The VICE Morning Bulletin

Residents watch flooding from the Pea river, Dec. 26, 2015 in Elba, Alabama. (AP Photo/ Hal Yeager)

US News

At Least 43 Killed in Christmas Storms Tornadoes and flash flooding have left at least 43 people dead and have forced the states of Missouri, Oklahoma, and New Mexico to declare states of emergency. The region's misery is not over yet: Tornado warnings have been issued for Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Mississippi. - NBC News

Chicago Cop Kills Two
A Chicago police officer shot and killed Bettie Jones, 55, and her upstairs neighbor, 19-year-old Quintonio LeGrier, after cops responded to a call in the building. In a statement, the Chicago Police Department called the incident an accident. Both Jones and LeGrier were black. - Chicago Sun Times

Colleges Ease up on Athletes Smoking Weed
At least one-third of college sports departments are punishing athletes less harshly for testing positive for drugs like marijuana than they were a decade ago, according to the Associated Press. The chief medical officer of the NCAA wants the governing body to stop testing for recreational drugs altogether. - AP

Trump Slams GOP's Loyalty Pledge
Donald Trump has attacked the Republican Party of Virginia for its plan to make primary voters sign a pledge confirming they are Republicans. Trump, who has attracted support from first-time voters and those disenchanted with traditional politics, issued a series of tweets about the "BAD" policy. - The Washington Post

International News

Iraqi Forces Take Ramadi Back
Iraqi forces are now in "full control" of Ramadi according to government officials, but "pockets of resistance" from the Islamic State remain around the city. A source told the BBC it might still be a few days before "full liberation" of Ramadi, taken by the Islamic State back in May, is declared. - BBC

Syrian Rebels Evacuated
Thanks to a deal arranged by the UN, a group of Syrian rebel fighters and their families will be evacuated from Zabadani, a town near the Lebanese border besieged by government forces. - Al Jazeera

Japan Sets up 'Comfort Women' Fund
Japan and South Korea has reached a deal to settle a long-running dispute over the "comfort women" forced to work in Japanese brothels during World War Two. Japan offered an apology and will pay 1 billion yen ($8.3 million) into a fund for victims. Only 46 former "comfort women" are alive. - BBC News

Tensions Between Israel and Brazil
Brazil's reluctance to accept a new Israeli ambassador, a former head of the controversial West Bank settlement movement, has left Israel warning it could downgrade diplomatic relations with the South American country. The appointment of Dani Dayan has not been confirmed by Brazil's left-leaning, pro-Palestinian government. - The Guardian

Peyton Manning. Photo via Flickr user Jeffrey Beall

Everything Else

Peyton Manning Denies Using HGH
The Denver Broncos' quarterback is "furious" and "disgusted" by an Al Jazeera report claiming he has used a performance-enhancing human growth hormone. Manning says he will "probably" sue. - ESPN

'Borat' Star Gives $1 Million to Syrians
Sacha Baron Cohen and his wife Isla Fisher have donated $500,000 to Save the Children to pay for Syrian kids' measles vaccinations, and another $500,000 to the International Rescue Committee to help refugees. - CBS News

North Korea's OS Secrets Revealed
Researchers have examine "RedStar OS," North Korea's Linux-based operating system. The totalitarian state uses it to enforce rigorous monitoring of its citizens. - Motherboard

America's Biggest Manga Company Relaunches
TOKYOPOP was once the no.1 producer of English-language manga titles, before collapsing in 2011. Founder Stu Levy says a reboot in 2016 will give creators "complete control." - VICE

How to Make Money by Returning Expensive Shit
One woman has been scamming the beauty industry for two years by concealing used products in new boxes. - Broadly

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