South African police rescue kidnapped American missionary

[CRAIG NIGRELLI]

GOOD MORNING

I’M CRAIG NIGRELLI

IT’S WEDNESDAY APRIL 16TH

AND THESE ARE YOUR UNBIASED UPDATES:

A DRAMATIC RESCUE IN SOUTH AFRICA.  HOW POLICE THERE WERE ABLE TO SAVE A KIDNAPPED AMERICAN MISSIONARY,  

AND — THE U.S. MILITARY GETS SET TO TAKE ON A GREATER ROLE AT THE SOUTHERN BORDER.   THE SPECIFIC AREA, ARMY SOLDIERS WILL SOON BE PATROLLING.   

L3: SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SAY AMERICAN MISSIONARY RESCUED IN SHOOTOUT

NEW THIS MORNING — SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SAY THE AMERICAN MISSIONARY,  REPORTEDLY KIDNAPPED AT GUNPOINT DURING A CHURCH SERVICE,  HAS NOW BEEN RESCUED IN WHAT THEY SAY WAS A “HIGH-INTENSITY SHOOTOUT.”

FELLOWSHIP BAPTIST CHURCH OF TENNESSEE CONFIRMED ON ITS FACEBOOK PAGE THIS MORNING, JOSH SULLIVAN IS SAFE, ALTHOUGH SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE HAVE NOT YET IDENTIFIED THE PERSON THEY RESCUED BY NAME.

A POLICE SPOKESPERSON SAYS THREE UNIDENTIFIED SUSPECTS WERE KILLED DURING THE OPERATION ON TUESDAY’S OPERATION. IT WAS  LED BY THE SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE’S **ELITE HAWKS UNIT**.

SIX ARMED MEN REPORTEDLY KIDNAPPED SULLIVAN,  DURING A CHURCH SERVICE LAST THURSDAY NIGHT,   NEAR THE CITY ONCE KNOWN AS POST ELIZABETH.

SOUTH AFRICAN INVESTIGATORS SAY THEY LEARNED THE CAPTORS WERE HOLDING AN ABDUCTED AMERICANS CITIZEN — BELIEVED TO BE SULLIVAN — AT A SAFE HOUSE THERE.

THEY SAY WHEN OFFICERS APPROACHED — THE SUSPECTS INSIDE A VEHICLE,  OPENED FIRE ON THEM AND ATTEMPTED TO TAKE OFF.  

THAT ULTIMATELY LED TO THE DEADLY SHOOTOUT.

A POLICE SPOKESPERSON SAYS THE OFFICERS FOUND THE AMERICAN INSIDE THE SAME VEHICLE AS THE SUSPECTS — AND WAS HE QUOTE “MIRACULOUSLY UNHARMED.”

THEY SAY MEDICAL PERSONNEL ASSESSED HIM AND HE IS “IN EXCELLENT CONDITION.”

L3: JUDGE ORDERS TRUMP OFFICIALS TO TESTIFY IN CASE OF MISTAKENLY DEPORTED MAN

THE FEDERAL JUDGE OVERSEEING THE CASE OF KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA — WHO WAS MISTAKENLY DEPORTED TO EL SALVADOR — IS ORDERING THE SWORN TESTIMONY OF TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS TO DETERMINE IF THE ADMINISTRATION COMPLIED WITH HER ORDERS TO FACILITATE HIS RETURN.

THE ORDER FROM U-S DISTRICT JUDGE PAULA XINIS IN MARYLAND COMES AFTER THE ADMINISTRATION HAS REFUSED TO RETRIEVE ABREGO GARCIA — AND DEFIED A SUPREME COURT ORDER TO DO SO.   TRUMP ADMINISTRATION LAWYERS HAVE CONTENDED THAT FACILITATE ONLY MEANS ” TO REMOVE DOMESTIC OBSTACLES”.  

XINIS IS CALLING ON FOUR TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS, WHO WORK FOR IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT, THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY AND THE STATE DEPARTMENT, TO TESTIFY.

ABREGO GARCIA’S LAWYERS HAVE ASKED THAT THE ADMINISTRATION BE FOUND IN CONTEMPT OF COURT OVER ITS INACTION.

THE JUDGE SAYS SHE WANTS TO REVIEW WHATEVER EVIDENCE THE ADMINISTRATION SUBMITS FIRST — INCLUDING SWORN DEPOSITIONS, WHICH MUST BE COMPLETED BY NEXT WEDNESDAY.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS CLAIM  THEY LACK THE AUTHORITY TO BRING THE SALVADORAN NATIONAL BACK FROM HIS NATIVE COUNTRY, AND DURING A WHITE HOUSE VISIT ON MONDAY — EL SALVADOR’S PRESIDENT SAID HE WOULD NOT RETURN ABREGO GARCIA, SAYING THAT WOULD BE QUOTE SMUGGLING “A TERRORIST INTO THE UNITED STATES.”

L3: BIDEN CRITICIZES TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S HANDLING OF SOCIAL SECURITY

IN ONE OF HIS FIRST PUBLIC APPEARANCES SINCE LEAVING THE WHITE HOUSE — FORMER PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN ADMONISHED THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S EFFORTS WHAT HE BELIEVES ARE CUTS TO SOCIAL SECURITY.

DURING A SPEECH AT THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF ADVOCATES, COUNSELORS AND REPRESENTATIVES FOR THE DISABLED IN CHICAGO ON TUESDAY — BIDEN SAID THE TRUMP WHITE HOUSE HAS INFLICTED “BREATHTAKING” AND “DEVASTATING” DAMAGE ON THE PROGRAM.

“Why are these guys taking aim in Social Security now? Well, they’re following that old line from tech startups. The quote is, ‘Move fast , break things.’ They’re certainly breaking things. They’re shooting first and aiming later. As a result, the result is a lot of needless pain and sleepless nights. My friend Governor (Martin) O’Malley knows what they’re really up to. He says, and I love his quote ‘they want to wreck it so they can rob it.’ You want to wreck it so they can rob it. Why do they want to rob it? In order to deliver huge tax cuts to billionaires and big corporations and keep it going. They want to make permanent the 2017 tax cuts which overwhelmingly benefit the wealthiest Americans and the biggest corporations.”

THE FORMER PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS COME AS DEMOCRATS HAVE CRITICIZED PRESIDENT TRUMP’S LEADERSHIP OVER SOCIAL SECURITY, WHICH PROVIDES BENEFITS TO MORE THAN 70 MILLION AMERICANS.

THE SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION RESPONDED TO BIDEN’S REMARKS ON X– SAYING “FORMER PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN IS LYING TO AMERICANS.

PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS REPEATEDLY PROMISED TO PROTECT SOCIAL SECURITY AND ENSURE HIGHER TAKE HOME PAY FOR SENIORS, BY ENDING TAXATION ON SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS.”   THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ALSO ACCUSES BIDEN OF MAKING ILLEGAL PAYMENTS TO MILLIONS OF UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS.

L3: U.S. ARMY TO CONTROL ‘BUFFER ZONE’ ALONG BORDER WITH MEXICO

AS PRESIDENT TRUMP CONTINUES TO CRACK DOWN ON ILLEGAL BORDER CROSSINGS — ARMY SOLDIERS WILL PATROL A 170-MILE BUFFER ZONE…

ALONG THE SOUTHERN BORDER BETWEEN MEXICO AND ARIZONA, AS WELL AS NEW MEXICO.

IT WILL BE A CALLED A NATIONAL DEFENSE AREA.

TRESPASSERS IN THE ZONE, OR ON THE LAND, WOULD BE TAKEN INTO CUSTODY, JUST LIKE ILLEGALLY ENTERING A MILITARY BASE.

AMERICAN OFFICIALS TOLD ABC NEWS, THE INITIAL PHASE OF THE ZONE WILL STRETCH FROM A BASE IN SOUTHEASTERN ARIZONA, EAST INTO NEW MEXICO.

SOME ANALYSTS BELIEVE ITS A WAY FOR THE ADMINISTRATION TO MILITARIZE THE BORDER AND ALLOW SOLDIERS TO CARRY OUT LAW ENFORCEMENT DUTIES BY DECLARING FEDERAL PROPERTY A MILITARY BASE, WHERE MIGRANTS, WHO GET CAUGHT CROSSING, WILL BE DETAINED.

IN A RELATED NOTE, TWO SERVICE MEMBERS WERE KILLED AND A THIRD WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED WHEN THEIR MILITARY VEHICLE CRASHED IN NEW MEXICO, TUESDAY MORNING, NEAR THE BORDER.

THE WRECK HAPPENED ON NEW MEXICO HIGHWAY 9 NEAR THE SANTA TERESA BORDER IN DONA ANA COUNTY NEW MEXICO, ABOUT A DOZEN MILES NORTH OF EL PASO TEXAS.

SO FAR — THE MILITARY HAS NOT RELEASED ANY INFORMATION ON THE VICTIMS.

WE DO KNOW THE SERVICE MEMBERS WERE ASSIGNED TO BORDER PATROL DUTIES AS PART OF A TASK FORCE ORDERED BY DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH, IN AN EFFORT TO COMBAT ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION AND THE DRUG TRADE.

L3: CDC SAYS MEASLES CASES BEING UNDERREPORTED EVEN AS OUTBREAK SPREADS

THE C-D-C SAYS A LARGE NUMBER OF MEASLES CASES ARE BEING MISSED BY HEALTH AUTHORITIES — AND THE AGENCY IS NOW STRUGGLING TO KEEP UP WITH REQUESTS FOR SUPPORT FROM STATES RESPONDING TO OUTBREAKS.

THIS COMES AS THE MEASLES OUTBREAK IN WESTERN TEXAS CONTINUES TO GROW — WITH 561 CASES NOW CONFIRMED, ACCORDING TO NEW DATA PUBLISHED TUESDAY.

THAT MARKS AN INCREASE OF 20 NEW CASES — OVER THE LAST FIVE DAYS.

ALMOST ALL OF THE CASES ARE IN PEOPLE WHO ARE UNVACCINATED OR SUFFERERS,  WHOSE VACCINATION STATUS IS UNKNOWN, ACCORDING TO THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES.

MORE THAN 700 MEASLES CASES HAVE BEEN REPORTED NATIONWIDE SO FAR THIS YEAR, MAKING 2025 THE SECOND-WORST ON RECORD IN DECADES.

L3: ‘BOOKSTORE BRIGADE’ FORMS HUMAN CHAIN TO MOVE 9,100 BOOKS TO NEW HOME

FINALLY THIS MORNING — ANY AVID BOOK LOVER KNOWS WHEN IT COMES TO MOVING, PACKING UP YOUR TOMES AND LUGGING THEM FROM ONE PLACE TO THE NEXT IS AMONG LIFE’S BIGGEST HASSLES.

BUT ONE MICHIGAN BOOKSTORE SEEMS TO HAVE FOUND A “HACK” FOR THAT.

RESIDENTS OF ALL AGES LINED THE STREETS OF DOWNTOWN CHELSEA TO HELP “SERENDIPITY BOOKS” MOVE TO ITS NEW HOME A BLOCK FROM ITS OLD ONE.

THE SO-CALLED “BOOKSTORE BRIGADE” WAS A 300-PERSON HUMAN CHAIN.  VOLUNTEERS TRANSPORTED MORE THAN NINE-THOUSAND BOOKS — ONE BY ONE — WHILE KEEPING THEM ALPHABETIZED AND DELIVERING THEM DIRECTLY TO THEIR CORRECT SHELVES AT THE NEW LOCATION.

THE STORE’S OWNER SAYS IT WAS A GOOD WAY TO GET THE COMMUNITY INVOLVED.

THE MOVE TOOK JUST UNDER TWO HOURS — WAY LESS TIME THAN IF SHE HAD HIRED A MOVING COMPANY TO BOX AND UN-BOX THEM ALL.

ALSO PROVING THAT ” MANY HANDS MAKE LIGHT WORK”