(Photo: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

In today’s news, President Obama is planning to appoint Charlotte mayor Anthony Foxx as transportation secretary; the wealth gap between white and minority Americans widened since the recession; and the new suspect in the ricin case is scheduled to appear in court.

Charlotte Mayor Foxx to become Obama’s transportation secretary. [Politico]

Wealth gap among races widened since the recession. [NYTimes]

New suspect in ricin case to appear in court. [Wall Street Journal]

Black voter turnout exceeded whites in 2012 election. [Fox]

Hadiya Pendleton’s parents create foundation in her name. [BET]

Rihanna’s fans are forgiving of relationship with Chris Brown [NYTimes]

Ethiopian Airlines flies first Boeing 787 to return to the air. [BBC]

After student protest, Chicago schools return to normal. [BET]

Mugabe gives Zuma team cold shoulder ahead of Zimbabwe elections. [Mail & Guardian]

Caribbean economies among the world’s fastest growing. [The Gleaner]

(Photo: AP Photo/Philadelphia Police Department via Philadelphia District Attorney's Office, File)

In today’s news, The White House says it is open to the prospect of increasing funding for air traffic controllers to avoid delays; the Philadelphia abortion doctor who is on trial did not testify; and the House of Representatives voted to award a Congressional Medal of Honor on the four girls who were killed in 1963 at a church in Alabama.

The White House says it is open to reversing furloughs at the FAA. [Mercury News]

Philadelphia abortion doctor doesn’t testify at his trial. [Wall Street Journal]

House votes to award medal to girls killed in 1963 Birmingham bombing. [CBS News]

Obama headed to Texas for fundraising, Bush library opening. [Washington Post]

Detroit seems to be resigned to having financial manager. [BET]

Darfur war crimes suspect killed, defense team said. [BBC]

Congressman Ellison slams colleagues for targeting Muslims. [BET]

Detroit mayor reverses decision to close 51 city parks. [Detroit Free Press]

Obama talks dancing, saying he can “bust a move.” [E! Online]

Fury grows over rapes of underage girls in Liberia. [Front Page Africa]

(Photo: Darren McCollester/Getty Images)

In today’s news, the suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing has been charged and could face the death penalty; Republican leaders seem to be split on immigration reform after the Boston explosions; and President Obama and the first lady will attend a memorial for victims of explosion at a Texas plant.

Boston bombing suspect is charged, could face death penalty. [NYTimes]

Republican leaders split on immigration reform after Boston bombing. [LATimes]

President and first lady to attend memorial for Texas plant victims. [Dallas Business Journal]

Home sales dropped in March. [Washington Post]

More female service members reporting sexual abuse. [Lancaster Eagle Gazette]

Graduation rates have increased among students at Black colleges. [BET]

Ghana confiscates 110 million faulty condoms made in China. [BBC]

London remembers the death of Stephen Lawrence. [BET]

TSA delays plan to allow small knives on planes. [Bay News]

Lawyers argue that Atlanta school leader did not scheme to inflate scores. [AJC.com]

(Photo: AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

In today’s news, one suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing is dead as the city is effectively closed during the dragnet for a second suspect; President Obama turns from scolding the Senate to comforting Bostonians; and the father of Hadiya Pendleton slams the Senate for not voting for background checks bill.

One suspect in the Boston Bombing is dead. [NYTimes]

Boston is shut down in hunt for potential assailant. [Boston Globe]

Obama turns from scolding to comforting in Boston. [Christian Science Monitor]

Hadiya Pendleton’s father condemns Senate gun vote defeat. [BET]

Authorities recover 12 bodies after Texas fertilizer plant explosion. [Fox]

Eight people were shot within 24 hours in Chicago. [Chicago Tribune]

Derek Jeter will not be back with the Yankees until after the All-Star break. [ESPN]

Eight people were killed in Kenya gun attack. [BBC]

Jon Stewart slams CNN for Boston suspect reporting.  [Politico]

Nigeria’s president is looking at opening talks with militant Islamic group. [BBC]

(Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

In today’s news, the Senate failed to get the 60 votes needed for a measure to expand background checks for gun buyers; an explosion in a Texas fertilizer plant left several people dead and hundreds injured; and President Obama travels to Boston for a memorial service for victims of the Boston Marathon bombings.

The Senate blocked the drive for gun control. [NYTimes]

Mississippi man arrested for poison ricin mailings. [LA Times]

Obama to travel to Boston for interfaith service. [Fox]

Several dead and hundreds injured in Texas fertilizer explosion. [NBC]

North Korea hints at conditions for talks. [Washington Post]

Egyptian ex-President Mubarak is ordered back to prison from hospital. [BBC]

Ivory Coast wants drone to monitor Liberia border. [BBC]

Martin Luther King’s Birmingham Jail letter is commemorated in Alabama. [BET]

FBI releases details on Boston bombing devices. [BET]

Three quarters of D.C. residents want marijuana legalized. [Politico]

(Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Democrat and former Illinois state legislator Robin Kelly will replace Jesse Jackson Jr. after winning a special election Tuesday night. [BET]

Sean “Jay-Z” Carter is selling his stake in the Brooklyn Nets and will move forward as a sports agent. [BET]

Dylan Quick will undergo a psychiatric evaluation after being charged in the Lone Star College stabbing in Texas. [Houston Chronicle]

The postal service’s board said that it will continue to deliver mail six days a week.  [CNN Money]

A 6-year-old boy who was accidentally shot in the head by a 4-year-old playmate has died from his wounds. [Huffington Post]

A week after the death of “Buckwild” reality-TV star Shain Gandee, MTV has decided to cancel the series. [LATimes]

Former U.S. Congressman Anthony Weiner, who resigned after tweeting lewd pictures of himself, is considering a run for New York City mayor. [Reuters]

South Korea said there was a “very high” probability that North Korea would test-launch a medium-range missile at any time as a show of strength. [Al Jazeera]

Cuba handed over an American couple to U.S. officials who allegedly kidnapped their two sons and sailed to Havana. [CNN]

In today’s top news, two men have been arrested for a shooting at Texas’ Lone Star College that left three people wounded; Colin Powell railed against the GOP over voter ID laws; and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton defended her handling of the attacks on the U.S. mission in Benghazi.

Two men have been arrested for a shooting at Texas’ Lone Star College that left three people wounded. [CNN]

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton defended her handling of the attacks on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, before Congress. [Reuters]

Cornell West says it was wrong for President Obama to be sworn in on MLK’s Bible. [Newsmax]

Sen. Frank Lautenberg suggested that Newark Mayor Cory Booker should be spanked. [USATODAY]

Beyoncé is caught in an inauguration lip-synching controversy. [BET]

A statue of Rosa Parks will be erected on Capitol Hill. [BET]

Georgia authorities are investigating Ku Klux Klan fliers that were placed outside some homes. [AP]

A Georgia man is suing the state after his “GAYGUY” license plate was rejected. [NBCNews]

South African President Jacob Zuma said his government is not threatening local mining companies. [Reuters]

In today’s top news, Jay-Z and Kanye West lead 2012 Grammy nominations; Alicia Keys’ new album, Girl on Fire, takes the number-one spot on the Billboard charts; and a Texas  high school student allegedly shot himself while sitting in the back of a police cruiser.

Jay-Z and Kanye West lead 2012 Grammy nominations. [BET]

Alicia Keys’ new album, Girl on Fire, takes the number-one spot on the Billboard charts. [BET]

Police in Texas say a high school student shot himself while sitting in the back of a police cruiser. [AP]

A New York TSA screener has been accused of stealing iPads from passengers’ luggage. [NBCNews]

Forbes names Eddie Murphy the “most overpaid actor in Hollywood.” [BET]

Marijuana smokers in Seattle sparked up outside the Seattle Space Needle in celebration of the drug’s legalization. [USATODAY]

Barefoot “homeless” man famously given boots by NYPD officer has an apartment. [CNN]

Afghan president Hamid Karzai accused the U.S. of creating the country’s insecurity. [NBCNews]

Mali’s rebels agree to respect the country’s “national unity.” [AJE]

In today’s top news, a man allegedly killed himself over President Obama’s re-election, Mitt Romney says President Obama won the election because he gave “gifts” to Blacks and Latino voters, and BP says the company is close to striking a deal with the U.S. government over the 2010 oil spill.

A man allegedly killed himself over President Obama’s re-election. [Daily Mail]

Mitt Romney is telling top donors that President Obama won the election because he gave “gifts” to Blacks and Latino voters. [AP]

BP says the company is close to striking a deal with the U.S. government over the 2010 oil spill. [BET]

Some Denny’s restaurants will charge customers a 5 percent “Obamacare” surcharge. [Grio]

Texas is set to execute its 15th resident this year. [Reuters]

Chris Brown says he is remaining mum on the Drake club fight incident because of legal issues. [BET]

The man who accused Sesame Street puppeteer Kevin Clash of underage sex has a dicey past. [BET]

Snoop Dogg is launching a food initiative for needy children in Jamaica. [BET]

The African Union backs ECOWAS’ plan to intervene in northern Mali. [AJE]

Israel stands poised to invade Gaza as cross-border fighting intensifies. [NBCNews]