“How can you guys be so unhappy with Obama when I’m so unhappy with Obama?” said Maher in response to scripted GOP outrage over every move that the POTUS makes. “You think you got coal in your stocking? I wanted single-payer health care, a carbon emissions bill, gun control, and legalized pot. If you get to carry around all this outrage over me getting that shit, shouldn’t I have gotten it?”

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So far, so good – until he tossed decency out of the window for a few laughs.

In a macabre attempt at humor that was so off its mark and unnecessary that it was pathetic, Maher compared President Barack Obama’s non-threatening, conciliatory demeanor when caving to conservative demands — and ignoring liberals — to slain Florida teen Trayvon Martin.

RELATED: NewsOne’s Trayvon Martin Coverage

“If Obama is a socialist, he’s a lousy one, Maher quipped. “He could not be less threatening if he were walking home with iced tea and Skittles.”

And the crowd laughed. They laughed.

At first seeming a bit awkward after the words were out of his mouth, Maher decided to play off of the crowd’s groans and chuckles, and offered a wide smile of his own. But it was obvious that he knew it and they knew it — he messed up. And it was such a sick,  transparent attempt at being witty and conscious, that for a split second I almost felt sorry for him.

Almost.

Then I realized that it was literally three months to the day that George Zimmerman gunned down Trayvon. Literally three months since Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton had their baby’s life snatched away. Yet, there Maher and his audience sat in his snug, cozy HBO studio, sharing a few laughs at the expense of an innocent boy on the cusp of adulthood who was killed for no other reason than being Black.

Note to Bill:

Trayvon Martin is not a political punchline to be trotted out simply because you can compare the Black child to a Black president.

While I understand that at the root of the “joke” was that Obama is as innocent of wrong-doing as Trayvon was on the night he was murdered, it was a horribly misfired attempt at humor. I am very clear that Mr. Maher has “funny” in spades, time will tell, however, if he has enough class to admit that it was ill-conceived and ill-timed — and that he owes Trayvon’s family a heart-felt apology.

As you’re so fond of telling the president — and it’s as true then as it is now: Man up, Mr. Maher.

RELATED:

Unacceptable! Media Paints Zimmerman As Victim

Trayvon Martin: Smoking Weed Does Not Justify Murder

Zimmerman on Drugs With Violent Side Effects When He Killed Trayvon [VIDEO]

As previously reported by NewsOne, a Miami man was shot to death by police yesterday afternoon after he was found eating another man’s face. Even as he was hit by repeated shots, he kept gnawing at his victim’s face, whom sources say is now barely recognizable.

Armando Aguilar, who heads the local chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police said that he’s never seen anything like it in 30 years on the force, and apparently it’s due to bad drugs, reports CBS4.com.

“He was literally eating his face, from the top of his forehead to his jaw is gone. He wasn’t only gnawing at it, he was swallowing bits of his face,” Aguilar said. “This is about the fourth incident I hear already within our Miami Dade County area where these individuals have taken off their clothes and gone totally insane as a result of the drugs they’re taking,” he continues. “I don’t know if there’s any such a thing as good LSD out there but apparently this is really bad LSD.”

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Aguilar said that the responding officer shouted for the man to stop, but he simply turned and growled at the officer and returned to eating his victim’s face. It took the cannibal being shot four times before he stopped eating.

See CBS4 news report below:

Weigh in!

SEE ALSO:

Mother Charged With Murdering Twins Over Father’s Alleged Affair [VIDEO]

Man Questioned After Pregnant Ex-Girlfriend is Abducted, Set on Fire and Shot [VIDEO]

The “Biebz” allegedly hit the paparazzo after he snapped unauthorized photos of the singer and his girlfriend, former Disney star Selena Gomez in Commons at Calabasas Shopping Center in Calabasas, California.

“Justin got out of the car and asked the guy to move away but he wouldn’t, and a scuffle ensued,” witnesses told TMZ.

Of course, the photo complained of pain and was rushed to the hospital by the L.A. Fire Department, where he was treated and released.

According to Sheriff’s Lt. Robert Wiard, Bieber left the scene of the alleged crime and a spokesperson for the singer had no comment.

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This is not the media darling’s first brush with a “bad-boy” rep. negative media. Mariah Yeater, 20, claimed in a lawsuit that Bieber impregnated her in October 2010 during a 30-second tryst backstage at L.A. Staples Center after a performance. He was 16-years-old at the time. He denied the claims completely and submitted to a DNA test in November of last year, which proved — in Maury Povich fashion — that he is not the father, reports US Weekly.

Then there’s his friendship with Floyd “Money” Mayweather. Joined by Lil Wayne and 50 Cent, the “Boyfriend” crooner walked out with Mayweather before his highly anticipated fight with Miguel Cotto, and joined him in the ring after he won, reports TMZ. The heart-throb also trained with legendary boxer Mike Tyson just a week prior to the scuffle.

Oh, and speaking of “Boyfriend,” there’s his transition into commercialized Hip-Hop. Armed with the alternate rap ego, “Shawty Mane, Bieber has enlisted the expertise of heavyweights Ludacris, Nicki Minaj, Wayne, Big Sean, Drake and Two Chainz to solidify his position in the Hip-Hop world — well, the Hip-Hop that’s played on the radio.

So there we have it, folks. Assault charges, eye-candy girlfriend, groupies, boxer and Hip-Hop besties; it looks like Bieber’s transition to “Shawty Mane” is almost complete.

Now all he needs is a big chain.

See Bieber’s “Boyfriend” video below:

RELATED: Happy Birthday, El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz (Malcolm X)

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Shabazz was born Betty Dean Sanders in 1934 on this day in Detroit to young parents, moving at the age of 11 to live with Lorenzo and Helen Malloy, a prominent Black couple who gave the youngster a good life and largely kept her from experiencing the racism that existed beyond their confines. However, Shabazz would witness two race riots that opened her eyes to world far more turbulent than she had known.

Betty Shabazz Takes On Former LA Police Chief On Police Brutality

Because of her upbringing, Shabazz had never known what racism felt like. The Malloys employed the tactic many Blacks used in keeping silent about the issue. However, Shabazz went south to attend her adopted father’s alma mater, Tuskegee Institute, where she was experienced racism firsthand. Never able to adjust to the pressures of studying and fending off prejudiced Whites, Shabazz would switch her major from education to nursing. Her decision would lead her to head to New York City’s Brooklyn State College of Nursing.

Interview With Betty Shabazz After The Assassination Of Malcolm X

Shabazz may have escaped the southern brand of racism, but endured an entirely different sort of racial hatred while working in New York. White nurses routinely looked down on their Black counterparts, often taking better jobs and verbally berating them. While in nursing school, a chance invitation to a dinner party to a Nation of Islam dinner party in Harlem led to Shabazz eventually meeting her future husband. Then known as Malcolm X, the fiery minister impressed Shabazz and eventually they formed a relationship. After Malcolm X convinced Betty to convert, they underwent the traditional Islamic courtship to prepare for marriage.

The pair was wed in January of 1958. On the day of their wedding, Shabazz would also obtain her nursing degree. The couple would go on the have six children and enjoyed a balanced marriage where Shabazz was seen as an equal by her husband. After much debate and new eye-opening experiences, Malcolm X and his wife left the Nation of Islam in 1964 and became Sunni Muslims.

Tragedy struck in February 1965 after gunmen from the Nation of Islam assassinated Malcolm X in Manhattan’s Audubon Ballroom where he was giving a speech. Betty Shabazz witnessed the slaying of her husband alongside her children, and it had weighed on her heavily according to past interviews and reports. She would eventually make a pilgrimage to the Holy City of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, returning to America with renewed purpose.

Shabazz had a tough time raising her children on her own, but assistance in the form of royalties from the sales of her husband’s autobiography co-written by Alex Haley helped. Actress Ruby Dee and the then-wife of actor Sidney Poitier raised funds for Shabazz to assist her in purchasing a home in Mount Vernon. Driven by a will to be an educator, Shabazz would complete her undergraduate studies in one year, and then went on to earn a doctorate from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. She would then go on to teach at Medgar Evans College, eventually becoming a leading administrator and director for the college in 1984 until the time of her passing.

Shabazz would unfortunately die at the hands of her grandson, Malcolm, then just 10 years of age. He was sent to live with her while his mother, Qubliah, dealt with legal issues regarding Louis Farrakhan, who the family felt was responsible in the death of her husband. Malcolm set a fire in Shabazz’s home, where she suffered severe burns. After three weeks of treatment, she would eventually succumb to her injuries on June 23, 1997.

Shabazz would be honored in several ways after her untimely death, with the Community Healthcare Network renaming one of its nursing centers after her. In Chicago, a charter school bears her name and this year, New York officials renamed the corner of West 165^th Street near the Audubon Ballroom Betty Shabazz Way.

Betty Shabazz’s devotion to her children and also her husband’s vision lands her atop a long list of Black women who have achieved much in the face of adversity. Her tenacity and will to continue on where others might have withered proves that she was worthy of the accolades that still accompany her name.

Rest In Power and Happy Birthday, Dr. Betty Shabazz.

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Malcolm X and Barack Obama: Far From Opposites

Malcolm X to Barack Obama: 44 Year Of Change

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The recent viral video of a random white dude proposing to his girlfriend sent chills down my spine.  I am not a hopeless romantic, but I am hopelessly in love with the potential and future of the black family in America.  For some reason, there was something about this video that lit a fuse in its viewers, leading me to reflect on some of the barriers that keep all of us from showing our best selves when we enter into relationships.

I am no relationship guru, but I resubmit that if Steve Harvey is qualified to talk about relationships, then so am I.  When I speak with my daughters about love, I think about the bitterness that some of us can have from past disappointments, creating a tough shell of cold disregard to protect the most vulnerable part of our spirit.  We enter relationships with itchy trigger fingers and toxic predispositions, causing us to wait for the other person to do something that will confirm that he/she is the dog that we expect that person to be.

In the black community, the lack of trust between men and women can sometimes turn love into war.  Starting with the first disappointments from the missing father or a college heartbreak, love can become an exercise of saving face and not being played, which is not conducive to building lasting families.  As a result, divorce rates are through the roof, babymama-itis is at an all-time high, and STD rates are skyrocketing as people in their twenties and thirties bounce from one broken relationship to another.

What I enjoyed about this video is that there is something amazing that happens when one party doesn’t allow fear to keep him/her from expressing deep-seated affection for another person.  The man in this video made himself look like a damn fool to show this woman how much he loves her.  Not to say that we should get all of our cues from white people (you know how I feel about that, they are no better than us), but there is something that can be learned from everyone, and this guy teaches all of us a great lesson on love.

If your relationships consistently fall apart, or you find that your so-called love life has become a haven of treachery and emotional espionage, you might want to take a look in the mirror and determine if the person  you see is emotionally equipped to take the risks necessary to experience true love.  You must also determine if you are capable of identifying people who will reflect that love back at you and not selfishly absorb it in order to maintain control.  Without taking risk, there is little reward, so you can’t expect to witness the highs of lasting love if you live life with your cards held close to your vest.

That’s what I learned from the random white dude proposing to his girlfriend.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Professor at Syracuse University and founder of the Your Black World Coalition. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.

Eboni Boykin

SEE ALSO: Black WWII Vets To Receive Congressional Gold Medals

She also enrolled in more than 14 schools for one reason or another. But that did not stop her from realizing her dream of being accepted into an Ivy League school, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

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The 17-year-old senior at Normandy High School has been accepted into Columbia University in New York City on a full scholarship. Currently, Boykin is editor-in-chief of her school’s student newspaper, a varsity cheerleader and a member of the student council. And, top all of that off, she has a 3.8 grade point average.

Boykin says she learned of her acceptance while taking a break from editing the school newspaper. She logged-on to Columbia’s website for online acceptance decisions where she learned about her admittance. She was ecstatic. Moments later, Boykin got another letter saying that she was awarded a full scholarship.

She cried tears of joy.

Boykin’s success should be inspiration for any young person to set their goals high in the face of adversity.

(Let’s face it. Most young folks stay out of school because of a minor cold, let alone because they were homeless)

To be sure, there are many young urban Black youths like Boykin. However, given the negative press about our young people, we can never grow tired of hearing about another brotha or sista overcoming a challenging childhood to make way for a promising adult life. Where many young people would have given up in Boykin’s situation, she saw it as the ultimate test of her character.

“Seeing the absolute worst of life is the ultimate motivation,” she said.

Here is more on this outstanding young scholar:

At home, Eboni has a supportive mother who dropped out of high school and hasn’t always related to her ambitions. At Normandy High, the petite 17-year-old is one of about 25 honor students among a student body with a dropout rate in the double digits. Last year, 74 percent of students there failed the state’s English 2 exam, and 83 percent failed the math exam.

Eboni’s circle of friends is small. This is by choice, she says. She’s not interested in the music or the clothes that dominate her school’s culture. She is a varsity cheerleader but would rather be at church than at parties.

“There’s always crime or the smoking,” she said. “It was always too much.”

As a 13-year-old teenager, she first became exposed to the Ivy Leagues through the show “Gilmore Girls.” After doing a little research, Boykin decided that she would one day earn a degree from one of those esteemed east coast institutions.

Four years later, she earned a right to set foot on Columbia’s campus this upcoming fall. Now, she only has four more years

“Getting into Columbia definitely teaches me that just keeping the faith and not giving up it pays off,” Boykin told local television station 5 KSDK. “And it just teaches me if you hang in there you can have anything you want if you are willing to work hard for it.”

This young sista, who wants to be journalist, should be a source of inspiration for any teenager who feels that life is too hard to overcome. When she finishes her degree in four years, NewsOne, or any news organization for that matter, would be honored to have her.

Go sista!

The president was to participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, and then marking the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

In an election year, Obama has touted his work to bring U.S. combat troops home from Iraq and wind down the conflict in Afghanistan. Before military audiences and in a campaign ad released last week, he credits U.S. servicemen who helped in the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

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With so many troops returning home from their service, Obama says the U.S. needs to return the favor.

“We have to serve them and their families as well as they have served us,” Obama said in his weekly radio and Internet address. “By making sure that they get the health care and benefits they need; by caring for our wounded warriors and supporting our military families; and by giving veterans the chance to go to college, find a good job and enjoy the freedom that they risked everything to protect.”

The White House said the gathering at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial War would mark the beginning of a 13-year program to honor those who served during the Vietnam War.

Veterans could play a significant role in the 2012 election. Exit polls in 2008 showed that Obama was supported by about 44 percent of voters who said they served in the military, while 54 percent voted for John McCain, a former Navy pilot who was a prisoner of war for more than five years during the Vietnam War.

Republican Mitt Romney was scheduled to appear Monday with McCain in San Diego, home to a large number of military personnel and veterans. Romney has made the case that too many veterans are returning home to poor job prospects, casting blame on Obama’s economic policies.

A Bureau of Labor Statistics report in March found that 12.1 percent of U.S. Armed Forces veterans who served on active duty after September 2001 were unemployed in 2011. The unemployment rate for all veterans was 8.3 percent.

Several closely watched states in the election have large blocs of military voters. Florida, home to several military installations, has more than 1.6 million veterans, according to the Veterans Administration. Pennsylvania has nearly 1 million veterans, while Virginia and North Carolina each have about 800,000 veterans living in their states.

The president and first lady Michelle Obama were starting the day with a breakfast at the White House for families who have lost loved ones in combat.

SEE ALSO:

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On this Memorial Day, we celebrate the fine men and women who fought and continue to fight bravely for our country. Though, every year, there are always a few soldiers whose contributions to the U.S. Armed Forces were never recognized or celebrated.

SEE ALSO: 5-Year-Old Asks To Touch Obama’s Hair

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Next month, the Montford Point Marines, a group of Black American soldiers who were forced to segregated training and supporting roles during World War II, will be honored with Congressional Gold Medals next month, the Detroit Free Press reports. Last year, Congress voted for a Congressional Gold Medal for their service. President Barack Obama approved the honor.

SEE ALSO: Woman Tases Boyfriend And His Lover After Catching Them In Bed

There were 20,000 Marines in World War II. Though, only 300 of them are believed to be alive.

In the video above, Montford Point Marines from Detroit reflect on their days training for a war their country had no intention of sending them into.

The world has been captivated by the case of Brian Banks, the young man who was falsely accused of rape and inexplicably sent to prison.  There was no physical evidence that Brian had committed the crime, and prosecutors offered Banks the standard game of “Lifetime Roulette,” where an innocent man is told that asking for a fair trial means that he is gambling with his life.  Had Banks fought the case and put his fate in the hands of a (probably all-white) jury, he was threatened with up to 41 years.  That makes a plea bargain look good to anyone, even a man who is entirely innocent.

Now that Banks’ accuser has been caught red-handed after confessing to her lie, I thought that perhaps we should welcome the brother home with a few things to make his life a little bit better.  After all, he gave up five years of his life, a chance to go to college and a possible future in the NFL in order to obtain them.  I’d say that this is the least that we can do.

Here are a few things I’d like for us to offer Brian to welcome him back to the world:

1) A sincere apology:  Everyone who supports this racist, imbalanced and tyrannical justice system need to apologize to Brian Banks from the bottom of their hearts.  The judge who thought he deserved to go to prison as a rapist should apologize, along with the prosecutor who offered him a raw deal.  The horrible attorney who told him to take the deal needs to apologize and so does the victim.  Everyone should admit to their role in the scheme to destroy this man’s life, and we might want to apologize in advance for all the other Brian Banks’ out there whose stories have not yet been told.

2) A really large sum of money: If you were a football star being recruited by USC, how much could I offer you to spend the next five years of your life behind bars?   Would $10 million do the trick?  If so, perhaps that would be a good sum of money to pay Brian for his trouble.   He should also have rights to nearly every penny to be earned by his accuser, as well as the attorneys who conspired to destroy him.

3) A clean record and a chance to get his life back:  Going to prison is horrible, but getting out can sometimes be just as bad.  At the very least, formerly incarcerated Americans have a very difficult time getting jobs.  I presume that Brian’s record has been cleared, but I also assume that someone can offer this man a job and a chance to go to school.

4) A shot at the NFL:  Brian once had a dream of becoming a professional football player.  I’m not sure if he’s good enough, and the truth is that the NFL is not all that it’s cracked up to be.  But if that’s what he wants to do, perhaps some team can make room for him on its roster.  At the very least, it would be good publicity, and he might actually be a decent player.

5) Some therapy to help him to forgive and overcome whatever horrible things happened to him in prison:  The worst thing about going to prison is  that there is very little effort to rehabilitate anyone.  The men and women in prison are often traumatized in unspeakable ways, milked for every penny that their families can muster, and thrown out into the world with few resources to help them cope with society.   Whatever Brian went through in prison likely calls for intense therapy to help him learn to forgive, rebuild and move on with his life.  My prayers go out to Brian and his family, for the road is still going to be difficult.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Professor at Syracuse University and founder of the Your Black World Coalition. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Rodney Berget lives in a single cell on South Dakota’s death row, rarely leaving the tiny room where he awaits execution for bludgeoning a prison guard to death with a pipe during an attempted escape.

For Berget’s immediate family, his fate is somewhat familiar. He is the second member of the clan to be sentenced to death. His older brother was convicted in 1987 of killing a man for his car. Roger Berget spent 13 years on Oklahoma’s death row until his execution in 2000 at age 39.

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The Bergets are not the first pair of siblings to be condemned. Record books reveal at least three cases of brothers who conspired to commit crimes and both got the death penalty. But these two stand out because their crimes were separated by more than 600 miles and 25 years.

“To have it in different states in different crimes is some sort of commentary on the family there,” said Richard Dieter, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, which tracks death penalty trends.

The siblings’ journey from the poverty of their South Dakota childhood to stormy, crime-ridden adult lives shows the far-reaching effects of a damaged upbringing — and the years of havoc wrought by two men who developed what the courts called a wanton disregard for human life.

Rodney Berget is scheduled to die later this year, potentially ending the odyssey that began when the two boys were born into a family that already had four kids.

A former prison principal described Rodney as a “throwaway kid” who never had a chance at a productive life. A lawyer for Roger recalled him as an “ugly duckling” with little family support.

The boys were born after the family moved from their failed farm in rural South Dakota to Aberdeen, a city about 20 miles away. Roger arrived in 1960. Rodney came along two years later.

His farming dreams dashed, patriarch Benford Berget went to work for the state highway department. Rosemary Berget took a night job as a bar manager at the local Holiday Inn.

The loss of the farm and the new city life seemed to strain the family and the couple’s marriage. When the family moved to town, “things kind of fell apart,” Bonnie Engelhart, the eldest Berget sibling, testified in 1987.

Benford Berget, away on business, was rarely around. When he was home, he drank and become physically abusive, lawyers for the brothers later said.

By the 1970s, the couple divorced, and Roger and Rodney started getting into trouble. Roger skipped school. Rodney started stealing. Soon, they were taking cars. Both went to prison for the first time as teens.

Roger Berget enjoyed a rare period of freedom in 1982 and met a woman while hitchhiking. The two started a relationship, and the woman gave birth to a child the next year. But Roger didn’t get to see his son often because he was soon behind bars again, this time in Oklahoma. And for a far more sinister crime.

Roger and a friend named Michael Smith had decided to steal a random car from outside an Oklahoma City grocery store. The two men spotted 33-year-old Rick Patterson leaving the store on an October night in 1985. After abducting him at gunpoint, they put Patterson in the trunk and concluded he would have to be killed to prevent him from identifying his captors.

They drove the car to a deserted spot outside the city and shot Patterson in the back of the head and neck, blowing away the lower half of his face.

A year later, Berget pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to death on March 12, 1987. An appeals court threw out a death sentence for Smith, who was later sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Less than three months after Roger was sentenced to death, Rodney Berget, then 25 and serving time for grand theft and escape, joined five other inmates in breaking out of the South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls.

The men greased their bodies with lotion, slipped through a hole in an air vent and then cut through window bars in an auto body shop at the prison. Berget was a fugitive for more than a month.

Thirteen years passed before Roger Berget was executed by lethal injection on June 8, 2000. His younger brother was still in prison in South Dakota.

But the good days were numbered because a year later, he was sentenced to life in prison for attempted murder and kidnapping. He headed back to the South Dakota State Penitentiary — this time for good.

Then Rodney got to talking with a fellow inmate named Eric Robert about a goal they shared: to escape — or die trying.

The plan was months in the making. The inmates figured they would corner a solitary guard — any guard would do — and beat him with a pipe before covering his face with plastic wrap.

Once the guard was dead, Robert would put on the dead man’s uniform and push a box with Berget inside as the prison gates opened for a daily delivery. The two would slip through the walls unnoticed.

On the morning of April 12, 2011, the timing seemed perfect. Ronald “R.J.” Johnson was alone in a part of the prison where inmates work on upholstery, signs, custom furniture and other projects. Johnson wasn’t supposed to be working that day — it was his 63rd birthday. But he agreed to come in because of a scheduling change.

After attacking Johnson, Robert and Berget made it outside one gate. But they were stopped by another guard before they could complete their escape through the second gate. Both pleaded guilty.

In a statement to a judge, Rodney acknowledged he deserved to die.

“I knew what I was doing, and I continued to do it,” Berget said. “I destroyed a family. I took away a father, a husband, a grandpa.”

His execution, scheduled for September, is likely to be delayed to allow the State Supreme Court time to conduct a mandatory review.

Rodney Berget’s lawyer, Jeff Larson, has declined to comment on the case outside of court. Rodney did not respond to letters sent to the penitentiary.

The few members of the Berget family who survive are reluctant to talk about how seemingly normal boys turned into petty criminals and then into convicted killers of the rarest kind: brothers sentenced to death.

Dieter, of the Death Penalty Information Center, said some families of the condemned remain involved in appeals. But others see no reason to preserve connections.

“There’s no light at the end of it,” he said. “What happens at the end is execution.”

SEE ALSO:

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Naked Man Shot Dead By Cops While Eating Man’s Face

RELATED: Man Charged With Attempted Murder For Forcing Girlfriend To Have Abortion

The ex-couple had gone to a drive-in movie, and she was returning him to the home of his new girlfriend when the incident occurred, according to Warren Police Commissioner Jere Green.

“He opened the detached garage and told her to pull in,” Green said. “She did and before she could turn the car off, he closed the garage door behind her. Someone grabbed her by the neck and put a gun to her head.”

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The primary motive being considered at this moment is paternity, according to the News.

After her hands, feet and mouthed were duct taped, the woman was forced into the backseat of her car and driven to an abandoned lot. “You know why this is happening,” the unknown assailant told her after asking her how far along she was. He then covered her with lighter fluid and threw a lit match on her, reports the News.

“She instinctively jimmies her way out of the car and starts rolling on the ground to put out the fire,” Green said. As she was attempting to put out the fire, two shots were fired at her, one hitting her in the back, before she stopped moving.

“She said she basically played dead and she thinks that’s what saved her because she heard the guy run away.”

After freeing herself, she immediately drove to her mother’s house because she believed she was in danger. According to the woman, her mother was held at gunpoint at her baby shower earlier this month.

While Detroit authorities are unsure of exactly what role the ex-boyfriend played in the attempted murder of his future child’s mother, they have no doubt that he was involved in some capacity. He claims that he has no idea what happened because he was asleep, which conflicts with his ex’s story.

“We’re pretty confident he viewed the abduction. He never called 911,” Green said.

A spokesperson for Detroit Receiving Hospital says the woman is listed in serious condition, recovering from burns to her head and back. Due to give birth in three-weeks, ultrasounds show that the child is unharmed, reports WXYZ.com.

The ex-boyfriend, who has a criminal past including vehicular theft, drugs and armed robbery, remains in custody.

Unfortunately, if police determine that he is involved in this horrific crime, he would not be the first man to attempt to literally destroy a woman carrying his unborn child.

As previously reported by NewsOne, Dominic Holt-Reid, on supervised release after serving 20 months in federal prison stemming from a 2007 drug conviction, pled not guilty to an attempted murder charge after authorities accused him of trying to force his girlfriend at gunpoint to have an abortion.

Waiting until they dropped their 5 year old child at school, Holt-Reid reached into the glove compartment of the car and aimed a loaded .45 caliber handgun at girlfriend Yolanda Burgess because she refused to go through with a scheduled abortion. Forced to enter the clinic, she was able to slip a note to an employee and escaped the ordeal physically unscathed.

SEE ALSO:

Homeowner Kills Intruder, But Shoots Wife Accidentally

Mother Charged With Murdering Twins Over Father’s Alleged Affair [VIDEO]

Naked Man Shot Dead By Cops While Eating Man’s Face

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Well, the name of the child is Jacob Philadelphia, the New York Times reports. He is the young son of Carlton Philadelphia, a White House staffer who is now posted to Afghanistan with the US State Department.

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Carlton took his family to the Oval Office for a photo to mark the ending of his posting on the National Security Council. When the family began posing for photos, Carlton told the President that his son had a question for him.

“I want to know if my hair is just like yours,” Jacob asked according to the New York Times.

Here’s what The Times says happened afterwards:

“I want to know if my hair is just like yours,” he told Mr. Obama, so quietly that the president asked him to speak again.

Jacob did, and Mr. Obama replied, “Why don’t you touch it and see for yourself?” He lowered his head, level with Jacob, who hesitated.

“Touch it, dude!” Mr. Obama said.

As Jacob patted the presidential crown, Mr. Souza snapped.

“So, what do you think?” Mr. Obama asked.

“Yes, it does feel the same,” Jacob said.

Carlton’s father says it truly was an important moment for his son and other black boys:

“It’s important for black children to see a black man as president. You can believe that any position is possible to achieve if you see a black person in it,” said Mr Philadelphia.

President Obama doesn’t delve into issues of race as often as many would like him to. But this photo proves that he doesn’t have to say much at all. Jacob, now eight, says he wants to be President someday. Or a test pilot.

Go to the New York Times for the rest of this incredible story!

Yesterday’s cannibalistic attack on a homeless man is the fourth recent, vicious attack in that area blamed on drugs, according to Miami-Dade County police. Read more on this development here.

—————————————————————————————————

A Miami man was shot to death by police yesterday afternoon after he was found eating another man’s face, reports the Miami Herald. Even as he was hit by repeated shots, he kept gnawing at his victim’s face, whom sources say is now barely recognizable.

The bizarre and tragic incident occurred right outside of The Miami Herald offices, near a ramp leading to MacArthur Causeway and witnesses to the incident took pictures as others called police.

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The Miami Herald reports:

According to police sources, a road ranger saw a naked man chewing on another man’s face and shouted on his loud speaker for him to back away. Meanwhile, a woman also saw the incident and flagged down a police officer who was in the area.

The officer, who has not been identified, approached and, seeing what was happening, also ordered the naked man to back away. When he continued the assault, the officer shot him, police sources said. The attacker failed to stop after being shot, forcing the officer to continue firing. Witnesses said they heard at least a half dozen shots.

The naked man who was killed lay face down on the pedestrian walkway just below the newspaper’s two-story parking garage. Police have requested The Herald’s video surveillance tapes.

The other man was transported to the hospital with critical injuries, according to police. Their identities were not released.

Miami PD is calling the officer who shot the man a “hero” and used this as cautionary tale that “a man doesn’t have to be armed to be dangerous”:

“There are other ways to injure people,’’ said Sergeant Altarr Williams, a Homicide Unit supervisor. “Some people know martial arts, others are very strong and can kill you with their hands.’’

According to the Herald, police speculate that the man may have been in the midst of “cocaine psychosis” when he stripped to cool off and the victim was a homeless man in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Traffic was at a stand-still due to the influx of visitors for Miami’s Urban Beach Week Hip-Hop festival.

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And we mean literally feel her pain.

The Daily Mail reports that Hartman, 34, allegedly yelled “You and I just had sex last night” before tasing the father of her child, Alvin Hennis, with her key-chain stun gun as he lay butt naked in bed. Hartman chased his lover, Cordelia Rose, outside of the house.

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Rose was getting into her car before Hartman caught up with her and tased her in the neck.

Neither Rose no Hennis were seriously injured as the strength of the stun gun was reportedly too weak to cause major damage.

Hartman was arrested and charged with battery. It is not known what kind of gun Hartman used. She did not have a permit for it, however. During Hartman’s hearing, Hennis took the blame for the entire situation.

“It was pretty much my fault,’ Mr Hennis told Broward Court Judge John Hurley at Hartman’s hearing.

“We were supposed to do something together that morning, and I forgot. I went to my house, and things happened.”

WATCH THE COURT HEARING WHERE HARTMAN HOLDS BACK LAUGHTER

Hennis pleaded with Judge Hurley to go easy on the mother of his child, saying that she is a great mom.

‘She is a beautiful mother, a hard worker and very responsible. I think she got emotional by what she saw,’ Mr Hennis told Judge Hurley.

‘I could imagine things could get very emotional,’ Judge Hurley answered.

‘Oh, things got very emotional,’ Mr Hennis said. ‘Very emotional.’

He apologized for his actions, adding that he forgot to lock the door to the master bedroom.

‘That probably was your first mistake,’ Judge Hurley said.

Tell us about it! Hartman was free on $2,500 bond and ordered to stay away from Rose.

President Barack Obama

Obama’s new worries about North Carolina and Wisconsin offer opportunities for Republican Mitt Romney, who must peel off states Obama won in 2008 if he’s to cobble together the 270 electoral votes needed to oust the incumbent in November.

Iowa, which kicked off the campaign in January, is now expected to be tight to the finish, while New Mexico, thought early to be pivotal, seems to be drifting into Democratic territory.

If the election were today, Obama would likely win 247 electoral votes to Romney’s 206, according to an Associated Press analysis of polls, ad spending and key developments in states, along with interviews with more than a dozen Republican and Democratic strategists both inside and outside of the two campaigns.

Seven states, offering a combined 85 electoral votes, are viewed as too close to give either candidate a meaningful advantage: Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio and Virginia.

“As of today, the advantage still lies with the president, but there is a long and hard road ahead in this election,” said Tad Devine, who was a top strategist to Democratic presidential candidates Al Gore and John Kerry but isn’t directly involved in this year’s race.

If Romney wins all the states Republican John McCain carried in 2008 plus North Carolina, as trends today suggest he would, he would still need 64 electoral votes to hit the magic number. That would require him to win a majority of the states that are up for grabs.

Obama, on the other hand, faces the costly and labor-intensive challenge of defending those states in a much different environment than the one he enjoyed four years ago.

Big-spending, pro-Romney political committees are certain to be a factor, and already are running heavy levels of television ads in states where Obama is vulnerable, such as Florida.

But Obama’s early spending – more than $30 million on advertising before Memorial Day – and new glimmers of economic hope across the battleground states demonstrate the size of Romney’s challenge.

The race is expected to be close, and the past six weeks have been volatile.

North Carolina is a case in point.

Obama announced his support for gay marriage on May 9, one day after 60 percent of North Carolina voters approved a constitutional ban. “That issue definitely hurts him down there,” said veteran Republican presidential campaign strategist Charlie Black, a top aide to 2008 nominee McCain. Black’s not directly involved in this year’s race but is an informal adviser to Romney.

North Carolina’s high African American and young voter population, keys to Obama’s 2008 wins there, give him the edge, aides say. And the president so far has spent heavily there, $2.7 million on television, according to reports provided to the AP.

But Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue gave Republicans an opening by not seeking re-election this year. And union leaders, a key Democratic constituency, are upset that this summer’s Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., is being held in a state where union rights are weak.

In Wisconsin, embattled Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s improving fortunes as a contentious June 5 recall election approaches could alter that state’s landscape. Walker, who sparked mass protests by signing anti-union legislation last year, has pulled narrowly ahead of Democratic Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett in recent polls.

If Walker survives, Romney aides say they have a real chance to carry Wisconsin, which no Republican has done since Ronald Reagan in 1984.

“I don’t think there’s been any better dress rehearsal for a presidential election than what’s going on in Wisconsin right now,” said Rich Beeson, political director for the former Massachusetts governor.

Indeed, the Wisconsin recall could signal a GOP shift in an arc of states from Iowa to Pennsylvania that have reliably voted Democratic in presidential elections for a generation.

“Whether Walker wins or doesn’t is going to be a big indicator of how Wisconsin goes, and how the whole upper Midwest goes,” said Iowa’s Republican Gov. Terry Branstad.

Romney has signaled plans to contest Iowa, where Obama’s 2008 caucus win propelled him to the Democratic nomination. Romney also sees opportunity in his native Michigan, where Democratic presidential candidates have won since 1988.

Bright spots are developing for Obama, too.

Public polls this month showed the president narrowly ahead in Virginia, a Southern state Republicans had carried nine times before Obama won it in 2008. Obama’s advantage among Latino voters is moving New Mexico his way. Neither campaign nor the super PACs have advertised there, despite close finishes in 2000 and 2004.

Obama also has seized on new economic data that could give him a lift across the contested map. April unemployment ticked downward in all of the up-for-grabs states except Colorado as Obama and Romney have fought over who is best equipped to lead an economic recovery.

In Des Moines, Iowa, this month, Romney blamed Obama’s spending for the recovery’s slow pace. A week later, on the other side of town, Obama said Romney’s career as a private equity executive was more suited for the boardroom than the Oval Office.

Obama’s attack dovetails with scathing ads on Romney’s career at the head of Bain Capital, which ran briefly in Colorado, Iowa, Pennsylvania and Virginia. They remained on the air last week in Ohio, where Obama aides say Romney’s opposition to the auto industry bailout in 2009 hurts him with workers in the region’s auto manufacturing sector.

Obama has had an edge in getting out his message. For nearly two months, his campaign has aired spots across 11 states, heaviest in Florida, Iowa, Ohio and Virginia, according to the ad-tracking reports.

Romney has only been airing ads for two weeks in four states. But super PACs that support him have helped shave Obama’s advertising edge, airing $10 million in ads across 10 states.

Obama aides point to an edge in state-by-state organizing that could be the deciding factor in a close election. While Romney is quickly arranging with the Republican National Committee to deploy staff to various battlegrounds, Obama’s campaign has been up and running for years.

Said Democratic strategist Devine: “The president and his campaign have a real and potentially decisive advantage on the ground.”

NAACP Supports Democrats over Black people?

During a conversation between Fox News’ Kelly Wright and Wall Street Journal editorial board member Jason Riley, an interesting dialogue emerged about the NAACP.  While I am not one to spend much time pretending that the majority of conversations on Fox News actually make sense, this one got my attention.

Wright and Riley asked whether or not the NAACP’s snap endorsement of President Barack Obama’s support for gay marriage was driven by their loyalty toward Obama or by the desires of its membership.  Riley, who seems like one of those folks who might be in a hurry to dismantle the NAACP, argued that the organization’s leadership has put its loyalty toward the president ahead of the concerns of its members.

I am not with Riley in extrapolating this peculiar political move to imply that the NAACP has lost the bulk of its value.  But any fool can see that the NAACP’s endorsement of gay marriage was in direct response to President Obama’s announcement.  Any claim by the organization that their statement “just happened” to occur right after Obama’s announcement is absolute nonsense.   As a supporter of gay marriage myself, I can say that we were all talking about the issue because President Obama started the conversation.

The NAACP could have handled the Obama/gay marriage issue by simply remaining silent (as did the Urban League).  Instead, its leadership drew a line in the sand which positioned its interests to be in alignment with the Democratic liberal machine.  Money and power were the rule of the day here, and the members of the organization were not important in the NAACP’s perpetual quest to maintain good relations with King Obama.

For those who don’t know, here’s how things are working right now in the relationship between the White House and the Black community: The Obama Administration gives us its agenda and tells us to fulfill it.  The administration understands clearly that the black vote is relevant for re-election, but not relevant enough to use valuable resources to improve the lives of African Americans directly.

So, when Obama makes an announcement that is not in the interest of the majority of the black community (i.e. gay marriage), the administration gets on the Bat Phone to find African American public figures who are willing to force feed the Kool-Aid to the masses.  Massive liberal media platforms like MSNBC are enlisted as the launching pads of propaganda, where church-going Black folks are then described as illiterate Neanderthals who need liberal White people to think for us.  Those willing to share the message are rewarded in numerous ways:  Appearances by Obama at their events, their own television shows/segments and other behind-the-scenes goodies that people get for playing for the liberal team.  Truth becomes the enemy in this form of dysfunctional cronyism, and we should all be sickened by it.

The administration’s agenda is not presented to the Black community in a respectful sharing of ideas.  Rather, it is pushed forward in a manner reminiscent of how African dictators would squash protesters to protect the interests of foreign oil companies.  Those who have anything unpopular to say are told to remain dumb and silent — or called Uncle Toms for not supporting every move by the brother in the White House.   The collective political IQ of Black America dropped by 30 points after the election of President Obama, for freedom of thought and expression were quickly tossed to the wayside.

I am not one to call out those who use their leverage in Black America to make themselves into de-facto employees of the Obama Administration, because it’s quite clear who they are.  Basically, anyone you see who claims to be a Black leader but refuses to ever critique the actions of the Obama Administration is effectively working on behalf of the administration to get negroes in line with their agenda. The problem with this form of politics is that the lesson for the powers-that-be in Washington is that you don’t have to do anything for all Black people collectively;  instead, you only have to make sure its leadership is in your pocket.  As a case-in-point, you should notice how the rulers of many African countries are wealthy from foreign corporations, while the people remain in dire poverty.  The same idea is being applied right here in the US.

The factors I’ve described explain why the NAACP suddenly spoke up in support of gay marriage, even though it was in direct misalignment with the majority of its members.   The Black McCarthyism that has come into existence since the rise of President Obama should be disturbing to us all, because heavily non-Democratic forces are being used to support Democratic power.  Anyone who questions the administration or brings up legitimate concerns (i.e. poverty , mass incarceration, educational inequality, economic inequality) is immediately assaulted by one of the hired goons of the administration who has taken responsibility for keeping Black folks silent.  This does not increase our freedom as a people, it reduces it.

One can’t help but be disappointed that NAACP leadership has signed on for the Black oppression program, for its commitment to the advancement of Black people should supersede its loyalty toward any politician.  The NAACP is at its best when it is truly non-partisan, and has no permanent friends or enemies (see Colin Powell as a great example).  Only our interests should be permanent, and those interests should be related to the advancement of Black people.  Given that many of our leaders have rented themselves out to the liberal machine, it might be time for a mutiny.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Professor at Syracuse University and founder of the Your Black World Coalition. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.

Fans screamed loudly and snapped pictures as she walked through the crowd in a shiny, green press.

As previously reported by NewsOne, when asked by People Magazine who is the one person in the world she would be if they could trade places, the First Lady said Beyonce:

“Gosh. If I had some gift, I’d be Beyoncé, I’d be some great singer,” said Obama. “The power of music, being able to play an instrument…It looks like musicians just have the most fun.”

The love-fest between the First Ladies of the Obama and Carter families have long openly expressed their love and admiration for each other. From Beyoncé’s teary rendition of “At Last” in 2009 at President Obama’s Neighborhood Inaugural Ball, to the “Video Phone” singer’s open letter to the FLOTUS on Twitter, to which Mrs. Obama responded, “@Beyonce Thank you for the beautiful letter and for being a role model who kids everywhere can look up to. –mo,” they have proven to be stead-fast in their appreciation of each other.

Still, at only 13 and 10-years-old, one has to wonder if a Beyonce concert, complete with border-line explicit lyrics and risque outfits, is an appropriate outing for the girls. As previously reported by NewsOne, Queen Bey’s set includes such classics as “Baby Boy,” “Irreplaceable,” Freakum Dress,” “Get Me Bodied,” “Jumpin’ Jumpin,” and more.

But we’re sure mother knows best. Maybe showing support for your friends is the lesson of the night — well, that, and a little bit of “Oh-Oh” dancing.

See a clip of Beyonce performing “Baby Boy” here:

See a clip of Beyonce performing “Crazy in Love” here:

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Cory Booker is an outstanding politician and an even more amazing human being.  The man proclaimed to be “Baby Obama” has more friends than I’ll ever have and is one of the most respected and creative local politicians in America.  In fact, if I were a light-skinned, bald guy who wanted to be just like Barack, I’d act like Cory Booker.

The world was buzzing after Booker made a really interesting snafu on “Meet the Press” (you might have heard about it).  During a conversation about Bain Capital, the company that might become the bane of Mitt Romney’s existence (pun intended), Booker was asked about the Obama Administration’s plan to attack Romney on his connection with Bain, one of the many Wall Street firms that ripped the heart out of the American economy.

Booker’s reaction was not the one to be expected of “Baby Obama,” the man who has built quite an impressive career by being a good Democratic foot soldier.  Booker said that Obama’s attacks on Bain capital were “nauseating,” which led Obama-ite Chris Matthews to refer to Booker’s words as an “act of sabotage” and a “betrayal” of President Obama.  Booker forgot to read the manual that in the 2012 hierarchy of light-skinned negro political power, he is an Indian, not a chief.   He might have all the power in the world in New Jersey, but when a mandate comes from King Obama, all minions are expected to comply.

As a Finance professor who has trained hundreds of students who now work on Wall Street, I immediately speculated that money was the reason that Booker would say something so anti-Obama when it comes to Bain Capital.  Like nearly every other politician in the North East, Booker gets gobs of cash from Wall Street. It’s hard to be a successful politician in New Jersey without begging Wall Street for money.

What’s interesting though is that President Obama also gets quite a bit of money from Wall Street.  But unlike Obama, Booker can’t turn to George Clooney to help him make up for funding shortfalls.  Booker really needs his Wall Street money, which might have led to his overzealous defense of America’s corporate pirates.

I’m not sure what Coryff was thinking when he bit the political hand that feeds him on “Meet the Press.”  One can only wonder why he didn’t simply do what every good politician does in that situation and dodge the issue.  Instead, Booker has been the latest victim of the “What in the hell have you done for me lately?” attitude of every Democrat willing to lie, steal and cheat to keep President Obama in the White House.  Even major media outlets (namely Fox News and MSNBC) are on board for the propaganda wars that will define future presidential elections.

Even more confusing than Booker’s initial comments are his groveling after the incident took place.  Booker has turned to Facebook, Twitter, email, television, radio and carrier pigeon to try to explain what happened and ask for forgiveness.  Perhaps this week, Booker will appear on the White House lawn with a dozen roses, an R. Kelly CD, and a “Please forgive me” card for President Obama.   The seasoned political veteran who made an amateurish mistake has looked even more like a novice in the way he’s tried to clean up the mess.

What Cory might find, however, is that there can be liberation through ostracism.  Rather than being “baby Obama,” Cory might be able to actually find a unique political voice as a result of this incident.  America in need of politicians willing to tell a different story that goes beyond the rhetoric we’re hearing in Washington.  Mind you, the Wall Street protective story isn’t going to fly, but Booker may also tell the untold stories about the War on Drugs, racial inequality and economic inequality that Washington politicians are choosing to ignore.  In fact, our country needs another Colin Powell, who is more interested in telling the truth than he is in playing for a political football team.

Cory Booker is crafty, intelligent and capable of generating tremendous amounts of support.  The bottom line is that Booker made his mistake, the Obama Administration is not going to trust him anymore, and he’d be best off making the most out of a difficult situation.  As one writer on Daily Kos (Tex DM) let Booker know, “You can’t put the tooth paste back in the tube.”  So perhaps instead of trying to do the impossible, Booker may want to rebuild from where he stands.

He’s still a very good politician and a leader in his own right.  He doesn’t need White House approval.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Professor at Syracuse University and founder of the Your Black World Coalition. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.

The girls had been missing since Wednesday night, when Davis handed them over to a woman named “CC” on the recommendation of a man who worked at the motel where she was temporarily living. She did not report her daughters missing to Long Peach Police department until Friday morning around 11:00 a.m.

Officers conducted a thorough search of the motel and the surrounding area, but it wasn’t until Saturday afternoon that Long Beach police spokeswoman Lisa Massacani said the girls had been found.

The woman who took the kids was described “as black, late 20s to early 30s, 5 foot 1, and 190 pounds. She was wearing black spandex and a long pony-tail in video surveillance from the motel.

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She contacted the LAPD after she saw media reports about the girls and is being questioned, reports NBC Los Angeles. The man who recommended her was initially considered a suspect, but is now considered a fully cooperating witness.

“She is now being questioned for her role in the incident,” according to a statement from the Long Beach Police Department.

It is not clear at this time if she will be arrested.

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Justin, who is Diddy’s son with former gal pal Misa Hylton-Brim (pictured below, on Justin’s left) will attend the institution and play for the famous Bruins.  The scholarship is only awarded to a select few, those who have demonstrated athletic prowess and who are academically gifted.

Reportedly, Justin signed off on his national letter of intent to attend UCLA and play for its team with his mega bucks dad by his side back in February on National Signing Day.

Before signing his letter of intent, when Justin first committed himself to playing with the UCLA team last November while still in attendance at Iona Prep High School in New Rochelle, New York, Diddy released a statement to ESPN LA about the major accomplishment in his son’s life:

“This is everything a father could want for his son, for him to excel at what he loves to do and is truly passionate about,” Combs said in the statement. “Justin is a shining example of what hard work, determination and a strong mentality can achieve. I am honored to call him my son and am happy that he is fulfilling his dream.”

In order to further improve his football game, Justin attended football camps and clinics and even honed his skills further by spending some time with and learning a few pointers from Jets star cornerback Darrelle Revis.

Perhaps even more importantly, potential recruits to UC’LA’s program must not only be award-winning on the field, but, academically, have logged test scores above the national average.

After Justin tossed his tasseled graduation cap up in the air on Wednesday, Diddy sat proudly watching his son and even admitted that he was moved to shed a few tears, tweeting:

Weigh in!

UPDATE: 11:25 P.M. EST

First Lady Michelle Obama is currently attending Beyonce’s second night performance with daughters Sasha, 10, and Malia, 13. Newsone reports here.

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She’s baaaaaaaack…just like she never left! Five months after giving birth to Blue Ivy Carter, Beyonce Knowles — Mrs. Carter if you nasty — stunned the crowd at the new Revel casino and resort in Atlantic City in the first of four scheduled performances.

Shimmying and shaking her tail feather, the singer, who said there was no secret to her amazing weight loss in the months since giving birth “just hard work,” reminded the crowd why she’s one of the most popular, electric performers in the world.

The freshly minted journalist did not have writing on her mind as she thrilled the sold out crowd.  Beyonce’s set included “Baby Boy,” “Irreplaceable,” Freakum Dress,” “Get Me Bodied,” “Jumpin’ Jumpin,” and more.

See a clip of Beyonce performing “Baby Boy” here:

See a clip of Beyonce performing “Crazy in Love” here:

While the screams of the crowd proved that she still got it, Beyonce’s number 1 fan and Blue Ivy’s poppa, hubby S. Carter, showed how proud he was of the missus on Twitter — and was co-signed by none other than the incomparable Jill Scott:

Case closed.

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Check his exclusive video here:

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LIVE COVERAGE: The New NAACP: “Protecting Our BMW’s – Black Men Walking”

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NAACP 500 Leadership summit

I have heavily critiqued the NAACP.

I’ve spoken about how it feels very much disconnected from my generation and I’ve watched as local chapters hold press conferences about ridiculous and frivolous issues. The nation’s oldest civil rights group to me seemed stagnant—Just a bunch of old Black folks being old and Black and not growing with the times. Yes, of course there were some places where the NAACP was still doing good work but I scoffed at it being genuinely relevant anymore.

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So when my co-host L. Joy Williams — an active member of the NAACP’s Brooklyn branch — wanted to invite the National  NAACP’s chairperson on to our radio show, I half-heartedly agreed and told her don’t get mad if I say something she doesn’t like.  Chairman Roslyn Brock appeared on “Blacking It Up” January 23, 2012, and when I thought I was pushing back on her and the organization she pushed back on me. She challenged me directly. She asked me if I was a member of the NAACP? If I had issues with it, why not join and voice them from within?

Why not work with them?

It wasn’t as if I hadn’t considered it before. At Netroots Nation in 2010 during the Black Caucus, the idea of “infiltrating” the NAACP was discussed by a group of very engaged Blacks who felt disconnected to the organization — but I personally didn’t follow up on that threat. The closest I came to joining was when they issued the resolution that there were racist elements in the Tea Party—which at first I thought was silly. But when the declaration caused some members of the Tea Party to respond with racism, I realized that it was sort of a brilliant move. Then within a week or two of that high profile checkmate, the Shirley Sherrod incident occurred and I crossed my arms and said “SEE.”

But as I spoke to the Chairman issuing a direct challenge to me, I felt as if I couldn’t just blow it off. If you’re going to talk smack about organizations you have to also be willing to stand up when asked. The historic nature of the NAACP can never be overstated. And with the challenge the chairman also invited me down to their annual Leadership 500 summit, a 4 day meeting of the minds discussing the path and focus of the organization.

That’s where I’m writing from now.

See Live Coverage of The NAACP 8th Annual Leadership 500 Summit, “Protecting our BMW’s – Black Men Walking,” here.

In the first full day there have been panels and discussions on a wide range of topics. There are people here that I wasn’t aware of before, like Shavon Arline Bradley, Director of Health Programs for the NAACP, who are speaking passionately and brilliantly about many issues that are plaguing our time in America. She came on “Blacking It Up” and dropped one of the scariest statements I’ve ever heard. When explaining the importance of universal healthcare and the actions that we have to take in order to make sure communities have access to fresh food and vegetables she said:

“This generation is the first one that may not live past their parents.”

Another one of my co-hosts, Aaron Rand Freeman had seen Bradley at an earlier panel and couldn’t heap enough praise on her. He was impressed by her knowledge and passion beyond belief. I mention him specifically because Aaron isn’t the type to get excited about conferences or speakers at said conferences. He’s not the type to want to join organizations like the NAACP. Yet after sitting around at the summit and observing it, he was not only excited, he was amazed. This was the NAACP people like myself and many others rarely get to see.

In recent weeks the media focus has been primarily on their recent stance on marriage equality for LGBT Americans, but there’s so much more going on. This civil rights group may be the oldest in the nation but the next generation of leaders are joining and stepping up to deal with the current civil rights issues of the day. Voter Id Laws, Healthcare, Drug laws—all of these are being dealt with head on. I thought to myself “I wish I heard more about this side of the NAACP.”

Then I realized maybe I should stop complaining and show this side of the NAACP.

UPDATE: 5-27-12 — 1:19 A.M. EST

Banks plans to file a claim against the state requesting money for the five years, two months  that he spent in prison, his attorney told the Los Angeles Times. As previously, reported by Newsone, he was exonerated of rape after his accuser recanted her statement.

“We do not plan on taking any legal action against Gibson,” said Banks’ attorney, Justin Brooks of the California Innocence Project, referring to Banks’ accuser, Wanetta Gibson. “We do plan on filing a state claim for the $100 a day Brian is entitled to under State Law 4900 for every day he was wrongfully incarcerated.”

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Brian Banks was 17-years-old in 2002 when Wanetta Gibson lied to her mother and school officials, telling them that he raped her in a stair-well at Long Beach Polytechnic High School. In that instant, his dreams of a collegiate football career at the University of California were shattered.

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But now, after spending nearly 6  years in prison– and being exonerated after Gibson admitted that she lied about the rape — grassroots activists are fighting loudly on Banks’ behalf and a Facebook page has been created to encourage USC to reinstate the scholarship they offered him 2002.

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As previously reported by Newsone, the Trojans had their eye on Banks as a middle line-backer and the Facebook page, ” Fight On” for Brian Banks,” which at the time this article was published had 308 ‘Likes,’ is dedicated to helping Banks’ achieve his football dreams. Justin Brooks, a lawyer who heads the Innocence Project, said that Banks has remained on probation, under electronic monitoring, has had to register as a sex offender and has had trouble getting a job.

But he has never stopped training for a potential football career.

The young woman who ruined at least six years of Banks’ life, had the audacity to send him a Facebook friend request because she wanted to “let bygones be bygones.”

“Fight On” for Brian Banks wants your support so that just the opposite happens. As it pertains to Bank’s scholarship, they don’t want USC to let the opportunity just fade away.

For his part, Banks is looking ahead to the NFL. Brooks has appealed to professional teams to just give him a fair shot. According to him, Banks has been training 6 days a week in preparation of his big break.

“He has the speed and the strength. He certainly has the heart,” Brooks said. “I hope he gets the attention of people in the sports world.”

The road might not be so easy though, according to NFL consultant Gil Brandt, who says that though Banks’ is eligible for any team in the country, his time away from the game could hurt him.

“History tells us guys who come back after one or two years away when they go into the service find it awfully hard,” Brandt said. “And this has been much longer a time.”

Banks is keeping his head held high, though, and refuses to give up.

“It’s been a struggle. But I’m unbroken, and I’m still here today,” he said through his tears at a news conference.

While Banks may be ready to move on to the big leagues, this Facebook page is about opportunity. It’s asking USC to send the same message that the courts sent to Banks when they finally exonerated him. It’s asking USC to send the same message that the Innocence Project sent when they proved they had faith in him.

This page is saying: USC, show Brian Banks that he’s just as worthy of recognition and opportunity as he was before some little girl decided to throw his life away.

To show your support for Brian Banks, ‘Like’ “Fight On” for Brian Banks by clicking here.

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The process of deciding the fate of streetlights has actually been put into effect in a few cities across the country like Santa Rosa, California, Colorado Springs, Colorado and Rockford, Illinois which have gone partially dark because they too were also cash-strapped but not to Detroit’s extent.  With nearly 40 percent of its existing 88,000 street lights not working anyway and since the city can’t afford to fix them,  the initiative would save nearly $10 million a year. The responses to the move have been both good and bad.

One eco-friendly, preservers of the night group, The International Dark-Sky Association, which has a large chapter in the U.S., contends that much outdoor lighting is not only wasteful, but counterproductive. It cites poorly placed street lights that blind drivers as much as help them, or misplaced safety lighting that creates sharp contrasts that can hide intruders rather than expose them.  Nighttime lights have been implicated in some environmental problems, such as confusing birds and bats.

Then there are more who worry that in large cities like Detroit which has one of the highest violent crime rates in the country, law breakers will have a field day in the dark.  Merchants and residents worry that in the dark, neighborhoods will become havens for street crimes and drug gangs and that these areas will then continue to decay.

SEE ALSO: Are Black Celebs Trapped In the Closet?

In any event, the former Massachusetts governor told onlookers, “I come to learn, obviously, from people who are having experiences that are unique and instructive.” I’m not convinced that he learned anything given the manner in which he discussed ways in which the education gap in this country can be closed.

As Politico reports:

Romney’s discussion of a two-parent home wasn’t something he emphasized when he spoke on Wednesday in Washington D.C. about his education platform. But it was a common theme on Thursday during his roundtable discussion.

“For a single Mom living in a shelter with a couple of kids, those kids are at an enormous disadvantage. There is no question about that, relative to a home where a Mom and a Dad are able to be home for dinner,” Romney said when asked about closing the achievement gap for minority children.

He added, “Having two parents in a home makes an enormous difference. So if we’re thinking about the kids of tomorrow, trying to help move people to understand getting married and having families where there is a Mom and Dad together, has a big impact. And in my view that’s critical down the road.”

First, I suppose, I ought to acknowledge that him even thinking about the mythical single Mom in the shelter is a step up from past comments like, “I’m not concerned about the very poor.” Yet, that sort of oversimplified description of the working poor is just as bad as the Politico summation of West Philly as “notorious for its gang and crime problems and rampant poverty.”

And as Lucretia Wilson, a retired prison teacher, told Buzzfeed:

“He is not in a middle class neighborhood right now, which I feel he’s probably totally unaware of. He’s in a neighborhood of working poor, people working hard every day and still can’t get by.”

Romney doesn’t understand what it is like to rely solely on public education to get ahead, which is why his emphasis on charter schools and two-parent households is problematic.

A two-parent household may be advocated as the ideal in raising a child, but two parents don’t make for better funded public schools with more resources, smaller class sizes, and a greater focus on critical thinking versus test taking.

In fact, Romney cited a survey stressing that smaller class sizes don’t really matter. Tell that to someone like me who can remember being stuffed in a tiny classroom with more than 30 students. As for this charter school argument, choice is one thing, but that’s a surface level solution to a systematic problem with education.

As a matter of fact, the very charter school in which Romney chose to have his roundtable discussion is on warning from the state of Pennsylvania because it hasn’t made academic progress in its first two years of existence.

To be fair, parents of students at the school have stressed the difference it’s made in their child’s life, but nevertheless charter schools are increasingly showing they suffer from many of the same problems as their public counterparts.

Mitt Romney clearly made this appearance for political reasons.

Judging from his comments, he didn’t come to learn so much as he did to show his face and make his misguided conservative talking points directly to the people who’d suffer from them most under his administration. If he genuinely wants to learn about a perspective unique to him, maybe he should try this again in the not too distant feature.

As Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter (D) explained to protesters and the media outside:

“It’s nice that he decided this late in his [campaign] to see what a city like Philadelphia is about. I don’t know that a one-day experience in the heart of West Philadelphia is enough to get you ready to run the United States of America.

You want to have an urban experience? You want to have a West Philly experience? Then come out here and talk to somebody in West Philly.”

And don’t just talk (if there is a) next time, Mitt. Really listen.

SEE ALSO:

Why Mitt, Obama Get It Wrong On Unemployment

Why Obama Is Courting Asians

Michael Arceneaux is a Houston-bred, Howard-educated writer and blogger. You can read more of his work on his site, The Cynical Ones. Follow him on Twitter: @youngsinick

Phaedra Parks

Parks, a high-profile Atlanta attorney who has represented R&B singer Bobby Brown, is suing for defamation of character after Vibe Magazine seemed to highly publicize the book “Lies Of A Real Housewife,” by Angela Stanton, who claimed that Parks was involved in illegal activities with her husband, Apollo, before making it big as an attorney.

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The AJC reports:

The lawsuit, filed this week, demands a jury trial, $5 million in compensatory and $25 million in punitive damages, and retractions.

“While Plaintiff recognizes the importance of the role of the media in reporting on public figures, Defendant and other members of the media are not granted an unfettered right or privilege under the First Amendment to defame public figures by publishing false and defamatory accusations with actual malice,” the lawsuit states. “As a result of its conduct, Defendant crossed the threshold from speech protected by the First Amendment to enter the arena of actionable defamation of a public figure for which they must be held legally accountable.”

The lawsuit says, “In its entirety, the book falsely portrays the relationship between Plaintiff and Stanton as that of friends and accomplices in criminal activity,” and “conveys a picture of Plaintiff as a crooked attorney engaged in a multitude of criminal acts, who conspires with Stanton to commit these acts, and who then uses Stanton in an effort to escape criminal liability for those acts.”

They must have forgotten that Parks was — and continues to be — a first-class attorney, and will remain one long after RHOA ceases to exist.

Read more at AJC.com.

Eddie Murphy and Rocsi dating?

Veteran actor/comedian Eddie Murphy and BET’s own 106 and Park co-host Rocsi Diaz are allegedly the hottest new couple that you didn’t know about, reports the always reliable YBF.com.

The couple was spotted holding hands and smiling for the camera in Beverly Hills after a run to the Coffee Bean.

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Diaz, who is rumored to have quit her gig at the iconic urban program to pursue a career in Hollywood, reportedly has been pitching screenplays in hopes of getting one of her films in theaters. That would explain her presence in LaLa Land — or it could be her rumored fascination with older men.

Diaz was rumored to be dating the former Premier of Turks and Caicos Michael Misick, 46, while he was still married to “Player’s Club” actress, Lisa Raye McCoy. She was also spotted in a bikini vacationing with soulful crooner Raphael Saadiq, 46.

Murphy has been married twice, first to Nicole Mitchell, with whom he has 5 children. They married in 1993 and divorced in 2006. He then was involved in a “blink and you’ll miss it” romp with Melanie “Scary Spice” Brown and a daughter, Angel, came of that union. Most recently, he wed movie producer and businesswoman Tracey Edmonds, first wife of Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, in a ceremony in Bora-Bora. Their marriage was never legalized in the United States.

With these color histories, one thing we can know for sure, is this relationship will not be boring!

Weigh in!

The mother is currently in the hospital being questioned by Philadelphia Police. She allegedly attempted a murder-suicide by drowning one baby and suffocating the other, poisoning her 4-year-old daughter by putting some kind of medicine in her drink, then slashing her own wrists. The child is listed in stable but guarded condition at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, reports the Associated Press.

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Ron Smalls told WPVI-TV that the couple had been experiencing marital strife, but she refused to attend counseling:

“We’ve had some problems and I’d suggested therapy for both of us,” he said. “She didn’t think it was important.”

The children were discovered by their father when he arrived home at approximately 4:00 p.m. He called 911, telling the dispatcher that his wife had murdered his babies. Police quickly arrived on the scene and the babies were pronounced dead at approximately 4:10 p.m.

Upon arrival, Stacey Smalls allegedly said, ” I harmed my babies.”

According to NBC10, Stacey Smalls left notes next to the children, one saying, “This is why I killed your kids.” The detailed notes were left for her husband, who is a correctional officer, explaining her anger upon finding out on Mother’s Day that he was allegedly having an affair with Stacey’s daughter from previous relationship.

“She had something that she felt was justification but there is no justification… it’s a tragedy two young babies dead and there is no excuse for that,” said Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey.

Mrs. Smalls changed her Facebook status from “married” to “divorced” earlier this month and also put her marital issues out there for the world to see.

See exclusive NewsOne screenshots below:

In a macabre twist, her most recent Facebook Activity was to “Like” the page “I Love Being a Mom.”

Mrs. Smalls remained in custody Friday afternoon and has been placed on suicide watch.

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10 News reports:

“The nice thing about this is that at the grade level it looks like a regular garage floor,” said Cheryl Nauman, an employee at American Custom Lifts. “When you hit a button, another comes up.” Brad Davies created the sophisticated car elevator. His shop, American Custom Lifts, is located in downtown Escondido, but he has installed the lifts in homes around the world.”We just recently installed one in London,” said Davies. “We have one in New Zealand [and] Norway. We have quite a few in Canada.”Clients include actor Harrison Ford and singer Britney Spears. Now, presidential hopeful Mitt Romney wants to install a Phantom Park in his La Jolla home. First, Romney will bulldoze the current 3,000-square-foot home and build one that is 11,000 square feet. The basement alone will be 3,600 square feet and is planned to have a Phantom Park in it to store his cars.”For the cost of the lift, delivery and installed… it’s about $55,000,” said Davies.

While many Americans are struggling to keep their heads above water, why wouldn’t someone running for President of the United States plan to build a subterranean car elevator [note extreme sarcasm]?

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This is after all the same man who said that he wasn’t “concerned with the very poor.”

This is also the same man who said that Democrats begrudge people their wealth, while Republicans applaud it.

Maybe, Mr. Romney, Democrats don’t begrudge you your trust funds, rather they find it extremely laughable that you can even pretend to care about the economic conditions of people living in poverty.

And can you really blame them?

Pat Cunningham describes the former Massachusetts governor perfectly:

“Mitt Romney is the classic example of the guy who was born on third base and thinks he hit a triple. He would do better to admit that he was born into wealth and privilege and tailor his political message to his determination to improve economic opportunities for all Americans — and spare us the bootstraps imagery of his own experience.”

It’s clear from this gaudy display of wealth, that the only thing “poor” Romney is familiar with is taste.