The Rewind: The top news and buzzy stories from November 16-20

Updated

Hey everyone it's Danielle Hopkins with the #TheRewind on AOL.com, where we give you a quick rundown of the top news and buzzy stories from the week.



1. At least 27 people, including an American citizen, were killed in a luxury hotel in Mali that was seized by Islamist gunmen. Malian commandos rescued 170 people who were trapped in the building.

2.The alleged mastermind behind last week's deadly Paris attacks was killed by police during a massive 7-hour raid in a suburb north of the city. Two others were killed and eight members of the terror cell were arrested as a result of the operation.

3. The Islamic State released two videos this week threatening attacks on American soil, one of which was targeted at the White House and the other at New York City. The terrorist group also leaked footage of two executions of men they were holding captive.

4. The hacker group Anonymous declared war on ISIS in a video message, threatening to launch the biggest operation ever and warning the extremist group to expect many cyber attacks.

5. The House approved a bill that would make it harder for Syrian refugees to enter the U.S. even after President Obama said he'd veto it. The bill must be approved by the Senate before heading to Obama's desk.

6. At least three people died and one million residents were left without power during severe storms in Washington state.

7.The CDC released an alarming report this week that said the number of STD cases around the country has grown tremendously in recent years.

9. Jared Fogle, the former pitchman for Subway, was sentenced to 15-½ years in federal prison after pleading guilty to child pornography charges.

8. Charlie Sheen publicly announced he's HIV positive this week in an interview on the Today show. He said he was diagnosed four years ago in 2011.

10. Good news for McDonald's lovers. The fast-food chain rolled out its new "McPick 2" deal, which allows you to choose two items from a selected menu for $2.

And here are three stories you won't want to have missed!



There's a new trend taking over social media involving cats and cucumbers, but you might want to think twice before taking part. Cat owners are scaring the hairballs out of their furry friends by surprising them with cucumbers -- but experts warn it may not be good for the their health.






If you've ever raked your lawn during the fall you know how time consuming it can be. An Indiana homeowner posted a video that has gone viral showing his genius hack for getting rid of those pesky leaves in seconds -- and it's incredibly simple. You take a big piece of cardboard and scoot the leaves into piles then scoop them up into bags and you're done.






People Magazine unveiled this year's Sexiest Man Alive, and the award goes to....hunky former soccer star David Beckham.







And that's #TheRewind! To dive deeper into these stories click on the links in this article page. Check back every Friday night to get caught up so you're in the know this weekend.

See photos from the stories:

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