The Associated Press

“The U.S. government had what we believed was sufficient intelligence, and when the opportunity presented itself, the president authorized the Department of Defense to move aggressively to recover our citizens. Unfortunately, that mission was ultimately not successful because the hostages were not present.” Lisa Monaco, Obama’s top counterterrorism adviser, in a statement about a failed special operations mission that aimed to rescue American hostages in Syria this summer.

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“There’s still huge potential here, especially with the dry weather. We’re not out of the woods yet.” — Kern County Fire Capt. Derek Tisinger, speaking about a wildfire northeast of Bakersfield, California.

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“I do like ’80s, ’90s rock because it’s good for my voice. The thing about karaoke is picking a song that works for your voice, that way if you sing like a cat — like I do — you can still sound pretty good.” Tennis champion Serena Williams who sang “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” at a karaoke event a week ahead of the U.S. Open.

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