Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Mar 19, 2018

It's Saint Joseph's Day. The swallows traditionally return to San Juan Capistrano, CA, today. And, tomorrow is the first day of ...Spring!

Tragedy:

YANN ARNAUD from Cirque du Soleil's touring show, "VOLTA," passed away after a performance went terribly wrong last Saturday night. TMZ reports the acrobat fell 15-feet during a stunt and landed head-first on the stage. Crew members rushed to his aid, but he was unresponsive when medical personnel attended to him, and he was pronounced dead at a hospital in Tampa, Florida. Yesterday's remaining two shows were cancelled as a result of the accident.Arnaud had been with the touring company for 15 years.(Lee)

Those @$#%* Foreigners:

Shocking (not!).Russian President VLADIMIR PUTIN was reelected by a huge margin yesterday, guaranteeing that we'll see and hear from him for at least another six years. Putin picked up about 76-percent of the vote in winning his fourth term.
Ol' Vlad has ruled the country as either president or prime minister since 1999. Putin's nearest competitor was millionaire communist PAVEL GRUDININ, who grabbed about 12-percent of the total vote. (Pacelli)

Fashion Emergency:

Meanwhile, aNew York streetwear designer is selling a $600 bedazzled VLADIMIR PUTIN t-shirt. The Hollywood Reportersays the shirt emblazoned with "Mr. President" in glittery Swarovski crystals shows Putin wearing dark aviator glasses. The t-shirt is the creation of designer HERON PRESTON as part of a collection with the Moscow-based concept store K-M-20. He's been dubbed an "influencer" for the millennial crowd with fans that include BELLA HADID. His first-ever namesake collection also debuted at the Moscow store. The designer told Women's Wear Daily (WWD)in an interview, "There is a mix of emotions and feedback: Some people hate me now and some people really love the T-shirt... I think that that is what makes a great designer or marketer --to stick with your beliefs and take risks. If I did not take risks, I think life would be a bit boring." (Bartha)

Animal Stories:

A gorilla at the Philadelphia Zoo is a germophobe.
Zookeepers say 18-year-old male gorilla LOUIS refuses to walk on his hands or fists because he hates getting them dirty. So, instead of moving around like other gorillas, he chooses to walk upright just like a human. The primate also hates going anywhere near mud. Workers even used a thick fire hose to create a bridge over a mud puddle so Louis could cross without dirtying himself up. Curator MICHAEL STERN says the animal's behavior is "pretty unusual." (Still)