(Photo: John Goodwin/Getty Images)

In today’s top news, the 45th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. will be honored with a non-violence campaign; Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy will sign a tough gun control bill; and North Korea could be planning a missile launch soon.

The 45th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. will be honored with the “50 Days of Nonviolence” campaign. [Reuters]

Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy will sign a tough gun control bill that will make over 100 weapons illegal. [CNN]

North Korea could be planning a missile launch soon, a U.S. official said. [CNN]

President Obama will return 5 percent of his salary to the U.S. Treasury. [BET]

The man who gunned down TV personality DJ Megatron was sentenced to 21 years in prison. [BET]

Exonerated football player Brian Banks signed with the Atlanta Falcons. [AP]

Assemblyman Eric A. Stevenson, a New York State lawmaker, was arrested on federal charges of accepting bribes and conspiring to defraud the state. [NY Times]

An Ohio judge sentenced Richard Beasley to death for the murder of three men who responded to an ad on the Craigslist website for a non-existent job. [Reuters]

Fast-food workers staged walkouts at McDonald’s, Burger King and other restaurants in New York City to protest wages that are “not enough.” [NBCNews]

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, 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, Don Cheadle and Django Unchained won Golden Globe awards, Colin Powell chided the GOP for its “intolerance” and Nas was hospitalized for vertigo.

Don Cheadle and Django Unchained won Golden Globe awards. [BET]

Colin Powell said there is a “darn vein of intolerance” running through some parts of the GOP. [BET]

Nas was hospitalized for vertigo. [BET]

A Missouri court has appointed a lawyer to protect the interests of the late Jovan Belcher’s 4-month-old daughter. [USATODAY]

Kobe Bryant and his wife Vanessa have decided to call off their divorce. [CNN]

Louis Farrakhan called Django Unchained “preparation for a race war.” [FOX]

An Ohio town will let some school employees bring guns to school once they have received tactical training. [Reuters]

Record low water levels in the Great Lakes are snarling commerce, tourism in the region. [CNN]

French fighter jets began bombing targets in militant strongholds of northern Mali this weekend. [AP]

Kenyan president Mwai Kibaki blocked a bid by legislators to give themselves $100K pay bonuses. [AP]

(Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

In today’s top news, Vice President Joe Biden says President Obama will act on gun violence soon; Denzel Washington and Django Unchained nab Oscar nominations; and Illinois has three sitting lawmakers currently facing criminal charges.

Vice President Joe Biden says President Obama will act on gun violence soon. [CNN]

Denzel Washington and Django Unchained nab Oscar nominations. [BET]

Illinois has three sitting lawmakers currently facing criminal charges. [BET]

A study revealed NFL player Junior Seau had a degenerative brain disease when he committed suicide last May. [AP]

A Virginia teen pleads guilty to setting fire to a church because of the congregation’s race. [MB]

Nas talks about his four Grammy nominations. [AP]

Rihanna will perform at the 2013 Grammy Awards. [BET]

Common says we need to “restructure the Black family.” [MSNBC]

South African police arrested 50 in farm protests. [AP]

Iraqi former inmates of Abu Ghraib prison received a $5 million settlement from a U.S. defense contractor accused of torture. [AJE]

In today’s top news, Michelle Obama writes an open letter to Newtown, church bells in Newtown chimes 26 times in honor of the Sandy Hook shooting victims, and Fat Joe pleads guilty to tax evasion.

Michelle Obama writes an open letter to Newtown. [BET]

Church bells in Newtown chimes 26 times in honor of the Sandy Hook shooting victims. [NBCNews]

Fat Joe pleads guilty to tax evasion. [BET]

Sarah Palin bashed President Obama’s TIME Person of the Year win. [CNN]

The CDC reports that new infections of HIV among African-American women have declined. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Singer Frank Ocean is facing a $1 million lawsuit from his estranged father. [BET]

Katt Williams was detained in front of a Subway restaurant. [TMZ]

Cuba Gooding Jr., Vanessa Williams and Cicely Tyson will star in the Broadway play “The Trip to Bountiful.” [Grio]

ESPN suspends host Rob Parker for RGIII comments. [Grio]

Archbishop Desmond Tutu likens Uganda’s anti-gay laws to apartheid. [Sapa-AFP]

Humanitarian groups warn that a Mali intervention will harm civilians. [VOA]

In today’s top news, new details emerge in the Jovan Belcher murder-suicide; President Obama is expected to ask Congress for $50 billion in emergency funds for Hurricane Sandy relief; and Katt Williams says he’s “kinda done” with stand-up comedy.

New details emerge as police try to piece together the Jovan Belcher murder-suicide. [BET]

President Obama is expected to ask Congress for $50 billion in emergency funds for Hurricane Sandy relief. [NYT]

Katt Williams says he’s “kinda done” with stand-up comedy. [CNN]

A fourth man pleaded guilty to federal hate crime charges for killing  James Anderson of Mississippi. [AP]

Beyoncé confirms that she will release new music before her Super Bowl performance in February. [Billboard]

A new poll shows the majority of Americans support the legalization of marijuana. [Reuters]

Marvin Gaye’s son wants Lenny Kravitz out of the late singer’s biopic. [BET]

Jay-Z chronicles the Barclays Center opening in new documentary. [BET]

Jamie Foxx will star in the upcoming Spider Man sequel. [ET]

Mali’s government has begun talks with the country’s rebels for the first time. [BBC]

In today’s top news, foreclosure threatens the future of historic Black college Morris Brown, a poll shows the majority of New Yorkers say police favor whites and rapper L.L. Cool J was able to fight and detain a burglar in his home Wednesday until police arrived.

Foreclosure threatens the future of historic Black college Morris Brown. [AJC]

According to a poll, the majority of New Yorkers say police favor whites. [NYT]

L.L. Cool J fought a burglar in his home Wednesday and held him until police arrived. [Reuters]

Several New Jersey entrepreneurs have accused restaurant chain Dunkin Donuts of bias in a new lawsuit. [CBS]

Rapper 2 Chainz’s debut album has soared up the charts. [BET]

Kandi Burruss is returning to school to study sex education and clinical sexology. [BET]

NFL star Michael Strahan will reportedly replace Regis Philbin on Live! with Kelly. [BET]

A Georgia cheer coach is accused of having the girls strip. [MSNBC]

Mourners in South Africa paid tribute to the victims of the Lonmin mine shootings. [MSNBC]

More fighting erupts in major Syrian cities of Damascus and Aleppo. [BBC]