10 things you need to know today: February 19, 2015

1. Ukraine call for peacekeepers meets Russian opposition

Ukraine's president, Petro Poroshenko, on Wednesday called for international peacekeepers to restore order to his country's war-ravaged east, where pro-Russian separatists have continued fighting for a strategic rail hub despite a new ceasefire deal. Hours earlier, thousands of Ukrainian troops pulled out of the town, Debaltseve, where rebels continued fighting after the truce took effect on Sunday. Rebels and Russia, which could veto a peacekeeping proposal at the United Nations Security Council, said sending foreign troops would violate the peace deal.

The Washington Post

2. Obama challenges mainstream Muslims and world leaders to counter extremists

President Obama on Wednesday called on leaders of more than 60 nations to join together to fight "violent extremism," calling the effort to the Islamic State, al Qaeda, and other terrorist groups a "generational challenge." Obama, speaking on the second day of a three-day summit, called on governments, educators, and mainstream Muslims to "amplify the voices of peace and tolerance," saying the U.S. is not at war with Islam, but with people who have "perverted Islam."

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The New York Times

3. Obama administration weighs lawsuit against Ferguson police

The Justice Department is getting ready to sue Ferguson, Missouri, police over allegedly racially discriminatory tactics, CNN reported Wednesday. Attorney General Eric Holder said his department is likely this week to release investigators' findings regarding the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teen, Michael Brown, by a white police officer last year. The Justice Department is expected to say it won't charge the officer, but will sue the Ferguson Police Department if it doesn't change its tactics.

CNN

4. Jeb Bush says he is his "own man" on foreign policy

In a speech former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) gave Wednesday before the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, the likely 2016 presidential candidate tackled the elephants in the room: His brother George W. Bush and father George H.W. Bush. Because they both "shaped America's foreign policy from the Oval Office" as president, "my views will often be held up in comparison to theirs — sometimes in contrast to theirs," Jeb Bush said. "I admire their service to the nation and the difficult decisions they had to make. But I am my own man."

The Washington Post

5. Obama taps Joseph Clancy to fix the Secret Service

President Obama has picked acting Secret Service chief Joseph Clancy to run the beleaguered agency long-term. Critics had called on Obama to pick an outsider to lead the Secret Service out of a period of embarrassing security lapses, such as a case last year when a knife-wielding man jumped a fence and managed to get into the White House before being caught. White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Obama believed Clancy would "conduct a candid, clear-eyed assessment" of the agency's problems.

The Washington Times

6. Fed minutes show the central bank fears hiking interest rates too soon

Federal Reserve policy makers expressed concern in a meeting last month about the possibility of undermining the economic recovery by raising historically low interest rates too soon, according to meeting minutes released Wednesday. Members of the Federal Open Market Committee tried to reconcile conflicting signals from the U.S. economy, which is strengthening, and weak international markets. The central bank now appears to be looking to start raising rates in June.

Reuters

7. Two die in superbug outbreak at UCLA

At least seven patients treated at UCLA's Ronald Reagan Medical Center between October and January have been infected by the drug-resistant superbug CRE. Two deaths have been linked to the outbreak. At least 180 people were potentially exposed, and the number could rise as more are tested. UCLA discovered the outbreak in late January, and began notifying patients this week. The superbug can stay on a specialized endoscope that is used to treat cancers and digestive system issues and is hard to disinfect.

Los Angeles Times

8. Record cold pushes from the Midwest into the South

A blast of Arctic and Siberian air will hit parts of the Southeast with record cold on Thursday and Friday. Temperatures in Washington, D.C., could drop below zero for the first time since 1994, and areas from Tennessee to Virginia could see the lowest February temperatures on record. The frigid plume early Thursday pushed through the Midwest and Kentucky, which could get the worst of it with temperatures hitting 40 degrees below normal. Forecasters say the entire state will be below zero.

The Washington Post

9. Greek government makes request for bailout extension

Greece on Thursday formally asked the European Union and the International Monetary Fund to extend its bailout by six months. Without the extension, the new government of leftist Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will run out of cash within weeks. Tsipras, who has vowed to dismantle painful austerity measures demanded by creditors, offered concessions and promised not to unilaterally ditch the existing program's fiscal targets. Eurozone finance ministers plan to consider the request in Brussels on Friday.

Reuters

10. Oregon swears in nation's first bisexual governor

Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown (D) was sworn in on Wednesday to replace John Kitzhaber, who resigned in an ethics scandal. Brown, 54, became the nation's first openly bisexual governor. LGBT rights advocates cheered the news. Brown, 54, served 17 years in the state legislature. She is married to a man. "I don't think anybody cares" that Brown is bisexual, Bob Moore, a Republican pollster, said. "The whole thing seems irrelevant to me. But what does it mean to be a bisexual and married? What does that mean?"

Los Angeles Times