The VICE Morning Bulletin

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

US News

Austin Bombing Suspect Left Behind 25-Minute Confession
Austin police said Mark Anthony Conditt recorded a video detailing how he carried out several bombings in the Texas city and its environs before killing himself. While he apparently didn't mention any ideological motive, Police Chief Brian Manley said the 23-year-old discussed “challenges in his personal life that led him to this point."— NBC News

Trump Set to Unveil Steep China Tariffs
The president was expected to announce at least $50 billion in tariffs on Chinese imports Thursday. He also reportedly asked the Treasury Department to establish new limits on Chinese investments as part of his response to China’s alleged infringement on US intellectual property rights.—The New York Times

Spending Bill Includes Some Gun Control Measures
Lawmakers’ $1.3 trillion bipartisan budget plan contains a “Fix NICS” bill designed to encourage states and government agencies to give more information to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. It's also thought to include a measure allowing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to research gun violence. Congress had until midnight on Friday to pass the spending bill.—CNN / ABC News

Kushner Properties Under Investigation
New York City’s Department of Buildings was probing 13 Kushner Companies properties over allegations they submitted permit applications with false information. A watchdog group said the company’s claims had made it easier to push out low-paying tenants during a period of construction work.—AP

International News

Boko Haram Frees 100 Nigerian Schoolgirls
The Nigerian government said it the Islamist militant group released 101 of the 110 girls it kidnapped from a college in Dapchi last month. The country’s information minister said “back-channel efforts” allows the government to recoup the girls without paying Boko Haram ransom money.—Al Jazeera

President of Peru Quits Amid Corruption Allegations
Pedro Pablo Kuczynski resigned after recordings surfaced in which his associates appeared to promise government infrastructure contracts in exchange for political favors, though he denied any involvement in the scheme. Prosecutors filed a legal plea to prevent Kuczynski from leaving Peru.—Reuters

Palestinian Teen Sentenced to Eight Months
Ahed Tamimi, a 17-year-old girl who pleaded guilty to an assault charge after slapping at least one Israeli soldier in the West Bank, will spend eight months in prison. Her trial took place in a military court. Tamimi’s lawyer said she had made a plea bargain because “we understood she wasn’t going to receive a fair trial."—The Washington Post

Syrian Rebels Leave Eastern Ghouta
The first group of rebel fighters and their families have been transported out of the Damascus suburb, according to Syrian media. Under an evacuation agreement Russia drew up, around 1,500 fighters and 6,000 civilians will reportedly be bussed out of Eastern Ghouta and dropped off in Idlib province, which the rebels control.—BBC News

Everything Else

Mark Zuckerberg Goes on Apology Tour
The Facebook CEO gave a series of interviews and wrote his own post admitting the company must do better to protect users’ data, acknowledging there had been a “breach of trust” over the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Zuckerberg also said this year’s midterms would be subjected to a “version 2” of Russia’s 2016 disinformation campaign.—Motherboard / VICE News

Drake Teases New Song
He said his new single would be “dropping soon” in a comment left on producer Murda Beatz’s Instagram Live streaming session. Drake revealed that they were collaborating while the producer streamed a new beat.—Billboard

Lollapalooza Reveals Lineup
The Weeknd, Bruno Mars, The National, Travis Scott, Jack White, Arctic Monkeys, and Vampire Weekend are headlining the Chicago festival this summer. The four-day fest at Grant Park begins on August 2.—Variety

Twitter Fails Women Who Report Abuse, Amnesty International Says
The NGO said the social media giant had an “inadequate and inconsistent” approach to female users’ reports of online abuse. Amnesty researcher Azmina Dhrodia said Twitter was “the worst of the platforms” in handling the problem. Twitter disputed the idea it was actively ignoring the problem and promised it was doing all it could.—Newsweek

Reddit Bans Subreddits Devoted to Dark Web Sales
The company has a new policy designed to prevent anyone from using the site to “solicit or facilitate any transaction or gift involving certain goods and services,” including guns, drugs, and stolen goods. One subreddit about the dark web had 160,000 readers before it was shuttered.—Motherboard

Judge Upholds ‘Blurred Lines’ Copyright Infringement Ruling
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals said a previous ruling that Robin Thicke’s hit ripped off Marvin Gaye’s “Got to Give It Up” would stand. Thicke and Pharrell Williams were ordered to pay Gaye's estate $5.3 million.—Noisey

Make sure to check out the latest episode of VICE's daily podcast. Today we talk about the relationship between guns and video games with our in-house gaming expert, Waypoint’s Austin Walker.

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