10 things you need to know today: March 10, 2014

1. Search fails to explain disappearance of Malaysian airliner

The fate of a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet that vanished in flight remained a mystery early Monday after a two-plus-day search involving 40 ships and 34 aircraft. There were unconfirmed reports that a Vietnamese plane had spotted parts of the plane — possibly a door and part of the tail — at sea near two oil slicks. Malaysian authorities said the plane, which had 227 passengers on board, might have turned around before disappearing. [Fox News]

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2. Obama plans to host new Ukrainian leader this week

President Obama will meet at the White House on Wednesday with the head of Ukraine's new pro-Western government, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, the Obama administration said Sunday. The meeting comes as an estimated 18,000 pro-Russian forces are being deployed around Ukraine's Crimea region, and Russian President Vladimir Putin backs Crimean lawmakers' plan for a March 16 referendum on leaving Ukraine to become part of Russia. [The Washington Post]

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3. Mexican drug lord reported killed... again

Mexican authorities said Sunday that a drug cartel leader was killed in a morning shoot-out in western Mexico — four years after the government insisted he had been killed in another gun battle. DNA tests are underway to confirm that the man killed by marines Sunday was Knights Templar cartel leader Nazario Moreno Gonzalez, also known as "The Craziest One." Two of the country's other leading drug lords have been captured in the last year. [The Associated Press]

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4. Earthquake hits off the Northern California coast

A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck Sunday night off the coast of Northern California, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake, followed by at least six aftershocks, hit about 50 miles from the coastal town of Eureka, which suffered damage from a smaller 6.5 quake in 2010. Humboldt County officials received no immediate reports of damages or injuries, and no tsunami warning was issued. [San Francisco Chronicle]

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5. Kim Jong Un wins unanimous North Korea election

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was elected to his communist country's highest legislative body on Sunday, with 100 percent of the vote. There was 100 percent turnout in his district, and his name was the only one on the ballot. The vote to pick the assembly's 687 deputies is held once every five years. The government said the ceremonial election showed the "people's absolute support," but experts say it was intended to spot dissidents. [Irish Times]

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6. Poll finds young adults are upbeat and liberal

Millennials are far more liberal than older generations, according to a Pew Research Center poll released over the weekend. These young adults — aged 18 to 33 — also are less religious, less likely to refer to themselves as "patriotic," and more likely to vote Democratic than older Americans. Their liberal beliefs translate into a greater acceptance of gay rights and an activist government. [Los Angeles Times]

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7. Snowden to address SXSW conference from Moscow

National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden is scheduled to speak at the South By Southwest Interactive Festival on Monday, but he won't be there in person. Snowden will appear via video link from Moscow, where he is living under temporary asylum to avoid felony charges in the U.S. for leaking classified documents on the NSA's mass surveillance programs. Fugitive WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange made a similar appearance Saturday. [The Associated Press]

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8. Band of Brothers vet dies at 90

World War II Army veteran William Guarnere, one of the men who inspired the Band of Brothers book and TV miniseries, died in Philadelphia, his son confirmed Sunday. He was 90. Guarnere, who was known as "Wild Bill," lost a leg rescuing a friend on the battlefield. "He lived a good life," his son, William Guarnere Jr., said Sunday. "He pretty much did everything he could have done." [CNN]

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9. High school stage collapses, injuring two dozen girls

Twenty-four students were injured over the weekend — some with broken bones — when an auditorium stage collapsed during a choral, dance, and drama performance at Servite High School in Anaheim, Calif. About 250 girls from Rosary High School, Servite's sister Catholic school, were on the stage when it gave way. "Early investigations suggest the front of the stage gave out due to weight," Anaheim Police Department spokesman Lt. Tim Schmidt said. [Los Angeles Times]

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10. William Clay Ford dies at 88

William Clay Ford, last surviving grandson of automotive pioneer Henry Ford, has died of pneumonia, the Ford Motor Co. said Sunday in a statement. He was 88. Ford helped run the automaking company his grandfather founded for five decades, and owned the Detroit Lions football team for a half century. "No owner loved his team more than Mr. Ford loved the Lions," Lions President Tom Lewand said. [The Associated Press]