10 things you need to know today: October 17, 2014

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(Image credit: (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin))

1. Obama authorizes reserve troops and considers Ebola czar to fight outbreak

President Obama on Thursday authorized the Pentagon to call up reserve troops if they are needed to help with the effort to contain West Africa's Ebola outbreak, although military officials said they did not yet have plans to call up reservists. Obama also said he was open to the idea of appointing an Ebola "czar" to coordinate the U.S. response. GOP lawmakers called for banning travel from affected countries. Obama said he had no "philosophical objection" but that experts don't think a travel ban is the "best way to go."

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Harold Maass, The Week US

Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.