Two British citizens poisoned with Russian nerve agent Novichok

The U.K. government said it was still waiting for a call from Moscow No Images? Click here   By Paul Vale     Thursday, July 5 ‘I’M WAITING FOR THE PHONE CALL FROM THE RUSSIAN STATE’ Two British citizens in Wiltshire, England, have been poisoned with the same nerve agent that befell former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in March. British security minister Ben Wallace has urged Moscow to explain how this has happened ... again. [Reuters] [Tweet | Share on Facebook] ‘ABOLISH ICE’ An anti-Trump protester on Wednesday scaled the Statue of Liberty, forcing officials to evacuate Liberty Island. Earlier, a group of anti-ICE protesters were arrested for unfurling a banner on the island that read: “ABOLISH ICE.” On the same day, a Republican Party office in Nebraska had its windows smashed over Trump’s immigration policy. [HuffPost] ‘WE ARE WORKING AGAINST WATER’ Details have emerged of the almost impossible task facing rescuers trying to save the 12 boys and their soccer coach who have been trapped in a cave in northern Thailand. [CNN] THE GOP IS NOW A ‘WHITE-NATIONALIST PARTY’ Conservative Washington Post columnist Max Boot said he wants a Democratic takeover of both houses of Congress as a result of the upcoming midterm elections, and that the GOP, once “a conservative party with a white-nationalist fringe,” has become “a white-nationalist party with a conservative fringe.” [HuffPost] POLL: ALMOST HALF THE U.S. THINKS TRUMP IS RACIST 49 percent of voters believes Trump is a racist, while 44 percent say “racist beliefs” were a motive in Trump’s immigration policy, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll. [HuffPost] TRUMP’S TARIFFS ARE ‘OPENING FIRE’ China has warned Trump that the United States is “opening fire” on the world with his trade tariffs, and promised to respond in kind the instant U.S. measures go into effect. [Reuters]         TRUMP ‘INCAPABLE OF READING’ After Trump tweeted that he had penned “many best selling books,” the actual author of his book, “The Art of the Deal,” claimed the president was “incapable of reading a book, much less writing one.” J.K. Rowling also had a laugh at Trump’s professed writing skills. [HuffPost] ‘WE WILL SEEK REVIEW IN THE NZ SUPREME COURT’ Internet entrepreneur and Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom could be extradited to the U.S. to face racketeering and criminal copyright charges, the New Zealand Court of Appeal has ruled. [HuffPost] AVENATTI FLOATS 2020 PRESIDENTIAL RUN Michael Avenatti ― the lawyer representing Stormy Daniels against Trump ― said he “will run” for president in 2020 if there’s no other suitable challenger to the president. [HuffPost] MCCONNELL: STOPPING SCHOOL SHOOTINGS ‘BASICALLY A LOCAL DECISION’ Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told community leaders in Danville, Kentucky, there is not much the federal government can do to help stop school shootings. “It’s a darn shame that’s where we are,” he added. [HuffPost] THE SCHOOL ‘JUST SAID NO’ Rochester’s University Preparatory Charter School for Young Men would not let Jaisaan Lovett, the school’s first ever black valedictorian, give a commencement speech. So in stepped Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren. [HuffPost] OIL DROPS ON TRUMP’S COMMENT The price of oil fell after Trump tweeted a demand that OPEC cut crude prices. [Reuters]       Sacha Baron Cohen posted a 4th of July tease for his next project, which appears to take on his old nemesis Donald Trump. This woman brilliantly documented two strangers falling in love on a flight. The ACLU has more than quadrupled its number of paying members, from 400,000 to 1.84 million, in the 15 months since Trump was elected. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) has signed three bills into law that offer greater rights and protections for the LGBTQ community. Here is a list of the most dangerous bridge in every U.S. state. Scarlett Johansson may be regretting her decision to play a transgender man. Democratic leaders in the Bronx are trying to sort through the wreckage of longtime party boss Joe Crowley’s shock defeat to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Reigning champions Joey Chestnut and Miki Sudo have won the 2018 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating contests. This Kentucky woman is facing a huge backlash for killing a giraffe for sport in Africa. Stephen and Ayesha Curry welcomed their third child, a boy named Canon W. Jack Curry. We’ve updated our ongoing list of the worst campaign ads of 2018. These are the best movies of 2018 so far. Fourth of July celebrations lit up the skies above cities across the U.S. Here are some of the best pictures. This is a remarkable sketch history of early color photography. And finally, Rita Moreno delivered a stunning Independence Day performance, including a couple of hits from “West Side Story.” 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