Everything you need to know about the world this morning, curated by VICE.
US News
- Fight to Replace Scalia Heats Up
President Obama plans to nominate a replacement for Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia when the Senate is back in session. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the vacancy should be decided by the next POTUS, and Donald Trump wants the Senate to "delay, delay, delay."—The New York Times - US Students Leave for Germany
New figures show the number of Americans studying in Germany has risen sharply, driven by the low cost of colleges compared to the US. More than 10,000 American students are now enrolled in Germany, a 25 percent increase since 2009.—NBC News - New 'Family Values' Viagra Law Proposed
Kentucky lawmaker Mary Lou Marzian, a Democrat, has introduced a bill that would force men to jump through a series of hoops for Viagra, including visiting the doctor twice and getting a note from their wife. "This is about family values," said Marzian.—The Washington Post - Spitzer Investigated in Alleged Assault
Authorities are investigating former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer after an alleged assault at a Manhattan hotel. Spitzer has not been charged, but police say a 25-year-old Russian woman claimed Spitzer pushed her and had his hands around her neck.—CBS News
International News
- Syria Condemns Turkish Attacks on Kurds
Syria's foreign ministry has condemned Turkey for shelling Kurdish-held areas inside northern Syria. The ministry wrote to the UN Secretary General complaining of repeated "transgression into the Syrian territory."—Al Jazeera - Pope John Paul II Secret Letters Revealed
Hundreds of unearthed letters reveal Pope John Paul II had a close relationship with a married woman. There is no suggestion the Pope broke his vow of celibacy, but the secret letters show Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka being "torn apart" by her feelings for the Pope.—BBC News - Japanese Economy Shrinks
Japan's economy shrank by 0.4 percent in the final quarter of last year, more than expected, as both consumer spending and exports slumped. "The economy is at a standstill," said Junko Nishioka, chief economist at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking.—Reuters - Australian Police Seize Meth in Bra Gels
Australian police discovered almost $1 billion worth of methylamphetamine hidden in imported boxes of silicon bra inserts. It was the country's largest ever haul of the drug in liquid form and could have made 1,100 pounds of high-grade crystal meth.—AP
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Everything Else
- 'Game of Thrones' Teaser Drops
HBO has released a new teaser trailer for Game of Thrones' sixth season. It shows the Hall of Faces, where the heads of dead characters are on display, including Jon Snow and Tyrion Lannister.—The Hollywood Reporter
- 'Playboy' Collectors Pledge Loyalty
Ahead of the first nudity-free edition of Playboy, the magazine's most loyal collectors say they will carry on buying after the rebrand. "The value of the magazine was never entirely about the nudity," says one.—VICE - Tinder for Morticians
Thanks to Dead-Meet.com, funeral directors, pathologists, and embalmers have never found dating so easy. "I really thought somebody must have created a similar site before, but they hadn't," says the founder.—Broadly - Video Games Industry Mourns Scalia
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was famous for hating same-sex marriage, but he was also author of the 2011 decision protecting video games under the First Amendment. Violent games were no worse than Grimm's fairy tales, he said.—Motherboard