Midday Roundup: Russian-made missile definitely shot down MH17

Devilish details. The Dutch Safety Board released its report today on Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, surprising no one with its findings. Investigators confirmed what reports said almost from the beginning—a Russian-made, surface-to-air missile brought down the commercial airliner over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 people on board. After reconstructing parts of the aircraft, the team determined the Buk missile exploded less than 3 feet from the cockpit, ripping it away from the rest of the plane and killing the crew instantly. Investigators believe the passengers would have lost consciousness before the plane crashed to the ground, offering family members some comfort in knowing they likely didn’t suffer. The report confirmed the missile was fired from territory held by Russian-backed rebels but stopped short of blaming them definitively for its launch. The Russian company that makes the missile held a press conference today to show evidence it claims proves the warhead that struck the aircraft did not come from a weapons system currently in production but an older model still used by the Ukrainian military.

Prime time. Today is the big day for Democratic White House hopefuls, who will gather tonight for the first debate in the fight for their party’s nomination. For former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and self-described socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who have dominated early primary polls, the debate is an important event. But for long-shot candidates like former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, it could be a matter of political life and death. Joining O’Malley, Clinton, and Sanders will be former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb and former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chaffee. The debate airs at 8:30 p.m. EDT on CNN.

Committee infighting. U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., chairman of the House Select Committee on Benghazi, is accusing CNN of journalistic malpractice. Gowdy said CNN was wrong to air the story of a fired Benghazi committee employee without getting all the facts. Bradley Podliska, a reserve Air Force Intelligence officer, claims the committee’s investigation has gone off track and is carrying out a partisan attack on Hillary Clinton. Podliska told CNN he was fired for not focusing enough on Clinton. But Gowdy said in a statement Podliska was actually terminated for his repeated efforts to turn the probe into a witch hunt of the Obama administration, including Clinton, who is scheduled to testify before the committee Oct. 22.

Suing Planned Parenthood. A pro-life group has slapped abortion giant Planned Parenthood with a lawsuit for allegedly violating a Colorado state law that prohibits using tax money to subsidize abortions. Barry Arrington, an attorney for the Faith and Family Coalition of Colorado, claims videos released by the Center for Medical Progress show a Planned Parenthood executive negotiating prices for fetal parts and suggesting ways to skirt the law. He also claims he’s obtained a document showing Colorado State University (CSU) agreed to buy tissue from Planned Parenthood using public funds. The university and a research group are also named in the suit. CSU denies any wrongdoing.

No gay gene. Researchers are challenging claims of a “gay gene” discovery presented at the American Society of Human Genetics conference last week in Baltimore. University of California researcher Tuck Ngun said his team found chemical modifications of DNA on the genes of gay men. But John Greally, a researcher at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, is among several geneticists casting doubt on the study. He said the study sample was too small and the results could be achieved by random chance. Greally also criticized press coverage of the study that did not reveal its shortcomings.

WORLD Radio’s Mary Reichard contributed to this report.