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The VICE Morning Bulletin

The VICE Morning Bulletin

Michael Flynn resigns as national security advisor, Steve Mnuchin confirmed as treasury secretary, 680 undocumented immigrants arrested in ICE raids, and more.
Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images

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

US News

Michael Flynn Quits as National Security Advisor
Michael Flynn has resigned as US national security advisor, admitting he briefed Vice President Mike Pence with "incomplete information" about his conversations with Russia's ambassador. The Justice Department reportedly told the White House Flynn had misled the administration about the nature of his conversations and could potentially be open to blackmail by Russia, according to a former administration official.—The New York Times

Mnuchin, former Goldman Sachs Banker, Becomes Treasury Secretary
Steven Mnuchin has been sworn in as the Trump administration's treasury secretary after the Senate voted mostly along party lines for his confirmation. David Shulkin was confirmed as veterans affairs secretary, while Linda McMahon was expected to be confirmed as head of the small business administration later Tuesday.—NBC News

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US Sanctions Vice President of Venezuela
US Treasury officials have sanctioned Tareck El Aissami, Venezuela's new vice president, accusing him of "playing a significant role" in narcotics trafficking. His American assets are frozen, and he is blocked from entering the country.—BBC News

About 680 Undocumented Immigrants Arrested in ICE Raids
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that 680 people were arrested in raids targeting undocumented immigrants last week. DHS secretary John Kelly insisted the Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests were routine and not part of a Trump administration crackdown, and that 75 percent of the people arrested were criminals.—AP

International News

Turkey Detains Hundreds Over Suspected Kurdish Militant Links
Turkish police have detained at least 544 people suspected of links to Kurdish militant groups. Officials from the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) were also detained in police raids, with the government accusing the HDP of being a political front for the militant Kurdistan Workers Party. HDP officials, meanwhile, cried foul ahead of a referendum on a stronger presidency.—Reuters

Hamas Elects New Leader in Gaza
The Gaza Strip's ruling Palestinian group, Hamas, has chosen new leadership after an internal election, with Yahya Sinwar reportedly set to replace Ismail Haniyeh. The rise of Sinwar, who was imprisoned for 23 years for leading Hamas's security wing, could make an agreement with the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank—not to mention Israel—more difficult.—Al Jazeera

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Scientists Discover Role of 'Super-Spreaders' in Ebola Outbreak
A large majority of the Ebola cases seen in a West African outbreak during 2014 and 2015 were caused by just 3 percent of infected people, according to a new report. Research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science found that "super-spreaders" were responsible for transmitting the virus to 61 percent of people infected.—BBC News

India Prepares Record-Beating Satellite Launch
India's space agency is set to try and put 104 satellites in orbit from a single rocket launch on Wednesday. If successful, it will beat the current record set by Russia in 2014 when the country sent 37 satellites into orbit at once. The Indian rocket will carry satellites from the US, Kazakhstan, Israel, Netherlands, Switzerland, and UAE.—CNN

Everything Else

'Playboy' Brings Back Nudity
Playboy is returning nude photos to its magazine after raising eyebrows when it dropped them. The chief creative officer, Cooper Hefner, said the company was "taking our identity back." He tweeted: "Nudity was never the problem because nudity isn't a problem."—BuzzFeed News

Disney Drops Ties with PewDiePie Over Anti-Semitism
Disney has broken off its affiliation with YouTube star PewDiePie, the Swedish vlogger Felix Kjellberg, over alleged anti-Semitic content in a January video. YouTube has also canceled the new series of his premium show Scare PewDiePie, and questions are being raised about anti-Semitic imagery in several of his other online offerings.—TIME

Sears and Kmart Remove Selected Trump Products
Retail giants Sears and Kmart have removed a number of Trump products from online stores, though Spears spokesman said anyone searching "for Trump or Ivanka Trump on Sears.com would [still] find hundreds of products available for purchase."—AP

Official Notorious B.I.G. Documentary in the Works
The first authorized documentary about the Notorious B.I.G. is to be made in collaboration with his mother, Voletta Wallace, to mark the 20th anniversary of his death. It will be directed by the team behind the White Stripes' 2009 tour movie.—Noisey

Animal Rights Groups Sue Agriculture Department
A coalition of animal rights groups, including PETA and Born Free USA, has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Agriculture for alleged violation of the Freedom of Information Act. Thousands of animal-welfare documents have been removed from the department's site.—Motherboard

David Duke's Former Campaign Manager Says Trump Shares Views
Michael Lawrence, the erstwhile campaign manager to former KKK leader David Duke, said Duke and President Trump have "almost identical" views on some issues, like immigration. "Clearly Duke's controversial views… have now become mainstream Republican values," he said.—VICE