The VICE Morning Bulletin

CEOs Abandon Trump Over Charlottesville Response
President Trump's business advisory councils have been scrapped after CEOs representing some of America's biggest companies deserted en masse. Trump announced on Twitter Wednesday that he was "ending" both his manufacturing council and business strategy council. But more than a dozen leaders, including the heads of PepsiCo, IBM, and JPMorgan, had reportedly already decided to split, taking a stand against Trump's failure to clearly condemn white supremacists.—The New York Times

Steve Bannon Calls White Supremacists 'Losers' and 'Clowns'
The White House's chief strategist Steve Bannon described white supremacists as "a collection of clowns" in a rare interview, dismissing them as "a fringe element." He said: "Ethno-nationalism—it's losers… I think the media plays it up too much, and we gotta help crush it." Bannon also said "the economic war with China is everything."—The American Prospect

Apple Donates $2 Million to Fight Hate Groups
Apple CEO Tim Cook has pledged $1 million to the Southern Poverty Law Center and another $1 million to the Anti-Defamation League after Charlottesville. "We must not witness or permit such hate and bigotry in our country, and we must be unequivocal about it," Cook wrote in a memo to Apple employees."—Recode

Richmond Considers Removing Confederate Statues
The mayor of Richmond, Virginia, announced Wednesday a commission would look into removing statues honoring the Confederacy on the city's Monument Avenue. Mayor Levar Stoney said the events last weekend had revealed "their power to serve as a rallying point for division and intolerance and violence." The city of Baltimore removed four Confederate statues in the early hours of Wednesday morning.—TIME/VICE News

South Korean President Warns of 'Red Line' Over Nuclear Warhead
South Korea president Moon Jae-In warned North Korea that putting a nuclear warhead on an intercontinental missile and launching it would be "crossing a red line." Moon did not explain what kind of action it would provoke and also insisted there would be no war with North Korea. "I can confidently say there will not be a war again on the Korean Peninsula."—Reuters/AP

At Least 37 Killed in Venezuelan Prison Violence
Some 37 people died during a violent clash between police and prisoners at a prison in Puerto Ayacucho, Venezuela. According to the state governor, Liborio Guarulla, shots were fired as security personnel attempted to regain control of the prison Tuesday night. The chief prosecutor's office, now probing the cause of the deaths, said 14 prison guards were wounded in the confrontation.—AP

Saudi Arabia to Allow Qatari Pilgrims Over the Border
Saudi Arabia will allow religious travelers from Qatar over the border to make the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. Saudi Arabia—along with Egypt, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates—cut diplomatic ties with Qatar in June after accusing it of supporting terrorist groups. Saudi Arabia's king Salman said the nation's planes would be made available to fly "Qatari pilgrims on his expenses."—Al Jazeera

Australian Far-Right Leader Wears Burka Inside the Senate
Pauline Hanson, leader of Australia's far-right party One Nation, wore a burka inside the country's Senate Thursday, a stunt to gain attention for her bid to ban the Islamic garment in public. The attorney general George Brandis warned Hanson to be "very careful of the offense you may do to the religious sensibilities of other Australians."—The Guardian

Spotify Removing Hate Bands
Spotify has begun taking down music by artists on a Southern Poverty Law Center list of extremists. The streaming service said it was "glad to have been alerted" to the list of neo-Nazi and white supremacist bands.—Billboard

'MI6' on Hold After Tom Cruise Breaks Ankle
The filming of Mission: Impossible 6 has been put on hold as Paramount announced a stunt performed by Tom Cruise caused him to break an ankle. The studio said the movie remained "on schedule" for a July 27 release next year.—Entertainment Tonight

St. Vincent to Direct New 'Dorian Gray' Movie
St. Vincent will reportedly direct a new film version of Oscar Wilde's novel The Picture of Dorian Gray with a female lead. The singer co-directed the 2017 horror anthology movie XX.—i-D

Twitter Suspends Accounts Linked to Neo-Nazi Site
Twitter has shut down several accounts linked to the neo-Nazi website the Daily Stormer. Handles @dailystormers, @dailystormer, and @rudhum all now appear as "suspended."—VICE News

LCD Soundsystem Drop New Track 'Tonite'
LCD Soundsystem has unveiled a brand new song "Tonite," the third single from forthcoming album american dream. It features the line: "You're getting older / I promise you this, you're getting older."—Noisey

'Hunger Games' and 'Twilight' Getting a Theme Park in South Korea
Lionsgate is building a theme park based on The Hunger Games and Twilight franchises in South Korea. The studio announced that a new Lionsgate Movie World will feature at the Jeju Shinhwa World resort in 2019.—i-D