The VICE Morning Bulletin

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

FBI Director Reportedly Asked DoJ to Refute Wiretap Claim
FBI director James Comey reportedly asked the Justice Department to publicly refute President Trump's claim that former president Obama ordered the tapping of phones at Trump Tower. Anonymous officials say Comey believes there is no evidence for such a claim, and allowing it to stand suggests the FBI broke the law. Trump, meanwhile, has urged the congressional committees investigating Russian election activity to examine whether Obama abused his powers.—The New York Times

GOP to Introduce Obamacare Replacement This Week
Republicans in Congress are set to introduce a bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act this week. A spokeswoman for House Speaker Paul Ryan said lawmakers were "at the culmination." A recent draft of the bill suggested the GOP plans to effectively get rid of the mandates to provide or hold health insurance and introduce an expanded tax credit system, along with health savings accounts.—NBC News

FBI to Help Investigate Hate Crime Shooting
The FBI has joined the probe of the shooting of a Sikh man in suburban Seattle, considered by police to be a possible hate crime. The man was shot in the arm while working on his car in his driveway by a gunman who reportedly said, "Go back to your own country." Kent police chief Ken Thomas said, "We are doing everything possible to identify and arrest the suspect."—CBS News

Marines Under Investigation for Nude Photo Sharing
The Defense Department has launched an investigation into the alleged involvement of US Marines in sharing nude photos of female service members and others in a closed Facebook group and via a Google Drive link. More than two dozen women were reportedly identified by name, rank, and location, and some had been photographed without their knowledge.—AP

North Korea Launches Four Missiles in Sea of Japan
North Korea has fired four ballistic missiles, launching them 620 miles into the sea off Japan's west coast, well inside the latter power's exclusive economic zone. Japanese PM Shinzō Abe called the launch a "new stage of threat." The provocation comes after North Korea threatened a response to joint military drills by the US and South Korea on Friday.—BBC News

Tens of Thousands Displaced in Push for Western Mosul
Around 45,000 people have fled from western Mosul since Iraqi forces launched an operation to retake the area from ISIS in February, according to a report by the International Organization for Migration. With camps in eastern Mosul now full, many refugees are apparently being moved to Kurdish areas in northern Iraq.—Al Jazeera

Turkish President Accuses Germany of 'Nazi Practices'
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Germany was engaging in "Nazi practices" after some German authorities denied or revoked permission for local events ahead of next month's referendum (in Turkey) on giving Erdogan more powers. "Your practices are not different from the Nazi practices of the past," Erdoğan claimed.—The Guardian

Israel Decriminalizes Smoking Weed
The Israeli parliament has voted through a new measure to decriminalize smoking marijuana. Selling and growing weed remain prohibited, but using is no longer a criminal offense unless you are caught smoking in public and reoffend four times. A new approach will "emphasize public information and treatment instead of criminal enforcement," said the country's public security minister.—VICE News

Future Claims Historic First
Future has become the first-ever artist to debut two different albums at the No.1 spot in consecutive weeks, after HNDRXX ousted Future from the Billboard 200 top spot. The Atlanta rapper sold 121,000 equivalent album units of his latest release.—Billboard

Pablo Escobar's Son Condemns Narcos Series
The son of notorious Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar is not down with the Netflix series Narcos, which he says has a habit of "glorifying criminals and showing drug trafficking as glamorous." Sebastián Marroquín said he was dismayed about getting messages from young people who said they wanted to be like his father.—AFP

'Logan' Makes $85.3 Million in Opening Weekend
Logan took $85.3 million in its opening weekend at the North American box office, the fifth biggest-ever debut for an R-rated movie. Jordan Peele's Get Out dropped to second, but grossed another $26.1 million, taking its total so far to $75.9 million.—The Hollywood Reporter

Father John Misty Tries to Explain Taylor Swift Lyric
After debuting the new song "Total Entertainment Forever" on SNL, Father John Misty has attempted to explain the lyric about "bedding Taylor Swift" using Oculus Rift. "If you don't think that this virtual reality thing isn't going to turn into sex with celebrities then you're kidding yourself," he said.—Noisey

Canadian Men Convicted of Moose-Riding
Two men in British Columbia, Canada—Jaysun Pinkerton and Bradley Crook—have been convicted of harassing wildlife after a video of them riding a swimming moose went viral. They have been ordered to pay thousands of dollars in fines.—VICE

Chance the Rapper Pens Foreword to New Chicago History
Chance the Rapper has written the preface to A People's History of Chicago by local poet Kevin Coval, explaining why he returned home after living in LA. "I can reach my peak in Chicago cuz that's where I was planted and where I can continue to grow."—Noisey