The VICE Morning Bulletin

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

Protestors Dominate White Supremacist Event
Protestors were the main event when white supremacist Richard Spencer, one of the alt-right's leading voices, spoke at the Texas A&M campus late Tuesday. Activists were pushed back by cops who showed up in force, but some did make it inside the conference room to protest. "At the end of the day, America belongs to white men," Spencer told his audience.—CNN Man Carrying Gas Can Arrested Near Rockefeller Center
New York City Police arrested a man holding a gas can and matches outside Rockefeller Center and charged him with making terrorist threats. Police said 38-year-old Bronx denizen Yuriy Alterman was shouting anti-police remarks and carrying a copy of Sons of Hama.—NBC News Son of Trump National Security Advisor Pick Resigns from Transition
The son of Donald Trump's national security advisor choice Michael G. Flynn has been forced to resign from the president-elect's transition team because of his tweets about "pizzagate" and other false news stories. Michael T. Glynn had tweeted: "Until #Pizzagate proven to be false, it'll remain a story."—CBS News Refrigerator May Have Caused Oakland Warehouse Fire
Investigators suspect the Oakland warehouse party fire that killed 36 people may have been caused by a refrigerator, or one of the other electrical appliances found at the scene. An official with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives said there was "no indication that this was intentionally set."—AP

Indonesian Earthquake Leaves at Least 97 Dead
A 6.5-magnitude earthquake that struck Indonesia's Aceh Province early Wednesday morning has killed at least 97 people, according to the province's army chief. Rescue teams have been searching through damaged buildings to try to find dozens of people still missing, who they fear may still be trapped in the rubble.—Al Jazeera

Angela Merkel Backs Full-Face Veil Ban in Germany
German chancellor Angela Merkel has proposed a partial ban on the wearing of the full-face veil. Merkel, both admired and criticized for her progressive approach to immigration, told her party's conference that the burqa and the niqab were "inappropriate."—VICE Syria Rebels Give Up the Old City in Aleppo
Syrian government forces advancing in eastern Aleppo have taken control of the last areas of the Old City held by rebel fighters. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, rebels have withdrawn from the area around an ancient, walled citadel. They have held at least part of the city for the past four years.—AFP LaMia Airline Boss Arrested in Bolivia
The head of the airline whose plane crashed in Colombia and killed 71 people, including most of the Chapecoense soccer team, has been arrested. Gustavo Vargas has been detained for questioning by police in Bolivia, where the LaMia airline has its headquarters.—BBC News

Beyoncé Leads the Way with Nine Grammy Nominations
Beyoncé has received nine nominations for the 59th annual Grammy awards, the most by any artist this year. Drake, Rihanna, and Kanye West all received eight, though Kanye missed out on any of the crossover "general field" nominations.—Billboard Apple Music Reaches 20 Million Paid Subscribers
Apple Music has surpassed 20 million paid subscribers signed up to its music-streaming service, having doubled the number of customers in 2016. It still lags behind Spotify, which now has 40 million paid subscribers.—BuzzFeed News Chelsea Manning Considered a Man by Military Psychologist
A military psychologist has refused to change Chelsea Manning's gender on official records, according to court filings. Manning wants to be listed as female to allow her hair to grow longer than the two inches that male prison inmates are allowed.—AP Standing Rock Benefit Concert Announced
Fiona Apple, Sky Ferreira, TV on the Radio, and Devendra Banhart will all play a benefit show for groups campaigning with the Standing Rock Sioux tribe. The "We Rock with Standing Rock" concert is at LA's Fonda Theatre on December 18.—Noisey Congress Finally Moving on Flint Help
Congress has finally agreed on the outline of a bill that would authorize $170 million in aid for Flint, Michigan. The bill, which could be voted on later this week, would also give $220 million for other communities across the US facing drinking water emergencies.—Motherboard