Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Apr 14, 2017

Conspiracy Corner:

London's Guardian newspaper reports that Britain's spy agencies helped alert U.S. intelligence officials to possible links between PRESIDENT TRUMP's campaign and Russia after first noticing interactions in late 2015. The paper says Britain's Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) noticed suspicious interactions between Trump allies and known or suspected Russian agents in late 2015.
That info was apparently picked up amid routine surveillance of Russian targets and was not part of a spying operation aimed at Trump's team. (Pacelli)

What about Easter pet presents:

If you're giving your kids an Easter animal this year --like a baby bunny, chick or duck-- Veterinarians say too many parents don't really think much about it and realize too late that the animal sticks around far longer than the chocolate and jelly beans. But after the novelty wears off, many people end up wanting to give their pets up, by leaving them out in the wild. In fact, rabbits are the third most abandoned animal behind cats and dogs. An average rabbit lives eight to 12 years.
Nashville veterinarian MARK CORWIN says rabbits are also among the more difficult pets to take care of. They need to be kept inside because of extreme heat outdoors. They should only eat commercial food along with Timothy hay or fresh greens, and they need plenty of fresh water. You have to let them run around for at least one hour a day. And although some rabbits are easily litter-trained, rabbit-proofing your house can be near-impossible since they tend to chew everything --they're members of the rodent family and they need to grind down those front teeth!

In case you were wondering:

--Cherry is the most popular jelly bean flavor for children (20-percent), followed by strawberry (12-percent), grape (10-percent), lime (7-percent), and blueberry (6-percent).
--Ninety million chocolate Easter bunnies are produced each year.
--Chocolate bunnies should be eaten ears first, according to 89-percent of Americans. Six percent said bunnies should be eaten feet first, while five-percent favored eating the tail first.
--Americans buy more than 700 million Marshmallow Peeps, shaped like chicks, as well as Marshmallow Bunnies and Marshmallow Eggs, making them the most popular non-chocolate Easter candy.
--In 1953, it took 27 hours to create a Marshmallow Peep. Today it takes six minutes.
--Yellow Peeps are the most popular, followed by pink, lavender, blue, and white.

Top sales weeks for candy (Nielsen):

5. Christmas /Hanukkah, $643 million
4. Pre-Christmas /Hanukkah, $687 million
3. Valentine's Day, $785 million
2. Halloween, $787 million
1. Easter /Passover, $812 million