A pro-Russian activist wearing a police helmet shouts outside the regional interior ministry building in Luhansk, eastern Ukraine, on Wednesday, May 7, 2014. Eastern Ukraine has for weeks been swept by a wave of turbulent protests as opponents of the interim government in Kiev occupy official buildings and demand a referendum on autonomy for their regions.Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:
- DONETSK TO GO AHEAD WITH AUTONOMY VOTE
Pro-Russian forces in eastern Ukraine decide to hold referendum on Sunday despite calls from Putin to postpone it.
- WHAT MAY RAISE POLITICAL STAKES FOR MIDTERM ELECTIONS
House Republicans are set to begin a special probe of the deadly attack on the U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya, and Democrats are considering a boycott of the committee.
- SENATE POISED TO GRILL POTENTIAL SEBELIUS SUCCESSOR
Sylvia Mathews Burwell, Obama's nominee to take over the federal health care agency -- and assume responsibility for "Obamacare" -- begins confirmation hearing.
- BOKO HARAM KILLS HUNDREDS IN BUSY MARKETPLACE
The attack escalates Nigeria's growing crisis from the campaign of bombings, massacres and abductions being waged by the Islamic militants.
- GOP-LED HOUSE VOTES TO HOLD EX-IRS OFFICIAL IN CONTEMPT
Democrats deride the action targeting Lois Lerner as little more than an election-year ploy to fire up the Republican base.
- WHAT SILICON VALLEY, DEMOCRATS HAVE IN COMMON
The tech industry may dress differently from buttoned-up politicians, but that's where a wealthy segment of Obama's Democratic donor base can be found.
- WHO ARMY IS DEPLOYING TO COMBAT PTSD
Lexy, a 5-year-old German shepherd, is getting soldiers to put aside bravado and seek treatment for stress disorders and mental health issues.
- WHO'S STRUGGLING IN THE CLASSROOM
Only about a quarter of high school seniors in the U.S. are performing proficiently in math, and just 4 in 10 are making the grade in reading, a new report says.
- WHAT'S HOLDING BACK THE GLOBAL ECONOMY
Birth rates -- crucial for economic growth -- tumbled after the Great Recession in 2008 and still haven't recovered.
- TEXANS ON THE CLOCK
Houston will have the No. 1 pick when the NFL draft gets underway, Day 1 of a three-day, made-for-TV marathon.