Morning Must Reads: September 4

September 4, 2014 7:38 AM EDT

Vice President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that the U.S. will follow the militant group Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria “to the gates of hell,” in remarks just a day after an ISIS video showed the beheading of a second American journalist

E-Cigarettes Are ‘Gateway Drug’

A new study suggests that nicotine dispensers like e-cigarettes could make users more likely to use, and become addicted to, other drugs like cocaine

Feds to Investigate Ferguson Cops

With the help of the FBI, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division has been probing last month’s fatal shooting of unarmed teen Michael Brown

Eating Fruit Cuts Heart Disease Risk by 40%

A new study that looked at more than 451,680 participants’ fruit consumption over seven years found that compared with people who never eat fruit, those who eat fruit every day cut their heart-disease risk by 25% to 40%

Game of Thrones Season 5 Is Down a Hodor and a Stark

HBO’s hit series will also lose another Stark in the upcoming season — Bran Stark and his trusted companion Hodor will not appear in Season 5. But at least the actor who plays Hodor is now busy with “Rave of Thrones” DJ parties

Mike Goes Back to Bloomberg

The former New York City mayor will once again take the helm of the company he founded after the current CEO steps down. “The more time I spent reacquainting myself with the company, the more exciting and interesting I found it,” he said

Al-Qaeda Chief Launches New Wing in South Asia

Ayman al-Zawahiri on Wednesday announced the creation of an Indian branch, so boosting his group’s claims to be the world’s foremost jihadists. The announcement is seen as an effort to compete with the resurgent Islamic State of Iraq and Syria

Ebola Stigma Doesn’t Worry American Victim

Dr. Kent Brantly, the doctor infected with Ebola while working in West Africa, says despite his clean bill of health, he’s aware that the virus’ stigma remains with him. “You know, I’m not worried about that. It may happen,” Brantly said

Reports: Carl Icahn Sells His Final Stake in Family Dollar

Billionaire activist-investor Carl Icahn raked in $200 million by selling his last stake in discount-store chain Family Dollar, reports Reuters, citing sources familiar with the matter. The sale came in the midst of a bidding war for the company

Saudi Arabia Sentences 24 for Terrorism

A court in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday sentenced an American and 23 other people to prison on charges they created a terrorist cell and planned attacks. Police also announced on Monday they had arrested 88 people suspected of being part of an al-Qaeda cell

Books of Mormon to Get Rare Public Display

An exhibit in Salt Lake City, where the Mormon Church is based, will feature a collection of 26 books, manuscripts and documents that trace back to the faith’s founding in the mid-1800s, in an effort by the church to be more “open and transparent”

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor to Receive Medal

Sotomayor has been named the 2015 recipient of the Katharine Hepburn Medal awarded by Bryn Mawr College, which is presented annually to women who “change their worlds.” Winners are selected based on their commitment to both civic engagement and the arts

We will hold an #AskTIME subscriber Q&A this Friday, September 5, at 1 p.m., with TIME senior editor Jeffrey Kluger, who is the author of the new book, The Narcissist Next Door: Understanding the Monster in Your Family, in Your Office, in Your Bed—in Your World. His articles on the best and worst of new science, from the animal mind to the sixth great extinction, can be found here. An excerpt from his new book can be read here.

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