Hi everyone,

Welcome back!  How are you?  BDH and Little Buddha were just telling me about today's weather forecast.  Sounds like there's a chance for some thunderstorms this afternoon.  Do we really think they're going to happen, or will it be another tease?  Well, I guess I'll find out when it's time to go to the grocery store.  Of course, the good news is that today is Tuesday, and that means a trip to the bookstore to find something new for the guys to read!  I checked a book out of the library for them yesterday, but my guess is that they'll be done with that one by tomorrow.  Those two love a good story.  They also love reviewing the day's headlines with all of you.  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.

This week's Republican National Convention speakers understand that the Trump administration has been an incredible failure, so they're apparently going to lie about everything and hope no one has been paying attention for the last 3 1/2 years.  The convention motto seems to be: "Dishonesty and white supremacy, when reality just doesn't work for you."  The fanatical praise of Donald Trump will surely satisfy the cult leader for a day, but the rest of us see a country that's approaching 180,000 coronavirus-related deaths, and the only hope for finally getting the pandemic under control starts with removing this con man from office.

Former Trump fixer Michael Cohen appears in a new ad warning voters that Trump will lie about everything when he speaks at the convention, just like he has for his entire time in office.

Twenty-seven former Republican lawmakers endorsed Joe Biden yesterday.  Is anyone in their party listening?

A group of former Republican Department of Justice officials also endorsed Joe Biden for president, saying that Donald Trump has "weaponized" the DOJ, and that the country can't take another four years of this corrupt behavior.

No one should feel better about the status of the U.S. Postal Service after Postmaster General Louis DeJoy testified before Congress last Friday and yesterday.  DeJoy was defiant, made non-specific claims about protecting the integrity of this year's election, and seemed to have little understanding of how the agency works.  As a Trump donor, DeJoy was installed to do Trump's bidding, and that's a threat to our democracy.  DeJoy should resign.

Doctor Anthony Fauci is warning that approving a coronavirus vaccine before it's been vetted through large trials is a bad idea on multiple fronts. 

Protests are taking place in Kenosha, Wisconsin, after police shot Jacob Blake in front of his three children.  Blake, a black man, was reportedly trying to break up a domestic disturbance, and in a clip that's been widely circulated on social media, the police officers ended up going after him instead.  There's no justification for their actions.  We don't know the conversation between Blake and the officers, but even if he was disobeying their orders, shooting him seven times like an animal isn't the answer.  All of these officers should be immediately fired and have criminal charges filed against them.   The racism seen here isn't a flaw in the program, it's a fundamental component.   The policing system in this country needs to be dismantled and completely rebuilt from scratch.  In the meantime, we hope Blake recovers, and our thoughts are with him and his family. 

There must be justice.  (pic via en.as.com)

Kellyanne Conway is leaving the White House, while husband George Conway steps back from the Lincoln Project, to reportedly deal with some family tension involving daughter Claudia, who says she's filing for emancipation.  We wish Claudia the best of luck, because her parents are both frauds.  Kellyanne has been one of the top spokespeople for the Trump administration for 3 1/2 years and has lied about every action this mob has taken as they've unleashed incredible damage on the country.  George talks a good game about Donald Trump on Twitter, but he acts like he's just some random figure, when his family has been cashing the Trump paychecks the whole time Kellyanne was in the White House.  The questions now are, how long does it take Kellyanne to become a Fox News talking head, and how long will it take her to start distancing herself from Trump?

A fellow named Giancarlo Granda says he had an affair with Liberty University president Jerry Falwell Jr. and Becki Falwell for seven years, and that Jerry liked to watch Granda and his wife having sex.   There are now allegations of blackmail and extortion, and the Falwells will try to make themselves out to be victims, which is almost sad.  If that's the kind of stuff they enjoy, so be it.  To each their own.  We don't care what you're into (as long as it's consensual, of course), but don't ever act like you're in position to judge others.   From a legal perspective, the question will be if Falwell Jr. misused any Liberty University funds to deal with Granda, because that's a no-no with the IRS.

The Boston Red Sox had yesterday off after splitting a weekend series with the Baltimore Orioles.  The Sox face the Toronto Blue Jays in Buffalo, New York, tonight because Toronto won't let anyone from MLB into their city this year.  Kyle Hart takes the mound for Boston, and if for no other reason, this might be fun to watch because of the unusual setting.

Chris Cornell's estate says they didn't approve a new movie about the late Soundgarden singer's final days.  We'll probably take a pass on that one.

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  We could use a little extra help getting moving today, so here's Joe Satriani to close things out with, "Summer Song," for today's, "Song of the Day."

That should do the trick.

Thanks for stopping by, everyone.  It was great to see you, as always.  BDH and Little Buddha say you're welcome to come back later if you want to read or watch the Red Sox game with them tonight.  Otherwise, enjoy the rest of your day, wear your masks, 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.