The VICE Morning Bulletin
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The VICE Morning Bulletin

The VICE Morning Bulletin

Kushner testifies on Russia meetings, car bomb kills 24 in Kabul, Trump expected to (eventually) sign sanctions against Moscow, and more.

US News

Kushner to Testify on Four Meetings with Russians
Presidential adviser Jared Kushner tried to explain four meetings held with Russian officials prior to Trump's inauguration to members of the Senate Intelligence Committee Monday. In a statement, he claimed to have "hardly any" contact with Russian representatives and denied collusion with any foreign governments. He said he had mistakenly neglected to disclose foreign contacts when initially submitting his White House security clearance form because of a "miscommunication." Closed-door in-person testimony was expected to follow.—VICE News

Trump Apparently Willing to Sign Russia Sanctions Bill
The Trump administration supports a bill imposing stronger sanctions on Russia, according to White House press secretary Sarah Sanders. "We support where the legislation is now," she said Sunday. The legislation would require President Trump to get the approval of Congress to significantly change or ax any of the (modest) new sanctions, following a bipartisan agreement reached Saturday.—CNN

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Cops Find Eight Dead in Texas Trailer
Police are investigating the deaths of nine people found in a tractor trailer in San Antonio, Texas, as a "human trafficking crime." Eight people were found dead in the overcrowded, overheated vehicle left in a Walmart parking lot, while one person later died during treatment. More than a dozen others were rescued. A man from Florida was reportedly set to be charged in connection with the deaths Monday—CBS News/AP

Government Agencies Still Using Russian Security Software
Local and state government agencies are apparently continuing to use security software from Russian firm Kaspersky Lab, despite a federal government call to stop buying the products. On July 11, the General Services Administration informed government agencies Kaspersky products were no longer approved, hinting at vulnerability to Russian government hacking. Kaspersky Lab has denied any collusion with the Kremlin.—The Washington Post

International News

Car Bomb Kills 24 in Kabul
A suicide car bomb attack in the Afghan capital of Kabul has left 24 people dead and 42 wounded, according to a police spokesperson. The attacker drove a car filled with explosives into a bus carrying government employees to work during rush hour Monday morning. The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack.—AP

Two Dead, One Wounded in Israeli Embassy Shooting in Jordan
A shooting incident at the Israeli embassy compound in Jordan has left two Jordanians dead and one Israeli wounded. A security guard reportedly shot and killed a Jordanian carpenter who stabbed him, and a Jordanian landlord also died of wounds sustained in the gunfire. Israel decided to pull embassy staff out of the country, but Jordan is not permitting the wounded Israeli to be evacuated.—Haaretz

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Newspaper Employees Stand Trial in Turkey
Seventeen journalists and managers at the independent Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet go on trial Monday. The core of one of the country's last opposition outlets face charges relating to alleged support for the Kurdistan Workers' Party and the movement of exiled cleric Fethullah Gülen, whom the government suspects was behind last year's failed coup.—The Guardian

Moroccan Peacekeeper Killed in the CAR
A Moroccan solider was killed and three others injured when a United Nations peacekeeping convoy was attacked by suspected Christian militants in the Central African Republic. The UN detachment was attempting to fetch water for a village. The "anti-Balaka" Christian militants have been engaged in violence with Muslim groups since the outbreak of civil war in 2013.—Al Jazeera

Everything Else

'Dunkirk' Commands No.1 Spot at the Box Office
Christopher Nolan's WWII epic Dunkirk debuted at No.1 at the North American box office, taking in $50.5 million during its opening weekend. The Warner Bros. release took another $55.4 million overseas.—The Hollywood Reporter

Father John Misty Says New Album Coming Soon
Father John Misty claimed to have almost finished a follow-up to his latest release, Pure Comedy. "I'm mixing it next week," he told the crowd at a show in Sydney, Australia. "It's called Pure Comedy 2," he added, possibly in jest.—Pitchfork

'Game of Thrones' Author Says New Westeros Book Coming Next Year
George R.R. Martin has revealed the next book in his A Song of Ice and Fire series, The Winds of Winter, will be out next year. Claiming it was "months away" from being finished, Martin wrote: "I do think you will have a Westeros book from me in 2018."—The Huffington Post

Netflix Drops Trailer for Stranger Things
Netflix has released the first trailer for the second season of Stranger Things, set to premiere October 27. It references The Goonies, Ghostbusters, and Close Encounters, and utilizes the Michael Jackson classic "Thriller."—i-D

Fake Shark Beats Michael Phelps in TV Race
Michael Phelps lost his 100-meter race against a fake great white shark in a Discovery Channel Shark Week event. The computer-generated beast recorded the arbitrary time of 36.1 seconds compared to Phelps's 38.13.—VICE Sports