EARLY EDITION: Five Fast News Stories For The Water Cooler (Fri. Mar 31)

TODAY: DeSantis Defends Trump; Finland’s NATO Vote; Chinese Christians Detained; Cali Cop Fentanyl; Fla vs. Disney

1. Desantis to oppose extradition of Trump

DeSantis — who was himself a JAG officer — has made it clear he has nothing but contempt for the AG who ran on a pledge to prosecute Trump without having any particular crime in mind. Now that Bragg has cobbled together a way to do that, he’s fulfilled a distinctly anti-American campaign promise.

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“The weaponization of the legal system to advance a political agenda turns the rule of law on its head. It is un-American,” DeSantis, who is seen as Trump’s top rival in a potential 2024 GOP primary, tweeted after news of the indictment broke.

“The Soros-backed Manhattan District Attorney has consistently bent the law to downgrade felonies and to excuse criminal misconduct. Yet, now he is stretching the law to target a political opponent,” DeSantis continued, adding that Florida would not assist in an extradition request “given the questionable circumstances at issue.” –The Hill

2. Finland joins NATO ofter Turkey’s vote

Turkey (or Turkiye) was the final hurdle for Finland’s application to join NATO in response to fears of Russian expansionism. Turkey’s parliament has voted unanimously in favor of the addition.

Sweden, on the other hand, faces resistance from Turkey and Hungary over regional slights and differences.

3. Christians fleeing Chinese persecution apprehended in Thailand may be sent back

Sixty Chinese nationals fled to Thailand while seeking safe harbor perhaps in Texas, where the ministry helping them has a foothold. They ran into visa issues because of a recent law change requiring that modification to their visa would have required a visit to the Chinese Embassy. If they set foot in those embassies, effectively Chinese soil, there is no coming out again. These people were FLEEING the Chinese government over issues of persecution.

Now their visas have expired and they are at risk of being sent back to China and an uncertain fate. The refugees had been awaiting a court date.

Members of the Shenzhen Holy Reformed Church, also called the Mayflower Church, came to Thailand in 2022 seeking asylum. The current status of their request was not immediately clear.

They fled China in 2019 alleging that their members were being persecuted by government security forces, initially settling on South Korea’s Jeju Island. They left South Korea for Thailand after meetings with local and U.S. officials made it clear that prospects for refuge there were dim.— AP

Biden loves to welcome refugees to America. This case seems more valid than many examples. Not that we expect him to prioritize this group.

4. SJ police union exec busted for fentanyl smuggling

Joanne Marian Segovia, 64, has been smuggling pills from out of her home for years. She has even been using police union shipping lables for billing.

She faces up to 20 years in prison for shipping synthetic fentanyl through the mail in the guise of other substances.

5. Florida/Disney fight heats up after outgoing board transferred powers away from itself

The old board signed the agreement to transfer its power to the company on February 8 and the agreement was recorded with the Orange County Comptroller on February 9 — the same day that the Florida House passed legislation that renamed the Reedy Creek Improvement District to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District and removed Disney’s self-appointed board and replaced it with a board appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis.
News 6 WKMG reported that the discovery was made by attorneys that were hired by the new board. The special counsel also discovered that the old board used a common law property rule known as the “rule against perpetuities” to extend how long Disney has control of the powers.–DailyWire

Florida wants emails about this transfer of powers. Criminal penalties may be forthcoming.

Cited Sources:

TheHill

APhttps://apnews.com/article/china-house-church-detained-thailand-798a4462bf5dbcc54d523b7430632b40