Could Romney make a comeback? (Photo via)
Everything you need to know about the world this morning, curated by VICE.
US News
- Romney to Return?
The Republican party’s upper echelons are so worried about Donald Trump and Ben Carson, some have suggested drafting Mitt Romney to run for president again. Friends have mapped out a strategy for a dramatic late entry to the contest. —The Washington Post
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- Jihadi John Drone Strike a “Clean Hit”
The US launched a drone strike aimed at killing Jihadi John, a British member of the Islamic State believed to have beheaded American hostages. The Pentagon said it was still assessing the operation, but one official said it was “a clean hit”. —ABC News
- Death Penalty Upheld in California
A US federal appeals court has overturned a 2014 ruling that declared capital punishment in California unconstitutional. Executions in the state remain on hold, however, due to separate legal challenges about lethal injections. —Los Angeles Times
- Sanders Gets Postal Workers Union Endorsement
Bernie Sanders has been boosted by the endorsement of the American Postal Workers Union. It has been viewed as a big vote of confidence as the Vermont senator tries to capture other major labor unions ahead of the —VICE News
International News
- IS Claims Beirut Bombings
The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for two suicide bombings in Beirut, Lebanon, which killed at least 41 people. More than 200 others were injured when the blasts when off in a busy shopping street. —BBC News
- Russian TV Accidentally Airs Torpedo Plans
Diagrams showing plans for a giant nuclear torpedo appeared briefly on Russian TV news, but only by accident, claims the Kremlin. Some Russian commentators have suggested the torpedo system leak was deliberate. —CNN
- It’s Official: NLD Win Majority
With 80 percent of seats now declared, Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party has won a majority, ending decades of military rule in Myanmar. Under the constitution Suu Kyi cannot become president herself. —Reuters - South Koreans Sue Over Slavery
Eight men held as slaves at South Korean salt farms have taken their own government to court. The men claim official negligence and police inaction prolonged their ordeal at the hands of salt farm owners. —AP
Vincent Asaro leaving the Brooklyn federal court. (Photo by John Surico)
Everything Else
- Spooky: Space Debris Arrives Friday 13th
A unidentified piece of space debris called WT1190F is expected to enter Earth’s atmosphere today. A no-fly zone order is in place in the sea south of Sri Lanka where the chunk of whatever it is will probably land. —USA Today
- Judge Shakes Off Swift Suit with Puns
A California judge used Taylor Swift song puns to throw out a lawsuit lodged by a man claiming Swift stole his lyrics. Judge Gail Standish said the case was a “blank space”. —The Huffington Post - GIFs Can Get You Arrested
A man from Ohio has been charged for allegedly inciting the murder of US military personnel with a GIF. He is accused of re-blogging an Islamic State GIF on his Tumblr. —Motherboard - Goodfellas Heist: Not Guilty
The reputed mobster charged with the 1978 robbery at Kennedy Airport has been found found not guilty. “Even John Gotti didn’t get this much attention,” joked 80-year-old Vincent Asaro after the verdict. —VICE
Done with reading today? That’s alright—instead, watch the new episode of our skateboarding series Epicly Later’d, about rising star Chima Ferguson.
