The VICE Morning Bulletin

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

US News

Government Contractor Arrested for Alleged NSA Leak
An American named Reality Leigh Winner has been charged with removing classified material from a government facility and leaking it to the press. The Department of Justice arrested 25-year-old Winner Saturday, accusing her of illegally removing documents from a facility in Georgia, reportedly a NSA site. The documents published by The Intercept Monday detail Russian military intelligence attempts to launch cyberattacks on a US voting software supplier and send spear-phishing emails to US voting officials.—VICE News/The Intercept

US Diplomat in China Quits Over Paris Withdrawal
David Rank, the acting US ambassador to China, has apparently quit over President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris climate accord. A State Department spokesperson said Rank had made a "personal decision" to resign. One senior official confirmed an account claiming Rank felt he could not deliver a note explaining the US decision to the Chinese authorities.—Reuters

Cops Less Respectful to Black Drivers, Study Shows
Police officers speak less respectfully to black drivers than to white drivers, according to new research published in the National Academy of Sciences' official journal. White people are nearly 60 percent more likely to be peppered with polite phrases, for instance. Researchers analyzed body camera footage from hundreds of police stops in Oakland, California, for the study.—VICE News

GOP Congressman Defends 'Kill Them All' Remarks
Louisiana Congressman Clay Higgins has defended a Facebook post in which he said "all of Christendom... is at war with Islamic horror." The post stated: "Not a single radicalized Islamic suspect should be granted any measure of quarter.... Kill them all." The Republican later said he was "a compassionate, loving human being," and had met "very cool and very loving" Muslims.—VICE/The Washington Post

International News

Qatari Flights Suspended Amid Diplomatic Crisis
As the diplomatic crisis in the Gulf continues, Qatari Airways has halted flights to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt. Qatar has denied accusations from its Gulf neighbors that it supported Islamist militant groups, with the country's foreign minister saying they want to "solve any dispute through dialogue." Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, for his part, is said to be "actively involved" in trying to ease tensions, with Kuwait also reportedly trying to mediate.—AP / Al Jazeera

Australian Police Fatally Shoot Hostage Suspect in Terror Attack
Cops fatally shot a gunman who killed a man and held a woman hostage inside a Melbourne, Australia, apartment building. Three officers were injured in the shootout, but the woman walked away unharmed. Yacqub Khayre, 29, was claimed by ISIS, although there is no evidence he's directly connected to the group. Police are treating it as an act of terrorism.—Reuters

Philippine Militants Prepare for Long Siege
The Islamic fighters who turned Marawi City in the Philippines into a battle zone have access to a network of underground tunnels and shelters, according to military officials. Officials said the militants had also massed food and weapons in readiness for a long siege, with roughly 600 civilians now stuck in the city despite evacuation efforts.—Newsweek

Police Dropped 2015 Investigation into London Attacker
London's Metropolitan Police said one the three men who carried out Saturday's terrorist attack had been investigated by police and MI5 two years ago. Khuram Butt, 27, born in Pakistan, had lived in east London, worked for London Underground, and had also appeared on a TV documentary The Jihadis Next Door shown last year. One of the other attackers has been named as 30-year-old Rachid Radouane. The third man has been identified but not yet named.—BBC News/VICE News

Everything Else

New Kanye West Tracks Leak Online
Three unreleased Kanye West tracks have apparently been leaked online by Music Mafia. A song called "Hold Tight" features Migos and Young Thug, while A$AP Rocky shows up on "Euro Switch Hands." West is reportedly busy on a follow-up to The Life of Pablo.—Billboard

Al Franken Cancels Bill Maher Appearance
Senator Al Franken has canceled a scheduled appearance on Real Time With Bill Maher following the host's use of a racial epithet. Franken's spokesperson said he had found Maher's remark inappropriate and offensive.—The Huffington Post

London Mayor Suggests Canceling Trump Visit
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has suggested President Trump's planned UK state visit be canceled. "I don't think we should roll out the red carpet to the president of the USA in the circumstances where his policies go against everything we stand for," he said.—The Guardian

Apple Announces HomePod Smart Speaker
Apple has unveiled its own smart home speaker to compete with Google Home and Amazon Echo. HomePod uses a six microphone array, incorporates Siri, and will cost $349 when it goes on sale.—Motherboard

Lorde Says She Doesn't Get Recognized in New Zealand
Lorde says she's living a "chill," normal life in New Zealand. "It's almost like everyone's forgotten about anything I do," the singer said. "Most days I don't get recognized, so I do feel very lucky."—i-D

Texan Gets 24-Year Sentence for Selling Weed
David Lopez, a 56-year-old Texan, was sentenced to more than 24 years in prison after he was convicted for offenses related to shipping and selling marijuana. His lengthy sentence is the result of federal rules requiring mandatory-minimums for drug conspiracy charges, which the Trump administration has doubled down on.—VICE News

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