10 things you need to know today: March 13, 2014

(Image credit: (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais))

last updated 8 January 2015

1. Obama vows consequences unless Russia backs down in Ukraine

President Obama expressed support for Ukraine's new premier on Wednesday and said the U.S. would "apply a cost" to Russia if it doesn't back out of Crimea. Obama plans a final diplomatic push to get Moscow to loosen its grip on the Ukrainian region before voters there decide Sunday whether to break from Ukraine to join Russia. Secretary of State John Kerry is scheduled to meet with his Russian counterpart on Friday. [The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal]

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China posted satellite images on a government website showing what could be debris from the Malaysia Airlines jet that vanished on Saturday with 239 people onboard. The plane, which had just left Kuala Lumpur bound for Beijing, was last tracked not far from the area where the satellite spotted the floating objects, off the southern tip of Vietnam. The images were released Wednesday, but recorded on Sunday. [BBC News]

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) announced Wednesday she would not run for re-election when her term ends this year. Brewer, known for her hard-line immigration and abortion policies, would have had to win a court battle to run again. Arizona governors are limited to two terms, and she has served one full term and part of a second. Brewer said it was "time to pass the torch," but vowed to work hard in her final months. "My pen and veto stamp have plenty of ink," she said. [The Huffington Post]

Two people were killed as protesters clashed with police in Turkey on Wednesday following the funeral of 15-year-old Berkin Elvan, who died Tuesday from an injury he sustained during last June's violent demonstrations. He was going to buy bread when he was hit in the head with a tear-gas canister. His death struck a nerve with massive anti-government crowds, who called Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan a murderer. [Reuters]

Gaza militants launched a fresh volley of rockets into southern Israel on Thursday, a day after the most intense barrage fired from the Palestinian territory since 2012. Eight of the 30 rockets fired on Wednesday exploded in developed areas, although no injuries were reported. Israeli military sources vowed a response. Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility, saying the rocket barrage was payback for a deadly Tuesday airstrike. [The Associated Press, The Jerusalem Post]

Rachel Canning, the New Jersey teen who unsuccessfully sued her parents for tuition money, has returned home, her parents' lawyer said Wednesday. The parents, Sean and Elizabeth Canning, cut her off financially just shy of her 18th birthday when she left the house, upset over their rules. The judge denied her request for emergency support, saying the case could "open the gates for 12-year-olds to sue for an Xbox." [The Christian Science Monitor]

A court in Alabama had denied a lesbian couple the right to divorce, because the state doesn't recognize their legal Iowa marriage. Circuit Judge Karen Hall said in a one-sentence ruling that there was no way to grant Michelle Richmond and Kirsten Allysse Richmond the uncontested divorce they sought "pursuant to the laws of this state," which doesn't recognize the validity of same-sex marriage in the first place. [NBC News]

Controversial Jeopardy! champ Arthur Chu lost on Wednesday night's show, ending his streak on its 12th day. Chu, whose reign was the game show's third-longest, angered devoted fans with his unorthodox, all-over-the-board strategy of buzzing in quickly and jumping around among categories. Chu won $297,200, and took his loss in stride, posting his voice dubbed into Weird Al Yankovich's "I Lost on Jeopardy!" [USA Today]

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.

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