• Vast swaths of Southern California continue to battle raging wildfires fanned by high winds across the region.  New fires have sparked while existing blazes are as little as 5% contained.  [NPR]
  • President Trump this week threw fuel on the metaphorical fire of Middle Eastern tension by proclaiming that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.  In the wake of the announcement, riots have rocked the area, and international figures from Saudi King Salman to Pope Francis have spoken against the decision. [Al Jazeera]
  • Two democratic Senators resigned from the legislature this week in the wake of sexual assault allegations: Senator Al Franken of Minnesota and John Conyers Jr. of Michigan.  Meanwhile, Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore remains defiant in the face of multiple allegations of pedophilia.  [New York Times; New York Times]
  • The South Carolina policeman who shot and killed an unarmed black man during a traffic stop was sentenced to 20 years in prison for federal civil rights charges.  A jury failed to reach a decision on state murder charges earlier this year. [Washington Post]

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    Image Credit: USA Today
  • A New Jersey town continues a frosty debate over an ice cream shop’s risque logo.  Residents have expressed outrage at the bovine mascot’s human-like rump. The Dairy Air creamery’s manager has responded that the business is “acting to change the cow to be more fun and less sexy.” [The Cut]

FACT OF THE WEEK: The US Army 10th Mountain Division has the unofficial insignia of a panda on skis with a rifle across it’s back. [Military.com]