Week of 03/26: FREECABLE TV’s Top 10 Stories

400,000 Gallons Of Radioactive Water Leaked

NBC - While Xcel Energy said in a news release that there is "no risk to the public or the environment," the city said it would test the municipal water supply out of precaution. "The safety of Monticello's residents has been and continues to be our number one priority," Mayor Lloyd Hilgart said in a statement this week. "We are glad Xcel Energy was closely monitoring the situation and decided to shut down the plant to make permanent repairs immediately to address the recurring issue of water containing tritium leaking from the plant."

Watch more: https://youtu.be/iy1DNxkVUT0

Trump: "Potential Death And Destruction"

WashingtonPost - With his potential indictment looming in Manhattan, the former president this week openly criticized those who have called for his supporters to remain peaceful during this time. “EVERYBODY KNOWS I’M 100% INNOCENT, INCLUDING BRAGG,” Trump said on Truth Social, referring to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. “BUT HE DOESN’T CARE. HE IS JUST CARRYING OUT THE PLANS OF THE RADICAL LEFT LUNATICS. OUR COUNTRY IS BEING DESTROYED, AS THEY TELL US TO BE PEACEFUL!” And then early Friday morning, Trump explicitly mentioned the prospect of violence as he questioned why Bragg would charge him while knowing “that potential death & destruction in such a false charge could be catastrophic for our Country.”

Watch more: https://youtu.be/OOrW82pHlMQ

Miami Beach In A State Of Emergency

ABC - Miami Beach, the go-to spring break destination for college students, is currently dealing with an increase in violence including two deadly shootings on the iconic Ocean Drive in the past week. The chaos has left city officials, including Mayor Dan Gelber, at a loss, and has since forced the city to declare a state of emergency. “I don’t think any mayor could say, ‘We did everything we could do,’ when you have deaths like this. I think that what we have not been able to figure out, and I think where we have failed, is how do we stop spring break from happening?” Gelber told ABC's "Nightline."

Watch more: https://youtu.be/PWOIefbrEl0

One Middle School's "Bizzare" Classroom Game

NewYorkPost - Texas mom Laura Maria Gruber never thought her 13-year-old would be asked to play a “seducing hooker” in a bizarre classroom game. “I picked my daughter and her best friend up from school and my daughter said ‘We played this game at school, Mom, and you’re going to be upset,'” Gruber told The Post this week from her home in San Antonio. “When she told me about kids getting up in class and posing as hookers, I almost crashed the car.”

Watch more: https://youtu.be/1CIcCiSviTs

A New World Order

NBC - Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin set their sights on shaping a new world order as the Chinese leader left Moscow this week, having made no direct support for Putin’s war in Ukraine during his two-day visit. As Xi departed, he told Putin: “Now there are changes that haven’t happened in 100 years. When we are together, we drive these changes.” To which Putin replied, “I agree.”

Watch more: https://youtu.be/S4GG2zUTi-A

DeSantis Goes On The Offense Against Trump

USAToday - After months of waving off taunts from Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has finally had enough. DeSantis took shots at the former president’s character and leadership during an interview this week, marking the first time the governor has outwardly criticized Trump. “To me, it’s just background noise,” DeSantis said of Trump’s taunts. And of the nicknames Trump has coined for the Florida governor, among which is “Ron DeSanctimonious” and ''Meatball Ron,'' DeSantis said he didn’t mind what people called him as long as they also called him a “winner.”

Watch more: https://youtu.be/whoQDX8wExs

Escaped Inmates Get Recaptured At IHOP

NPR - 37-year-old John Garza and 43-year-old Arley Nemo reportedly managed to crawl and climb their way out of a Virginia jail this week, but their escape was cut short when police arrested them at a nearby IHOP the next morning. "Further investigation determined that the men had tunneled through a cell wall leading to the exterior and proceeded to scale the security wall," the sheriff's office said, sharing a photo of a small, round hole in one of the jail's brick walls. The sheriff's office added that the men exploited an unspecified "construction design weakness" with the help of "primitive-made tools constructed from a toothbrush and metal object."

Watch more: https://youtu.be/GxOidyL0IMo

Covid Origins Declassification

NBC - President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan bill this week that directs the federal government to declassify as much intelligence as possible about the origins of Covid-19 more than three years after the start of the pandemic. “My Administration will continue to review all classified information relating to COVID–19’s origins, including potential links to the Wuhan Institute of Virology,” Biden said. “In implementing this legislation, my Administration will declassify and share as much of that information as possible, consistent with my constitutional authority to protect against the disclosure of information that would harm national security.”

Watch more: https://youtu.be/SQklOqKvh3o

US Launches Retaliatory Airstrikes

ABC7 - The conflict in Syria is escalating after new attacks on U.S. bases, following drone strikes in Syria that killed an American and left others injured. These latest incidents make four attacks on U.S. forces in Syria in just 36 hours, with at least one of them being deadly. In response, the U.S. retaliated by using F-15's to destroy two Iranian-backed training and equipment facilities in Syria. "Make no mistake, the United States does not seek conflict with Iran but be prepared for us to act forcefully to protect our people. That's exactly what happened last night," President Biden said.

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

TikTok Vs. Capitol Hill

NPR - TikTok is now fighting to justify its existence in the U.S. And it pulled out all the stops in Washington, D.C., this week in the hopes of proving the government shouldn't ban the app. Dozens of TikTok creators and influencers gathered on Capitol Hill to talk about how the app is central to their livelihoods and communities. "Lawmakers in Washington debating TikTok should hear firsthand from people whose lives would be directly affected by their decisions," said TikTok spokesperson Jamal Brown.