Midday Roundup: How do you say 'high-energy objects' in Russian?

No surprises here. There’s no getting anything past the Dutch. Investigators probing the crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine released a report today that deserves an award for understatement of the year: The plane was downed by “high-energy objects from outside the aircraft.”Or as news reports for the last two months have been saying—a missile. One new bit of information from the report confirms the plane’s black boxes gave no indication of mechanical failure or pilot error. In other words, they had no idea what hit them. The report offers no additional insight into who fired the “high-energy object,” though investigators confirmed it came either from eastern Ukraine or western Russia. Look for Russian President Vladimir Putin to vehemently disavow any connection to “high-energy objects”in the coming days.

Ebola evacuation. Another American infected with Ebola has arrived at Atlanta to be treated at Emory University Hospital. Missionaries Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol successfully beat the deadly disease at the same facility. Officials have not identified the latest patient, but the World Health Organization said one of its doctors working in Sierra Leone was infected and would be evacuated. The third health worker evacuated to the United States last week, Dr. Rick Sacra, is doing well, according to his wife. Sacra is being treated at the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. Doctors there confirmed he received an experimental drug to treat the disease, although they have not identified the serum. It is not the same one given to Brantly and Writebol. Because all doses of that drug are gone, doctors in Nebraska said they might consider making a serum out of antibodies from the recovered patients. The disease continues to rage unchecked through West Africa, sparking fears it could soon spread to the rest of the world. On Sunday, a U.S. air marshal on a flight from Nigeria to Houston was attacked by someone who stabbed him with a syringe. Officials have not identified a motive for the attack or the contents of the syringe. The air marshal is being treated at a hospital but has not shown any symptoms of Ebola.

Scottish secession. With just 10 days to go before Scotland votes on whether to declare its independence from Great Britain, supporters for maintaining unity have seen their lead in the polls evaporate. The vote is now too close to call, making British politicians nervous about the country’s future. British Prime Minister David Cameron and leaders of the two other major political parties have dropped everything to race north and campaign on behalf of the unity movement. “There is a lot that divides us—but there’s one thing on which we agree passionately: the United Kingdom is better together,” the three leaders said in a joint statement.

Data-breach depot. Home Depot is the latest U.S. retailer to have its customers’ financial data stolen. The company confirmed the data breach Monday. Officials say the theft could go back as far as April. A cyber-security expert claims the hackers used the same malware that breached Target’s computer system at the end of last year. The similarities in the attacks suggest the same group of hackers is behind both of them.

Failed presidency? The latest poll offers more bad news for President Barack Obama ahead of midterm elections. According to a Washington Post/ABC News poll released today, a majority of Americans think Obama’s presidency has been a failure. Fifty-two percent of those surveyed gave the Obama presidency the thumbs down. The margin was not wide, however; 42 percent said it was a success. The poll results mirror the president’s approval ratings, which have been gradually sinking for quite a while. Democrats fighting for their seats in November might find the poll more disconcerting than the president, but they don’t necessarily have too much to worry about. Only 27 percent of people polled said their vote in 2014 would be an expression of opposition to the White House.