In today’s top news, two men have been arrested for a shooting at Texas’ Lone Star College that left three people wounded; Colin Powell railed against the GOP over voter ID laws; and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton defended her handling of the attacks on the U.S. mission in Benghazi.

Two men have been arrested for a shooting at Texas’ Lone Star College that left three people wounded. [CNN]

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton defended her handling of the attacks on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, before Congress. [Reuters]

Cornell West says it was wrong for President Obama to be sworn in on MLK’s Bible. [Newsmax]

Sen. Frank Lautenberg suggested that Newark Mayor Cory Booker should be spanked. [USATODAY]

Beyoncé is caught in an inauguration lip-synching controversy. [BET]

A statue of Rosa Parks will be erected on Capitol Hill. [BET]

Georgia authorities are investigating Ku Klux Klan fliers that were placed outside some homes. [AP]

A Georgia man is suing the state after his “GAYGUY” license plate was rejected. [NBCNews]

South African President Jacob Zuma said his government is not threatening local mining companies. [Reuters]

In today’s top news, lawmakers agreed to an 11th hour deal that kept the tax-raising fiscal cliff at bay, President Obama resumed his Hawaii vacation following resolution of the fiscal cliff crisis and doctors are confident Hillary Clinton will make a full recovery from the blood clot she suffered.

Lawmakers agreed to an 11th hour deal that kept the tax-raising fiscal cliff at bay. [BET]

President Obama resumed his Hawaii vacation following resolution of the fiscal cliff crisis. [ABC News]

Doctors are confident Hillary Clinton will make a full recovery from the blood clot she suffered as the result of a concussion. [BET]

Ten states raised the minimum wage between 10 to 35 cents an hour. [Reuters]

Sandy Hook students and teachers prepare to return to class for the first time since the horrific school shooting. [NBCNews]

Jay-Z has beeb tapped to score upcoming film The Great Gatsby. [MTV]

Shawty Lo’s reality show All My Babies’ Mamas is being boycotted. [MTV]

Celebs rally behind Django Unchained after harsh criticism. [BET]

Ivory Coast called for three days of mourning after a New Year’s Eve stampede killed 61 in Abidjan. [BBC]

Regional troops have intervened in the Central African Republic where rebels have advanced toward the capital, Bangui. [AJE]

In today’s top news, President Obama and Mitt Romney wrapped up the presidential debates with a bang, a Black woman in Louisiana says the KKK set her on fire and one of the students in the FAMU hazing case was cleared of jail time.

President Obama and Mitt Romney wrapped up the presidential debates with a bang. [CNN]

A Black woman in Louisiana says the KKK set her on fire. [CBSNews]

One of the students in the FAMU hazing case will not receive jail time for his involvement. [CNN]

Wyclef explains his now infamous Speedo pic circulating the internet. [BET]

Rapper Gunplay is released on $150,000 bond. [BET]

Azealia Banks is boycotting designer Dolce and Gabbana over racist imagery in its Spring 2013 line. [BET]

Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s bid to trademark daughter Blue Ivy’s name was rejected. [CNN]

France plans to send drones to Mali. [AP]

Benin uncovers a plot to poison the president. [AJE]

The Clintons are hosting a delegation in Haiti to show off a newly opened industrial park. [AP]

In today’s top news, Jay-Z urges voters to choose Obama in a new video spot, President Obama and Mitt Romney will face-off in the second presidential debate Tuesday night and Nelly speaks out for the first time since his Texas tour bus drug bust.

Jay-Z urges voters to choose Obama in a new video spot. [BET]

President Obama and Mitt Romney will face-off in the second presidential debate Tuesday night. [CNN]

Nelly speaks out for the first time since his Texas tour bus drug bust. [BET]

Trayvon Martin’s parents launch website dedicated to increasing awareness on ‘Stand Your Ground’ laws. [Orlando Sentinel]

Jennifer Hudson says she’s not buying the American Idol drama between Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey. [BET]

Police released the names of 21 men accused of paying for sex with a Zumba instructor in Maine. [AP]

Nas’ Georgia home was recently foreclosed and sold via auction. [E! News]

Birdman of Cash Money recently shelled out $14.5 million on a Miami mansion. [Yahoo!]

More than 100 inmates have escaped from a jail in Tripoli, Libya. [BBC]

Hillary Clinton accepts responsibility for last month’s Libyan attacks on a U.S. diplomatic mission. [AJE]

In today’s top news, Olympian gymnast Gabrielle Douglas gets her second gold and makes history, U.N. faces roadblocks in Syria resolution and the African-American unemployment rate dipped in July.

Olympian gymnast Gabrielle Douglas is the first African-American to win gold in the women’s individual all-around competition. [BET]

The African-American unemployment rate fell ever so slightly in July. [BET]

The U.N. General Assembly faces roadblocks in Syria resolution as members butt heads. [AP]

Olympics record holder Michael Phelps sets the bar higher with his 20th gold win. [WaPo]

Gay rights supporters organize a same-sex “kiss in” at Chick-fil-A locations. [ABC]

China media slams Hillary Clinton for warning Africa about exploitative nations. [VOA]

Olympian Kayla Harrison overcame childhood abuse to become the first U.S. judo athlete to win gold. [Boston Globe]

Doctors say that Susan G. Komen for the Cure oversells the benefits of mammograms. [Fox News]

Psychologists find that bronze medalists are often happier than silver medalists. [NPR]

In today’s top news, Oprah wants to interview Trayvon Martin shooter George Zimmerman, Florida NAACP condemns Al Sharpton’s call for civil disobedience if Zimmerman isn’t arrested soon and police in California gun down an unarmed Black teen.

Oprah wants to interview George Zimmerman. [BET]

Florida NAACP condemned Al Sharpton’s call for civil disobedience if George Zimmerman isn’t arrested soon. [WKMG]

Police in California gun down an unarmed Black teen. [RT]

Lil Boosie will receive anonymous jury in murder-for-hire case. [BET]

Some of Whitney Houston’s iconic clothes and jewelry fetched $80k at an auction Saturday. [CNN]

U.K. police brutality and racism caught on tape. [CNN]

Britain authorizes an intelligence agency to monitor all phone calls, emails, texts and online activities in the country. [Reuters]

Thousands of homes nationwide are priced at $10k or less. [MSNBC]

Study shows the HPV virus lasts longer in young Black women. [AACR]

Hillary Clinton warns Syria of “serious repercussions” if cease fire doesn’t begin. [MSNBC]

Kony 2012 sequel to be released tomorrow. [ABC]

In today’s top news, singer Chris Brown is under investigation for allegedly stealing a fan’s phone, a new study links chemical hair relaxers to fibroid tumors and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton predicts Syrian rebels will get arms and overthrow President Assad.

Chris Brown is under investigation for stealing a fan’s phone. [BET]

New study links relaxers to fibroid tumors. [BET]

Sec. of State Hillary Clinton predicts Syrian rebels will get arms and overthrow President Assad. [MSNBC]

Tyler Perry is penning a comeback role for the legendary Diana Ross. [BET]

Nigerian animator creates African version of Dora the Explorer. [CNN]

A lawsuit in Alaska says Obama can’t run in the state because of his “mulatto” race. [ENEWSPF]

Controversial John Edwards sex tape to be destroyed. [ABC]

The Beverly Hills Hilton fired staffers who leaked info about Whitney Houston’s death. [BET]

Are Black male teachers becoming extinct? [CNN]

An airstrike of unknown origin kills four in Somalia. [BBC]

(Photo: Paras Griffin /Landov)

In today’s top news, Janet Jackson has been called a “grinch,” Cuba opens up its prison’s doors and Heavy D’s cause of death is determined.

The cause of Heavy D’s death is revealed. [BET]

PETA names Janet Jackson the “Grinch of the Year.” [BET]

New website to bring Thomas Jefferson’s slave’s stories to light. [BET]

Bombers target Islamic school in Nigeria. [MSNBC]

Cell phone use can be tracked without user’s knowledge. [CNN]

Beyoncé labor rumors swirl. [ABC]

A record amount of guns were sold across the U.S. this December. [CNN]

Cuba frees thousands of prisoners. [AJE]

President Obama and Hillary Clinton are voted most admired in 2011. [USATODAY]

Police deaths up 13 percent in 2011. [TIME]

Former President Bill Clinton, who was blasted by Black leaders for his campaign tactics during his wife’s run against Barack Obama, is back to the kind of talk that made him a star in the Black community. On Saturday, during Major League Baseball’s Beacon Awards Luncheon in Cincinnati, Clinton said that racial equality in America is still a long way off – despite the election of Obama as president. Read more.

Ready on Day One
Day No. 1 has arrived for President Barack Obama, and he’s not waiting around to get started.  On Tuesday night as Americans watched the first couple navigate 10 Inaugural Balls, a dozen or more members of Obama’s White House staff filed into Pennsylvania Avenue to get ready for what’s in store. Read more at Pamela on Politics.

Cuomo in the Running for Hillary’s Senate Seat
New York Gov. David Paterson acknowledged Tuesday that he is considering appointing Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to Hillary Clinton’s vacated U.S. Senate seat. At first, neither Paterson nor Cuomo would acknowledge that the son of former Democratic Gov. Mario Cuomo was in the running for the post. Suddenly, the notion that Caroline Kennedy is a shoe-in to fill the void is no longer a given. “He has outstanding qualities and is someone I am considering,” Paterson told CBS News at an interview during the inauguration of President Barack Obama. Paterson also reiterated his contention that there are still several other candidates in the mix. Still, Kennedy, whose uncle, longtime Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy collapsed during an inauguration lunch Tuesday, is considered by many to be a favorite possibility. “I was very impressed by her in our conversation. I found her to be very hardworking, very forthright. And she had some faux pas with the media when she first started, as have a number of people who have gone on to be outstanding in their service,” Paterson said. “So I am weighing her ability and her acumen and what she might be able to do in New York, more than that, and also, in comparison with some rather stiff competition in New York.”