The VICE Morning Bulletin

US News

Republicans Vote to Weaken Ethics Watchdog
House Republicans have voted to bring an independent ethics watchdog under the control of Congress. The Office of Congressional Ethics—designed to monitor elected officials for possible misconduct—will now be controlled by the lawmakers' own House Ethics Committee after a GOP bill passed 119-74. "Evidently, ethics are the first casualty of the new Republican Congress," said minority leader Nancy Pelosi.—AP

Trump Mocks North Korea, Criticizes China
President-elect Donald Trump has sneered at North Korea's claim to be developing missiles capable of striking the US mainland. "It won't happen," he tweeted. In a separate tweet late Monday night, Trump also scolded China: "China has been taking out massive amounts of money & wealth from the US in totally one-sided trade, but won't help with North Korea. Nice!"—CNBC News

Five Killed in Severe Storms Along the Southeastern US
Severe storms wreaked havoc across the southeast on Monday, killing four people in Alabama and one in Florida. The four were killed when trees fell onto a house in Houston Country during a possible tornado. In Mossy Head, southern Florida, a 70-year-old man was found drowned near his trailer.—CBS News / AP

No Evidence Found of Russians Hacking Vermont Utility
Officials investigating suspicious code found on a laptop used by a Vermont utility department have reportedly found no evidence of a Russian attempt at hacking. Burlington Electric had altered federal authorities to malware found on a laptop connected to an IP address associated with a Russian hacking group. But officials have not discovered any link to Grizzly Steppe.—The Washington Post

International News

Syrian Rebels Suspend Peace Talk Participation
Rebel groups in Syria said they have suspended discussions about their participation at formal peace talks in Kazakhstan later this month, accusing Bashar al-Assad's forces of breaking a ceasefire agreement. In a joint statement, rebel groups said all attempts at territorial gains by Assad's troops and Iranian militias would have to stop before peace talks could occur.—Reuters

Netanyahu Questioned in Corruption Investigation
Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was questioned for three hours at his home in Jerusalem by anti-corruption police officers, suspected of receiving gifts from both Israeli and foreign businessmen. Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing. "There will be nothing because there is nothing," he said of the investigation.—The Jerusalem Post

Brazilian Prison Riot Leaves 56 Dead, Dozens Missing
A prison riot in Manaus, the capital of Brazil's Amazonas state, has left 56 people dead and dozens of escaped inmates at large. Only 40 of 184 escapees have been captured by police, said officials. The riot broke out when clashes erupted between two rival drug gangs, Family of the North (FDN) and First Capital Command (PCC). Several of those killed in the prison were decapitated.—AFP

Turkish Police Arrest 12 in Nightclub Attack Investigation
Turkish police have arrested 12 people in Istanbul following raids connected to the hunt for the gunman who killed 39 people at the New Year's party at the Reina nightclub. Police have released new images of the unnamed male suspect, and deputy prime minister Numan Kurtulmus said the authorities also had his fingerprints.—BBC News

Everything Else

Assange Accuses Obama of Trying to Delegitimize Trump
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has denied accusations Moscow was behind the release of DNC documents during the election, and said the Obama administration's spat with Russia was an effort to "delegitimize" Donald Trump. "They are trying to say that President-elect Trump is not a legitimate president," said Assange.—The Hill

'Rogue One' Reigns Supreme at New Year's Box Office
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story made $63.4 million over the four-day New Year's holiday weekend, taking its North American total to $439.7 million. It makes the Star Wars spin-off the second-highest grossing film of 2016 behind Finding Dory.—Variety

Facebook Blocks Photo of 450-Year-Old Naked Statue
Facebook has been ridiculed for censoring an Italian user's "sexually explicit" photo of a 16th century statue of naked Neptune. A Facebook spokesperson apologized for the "error," blamed on the software's oversensitivity to nudity.—The Guardian

Kanye and Tyga Drop New Collaboration
Kanye West and Tyga have released a new track called "Feel Me," West's first recording since his hospitalization in November. It appears the track will appear on Cruel Winter, a new tape by Tyga's label G.O.O.D. Music.—Noisey

Zebrafish Ban Hurting Canadian Scientific Research
Canadian scientists say a ban on zebrafish imports is hurting vital research. According to cell biologists, studies on Alzheimer's, blindness, heart disease, and arthritis have all been affected by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's embargo.—Motherboard

Dylann Roof Ordered Not to Approach the Bench
An order issued by a federal judge forbids Dylann Roof from approaching the bench, witness stand, or jury while he represents himself during the sentencing phase of his trial. Roof is facing the death penalty for killing nine black churchgoers in June 2015.—VICE News

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