The VICE Morning Bulletin
Photo by Pete Marovich/Pool via Bloomberg

FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

The VICE Morning Bulletin

The VICE Morning Bulletin

Trump faces deadline on wiretap evidence, gunfire heard at Ferguson protest, bird flu virus causes another 61 deaths in China, and more.

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

US News

Trump Runs Up Against Congressional Deadline on Wiretap Evidence
The House Intelligence Committee has asked the Trump administration to provide any evidence phones were tapped at Trump Tower by the end of Monday, according to congressional aides. A letter stating the deadline was sent to the Department of Justice and FBI boss James Comey by the committee chairman, Republican Devin Nunes, and ranking Democrat Adam Schiff.—NBC News

Steve King Tweet Condemned as Racist
Iowa congressman Steve King has been condemned for a tweet praising far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders, stating: "We can't restore our civilization with somebody else's babies." Republican congressman Carlos Curbelo tweeted, "What exactly do you mean? Do I qualify as 'somebody else's baby?'" The Council on American-Islamic Relations' Iowa director, Miriam Amer, said the tweet was "racist."—The New York Times

Advertisement

Man Accused of Arson Wanted to 'Run Arabs Out of Our Country'
A Florida man has been charged with first-degree arson, accused of trying to set a convenience store in Port St. Lucie on fire because he thought it was owned by Arabs. Richard Leslie Lloyd, 64, told police he wanted to "run the Arabs out of our country." The store owners are, in fact, of Indian descent.—CNN

Gunfire Heard at Ferguson Protest
Shots were reported at a protest outside the Ferguson convenience store visited by Michael Brown before he was shot and killed by a police officer in 2014. No one was injured, but police were said to have made some arrests. The protest followed the release of documentary Stranger Fruit that shows new footage of Brown before his death.—New York Daily News

International News

At Least Six Killed in Car Bomb Attack in Somalia
At least half a dozen people are dead after a car bomb attack in the Somali capital of Mogadishu. The explosion outside the Weheliye hotel Monday morning also left at least four wounded, according to police. No group has yet claimed responsibility. Hours earlier, a minibus exploded at a police checkpoint, wounding two people.—Al Jazeera

Turkey Steps Up Beef with the Netherlands
Turkey's foreign minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, has accused the Netherlands of being "the capital of fascism" after he was stopped from holding a controversial rally in the Dutch nation. At issue are political rallies designed to bolster President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's controversial referendum bolstering his own powers. For his part, Erdogan has warned that the Netherlands is behaving like a "banana republic."—Deutsche Welle

Advertisement

Bird Flu Virus Causes Another 61 Deaths in China
The H7N9 bird flu caused 61 deaths in February, the Chinese government has announced. It brings the number of deaths caused by the virus this year to 140, the highest annual total since the 2010 outbreak of the H1N1 strain. The number of deaths is expected to drop with the end of winter.—Reuters

Australia Mulls Preschool Ban on Unvaccinated Children
The Australian government is considering a ban on unvaccinated children entering preschool and childcare centers. A few states already have "no jab, no play" rules, but PM Malcolm Turnbull is said to covet a unified national policy. A survey of almost 2,000 parents showed roughly 5 percent of kids were not fully immunized.—BBC News

Everything Else

'Kong' Movie Grabs $61 Million at Box Office
Kong: Skull Island has stormed to the top of the box office, taking $61 million in its opening weekend. Logan was pushed into second place, taking $37.9 million in its second week, while Get Out is third, taking another $21.1 million.—AP

Ed Sheeran to Star in 'Game of Thrones'
British singer Ed Sheeran will have a small role in the upcoming season of Game of Thrones, the show's producers have revealed. David Benioff and D.B. Weiss said they approached Sheeran because actor Maisie Williams was a big fan.—Vanity Fair

Texas Lawmaker Proposes $100 Fine for Masturbation
Texas representative Jessica Farrar has proposed a "satirical" regulation that would fine men $100 for masturbating and require a rectal exam for Viagra. Farrar wants to "make people stop and think" about women's struggles to access healthcare.—The Texas Tribune

Drake Reveals 'More Life' Release Date
Drake has teased a release date for More Life, a new project he has been working on for Apple Music. According to a video post on Instagram, it will be out March 18.—Noisey

Pedophile Hunter Sued for Defamation
Ryan LaForge, president of a Canadian chapter of pedophile hunter group Creep Catchers, is being sued for defamation. A video posted by LaForge's group accusing the plaintiff of pedophilia was seen more than 56,000 times.—VICE

Up to 15 Percent of Twitter Accounts Fake, Say Researchers
As many as 15 percent of active Twitter accounts are bots driven by algorithms, according to new analysis by computer scientists at Indiana University and the University of Southern California. It means there could be around 48 million fake Twitter accounts.—Motherboard