Today's edition of quick hits:
* Ferguson: "Darren Wilson, the Ferguson, Missouri police officer who shot and killed unarmed teenager Michael Brown, has resigned from the police force effective immediately, an attorney for the officer confirmed to NBC News."
* A U.S. Air Force pilot assigned to bomb ISIS targets in the Middle East "was killed when his F-16 fighter jet crashed on Sunday, military officials said. The Fighting Falcon had a mechanical malfunction shortly after takeoff, and the pilot attempted to get back to an airstrip in Jordan but did not make it. Officials stressed the crash was not combat-related and there is no evidence the jet was brought down by enemy fire."
* Related news: "The Obama administration is weighing the opening of a new front in the air war against the Islamic State in Syria, part of an offensive to push back militants along the western portion of Syria's border with Turkey and create a relatively safe zone for U.S.-backed Syrian rebel forces to move in."
* Progress? "The first test of an Ebola vaccine in people shows it's safe and appears to be working as designed, doctors reported Wednesday. A look at the first 20 people injected with the vaccine, which has been shown to protect monkeys from Ebola, shows no dangerous side effects."
* Gun violence in Austin: "Larry McQuilliams had 'let me die' written in marker across his chest when he fired more than 100 rounds in downtown Austin early Friday morning. McQuilliams, who Austin Police officials called a 'homegrown American extremist' with ties to a Christian hate group, was shot dead on Friday by a police officer outside the department's headquarters."
* Egypt: "An Egyptian court on Saturday removed all remaining charges against former President Hosni Mubarak, raising the possibility that Mr. Mubarak could go free for the first time since he was removed from office in the 2011 uprising that defined the Arab Spring."
* Hong Kong: "Pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong suffered a setback on Monday, when their attempt overnight to besiege government offices collapsed and the police thrust into the protesters' biggest street camp."
* Nigeria: "Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan vowed to track down the perpetrators of the bomb blasts that killed more than 100 people at the central mosque in the city of Kano."
* I'll take hints of possible progress in Iran where I can find them: "Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, expressed support on Thursday for the extension of talks with Western powers on the country's nuclear program. 'I do not disagree with the extension of the negotiations, as I have not disagreed with negotiations in the first place,' Ayatollah Khamenei said in a speech published on his personal website."
* Today's must-read interview: Frank Rich sits down with Chris Rock. Perhaps the most striking takeaway from Rock: "Here's the thing. When we talk about race relations in America or racial progress, it's all nonsense. There are no race relations. White people were crazy. Now they're not as crazy. To say that black people have made progress would be to say they deserve what happened to them before."
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.