(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, Nicki Minaj says she has smoothed things over with fellow American Idol judge Mariah Carey, the U.S. Embassy in Athens issued a warning for African-Americans traveling to Greece citing racial attacks and fighting intensifies in Gaza as war looms.

Nicki Minaj says she has smoothed things over with fellow American Idol judge Mariah Carey. [BET]

The U.S. embassy in Athens issued a warning for African-Americans traveling to Greece citing racial attacks. [AP]

Fighting intensifies in Gaza as war looms. [BBC]

A source says the FBI is drilling down into the probe of Jesse Jackson Jr. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Atlantic City mayor Lorenzo Langford called N.J. Governor Chris Christie “racially insensitive.” [Grio]

Meek Mill and Cassidy trade jabs on Twitter. [BET]

O.J. Simpson is slapped with a tax lien. [TMZ]

Jennifer Hudson says she’s done losing weight. [BET]

Scientists believe that a new strain of Ebola may be airborne. [BBC]

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, Chris Brown leaves his girlfriend for a friendship with Rihanna, more Blacks found work in September and an NAACP official says an Obama campaign official threatened him.

Chris Brown leaves his girlfriend for a friendship with Rihanna. [BET]

The Black unemployment rate fell in September. [BET]

An NAACP official says an Obama campaign official threatened him. [CBS]

Nicki Minaj says she didn’t threaten to shoot Mariah Carey. [BET]

Jay-Z will stream the last of his Barclays concerts on his new YouTube channel. [AP]

Chicago police find massive 1,000 foot tall marijuana plants growing in an urban farm. [AP]

Virgin Mobile’s Richard Branson calls the U.S. war on drugs a “war on Black people.” [Metro]

A U.K. court rules that Kenyans tortured by British colonial forces may sue the government. [BBC]

South African miners say police killed another striker. [Reuters]

In today’s top news, President Obama and Mitt Romney throw down in the first debate of the election season, a new campaign ad pits African-Americans against immigrants and the Chicago Teacher’s union approved a new contract.

President Obama and Mitt Romney throw down in the first debate of the election season. [BET]

A new campaign ad pits African-Americans against immigrants. [The Hill]

The Chicago Teacher’s Union approved a new contract ending their dispute with the city that led to strikes. [NBCNews]

A New Orleans city attorney  is cited after a joint falls of his pocket in court. [NBCNews]

Rihanna and Chris Brown were spotted attending a Jay-Z concert together. [BET]

Production of the Aretha Franklin biopic is back on. [BET]

Facebook hits 1 billion users. [CNN]

South Africa gets ready for an HIV vaccine trial. [AllAfrica]

A group of 60 Liberian prisoners staged a massive jailbreak. [BBC]

(Photos from left: Mark Wilson/Getty Images, Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

In today’s top news, presidential candidates Barack Obama and Mitt Romney will square off in the first presidential debate tonight, a Black high school student in Arkansas is hazed with a noose and Nicki Minaj tells Mariah Carey “I’m gonna knock you out” during American Idol auditions.

Presidential candidates Barack Obama and Mitt Romney will square off in the first presidential debate tonight. [CNN]

A Black high school student in Arkansas is hazed with a noose. [CNN]

Nicki Minaj tells Mariah Carey “I’m gonna knock you out” during American Idol auditions. [BET]

President Obama is outspending Mitt Romney on television ads. [NYT]

Both Romney and Obama rejected an invitation to participate in a forum on Black issues. [NNPA]

The Congressional Black Caucus takes on the stereotype that Black males aren’t college material. [NationalJournal]

Lawsuit may halt airing of Lifetime’s all-Black Steel Magnolias remake. [BET]

RuPaul’s Drag Race star Sahara Davenport dies at age 27. [BET]

South Africa strike spreads to an iron ore mine. [Reuters]

The U.S. is gathering information about possible targets in Libya. [CNN]

In today’s top news, Nicki Minaj has officially agreed to join American Idol as a judge, Chicago may sue teachers’ union as strike drags on and Michelle Obama is slated to give the keynote address at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation dinner.

Nicki Minaj has officially agreed to join American Idol as a judge. [BET]

Chicago may sue teachers’ union as strike drags on. [NBCNews]

Michelle Obama is slated to give the keynote address at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation dinner. [PRN]

Occupy Wall Street reignites its fight against the 1 percent. [NBCNews]

Report: Clark Atlanta students have some of the highest debt. [Grio]

Usher broke his silence about his recent custody battle on Oprah’s Next Chapter. [BET]

Chris Brown is due back in court over his assault case. [AP]

Bay Area rapper J. Diggs was arrested for attempted murder. [BET]

Thousands around the Muslim world are still protesting over an offensive film. [BBC]

South African police have banned activist Julius Malema from addressing the striking miners. [BBC]

In today’s top news, many Americans are commemorating  11th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, a group of Black ministers is demanding that both sides put an immediate end to Chicago’s teacher strike and GOP vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan says he sides with former Obama aide, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, in Chicago’s teacher strike standoff.

Many Americans are commemorating  11th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. [NBCNews]

A group of Black ministers is demanding that both sides put an immediate end to Chicago’s teacher strike. [WLS]

GOP vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan says he sides with former Obama aide, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, about the Chicago public school strike. [CNN]

A group of Black pastors claim that Democrats don’t serve Black interests. [CNA]

Jennifer Hudson says she forgives the killer of her sister, mother and nephew. [BET]

The NAACP is calling for the release of a Black man who says he killed a white man in self-defense. [BET]

President Obama responds to Nicki Minaj’s Mitt Romney lyric. [BET]

Nicki Minaj confirms that her lyrical nod to Mitt Romney was not an endorsement, but display of wit. [AP]

Air Nigeria made its final flight yesterday. [BBC]

A new strike hits a South African gold mine. [CNN]

In today’s top news, South Africa’s deadly mine riots highlight squalid conditions of life on the mine, Rihanna told Oprah that she will always love Chris Brown and actress Zoe Saldana is slated to play Nina Simone in a biopic about the late singer.

South Africa’s deadly mine riots highlight squalid conditions of life on the mine. [AFP]

Rihanna told Oprah that she will always love ex Chris Brown. [BET]

Several charities have accused Rihanna of sanctioning domestic violence after her Oprah interview. [Independent]

Actress Zoe Saldana is slated to play Nina Simone in a biopic about the late singer. [BET]

The National Association of Black Journalists laments the lack of minority moderators scheduled for presidential debates. [BET]

A government health panel may make HIV testing as routine as cholesterol screenings. [Reuters]

A GOP Senate candidate is under fire after stating that women can’t get pregnant if it is a “legitimate rape.” [Yahoo]

First Lady Michelle Obama will visit the victims of the Sikh temple shooting Thursday. [CNN]

Nicki Minaj was forced to cancel two concert dates this weekend because of damaged vocal chords. [AP]

Ebola breaks out in the Democratic Republic of Congo. [BBC]

In today’s top news, Kimora Lee Simmons and Djimon Hounsou are reportedly calling it quits, there is now an app to help New York residents record and report stop and frisks and a report shows that a stand your ground defense is more likely to succeed if the victim is Black.

Kimora Lee Simmons and Djimon Hounsou are reportedly calling it quits. [BET]

Rep. Maxine Waters’ ethics investigation to move forward. [BET]

There is now an app to help New York residents record and report stop and frisks. [BlackWeb2.0]

Report shows that a stand your ground defense is more likely to succeed if the victim is Black. [TampaBayTimes]

George Zimmerman’s next bond hearing is set for June 29. [NBC News]

A Dallas elementary school is criticized for giving students awards based on race. [GMA]

A drug-resistant strain of gonorrhea is spreading worldwide. [TIME]

Nas gives his two cents on the Nicki Minaj, Summer Jam boycott controversy. [BET]

Another Syrian massacre shocks the world. [BBC]

The U.S. is offering millions for information leading to the capture of Al-Shabab leaders. [BBC]