Trucks ferrying exhausted firefighters rolled into the fairgrounds here straight from the front lines of the Thomas Fire, which was burning right to the edge of Ventura. Ash was slowly dropping like snow, and a campfirelike smell was thick in the air alongside visible smoke. Just across the street from the epicenter of the firefighting and evacuation efforts of this massive wildfire, surfers navigated the waves of one of the top breaks in California, C Street.

BURBANK, Calif. The Overwatch League christened its inaugural season this month in largely the same ways as any professional sports league’s opening day. The very best players in the world donned uniforms representing their teams. Fans packed an arena, purchasing licensed merchandise in addition to concessions.

The recent appointment of Stephen K. Bannon, the right-wing media mogul, as chief executive of Donald J. Trump’s campaign was part of an effort to reset a candidacy that has stumbled with minority and female voters and suffered from controversies surrounding high-level campaign officials.

A golden moon hung over the city, and as night deepened the crowd lounging off Hope Street grew giddy. People swigged beer, marijuana spiced the air, hip-hop streamed from a sound system. It felt like a gritty picnic, minus food. A yell from a guy with a Hawaiian shirt and a clipboard signalled business, however, and the hundred-strong crowd promptly lined the sidewalk, expectant.

Rory Carroll and Noah Smith find out the hard way that not everyone is welcome on the state's legendary surfing beaches. In Lunada Bay, local police even warn against attempting to surf with the locals: 'They are infamous around here. They're pretty much grown men in little men's mindset'

The Inland Empire could be considered Southern California’s backlot, with its vast warehouse complexes and staging areas. Typically defined as the region east of Los Angeles and Orange Counties, and encompassing San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, this area of industrial development has been on a long march to recovery since the 2008 financial crisis.

For the last year and a half, the music industry has been gripped by a lawsuit over whether Robin Thicke’s 2013 hit “Blurred Lines” was merely reminiscent of a song by Marvin Gaye, or had crossed the line into plagiarism. A federal jury in Los Angeles on Tuesday agreed that “Blurred Lines” had gone too far, and copied elements of Gaye’s 1977 song “Got to Give It Up” without permission.

Politicians have ruled out western boots on the ground in the fight against Isis but the marines must be ready for anything. It was a victory foretold and started soon after dawn, just as the sun began to bake the desert. Two American F-16 jets roared out of a clear blue sky and dropped heavy payloads on enemy bunkers in the distant foothills.

The current Israeli operation in Gaza, like all other Israeli operations, is being studied by the U.S military, as it seeks to distill any lessons that might help face future threats. Yet, while the two countries maintain close ties and share Islamist enemies who utilize similar tactics, the U.S and Israeli militaries have fought under vastly different circumstances- and in pursuit of different political outcomes.

ROSH HA'AYIN, Israel — In the battle to win public opinion, the Israeli army has created a special combat camera unit. Soldiers have been trained to use cameras in an attempt to show their side of the story. Matthew Kalman talks to the first round of graduates – all combat soldiers – who have completed a seven-month training programme before joining frontline units.

NETANYA, Israel — About 6,000 miles separate Netanya, Israel and East Lansing, Mich. Yet, for former Michigan State basketball star and current Barak Netanya star Raymar Morgan, the distance seems much shorter. “Adjusting wasn’t really too hard. When I first got here, I was most surprised by just how Americanized it is, it’s not too much different than America, looking at all aspects of it.

NEGEV DESERT, Israel — Recently, the United States military rescinded a policy restricting women to non-combat roles. The move, instigated by then-U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, was partially an acknowledgment of the fact that many women have found themselves in combat during the Iraq and Afghan Wars; a situation created by the lack of a clear front line, in concert with the guerilla tactics employed by America's enemies.