Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - May 26, 2021

Bottoms up: today is National Chardonnay Day.

The “Friends: The Reunion” special will premiere tomorrow (Thursday, May 27), on HBO Max. If you currently have HBO, you may already have access to HBO Max. Check here: https://www.hbomax.com/do-i-already-have-access

Is it good or bad? One thing's for sure --it's Texas, where the state legislature has passed a bill which would allow most people to carry concealed handguns without a permit. Right now, you'd have to get a license, go thru training and have them perform a background check. But now, the bill's supporters claim it will allow Texans to better defend themselves in public and get rid of the state's limits on their constitutional right to bear arms. Opponents of the bill say it's gonna put people's lives at risk. Governor GREG ABBOTT says he'll sign the bill into law.

Will you get a COVID-19 booster shot? The folks at Pfizer are already testing a couple of boosters on 500 people over the age of 65 --one with just the Pfizer vaccine and another which has pneumococcal vaccine added, which would help prevent illnesses like pneumonia.

What's the biggest Lego set you ever built? The company just released a new set with 11,695 pieces in it --the most Lego pieces in any set ever. The set is a map of the world, and costs "just" $249.99. But it also comes with a frame that your kids can hang on the wall after they've built it. Also, it comes with pins you can stick in to mark places you've been to --or the places you'd like to visit. Look for it at Lego stores next Tuesday, and at your local toy store August first.

Yesterday we mentioned the FAA has popped more than $60-thousand dollars in fines against unruly passengers who refused to wear their masks --two of them actually assaulted their flight attendants! And it's not stopping. On Sunday morning, a Southwest Airlines flight attendant on a flight from Sacramento to San Diego was seriously assaulted, lost two of her teeth and walked away bloody just because she told a female passenger to keep her seat belt fastened while the plane was still moving. Southwest's flight attendant union said there have been 477 passenger misconduct incidents on their flights just between April 8th and May 15th.

Looking to go on an Alaska cruise? USA Today reports PRESIDENT BIDEN just signed off on a new bill that will allow cruise ships to visit the state this summer. Currently cruise ships have to stop in Canada, which has a ban on cruising, and therefore no ships have been able to go to Alaska. The new law will allow cruise ships to sail to Alaska without stopping in Canada.

The CDC says the pandemic has prompted lots of people to keep chickens and ducks in their backyards, but says you shouldn't kiss or snuggle them. “These are not house pets and a lot of people confuse that,” leading to more than 160 illnesses and more than 30 hospitalizations across 43 states. Yes, salmonella has raised its ugly head. And because about a third of the cases were in children under five, the CDC says you shouldn't allow children that age or younger to touch the birds. If you do touch 'em, you need to wash your hands for at least 20 seconds and don't touch your face (or other body part) before washing!