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

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

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1. Obama authorizes reserve troops and considers Ebola czar to fight outbreak
2. Jobless claims hit a 14-year low
3. Biden's son discharged from Navy over drug test
4. Pro-democracy protest camp dismantled in Hong Kong
5. Apple unveils new iPads and iMacs
6. CBS plans subscription streaming-video service
7. Hawaii braces for Tropical Storm Ana's winds and rain
8. Sexual assault lawsuit against Cowboys' owner dismissed
9. Medical examiner concludes Joan Rivers died due to complication from medical procedure
10. Giants beat the Cardinals to win a World Series spot

last updated 13 January 2015

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."

New claims for jobless benefits unexpectedly fell to a 14-year low last week, decreasing by 23,000 to 264,000 on the week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The tally was lower than every projection by economists surveyed by Bloomberg. Analysts said such signs of improvement in the labor market could help curb concern over economic slowdowns in Europe and China. "This is a little bit heartening," said Guy Berger, U.S. economist at RBS Securities Inc. in Connecticut.

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Hunter Biden, the youngest son of Vice President Joe Biden, was discharged from the Navy Reserve this year after testing positive for cocaine, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. Hunter Biden, 44, only began his Navy career in 2013, when he was commissioned as an ensign after deciding a year earlier to became a public affairs officer. He failed a drug test, however, when he reported to his unit. He said it had been an honor to serve and that he was "embarrassed" that his actions led to his discharge.

Hong Kong police on Friday cleared one of three main pro-democracy protest camps that have been blocking traffic in the Chinese-controlled city for three weeks. When hundreds of officers, wearing helmets and carrying riot shields and batons, surrounded protesters sleeping in dozens of tents in the Mong Kok neighborhood, the demonstrators packed their things and left voluntarily, without violence. Police then removed the protesters' barricades and traffic returned to normal.

Apple introduced its latest iPads and iMacs on Thursday in a less flashy follow-up to its Sept. 9 launch of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. The new products included two new iPads that are thinner and faster than their predecessors, and a 27-inch iMac with Retina display. CEO Tim Cook also announced that the company's new payment service, Apple Pay, had lined up more than 500 business partners, including American Express and Visa, and would make its debut on Monday.

CBS announced Thursday that it would launch a subscription service for streaming video next year. The news, coming a day after HBO unveiled a similar plan, signaled increasing momentum for a shift from broadcast and cable TV viewing to a-la-carte online streaming on mobile devices and personal computers. The CBS service will allow viewers to watch current and archived shows on demand. CBS CEO Leslie Moonves said streaming content is what viewers want. "The world is heading in that direction," he said.

Tropical Storm Ana rumbled through the Pacific toward Hawaii early Friday. Ana was expected to begin hitting the state later in the day, pelting Hawaii's Big Island with 40 to 50 mph winds and dumping five to 10 inches of rain — although some pockets could get as much as 20 inches — on areas already soaked by recent thunderstorms, raising the threat of flooding. The storm could reach hurricane strength briefly before weakening again as it moves northwest through the island chain.

A sexual assault filed against Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was dismissed on Thursday. A former stripper, Jana Weckerly of Oklahoma, filed the suit last month claiming that Jones had groped her and forced her to watch him receive oral sex from another woman in a Dallas hotel five years ago. Jones' attorney said the allegations were false, and that he was pleased with the ruling. The judge dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning Weckerly can't file it again.

Joan Rivers' death last month was caused by a lack of oxygen to her brain when she stopped breathing due to a "therapeutic complication" during an outpatient procedure, the New York medical examiner's office said Thursday. The comedian and Fashion Police star was undergoing a laryngoscopy and upper gastrointestinal endoscopy to investigate reflux problems and why her voice was getting raspier. Rivers never regained consciousness after the Aug. 28 procedure, and her daughter, Melissa, had her taken off life support a week later.

The San Francisco Giants won the National League championship and a berth in the World Series on Thursday night, when Travis Ishikawa's three-run, ninth-inning home run gave the Giants a 6-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. The Giants had gone six games without a homer, but won Game 5 of the championship series thanks to three of them —Joe Panik's first career home run, Michael Morse's first in two months, and Ishikawa's game-ender. The Giants now face the Kansas City Royals in Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday.

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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.