Thread by @vicenews

Hair braiders across the country are at constant risk of massive fines and losing their jobs. Now, hair braiders and politicians are fighting back against policies they claim disproportionately affect immigrant women of color.

See it on VICE News Tonight, 7:30 PM on @HBO

#VICENewsTonight starts right now

On February 15, just one day after the Parkland school shooting in Florida, police in the small town of Fair Haven, Vermont, arrested 18-year-old Jack Sawyer for plotting to shoot up his old high school. #VICENewsTonight

Sawyer got out on bail, and that sent Fair Haven into a panic. Fair Haven Union High School spent $100,000 on new security measures. #VICENewsTonight

Vermont’s state legislature responded frantically to the Sawyer case. Within weeks of his arrest, they dramatically tightened gun laws. #VICENewsTonight

Senator Dick Sears, a Democrat, introduced a bill defining any act, or attempted act, of mass violence as domestic terrorism #VICENewsTonight

This Sunday, Lebanon will hold elections for the first time in 9 years. And Hezbollah, which the U.S. considers a terrorist organization, is expected to gain ground in Parliament. #VICENewsTonight

More recently, Hezbollah has been a key player in the Syrian conflict, working closely with Russia and Iran, its major backer. Together, the three allies have helped shore up Bashar al-Assad and fight other terrorists. #VICENewsTonight

Hezbollah made a video game based on an actual battle they fought in Syria #VICENewsTonight

In at least 7 districts - almost half the country - Christian candidates are running on Hezbollah-backed tickets. And it’s a big reason they expect to come out ahead in the election. #VICENewsTonight

Plastics in the ocean could outweigh fish by 2050 #VICENewsTonight

Scientists have found an enzyme that "eats" plastic, breaking the building blocks down into pieces that can be used to make plastics again #VICENewsTonight

Anita Yeboah came to the United States in 1999, and has been running her hair braiding business in New Jersey for the past 10 years. To braid hair in New Jersey, you need a cosmetology license. That's expensive. #VICENewsTonight

Anita doesn’t have a cosmetology license. So according to the state of New Jersey, her practice is illegal. #VICENewsTonight

At a local community meeting, braiders gathered to rally behind Assemblywoman Angela McKnight’s bill that would separate hair braiding from cosmetology #VICENewsTonight

That's #VICENewsTonight for Thursday, May 3.

A brand new episode of #VICEonHBO airs tomorrow at 7:30 and 11, but tune in Monday on @HBO at 7:30 for VICE News Tonight, and watch anytime on the @HBOGOhelp and @hbonow apps bit.ly/1aG44iT