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The VICE Morning Bulletin

The VICE Morning Bulletin

US open to dialogue with North Korea, massive blackout sets Puerto Rico even further back, and more.
Photo by Patrick Semansky—Pool/Getty Images

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

US News

Pence Says Talks with North Korea on the Table
The vice president said the US and South Korea had settled on a new, twin-track policy of sanctions and engagement with North Korea. Pence noted that the move would open up the possibility of talks without preconditions between US and North Korean officials. Traveling home from the Winter Olympics, he said a “maximum pressure campaign is going to continue and intensify. But if you want to talk, we’ll talk.”—The Washington Post/VICE News

New York Files Suit Against Weinstein Company
State attorney general Eric Schneiderman brought a claim against the disgraced former producer Harvey Weinstein, his brother Robert, and the Weinstein Company. The suit argues the company was given “credible evidence of HW’s sexual harassment," and was apparently sufficient to halt Sunday’s expected sale of the company to an investor group for roughly $275 million, plus debts.—The New York Times

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Huge Power Outage Hits Puerto Rico
Large parts of northern Puerto Rico, including some areas in San Juan, were without power Sunday night after an explosion and a fire at an electricity facility. Although the number of people impacted was unknown, more than 400,000 homes in the US territory were already without power due to damage from Hurricane Maria several months ago.—AP

Trump Infrastructure Plan Finally Set to See Light of Day
The White House was expected to outline a $1.5 trillion proposal to encourage state and local governments to spend on infrastructure Monday. Only $200 million was reportedly slated to come from federal coffers, while private industry, state, and local entities were meant to cover the rest of the costs. President Trump was scheduled to talk about the plan with lawmakers at the White House on Wednesday.—CBS News

International News

Russian Investigators Search Plane Crash Wreckage
A Saratov Airlines jet crashed around 50 miles outside Moscow on Sunday, killing all 71 people on board. At least one flight recorder was found in the snow as inspectors sought evidence.—BBC News

Egypt Kills a Dozen Militants in Sinai
The Egyptian Army said 12 anti-government fighters had been killed and 92 others arrested in a ground operation in Sinai. Military air strikes also hit 60 militant locations, according to a televised statement from the army. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has vowed to root out a militant Islamist insurgency in the area ahead of his bid for reelection next month.—Reuters

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Australia Failing Its Indigenous People, Report Says
A government report found the country is falling short in four of seven targets for reducing inequalities Aboriginal people face, and specifically that the gap in life expectancy was widening. Former PM Kevin Rudd, whose government set the targets in 2008, blamed funding cuts.—AP

Duterte Says Soldiers Can Shoot Women in the Genitals
Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte told a gathering of former rebel fighters that soldiers were entitled to fire at female suspects. “We won’t kill you. We will just shoot your vagina,” Duterte was reported to have said. His spokesman recently dismissed the leader's rants as a joke. “I mean, that’s funny," the spokesman said. "Come on. Just laugh.”—VICE News

Everything Else

‘Fifty Shades Freed’ No.1 at the Box Office
The franchise's final installment earned $38.8 million in North American movie theaters, part of an international debut totaling $136.9 million. The trilogy has now earned over $1 billion around the world.—The Hollywood Reporter

NBC Apologizes for Offending Koreans
Winter Olympics pundit Joshua Cooper Ramo said Japan had set Korea “a cultural, technological, and economic example," upsetting many on the Korean Peninsula who harbor negative feelings toward the former empire. NBC apologized for Ramo's comments and said he “will have no further role on our air” at the games.—Reuters

Justin Timberlake Tops Album Chart
The singer’s new LP Man of the Woods debuted at No.1 on the Billboard 200, moving 293,000 copies in equivalent sales in its first week. The album, Timberlake’s fourth No.1, enjoyed the strongest debut since the release of Taylor Swift’s Reputation.—Billboard

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Jóhann Jóhannsson Dies at 48
The acclaimed composer, who scored Arrival and Sicario, was found dead at his Berlin apartment on Friday, his manager confirmed over the weekend. “The power of his music will live on,” said his label Deutsche Grammophon.—Noisey

Travis Scott Given Key to His Hometown
The mayor of Missouri City, Texas, awarded Scott the key at a ceremony this weekend. “This is better than any award show I’ve ever been to,” Scott said, before jumping into a rendition of his track “Butterfly Effect.”—Noisey

Oculus VR Founder Moderating Subreddit About Oculus
Palmer Luckey, the man who sold his VR company to Facebook, was tapped to help moderate the r/Oculus subreddit. His appointment to the role sparked a backlash by some users unhappy Luckey gave money to help fund the Trump inauguration and with his politics generally.—Motherboard

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