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The August 2 'MHP' Syllabus

Eric Garner's death has been ruled a homicide. We'll get into that, plus the optics of war, the Ebola outbreak, and more. 10am ET on msnbc, #nerdland.

The Staten Island arrest of Eric Garner last month ended his life. On Friday, his death was ruled a homicide, by chokehold.

According to the New York City medical examiner, Garner died from the chokehold an officer used while arresting him for allegedly peddling untaxed cigarettes. Saturday's Melissa Harris-Perry will carry a live reaction from the victim's family, and our guests and correspondent will give their perspectives on what this means for the controversial “broken-windows” policing tactic in which NYPD officers are instructed to aggressively pursue minor violations.

The conflict between Israel and those living in the Gaza Strip continues to intensify. At least 1,170 people have been killed thus far. As much of what Americans know or experience about the war comes from the media, host Melissa Harris-Perry and her guests will explore how images of the conflict have shaped narratives and public opinions about what is actually happening.

The fate of thousands of unaccompanied immigrant children hangs in the balance. After House Republicans held an emergency meeting Friday morning, they passed a vote on two border security measures that would make it easier to deport the children coming from Central America. MHP will examine Congresses’ action or inaction to address the crisis.

We'll also have the latest on the historically deadly Ebola outbreak in western Africa. Two American patients infected with Ebola are being flown from Liberia to the United States to be treated at Atlanta's Emory University Hospital. The hospital says it is “prepared and ready” for the arrival of the patients. Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol, both volunteers in western Africa before being infected with the virus, will arrive next week.

This will be the first time Ebola patients will be flown into the United States for treatment; we'll talk about whether or not that's a good idea, and how well (and soon) we can expect the African outbreak to be contained.

Be sure to read what we’ve linked above and watch Melissa Harris-Perry Saturday at 10:00 a.m. ET on msnbc! Also, don’t forget to join on us on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #nerdland.