Week of 02/26: FREECABLE TV’s Top 10 Stories

Tyre Nichols Case: Officers Plead Not Guilty

NPR - The five former police officers accused in the death of Tyre Nichols, has pleaded not guilty this week during their first court appearance in Memphis. All five men have been free on bond, and appeared only briefly this week, standing side by as each of their lawyers entered pleas on their behalf. Nichols' mother, RowVaughn Wells, called this week's arraignment "the beginning of the process of justice," and said she and her family were determined to see it through to the end. "They didn't even have the courage to look at me in my face after what they did to my son," Wells said of the defendants' brief courtroom appearance. "So they're going to see me at every court date, every one, until we get justice for my son."

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Jimmy Carter Now Receiving Hospice Care

CBS - Former President Jimmy Carter is now receiving hospice care at his home, the Carter Center announced this week. Carter made the decision after a series of short hospital stays, the center said in a statement. The charity created by the 98-year-old former president said that Carter "decided to spend his remaining time at home with his family and receive hospice care instead of additional medical intervention." The charity also added that he has the full support of his medical team and family, which "asks for privacy at this time and is grateful for the concern shown by his many admirers."

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COVID-19 Natural Immunity As Protective As Vaccines

NBC - Immunity acquired from a Covid infection provides strong, lasting protection against the most severe outcomes of the illness, according to research published this week in The Lancet — protection, experts say, that’s on par with what’s provided through two doses of an mRNA vaccine. As an additional bonus, it turns out that infection-acquired immunity cuts the risk of hospitalization and death from a Covid reinfection by 88% for at least 10 months, the study found. “This is really good news, in the sense that protection against severe disease and death after infection is really quite sustained at 10 months,” said the senior study author, Dr. Christopher Murray, the director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.

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Biden's Visit To Ukraine

NBC - President Joe Biden’s surprise trip to Ukraine this week drew a variety of attacks from congressional Republicans who criticized his support for the war-torn country and accused him of neglecting issues back at home. “You should be standing with East Palestine — an American town in your own country that needs your help,” tweeted Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz. “When our border is in crisis, Joe Biden goes home to nap in Delaware. When Ohio burns with toxic chemicals, Biden’s admin says everything is fine. So on Presidents’ Day, I’m not surprised that Biden is ditching America for Ukraine. He ditched America’s interests since the start of his presidency. They can keep him!” Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., tweeted.

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Roald Dahl's Classic Children Books Get A "Woke" Makeover

FOX - Puffin UK, the children's imprint of Penguin Random House Publisher, announced this week it would release Roald Dahl's original works later this year in a "classic" collection to accompany the more "inclusive" version they recently released. "The Roald Dahl Classic Collection will sit alongside the newly released Puffin Roald Dahl books for young readers… readers will be free to choose which version of Dahl’s stories they prefer," the publisher said in a press release. Language describing "fat" characters was altered and gender-neutral language was added, among other changes.

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James Alex Fields Jr.'s Funds To Be Seized

CBS - The Justice Department is currently seeking to seize money that has been contributed to the white supremacist James Alex Fields Jr., who rammed his car into a group of counter-protesters, killing one person, at the infamous "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Charlottesville "recently was informed that the defendant currently maintains substantial funds in his inmate trust account maintained by the [Bureau of Prisons]," prosecutors wrote. They asked the court to order that at least $650 from Fields's inmate account be transferred to pay down the fine and restitution balance he owes.

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The University Of Austin's 'Forbidden Courses.'

FOX - This week, three students openly praised the University of Austin's inaugural summer program for fostering civil discourse and open dialogue around subjects that might typically be considered taboo. The University of Austin — established as a free speech alternative to other colleges — over the summer offered its "forbidden courses," which were intended to allow students to "inquire openly into vexing questions" about controversial subjects "with honesty and without fear of shame," the university's website states. The classes covered topics ranging from feminism to the history of the Black male experience since the nation's founding.

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Biden's Reaction To Putin’s Suspension Of Arms Control Treaty

NBC - President Joe Biden this week strongly condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin’s move to suspend his country’s involvement in the last remaining arms control treaty with the U.S. Biden was asked about his reaction to Putin’s sudden pulling out of the New START nuclear treaty upon arriving at the Polish Presidential Palace in Warsaw ahead of a meeting with leaders of the so-called Bucharest Nine group of eastern European countries and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. “I don’t have time,” Biden said. And when pressed again for his reaction, Biden said, “Big mistake.”

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Tucker Carlson Granted Exclusive Footage By Kevin McCarthy

NewYorkTimes - Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s decision this week to grant the Fox News host Tucker Carlson exclusive access to thousands of hours of security footage from inside the Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack appears to be his latest move to appease the right wing of his party. “I promised,” Mr. McCarthy said this week in a brief phone interview in which he defended his decision to grant Mr. Carlson exclusive access to the more than 40,000 hours of security footage. “I was asked in the press about these tapes, and I said they do belong to the American public. I think sunshine lets everybody make their own judgment.”

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FLOTUS Claims Biden Will Be Running For Presidency Again

APNews - U.S. first lady Jill Biden gave one of the clearest indications yet that President Joe Biden will run for a second term, telling The Associated Press in an exclusive interview this week that there’s “pretty much” nothing left to do but figure out the time and place for the announcement. “How many times does he have to say it for you to believe it?” the first lady said in Nairobi, the second and final stop of her five-day trip to Africa. “He says he’s not done. He’s not finished what he’s started. And that’s what’s important.”