The VICE Morning Bulletin

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

US News

US Drops New List of Russian ‘Oligarchs’ and Putin Cronies
The US Treasury Department shared the names of 210 leading Russian business and political figures who have lived it up under President Vladimir Putin, including 96 individuals described as “oligarchs.” The publication was assembled under a sanctions law passed last year in response to Russian election interference. Even though the Trump administration will impose no new sanctions on the people named—to the consternation of Democrats—Russian lawmaker Konstantin Kosachev said the consequences of the naming and shaming “will be toxic.”—AP

CIA Director: Yes, Russia Will Try to Mess with America's Midterm Elections
Mike Pompeo said he had “every expectation” Russia would attempt to interfere with and subvert congressional elections this year. He also said he was “confident” US authorities could “push back in a way that is sufficiently robust that the impact they have on our election won’t be great.”—VICE News

House Intelligence Committee Votes to Release FBI Memo
The Republican majority on the committee voted to make public a memo outlining alleged surveillance abuses by FBI agents investigating the Trump campaign. President Trump now has up to five days to decide whether it should remain classified. Democrat Adam Schiff said the committee voted against the release of his own party’s report on the same issue.—VICE News

Team Trump Denies Pressuring Andrew McCabe to Quit
The White House disputed the idea that the FBI’s deputy director had been compelled to leave his post after he announced his resignation Monday. Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said, “The president wasn’t part of this decision-making process.” Two anonymous sources, however, indicated that Andrew McCabe had experienced pressure to step aside from FBI Director Christopher Wray, possibly because Trump is known to not be a fan. - The New York Times

International News

Turkey Launches Air Strikes in Iraq
Government military jets hit eight separate sites across northern Iraq, according to Turkish state media. The outlet said militant bases in four distinct regions were knocked out because of a threat to Turkish border outposts, without naming the group or groups targeted. Earlier this month, Turkey began a new operation against Kurdish fighters in northern Syria.—Reuters

North Korea Scraps Pre-Olympics Event with South
Pyongyang has decided not to host a planned cultural event to promote cross-border ties with South Korea that had been scheduled as part of the build up to the 2018 Winter Olympics. North Korean state media blamed the cancellation on “biased” South Korean news reports.—Al Jazeera

Yemeni Separatists Seize City
Separatist fighters representing the Southern Transitional Council (STC) have reportedly taken control of the key Yemeni city of Aden, with government loyalists holed up inside the presidential palace. A Southern Yemeni flag could be seen flying over a military base there on Tuesday. The International Committee of the Red Cross said two days of violence left at least 36 people dead.—Reuters

Republic of Ireland to Hold Referendum on Abortion Law
The government announced that voters will get the chance to abolish a constitutional measure placing strict limits on abortions. Although the political parties have yet to agree on the wording of ballot choices, a referendum being held in late spring would likely open the door to legalizing abortions up to 12 weeks into a pregnancy, depending on the circumstances.—VICE News

Everything Else

Record Label Boss Accused of Sexual Misconduct
Wellness entrepreneur Tristan Coopersmith said the president of Republic Records Group, Charlie Walk, had tarnished her music industry career by pursuing her with "relentless" sexual harassment. Universal Music Group, which owns Republic Records, said it was reviewing the allegations, believed to stem from his previous role at Sony.—Billboard

Facebook Promises More Local News in Your Feed
The company said stories from local news sources would begin showing up more prominently if you follow the publisher or a story is shared by a friend. CEO Mark Zuckerberg said local news readers were “more engaged in their community.”—AP

Diane Keaton Defends Woody Allen
The actress shared her continued support for the beleaguered director, accused by his adopted daughter Dylan Farrow of sexual assault when she was a child. “Woody Allen is my friend and I continue to believe him,” Keaton tweeted, pointing to a 1992 interview in which Allen addressed Farrow’s claims.—People

Cleveland Indians to Sort-of Drop Racist Logo
The team will remove the Chief Wahoo image from its uniforms for the beginning of the 2019 season after talks between the team’s owner and Major League Baseball. Still, the red-faced cartoon will remain available for purchase on merchandise at the stadium, and questions were raised about why the change couldn't be done in time for this year's games.—VICE

Trailer Drops for Steven Soderbergh’s iPhone Movie
Bleecker Street released the first teaser clip for Unsane, a horror film the Oscar-winning director shot on an iPhone. The movie stars The Crown actress Claire Foy as a woman placed in a mental institution after reporting a stalker.—VICE

Andrew W.K. Releases New Single
The rock mainstay dropped a video for his song “Ever Again,” the first release from upcoming album You’re Not Alone. W.K. said in a statement that the song was “a fantasy in which I get to imagine what it would be like to actually know the meaning of life.”—Noisey

Make sure to check out the latest episode of VICE's daily podcast. Today we’re honoring the late science fiction writer and literary icon Ursula K. Le Guin, who died last week at age 88.

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