The VICE Morning Bulletin

Tens of Thousands Evacuate as Texas Prepares for Hurricane Harvey
Authorities in seven Texas counties issued evacuation orders for tens of thousands of people after forecasters warned a hurricane would hit the state's coastline late Friday or early Saturday. Hurricane Harvey—which authorities said was "life-threatening"—has been upgraded to Category 2, but is expected to evolve into Category 3 by the time it makes landfall. Concerned by potential power cuts, one hospital in Corpus Christi moved at least ten infants in intensive care to a hospital farther north in Fort Worth.—AP

CIA Officials Worried Pompeo Too Close to White House
Several CIA officials have expressed concerns that agency director Mike Pompeo is essentially "political," fearing he is too close to the White House and President Trump. The CIA's Counterintelligence Mission Center is working with the FBI to probe the extent of Russian election interference. One anonymous official said staffers are worried "that if you were passing on something too dicey [to Pompeo] he would go to the White House with it."—The Washington Post

Interior Secretary Mulls Shrinking National Monuments
Ryan Zinke wants to reduce a "handful" of national monuments in size, following a review ordered by President Trump. The historic sites that may face boundary changes after Zinke's recommendations reportedly include Oregon's Cascade-Siskiyou and Utah's Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante.—VICE News

Mike Pence Military Detail Removed for Inviting Women to Hotel
Military personnel guarding Mike Pence staffers have been dismissed from their duties at the White House after video footage showed they returned to their hotel in Panama with women who had not been properly registered. An Air Force spokesman said "the individuals in question have been reassigned back to the Army and Air Force."—NBC News

Thai Authorities Alerted After Former Prime Minister Evades Court
Thailand's Supreme Court has ordered the arrest of former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra after she failed to appear in court for a trial over alleged negligence. Shinawatra's legal team claimed she was too sick to make it to the reading of the verdict, but Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said he had "ordered border checkpoints to be stepped up." Anonymous officials in Shinawatra's party claimed she has fled the country.—BBC News

Samsung Heir Gets Five-Year Prison Sentence
Lee Jae-yong, vice chairman of Samsung, has been slapped with five years in prison after being found guilty of attempted bribery by a court in Seoul, South Korea. The judges determined that Lee, grandson of the company's founder, had endeavored to bribe former president Park Geun-hye and her associate in order to win government backing for a deal enhancing his own position at Samsung.—AP

At Least 71 Killed in Rohingya Attacks in Myanmar
At least 71 people were killed Friday in a series of attacks by Muslim Rohingya militants in Myanmar. Assaults on an army base and several police checkpoints left at least 12 security personnel and 59 militants dead. The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army claimed responsibility for the attacks.—Reuters

At Least 14 Dead in Yemen After Airstrikes
At least 14 people were killed following airstrikes on residential buildings in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, according to medical staff and bystanders. Rescuers were still searching for bodies in the rubble around the Faj Attan area. A Saudi-led coalition has stepped up its strikes, ostensibly part of a campaign against Houthi militants in the area.—Al Jazeera

MTV Issues VMAs Invitation to Transgender Troops
MTV has invited transgender troops serving in the military to Sunday's 2017 Video Music Awards. A Pentagon spokesman said the Department of Defense was "reviewing the parameters of the request" before deciding if it would greenlight the plan.—CNN

JAY-Z and Ryan Gosling to Star in 'SNL' Season Premiere
JAY-Z is slated to perform during the season premiere of Saturday Night Live next month. Ryan Gosling takes up SNL hosting duties for the September 30 show on NBC.—USA Today

'Wonder Woman' Director Dismisses James Cameron's Criticism
Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins has issued a reaction to director James Cameron's critique of the movie as "male Hollywood doing the same old thing." Jenkins stated: "James Cameron's inability to understand what Wonder Woman is, or stands for, to women all over the world is unsurprising as… he is not a woman."—The Guardian

Beck Releases New Song and Album Details
Beck dropped brand-new track "Dear Life" Thursday alongside details of his forthcoming, album Colors, ten months after he pushed back its release. The pop-oriented follow-up to Morning Phase is now due out October 13.—Noisey

Police Investigate After Videos Show Cheer Team Forced to Do Splits
Denver police are investigating East High School after videos showing cheerleaders forced into doing splits were made public. Five coaching and education officials have reportedly been placed on leave.—Broadly

Bernie Sanders Is the Most Popular Politician in America, Poll Finds
Senator Bernie Sanders is the most admired politician in the United States, a new Harvard-Harris Poll has found. Sanders is viewed favorably by 54 percent of voters, the only politician to achieve majority support.—VICE