Today’s edition of quick hits:
* A heartbreaking tragedy in Turkey: "Two devastating explosions struck Saturday morning in the heart of Ankara, the Turkish capital, killing at least 95 people who had gathered for a peace rally and heightening tensions just three weeks before snap parliamentary elections."
* Iran: "Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian, imprisoned in Tehran for more than 14 months, has been convicted in an espionage trial that ended in August, Iranian state television reported."
* Syria: "Russian warplanes are carrying out more airstrikes in support of Syrian government ground troops as rebels are firing more American antitank weapons, deepening the impression that a proxy war between the United States and Russia is joining the list of interlocking conflicts in Syria."
* Punishing the poor: "A Florida congressman is threatening to strip $104 million from the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s budget in the latest dispute over public housing tenants who make too much money to qualify for federal subsidies."
* Bergdahl: "Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said on Monday that he would call a Senate hearing if accused Army deserter Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl avoids punishment. 'If it comes out that he has no punishment, we’re going to have to have a hearing in the Senate Armed Services Committee,' said McCain, the committee’s chairman, according to The Boston Herald."
* California has become "the first state to ban schools from using the 'Redskins' team name or mascot Sunday, a move the National Congress of American Indians said should be a 'shining example' for the rest of the country."
* Bizarre commentary: "A conservative commentator who once hosted a fundraiser for Dr. Ben Carson argued that Jews bear partial blame for the Holocaust in an op-ed for Fox News defending Carson’s recent claims about the role of gun control in Adolf Hitler’s rise to power."
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.