Morning Must Reads: August 18

Ferguson Explodes Again

Violence erupted once again in the troubled city of Ferguson, Mo., on Monday as multiple gunshots were fired, police launched dozens of tear gas canisters, a main thoroughfare became a battle zone and Gov. Jay Nixon deployed the National Guard

Ferguson, Racism, Class Warfare

Ferguson is not just about systemic racism, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar writes for TIME, but rather about class warfare and how America’s poor are held back

The Other Side of Ferguson

Peaceful protesters worry that violence will thwart a just cause in Ferguson, especially as clashes broke out again Monday, TIME’s Alex Altman writes

Julian Assange to Leave Ecuadorian Embassy ‘Soon’

The WikiLeaks founder said on Monday he is preparing to leave the Ecuadorian embassy in London “soon” after more than two years of sheltering inside, but didn’t elaborate on the reasons; he is wanted for questioning over rape allegations in Sweden and faces extradition

Failed Diet? Blame Gut Bacteria

A new study suggests the gut microbiome, the collection of all the microbes in our digestive tracts, may influence our food choices and behavior; it works both ways, however, as what humans eat may also affect what food gut bacteria need

More Than a Third of Americans Have No Retirement Savings

A new survey commissioned by Bankrate.com finds that 36% of people in the U.S., more than one-third of the population, have no retirement savings; young Americans are the least prepared, as 69% don’t have a nest egg, but neither do 14% of those aged 65 and older

Kurdish Fighters Regain Some Control of Vital Iraqi Dam

Peshmerga forces pushed deeper into territory held by the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) throughout Sunday to gain more control over the strategically vital Mosul Dam, as U.S. warplanes launched fresh airstrikes against the Sunni insurgents

Twitter Experiments With Timeline Changes

Basically, your favorites are no longer semiprivate, but treated like retweets, since people who follow you will get a notification when you favorite a tweet; some users are also getting notifications when someone they follow begins to follow a new user

Ebola Crisis Intensifies as West Africa Struggles to Cope

Chaotic conditions in West Africa are severely hampering efforts to contain the deadly Ebola outbreak; now a humanitarian crisis is developing alongside the medical one, with more than a million people in quarantined communities lacking basic necessities

Pope Leaves South Korea After Urging Peace

The Pontiff laid out these themes from the start of his visit, which was clouded by the firing of five rockets from Pyongyang into the sea; Pope Francis called for a rejection of the “mind-set of suspicion and confrontation” that clouds relations in the war-divided peninsula

Optimism Fading as Gaza Peace Talks Resume

A Palestinian negotiator said on Sunday his side is “less optimistic” about indirect talks with Israel over the Gaza war, with the current temporary cease-fire due to end late on Monday; negotiations have been going on between the sides since early last week

World’s Most Pierced Man Denied Entry to Dubai

German national Rolf Buchholz, whose 453 piercings — 278 of which were around his genitalia, as of 2010 — earned him a Guinness World Record, claims the United Arab Emirates’ officials said they were worried about black magic

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