The U.S. headlines from this past week seem a bit like a bag of trail mix. With both setbacks and advances in technology, a combo of politics and pageants, and a smattering of arson and oil leaks, it was nothing but back-to-back action in the news. If the flood of news stories felt overwhelming over the past few days, have no fear. We have the scoop on this past week’s top seven stories.

Samsung Feels the Heat (9/10)

Recently, Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phones have been heating up and exploding. This fatal error is supposedly due to Samsung’s strives toward building a longer lasting and faster charging battery. As of the 16th, an official recall has been made for over 2.5 million of the phones. This has been a major setback to these phones because the Note 7 was just unveiled just a month ago.

Owners of the phone have showed public outrage, and it is possible that many of them will switch to the new iphone 7 when it comes out. Many of the Galaxy users have been loyal to the brand and some even believe that this is only a minor issue. Samsung announced that it will be releasing an updated version of the Galaxy. Delays in South Korean production are slowing the new phone’s distribution, yet U.S. Samsung customers should be receiving their phones within a week or so.

2017 Miss America Competition (9/11)

Miss Arkansas, Savvy Shields, was crowned as the 96th Miss America in Atlantic City, NJ, on Sunday. The 21-year-old is the third Miss America from Arkansas. She performed a jazz dance to “They Just Keep Moving the Line” from the American drama series, Smash, and won a talent preliminary award four nights prior for her performance. Shields will assume the role as Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals’ National Goodwill Ambassador in addition to advocating her personal platform Eat Better, Live Better.

The 2017 Miss America Scholarship Competition fell on the 15th Anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. A portion of the pageant, including a special performance of Katy Perry’s “Rise” by Miss America 2016, Betty Cantrell, was dedicated to the terrorist attack and America’s ability to unite in a time of need. The tribute included the pageant’s history and an account of former Miss America contestants who competed back in 2001.

Clinton Kicks Back (9/12)

Democratic presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton, was seen leaving the 9/11 memorial on Sunday claiming that she felt “overheated.”  She required assistance from a few of her aides to get into a van to leave the event, which caused media uproar alleging that she was “unhealthy.”  Last Friday, Clinton was diagnosed with pneumonia, and she says that she didn’t disclose this information because she felt it wasn’t a “big deal.”

This caused presidential nominee Donald Trump to say that health is an “issue” in the 2016 presidential campaign, declaring that he is “more fit” to be in the Oval Office. Former president Bill Clinton stepped up to the plate and spoke on H. Clinton’s behalf while she recovered. After a few days of personal rest time, Clinton is back on her feet and plans to hit the campaign trail again towards the end of the week.

Arson at Orlando Shooter’s Mosque (9/13)

Today there was a fire at the mosque of the Orlando Pulse Nightclub shooter, Omar Mateen. Many have speculated this as a hate crime towards the Islamic Community. Gladly, there was no one harmed in the shooting. Recently, an arrest has been made to a man who confessed to the crime. The assailant had been in jail multiple times before, and had just gotten out a few years prior to this incident.

The man is to be indicted on charges of a hate crime and arson due to him “intentionally” starting the fire, causing “substantial” damage to the mosque. This crime could have a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. This fire became even more controversial due to being on the day after the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The Truth about Trump’s Insults (9/14)

Donald Trump’s campaign suffered last November when he was accused of ridiculing disabled reporter, Serge Kovaleski at a campaign rally.  Recent developments, suggest Trump was not judging Kovaleski but instead was just acting how Trump normally acts.  The pro-Trump Catholic website has released information that may prove Trump’s innocence on the matter.  According to Fox News, Trump came out and proclaimed he was not trying or even aware he was insulting anyone. “All of a sudden, I get reports that I was imitating a reporter that was handicap.  I would never do that” Trump said.  This new source may officially prove Trump’s statement was correct.

The Pro-Trump Catholic Website provided  evidence to clear Trump of these accusations.   According to Fox News the Catholic website looked back at Trump’s past speeches and have concluded that Trump uses a signature hand move when imitating most people.  This hand move was the same move that made people think he was insulting Kovaleski.  When speeches were reviewed further it was revealed that Trump did use the move while imitating himself as well as Senator Ted Cruz.   

iOS 10 is here (9/15)

This past Tuesday, Apple released one of its biggest iOS updates to its anticipating customers.  The iOS 10 feature is available on devices of newer iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches.  Additionally, it arrived just in time for the iPhone 7, which is scheduled for release on Friday, September 16.  The iOS update has brought many practical features that make the phone more efficient and easy to use.

After downloading  iOS 10, consumers will see the new innovations Apple has added to their devices.  One of the main features Apple has added is button free phone wake up.  Now when a phone is picked up, it will turn on without the traditional slide bar.  The main feature with this update is to allow the user more options without needing to log on.  Texts can be easily accessed and responded to quickly by touching the message on the lock screen, weather and news can be read all before you log on.  IOS 10 has also brought many other amazing features that can be viewed by downloading the new system.

Oil Leak, Rising Gas Prices (9/16)

This past week, a Colonial Pipeline spill dumped approximately 250,000 gallons of oil in Shelby County, Al. This major portion of the pipeline, which runs from Houston to New York, provides gasoline for roughly 50 million people. At the earliest, the pipeline should be fixed in a week’s time, yet it may be too late to reverse the effects of this major leak.

States such as GA, NC, SC, TN and VA may experience as much as a 15-cent increase in gasoline prices during the next week. A few of these states have already seen prices rise a couple of cents since the spill occurred. In order to make up for a shortage in oil, ships and tanker trucks are already on the move to get ahead of the game and attempt to keep some stations from running dry. From an economic standpoint, this shift in the oil supply curve results in a decrease in the quantity of gasoline supplied with a significant increase in price per gallon.

Alabama and Georgia’s governors have officially declared states of emergency. Usually around the fall season, gas prices drop 5 to 10 cents per gallon since the winter blend of gasoline is less expensive than its summer counterpart. A potential 15-cent increase, instead, leaves consumers paying around 20 or 25 cents more than they normally would around this time of the year, putting a hole in their pockets with no signs of being patched up any time soon.