What to Know
- A woman who climbed the Statue of Liberty after participating in an 'Abolish ICE' protest was captured after cops attempted to get her down
- British officials investigating a 2nd case of poisoning with the nerve agent Novichok said they suspect victims were not directly targets
- The 2018 Nathan's Famous Hot Dog competition ended in drama, and a world record
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Woman Scales Lady Liberty After 'Abolish ICE' Banner Unfurled at Statue of Liberty
A woman who climbed the Statue of Liberty after participating in an "Abolish ICE" protest was captured after police attempted for hours to coax her down. Officials say the woman, identified as 44-year-old Therese Patricia Okoumou of Staten Island, scaled the statue after protesters from Rise and Resist New York unfurled an "Abolish ICE" banner there; she made it to Lady Liberty's base. Liberty Island, crowded with visitors on the July 4th holiday, was evacuated as police responded and attempted to coax her down. Hours after the response began, two ESU officers, Detectives Brian Glacken and Chris Williams were able to make it onto the base where Okoumou was. The rescue was also highly technical because of the slopes and angles around the base of the statue. Earlier, seven people were arrested by the United States Park Police after unrolling a banner that read "Abolish I.C.E," at the statue. Okoumou is facing federal misdemeanor charges including trespassing, disorderly conduct and interfering with government functions, according to the National Park Service.
2nd UK Nerve Agent Poisoning Likely Not Deliberate, Police Say
British officials investigating a second case of poisoning with the nerve agent Novichok in southwestern England said they suspect the victims were not directly targeted but sickened as a consequence of the previous attack. Police announced specialists have determined that a couple in their 40s were poisoned by the same lethal toxin — developed by the Soviet Union — that almost killed Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in March. The new victims are both critically ill in the same hospital that treated the Skripals. The unexplained poisoning of two British citizens with no immediately apparent link to Russia has raised public health concerns in the Salisbury area, where a massive decontamination effort took place after the Skripals were found to have been poisoned with Novichok. Prime Minister Theresa May has blamed the Russian state for the attack on the Skripals — an assertion the Kremlin denies.
Rescuers Race to Drain Water Inside Thai Cave Before Rains
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With more rain coming, Thai rescuers are racing against time to pump out water from a flooded cave before they can extract 12 boys and their soccer coach with minimum risk, officials said. A firefighter who has been working on draining the water said that a passage leading to a chamber where the boys and the coach were found was still flooded all the way to the ceiling, making diving the only way out. "What we worry most is the weather," Chiang Rai provincial Gov. Narongsak Osatanakorn told reporters. "We can't risk having the flood back into the cave." He said he asked Thai navy SEALs in charge of extraction plans to estimate what sort of a risk would be involved to take them out and "what kind of readiness we can have today and decide if we can take that chance." He said earlier that not all 13 may be extracted at the same time depending on their condition. He said that the boys have been practicing wearing diving masks and breathing, but he doesn't believe they have attempted any practice dives.
Hot Dog Champ Breaks World Record Amid Miscount Drama
The 2018 Nathan's Famous Hot Dog competition ended in drama, and a world record. The original count for the men's competition had world champion Joey Chestnut as the winner, but found he'd fallen short of his record of 72 by at least 5 dogs. Turns out the initial count was wrong. ESPN is now reporting Chestnut has in fact beaten his record, gobbling down 74 dogs. Second-place finisher Carmen Cincotti ate 64. Longtime announcer George Shea tells The Associated Press he noticed in real time that jurists measuring Chestnut’s and Cincotti’s intake weren’t counting from two plates stacked with franks that the eaters were drawing from. The under-counted tally was then displayed on live TV. Shea says both Chestnut and Cincotti were adamant about their scores, which were certified by Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. He says new judges will be used next year. Meanwhile, Miki Sudo downed 37 franks to win her fifth straight title in the women’s competition of the annual Nathan’s Famous July Fourth hot dog eating contest.
Chance the Rapper Is Engaged to Longtime Girlfriend
Chance the Rapper proposed to his longtime girlfriend Kirsten Corley during the Fourth of July holiday. "She said yes," he wrote on Twitter after video surfaced of the outdoor proposal. In video posted on The Shade Room, the musician got down on one knee and asked his longtime girlfriend to marry him. "Kirsten Katrina Corley, will you make me a man and be my wife?" he is overheard asking. The couple shares a daughter named Kensli who ran up to her parents soon after the engagement. They would all embrace for a group hug as friends clapped and cheered in the background.
