Morning Must Reads: August 29

‘We Don’t Have a Strategy Yet’

President Barack Obama seemed to commit the worst of Washington gaffes when he spoke of the ongoing threat from Islamist militants wreaking havoc in Syria and Iraq. “I don’t want to put the cart before the horse,” he said

Memory Wipes Closer to Reality

Researchers working with mice have made stunning breakthroughs in stripping the painful and negative feelings associated with a traumatic memory

Calif. Passes Sex-Consent Bill

The California Senate passed a first-in-the-nation bill on Thursday to define what amounts to consensual sexual activity on the state’s college campuses

NFL Throws Flag on Domestic Abuse After Criticism

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell sent a letter to team owners that stated stricter penalties would be imposed on players and league personnel who commit domestic abuse, following criticism of a two-game suspension for a player who allegedly beat his fiancée

Ukraine Brings Back Draft as Russia Appears to Mobilize

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko’s national security council ordered the reinstatement of mandatory conscription, affecting able-bodied men aged 18 to 25, as NATO satellite imagery appeared to show Russian forces and vehicles in its restive eastern region

Oklahoma Death Row Inmate Didn’t Die From Heart Attack

Independent autopsy results reveal that Clayton Lockett, whose botched execution in April caused Oklahoma to temporarily halt lethal injections, died from the lethal injection and not a heart attack; officials attempted to tap a vein in his groin, chest, neck, both arms and one foot

U.N. Grimly Marks 3 Million Syrian Refugees as War Rages

The U.N.’s refugee agency announced that one of every eight Syrians has fled the country since March 2011 and 6.5 million others are internally displaced; U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres called it the “biggest humanitarian emergency of our era”

Malaysia Airlines to Cut 6,000 Staff in Overhaul

The flight operator announced the cuts — a 30% reduction of its current workforce — on Friday in an effort to revive its damaged brand after double passenger-jet disasters this year. Malaysia Airlines is also conducting a search for a new CEO

Obama Sets No Timeline for Action on Immigration

President Barack Obama said on Thursday he still intends to act to change immigration policies but stopped short of reiterating his past vows to do so by the end of summer; 145 demonstrators were arrested during a rally on immigration reform outside the White House

Warren Buffett’s Son Buys Rosa Parks Archive

Hundreds of items that belonged to the civil rights icon and have been sitting unseen for years in a New York warehouse, including her Presidential Medal of Freedom, have been sold to a foundation run by the son of billionaire investment guru Warren Buffett

Google Toys Around With Drone Delivery Service

A number of small aircraft have flown between 130 and 195 ft. during trials in the Australian outback, delivering items such as a water bottle and a first-aid kit; Google has been working on Project Wing for two years but only began testing the drones this month

Fox Greenlights TV Pilot Inspired by Weezer Frontman

The sitcom DeToured from the creator of Psych will follow a fictional musician who decides to give up his rock-star lifestyle for normalcy, as Rivers Cuomo did briefly several years ago when he took time off to study at Harvard
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There will be no #AskTIME subscriber Q&A this Friday, August 29 — we’re taking a break this Labor Day. We will be back next week, Friday, Sept. 5. Enjoy your weekend, morning must-readers!