Raging Fires

Six people are dead and at least seven are accounted for as deadly wildfires continue to devastate California. The Carr fire, which now consumes an area the size of Philadelphia, shows no signs of slowing down and was only 5% contained. Temperatures up to 113° have produced what experts call "fire whirls," which are essentially tornados made of flames and heat. The National Interagency Fire Center has reported that the Carr fire is the largest of eight fires burning in California and more than 90 fires across the country.

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Trump Wants to Shut It Down

President Trump has threatened to shut down the government if progress is not made on approving his immigration proposals including the border wall. Trump, frustrated by the lack of progress on funding for what was one of his major campaign promises, made the threat during a tweet storm over the weekend. Congressional Republicans quickly denied the threat of a shutdown with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell saying it was not going to happen. Knowing that many Republicans are facing tough races, McConnell acknowledged that the border funding issue would not be resolved before the midterm elections. 

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New Star Wars Cast Announced

An official announcement from Disney-Lucas films was just made and now we know the stars we can expect to see in Star Wars Episode IX, the third chapter in the latest sequel trilogy. Fan favorites Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, and Oscar Isaac will be returning in their roles as Rey, Kylo Ren, and Poe Dameron, while John Boyega and Kelly Marie Tran will also be back as Finn and Rose. 

Naomi Ackie, Richard E. Grant, and Keri Russell are new additions to the cast. The biggest news is that despite her death in 2016, Carrie Fisher will once again be seen as Princess Leia using unused footage from The Force Awakens for her scenes in Episode IX.

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