(Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images)

In today’s top news, Black unemployment dropped to 13.3 percent, President Obama will propose cutting Social Security, Medicare and other government benefits in new budget and a federal judge ruled to make a common morning-after pill available over the counter for all ages.

The national unemployment rate fell to 7.6 percent, while Black unemployment dropped to 13.3 percent. [BET]

As part of his new budget, President Obama will propose cutting Social Security, Medicare and other government benefits. [LA Times]

A federal judge ruled Friday that the government must make the most common morning-after pill available over the counter for all ages. [NY Times]

Attorney General Eric Holder said Martin Luther King Jr. “would not yet be satisfied” with the progress the nation has made on protecting voting rights. [Black Voices]

A murder suspect in Mississippi was found dead after he shot and killed Eric Smith, a homicide detective, inside an interrogation room on Thursday. [CBS]

Ex-Florida Lieutenant Governor Jennifer Carroll opened up about her resignation after being tied to a veterans charity that is under federal investigation for gambling. [BET]

Roger Ebert, who died at the age of 70 Thursday, was a champion of Black film. [The Grio]

Two missiles have been loaded onto mobile launchers in North Korea and are ready to be launched, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported Friday. [CNN]

A building collapsed in the Mumbai suburb of Thane, India, leaving 45 people dead. [USA Today]

(Photo: AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

In today’s top news, Carol Gray, the mother of Kimani Gray, wants to know why the police had to kill her son; Jonathan Watkins, the father of slain infant Jonylah Watkins, is in talks with Chicago police; and rapper Jay-Z will co-produce and perform on the soundtrack for The Great Gatsby.

Carol Gray, mother of Kimani Gray, wants to know why the police had to kill her son. [AP]

Jonathan Watkins, father of slain infant Jonylah Watkins, is in talks with Chicago police. [ABC Chicago]

Rapper Jay-Z has teamed up with Australian director Baz Luhrmann to produce and perform on the soundtrack for The Great Gatsby. [Reuters]

The two officers now under scrutiny for fatally shooting Brooklyn teen Kimani Gray are decorated cops who had fired their weapons before. [NY Daily News]

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is being asked to apologize for referring to the first Black female leader of the state Assembly by race and gender, and not by name. [AP]

Antron Brown is the first African-American to win a major driving title in the U.S. [Jacksonville.com]

Ohio conservative Sen. Rob Portman is changing his stance on gay marriage after finding out his son is gay. [CNN]

Another Carnival Cruise ship is having technical difficulties that are affecting its sailing speed. [Huffington Post]

The UN and human rights groups are warning of a rise in sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. [Al Jazeera]

An alleged victim described abuses she says were committed under former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier’s rule. [BET]

(Photo: Family Photo)

In today’s top news, funeral arrangements are set for Janay McFarlane, the Chicago teen who was shot and killed just hours after her sister attended President Obama’s speech on gun violence, President Obama says his leaked immigration plan is a backup measure in the event Congress doesn’t come to an agreement and advocates are pleading with Georgia to stay the execution of a man deemed mentally retarded.

Funeral arrangements have been set for Janay McFarlane, the Chicago teen was shot and killed just hours after her sister attended President Obama’s speech on gun violence. [CNN]

President Obama says his leaked immigration plan is a backup measure in the event Congress doesn’t come to an agreement. [NBCNews]

Advocates are pleading with Georgia to stay the execution of convicted murderer Warren Hill because of his mental state. [CNN]

Forest Whitaker was falsely accused of stealing from a New York City deli. [BET]

An Idaho man was fired from his job after slapping a Black toddler and using the n-word. [Grio]

South African Olympic runner Oscar Pistorious says his girlfriend’s murder was unintentional. [CNN]

The U.N. says man-made chemicals in everyday products are to blame for some cancers, fertility problems. [Reuters]

The Best Man sequel is slated for a Christmas release. [BET]

Actor Anthony Anderson has expressed his willingness to play fugitive Christopher Dorner in movie adaptation of the story. [BET]

The European Union lifted sanctions on banned Zimbabwe officials. [AJE]

In today’s top news, the U.S. Postal Service will end Saturday mail service to cut costs; a Florida judge denied George Zimmerman’s request to delay his murder trial; and Home Depot announces plans to hire 80,000 more employees for spring.

The U.S. Postal Service will end Saturday mail service to cut costs. [BET]

Home Depot announced plans to hire 80,000 more employees for spring. [CNN]

A Florida judge denied George Zimmerman’s request to delay his murder trial. [BET]

Florida congresswoman Frederica Wilson introduced a resolution honoring Trayvon Martin on his 18th birthday. [Grio]

A proposed bill in Alabama would exonerate the wrongly convicted Scottsboro Boys. [BET]

The city of Detroit may lose up to 51 of its public parks. [Yahoo!]

Students at Duke University are planning to protest a racist, Asian-themed fraternity party. [Yahoo!]

A pregnant prison guard was arrested for having sex with an inmate who faces the death penalty for murder. [NBCNews].

French officials say they are in a “real war” with terrorists in Mali. [BBC]

The U.N. condemned Somalia for convicting a journalist and the rape victim he interviewed. [AJE]

In today’s top news, the White House condemned the shooting death of Chicago teen Hadiya Pendleton, George Zimmerman wants to delay his murder trial and the Jamaican government has embraced the controversial Super Bowl ad featuring white actors and Jamaican accents.

The White House condemned the shooting death of Chicago teen Hadiya Pendleton. [BET]

George Zimmerman wants to delay his murder trial for the shooting of Trayvon Martin. [AP]

The Jamaican government has embraced the controversial Super Bowl ad featuring white actors and Jamaican accents. [Grio]

Arab-Americans are calling Coca-Cola’s Super Bowl ad racist. [NBCNews]

African-American William “Mo” Cowan will fill the senate seat vacated by John Kerry. [BET]

San Francisco 49ers cornerback Chris Culliver apologized for anti-gay remarks. [ESPN]

Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas will donate her Olympic items to the Smithsonian. [AP]

The NFL has dispelled rumors that Beyoncé  made outlandish demands for her Super Bowl performance. [BET]

Zimbabwe’s bank balance is $217 after paying government employees last week. [AJE]

France says Mali’s militants are in “disarray” after three weeks of airstrikes. [BBC]

In today’s top news, a majority of Americans agree with President Obama’s gun control proposal, NAACP president Ben Jealous urges Obama to nominate a Black female to the U.S. Supreme Court and the House passed a bill to stall the nation’s debt crisis for at least four months.

A poll shows the majority of Americans agree with President Obama’s gun control proposal. [ABCNews]

NAACP President Ben Jealous urges Obama to nominate a Black female to the U.S. Supreme Court. [Politico]

The House passed a bill to stall the nation’s debt crisis for at least four months. [BET]

Pentagon chief Leon Panetta is opening front-line combat positions to women. [BET]

A Philadelphia woman is charged with hate crimes for treating disabled adults like “zoo animals” in a scheme to steal social security benefits. [AP]

The U.S. Postal Service will issue a commemorative stamp in honor of Rosa Parks’ 100th birthday. [Grio]

A poll shows New Jersey voters prefer Cory Booker as their Senate rep. [BET]

Anita Hill’s documentary debuted at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. [Morning Sun]

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reelected after a tight race. [AJE]

Westerners are urged to evacuate Benghazi, Libya, over threats. [BET]

In today’s top news, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed now supports gay marriage; census data shows whites to lose majority status in the U.S. by 2043; and Jesse Jackson Jr.’s wife will not seek his old House seat.

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed now supports gay marriage. [BET]

Census data shows whites to lose majority status in the U.S. by 2043. [L.A.Times]

Jesse Jackson Jr.’s wife will not seek his old House seat. [BET]

The influence of Michigan’s union-weakening right to work laws may spread across the U.S. [NBCNews]

A$AP Rocky pleads guilty to attempted grand larceny. [BET]

Evelyn Lozada poses naked for PETA. [Grio]

A new study shows that pedestrians who text are four times as likely to be hit by a car. [ABC]

Sean Penn said Port-au-Prince Haiti is no more or less dangerous than Detroit. [AP]

A woman in Spain was arrested for transporting cocaine in her breast implants. [CNN]

The FDA has issued a warning for body parts and human tissue implants that may be tainted. [NBCNews]

(Photo: Simon Burchell/Getty Images)

In today’s top news, Dr. Dre was named the highest paid musician of 2012; a  GOP state senator says he is in favor of “dissolving Detroit”; and Congress is considering getting rid of the $1 bill in favor of coins.

Dr. Dre was named the highest paid musician of 2012. [BET]

A GOP state senator says he is in favor of  ”dissolving Detroit.” [Grio]

Congress is considering getting rid of the $1 bill in favor of coins. [AP]

Country singer Trace Adkins defended the Confederate flag earpiece he wore at the Rockefeller Christmas tree lighting. [CBSNews]

A man dressed as Madea tried to rob a bank in Mississippi. [WREGMemphis]

A mother is petitioning to have her dead don’s student loans forgiven. [Grio]

Joe Jackson reportedly suffered a minor stroke. [BET]

Bobbi Kristina’s boyfriend, Nick Gordon, was arrested for reckless driving.  [BET]

The U.N. General Assembly votes to elevate the status of Palestine to a non-member observer state. [NYT]

The U.K. has halted aid payments to Rwanda over the country’s alleged involvement with supporting rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo. [BBC]

(Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

In today’s top news, President Obama is urging taxpayers to lobby lawmakers by phone, email and Twitter; Kanye West is deposed in Kim Kardashian’s divorce; and Trayvon Martin’s shooter is seeking donations to pay for his expenses while he awaits his trial.

President Obama is urging taxpayers to lobby lawmakers by phone, email and Twitter to avoid impending tax hikes in 34 days. [ABCNews]

Kanye West is being deposed in Kim Kardashian’s divorce. [BET]

Trayvon Martin shooter George Zimmerman is seeking donations to pay for his expenses while he awaits his trial. [AP]

Steven Tyler apologized to Nicki Minaj for his criticism of her. [BET]

Comedian Katt Williams is accused of leading police on a dangerous tricycle chase. [TMZ]

New York City reported that not a single person was stabbed, shot or slashed this past Monday. [NBCNewYork]

Some Philly residents suspect a  mural dedicated to Black artist Dox Thrash was covered by a firm contracted by the government. [Philadelphia Inquirer]

A new iPhone app helps you find the nearest Black-owned businesses. [New America Media]

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon offered conditional backing  to an African Union intervention in Mali. [BBC]

Egypt’s constituent assembly votes on a new constitution. [BBC]

In today’s top news, President Obama is scheduled to visit hurricane ravaged New Jersey today, experts say Hurricane Sandy is unlikely to stall the election and Stacey Dash tweets a photo of her and Paul Ryan.

President Obama is scheduled to visit hurricane ravaged New Jersey today. [MSNBC]

Experts say Hurricane Sandy is unlikely to stall the election. [NBC]

Stacey Dash tweets a photo of her and Paul Ryan. [USWeekly]

Queen Latifah’s daytime talk show is set to debut in fall 2013. [BET]

Toni Braxton says Oprah was mean to her in a 1998 interview. [BET]

Toni Braxton has been accused of transferring money to avoid paying creditors. [TMZ]

A study shows teens with smartphones may be more sexually active. [NBCNews]

Iranian warships leave the coast of Sudan after a four-day post. [Reuters]

Rwandan opposition leader Victoire Ingabire was sentenced to eight years in jail on charges stemming from the 1994 genocide. [AP]