The VICE Morning Bulletin

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

US News

Florida Mayor Orders Compliance with Trump Immigration Order
Miami-Dade county has become the first so-called "sanctuary" for undocumented immigrants to submit to a controversial executive order by President Trump. The area's mayor, Carlos Gimenez, ordered jails to play ball with the feds after Trump's order threatened to strip federal funding from cities that harbor undocumented immigrants.—CBS News

Trump Administration Considering Mexican Import Tax
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer on Thursday hinted that the construction of a wall along the southern border could be paid for by a 20 percent import tax on Mexican goods. Spicer later clarified after a bit of apparent confusion in the press that the tax was only "one idea" the Trump administration was considering. The spat follows the decision by Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto to cancel his trip to Washington DC and his insistence Mexico will not pay for any wall.—CNN

Senior State Department Officials Asked to Leave
The Trump administration has begun clearing out senior staff at the State Department, with four top officials reportedly asked to leave and at least two other prominent officials electing to step down. A spokesperson and the union representing workers insisted the departures were standard, but former ambassador Laura Kennedy said "dedicated public servants have been sent packing."—NBC News

Trump Personally Requested Inauguration Crowd Pics from National Park Service Director
President Trump apparently ordered acting National Park Service Director Michael Reynolds to release more photographs of his inauguration, convinced they would show larger crowds than have been reported. Three sources said Trump called Reynolds personally on Saturday to request more photographs.—The Washington Post

International News

British PM Warns US to Be Wary of Russia
The UK Prime Minister Theresa May will hold talks with President Trump on trade and defense in the White House today. In advance of the talks, May told an audience of Republicans in Philadelphia Thursday that the UK and US should not repeat "failed" military interventions. She also warned the new administration to be wary of Russia. "With President Putin, my advice is to engage but beware."—The Telegraph

New Gambian President Returns Home to Take Power
Adama Barrow, Gambia's recently-elected president, has returned home to assume power after a brief period of exile in Senegal. His predecessor Yahya Jammeh finally stepped down over the weekend, having lost December's election. Arriving to cheering crowds at Banjul airport, Barrow said, "I think the bad part is finished now."—The Guardian 

French Presidential Frontrunner Denies Improper Payments
France's conservative presidential candidate Francois Fillon has denied claims his wife received improper payments. The leading contender pledged to provide documents proving his wife Penelope legally earned $534,000 for more than eight years of work as his parliamentary assistant, after the media began probing whether it was a fake gig.—BBC News

Militants Claim to Have Killed Dozens of Kenyan Troops
East African militant group al-Shabaab has claimed the deaths of 66 Kenyan soldiers in an attack on a military base in Somalia. But Kenyan Lieutenant Colonel Paul Njuguna denied the Islamist group's claim, suggesting the casualty count was much lower.—Reuters 

Everything Else

Bannon Says the Media Should 'Keep Its Mouth Shut'
Steve Bannon, President Trump's chief strategist, said this week that the US media is an "opposition party" that does not "understand the country." He added, "The media should be embarrassed and humiliated and keep its mouth shut and just listen for a while."—The New York Times

Elton John Writing 'The Devil Wears Prada' Musical
Elton John has announced he is co-writing a Broadway musical based on the book and movie The Devil Wears Prada with playwright Paul Rudnick. "I can't wait to sink my musical teeth into this hunk of popular culture," said the singer.—Rolling Stone

Missy Elliot Drops New Track, Video
Missy Elliot has released a new track called "I'm Better," featuring the artist Lamb. The rapper also shared a clip from an upcoming documentary about her career. "It's never just making a hot record," she said. "I can do that in my sleep."—Pitchfork

Earth Now Closer to Doomsday, Thanks to Trump
The experts at The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, a group that controls the symbolic "Doomsday Clock," have moved it 30 seconds closer to midnight, blaming inflammatory statements made by President Trump. Earth is now two-and-a-half minutes from midnight, or the end of humanity.—VICE

Drake Wants to Return to Acting
Drake has spoken about his plans to return to acting after his current tour finishes. "I think I'm going to really start to position myself in the acting world and, hopefully, take some great roles," the former Degrassi star told the Cal Cast basketball podcast.—Noisey

Ohio Execution Scheme Ruled Unconstitutional
A federal judge has deemed Ohio's method of lethal injection to be unconstitutional. US District Court Magistrate Judge Michael Merz bought the plaintiffs' argument that using controversial drug midazolam violated the Eighth Amendment, prohibiting cruel and unusual punishment.—VICE News

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