The VICE Morning Bulletin

US News

Feds Ask Foreign Visitors for Social Media Details
Government officials have begun asking some prospective foreign visitors for their social media account details. Travelers applying for the visa waiver program are now presented with the option to provide "information associated with your online presence." A US Customs spokesperson said details would be used to "identify potential threats." – Politico

Eric Trump Puts Charitable Foundation on Hold
The President-elect's son Eric says he has suspended all financial activity at the Eric Trump Foundation, claiming "no new money will come into the EFT bank account." The foundation has been criticized for opening the door to potential conflicts of interest, following rumors of auctioning off access to the first family there and via another group. – The Washington Post

Deutsche Bank Reach $7.2 Billion Settlement with US Regulators
Germany's Deutsche Bank has agreed with the US Justice Department to pay $7.2 billion as punishment for its role in bundling risky mortgages into bonds in the build-up to the financial crisis of 2008. The bank will pay $3.1 billion in penalties and another $4.1 billion to customers by easing loan repayment terms. Credit Suisse reached a similar deal valued at around $5.3 billion. - AP

Obama Administration Shuts Down Muslim Registry
The Obama administration is officially closing the Department of Homeland Security's Muslim registry, a post-9/11 program obliging immigrants from some Muslim countries to register with the government. The program has not been used in the last five years, but President-elect Donald Trump is believed to have some interest in reviving it. – VICE News

International News

Italian Police Kill Berlin Christmas Market Suspect
Anis Amri, the man suspected of the Berlin truck attack, has been shot dead by police in Milan. Italy's interior minister said Amri began firing at cops when he was stopped and asked for identification. One officer was wounded in the shootout. Fingerprints taken by Italian authorities reportedly match those found inside the truck at Berlin's Christmas market. – BBC News

Libyan Flight 'Hijacked' and Diverted to Malta, Passengers Released
An Afriqiyah Airways plane making a domestic flight in Libya was forced to land in Malta in a suspected hijacking. The Airbus A320 had 118 passengers on board, but Maltese PM Joseph Muscat said all had deplaned safely by Friday evening local time. – Al Jazeera

Australian Cops Prevent Christmas Bomb Attack
Australian police say they have thwarted a terrorist attack planned for Melbourne on Christmas Day. Six men and one woman, all Australian nationals, were arrested following raids on a series of homes in the city. Police said the "imminent terrorist event" involved a plan to bomb busy public places, including Federation Square. - Reuters

Duterte Calls UN Human Rights Chief an Idiot
President Rodrigo Duterte says Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, is an "idiot" and a "son of a bitch" for suggesting the Philippines' authorities investigate his claims to have murdered suspected criminals. "You do not talk to me like that, you son of a bitch," Duterte said. – The New York Times

Everything Else

Beach Boys Consider Offer to Play Trump Inauguration
The Beach Boys are considering an offer to play Donald Trump's inauguration in January. A spokesman for the group confirmed they had been asked: "No decision has been made at this point as to how or whether they will participate." – The Hollywood Reporter

Chance the Rapper Drops Christmas Mixtape
Chance the Rapper has released a nine-track Christmas-themed mixtape with Jeremih on Soundcloud called Merry Christmas Lil' Mama. The Chicago rapper has also revealed some of his favorite Christmas songs, including stuff by Jackson Five and Kanye West. – Noisey

Amazon Gets Patent for Drone Protection
Amazon has succeeded in getting a US patent for "mesh network" technology to protect its delivery drones from hacking. The company is worried that its Prime Air drones could be compromised by wireless signal jammers. – Fortune

Companies Reject Calls to Add Encryption to Cameras
Over 150 leading documentary filmmakers and photojournalists signed an open letter to major camera companies urging them to adopt encryption into products. But Nikon and Olympus have said they won't be changing their cameras. - Motherboard

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