.com)

Wall Street continues to work itself up into a frenzy over the idea of a possible interest rate cut this week. We're still hoping that cut doesn't happen, because it's nice finally earning enough monthly interest for an extra cup of coffee.  However, we checked in with the Clutter investment team to see if there's anything we have to do if rates do get cut.  They told us to go enjoy the movies.

The Boston Red Sox lost 9-6 to the New York Yankees last night. Chris Sale did not have a good outing, giving up six runs in just 5 1/3 innings, as the quest to get him more consistent this year continues.  The Red Sox also made three errors on the night, which just made it even clearer this wasn't going to be their night.  A sweep would have been nice, but the Sox still won consecutive series against the Tampa Bay Rays and Yankees, so they have to feel good about that.  However, they're only halfway through this critical stretch.  They have today off, and then it's another three games against the Rays and then four more against the Yankees. 

The baseball trading deadline is almost here, so players are on the move.  The biggest trade around of interest here right now is the Toronto Blue Jays sending pitcher Marcus Stroman to the New York Mets for two pitching prospects. The Boston Red Sox TV announcers had a hard time containing their dislike of the expressive pitcher, so now they'll have to find something else to talk about the next time the Sox play the Blue Jays.

Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Trevor Bauer had a tantrum after being pulled from the game against the Kansas City Royals yesterday, which saw the righty heave a ball over the center field fence.  We don't care for Bauer, who has engaged in some shady Twitter nonsense, but the best part of this scene was watching manager Terry Francona clearly say something to Bauer to the effect of, "What the && is wrong with you?"  Francona is old-school and was not having any of that behavior.  We'll see if this impacts Bauer's trade value.

Hey OITNB fans, what did you think of the series finale?  No spoilers from us, but there are plenty of them to be found if you click on that link, so consider yourself warned.

We've got the trailer for the musical finale of Transparent, and it looks tremendous.  Check this out:

It usually feels a little suspicious when celebrities say their Twitter accounts were hacked, but it seems pretty easy to believe actress Jessica Alba didn't intend to send out a string of racist and homophobic messages over the weekend.

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  Here are the Rolling Stones to kick off the week with, "Start Me Up," for today's, "Song of the Day."

Thanks for stopping by, everyone.  It was great to see you, as always.  Everyone who wants to go to the movies should stick around while we see what's playing.  As for everyone else, enjoy the rest of your day, be good, and we'll catch up with you again for more fun soon.  Until next time, that's today's Clearing out the Clutter, and we are outta here.