Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Jun 15, 2018

Animal Stories:

A kitten dropped off at a Minnesota animal rehab turned out not to be a kitten at all.
The Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota says a concerned citizen found the kitty "crying for help" in a parking lot. But after bringing the stray cat home "he started suspecting it wasn't a domestic breed."
Workers at the animal center examined the kitten and discovered it was actually a wild bobcat. The animal was found to be in good health and transferred to a facility equipped to handle more exotic breeds. (Still)

Grace notes from Vinny Marino:

ROBBIE WILLIAMS opened the World Cup in Russia by giving the world the middle finger. He was singing his hit, "Rock DJ" on the field at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow when he looked right into the camera and flipped the bird. FOX released this statement afterwards: "As it was broadcast live, we did not know what would happen during Robbie Williams' performance and we apologize." Robbie also sang "Let Me Entertain You" and "Feel," then dueted with Russian opera star AIDA GARIFULLINA on "Angels" before the first match between Russia and Saudi Arabia. Russia won, 5-0. (Marino)

No Spring Exams for Seniors???

This could be the first step towards eliminating College Board exams.
The University of Chicago said yesterday it would be eliminating the requirement for students to submit ACT or SAT scores as an admission requirement.
That's a big deal, since it's ranked as one of the country's top-10 universities, along with Harvard, Princeton and Yale.
"Testing is not the be-all and the end-all," JAMES NONDORF, the dean of admissions and financial aid tells the Chicago Tribune. He said he didn't want "one little test score" to end up "scaring students off" who are otherwise qualified.
The university is also doing away with optional in-person admission interviews, in favor of two-minute video pitches, believing that the college-bound generation is skilled at communicating via cellphone clips.
FYI: Last year, more than 1.8 million students took the SAT, while around 2 million took the ACT.

Father's Day Bid'ness:

Filling a need: The National Retail Federation says Americans will spend big bucks again on Father's Day this year --which is good news for dear old Dad! There was a record-high $15.5 billion dollars spent on the old guy last year; this year we'll spend a bit less --$15.3 billion. Father's Day shoppers are expected to spend an average of $133 on Dad, down from last year's $135. Individuals between 25 and 34 years old will be the biggest spenders this year at an average $188 per person.
48 percent of folks plan to shell out for a dinner, brunch or other types of a "fun activity/experience," while clothing and gift cards are a close second and third (43 and 42 percent, respectively).

It must be noted, however, that people spent 50-percent more on Mom ($23.1 billion) this year, so we know who the *real* household favorite is!