(Photos from left: Uriel Sinai/Getty Images, Michael Kovac/Getty Images)

In today’s top news, Russell Simmons, other stars and elected officials are urging President Obama to reform the U.S. drug and criminal justice  policy; North Korea issued new war threats; and families of Newtown, Connecticut, victims want Congress to revive gun legislation that has stalled for almost four months.

Russell Simmons, Will Smith, other stars and elected officials are urging President Obama to reform the U.S. drug and criminal justice  policy. [BlackVoices]

North Korea issued new war threats on Tuesday. [CNN]

Families of Newtown, Connecticut, victims want Congress to revive gun legislation that has stalled nearly four months after the slaying at Sandy Hook Elementary School. [ABCNews]

The interest on U.S. Stafford student loans are set to double this summer. [NBCNews]

The Louisville Cardinals beat Michigan 82-76 to capture the NCAA men’s basketball title. [BET]

You can now follow former President Bill Clinton on Twitter @PrezBillyJeff. [NYDailyNews]

Organizers of the Scripps National Spelling Bee are adding multiple-choice vocabulary tests to the annual competition. [ABCNews]

A fake Cookie Monster is being charged for reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of a two-year-old  tourist in Times Square Sunday. [USA Today]

A couple who kidnapped their two sons, who were in legal custody with their grandmother, have been found in Havana, Cuba. [CNN]

(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]

(Photo: Myspace via New York Post)

In today’s top news, Timothy Dluhos, an FDNY employee, was suspended after being exposed for racist tweets, the U.S. Supreme Court will take on affirmative action and the Miami Heat won their 26th consecutive game.

Timothy Dluhos, a FDNY employee, has been suspended after being exposed for racist tweets. [NY Post]

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to take on a new case involving affirmative action. [NYTimes]

The Miami Heat won their 26th consecutive game against the Orlando Magic. [AP]

A 14-year-old suspected of shooting a baby in  Brunswick, Georgia, will appear in court. [CNN]

Jessica Upshaw, a Mississippi lawmaker, was found dead with a self-inflicted gun shot wound to her head. [MSNEWSNOW]

Residents of Newtown, Connecticut, said they are outraged over robocalls they’ve received from the National Rifle Association. [ABCNews]

Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., has become the second sitting U.S. senator in less than two weeks to endorse gay marriage. [CBS News]

A resident of New Jersey won the $338 million Powerball lottery ticket. [USA Today]

François Bozizé, the president of Central African Republic, fled to Cameroon after being overthrown by rebels. [ABCNews]

The U.S. has handed over to Afghanistan the only prison still under American control. [BBCNews]

In today’s top news, Trayvon Martin’s mother speaks out about gun violence; Sandy Hook students return to school; and a tax increase ignored by the fiscal cliff deal will raise payroll taxes for an estimated 160 million Americans.

Trayvon Martin’s mother speaks out about gun violence in the wake of the Newtown school shooting. [BET]

Sandy Hook students return to school today. [NBCNews]

A tax increase ignored by the fiscal cliff deal will raise payroll taxes for an estimated 160 million Americans. [L.A.Times]

Philadelphia plans to close nearly 40 schools amid financial trouble. [BET]

A Wisconsin state senator dubs Kwanzaa a fake holiday that Blacks don’t care about. [BET]

A Wisconsin ninth grader was arrested for giving a noose and a KKK symbol to a Black classmate. [Daily Caller]

A Maryland school suspended a 6-year-old boy for making a gun gesture with his hands and saying, “Pow.” [Daily Caller]

Metrics show that large numbers of Black moviegoers are supporting Django Unchained. [Hollywood Reporter]

Blue Ivy was voted 2012’s worst celebrity baby name. [Grio]

Central African Republic awaits the outcome of talks between rebels and the government. [AP]

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, 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, students returned to school in Newtown, Connecticut, today, but Sandy Hook Elementary remained closed; members of the Electoral College cast final votes confirming President Obama’s re-election; and a fake Morgan Freeman post about the Newtown school shooting went viral.

Students returned to school in Newtown, Connecticut, today, but Sandy Hook Elementary remained closed. [BET]

Members of the Electoral College cast final votes confirming President Obama’s re-election. [AP]

A fake Morgan Freeman post about the Newtown school shooting went viral. [Grio]

Baltimore’s gun buyback program took in 461 firearms in the weekend after the Newtown shooting. [Baltimore Sun]

A sporting goods store has suspended the sale of certain semi-automatic weapons. [CNN]

Black GOP Rep. Tim Scott has been tapped to replace Jim DeMint in the U.S. Senate. [BET]

The FBI says hate crimes declined in 2011. [Grio]

Gas prices have reached a two-year low. [CNN]

Katt Williams canceled a show 15 minutes before showtime. [BET]

South African President Jacob Zuma is re-elected as head of the African National Congress political party. [AJE]

The International Criminal Court acquitted former Congolese militia leader Mathieu Ngudjolo Chui. [BBC]