Week of 02/07: FREECABLE TV’s Top 10 Stories

Mayday Off The Coast Of Turkey

“It’s unbelievable what happened,” acknowledged Vendée Globe skipper Kevin Escoffier. "I heard a bang, looked at the bow, and it was at 90°. In a few seconds, there was water everywhere. The stern was under water and the bow was pointing up to the sky. The boat split in half in front of the mast bulkhead. It was as if she folded up. I promise. I’m not exaggerating. There was an angle of 90° between the stern and the bow.”

Watch more: https://youtu.be/YxCWHY2P5wc

Could The U.S. Survive Without Coal And Gas?

"The great part about West Virginia is, today the percentage of our revenue from the severance tax on coal and gas is the lowest that it’s been in the last 25 years, and yet West Virginia is doing very well. Because we have diversified in so many different directions," responded West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice when asked about Pres. Biden's climate plan.

Watch more: https://youtu.be/KnZJmrtaqd8

Johnson & Johnson’s Vaccine Enters The Fray

"I haven't seen the data yet. That's not yet been peer-reviewed. I certainly have every reason to believe the Brits, but I'd like to see the data myself," Dr. Fauci told NBC. "If that's true, it's good news. Yet again, another vaccine candidate in the mix. We heard yesterday about the Russian Sputnik candidate which had over 90 percent efficacy. J&J, Johnson & Johnson, from last week, also had some good results. So as we are going on getting into February, we're going to have multiple candidates in the mix, which is good news."

Watch more: https://youtu.be/5r_ufG8VyLk

Trump's Impeachment Defense Team Abandons Ship

Former Pres. Trump's five impeachment defense attorneys have officially left him to fend for himself with just a little more than a week before his trial is set to begin, according to people familiar with the case, amid a disagreement over his legal strategy, CNN reported. A person familiar with the departures told CNN that Trump wanted the attorneys to argue there was mass election fraud and that the election was stolen from him rather than focus on the legality of convicting a Pres. after he's left office. Evidently, Trump was not so receptive to the discussions about how they should proceed in that regard.

Watch more: https://youtu.be/JkyA9wkAazE

An Alternative To Biden's Relief Plan

Earlier this week, a group of 10 Republican senators put out a $600 billion Covid relief bill in hopes of reaching a compromise with Pres. Biden. But despite the GOP's efforts, Pres. Biden has since decided to move forward with his original $1.9 trillion relief plan, notably with or without Republican support. "A lot of folks are losing hope," Biden said in a speech at the White House. "I believe the American people are looking right now to their government for help, to do our job, to not let them down. So I'm going to act. I'm going to act fast. I'd like to be doing it with the support of Republicans...they're just not willing to go as far as I think we have to go."

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

Myanmar's Military Coup

Myanmar's military forcibly seized power of their government after detaining Aung San Suu Kyi and other democratically elected leaders this week. The reason behind the coup? The army alleged that the recent landslide election win by Ms. Suu Kyi's party was marred by fraud, BBC News reported.

Watch more: https://youtu.be/ST65bON94UM

B.1.1.7 Variant Found In At Least 33 States

At this time of writing, there are at least three known cases of the U.K variant of Covid-19 in Arizona, one of the 33 states that have found at least one case of the mutated version of the virus, labeled B.1.1.7, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And while there are no particular good news with regards to this increase in COVID-19 variants spreading throughout the U.S., experts are saying that things could have been worse. “If this new variant had become dominant in early January, it would have been an utter disaster because we were already headed on the upslope and it would’ve made things even worse,” said Will Humble, the director of the Arizona Public Health Association.

Watch more: https://youtu.be/CNQF5dQjuMY

Are Voters Feeling "Buyers Remorse" With Biden?

"Americans are already having buyer’s remorse with Joe Biden," said RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel. "He pledged to protect union jobs and said that he had a plan to “shut down” the virus, but he has broken those promises." McDaniel later went on to tell AP News that if former Pres. Trump runs again in 2024, the GOP will remain "neutral" during the primary season.

Watch more: https://youtu.be/jRzkvgpd4p8

Bezos To Step Down As Amazon CEO:

Jeff Bezos have said in his Tuesday letter that he is excited for the transition, which will free up more time for him to work on outside projects. As executive chair of Amazon, he will focus on "new products and early initiatives," Bezos said. "Being the CEO of Amazon is a deep responsibility, and it's consuming...when you have a responsibility like that, it's hard to put attention on anything else. As Exec Chair I will stay engaged in important Amazon initiatives but also have the time and energy I need to focus on the Day 1 Fund, the Bezos Earth Fund, Blue Origin, The Washington Post, and my other passions. I've never had more energy, and this isn't about retiring. I'm super passionate about the impact I think these organizations can have."

Watch more: https://youtu.be/miuflvvYIL4

The $2.7B Lawsuit Over Election Disinformation

The lawsuit, filed in New York state court, accused Fox, Giuliani, Powell and hosts Lou Dobbs, Maria Bartiromo, and Jeanine Pirro of intentionally lying about Smartmatic in an effort to mislead the public into the false belief that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from former President Donald Trump, Fox News reported. "They needed a villain," the lawsuit read. "They needed someone to blame. They needed someone whom they could get others to hate. A story of good versus evil, the type that would incite an angry mob, only works if the storyteller provides the audience with someone who personifies evil."