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Rahul Mahajan, sociologist and news analyst, and author of Full Spectrum Dominance: US Power in Iraq and Beyond. Hi Rahul!

Two young African boys residing in New York City, were brutally beaten at school soon after returning from a trip to their native Senegal. The boys are brothers and aged only 11 and 13. They were assaulted by fellow students who yelled “Ebola” at them. Meanwhile, with nearly 5,000 deaths attributed to the disease, World Bank chief Jim Yong Kim has publicly urged health workers to join the fight against Ebola in West Africa, calling it “a global crisis,” and decrying the “fear factor” that seemed to be hampering healthcare. His statements come amid severe confusion here in the US between CDC federal officials and state governments on how to treat travelers from Africa.

A conservation group has just leaked a letter sent to the Obama Administration by oil giant Shell. Shell Alaska has asked for a 5 year extension on its lease to drill for oil in the Arctic Ocean. In the letter, which is available online, Shell cited its $6 billion expense that has not yielded profits for the company, and claimed that oil drilling was “in the national interest.” The group, Oceana, which leaked the letter, has accused Shell of wanting to “skirt rules.” Oil drilling in the Arctic is a risky business, both for the company doing the drilling, and the fragile environment.

And finally, reporter Jeffrey Goldberg published an explosive report in The Atlantic this week entitled, “The Crisis in U.S.-Israel Relations Is Officially Here,” where he quotes unnamed US officials referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with derogatory language. The specific word (which we cannot say on the air) is a synonym for “coward.” Goldberg says, “The Obama administration’s anger is “red-hot” over Israel’s settlement policies, and the Netanyahu government openly expresses contempt for Obama’s understanding of the Middle East. Profound changes in the relationship may be coming.”