Week of 03/19: FREECABLE TV’s Top 10 Stories

Portland's Solution To Homelessness

FOX - On a sidewalk littered with tarps, bicycles and discarded food containers, one tent seemingly sat farther away from the rest. And to much surprise, the tent was clean, the rain fly removed, and showcased the vacant interior. "This is an empty tent erected by activists to encourage people to live in tents," Kevin Dahlgren said. During his 27 years in social services, Dahlgren said he's seen a shift from permanent solutions to Band-Aid approaches. "When you're not actually helping the permanent solutions, the old homeless stay there and the new homeless come in and everything just grows."

Watch more: https://youtu.be/xgBMuFfFq6k

The Iran-Saudi Arabia Truce

NBC - As some world leaders hailed the restoration of ties between long-standing enemies Iran and Saudi Arabia, there were reportedly growing fears in Washington that the deal could help spell the end of the United States’ pre-eminence in the region and beyond. China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, called it a “victory for dialogue” and U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres celebrated the announcement, expressing his appreciation to China for brokering the deal. The U.S., meanwhile, said through a National Security Council spokesperson that China’s successful agreement appeared to mirror the failed negotiations the White House pursued with both countries in 2021. “I think it demonstrates that U.S.’s influence and credibility in that region has diminished and that there is a new sort of international regional alignment taking place, which has empowered and given both Russia and China newfound influence and status,” said Aaron David Miller, who served as a Middle East policy adviser at the State Department for 25 years.

Watch more: https://youtu.be/8tE_wZMMhk4

Mexico Deemed "Too Dangerous" For Spring Break Travel Plans

NPR - The Texas Department of Public Safety has urged residents this week to avoid spring break travel to Mexico, warning that drug cartel violence and other crime pose a significant safety threat. "We have a duty to inform the public about safety, travel risks and threats," said DPS Director Steven McCraw in a statement. "Based on the volatile nature of cartel activity and the violence we are seeing there; we are urging individuals to avoid travel to Mexico at this time." U.S. citizens who decide to travel to Mexico are encouraged to register with an embassy or consulate before they go, the Texas agency added.

Watch more: https://youtu.be/nwSAT3nifGQ

COVID-19 3 Year Anniversary

APNews - On the third anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic, the virus is still spreading and the death toll is nearing 7 million worldwide. Most people have resumed their normal lives, thanks to a wall of immunity built from infections and vaccines. Despite this, the virus appears to be here to stay for good, along with the threat of a more dangerous version sweeping the planet at a moment's notice. “New variants emerging anywhere threaten us everywhere,” said virus researcher Thomas Friedrich of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “Maybe that will help people to understand how connected we are.”

Watch more: https://youtu.be/Exrq-haUZrM

7 Virginia Deputies Charged With 2nd-Degree Murder

CNN - Seven sheriff’s deputies in central Virginia were arrested and charged with second-degree murder this week in the death of Irvo Otieno, 28, who prosecutors say was fatally “smothered” while in custody. In court, Dinwiddie County Commonwealth’s Attorney Ann Cabell Baskervill said Otieno was in handcuffs and leg irons and was held on the ground for 12 minutes by all seven deputies. “They smothered him to death,” Baskervill said. “He died of asphyxia due to being smothered.” Baskervill added that the incident was captured on video that is “extremely clear, extremely alarming.”

Watch more: https://youtu.be/f16GGqerV6c

Biden Confronts Gun Violence

USNews - President Joe Biden this week offered comfort, prayers – and the little he can unilaterally do on gun policy – to grieving members of a Los Angeles area community still reeling from a mass shooting at a predominantly Asian dance club in January. "I'm here on behalf of the American people, to mourn with you, to pray with you, to let you know that you are loved and not alone," Biden said at the Boys & Girls Club of West San Gabriel Valley in Monterey Park. There was one more thing he could do, Biden said: sign an executive order in an effort to get as close as the country can get to universal background checks for prospective gun buyers. "Enough. Do something," Biden said, repeating the calls of gun control advocates after each mass shooting. "I mourn with you today," but also, "I'm here today with you to act."

Watch more: https://youtu.be/u3BnfMqcQHQ

COVID-19 'Super Immunity'

NBC - Three years into the pandemic, a select group of people have seemingly achieved something some once thought impossible: They have never tested positive for Covid. Were they born with a form of super immunity? "Mostly luck," said Adam Zimmerman, 40, of Rockville, Maryland, laughing. Neither Zimmerman nor his wife and children have tested positive for Covid. "We took whatever mitigation steps we could and then hoped for the best," Zimmerman said, noting that his family is up to date with their vaccines. "So far, so good."

Watch more: https://youtu.be/gtCdSlUur3Q

'Tiger King' President

FOX 5 - Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage, also known as "Joe Exotic" and "The Tiger King," has announced this week his desire to run for president in 2024, according to a campaign website. And yes, the former zookeeper is still incarcerated in federal prison at this time of writing. "Yes, I know I am in Federal Prison and you might think this is a joke but it's not," the website reads. "It is my Constitutional right to do this even from here."

Watch more: https://youtu.be/KMydtpn3JZc

Racoon Dogs Responsible For COVID-19?

ABC - A new report suggests the virus that causes COVID-19 may be linked to raccoon dogs that were illegally being sold at a wet seafood market in China. "In samples with a hot amount of virus, there was not a trivial amount of DNA and RNA of raccoon dogs," Dr. Jeremy Kamil, an associate professor of microbiology and immunology at Louisiana State University Health Shreveport, who was not involved in the research, told ABC News. And although this doesn't definitively prove that the virus definitely jumped from raccoon dogs to humans, the team said it is the strongest evidence to date of the natural transmission theory. "This is a really strong indication that animals at the market were infected," Dr. Angela Rasmussen, one of the virologists involved in the new report, told The Atlantic. "There's really no other explanation that makes any sense."

Watch more: https://youtu.be/ke2KxgjF9pc

Trump Is Expecting To Get Arrested Next Week

CNN - Former President Donald Trump said this week that he expects to be arrested in connection with the years-long investigation into a hush money scheme involving adult film actress Stormy Daniels and called on his supporters to protest any such move. In a social media post, Trump, referring to himself, said the “leading Republican candidate and former president of the United States will be arrested on Tuesday of next week” – though he did not say why he expects to be arrested. And in an echo of Trump’s appeals to supporters in the wake of the 2020 presidential election, he also called for action, writing: “Protest, take our nation back.”