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In Focus
The Week in Pictures: Aug. 9 - 16
Bikers pose with the president, a feat of engineering fails in Italy, some very tall sunflowers and more.

Sheep sale
Rory Scott, 10, herds sheep for the annual sale of lambs on Aug. 14, 2018 in Lairg, Scotland.
One of the biggest one-day livestock markets in Europe, up to fifteen thousand sheep from all over the north of Scotland can be bought or sold at the Lairg market.

Glacier fire
Visitors walk along the shore near Lake McDonald Lodge as the Howe Ridge Fire burns in Glacier National Park, Montana, on Aug. 12.
A wildfire destroyed structures and forced evacuations Monday from the busiest area of Glacier National Park. Meanwhile, officials in California prepared to reopen Yosemite National Park Tuesday following a nearly three-week closure at the height of the summer season.

A first for Somali-Americans
State Rep. Ilhan Omar celebrates with her children after she captured the Democratic nomination for Minnesota's 5th Congressional District in Minneapolis, on Aug. 14.
As the nation's first Somali-American state legislator, Omar is poised to set the same historic mark in Congress to replace Rep. Keith Ellison. It puts another notch in the meteoric political rise of a woman who spent her childhood in a Kenyan refugee camp and immigrated to the United States at age 12 before winning her seat in the state House in 2016.


Remembering the Queen of Soul
People place flowers at a makeshift memorial at the nameplate for singer Aretha Franklin outside Harlem's Apollo Theater in New York on Aug. 16.
Franklin, the undisputed "Queen of Soul," known for powerful anthems like "Respect" and "Chain of Fools," died Thursday. She was 76 years old.

Genoa collapse
Rescue personnel respond at the scene after the Morandi Bridge collapsed on Aug. 14 in Genoa, Italy, killing 38 people.
The bridge, which collapsed during a heavy downpour, was considered a feat of engineering innovation when it was built five decades ago, but it came to require constant maintenance over the years. Its design is now being investigated as a possible contributor to its stunning collapse.

Decades of abuse
Victims of clergy sexual abuse and their family members react as Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro speaks during a news conference at the Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg on Aug. 14.
A scathing Pennsylvania grand jury report released Tuesday revealed decades of child abuse allegations against more than 300 accused "predator priests" as well as claims that Roman Catholic Church leaders covered up the crimes and obstructed justice in order to avoid scandal.

Preparing for pilgrimage
Pilgrims visit Hiraa cave at the top of Noor Mountain in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on Aug. 15, ahead of the Hajj pilgrimage.
Around 2.5 million Muslims are expected to attend this year's Hajj pilgrimage, an act of faith required of all able-bodied Muslims once in their life.

Charlottesville anniversary
Susan Bro, mother of Heather Heyer, raises her fist at the site where her daughter was killed on the one year anniversary of the "Unite the Right" protests in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Aug. 12.
Heyer was killed when 20-year-old James Alex Fields, Jr. allegedly drove his car into a crowd of protesters following a white nationalist rally.
Photos: Police and protesters out in force for Charlottesville anniversary

Wildfire's path
Homes destroyed by a wildfire sit across the street from apparently unscathed homes in the Keswick neighborhood of Redding, California, on Aug. 10.
Fire crews have made progress against the biggest blaze in California history but officials say the fire won't be fully contained until September.
Photos: Firefighters battle record-breaking wildfires across California

Watching the floodwaters
People sit on the front porch in Benton, Pennsylvania, on Aug. 13 as floodwaters fill the streets and flow around the home.
Heavy rains triggered flash flooding in parts of central and eastern Pennsylvania, closing down a heavily traveled interstate and sending water into homes in the mountainous coal regions.




Bikers for Trump
President Donald Trump stands in the rain with members of "Bikers for Trump" after reciting the Pledge of Allegiance on Aug. 11 at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
Dozens of gleaming Harleys, Hondas and other motorcycles descended on the central New Jersey property for what had been billed as an outdoor photo-op with Trump.

Race to the sea
Just after hatching, a sea turtle strains to reach the waters of the Mediterranean Sea as the sun sets on Cyprus' protected Lara beach on Aug. 10.
Cyprus' green and loggerhead turtles have made a strong comeback thanks to pioneering conservation efforts stretching back decades, after being hunted to near extinction in the first half of the last century.