Trump hits NATO members with letters demanding more defense spending

Threatens to withdraw U.S. troops from Europe if they refuse No Images? Click here   By Paul Vale     Tuesday, July 3  U.S. ‘LOSING PATIENCE’ WITH NATO ALLIES President Donald Trump has sent letters to the leaders of the NATO countries demanding they increase their defense spending — and threatening to scale back U.S. military presence around the world if they refuse. Is Trump right about NATO spending? Yes and no. Here’s a good explainer. [HuffPost] [Tweet | Share on Facebook] ‘WE ARE WELL INTO THE FINAL CHAPTER OF THE MERKEL ERA’ In a desperate bid to save her government, German Chancellor Angela Merkel — and the politicians who bet her legacy on welcoming hundreds of thousands of migrants into Germany — have agreed to a change in immigration policy that includes building camps for asylum seekers on the border. [The New York Times] ‘WE ARE COMING, MANY PEOPLE ARE COMING’ Rescue teams have found all 12 boys and their soccer coach who had been trapped for 10 days in a cave in Thailand. However, rain has complicated efforts to carry out a rescue. [CNN] ‘SILENCE IS BROKEN’ Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen gave an interview to “Good Morning America” in which he indicates he may be ready to flip — likely a cry for help from Trump. [HuffPost] ‘WE HAVE TO WORK SOMETHING OUT’ The Dutch prime minister scolded Trump on trade during a White House photo shoot. [HuffPost] TRUMP TROUSERED PHOTO CASH First lady Melania Trump earned somewhere between $100,000 and $1 million in 2017 from news organizations using family photos that were authorized only for use in positive stories. [HuffPost]         ‘WE DESERVE SOMEONE WHO BELIEVES IN CLIMATE CHANGE’ This teacher and mother spotted EPA chief Scott Pruitt eating lunch at a tea shop in Washington — and, holding her 2-year-old, demanded he resign. [HuffPost] TRUMP REFUSES FLAG REQUEST Trump has declined a request from the mayor of Annapolis that he order U.S. flags be flown at half-staff to honor the five newspaper employees shot dead in Maryland last week. [HuffPost] RON’S RACIST TWEET Former Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul posted a shockingly racist and anti-Semitic tweet — and then blamed a staffer. [HuffPost] HARVEY HANDED ADDITIONAL CHARGES Harvey Weinstein has been indicted on three additional felony sex charges. If found guilty, he could spend the rest of his life in prison. [HuffPost] THERE’S A ‘CHICKENPOX UNIT’ AND A ‘SCABIES UNIT’ Staffers at a federal prison complex in California, where the government recently sent 1,000 immigration detainees, fear rioting over the terrible conditions, including inadequate medical care and the spread of infectious diseases. [HuffPost] ‘TINKER BELLS’ This California vice mayor wrote a newspaper column calling for July to be designated “Straight Pride American Month” and referring to gays as “tinker bells” who “prance down the streets.” [HuffPost]       “Guardians of the Galaxy” star Chris Pratt is reportedly dating Katherine Schwarzenegger, the daughter of Arnie and Maria Shriver. This prolific online writer has been caught heavily promoting his clients in articles written for Forbes. Is Amazon Prime really worth it? Here’s how you find out. The official White House Twitter feed has slammed Democratic Sens. Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren for their stances on immigration. Mexico — America’s adopted World Cup soccer team — has exited the tournament, after losing 2-0 to Brazil. Also Monday, Belgium shocked Japan with a late comeback.   Rep. Maxine Waters has become the target of fake news, after a pro-Trump Facebook page posted a story claiming the California Democrat called for an illegal immigrant to be appointed to the Supreme Court. This summer’s hottest accessory is the ridiculously oversized hat. Jim Carrey is being lined up to play villain Robotnik in the big-screen adaptation of “Sonic the Hedgehog.” Here are 35 things non-native English speakers find confusing about the English language. This Morgan Stanley star wants you to back his political movement — a new party founded by bankers. New York and Virginia have become the first states to mandate mental health education in the school curriculum. Reactionary Fox News haircut Laura Ingraham has admitted that separating immigrant families at the border is “sad,” but justifiable because, “There’s only so much of the love you can spread around.” This 8-year-old Japanese kid just nailed one of the toughest drum parts in the Led Zeppelin catalog. More than 2,000 firefighters are battling a huge wildfire in Northern California. India just passed one of the world’s toughest environmental laws that will ban all single-use plastic within four years. And here are the very best Fourth of July party foods. Enjoy! And love this newsletter? Share it with a friend!      HuffPost is now a part of Oath and a part of Verizon. On May 25, 2018 we introduced a new Oath Privacy Policy which will explain how your data is used and shared. Learn More. Start your workday the right way with the news that matters most — all with a dash of signature Morning Email snark. Does somebody keep forwarding you this email? Get your own copy. It's free! Sign up here. Check out HuffPost Politics for more of the good stuff. ©2018 HuffPost | 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003 You are receiving this email because you signed up for updates from HuffPost Feedback | Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe     - - Preferences  |  Unsubscribe