Photo of John Bolton by Justin Lane/Pool via Bloomberg.
Everything you need to know about the world this morning, curated by VICE.Neocons Back in the Game with John Bolton Hire as National Security Adviser
H.R. McMaster was set to step down and be replaced on April 9 by Bolton, the frequent Fox News pundit and Bush administration neocon who has advocated military intervention in Iran and North Korea. Bolton, who previously served as former US Ambassador to the UN, wrote an op-ed entitled "The Legal Case for Striking North Korea First" last month.—VICE NewsProtestors Blocked Sacramento Basketball Arena over Police Shooting
Black Lives Matter protesters linked arms to block entrances to the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento Thursday night, delaying the start of the NBA game inside. The marching protesters were angry about the fatal shooting of Stephon Clark, who was only holding a cell phone when he was shot and killed in a barrage of police gunfire Sunday. Cops claimed they thought he had a gun.—CBS NewsChina Responds to Trump Tariffs, Stock Markets Plunge
China's commerce ministry said it would hike tariffs on 128 US products worth a combined $3 billion, retaliating to the Trump administration's decision to slap $60 billion worth of tariffs on Chinese imports. Market reacted emotionally to the prospect of a trade war. In the US, the S&P 500 Index closed 2.5 percent down Thursday, while stock markets in Asia saw declines on Friday.—The New York TimesUS General Accuses Russians of Helping the Taliban
John Nicholson, the commander in charge of US forces in Afghanistan, said Russians had given "some degree of support to the Taliban." He claimed Russian weapons had been moved across the border with Tajikistan. Nicholson said the "destabilizing activity" has "really picked up in the last 18 to 24 months."—BBC NewsGunman Takes Hostages at French Supermarket
An armed man took shoppers hostage in a Super U store in Trèbes in southern France, and deaths were reported by some outlets. Police officials sealed the area off and were dealing with the incident as a potential act of terrorism. Separately, a police officer was shot and wounded while out jogging in nearby Carcassonne Friday morning.—VICE NewsEU Recalls Its Ambassador from Russia
The European Union asked its ambassador in Moscow to return to Brussels to discuss the next steps in the beef over the nerve-agent poisoning of a former Russian spy on British soil. The EU concluded it was "highly likely" Russia was behind the attack after UK Prime Minister Theresa May made the case at a Thursday summit of European leaders.—BBC NewsCondo Fire in Vietnam Leaves at Least 13 Dead
Thirteen people were killed and another 28 injured in a huge blaze that broke out at a condominium complex in Ho Chi Minh City early Friday. Over 1,000 residents escaped the flames on their own, but more than 100 others had to be rescued by police and fire officials. It took firefighters more than an hour to tame the blaze.—APFrench President’s Approval Rating Falls to New Low
According to a new survey, only 40 percent of the French public approved of Emmanuel Macron—the lowest level since his presidency began. A public-sector strike on Thursday saw tens of thousands protest against changes to pay structure and other reforms.—ReutersFormer Playboy Model Says Trump Compared Her to His Daughter
Karen McDougal shared the details of her alleged affair with Trump in 2006 and 2007. She told CNN he did not wear a condom, told her that he loved her, and compared her to Ivanka. "He said I was beautiful like her," said McDougal, whose account mostly echoed that of Stormy Daniels.—VICE NewsFuture Shares 'Superfly' Trailer, Track
The rapper tweeted the first teaser clip of the movie, a reworking of the 1972 classic he's co-producing with Joel Silver. Future is also doing the soundtrack and the first full track can be heard on Sony Pictures' website for the film.—PitchforkToys 'R' Us Founder Dies
Charles Lazarus, the man who started the toy giant as a furniture store back in 1948, died Thursday at the age of 94. The company, which was shutting down in the US, said there had been "many sad moments for Toys 'R' Us in recent weeks, and none more heartbreaking than today’s news."—APMusic Revenue Grows to $8.7 Billion
The US industry’s revenue soared 16.5 percent last year, the Recording Industry Association of America revealed. Paid subscriptions to streaming platforms accounted for more than $4 billion of the total.—Rolling StoneGun Vloggers Shift to Pornhub Following YouTube Ban
The video bloggers at InRange TV said they would upload their gun reviews to the porn site after YouTube said it would prohibit gun sale-related videos. "We are merely looking for a safe harbor for our content and for our viewers," InRange TV explained.—MotherboardKendrick Lamar Is the Subject of a New Biography
The music critic Marcus J. Moore has announced a deal with Touchstone Books to write a "cultural biography" of the artist. Moore said it would be called The Butterfly Effect: How Kendrick Lamar Ignited the Soul of Black America.—i-DMake sure to check out the latest episode of VICE's daily podcast. Today we explore a potential new way to treat phobias where the patient doesn’t even need to know they’re being treated.Sign up for our newsletter to get the best of VICE delivered to your inbox daily.
US News
H.R. McMaster was set to step down and be replaced on April 9 by Bolton, the frequent Fox News pundit and Bush administration neocon who has advocated military intervention in Iran and North Korea. Bolton, who previously served as former US Ambassador to the UN, wrote an op-ed entitled "The Legal Case for Striking North Korea First" last month.—VICE NewsProtestors Blocked Sacramento Basketball Arena over Police Shooting
Black Lives Matter protesters linked arms to block entrances to the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento Thursday night, delaying the start of the NBA game inside. The marching protesters were angry about the fatal shooting of Stephon Clark, who was only holding a cell phone when he was shot and killed in a barrage of police gunfire Sunday. Cops claimed they thought he had a gun.—CBS News
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China's commerce ministry said it would hike tariffs on 128 US products worth a combined $3 billion, retaliating to the Trump administration's decision to slap $60 billion worth of tariffs on Chinese imports. Market reacted emotionally to the prospect of a trade war. In the US, the S&P 500 Index closed 2.5 percent down Thursday, while stock markets in Asia saw declines on Friday.—The New York TimesUS General Accuses Russians of Helping the Taliban
John Nicholson, the commander in charge of US forces in Afghanistan, said Russians had given "some degree of support to the Taliban." He claimed Russian weapons had been moved across the border with Tajikistan. Nicholson said the "destabilizing activity" has "really picked up in the last 18 to 24 months."—BBC News
International News
An armed man took shoppers hostage in a Super U store in Trèbes in southern France, and deaths were reported by some outlets. Police officials sealed the area off and were dealing with the incident as a potential act of terrorism. Separately, a police officer was shot and wounded while out jogging in nearby Carcassonne Friday morning.—VICE NewsEU Recalls Its Ambassador from Russia
The European Union asked its ambassador in Moscow to return to Brussels to discuss the next steps in the beef over the nerve-agent poisoning of a former Russian spy on British soil. The EU concluded it was "highly likely" Russia was behind the attack after UK Prime Minister Theresa May made the case at a Thursday summit of European leaders.—BBC News
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Thirteen people were killed and another 28 injured in a huge blaze that broke out at a condominium complex in Ho Chi Minh City early Friday. Over 1,000 residents escaped the flames on their own, but more than 100 others had to be rescued by police and fire officials. It took firefighters more than an hour to tame the blaze.—APFrench President’s Approval Rating Falls to New Low
According to a new survey, only 40 percent of the French public approved of Emmanuel Macron—the lowest level since his presidency began. A public-sector strike on Thursday saw tens of thousands protest against changes to pay structure and other reforms.—Reuters
Everything Else
Karen McDougal shared the details of her alleged affair with Trump in 2006 and 2007. She told CNN he did not wear a condom, told her that he loved her, and compared her to Ivanka. "He said I was beautiful like her," said McDougal, whose account mostly echoed that of Stormy Daniels.—VICE NewsFuture Shares 'Superfly' Trailer, Track
The rapper tweeted the first teaser clip of the movie, a reworking of the 1972 classic he's co-producing with Joel Silver. Future is also doing the soundtrack and the first full track can be heard on Sony Pictures' website for the film.—PitchforkToys 'R' Us Founder Dies
Charles Lazarus, the man who started the toy giant as a furniture store back in 1948, died Thursday at the age of 94. The company, which was shutting down in the US, said there had been "many sad moments for Toys 'R' Us in recent weeks, and none more heartbreaking than today’s news."—AP
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The US industry’s revenue soared 16.5 percent last year, the Recording Industry Association of America revealed. Paid subscriptions to streaming platforms accounted for more than $4 billion of the total.—Rolling StoneGun Vloggers Shift to Pornhub Following YouTube Ban
The video bloggers at InRange TV said they would upload their gun reviews to the porn site after YouTube said it would prohibit gun sale-related videos. "We are merely looking for a safe harbor for our content and for our viewers," InRange TV explained.—MotherboardKendrick Lamar Is the Subject of a New Biography
The music critic Marcus J. Moore has announced a deal with Touchstone Books to write a "cultural biography" of the artist. Moore said it would be called The Butterfly Effect: How Kendrick Lamar Ignited the Soul of Black America.—i-DMake sure to check out the latest episode of VICE's daily podcast. Today we explore a potential new way to treat phobias where the patient doesn’t even need to know they’re being treated.Sign up for our newsletter to get the best of VICE delivered to your inbox daily.