(Photo: AP Photo/Abdukareem Haruna)

In today’s news, the United States is weighing an overhaul of wiretap laws to extend to the internet; President Obama will dine with congressional Democrats; and more than 50 people were killed in a militant raid in Nigeria.

America is weighing overhaul of wiretap laws. [NY Times]

Obama to dine with House Democrats. [USA Today]

More than 50 killed in Nigeria militant raid. [BBC]

Florida A&M names alumnus as new band director. [USA Today]

Delaware becomes 11^th state to approve same-sex marriage. [Fox]

Catholics in Kenya oppose advertisement for condoms. [BBC]

Ja Rule released from prison. [TMZ]

Leader of Black farmers strikes back at New York Times article. [BET]

Louisiana Supreme Court rules voucher funding violates state constitution. [Nola.com]

Cleveland dishwasher becomes national hero in kidnapping case. [BET]

(Photo: AP Photo/The Lowell Sun & Robin Young, File)

In today’s news, the suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing targeted Times Square; the Senate voted to end the furloughs of air traffic controllers; and the five living presidents gathered for the dedication of the Bush Library.

New York’s Times Square was next target for Boston suspects. [CNN]

Senate votes to end furloughs of air traffic controllers. [Washington Post]

George W. Bush honored by Obama and past presidents. [NY Daily News]

House Votes to Give Birmingham Bombing Victims Congressional Medals. [BET.com]

Philadelphia Mayor calls for federal commission on violent crime. [Philadelphia Tribune]

House Homeland Security chief said Boston bombings were “foreign inspired.” [Wall Street Journal]

Injured Derek Jeter vows to return in 2013. [ESPN]

Vibe Magazine is sold and likely to become online only. [NYTimes]

Top Somali legal officer shot dead. [BBC]

Skylar Diggins Signs With Jay-Z’s Roc Nation Sports.  [BET.com]

(Photo: John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

In today’s top news, the bombings at the Boston Marathon dominated the headlines; North Korea continued to issue provocative threats, saying it would attack South Korea without notice; and the first Black woman in the House of Commons has criticized the level of pomp at Margaret Thatcher’s funeral.

Three people were killed and more than 130 others were injured by two explosions at the Boston Marathon in what the White House has called an act of terrorism. [BET]

Boston hospitals, known for their research and innovations, faced a scene more like a war zone after the marathon. [Boston.com]

North Korea vowed “sledge-hammer blows” against South Korea, saying attacks will start “without notice.” [Daily Mail]

The pomp of the funeral services of Margaret Thatcher has been criticized by Diane Abbott, the first Black woman to be elected to the House of Commons. [The Guardian]

In a sign of the changing media landscape, reporters at Inside Climate News, a small nonprofit in Brooklyn, won a Pulitzer Prize. [Brooklyn Eagle]

The press is now descending on the case of a Philadelphia doctor on trial for performing late-term abortions and for the death of a pregnant woman. [NYTimes]

The police officer fired for possessing shooting targets resembling Trayvon Martin said they were meant as training aids for “no-shoot” situations. [KTLA]

Africa is a ripe market for the internet and technology, according to a top internet executive on the continent. [BET]

The son of former Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade was arrested on suspicion of corruption. [BBC]

The only abortion clinic in Mississippi gets a reprieve from closing thanks to a federal judge. [AP]

(Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

In today’s top news, divisions between the political parties are undermining the prospects for a bipartisan plan to extend background checks for gun buyers; the surgeon who worked on Kobe Bryant’s Achilles’ tendon says the basketball player should be back next season; and the small Black city of East St. Louis is wrangling over a church and state issue.

Deep divisions between Democrats and Republicans are threatening a bipartisan plan to extend background checks for gun buyers. [NYTimes]

The doctor who operated on Kobe Bryant’s Achilles’ tendon expects the Lakers star to be back on the court next season. [Los Angeles Times]

The small Black city of East St. Louis, Illinois, wrestles with separation of church and state. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch]

The judge in the trial of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has withdrawn from the case. [BBC]

A New York man jailed for four decades for a murder he says he didn’t commit is freed. [WPTVNews]

Niger is rapidly emerging as a partner to the U.S. in fighting terrorism in Africa. [Washington Post]

The film about Jackie Robinson’s historic rise to Major League Baseball was the weekend box-office champion. [Fox]

A new national ad campaign seeks to push for making the right to vote part of the Constitution. [BET]

A Florida police officer accused of bringing targets resembling Trayvon Martin to a gun range has been fired. [AP]

New York State’s tough new gun control laws requiring assault weapon registration is now going into effect. [Wall Street Journal]

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, Louisiana police say 20-year-old Sharmeka Moffitt lied about being burned by the KKK, reports say Donald Trump has evidence that President Obama and Michelle Obama once filed for divorce and Mitt Romney’s son Tagg apologized for stating that he wanted to “swing” on Obama.

Louisiana police say 20-year-old Sharmeka Moffitt lied about being burned by the KKK. [CBSNews]

Reports say Donald Trump is gearing up to reveal evidence that President Obama and Michelle Obama once filed for divorce. [DailyMail]

Mitt Romney’s son Tagg apologized for stating that he wanted to “swing” on Obama during the presidential debates. [CNN]

A friend of Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. says its unclear whether the congressman will return to work. [CNBC]

A Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Indiana said when pregnancy results from a rape, “God intended” it. [Reuters]

Amber Rose slipped and told Twitter fans she will be having a baby boy. [BET]

Vivica A. Fox is the latest celeb to weigh in on Stacey Dash’s endorsement of Mitt Romney. [BET]

Lil Wayne says Kanye helped with new album. [BET]

Syria agrees to a ceasefire during the Islamic holiday of Eid. [BBC]

Officials from Western nations say an offensive against Mali rebels will not happen until 2013. [AJE]

In today’s top news, a judge has set George Zimmerman’s trial for June 2013, Rev. Jesse Jackson says he’s disappointed that the presidential debates have not focused more on poverty and gun control and Flavor Flav was arrested for assault and domestic violence.

A judge has set the trial of Trayvon Martin shooter George Zimmerman for June 2013. [BET]

Rev. Jesse Jackson says he’s disappointed that the presidential debates have not focused more on poverty and gun control. [Politico]

Flavor Flav was arrested for assault and domestic violence. [BET]

An 80-year-old woman was arrested for taking down posters that depict President Obama as Hitler. [NBCNews]

A Republican congressman says today’s conditions are worse than slavery. [HuffPo]

Drake receives his high school diploma at age 25. [Daily Mail]

Willow Smith has launched a fashion blog. [BET]

Awkward Black Girl’s Issa Rae landed a network sitcom deal. [BET]

Human rights groups say nearly 28,000 people have been kidnapped in Syria. [BBC]

Uganda plans to increase social media surveillance to curb crime and terrorism. [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, Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson was fired from the Miami Dolphins, Malcolm X actor Robert Freeman Jr. died at 78 and Mitt Romney names Paul Ryan as his running mate.

Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson was fired from the Miami Dolphins following a domestic violence dispute with his wife, Evelyn Lozada. [BET]

Malcolm X actor Robert Freeman Jr. dies at 78. [AP]

Mitt Romney names Paul Ryan as his running mate. [BET]

Russell Simmons tweets, Romney and Ryan “will destroy our people.” [Twitchy]

Black hair braiders in Oregon and other parts of the country face stiff regulation. [Oregonian]

Debbie Rowe, mother of Prince and Paris Jackson, said she approves of the new joint custody agreement. [BET]

Rep. Allen West fights back against ad that depicts him punching white women. [Palm Beach Post]

Rampant racial profiling is reported at Boston’s Logan International Airport. [AP]

Brazilian soccer star Pele makes surprise cameo at Olympic closing ceremony as the country gears up for the 2016 Summer games. [SWR]

Nigeria’s army kills 20 suspected members of militant group Boko Haram. [AJE]