The VICE Morning Bulletin

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The VICE Morning Bulletin

This morning, Trump donates millions to vets charities after the press questions him, ISIS launches a counter-attack against Iraqi forces in Fallujah, the US has wasted billions battling the cocaine trade, and more.

Everything you need to know about the world this morning, curated by VICE

US News

  • Trump Gives Millions to Vets After Media Report
    At least 11 veterans' charities have received donations from Donald Trump's foundation within the past week; checks written on the same day or in the days after reporters questioned him about the money he claimed to have raised at a fundraiser in January. At least 11 of the 41 charities listed by the Trump campaign got the money on or after May 24. —NBC News
  • Police Investigate Parents in Gorilla Shooting Case
    Police will investigate the killing of a gorilla at Cincinnati Zoo after a three-year-old boy fell into the animal's enclosure. Cincinnati Police said the inquiry related only to "the actions of the parents/family that led up to the incident," rather than zoo safety procedures. Hamilton County Prosecutor said criminal charges were "possible." —AP
  • Baby Born with Zika-Related Defects in New Jersey
    A woman diagnosed with the Zika virus gave birth to a girl with microcephaly at a New Jersey hospital, the first case in the New York City tristate area. The mother is a visitor to the US and contracted the disease overseas, according to officials at Hackensack University Medical Center. —ABC News
  • Microsoft Opens Up Augmented Reality to Rivals
    Microsoft has announced that it is opening up the Windows Holographic platform to third parties, a platform it can use to build its own virtual and augmented reality devices. Terry Myerson, head of Microsoft's Windows and Devices Group, said the company wanted to "unlock opportunities for the ecosystem." —USA Today

International News

  • Islamic State Hits Back at Iraqi Army
    Iraqi forces are facing fierce resistance from ISIS fighters on the outskirts of Fallujah, as the army attempts to push into the city. ISIS has launched a counter-attack in a southern suburb of Fallujah. UNICEF warns that an estimated 20,000 children remain among the 50,000 people trapped in the city.—Reuters
  • Fort McMurray Residents Return After Wildfire
    Thousands of evacuees who fled from a massive wildfire in the Canadian oil city of Fort McMurray are set to return home on Wednesday. More than 90,000 people were ordered to leave when the wildfire began a month ago, and officials expect the city to reabsorb as many as 15,000 residents. —CBC News
  • Former Miss Turkey Found Guilty of Insulting President
    Model Merve Buyuksarac, a former Miss Turkey, has been given a 14-month suspended prison sentence for insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a poem she shared on Instagram. She is the latest of at least a dozen Turks to face such a trial and sentence. Her lawyer, Emre Telci, described the cases as "insult trials." —Al Jazeera
  • Tiger Cub Corpses Found Frozen at Thai Temple
    Some 40 tiger cub corpses have been found in freezers at a Thai Buddhist temple accused of animal abuse. Police and wildlife officials started an operation on Monday to remove the living tigers at the Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi. The popular tourist attraction has been closed since the operation began. —BBC News

Everything Else

  • Billions Wasted on War on Cocaine
    Economists at MIT and the Universidad de los Andes say US taxpayers got a poor return on $4.3 billion spent fighting the cocaine trade in Colombia. Between 2000 and 2008, it cost the US $940,000 to eliminate each kilo of cocaine. —The Washington Post
  • World's Largest Rail Tunnel Opened in Switzerland
    The longest rail tunnel on the planet will be officially opened in Switzerland Wednesday. The 35-mile Gotthard base tunnel provides a high-speed rail link under the Swiss Alps between northern and southern Europe. —The Guardian
  • Surfer Blood Guitarist Dies Aged 27
    Thomas Fekete, guitarist and founding member of Floridian band Surfer Blood, has died after battling a rare form of cancer. He was just 27. Fekete's wife said he passed away "peacefully in his sleep." —Noisey
  • Oakland Launches Basic Income Experiment
    Tech startup business incubator Y Combinator will give 100 people in Oakland between $1,000 and $2,000 a month to see what impact free money will have on work patterns. The research team thinks a basic income could be a solution to greater automation. —Motherboard

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