In today’s top news, Obama says he supports same-sex marriage, closing arguments begin in Jennifer Hudson family murder trial and a group of white supremacists are accused of planning a race war in Florida.

Obama says he supports same-sex marriage. [BET]

Closing arguments begin in Jennifer Hudson family murder trial. [BET]

A group of white supremacists are accused of planning a race war in Florida. [MSNBC]

SEC charges ex-Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick in investment scheme. [MLive]

Former Bad Boy rapper G-Dep is sentenced to 15 years in prison for a 1993 murder. [BET]

Former Miss USA Kenya Moore is rumored to be joining the cast of The Real Housewives of Atlanta. [BET]

Cornell suspends a fraternity over Trayvon Martin racist harassment incident. [Ithaca Independent]

Facebook looks out for the emotional needs of America’s veterans and service members. [MSNBC]

A U.K. man has found himself accused of a massacre in the Central African Republic. [BBC]

Sudan accused of more border attacks on South Sudan. [BBC]

(Photo: AP Photo/Longmont Times-Call, Richard M. Hackett)

In today’s top news, chilly weather kills several out west; in New York, investigators are puzzled by a hanging Black baby doll and Washington state’s MLK day bomber finally gets sentenced.

Deadly western blizzards claim the life of at least seven. [Reuters]

Black doll hung by a noose is found at a New York parks department office. [NBC]

ATF agents used fake rap label to make a massive weapons and drug bust. [BET]

Study: Blacks less likely to be diagnosed with depression than whites. [Rutgers]

U.S. to reduce troops on border. [CNN]

White supremacist bomber who planned an MLK day attack gets 32 years in prison. [BET]

Dutch magazine editor resigns following Rihanna n-word controversy. [BBC]

Eight soldiers charged in the death of a fellow Asian G.I. who faced daily racist taunts. [MSNBC]

Egyptian women protest military attacks on female demonstrators. [CNN]

Underwear bomber asks for a new lawyer ahead of sentencing next month. [Reuters]

Twin Brother Indicted in Racist Plot
Twin White supremacists from Illinois mailed a bomb to an Arizona official responsible for recruiting and hiring minorities in the town of Scottsdale, according to federal prosecutors. In indictment unsealed Thursday, Dennis and Daniel Mahon are charged with conspiring to blow up buildings and property in an attempt to “promote racial discord” on behalf of the White Aryan Resistance. On Feb. 26, 2004, the package exploded in the hands of Don Logan at the Human Resources Complex in Scottsdale. In addition to injuring Logan’s hand and arm, a secretary was wounded. When police arrived at the home of the suspects on Thursday, they found assault weapons, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and White supremacist material, authorities said.

Some Want to Change Rhode Island’s Official Name
Did you know that the tiny state of Rhode Island officially has a very, very long name? Well, if many residents of the “State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations” have their way, that elongated moniker would be reduced to one that does not conjure up the reminder of New England’s less than savory history of slavery. Last week, the state House voted 70-3 to let residents decide whether their home should simply be called the “State of Rhode Island” – minus the “Providence Plantations” part. “It’s high time for us to recognize that slavery happened on plantations in Rhode Island and decide that we don’t want that chapter of our history to be a proud part of our name,” said Rep. Joseph Almeida, an African-American lawmaker who sponsored the bill.” That bill, which permits a statewide referendum on the issue next year, now heads to the state Senate. According to The Associated Press, Roger Williams, who was banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony, set out in 1636 and settled at the northern tip of Narragansett Bay, which he called Providence Plantations. “Williams founded the first Baptist church in America and became famous for embracing the separation of church and state, a legal principle enshrined in the Bill of Rights a century later,” AP writes. “In 1663, English King Charles II granted a royal charter joining all the settlements into a single colony called “The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. Rhode Island used that royal charter as its governing document until 1843.” Merchants in the tiny state made their fortunes off the slave trade. Slaves helped build Brown University in Providence, and a prominent slave trader paid half the cost of its first library, according to AP.

More Groups Using Net to Spread Hate

White supremacists, anti-Semites and homophobes have found an effective vehicle for spewing hatred and helping to recruit others to their often violent organizations, according to a new report by a Jewish human rights group.  The Simon Wiesenthal Center, named for the renowned Nazi hunter, found that social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and YouTube are being used by hatemongers to perpetuate their rhetoric. Read more.

NAACP Calls for N.C. School Official to Resign

The North Carolina branch of the NAACP is demanding the resignation of a Burke County School Board who sent racist, curse-word-laced emails from his personal account. Between September 2008 and February 2009, Rob Hairfield fired off numerous emails that contained the “N”-word, taunted Black victims of the Hurricane Katrina, and showed President Obama as a big-eared shoe-shine boy. Read the rest.

Obama Chicken Joints Popping Up in N.Y.

Last month, it was a German frozen-food company that put out Obama Chicken Fingers. That sparked outrage among those who said the African-American-chicken tie was more than a mere coincidence. Now, two New York City neighborhood joints have jumped into the Obama-fried chicken mix. Both in Manhattan and Brooklyn, hungry passersby can wander into “Obama’s Fried Chicken” for a quick, greasy snack. But some New Yorkers think the name of the eateries is a greasy trick designed to disparage Blacks. “Why name it that? Just because Obama is Black, they’re going to put his name on a fried chicken place in a black neighborhood?” Akilah Nassy, 16, told The Associated Press outside the Brooklyn store. “If it were [Republican candidate John] McCain, nobody would make a McCain fried chicken place.” Read the rest. What do you think?

 
White Supremacist Gets Life For Black Murder

A 40-year-old White man who, out of his hate for Black folks, killed an African-American woman in a random act of violence in 2005 was sentenced Friday to life in a New Jersey prison. Walter Dille Jr., sat emotionless as Atlantic County Superior Court Judge Albert Garofolo told him he would get life without parole for shooting to death 44-year-old Cindy Cade, plus another 20 years for other crimes. Dille murdered Cade in the parking lot of a movie theater where she had stopped to buy tickets for the premiere of “King Kong.” Read more.

 One of the two White supremacists who plotted to launch a killing spree aimed at beheading Black schoolchildren and then shooting Barack Obama is arguing that the jury that charged him has too many Blacks. A lawyer for 20-year-old Daniel Cowart filed a petition Thursday seeking to have his client’s indictment dismissed.  It argues that the 23-member grand jury that returned the indictment had just two White members and could not have been fair and impartial. Cowart and 18-year-old Paul Schlesselman face charges that include threatening a presidential candidate and taking firearms across state lines to commit crimes. Authorities say the pair plotted a robbery and killing spree in which they would murder dozens of Black people, including Obama.