The VICE Morning Bulletin
Photo by Maria Belen Perez Gabilondo/AFP/Getty Images

FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Identity

The VICE Morning Bulletin

Court says Civil Rights Act prohibits LGBTQ discrimination, UN holds emergency meeting on gas attack in Syria, North Korea test fires another ballistic missile, and more.

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

US News

Civil Rights Act Prohibits LGBTQ Discrimination, Court Rules
The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago has ruled that the 1964 Civil Rights Act protects LGBTQ employees from workplace discrimination. On Tuesday, the court found that the Civil Rights Act's prohibition on discriminating against someone due to their "sex" also applied to sexual orientation. The case was brought by Indiana teacher Kimberly Hively, who claimed Ivy Tech Community College denied her a full-time position because she is lesbian.—VICE News

Ivanka Trump Says She Wants to Be 'Force for Good' in White House
Ivanka Trump responded to critics who have called her "complicit" in her father's administration by saying she is complicit—if "being complicit is wanting to be a force for good." When asked, in her first interview since becoming an official government employee, why she did not speak up on issues that were important to her, Trump said: "I would say not to conflate lack of public denouncement with silence… where I disagree with my father, he knows it."—CBS News

Advertisement

Rice Denies Outing Trump Officials Under Investigation
President Obama's former national security adviser Susan E. Rice has denied uncovering the names of Trump campaign or transition officials from intelligence reports, as well as leaking them. "I leaked nothing, to nobody, and never have and never would," she said. Republican lawmakers said Rice should testify in front of congressional probes into Russia's role in the 2016 election.—The Washington Post

Homeland Security Reports Decline in Immigration Arrests
Arrests of would-be illegal border crossers are plummeting, according to John Kelly, the Department of Homeland Security secretary. He said fewer than 12,500 people were caught trying to illegally cross the border from Mexico last month, a drop from some 43,000 in December. Kelly hailed President Trump's approach to immigration, saying the decline was "no accident."—AP

International News

UN Holds Emergency Meeting on Gas Attack in Syria
The UN Security Council is having an emergency meeting Wednesday to investigate a chemical weapons attack in Idlib Province that killed at least 50 people and injured at least 300, including children. A draft UN resolution—proposed by the US, UK, and France—insists that Syria provide investigators with flight details and access to air bases. Meanwhile, Bashar al Assad's regime denied using chemical weapons, as it always has.—Reuters

North Korea Test Fires Another Ballistic Missile
North Korea has fired a medium-range ballistic missile 40 miles off its eastern coast into the Sea of Japan, according to the South Korean defense ministry. The US military's Pacific Command said it had determined the likely KN-15 ballistic missile "did not pose a threat to North America." Japan condemned the launch as "provocative."—BBC News

Advertisement

Bomb Attack Targeting Pakistan's Census Team Kills At Least Five
Pakistani government census collectors were attacked by terrorists in Lahore early Wednesday, with at least five people dying and nine more sustaining injuries. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan group claimed to have carried out a suicide attack. At least four of the dead were members of the armed forces.—Al Jazeera

Australian Police Seize $680 Million Worth of Crystal Meth
Cops have seized just under a ton of crystal meth worth an estimated $680 million—the largest bust involving the drug in the country's history. Two men have been charged with trafficking crimes after police discovered the enormous stash packed inside 70 boxes of wooden flooring in Melbourne.—The Australian/AP

Everything Else

Kendall Jenner Pepsi Ad Accused of Cheapening Protest
A new ad in which Kendall Jenner joins a protest and hands a cop a Pepsi has been widely criticized for making a mockery of Black Lives Matter and other activist movements. "If I had carried Pepsi I guess I never would've gotten arrested," tweeted Black Lives Matter organizer Deray McKesson.—CNN

Beyoncé Drops Studio Remake for Wedding Anniversary
Beyoncé has released Die with You as an enhanced music video in honor of her ninth wedding anniversary with Jay Z. The studio-quality version of the 2015 track features home videos of the family and Queen Bey playing the piano.—Noisey

Spotify Strikes Deal to Charge for New Releases
Spotify and Universal Music Group have struck a deal allowing some artists to place new music behind a paywall for the first two weeks of release. New albums could initially go on Spotify's paid premium service, though singles would be accessible to everyone.—Rolling Stone

Rick Ross Gets Five-Year Probation Sentence
Rick Ross and bodyguard Nadrian Lateef James have been sentenced to five years probation after pleading no contest to misdemeanor assault and kidnapping charges. Police said the pair punished two service workers who threw an unannounced party by taking them the rapper's guesthouse in Fayetteville, Georgia, and exacting physical retribution.—Atlanta Journal Constitution

Trailer for Heath Ledger Documentary Released
A trailer for the documentary I Am Heath Ledger, featuring unseen home film footage of the late actor, has been released online. It premieres at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 23 and features tributes from Naomi Watts, Ben Mendelsohn, and Ang Lee.—i-D

Humans Headed for Triassic-Period Conditions By 2250
A new study in Nature Communications indicates civilization is on course to reach temperatures last seen during the Triassic Period, 251 to 199 million years ago. Researchers predict atmospheric CO2 pollution will reach Late Triassic levels by the year 2250.—Motherboard