Midday Roundup: Eastern Ukraine to get more freedom, but not a divorce

Ukraine united. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko plans to present a bill to Parliament next week that will allow more autonomy in the eastern regions of the country now controlled by pro-Russian separatists. He stressed the moves would not be a step toward breaking the country apart, as the rebels want. The concessions are part of a peace deal negotiated last week between Ukraine, Russia, and the rebels. So far, the ceasefire is holding, and reports say Russian troops—whom Vladimir Putin denied sending to Ukraine—have retreated back across the border. Nearly 3,000 people have died in the fighting that started earlier this year. Poroshenko insisted that despite the pain wrought by the conflict, Ukraine would continue as one country. But the rebel commander continues to refer to the rebel-held territories as a sovereign nation. Residents there voted in a highly suspect election to secede from Ukraine and become part of Russia.

Sacred settlement. Highland Park Presbyterian in Dallas, one of the largest churches in the Presbyterian Church (USA) will pay the denomination $7.8 million to settle a suit over ownership of the church’s campus and other assets. In October, 89 percent of the church’s membership voted to disassociate with the PCUSA and join the more conservative A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians (ECO). The PCUSA’s support for gay clergy provided one reason for the split. Another former PCUSA church, Menlo Park Presbyterian in California, reached a similar arrangement with the denomination when it left earlier this year, agreeing to pay $8.9 million for its property. Menlo Park also joined ECO.

Motor City milestone. Detroit’s bankruptcy case could be settled as early as Monday. The city and its last holdout creditor asked a judge to postpone a hearing scheduled for this morning. Bond insurer Syncora Guarantee Inc. has apparently agreed to a deal that will satisfy its $1 billion in exposure through city bonds. All of the city’s other major creditors have reached deals that will allow the $18 billion bankruptcy to proceed.

Judgment day. Former Olympian Oscar Pistorius will learn tomorrow whether his defense team successfully convinced a South African judge that he killed his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp, by mistake. Pistorius could be convicted of anything from premeditated murder to culpable homicide, which implies neglect but not intent. He could spend more than 25 years in jail. Pistorius sprinted to worldwide fame when he became the first double amputee to compete in the Olympics. He was known as the Blade Runner because of the shape of his prosthetic legs. Pistorius admitted to shooting Steenkamp, but said he mistook her for a burglar.

New team, same playbook? Former White House spokesman Jay Carney is returning to journalism, sort of. CNN announced today it has hired Carney to serve as a pundit starting tonight. Carney’s new job begins just in time to critique his old boss on his primetime speech about the plan to take down ISIS. Carney’s will either offer unique insight or simply parrot White House lines. Before joining the Obama administration, Carney was a veteran journalist, working for Time magazine and ABC News.