Vox Sentences: Why is there already a state of emergency in Ferguson?

1. State of emergency

Military police with the Missouri Army National Guard stand guard at the police command center which was established to direct security operations following unrest after the recent death of Michael Brown on August 21, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

• Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency in anticipation of a grand jury decision on whether to indict Darren Wilson in the killing of Michael Brown.

  [NYT / Monica Davey]

• That lets Nixon activate the National Guard for use in the aftermath of the jury's announcement.

• St. Louis alderman Antonio French responds: "This is not a war. There is no military solution."

  [Antonio French]

• One major concern is that the state of emergency could influence the jury's decision-making.

  [Shaun King]

• Haven't followed the Ferguson story? Catch up here.

  [Vox / German Lopez]

2. Another Ebola death in America

Dr. Martin Salia. (CBS Baltimore)

• Martin Salia, a surgeon who was infected with Ebola while working in Sierra Leone, has died in a Omaha, Nebraska, hospital.

  [NYT / Sheila Dewan]

• Every US Ebola patient has now either recovered or died, though more may still come over from West Africa for treatment.

  [NYT]

• Salia's son: "He doesn't think of himself as someone important. He puts himself down and helps those who really need help."

  [Vox / Julia Belluz]

• Seventeen percent of Americans say Ebola is the "most urgent health problem" facing the US at the moment; 2 percent cite heart disease, the number one cause of death in America.

  [Vox / German Lopez]

• Meanwhile, the outbreak in Mali appears to be getting worse; five cases have been confirmed so far and hundreds are under quarantine.

  [Voice of America / Katarina Hoije]

3. Another American killed by ISIS

Peter Kassig doing humanitarian work in Lebanon. (SERA/Fundrazr)

• ISIS has executed US aid worker Peter Kassig.

  [ABC News / Ben Candea, James Gordon Meek, and Lee Ferran]

• Kassig had converted to Islam and taken the name Abdul-Rahman in captivity.

  [New Yorker / Amy Davidson]

• A leader of the al-Qaeda aligned al-Nusra Front had urged ISIS to spare Kassig's life; al-Nusra reportedly joined forces with ISIS last week.

  [The Telegraph / Ruth Sherlock and Richard Spencer]

• French-born ISIS fighter Maxime Hauchard has been identified as one of Kassig's executioners.

  [NBC News / Nancy Ing]

• Kassig devoted his life to helping Syrian civilians. He formed an NGO in 2013 to supply refugees from the civil war with medical supplies, clothing, and food.

  [Vox / Max Fisher]

• Kassig sent a letter home just before his passing: "If I do die, I figure that at least you and I can seek refuge and comfort in knowing that I went out as a result of trying to alleviate suffering and helping those in need."

  [Vox / Matt Yglesias]

4. Misc.

• "No excuses" charter schools are famous for their grueling work hours, but they are finding that they need to change to accommodate teachers who have children of their own.

  [The Atlantic / Rachel Monahan]

• Why Obama's support could wind up hurting net neutrality.

  [NYT / Brendan Nyhan]

• With due respect to Michael Lewis, extreme wealth is very, very good for the extremely wealthy for very, very obvious reasons.

  [New Republic / Michael Lewis]

• Chvrches' best covers ("Go Your Own Way" is particularly good).

  [Stereogum / Claire Lobenfeld]

• Republicans have embraced Uber, but Obamacare is crucial for making it work.

  [NY Mag / Jonathan Chait]

5. Verbatim

• "Something that seems crazy must be true about consciousness."

  [Chronicle of Higher Ed / Eric Schwitzgebel]

• "For decades, a rising tide lifted all yachts. Now, it is mainly lifting megayachts."

  [NYT / Robert Frank]

• "People spend varying amounts of time writing e-mail subject lines, but anything greater than zero-point-zero seconds is time poorly spent."

  [Washington Post / Philip Bump]

• "Emoji’s default implication isn’t irony; its default is sincerity, but sincerity that’s self-aware."

  [NY Mag / Adam Sternbergh]

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