(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]

In today’s top news, George Zimmerman’s request to remove his monitoring device was denied, Attorney General Eric Holder suggests automatic voter registration and Michigan’s union-weakening “right to work” bills were signed into law.

A Florida judge denied George Zimmerman’s request to remove his monitoring device. [BET]

Attorney General Eric Holder suggests automatic voter registration. [Bloomberg]

Michigan’s union-weakening “right to work” bills were signed into law. [CNN]

The controversial “drum major” inscription on the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial will be removed. [CNN]

A masked gunman opened fire in an Oregon shopping mall, killing two people before taking his own life. [USATODAY]

A Black meteorologist was fired after responding to a racial remark on her employer’s Facebook page. [Maynard Institute]

T.I. has organized a charity in support of homeless veterans. [BET]

Legendary hip hop group Public Enemy was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. [BET]

Ghana’s opposition party affirmed that it will contest the results of last week’s presidential election. [AP]

Lagos, Nigeria is the first African city to get a Monopoly board. [BBC]

In today’s top news, Congress voted to hold Eric Holder with contempt following the Fast and Furious fallout, George Zimmerman has his second bond hearing today and Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are slated to speak at Rodney King’s funeral Saturday.

Congress voted to hold Eric Holder in contempt following the Fast and Furious fallout. [BET]

George Zimmerman will find out if he will be released from prison ahead of the Trayvon Martin trial. [ABC News]

Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are slated to speak at Rodney King’s funeral Saturday. [LATimes]

Rhymefest slammed newbie rapper Chief Keef, calling his music “senseless savagery.” [BET]

Hundreds of Colorado homes have been lost to a raging wildfire. [MSNBC]

A California couple seeking to adopt children in Ghana has been detained as officials suspect they may have forged documents. [CNN]

Snoop Dogg was busted for marijuana possession in Norway. [BET]

Much of the U.S. is bracing for an extreme heat wave. [Reuters]

Venus and Serena Williams will represent the U.S. during this year’s summer Olympics. [BET]

Report says Nestle has turned a blind eye to child labor in its cocoa supply chain. [BBC]

In today’s top news, Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee was sacked amid Trayvon Martin case criticism, Attorney General Eric Holder was found in contempt of Congress for his handling of the “Fast and Furious” gun trafficking program and the Southern Baptist Convention declares gay rights are not civil rights.

Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee was sacked amid Trayvon Martin case criticism. [BET]

Attorney Genral Eric Holder was found in contempt of Congress for his handling of the “Fast and Furious” gun trafficking program. [BET]

The Southern Baptist Convention declares gay rights are not civil rights. [AP]

New York City’s Black residents left out of the city’s jobs rebound. [NYT]

Half of all new HIV diagnoses occur in the South. [BET]

Exposure to traffic noise has been linked with heart attacks. [WHAM]

Floyd Mayweather Jr. has replaced Tiger Woods as the highest paid athlete. [LATimes]

A judge has thrown out three of 51 child sex abuse charges lodged against former Penn. State football coach Jerry Sandusky. [AP]

The Ugandan government bans 38 NGOs it has accused of promoting gay rights. [CNN]

Two South African hostage, captured by Somali pirates, have been freed after 20 months of captivity. [BBC]

In today’s top news, Attorney General Eric Holder asks Black churches to join the fight for our “sacred” voting rights, a report shows that FAMU drum major Robert Champion died one hour after he was hazed and the makers of FEMA trailers are set to pay $43 million to those suffering from health issues caused by chemicals in the homes.

Attorney General Eric Holder asks Black churches to join the fight for our “sacred” voting rights. [BET]

Report shows that FAMU drum major Robert Champion died one hour after he was hazed. [Miami Herald]

Makers of FEMA trailers set to pay $43 million to those suffering from health issues caused by chemicals in the homes. [CNN]

Black surgeon sues UCLA over racist joke. [The Root]

First Lady Michelle Obama says the president “tucks her in” to bed each night at the White House. [DailyMail]

Bobbi Kristina walked off of the set of her new Tyler Perry show after an emotional breakdown. [BET]

Idris Elba is rumored to star in the next Hunger Games movie. [BET]

After her sister’s big upset loss at the French Open, tennis champ Venus Williams is also out of the tournament. [SI]

Africa NGO says the rush to adopt African children needs to stop. [CNN]

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton points finger at Russia for contributing to Syria’s civil war. [BBC]

In today’s top news, the last of 11 students charged in FAMU hazing case turns herself in to authorities, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder calls violence in Detroit “unacceptable” and Black women see the biggest drop in employment across all races, genders.

Last of 11 charged in FAMU hazing case turns herself in to authorities. [CNN]

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder calls violence in Detroit “unacceptable.” [DetroitNews]

Black women see the biggest drop in employment across all races, genders. [BusinessWeek]

Colombian prostitute says her Secret Service agent clients were “stupid brutes.” [NBC]

Raven-Symoné talks to BET.com about her Broadway show, Sister Act and Whitney Houston. [BET]

Singer Chris Brown launches a toy line. [BET]

Study suggests men’s breast cancer more aggressive than women’s. [HealthDay]

Six Jamaicans are arrested in a U.S. lottery scam. [AP]

France elects Francois Hollande president. [BBC]

Four African leaders have been invited to this year’s G-8 summit to discuss food security. [CNN]

In today’s top news, Nick Cannon says he has been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, former child star Brandy says her daughter will have to wait to hit the stage and Oprah Winfrey is set to interview Whitney Houston’s family.

Nick Cannon says he has been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. [BET]

Former child star Brandy says her daughter will have to wait to hit the stage. [BET]

Oprah to interview Whitney Houston’s family. [AP]

President Obama on Sunday warned of “loose talk of war” with Iran.  [AFP]

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to address the “targeted killing” of Americans abroad. [FOX]

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi endorses Jesse Jackson Jr. for r-eelection. [AP]

Seven-year-old boy survives tornado after being dropped on a highway. [MSNBC]

Scientists are testing out an artificial pancreas for diabetics. [CNN]

Designer drug “Spice” linked to kidney failures. [Reuters]

Congo explosions kill 200 and wound nearly 2,000. [CNN]

In today’s top news, January’s Black unemployment numbers show signs of an economic thaw, a study finds that Southern Blacks have more opportunity and Don Cornelius’s son says his dad was ‘unhappy.’

Black unemployment finally took a dive in January. [BET]

Study finds there are greater opportunities for Blacks in the South. [BET]

Obama says Jesus would back his tax policy. [CNN]

Don Cornelius’s son says his dad was “unhappy.” [BET]

BET gets Common and Maya Angelou to sit down and discuss the N-word. [BET]

Attorney General Eric Holder denies “fast and furious” cover-up. [FOX]

Chris Rock agrees that he should pay more taxes than less wealthy Americans. [EurWeb]

Rev. Jesse Jackson is worried that the recent Obama slams could turn into violence. [BET]

Google scholarship helping minorities attend college. [BlackWeb2.0]

Study: Successful Black women see less backlash. [News-Record]

U.S. Justice Department: Tourist Perverts Beware!
Perverts who prey on young children are learning the hard way that they can’t just skip across a few continents to satisfy their sexual appetites. On Monday the U.S. Justice Department announced that it had snared three American sexual predators in the southeast Asian nation of Cambodia and were bringing them back home to face prosecution. They are the first to be charged under an international initiative specifically aimed at Americans who go to Cambodia to sexually abuse children. Cambodia, and its traditionally lax child-protection laws, is known as a haven for such predators. “The men charged in this investigation apparently thought they could pursue their abhorrent desires by leaving the United States to prey on children in another country, but they were sadly mistaken,” U.S. Attorney Thomas P. O’Brien said in a statement. The initiative, known as Operation Twisted Traveler, is a collaboration between the Justice Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to crack down on sex tourism. “We are now working closer than ever with officials in other nations and concerned private parties to take every effort we can to identify and prosecute sex tourists, as well as to provide every protection we can to the world’s children.” Charged under the new law are Ronald Boyajian, 49, Erik Peeters, 41, and Jack Sporich, 75, who are facing prosecution for traveling abroad to engage in sexual contact with minors. They are facing up to 30 years in prison for each victim, according to the Justice Department. “These types of cases are disturbing not only because young, defenseless children were victimized in unspeakable ways but also because the defendants went to such lengths to engage in their dark activities overseas,” O’Brien said at a news conference.

Glum Economic Realities Ahead for Cities, Report Says
Although federal economists predict a positive forecast ahead, many city officials nationwide are finding it difficult to see the light at the end of a long, dark tunnel. Declining real estate values portend glum economic realities over the next two years, according to experts, who note that the full impact will not likely be felt until 2010 to 2012. Now, they say, cities are  still “on the front end” of the recession.  Christopher Hoene, who co-authored the National League of Cities study with Michael Pagano, says that “Things are likely to worsen before they improve.” Eight in 10 city finance officers who responded in the league survey said their cities are “less able” to meet fiscal needs this year than they were last year, CNN reports. “That’s a marked decline from just two years ago, when 70 percent of finance officers said they were ‘better able’ to meet financial needs than in the previous year,” according the network. Property taxes, sales taxes and income taxes are the three major culprits behind the dismal financial picture. “Property-tax collections actually increased 6.9 percent (or 6.2 percent when adjusted for inflation) in 2008 as assessments caught up with previous growth in the real estate market,” according to CNN. “And revenues are projected to grow 1.7 percent (or 1.6 percent adjusted) this year.” Those figures are likely to drop in the next three years as declining property values are reflected in property tax rolls.

Attorney General Eric Holder Jr., who ignited a storm recently by saying that America is a nation of cowards when it comes to addressing matters of race, is making it clear that he would like to step up the agency’s monitoring and enforcement of civil rights issues. On Wednesday, he described the Civil Rights Division as the “crown jewel of the Justice Department. In addressing a wide range of civil rights issues at the annual awards luncheon for the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs’, Holder promised that his department would be vigilant in upholding rights. He scoffed at the Supreme Court challenge to Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act and spoke out on the politically motivated homicide of a doctor who performed late-term abortions, an Army recruiter, and most recently a security guard at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. He said that the Justice Department “will not tolerate murder masquerading as political activism,” adding that the department “will use every tool at its disposal to protect the rights ensured under our constitution.”