Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Aug 30, 2021

Since nearly 91% of U.S. Gulf of Mexico crude oil production has been cut off because of Hurricane Ida --will gas prices for the rest of us go up? Oil companies evacuated just about half of the 560 manned platforms in the Gulf of Mexico and that's about 17-percent of the country’s crude oil production. The other problem will be if the oil refineries in New Orleans get hit by the storm, some oil bigwigs say gas prices could go up by about 10 cents a gallon in the Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic markets.

ERIC CLAPTON is an anti-vaxxer. He just put a new song, called "This Has Gotta Stop," online Friday. It's the latest of his anti-vaccine moves. He announced about a month ago that he wouldn't perform at venues with vaccine requirements ... calling them "discriminated audience(s)." The new song's chorus goes, "This has gotta stop, enough is enough // I can't take this BS any longer // It's gone far enough, you wanna claim my soul // You'll have to come and break down this door." Find the video HERE: https://orcd.co/thishasgottastop

Meanwhile, MARC BERNIER, a conservative talk-show host from Florida's WNDB, who called himself “Mr Anti-Vax” on the air, has died after contracting COVID-19 himself three weeks ago. Bernier, who was 65, spent more than 30 years on WNDB, and said about the vaccine back in December “I’m not taking it ...Are you kidding me? Mr Anti-Vax? Jeepers.”

Tube talk: Netflix has announced that even before season four of its show, "Cobra Kai," begins in December, there'll be a fifth season. The series, which picked up four Emmy nominations (Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Sound Editing for a Comedy, Outstanding Stunt Performance, and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy) this season, stars RALPH MACCHIO and WILLIAM ZABKA.

Tube talk 2: Looks like the Disney-plus show "The Mandalorian" will be history after the upcoming third season. The show, based on "Star Wars" movies stars Grogu (also known as “Baby Yoda”) and bounty hunter Din Djarin (PEDRO PASCAL). On the StarWarsOnly Twitter page, it claims the show will mark its third and final season but the stars will be carried over to upcoming shows like Ahsoka and Rangers of the New Republic. Neither Lucasfilm or The Walt Disney Company has commented so far.

Lawsuit of the day: Former "Teen Mom" star FARRAH ABRAHAM has threatened to sue Harvard University, accusing the university of "educational abuse." Farrah told TMZ.com that a Harvard professor asked her to put together a "class activity" for her creative writing master’s program. Then, upon viewing it, told her she ought to drop the course altogether. "I will be taking legal action against Harvard," Abraham said. "I properly gave them time. I sadly had to write a review on Niche, on Yelp and on Google Maps because no one was getting back to me... Harvard is a joke. It is a scam. That’s my Harvard review." No official word from Harvard about the alleged incident.

Looking for a post-pandemic job? The U.S. Postal Service is reportedly planning to hire 100-thousand staffers, to get your mail to you on time. The company has had widespread delivery delays and all sorts of in-house problems because of the pandemic, but says the added personnel will help, especially with the holidays coming up. Part of the personnel problem is that tens of thousands of USPS employees have tested positive for COVID-19 and many more have missed at least some time to quarantine after being exposed to the virus. The USPS is looking for drivers, letter carrier assistants, mail handlers, processing clerks and others.

Tube Talk 3: "Dancing With the Stars" has booked its first same-sex couple on the show. 18-year-old former "Dance Moms" star JOJO SIWA told USA Today: "I have a girlfriend who is the love of my life and who is everything to me. My journey of coming out and having a girlfriend has inspired so many people around the world. I thought that if I chose to dance with a girl on this show, it would break the stereotypical thing. It would be new, different and change for the better." The series begins next month with LEN GOODMAN --who missed the last season because of Covid restrictions-- back in his judges chair again.

Good news for anybody who wants one of those Peloton bikes --the makers of the fitness bike will reportedly be slashing the price of the bike because more people are going back to the gym to exercise and doing less at home. New price: $1,495.