Terrific news. All twelve boys and their coach have been rescued in Thailand after more than two weeks trapped in flooded caves. An international coalition of divers led by Thailand SEAL’s and rescuers from over 50 countries were able to rescue the remaining boys earlier today.

MAE SAI, Thailand (AP) — A daring rescue mission in the treacherous confines of a flooded cave in northern Thailand has saved all 12 boys and their soccer coach who were trapped deep within the labyrinth, ending a grueling 18-day ordeal that claimed the life of an experienced diver and riveted people around the world.
Thailand’s Navy SEALs, who were central to the rescue effort, said on their Facebook page that the remaining four boys and their 25-year-old coach were all brought out safely by early Tuesday evening. Several hours later, a medic and three SEAL divers who had stayed for days with the boys in their tiny refuge in the cave also came out.

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Four more Thai schoolboys have been rescued from the underwater cave complex in Northern Thailand during the second mission.  This brings the total rescued to eight so far with four remaining and one adult; their soccer coach.

CHIANG RAI, Thailand (Reuters) – Eight of the 12 boys trapped with their soccer coach in a labyrinthine flooded cave complex in northern Thailand have been freed, authorities said on Monday, adding that the time for rescuing the others will depend on the weather.
The mission which started Sunday is a race against the clock with heavy rain expected this week which would again flood the tunnels with fast-flowing, rising water.

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Four of the twelve Thai schoolboys were rescued by divers in part one of an exhaustive international effort. The remaining boys will have to wait until oxygen tanks are replaced and equipment resupplied along the underwater system for the next attempt.
According to local officials it is expected to take at least 10 hours to re-stage the rescue equipment before attempting round #2 of the rescue. Each rescue team takes another 6 hours to navigate and guide the boys through a 4,000 meter long underwater labyrinth. There are more than 90 divers working on the rescue mission including 50 international divers from around the world.

CHIANG RAI, Thailand (Reuters) – Four of 12 Thai schoolboys were rescued from a flooded cave on Sunday in a daring and dangerous operation to save the children and their soccer coach who have been trapped underground for more than two weeks.

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The colonies had been in conflict with England for over a year in June of 1776. A Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia on June 7 of that year. Richard Henry Lee from Virginia offered up a resolution with these now famous words:

“Resolved: That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.”

Lee’s words spurred the drafting of the Declaration of Independence. A committee of five was appointed to draft a statement making the case for the colonies, a statement to the world of the intent and the reason behind that intent.
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Today President Trump will award a posthumous medal of honor to WWII veteran First Lieutenant Garlin Murl Conner, who died in 1998 after returning home from his deployment in France in 1945. The honors will be received by his widow, Pauline Lyda Wells Connor.  Anticipated start time 3:30pm
UPDATE Video Added:

♦ Enlistment date: March 1, 1941 ♦ Unit: 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry, 3rd Infantry Division ♦ Campaigns: Algeria-French Morocco, Tunisia, Sicily, Naples-Foggia, Anzio, Rome-Arno, Southern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe.
Garlin M. Conner was born on June 2, 1919, and raised in rural Clinton County, Kentucky. With the nearest high school almost 15 miles away, Conner’s formal education ended in eighth grade. He spent his teenage years working on his family’s farm and served in the Civilian Conservation Corps when he enlisted in the Army, March 1, 1941, at Fort Lewis, Washington.
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As the hurricane season officially starts, President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and the majority of the Cabinet attend the critically important 2018 FEMA briefing.

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REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP AT 2018 HURRICANE BRIEFING – FEMA Headquarters, Washington, D.C., 2:06 P.M. EDT [Transcript Link]

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I want to thank you. Great job, Brock. Really fantastic. Thank you very much. And we really appreciate the job you’ve done. It’s been amazing, and you really have kept quite busy, I would say, unfortunately. We had no choice. We were hit hard. But you’ve done a fantastic job. So I want to thank you very much.

ADMINISTRATOR LONG: Thank you.

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President Trump delivers a 2018 Memorial Day speech during the official memorial ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.  Transcript Added:

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THE PRESIDENT: General Dunford, Joint Chiefs, members of the Armed Forces, members of the Cabinet, members of Congress, and distinguished guests: Thank you for joining us on this solemn day of remembrance. We are gathered here on the sacred soil of Arlington National Cemetery to honor the lives and deeds of Americas greatest heroes: the men and women who laid down their lives for our freedom. Today, we pay tribute to their service, we mourn alongside their families, and we strive to be worthy of their sacrifice.

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Earlier today President Trump participated in the annual wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown, Arlington National Cemetery:

Earlier today President Trump presented the Medal of Honor to Master Chief Britt Slabinski, U.S. Navy.

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[Transcript] 2:38 P.M. EDT – THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much, Chaplain. That’s beautiful. And thank you to Deputy Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan. Thank you, Patrick. Undersecretary of the Navy Thomas Modly — thank you. Thank you, Thomas. VA Secretary nominee — will do a fantastic job for us — Robert Wilkie. And Congressmen Scott Taylor and Brian Mast. Thank you, fellas, very much. Thank you.

Members of the Armed Forces and distinguished guests, please sit down. That actually worked out very nicely. (Laughter.) And join me in officially welcoming Master Chief Britt Slabinski to the White House. A special man. A truly brave person.

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Earlier today President Trump and Vice-President Mike Pence attended the 37th Annual National Peace Oficers’ Memorial in Washington DC. A very moving tribute to a very special group of people; and President Trump personalized the honors for multiple families in attendance.

[Transcript] THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much, Chuck. I want to start by saying that Melania is in the hospital doing really well. She’s watching us right now. And I want to thank the incredible doctors — Walter Reed Medical Center. They did a fantastic job. So thank you. (Applause.) And she sends her love.

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