Morning Must Reads: August 5

3 minute read

Israeli Troops Leave Gaza

A cease-fire between Israel and Hamas meant to last at least three days and end nearly a month of fighting went into effect in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday morning. The fighting has killed 1,900 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and some 67 Israelis

2nd Ebola Patient Flies to U.S.

The second American aid worker diagnosed with Ebola in Liberia will arrive on Tuesday for care at Atlanta’s Emory University Hospital

This Is the Equation for Happiness

Researchers in London predicted joy for 18,000 people by creating a model that linked self-reported happiness to recent expectations and rewards

Baptist Charity Gets Millions to Shelter Child Migrants

Private contractors are receiving huge amounts of federal grant money to shelter some of the 57,000 unaccompanied children who have trudged across the southern border this year; the Department of Health and Human Services shelled out $671 million in 2014

Police: Game of Thrones Reminded Dad About Baby in Car

A child crying on Game of Thrones jogged a foster parent’s memory that he had left a 10-month-old girl inside a sweltering car while he and his partner smoked marijuana at their house, police said; the infant died after spending more than two hours inside the vehicle

Politicians Make Iowa Caucus Difficult for Service-members

Eighteen months before the first presidential caucus of the 2016 campaign, both Democrats and Republicans are again turning their backs on a vulnerable group of voters—Iowans serving in the military overseas

Report: NYC Teenage Inmates Face Brutal Treatment

A two-and-a-half-year federal investigation reveals that officers at New York City’s Department of Correction often use excessive force when punishing teenage inmates, many of whom have mental illnesses, and that officers lack accountability for such actions

Sandra Bullock Is Hollywood’s Highest-Paid Actress

The Gravity star earned more money than any other Hollywood actress over the last year, with estimated earnings of $51 million and largely because of the out-of-this-world thriller; Jennifer Lawrence and Jennifer Aniston came in second and third, respectively

Army Laying Off Black Majors at Disproportionate Rate

The U.S. Army’s retrenchment of 550 majors is hitting black officers harder than those from other ethnic groups, as almost one-tenth of black majors are being let go while the same proportion for white majors is only 5.6% and 8% for Latinos

E.U. Sanctions Leave 27,000 Russian Tourists Stranded

Russian operators are leaving tourists stranded over a “negative political and economic situation,” a mark that Western sanctions are having an effect, as energy giant Lukoil scales back investment plans and top banks scramble to reassure investors

Porch Killing Defendant: ‘I Wasn’t Going to Cower’

Theodore Wafer, a resident of suburban Detroit, said during his murder trial that he didn’t want to be a victim when an inebriated but unarmed 19-year-old, Renisha McBride, was banging on his doors before dawn one morning last year

China Quake Death Toll Nears 400, Rain Hampers Rescuers

Thunderstorms and huge downpours are forecast for the next three days, forcing rescuers to race against the clock; many residents have been evacuated but tens of thousands more remain at risk from aftershocks, landslides and flooding

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