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Everything you need to know about the world this morning, curated by VICE.Doug Jones Defeats Roy Moore in Alabama
The Democrat won the special election for a Senate seat in the red state, beating Moore by around 1.5 percent. The embattled Republican refused to concede and cited the possibility of a recount, though recounts require the margin of victory to be within 0.5 percent. President Trump acknowledged Jones’s victory, tweeting his congratulations and adding that “Republicans will have another shot at this seat in a very short period of time. It never ends!”—VICE NewsFormer FBI Staffers Called Trump an ‘Idiot’
The Department of Justice revealed text messages shared between former FBI agents Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, who both worked on special counsel Robert Mueller’s team. Both Strzok and Page referred to Trump as an “idiot,” and Strzok said: “God Hillary should win 100,000,000–0.” Mueller fired Strzok in July when he learned of the texts. Page had already left the counsel’s operation.—PoliticoRex Tillerson Wants a Sit-Down with North Korea
The embattled secretary of state said “we’re ready to talk anytime North Korea would like to talk… Let’s just meet, and we can talk about the weather if you want.” Tillerson’s remarks at the Atlantic Council meeting seemed to indicate a shift in tack, but White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said “the president’s views on North Korea have not changed.”—CNNHomeless Camp Cook-Out Implicated in Skirball Fire
Investigators said they traced the origin of the massive blaze in the Bel Air area of Los Angeles to an illegal cooking fire at a camp set up by homeless people. Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Erik Scott said camp remains were found under Interstate 405 near Sepulveda Boulevard.—APTurkey Calls for Recognition of Palestinian Capital in Jerusalem
Turkey’s foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, suggested ahead of a meeting of representatives from 50 Islamic nations that they must “encourage other countries” to acknowledge the existence of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas spoke at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit, which began Wednesday in Istanbul.—ReutersPhilippines Prolongs State of Martial Law
The country’s Congress voted overwhelmingly in favor of President Rodrigo Duterte's appeal to uphold martial law in the Mindanao region until the end of next year. A rebellion by Islamist militants on the southern island was quashed in October, but Duterte said there was still a threat from ISIS sympathizers as well as “communist terrorists.”—Al JazeeraDozens Left Dead After Airstrike in Yemen
A strike on a prison camp in Sanaa by Saudi-led coalition forces killed at least 39 people and injured at least 90 others, according to officials on the ground. The Saudi-led air campaign has targeted the Iran-backed Houthi militants now in control of the Yemeni capital. The destroyed military police facility had reportedly held 180 prisoners.—ReutersEgyptian Pop Star Jailed for ‘Indecent’ Music Video
A court in Egypt sentenced 25-year-old Shaimaa Ahmed, better known as Shyma, to two years in prison for “inciting debauchery” and producing an “indecent” music video. Her “I Have Issues” clip featured the singer eating a banana in her underwear. The director was also given a two-year sentence in absentia.—BBC NewsMGMT Return with New Single
The band released “When You Die,” the second track from its forthcoming album Little Dark Age. A video for the song stars Girls actor Alex Karpovsky as a magician who dies and comes back to life.—SPINTrump Family Struggles with NYC Mayoral Ballot, Report Says
The president was said to screw up his own birthday on an absentee ballot for the city’s mayoral race, writing that it fell a month later than it actually does. His wife, Melania, apparently forgot to sign her envelope, and his daughter Ivanka failed to mail her ballot in on time.—VICEStarbucks Customer’s Laptop Used to Mine Cryptocurrency
Noah Dinkin was hit with miner code designed to steal bitcoin or some similar currency while he used the WiFi in a Starbucks in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The company said it took “swift action to ensure our internet provider resolved the issue.”—MotherboardEPA Boss Probed for Buying $25,000 Soundproof Booth
An inspector general was said to be investigating Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt for spending the agency’s money on a soundproofed room. The purchased booth reportedly amounted to a shipping container without windows.—VICE NewsMake sure to check out the latest episode of VICE's daily podcast. Today we're discussing the scientists searching for a "gay gene," and whether the potential risks outweigh the benefits.
US News
The Democrat won the special election for a Senate seat in the red state, beating Moore by around 1.5 percent. The embattled Republican refused to concede and cited the possibility of a recount, though recounts require the margin of victory to be within 0.5 percent. President Trump acknowledged Jones’s victory, tweeting his congratulations and adding that “Republicans will have another shot at this seat in a very short period of time. It never ends!”—VICE NewsFormer FBI Staffers Called Trump an ‘Idiot’
The Department of Justice revealed text messages shared between former FBI agents Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, who both worked on special counsel Robert Mueller’s team. Both Strzok and Page referred to Trump as an “idiot,” and Strzok said: “God Hillary should win 100,000,000–0.” Mueller fired Strzok in July when he learned of the texts. Page had already left the counsel’s operation.—Politico
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The embattled secretary of state said “we’re ready to talk anytime North Korea would like to talk… Let’s just meet, and we can talk about the weather if you want.” Tillerson’s remarks at the Atlantic Council meeting seemed to indicate a shift in tack, but White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said “the president’s views on North Korea have not changed.”—CNNHomeless Camp Cook-Out Implicated in Skirball Fire
Investigators said they traced the origin of the massive blaze in the Bel Air area of Los Angeles to an illegal cooking fire at a camp set up by homeless people. Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Erik Scott said camp remains were found under Interstate 405 near Sepulveda Boulevard.—AP
International News
Turkey’s foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, suggested ahead of a meeting of representatives from 50 Islamic nations that they must “encourage other countries” to acknowledge the existence of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas spoke at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit, which began Wednesday in Istanbul.—ReutersPhilippines Prolongs State of Martial Law
The country’s Congress voted overwhelmingly in favor of President Rodrigo Duterte's appeal to uphold martial law in the Mindanao region until the end of next year. A rebellion by Islamist militants on the southern island was quashed in October, but Duterte said there was still a threat from ISIS sympathizers as well as “communist terrorists.”—Al Jazeera
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A strike on a prison camp in Sanaa by Saudi-led coalition forces killed at least 39 people and injured at least 90 others, according to officials on the ground. The Saudi-led air campaign has targeted the Iran-backed Houthi militants now in control of the Yemeni capital. The destroyed military police facility had reportedly held 180 prisoners.—ReutersEgyptian Pop Star Jailed for ‘Indecent’ Music Video
A court in Egypt sentenced 25-year-old Shaimaa Ahmed, better known as Shyma, to two years in prison for “inciting debauchery” and producing an “indecent” music video. Her “I Have Issues” clip featured the singer eating a banana in her underwear. The director was also given a two-year sentence in absentia.—BBC News
Everything Else
The band released “When You Die,” the second track from its forthcoming album Little Dark Age. A video for the song stars Girls actor Alex Karpovsky as a magician who dies and comes back to life.—SPINTrump Family Struggles with NYC Mayoral Ballot, Report Says
The president was said to screw up his own birthday on an absentee ballot for the city’s mayoral race, writing that it fell a month later than it actually does. His wife, Melania, apparently forgot to sign her envelope, and his daughter Ivanka failed to mail her ballot in on time.—VICEStarbucks Customer’s Laptop Used to Mine Cryptocurrency
Noah Dinkin was hit with miner code designed to steal bitcoin or some similar currency while he used the WiFi in a Starbucks in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The company said it took “swift action to ensure our internet provider resolved the issue.”—MotherboardEPA Boss Probed for Buying $25,000 Soundproof Booth
An inspector general was said to be investigating Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt for spending the agency’s money on a soundproofed room. The purchased booth reportedly amounted to a shipping container without windows.—VICE NewsMake sure to check out the latest episode of VICE's daily podcast. Today we're discussing the scientists searching for a "gay gene," and whether the potential risks outweigh the benefits.