The VICE Morning Bulletin

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The VICE Morning Bulletin

Obama lifts a 50 year ban on selling arms to Vietnam, ISIS has claimed responsibility for blasts that killed at least 100 people in government-held cities in Syria, and more.

Barack Obama, who announced the end of a 50 year ban on selling arms to Vietnam. Photo via Wikimedia

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

US News

US to Sell Arms to Vietnam
President Obama has announced the lifting of a 50-year-old arms embargo on Vietnam. Speaking in Hanoi on his first visit to the country, Obama said all arms sales would need to meet "strict requirements," but his administration wanted to make sure the country "has access to equipment it needs to defend itself."—The Washington Post

Bernie Takes on the DNC Chair
Bernie Sanders has announced that he is helping raise money for Tim Canova, the candidate who is running against Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schulz. Sanders also said he would not reappoint Wasserman Schultz to head the DNC if he was elected president.—CNN

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US Islamic State Recruit Now Working with Feds
A New York City man and former Columbia University student has explained his regret in joining the Islamic State in Syria. "I have a lot to make up for," he said. Identified only as Mo, the 27-year-old is in federal custody, facing up to 25 years in prison and cooperating with the FBI.—NBC News

Massachusetts Cop Killing Suspect Shot Dead
The suspect in the fatal shooting of a Massachusetts police officer has been shot and killed after an exchange of gunfire. According to Worcester County District Attorney, 35-year-old Jorge Zambrano burst out of a closet and opened fire on the officers as they closed in on him in an apartment in Oxford.—CBS News

International News

Bombs Kill More Than 100 in Syria's Coastal Cities
At least 100 people have been killed in multiple blasts in coastal cities held by the Syrian government. Several of the blasts in the cities of Tartous and Jableh were suicide bombings, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attacks.—Reuters

Iraq Begins Operation to Retake Fallujah
Heavy shelling of Islamic State–controlled Falluja has begun after Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al Abadi announced the start of a military operation to retake the city. Civilians were warned to leave the town on Sunday, but some families were reportedly intercepted by Islamic State fighters, or killed by explosives they had planted along the road.—Al Jazeera

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Austrian Far-Right Candidate Just Loses Presidential Race
Norbert Hofer of the Freedom Party, who would have become the first far-right leader in Europe since World War II, narrowly lost to his rival Alexander Van der Bellen. The Green Party leader, an economics professor in his 70s, received 50.3 percent of the vote, getting only 30,000 more votes than Hofer, who came in at 49.7 percent.—The New York Times

Suicide Attack Kills Yemeni Army Recruits
A suicide bomb attack in the Yemeni city of Aden has killed at least 40 army recruits, according to officials. An attacker detonated an explosive vest outside the recruitment center in the Khormaksar district. There was a second explosion at the nearby army base shortly afterward.—[BBC News ](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-36357133)

Megadeath drummer Nick Menza, who has died aged 51. Photo via Wikimedia

Everything Else

Chance the Rapper Makes Billboard Chart History
Chance the Rapper's Coloring Book is the first streaming-only album in the history of the Billboard 200. New metrics that count streaming toward album sales mean the 57 million streams place the album at No. 8.—Billboard

Kissing Lesbians Win $80,000 Settlement
Courtney Wilson and Taylor Guerrero, the couple told by a Honolulu police officer to "take it somewhere else" after he saw them kissing at a grocery store, have won an $80,000 settlement from the city. "I'm happy with it," Guerrero said.—ABC News

Tributes Paid to Ex-Megadeath Drummer
Former Megadeath drummer Nick Menza has died at age 51 after collapsing on stage while playing with his band OHM. "Shocked, devastated, and saddened don't begin to describe my feelings," said Megadeath's Dave Mustaine.—Rolling Stone

Louisiana Passes 'Blue Lives Matter' Pro Police Bill
The Louisiana legislature has passed a bill known as "Blue Lives Matter" that would make any targeting of a police officer a hate crime. The bill just needs the approval of Governor John Bel Edwards.—VICE News