The VICE Morning Bulletin

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

• GOP Ramps Up Muslim Panic
  Donald Trump won't rule out special ID cards for American Muslims, while Ben Carson has likened Syrian refugees to rabid dogs. The increasingly extreme rhetoric comes as House Republicans pushed through a bill placing constraints on the US refugee program. —The Washington Post

• Israeli Spy to be Set Free
  The US is set to release Jonathan Pollard, an American jailed for spying for Israel, from a North Carolina prison on Friday. The former American intelligence officer has served 30 years behind bars. —The New York Times

• Top Insurer Threatens to Quit Obamacare
  The nation's largest health insurer has warned it may pull out of Obamacare after low enrolment and high usage cost the company millions of dollars. The move by UnitedHealth would force millions of people to find other coverage. —USA Today

• More Mexicans Leaving Than Arriving
  More Mexican immigrants are returning to their home country than coming to the US, according to the latest Pew report. Between 2009 – 2014, one million returned home, creating the first net loss in four decades. —Los Angeles Times

• France Pushes UN for Backing
  France wants the United Nations Security Council to call on all "able states" to fight against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. The Russian ambassador to the UN described a resolution circulated by the French as a "good draft". —Reuters

• Coal Mine Attack in China
  Chinese police have killed all but one of the 29 suspects in a deadly attack on a coal mine in Xinjiang. Details of the attack have been kept under wraps, but Chinese authorities blame only "terrorists", and have now confirmed suspects deaths during raids. —AP

• Kuwait Arrests IS Funders
  Kuwait has arrested members of a suspected terrorist cell accused of supplying funds and weapons to the Islamic State. A Lebanese national named Osama Khayat allegedly confessed to buying rockets for IS, according to Kuwait state media. —BBC News
• New Zealand Votes on New Flag
  Voting has begun in New Zealand in a referendum on a new national flag. New Prime Minister John Key says the current flag—featuring the UK's Union Jack—is out of date, and wants voters to choose one of five potential new flags they prefer. —CNN

• Facebook Promises Less Awkward Break Ups
  No more untagging and deleting when relationships end. A new tool wipes memories from your feed and blocks updates from the person you're trying to get over. —Wired

• Sarah Palin Says Legalizing Weed 'No Big Deal'
  The former Alaska governor said it was "no big deal" to legalize marijuana. "If somebody's gonna smoke a joint in their house and not do anybody any harm, then there are other things our cops should be looking at." —The Huffington Post

• Drone Controllers Speak Out
  Four former US drone operators are spoken out against the remote assassination program. They say they realized drone strikes "only fueled the feelings of hatred that ignited terrorism and groups like ISIS". —Motherboard

• Ukraine Has Star Wars Candidates
  We talked to Darth Vader and Chewbacca, two candidates fighting an election on behalf of Ukraine's Internet Party. They want their country's parliament to be run by computers. —VICE

Done with reading today? That's alright—instead, watch our new film, 'What Life Is Like as a Night-Shift Worker Looking After Australia's Incarcerated Aboriginals'