Everything you need to know about the world this morning, curated by VICE.
US News
US Psyched About Big Cut to UN Budget
When the US ambassador to the UN revealed the budget for the international body would be cut by $285 million in 2018-19, she seemed to cast it as the product of American frugality. Nikki Haley also suggested more cuts would be considered to increase “efficiency,” stating: “We will no longer let the generosity of the American people be taken advantage of or remain unchecked.”—The New York Times
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Secret Service Questions Man Who Claimed to Gift Mnuchin Manure
The agency interviewed a suspect believed to have left a gift-wrapped box of horse manure near the Los Angeles home of Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin. Psychologist Robert Strong claimed to be behind the manure package, sharing a photo of himself with a shovel and explaining his gesture was a protest against the GOP’s tax bill. The LAPD bomb squad had been called out to assess the gift box, which a neighbor reportedly discovered.—AP/Reuters
Suspected Russian Troll Wrote for Left-Wing Sites
A writer using the alias Alice Donovan was reportedly working for the Kremlin when writing for CounterPunch and at least ten other websites during the US election. Donovan was scrutinized by the FBI as part of its “NorthernNight” operation into Russian disinformation; CounterPunch’s editor said he tried to speak to Donovan but was told: “I do not want to talk to anyone for security reasons.”—The Washington Post
Police Remove White Nationalist Memorial in Minneapolis
Local cops cleared away a shrine apparently set up by the white supremacist group Identity Evropa in an attempt to politicize the fatal shooting of an Australian woman killed by a Somali-born police officer in July. “I condemn the perpetrators and their tactics in the strongest possible terms,” said the city’s mayor-elect, Jacob Frey.—CBS News
International News
Russian Opposition Leader Banned from 2018 Election
Alexei Navalny will not be allowed to challenge Vladimir Putin for the presidency next year because of a fraud conviction, the country’s electoral body decided. Navalny urged his supporters to boycott the March vote, claiming only candidates “handpicked” by Putin are being allowed to run. A Kremlin spokesperson subsequently suggested boycott calls might stretch the law.—Al Jazeera/Deutsche Welle
Protests Over Presidential Pardon Turn Violent in Peru
Riot police used tear gas against demonstrators in the capital Lima Monday after the imprisoned ex-president Alberto Fujimori was granted a formal pardon. President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski decided Fujimori—convicted of corruption and human rights violations a decade ago but now struggling with illness in the hospital—should not die while incarcerated.—BBC News
South Korea Expects North Korea to Talk in 2018
South Korea’s Unification Ministry predicted Pyongyang will “seek negotiation” with the US next year after angry rhetoric from North Korea in response to fresh sanctions imposed by the UN. South Korea also predicted Pyongyang would continue “its effort to be recognized as a de facto nuclear-possessing country.”—Reuters
UK Tracks Russian Warships in the North Sea
The Royal Navy sent the HMS St Albans to escort a Russian ship operating near UK territorial waters in the North Sea on Christmas Day. The navy revealed a British ship had carried out a similar operation with a Russian intelligence vessel in the North Sea and English Channel a day earlier. The British defense secretary said the country would not be “intimidated.”—AP
Everything Else
Lorde Scraps Tour Date in Israel
The artist canceled a Tel Aviv performance scheduled for June 2018 after receiving an “overwhelming number of messages and letters” urging her to boycott the country over its occupation of Palestine. Lorde said she “didn’t make the right call” when deciding to play there in the first place.—The Guardian
Lil Wayne Drops New Mixtape
The rapper released his long-awaited Dedication 6 mixtape on Christmas Day via DatPiff. The DJ Drama-produced collection begins with his remix of Kendrick Lamar’s “DNA” and also includes a version Lil Uzi Vert’s “XO Tour Lif3.”—Noisey
Eminem Has No.1 Album at Christmas
The Detroit rapper has become the first artist to have eight consecutive albums debut at No.1 after his latest Revival entered the Billboard 200 chart at the top. It shifted an impressive 267,000 units in equivalent sales.— Billboard
Anti-Police Brutality Organizer Shares Hopes for 2018
Brittany Packnett, cofounder of the police reform group Campaign Zero, said she hoped to see “the kind of black political power we saw displayed in Alabama” during next year’s midterms. She also planned to help “amplify the voices” of women of color in new ways going ahead.—Broadly
Frightened Rabbit Releases New Single
The Scottish indie rockers dropped new track “No Real Life” on Christmas Day. The band also asked fans to donate to the charity Alzheimer Scotland “to make sure that nobody in this country faces dementia alone.”—Noisey
Make sure to check out the latest episode of VICE’s daily podcast. Today we hear from actress and activist Jane Fonda about her fight over climate change.
