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Passengers tell of their escape from the smoke-filled Amtrak passenger train — some by jumping through windows — to avoid a tower of fire sparked when a big rig plowed into a double-decker car at a rural highway crossing about 70 miles east of Reno on Friday. WITH VIDEO

The U.S. has had victories and setbacks during its 10-year war in Afghanistan. Observers have seen evidence of a more stable, safer Afghanistan and frequent, obvious evidence to the contrary. The story of the past decade is difficult to tell in a single, concise statement. VIDEO: Journalists debate withdrawal

Beginning to wind down a long and devastating  war, President Barack Obama announced Wednesday night he was pulling  home 33,000 U.S. troops from Afghanistan by next summer, withdrawing the  “surge” of forces he had sent to rescue a flailing effort. “The tide of war is receding,” Obama said.

A modest stone building holy to Jews in the midst of Nablus, an Arab city in the West Bank, is becoming an increasingly volatile friction point, drawing growing numbers of pilgrims on nighttime prayer visits, unnerving Palestinian residents and putting Israel’s military into conflict with some of the worshipers it is meant to protect.

Kris Roach, St. Thomas’ director of admissions and financial aid, said 1,330 first-year students are currently planning to attend St. Thomas this fall, although she said this number can change throughout the summer.