(Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

In today’s news, the nation’s unemployment rate dropped to 7.5 percent, a four-year low; the suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing said the explosions were initially planned for July 4; and the New York City Police commissioner says that African-Americans are “understopped” and defended stop and frisk.

U.S. jobless rate falls to 7.5 percent, four-year low. [NY Times]

Black unemployment dips again in April. [BET]

Boston suspect said bombing was initially planned for July 4. [Washington Post]

African-Americans are “understopped,” NY police chief says. [International Business Times]

Former Black Liberation Army member is first woman on list of most wanted terrorists. [ABC]

Roy Roberts steps down as emergency manager of Detroit Public Schools. [Crain's Detroit Business]

Black jockey Kevin Krigger looks to win Kentucky Derby. [Washington Post]

Clarence Thomas: Obama says what elites expect from a Black person. [Fox]

In Chicago, 20 shootings, three killed, in one day. [BET]

Mali court drops case against editor Boukary Daou. [BBC]

In today’s top news, President Obama urged lawmakers to help him create jobs in last night’s State of the Union address, police believe rogue ex-LAPD officer Christopher Dorner was burned to death after a shootout and two men held for the death of Hadiya Pendleton say they mistook Pendleton and her friends for rival gang members.

President Obama urged lawmakers to work with him on creating jobs in last night’s State of the Union address. [BET]

Police believe rogue ex-LAPD officer Christopher Dorner was burned to death after a shootout with police in Big Bear Lake, California. [BET]

The two men held for the death of Hadiya Pendleton say they mistook Pendleton and her friends for rival gang members. [CBS]

Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake are planning to co-headline a 10-city tour this summer. [BET]

The Senate voted to renew the Violence Against Women Act. [AP]

Barry Bonds is asking a federal appeals court to throw out his felony conviction. [AP]

An Ohio mother was charged with helping her teen daughter beat up a girl at school. [HuffPo]

Stranded passengers on the Carnival Triumph cruise ship face an extra day at sea. [NBCNews]

South Sudan says Sudan is suspiciously bulking up its military along the countries’ contentious border. [AJE]

Canada will not send troops to Mali over worries that the country may become “another Afghanistan.” [Reuters]

(Photo: MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP/GettyImages)

In today’s top news, President Obama is expected to announce the return of 34,000 troops from Afghanistan in tonight’s State of the Union address; Rep. Keith Ellison called the GOP’s makeover efforts “putting lipstick on a pig”; and some Black L.A. residents are on guard as the manhunt for Chris Dorner continues.

President Obama is expected to announce the return of 34,000 troops from Afghanistan in tonight’s State of the Union address. [CNN]

Rep. Keith Ellison compared the GOP’s makeover efforts to “putting lipstick on a pig.” [BET]

Some Black, male residents of Los Angeles are wearing”don’t shoot” T-shirts after the manhunt for former cop Chris Dorner led to fatal cases of mistaken identity. [Newsone]

A 10-year-old was killed and two adults were injured when a Minnesota gunman opened fire in what authorities believe to be a “random shooting.” [Reuters]

Food stamp benefit amounts may be decreased soon if Congress doesn’t act. [NBCNews]

A Michigan attorney is running a free divorce sweepstakes for Valentine’s Day. [GMA]

In the wake of the pope’s resignation announcement, two African cardinals may be considered for the post. [BET]

Rapper Lil Mama will play the late Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes in a new biopic. [BET]

Mali is hesitant about allowing U.N. peacekeepers on its soil. [BBC]

South Africa seeks justice for the teenage rape victim who was found dead last week. [Reuters]

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, a DOJ memo reveals the U.S. can order drone strikes on Americans; the NFL says Beyoncé did not cause the Super Bowl blackout; and lawyers in the Trayvon Martin case continue to argue over when George Zimmerman’s murder trial will begin.

A DOJ memo shows that the U.S. can order drone strikes on Americans it believes are connected to al-Qaeda. [NBCNews]

The NFL says Beyoncé did not cause the Super Bowl blackout. [BET]

Lawyers in the Trayvon Martin case are arguing over when George Zimmerman’s murder trial will begin. [BET]

A $400k reward has been announced for information about the Hadiya Pendleton shooting. [BET]

Pakistan’s tourism board plans to build an amusement park in the town where Osama bin Laden was killed. [NBCNews]

Malcolm X’s grandson was arrested by the FBI while en route to Iran. [PressTV]

A study shows Google displays more ads related to criminal activity when “Black names” are searched. [BBC]

The NYPD is defending its undercover spying on Muslims. [AP]

A Chinese tech company has unveiled a new Windows smartphone made specifically for use in African countries. [BBC]

Malian forces captured al-Qaeda fighters in Northern Mali. [AJE]

In today’s top news, today marks the start of Black History Month, the Black unemployment rate slipped to 13.8 percent in January and a student was taken into custody for the shooting of a 14-year-old student at an Atlanta middle school.

Today marks the start of Black History Month. [BET]

The Black unemployment rate slipped to 13.8 percent in January. [BET]

A student was taken into custody for the shooting of a 14-year-old student at an Atlanta middle school. [USATODAY]

At least three people are dead after a suicide bombing outside the U.S. embassy in Turkey. [CNN]

Beyoncé sang the national anthem live and admitted to lip-syncing at President Obama’s inauguration. [BET]

California’s Hispanic population is expected to outnumber whites by 2014. [Reuters]

The Arkansas senate approved a bill to ban some abortions as early as five weeks into the pregnancy. [Reuters]

A 5-year-old boy in Alabama has been held hostage in an underground bunker for four days, as of today. [NBCNews]

Gambia is giving public sector workers a four-day work week so citizens have more time to “pray, socialize and tend to fields.” [BBC]

French president Francois Hollande will visit Mali on Saturday. [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, President Obama plans to make an appeal for immigration reform, the president is asking police chiefs to back his plan for gun reform and Louis Farrakhan said the right to bear arms is unnecessary.

President Obama plans to make an appeal for immigration reform today. [CNN]

The president is asking police chiefs to back his plan for gun reform. [BET]

Louis Farrakhan said the right to bear arms is unnecessary. [CBSNews]

The NFL Players Association wants the league to fund a $100 million Harvard study on players’ injuries and illnesses. [CNN]

Ex-49er Kwame Harris was charged for felony domestic violence and assault charges for an attack on a former boyfriend. [Grio]

Boy Scouts may lift ban on homosexuals. [AP]

Chris Brown’s lawyer has contacted the police about his fight with Frank Ocean. [BET]

Colleges are creating drone piloting programs in anticipation of a domestic drone boom. [NBCNews]

A Mali donor meeting raised $455 million for the campaign to root out Islamic militants. [BBC]

Nigerian militant group Boko Haram reached a unilateral ceasefire with the Nigerian government. [AJE]

In today’s top news, the Senate is scheduled to vote on more than $50 billion in aid for victims of Hurricane Sandy, two Latino men were arrested for hate crimes against a Black family and Chris Brown and Frank Ocean were involved in an “all out brawl” in L.A.

The Senate is scheduled to vote on more than $50 billion in aid for victims of Hurricane Sandy. [CNN]

Three people were arrested for a Brazil club fire that killed 231 and left 82 injured. [Reuters]

A woman in Chicago lost her fourth child to gun violence in a weekend shootout. [AP]

Two Latino men were arrested for hate crimes against a Black family. [CBSNews]

The Obama administration is seeking $32 million to train troops in Mali. [AP]

Chris Brown and Frank Ocean were involved in an “all out brawl” in L.A. [BET]

Ohio Players front man Leroy “Sugarfoot” Bonner died Saturday at age 69. [BET]

Concern is growing about suicides among military families. [NBCNews]

Former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick sprung from weekend stint in jail. [CNN]

Maligned rapper Snoop Lion has received the blessing of Bob Marley’s son after reggae legend Bunny Wailer called him a fraud. [Grio]