Black Man In America Podcast!

"Black Man in America" is a bold and unfiltered podcast hosted by OG FOXXIE that dives deep into the political, social, and economic issues affecting the Black community and beyond.

Sonya Massey Killing

A parent's worst fear!

Sonya Massey’s mother called 911 to report her daughter having a mental breakdown a day before Massey, 36, was fatally shot inside of her home by an Illinois deputy, according to emergency call audio released this week.

“She has been having a mental breakdown, which is something new to me,” Donna Massey, her mother, can be heard saying on the call. “She is not a danger to herself, she is not a danger to me. But when she gets upset, then she thinks everyone is after her, like paranoid or schizophrenic.”

An Illinois sheriff whose former deputy fatally shot Sonya Massey last month inside her Springfield home told CBS News Thursday that not only had the deputy received training, but he had specifically received extra training to learn how to avoid the use of unwarranted lethal force.  

"This was a rogue individual that acted outside the scope of his authority," Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell said of his former Deputy Sean Grayson. "He's been arrested, and he will pay the price."

Trump wants to give rogue cops, like Sean Grayson, immunity. This part of his horrible Project 2025 manifesto!

Terrance Fox 2015 false Arrest

 In 2015 a black man, Terrance D. Fox of Shannon St., Schenectady, NY, was falsely arrested.

Mr. Fox was notified by Twitter that his account, with 100,000 followers, was hacked by a Russian group, and a police bait picture was uploaded onto it. The account was taken down by Twitter.

The photo was sent to the authorities. This caused a police swat team to raid Mr. Fox's home. 

As the police searched his home and computer, for incriminating evidence, Mr. Fox was wrongfully detained, and sat at the station waiting.

Upon completion of the search, he was informed that nothing incriminating was found.

An officer then scrolled through an IPad and uploaded a picture of a police female pretending to be underage(bait picture), saying she was 14 years old.

The officer falsely charged Mr. Fox with possessing and uploading this picture onto his Twitter account.

Judge set bail at $25,000, which Mr. Fox refused to pay, and was sent to county jail until next court appearance, 3 days later.

When Mr. Fox returned, the judge released Mr. Fox on his own recognizance.

After months of court appearances, the D.A. finally dropped the charges and completely expunged without restrictions.

Mr. Fox was a victim of internet/computer swatting and should have never been arrested.

The Disgracing Of The Black Man

Bill Cosby is the latest victim of Black disgrace. Throughout history the Black man has been depicted and stereotyped, as a sexual animal. He is now being depicted as the stereotypical Black man, a sex craved wild animal. The people who have come to love him, many white, have now turned their backs on him. There is no support, despite the fact that all allegations against him are purely hearsay, and technically without merit. There's no Reverend Al, there's no Jessie Jackson, and King family reps speaking in support of this man. He has represented the Black race in the highest of regards, but yet it seems that Blacks are allowing this 21st century lynching to continue. Blacks should boycott all tv stations that have prematurely pulled his programs, because we all are innocent until proven guilty. The public prosecution of Mr. Cosby, must stop and stop now. By allowing tv stations to yank programing that portrays the Black family in the proper manner, is an injustice. All the tapes of a beautifully craft family sit-com, must be destroyed, this persecution of Mr. Crosby is another example that we as Americans are still are racially divided, quick to disgrace Black icons on a continual basis. Michael Jackson, pedophile, now Bill Cosby, rapist. Two men who haven given more back to their people, and others, but are stripped of their status, and stature, and dignity. Where are the black leaders when these men are unfairly prosecuted and persecuted? One has already died due to the undue stress the false accusations had on him, suffering from post traumatic stress, which would not allow him to sleep at night, and needed the heaviest of drug to do the job. Blacks should rally around this man. He has done so much for the Black community, other stars have to come in support of him, because he will always be the first Black man that paved the way for their success. He was doing something right. Black comedians should cease in making jokes about him.

Eric Garner

Eric Garner is just another case where police go too far, when dealing with Blacks. Throughout the video, we never see the police have him "assume the position" in an attempt to search him for any illegal contraband. What we do see, is the police immediately attempt to arrest him upon their approach. Despite Mr. Garners denials that he is doing anything wrong, we never hear the police issue him his Miranda right to remain silent. The police know that people will attempt to resist arrest in many cases, but never do we hear of any White individuals being killed as a result of their resistance. The choke hold applied to him was banned, and should have never been applied on him, because that hold has killed before!! This is just another case where officers become extremely frightened, despite all their training, when approaching Black males!! This case definitely should have went to trial, there is definitely probable cause for these officers to be tried!!

The Demise Of The Black Quarterbacks

The quarterback position is relied primarily of on him being protected by mostly very large country White boys. When the black quarterback has Swagg and gets too full of himself, this gives these large country boys reason to rebel against the superstar. The linemen lose their tenacity to fight for and protect that Superstar. As a result the Black quarterback endears punishment beyond belief. It started with Mike Vick, then progressed to Cam Newton, now upon RG3. Many others have busted right out of the gate, with no respect from the country boys from day one. Remember that Peyton Manning and Tom Brady all have Country boys who are willing to go to battle to protect them. It can't be believed that these country boys will become other than football players just doing their jobs collecting a check, to become gladiators for the Black quarterback with Swagg!!The idea is repulsive to the country White boy!!

FERGUSON!!

Outrage that we witnessed in Ferguson, Missouri, was triggered mainly by the young people there. They are facing the reality that their lives are worthless. With black on black crime at its highest in many communities, the killing of young blacks by police is the final straw, they can be killed by the bad guys and the good guys!! But, as these events continue to happen, the reaction to these events hasn't progressed through the years. As long as blacks loot and burn their own communities, the decision to exonerate police for these killings will continue to happen!! Protesters must take their anger to those who caused it, and go into those communities to express their displeasure. If the perpetrator's communities are filled with tear gas and other military tactics that may be used to incite the crowed, then these people will think twice about reaching decisions in these matters , they will know what could happen to their communities!!

Hillary Clinton's Downfall

The Benghazi fiasco will be Ms. Clinton's Waterloo. As we seen with the debates during the last race, this issue was critical to President Obama's victory. Had he not been able to get passed that question, with help from moderator, it would have been all over. Ms. Clinton on the other hand was directly involve in the fiasco, which will allow the republicans to label her soft on foreign policy. This will cause many white males to steer clear of her. The NRA of course will make it difficult for her to sustain any sort of momentum on gun control, seems they win again. Finally, she did have a health scare that could easily return in the future, so her health will be an issue in the race, not trying to wish anything bad on her, but this is an issue to be considered.

Post President Obama

Will black people be willing to stand in long lines & fight voter denying tactics, to vote for Hillary Clinton? My answer is no, and that's going to be Mrs. Clinton's downfall . The percentage of blacks going to the polls will decrease significantly enough that the republican candidate will have the opportunity to steal the election. Latinos on the other hand will come out in numbers to support Ms. Clinton as long as she has a solid immigration plan in place, and that be her signature signing in her 1st term.

The Lesson Of Trayvon Martin

Trayvon died because he wasn't armed for if he felt threaten by Mr. Zimmerman, he had the right to shoot him as Mr. Zimmerman did to him, base on a southern law. People in the north became outraged when they found out that no one had been arrested for the shooting that had occurred a month earlier. Northerners don't understand this concept because it is illegal to kill a person on the streets, and if someone does kill a person they are arrested. In the north a person can only kill another person if that person has broken into their home, that's the only scenario. As a result of what happened to Trayvon, Northerners immediately viewed the actions of Mr. Zimmerman and the lack of police action as an act of racism. For a month no one in the south had expressed any concern over this, but when the news made its way to the north, there was a huge outcry and a swell of public support to seek justice for Trayvon. This resulted in many Northerners heading to the south to protest and voice their outrage. Southerners became upset that these Northerners had come to the south to express their anger, because to them this was normal and no one was complaining. Whatever Mr. Zimmerman told police was sufficient, in spite of evidence to the contrary. The enraged Northerners began to hold hoodie rallies throughout the country, angering the south. Just like with Rodney King, racial tension began to spread throughout the country. Soon there were reports that Trayvon was some sort of thug who's killing was justified by Mr. Zimmerman. People started coming out in support of Mr. Zimmerman, who it appeared wanted to be a police officer himself, and became the head of the neighborhood watch. He was hoping to score some brownie points with the community and police force. Northerners were introduced to the law that justified Mr. Zimmerman killing Trayvon, a stand your ground law, and that was why Mr. Zimmerman had not been arrested. This further angered the Northerners for no one had ever heard of such a law there. Soon there were request to have this law repealed to prevent this from ever happening again. Once again the Southerners riled against such a notion and tried to justify the laws existence. The lesson that one can gain from this tragic event is that young black teens in the south must arm themselves, as long as this law exist, to be on a fair playing field. If not, Mr. Zimmerman has made it clear that these kids are fair game.

Oprah Receives DVF Award

The DVF awards honor women who are courageous and fight for justice. Oprah Winfrey accepted a "Lifetime Leadership" honor at the third annual DVF awards. She was embraced by longtime friend Diane von Furstenberg as she took to the stage. "She is the most formidable person I have ever met in my life," the designer and humanitarian said of Winfrey at the event, held Friday night at the United Nations. "What is extraordinary about Oprah is that she has done so much and yet she is still a little girl. She is still very pure and you can make her cry and laugh so quickly." Winfrey was expected to talk about her career, but instead used the majority of her time to praise another honoree, Jaycee Dugard, who was abducted when she was 11 years old and held in captivity for 18 years by Phillip and Nancy Garrido. She was raped and gave birth to two children before she was eventually rescued. Her captors were convicted. "I wanted to have the opportunity to meet her and to tell her how much her story and her life meant to me," she explained. "I said to Diane, 'I know Diane Sawyer should be the one to introduce her, but would you please let me do it.'" Winfrey went on to thank Sawyer, who was also in attendance, and praised the television special she did with Dugard. "Jaycee Dugard, I am so proud of you, your courage, your ability to press onward toward the future and toward a more victorious life for yourself and for using your courage your strength and your power to show the world that you care," Winfrey said.

Obama Sent Troops To Eliminate Kony

Invisible Children's new campaign comes five months after President Barack Obama sent 100 U.S. forces to help regional governments eliminate Kony and his lieutenants. American troops are now stationed in Uganda, the Central African Republic, the Congo, and South Sudan, countries where Kony's men operate. Ugandan officials say that, with the help of U.S. troops, the hunt for LRA leaders has intensified in recent months. Asked what the chances were of eliminating the LRA, Rear Adm. Brian L. Losey, the top U.S. special operations commander for Africa, told journalists last month: "I don't see failure." Kony is now thought to be hiding in the Central African Republic, where he fled before an aerial assault on his forested base in Congo in 2008. Ugandan officials say the LRA with some 200 core fighters at most is weakened and is merely trying to survive. Ogenga Latigo, a politician from northern Uganda who previously led the opposition in Uganda's Parliament, said Invisible Children's perspective was too narrow to be allowed to define the popular understanding of an insurgency that displaced millions and in which thousands were killed or abducted. "Theirs is a narrow perspective," he said of Invisible Children's work. "They just want the war to end so that children can go back home. That's all." Latigo said that the Ugandan government, by failing to deploy enough soldiers to prevent the LRA from abducting children over the years, had been partly responsible for the rebel group's success as a recruiter of children. "Our position was clear. We told the government, 'There are not enough soldiers,'" he said. Maria Burnett, a researcher on Uganda for Human Rights Watch, said the video has helped draw attention to an issue the rights group has long been working on. "We hope it will be helpful," she said. "What it leads to remains to be seen, but the goal to bring pressure on key leaders, to protect civilians and to apprehend LRA leadership is important, absolutely."

New York Black Teen Arrests

Cops arrested 279 students, about five a day in 55 days of classes. They also issued 532 summons to students for offenses ranging from assault to loitering. nine a day. 94% of the students arrested were black or Hispanic, and 75% were male. “Children are being sent to the precinct instead of the principal’s office for misbehaving.” Black students were almost six times more likely to be arrested than white students. “These policies are putting young men in the pipeline to prison rather than the road to success,” according to the data, said NYCLU Executive Director Donna Lieberman. The New York Civil Liberties Union said the arrests are “unfair” and introduce minority children into the criminal justice system unnecessarily. The kids attended high school or middle school and were age 15 or older. The numbers cover Oct. 1 to Dec. 30, 2011, and were released by the police to comply with a city law enacted last year. School arrest data released by the NYCLU in November showed that about one student was arrested per day on average last summer, when far fewer kids were attending school. Department of Education officials declined to comment on the data. Police officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Whitney Houston Dead

Whitney Houston died Saturday. She was 48. Houston's body was found by her aunt, Mary Jones, who attempted to revive the star with CPR. Jones had prepared her niece's outfit for the evening and laid out her dress on the bed before leaving the singer's hotel room for around 30 minutes. When Jones returned, Houston did not emerge from the bathroom -- so she entered the room and found her famous niece in the tub. Beverly Hills police Lt. Mark Rosen told reporters outside the Beverly Hilton that Houston was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m. in her room on the fourth floor of the hotel. Her body remained there and Beverly Hills detectives were investigating. "There were no obvious signs of any criminal intent," Rosen said. Houston's publicist, Kristen Foster, said the cause of death was unknown. Rosen said police received a 911 call from hotel security about Houston at 3:43 p.m. Saturday. Paramedics who were already at the hotel because of a Grammy party unsuccessfully tried to resuscitate the singer, he said. Her longtime mentor Clive Davis was to hold his annual concert and dinner Saturday at the same hotel where her body was found, and a representative of the show said it would proceed. Houston was supposed to appear at the gala, and Davis had told The Associated Press that she would perhaps perform, "It's her favorite night of the year, who knows by the end of the evening," he said. Houston had been at rehearsals for the show Thursday, coaching singers Brandy and Monica, according to a person who was at the event but was not authorized to speak publicly about it. The person said Houston looked disheveled, was sweating profusely and liquor and cigarettes could be smelled on her breath. The singer's official autopsy results have not yet been released, and several reports stating that she drowned were not confirmed by the coroner's office -- which said it may take up to eight weeks for the official cause of death to be released. "There will be no cause of death at this time, as it is awaiting toxicology," Los Angeles deputy coroner Ed Winter said Sunday at a news conference. "I know there were reports of did she drown or was it an overdose, but I will not be commenting on that." The prescription drugs Xanax, Lorazepam and Valium were found in her suite, Room 434, at the posh Beverly Hilton, one report said. Two days ago, she performed at a pre-Grammy party with singer Kelly Price. Singer Kenny Lattimore hosted the event, and said Houston sang the gospel classic "Jesus Loves Me" with Price, her voice registering softly, not with the same power it had at its height. Lattimore said Houston was gregarious and was in a good mood, surrounded by friends and family, including daughter Bobbi Kristina. "She just seemed like she was having a great night that night," said Lattimore, who said he was in shock over her death. Aretha Franklin, her godmother, also said she was stunned. "I just can't talk about it now," Franklin said in a short statement. "It's so stunning and unbelievable. I couldn't believe what I was reading coming across the TV screen." The Rev. Al Sharpton said he would call for a national prayer Sunday morning during a service at Second Baptist Church in Los Angeles. "The morning of the Grammys, the world should pause and pray for the memory of a gifted songbird," Sharpton said in a statement. She had the perfect voice and the perfect image: a gorgeous singer who had sex appeal but was never overtly sexual, who maintained perfect poise. She influenced a generation of younger singers, from Christina Aguilera to Mariah Carey, who when she first came out sounded so much like Houston that many thought it was Houston. Houston first started singing in the church as a child. In her teens, she sang backup for Chaka Khan, Jermaine Jackson and others, in addition to modeling. It was around that time when music mogul Clive Davis first heard Houston perform. "The time that I first saw her singing in her mother's act in a club, it was such a stunning impact," Davis told Good Morning America. "To hear this young girl breathe such fire into this song. I mean, it really sent the proverbial tingles up my spine," he added. Houston made her album debut in 1985 with "Whitney Houston," which sold millions and spawned hit after hit. "Saving All My Love for You" brought her her first Grammy, for best female pop vocal. "How Will I Know," ''You Give Good Love" and "The Greatest Love of All" also became hit singles. Another multiplatinum album, "Whitney," came out in 1987 and included hits like "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" and "I Wanna Dance With Somebody." Houston would go to rehab twice before she would declare herself drug-free to Winfrey in 2009. But in the interim, there were missed concert dates, a stop at an airport due to drugs, and public meltdowns. Houston was to make her return to film in the remake of the classic movie "Sparkle." Filming on the movie, which stars former "American Idol" winner Jordin Sparks, recently wrapped.

Chris Brown Stays On Probation

Superior Court Judge George Lomeli agreed with prosecutors that despite Chris Brown's high marks so far, he should continue to report to a probation officer in his home state of Virginia. Chris did not appear for a brief hearing during which his attorney asked that Brown's term on supervised probation be ended because of his good behavior. Attorney Mark Geragos' request came after Brown's probation officer wrote in a report that the singer has been truthful with officers, passed all required drug tests and "has made great strides" while under probation supervision. He has completed half of the six months' worth of roadside cleanup, graffiti removal and other manual labor that he was ordered to do after pleading guilty to attacking Rihanna. The favorable probation report was written three years to the day after the attack, which left Rihanna bloody, bruised and unable to perform at the Grammys. Brown was ordered to serve five years on probation. Lomeli said he didn't think it was unreasonable for Brown to remain under supervision until he completes more of his community service hours. Brown has completed anger management and domestic violence counseling, and last year another judge relaxed a restraining order that had prohibited Brown and Rihanna from contacting each other or getting too close at music industry events. The judge scheduled another progress hearing for July 10. Brown is in the midst of a comeback, with the singer set to perform at the Grammy Awards on Sunday night. His multi-hit album, "F.A.M.E. (Forgiving All My Enemies) was a top seller and he is nominated for three Grammys, including best R&B album.

50 Cent Helps With Hunger In Africa

50 Cent flew to Dolo, Somalia, to see firsthand the effects of hunger in Somalia and Kenya, on Wednesday. World Food Program said the rapper, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, has committed to provide 1 billion meals for the hungry, and is donating to WFP 10 cents from every sale of a new energy drink called Street King that he is promoting. Tens of thousands of women and children have fled there over the last year to flee a devastating famine that killed tens of thousands of people across Somalia. The U.N. last week declared an end to Somalia's six-month famine, though it said tens of thousands of people still need food aid to survive. The British government estimates that between 50,000 and 100,000 people died from the famine's effects.

Suge Knight Arrested

Suge Knight was arrested in Las Vegas on a traffic warrant and misdemeanor drug charges. Knight was accused of making an unsafe lane change and possession of less than one ounce (28 grams) of a controlled substance and released from jail without bail. He's due March 12 in Las Vegas Municipal Court. Officer Laura Meltzer says the 46-year-old former Death Row Records executive was stopped driving a black Bentley with California plates on Wednesday.

Don Cornelius Dead

Don Cornelius, the creator of ‘Soul Train,’ was found dead, by a relative at his Mulholland Drive home Wednesday. He was rushed to Cedars Sinai Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, according to law enforcement sources. Though law enforcement sources believe Cornelius killed himself, they said it would take days to fully investigate, including interviewing friends and family and examining evidence in his home. Sources close to the investigation said they were looking at several possible triggers, including Cornelius' health and his financial situation. But they emphasized they had not made any determinations. Cornelius had undergone brain surgery in the 1980s and was quoted in newspapers at the time as saying he didn't feel quite the same afterward. With his first wife, Delores, Cornelius had two sons, Anthony and Raymond. His second marriage, to Russian model Viktoria Chapman, ended in divorce after he pleaded no contest to misdemeanor spousal battery in 2009. He had alluded to health problems in divorce papers. Fans, friends and co-workers were quick to release statements and emotional memories of the TV legend. Aretha Franklin, Rev. Jesse Jackson and Quincy Jones were a few who expressed their deep sadness, the Associated Press reports. “I am shocked and deeply saddened at the sudden passing of my friend, colleague, and business partner Don Cornelius,” Quincy Jones said. “Don was a visionary pioneer and a giant in our business. Before MTV there was ‘Soul Train,’ that will be the great legacy of Don Cornelius. “His contributions to television, music and our culture as a whole will never be matched,” he said. “My heart goes out to Don’s family and loved ones.” According to The Times' Hollywood Walk of Fame database, Cornelius’ “Soul Train” became the longest-running, first-run nationally syndicated show in television history, bringing African American music and style to the world for 35 years. Inspired by “American Bandstand,” Cornelius devised a similar program spotlighting soul music and introduced it on the Chicago UHF station WCIU in 1970. It was syndicated in 1971, and Cornelius soon moved the production to Hollywood. Cornelius was the deep-voiced host, and in addition to major black artists, the show also attracted such R&B-leaning rock performers as David Bowie and Robert Palmer. Don was 75 years old.

MJ's Kids Immortalize Him

Michael Jackson's three children use their father's shoes and a sequined glove to make handprint and footprint impressions, and their hand prints in the concrete in front of Grauman's Chinese Theatre. A promotion for Cirque du Soleil's "Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour," which makes its Los Angeles debut Friday night. The children attended the Canadian premiere of the raveling Cirque du Soleil show with their grandmother in October. The "Immortal" show is touring the United States and Canada through this year before taking up residency in Las Vegas. Katherine Jackson was joined by sons Tito, and Jackie Jackson. The celebrity guest list includes Smokey Robinson, Chris Tucker, members of the cast of "Glee," and Quincy Jones, Justin Bieber, and teen boy band Mindless Behavior. Legends who left their handprints and footprints in Grauman's concrete courtyard on Hollywood Boulevard include Fred Astaire, Elizabeth Taylor, Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe, Sidney Poitier, Clark Gable and Mary Pickford. The tradition started in 1928, a year after the historic theater opened. Michael Jackson's Hollywood Walk of Fame star is on the sidewalk in front of the theater.

Halle Berry's Nanny Request Denied

A judge on Tuesday denied a nanny's request for a restraining order against Halle Berry's baby daddy, Gabriel Aubry, and today the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services paid Berry a visit. Berry and Aubry were both in court yesterday for an emergency hearing regarding Aubry's alleged behavior around their daughter's nanny, who claimed that he was verbally aggressive and had "violently pushed her" last week. In response to a report that police interviewed Berry about the nanny's allegations, the LAPD tells us, "We cannot reveal information about an ongoing investigation in which the victim has confidentiality and the suspect has not been arrested." The Department of Children and Family Services is legally prohibited from commenting on such cases or identifying the people involved, but a rep for the department's public affairs office told E! News that "all necessary steps are taken" when they receive a call about possible child endangerment or abuse.

NY Officer Violates Civil Rights

Michael Daragjati, an eight-year veteran of the New York Police Department, pleads guilty to federal charges that he violated an African-American man's civil rights by arresting him on false charges, Tuesday. He was later heard using a racial slur to brag about the arrest by investigators who were recording him. Daragjati, who had been suspended without pay, was fired from the force, authorities said. He agreed not to oppose his termination and agreed never to seek work in law enforcement again. He faces a potential sentence of a year in jail and a $100,000 fine; a sentencing hearing has not been set. Daragjati stopped and frisked the man in New York City's Staten Island borough in April, and the man complained about his treatment after he was found not to be carrying any weapons or contraband, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court in Brooklyn. Daragjati responded by arresting him and filing a report falsely claiming the man resisted arrest by flailing his arms and kicking, the complaint said. Loretta Lynch, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in a statement that Daragjati "criminally abused the immense authority and public trust conferred on him by his status as a police officer." "Hiding behind his badge, he subjected his victims to false arrest, imprisonment and threats of violence," she said.

Newt Gingrich And Freddie Mac

Newt Gingrich arranged the release of a contract Monday night showing the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. paid his consulting firm a $25,000 monthly retainer fee in 2006, for a total of $300,000. The agreement calls for "consulting and related services" but makes no mention of lobbying. Mitt Romney says, "This contract proves you were not a historian. You were a consultant," Romney said. "And you were hired by the chief lobbyist of Freddie Mac." Gingrich replied, "Gov. Romney has done consulting work for years," the former House speaker said. "I've never suggested his consulting work was lobbying." Romney has been ramping up criticism for not making the details public sooner. Gingrich said it wasn't only up to him because he no longer controls the firm named in the contract and confidentiality clauses were at play. Gingrich has said previously that firms he ran received about $1.6 million from Freddie Mac for consulting services over several years, and he personally pocketed $35,000 a year. Gingrich was hired again in 2006 by the company's new chief political executive Hollis McLoughlin — he still works there — to speak and write on the benefits of Freddie Mac. He was paid $300,000 for 2006, and received some additional money in 2007. Only the contract covering 2006 was released. He was employed by the political arm of the company for approximately $1.7 million for the sole purpose of convincing fellow Republicans that Freddie Mac was a force for good in America. The person who provided the information on Gingrich's employment pointed to the open-ended nature of the 2006 contract that was released Monday. Gingrich spokesman R.C. Hammond said there are no plans for additional disclosures.

Mitt Romney's Tax Return

Mitt Romney disclosed income of $21.7 million in 2010 and $20.9 million last year mostly all of it profits, dividends or interest from investments. None from wages, the primary source of income for most Americans. Instead, Romney and his wife, Ann, collected millions in capital gains from a profusion of investments, as well as stock dividends and interest payments. The couple gave away $7 million in charitable contributions over the past two years, including at least $4.1 million to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For 2011, Romney estimates that he will pay about $3.2 million, for an effective rate of 15.4 percent. “You’ll see my income, how much taxes I’ve paid, how much I’ve paid to charity,” Romney said at a debate Monday night in Tampa. “I pay all the taxes that are legally required and not a dollar more. I don’t think you want someone as the candidate for president who pays more taxes than he owes.” The Romney campaign planned to publicly release the tax documents Tuesday morning but gave a preview late Monday night to The Washington Post.

Seal Speaks

Seal says he believes the pair can avoid a messy breakup. "In terms of our love and respect for each other, it hasn't changed at all," he says in an interview airing Friday on Tavis Smiley on PBS. "And I think that when two people feel that way about each other, it is easy – it is easier to make that transition." "are our first priority" and that the pair can still remain friends "especially when there are other things to take into consideration like family." "What one has to do in this situation is remain civil and to retain one's dignity and to be professional and to understand that we are not the only people on this planet that go through this," he says. "It is just unfortunately a chapter of life." On The Ellen DeGeneres Show, he explained why he was still wearing his wedding ring. It?s just pretty much a token of how I feel about this woman," he says on the show airing Wednesday. "We have eight years, eight wonderful years together. Just because we have decided to separate doesn?t necessarily mean you take off your ring and you?re no longer connected to that person. We will be connected in many ways 'til the rest of our lives." whether he'll wear the ring for the rest of his life, he says, "Who knows?" "But right now it feels really comfortable on my hand so I have no intentions of taking it off anytime soon," he says. The separation, left him and Klum just as "shocked" as everybody. But he says the pair found that "you just grow apart after awhile." "It's a shame," he says. "To say that neither of us were grieving would be an out-and-out lie."

John Levy First Black Manager Dies

John Levy, the first prominent African-American personal manager in the jazz or pop music field, whose clients included Nancy Wilson and Ramsey Lewis, has died at age 99. Devra Hall Levy posted on his website that her husband died in his sleep at his home in Altadena, California, less than three months before his 100th birthday. In 1950s, he became Shearing's full-time manager and later went on to form his own management agency, John Levy Enterprises, Inc. Levy's client roster over the years included more than 85 artists, including Wilson, Lewis, Nat and Cannonball Adderley, Betty Carter, Roberta Flack, Herbie Hancock, Shirley Horn, Freddie Hubbard, Ahmad Jamal and Abbey Lincoln as well as comedian Arsenio Hall. In 2006, the National Endowment for the Arts recognized Levy as a Jazz Master, the nation's highest jazz honor.

Aretha Franklin Puts Brakes On Wedding

A statement released Monday by her representative said Aretha Franklin's wedding to Willie Wilkerson wasn't going to happen. "Will and I have decided we were moving a little too fast, and there were a number of things that had not been thought through thoroughly. There will be no wedding at this time," Franklin said. "We will not comment on it any further because of the very personal and sensitive nature of it. We appreciate all of the many well wishes from friends." Franklin, 69, announced shortly after New Year's Day that she was getting married. In an interview with The Associated Press, the jovial Queen of Soul talked about getting fitted for gowns by designers including Vera Wang and Donna Karan, and said she hoped for a summer wedding in either Miami or the Hamptons on Long Island, N.Y. Franklin said Wilkerson was the one for her and that the relationship was particularly strong because they had been friends first. "We're very compatible, and he supports me and I support him a lot, and he has given me specialized attention that I don't think I've received from anyone else," she said. It's unclear if the pair are still romantically involved.

Reasons China Makes IPhones

China has more mid-level engineers, a more flexible workforce, and gigantic factories that can ramp up production at the drop of a hat. China also offers tech firms a one-stop solution. "The entire supply chain is in China now," a former high-ranking Apple executive tells The Times. "You need a thousand rubber gaskets? That's the factory next door. You need a million screws? That factory is a block away. You need that screw made a little bit different? It will take three hours." Wages actually aren't that big a part of the cost of making consumer electronics, according to The Times. Paying American wages to build iPhones would add only about $65 to the retail price of each handset, according to analysts' estimates. That's an amount Apple could likely afford. And in fact, China no longer offers rock-bottom wages. But when it did, it used that window "to innovate the entire way supply chains work," says Sarah Lacy at PandoDaily. China is now "a place other countries can beat on sheer cost, but not on speed, flexibility, and know-how." When Jobs decided just a month before the iPhone hit markets to replace a scratch-prone plastic screen with a glass one, a Foxconn factory in China woke up about 8,000 workers when the glass screens arrived at midnight, and the workers were assembling 10,000 iPhones a day within 96 hours. Another example: Apple had originally estimated that it would take nine months to hire the 8,700 qualified industrial engineers needed to oversee production of the iPhone; in China, it took 15 days. Anecdotes like that leave you "feeling almost impressed by the no-holds-barred capabilities of these manufacturing plants," says Edward Moyer at CNET News, "impressed and queasy at the same time." Some tech executives suggested that a "tax holiday" on foreign profits would allow their companies to repatriate money to create jobs at home. Such a tax break would save Apple about $8.2 billion, says Philip Elmer-DeWitt at Fortune. "That's a lot of lettuce." President Obama reportedly once asked Steve Jobs what it would take to make iPhones in the U.S. Jobs suggested at the dinner that Apple could bring some skilled manufacturing jobs to the U.S. if the government helped train a new cadre of engineers. Apple has actually added quite a few jobs here in the U.S., even as it outsources more of its labor overseas. And at the end of the Silicon Valley dinner, Jobs reportedly told Obama that he's "not worried about the country's long-term future" because the U.S. "is insanely great."

Blues Singer Etta James Dies

Etta James died at Riverside Community Hospital, with her husband and sons at her side. She was one of music's original bad girls. "The bad girls ... had the look that I liked," she wrote in her 1995 autobiography, "Rage to Survive." ''I wanted to be rare, I wanted to be noticed, I wanted to be exotic as a Cotton Club chorus girl, and I wanted to be obvious as the most flamboyant hooker on the street. I just wanted to be." She would always be remembered best for "At Last." The jazz-inflected rendition wasn't the original, but it would become the most famous and the song that would define her as a legendary singer. President Obama and the first lady danced to a version at his inauguration ball. She was raised by Lula and Jesse Rogers, who owned the rooming house where her mother once lived in. The pair brought up James in the Christian faith, and as a young girl, her voice stood out in the church choir. James landed the solos in the choir and became so well known, she said that Hollywood stars would come to see her perform. "My mother always wanted me to be a jazz singer, but I always wanted to be raunchy," she recalled in her book. Bandleader Johnny Otis found her singing on San Francisco street corners with some girlfriends in the early 1950s. "At the time, Hank Ballard and the Midnighters had a hit with 'Work With Me, Annie,' and we decided to do an answer. We didn't think we would get in show business, we were just running around making up answers to songs," James told The Associated Press in 1987. They replied with the song, "Roll With Me, Henry." When Otis heard it, he told James to get her mother's permission to accompany him to Los Angeles to make a recording. Instead, the 15-year-old singer forged her mother's name on a note claiming she was 18. "At that time, you weren't allowed to say 'roll' because it was considered vulgar. So when Georgia Gibbs did her version, she renamed it 'Dance With Me, Henry' and it went to No. 1 on the pop charts," the singer recalled. The Gibbs song was one of several in the early rock era when white singers got hits by covering songs by black artists, often with sanitized lyrics. In 1959, she signed with Chicago's legendary Chess label, began cranking out the hits and going on tours with performers such as Bobby Vinton, Little Richard, Fats Domino, Gene Vincent, Jerry Lee Lewis and the Everly Brothers. "We would travel on four buses to all the big auditoriums. And we had a lot of fun," she recalled in 1987. James recorded a string of hits in the late 1950s and '60s including "Trust In Me," ''Something's Got a Hold On Me," ''Sunday Kind of Love," ''All I Could Do Was Cry," and of course, "At Last." In 1967, she cut one of the most highly regarded soul albums of all time, "Tell Mama," an earthy fusion of rock and gospel music featuring blistering horn arrangements, funky rhythms and a churchy chorus. A song from the album, "Security," was a top 40 single in 1968. She was addicted to the drug for years, beginning in 1960, "I was trying to be cool," she told the AP in 1995, explaining what had led her to try heroin. "I hung out in Harlem and saw Miles Davis and all the jazz cats," she continued. "At one time, my heavy role models were all druggies. Billie Holiday sang so groovy. Is that because she's on drugs? It was in my mind as a young person. I probably thought I was a young Billie Holiday, doing whatever came with that." It would take her at least two decades to beat her drug problem. Her husband, Artis Mills, even went to prison for years, taking full responsibility for drugs during an arrest even though James was culpable. "My management was suffering. My career was in the toilet. People tried to help, but I was hell-bent on getting high," she wrote of her drug habit in 1980. She finally quit the habit and managed herself for a while, calling up small clubs and asking them, "Have you ever heard of Etta James?" in order to get gigs. Eventually, she got regular bookings — even drawing Elizabeth Taylor as an audience member. In 1984, she was tapped to sing the national anthem at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, and her career got the resurgent boost it needed, though she fought addiction again when she got hooked on painkillers in the late 1980s. She struggled with her weight, and often performed from a wheelchair as she got older and heavier. In the early 2000s, she had weight-loss surgery and shed some 200 pounds. Beyonce had portrayed James in "Cadillac Records," a big-screen retelling of Chess Records' heyday, and had started to claim "At Last" as her own. She suffered from dementia, kidney problems and leukemia. Her husband and her two sons fought over control of her $1 million estate, though a deal was later struck keeping Mills as the conservator and capping the singer's expenses at $350,000. In December 2011, her physician announced that her leukemia was terminal, and asked for prayers for the singer. In October 2011, a final studio recording, "The Dreamer," was released, featuring the singer taking on classic songs, from Bobby "Blue" Bland's "Dreamer" to Guns N' Roses "Welcome To the Jungle" — still rocking, and a fitting end to her storied career. She was 73 years old at time of her death.

Red Tails

Tuskegee Airman Herbert Carter flew 77 missions during World War II and crashed landed only once, impressive numbers that challenged those skeptical of the abilities of black aviators. The Tuskegee Airmen were the first black aviators in the U.S. military. They were trained in Alabama at Tuskegee Institute, now Tuskegee University, as a segregated unit during World War II. They were prohibited from fighting alongside white counterparts and faced severe prejudice, yet went on to become one of World War II's most respected fighter squadrons, successfully escorting countless bombers during the war. "My heroes, those original airmen, set the pace for us younger people," quipped 77-year-old Leon Crayton, a former Air Force flier and member of the honorary Tuskegee Airmen chapter in Tuskegee, Ala., one of 55 in the U.S. The Tuskegee Airmen were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for their service in 2007 by President George W. Bush, and were invited to attend President Barack Obama's inauguration in 2009. The president and first lady Michelle Obama screened "Red Tails" at the White House last week. Vernice Armour, the nation's first black female combat pilot, said the airmen helped pave the way for men and women in the military, and noted a phrase at the bottom of a poster advertising the movie that reads: "Courage has no color." The 94-year-old Carter sees the hesitation by studios as history repeating itself. "It goes back to the old axiom that the all-black fighter squadron, in their estimate, wasn't going to do well," said Carter, who made a career of the Air Force and retired as a lieutenant colonel. "It ... doesn't surprise me." Carter and other surviving airmen, some of whom were advisers during the making of the movie, say they're appreciative to Lucas for spending nearly $100 million of his own money to make and market the film.

Newt Gingrich A Player

The ex-Mrs. Gingrich said Newt sought an "open marriage" arrangement so he could have a mistress and a wife. She said when Gingrich admitted to a six-year affair with a Congressional aide, he asked her if she would share him with the other woman, Callista, who is now married to Gingrich. "And I just stared at him and he said, 'Callista doesn't care what I do,'" Marianne Gingrich told ABC News. "He wanted an open marriage and I refused." She says she learned he conducted his affair with Callista "in my bedroom in our apartment in Washington." "He always called me at night," she recalled, "and always ended with 'I love you.' Well, she was listening." Newt moved for the divorce just months after she had been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, with her then-husband present. "He also was advised by the doctor when I was sitting there that I was not to be under stress. He knew," she said. His relationship with Marianne began while he was still married to Jackie but in divorce proceedings. Marianne Gingrich defended Newt's ethics while he served in Congress and came under several ethics investigations. "At the time, I believed him to be ethical," she said in the interview. The former Mrs. Gingrich says Newt began to plan a run for President at the time of the divorce and told her that Callista "was going to help him become President."

Racist Arsonist Sentenced

A white man who admitted to helping burn down a mostly black church to protest against Barack Obama's election as the nation's first black president was sentenced on Wednesday to four-and-a-half years in prison. Authorities said three white Springfield friends, Thomas Gleason, Michael Jacques and Benjamin Haskell, were motivated by racial resentment when they doused the building with gasoline and torched it. Gleason pleaded guilty to felony charges of conspiracy to violate civil rights, religious property damage because of race, and damage to religious property by use of fire, according to the lead prosecutor, Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Smyth. "This was a horrific crime, unexplainable, in fact with horrific motives," assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Smyth told the court. Gleason apologized for what he called an "incredibly stupid" act and for the "pain and frustration" it caused the church's community and to his own family. Gleason pleaded guilty to felony charges of conspiracy to violate civil rights, religious property damage because of race, and damage to religious property by use of fire. Judge Michael Ponsor in U.S. District Court sentenced Gleason, 24, to 54 months in federal prison for his role in the hate crime, followed by three years of parole. Gleason was also ordered to pay nearly $1.7 million in restitution, including about $124,000 to the church. The remainder of the money goes to insurance companies involved in the case. The rebuilt church reopened in September.

Mitt Romney's Mormon Tax Shelter

Mitt Romney gave the Mormon church substantial stock holdings that he obtained through his private equity firm, according to documents filed with the government. Filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission indicate that Romney and others at Bain have given "appreciated stock" to the church and various charities, which gives the donors potentially generous tax benefits. The SEC records, which cover a period from 1997 to 2008, reveal several donations worth millions of dollars of stock in Bain deals to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The SEC filings indicate that donations to the church in stock from Bain deals reached well into the millions of dollars. They include a gift of nearly $2 million in Burger King stock in February 2007 generated by a Bain deal. the Mormon church received what SEC filings and stock pricing records indicate was $1.3 million of stock in a company called Innophos Holdings in June 2008. The church received an estimated $1 million in Domino's Pizza stock in 2004, in yet another donation. Tax analysts said that if Romney and others at Bain got a stock cheap and eventually donated it to a church or charity without cashing in the stock, then they could get two tax benefits. First, they would not have to pay capital gains tax on the appreciated value of the stock, which they would have to do if they sold the stock and either pocketed or donated the proceeds. Second, they might be able to deduct all, or at least part of, the value of the donated stock from their taxable income. Such a move can save wealthy donors millions of dollars, the analysts said. If Romney or another Bain part. The donor of the shares to the Mormon church avoided tax on the substantial capital gain and would have been able to count some or all of the $2.09 million of stock given to the church as a tax-deductible charitable contribution. If donor had cashed in the shares, they would have been taxed on the $21.89 per share gain, or $2.05 million.

Woman Wins Unemployment Claim

Sharon Smiley worked 10 years as a receptionist and administrative assistant for a Chicago real estate company, she was fired for skipping lunch. Smiley learned she was ineligible for unemployment benefits because she had been discharged for misconduct connected with her work. She appealed to the Illinois Department of Employment Security's board of review three times, was denied, then took her case to a circuit court. After a two-year battle, an appeals court in Illinois has found that denial of her unemployment benefits was "clearly erroneous." Illinois has a law that requires employers to provide employees a lunch break. But the law cannot be read to require an employer to fire a worker who refuses to take a break in order to finish her work, said Michael LeRoy, law professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "Nonetheless, Illinois is an employment-at-will state, which means the employer can fire someone for a good reason, no reason, or a bad reason, as long as it is not discriminatory," he said. Companies often have policies that are designed to limit the number of hours employees can work in a given day or week, largely in order to avoid overtime pay obligations, Cheryl Anderson, law professor with Southern Illinois University School of Law, said. Such policies often require employer permission to work beyond an employee's regular scheduled hours. An unemployed person in Illinois is qualified for unemployment unless there is misconduct, which "has been defined as conduct evincing such willful or wanton disregard of an employer's interests," according to the state's legal test in a ruling from the board of review. "Workers generally have to be guilty of gross misconduct, which includes insubordination," professor Anderson said. "The bar is set high for the employer to prove that, and in this case, the court found the employer's argument that her actions amounted to insubordination to be inadequate." The court ruled Smiley, who did not challenge the firing, was eligible for benefits. Smiley received a check with a lump sum on Nov. 28 for several months of unemployment, a percentage of her previous salary. The appellate court of Illinois affirmed the circuit court ruling Jan. 11, saying the "insubordination arose from [Smiley's] efforts to perform additional work for [her employer], beyond what was required of her."

Ron Paul and Blacks

In the 1990′s Ron Paul published materials that included these quotes, “Given the inefficiencies of what DC laughingly calls the criminal justice system, I think we can safely assume that 95 percent of the black males in that city are semi-criminal or entirely criminal.” “We are constantly told that it is evil to be afraid of black men, it is hardly irrational.” After the Los Angeles riots, one article in a newsletter claimed, “Order was only restored in L.A. when it came time for the blacks to pick up their welfare checks.” One referred to Martin Luther King Jr. as “the world-class philanderer who beat up his paramours” and who “seduced underage girls and boys.” Another referred to Barbara Jordan, a civil rights activist and congresswoman as “Barbara Morondon,” the “archetypical half-educated victimologist.” When asked about these racist remarks, Mr. Paul indicated he was tired of being “pestered” about them.

Mitt Romney's Tax Rate

Mitt Romney's statements, "What's the effective rate I've been paying? It's probably closer to the 15 percent rate than anything," Romney said during a press conference after an early morning rally. "Because my last 10 years, I've…my income comes overwhelmingly from some investments made in the past, whether ordinary income or earned annually. I got a little bit of income from my book, but I gave that all away. And then I get speakers fees from time to time, but not very much." In a personal financial disclosure report released in August, showed Romney was paid more than $370,000 for speaking appearances in the 2011-2011 filing period. Romney admitted to exactly what billionaire Warren Buffet has railed against, the fact that many multi-millionaires actually pay far less in taxes than the people who work for them. Romney opposes elimination of capital gains tax for the rich. "I also think that the speaker's plan to eliminate the capital gains tax for high income individuals - capital gains, interest and dividends - would not only be a very expensive provision in terms of having to fill an even larger budget hole but that would provide for people of very high income a possibility of no tax at all," said Romney. "You'd have individuals - the Warren Buffet argument - Warren Buffet, Bill Gates would probably pay no taxes at all. Today they probably pay 15 percent." "Very high-income people of this country pay roughly 15 percent of taxes if their resources are coming from investments, and under their plan it would go to zero," said Romney. "I just don't think that's the right course. I think that with our precious dollars we should focus on providing relief - tax relief - really in two areas: one is for middle-income Americans that have been hurt the most and secondly is to bring our corporate tax rates to a level where we could draw people from other countries to bring their funds into this country." His statements on job creations, "Let's get the math, alright?" said Romney, who appeared irritated as he was followed to his campaign bus by a crush of reporters. "Four companies created 120,000 jobs. It's very simple," said Romney. "Four companies created 120,000. Staples, Bright Horizons, Steel Dynamics, and… which one am I missing? Sports Authority. If you look up their 10Ks today, you'll find that they have 120,000 jobs. Those were all businesses I helped get started." "So those four created about 120,000 jobs," Romney continued. "And then all of those businesses that had been well-documented by various people over the years, when I ran in '94, when I ran last time, when I ran for governor, those that have lost jobs, they end up being a little less than 10,000, those that were losers. So if you took the ones that were losers, and compare with the ones that were, those four, at least, why you end up with something over 100,000." President Obama paid at a rate of 26% in 2010.

Dreadlocked Inmate Can Sue

A Chicago appeals court allows ex-inmate Omar Grayson to file lawsuit against Harold Schuler, an official at Big Muddy Correctional Center in Illinois, for requiring Grayson to cut his dreadlocks. Grayson claimed the haircut violated his right to practice his religion. Judge Richard Posner wrote on behalf of the three-judge panel that, “No more can the prison permit Rastafarians to wear long hair and without justification forbid a sincere African Hebrew Israelite to do so, even if he is more zealous in his religious observances than his religion requires him to be.” Posner included an image of reggae singer and Rastafarian Bob Marley. Schuler ordered the dreadlocks cut in 2008 on grounds that they posed a security threat, but did not explain why. Grayson, a member of the African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem, refused to comply and was sent to the prison’s segregation unit. Under Illinois Department of Corrections’ policy, only Rastafarians are allowed to wear dreadlocks. The appeals court ruled that the prison could not favor one religion over another in its grooming policy. The judge noted that “dreadlocks can attain a formidable length and density, and the matted locks could be used to conceal a shank or other contraband. But those security risks did not justify the discrimination against one faith over another." The Office of the Illinois Attorney General did not respond to requests for comment. Grayson, who handled his own appeal after the court denied his request for a lawyer, could not be reached for comment.

Black Church Grills Gingrich

Presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich, standing behind the podium at Jones Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church, was grilled with questions about his assertion that poor children lack work ethic and his criticism of President Barack Obama as a "food-stamp president." Gingrich spent about an hour in front of the disgruntled crowd. He stated that his comments were misconstrued. "What I was saying was, in the poorest neighborhoods, if we can find a way to help young people earn some money, we might actually be able to keep the dropout rate down and give people an incentive to come to school," he said. Gingrich was also asked if he stood by his assertion that Obama is a "food stamp president", responded, "yes." Church members prayed over Gingrich and his wife, Callista, and they joined the members in the church's basement for dinner.

South Carolina ID Law Causing Racial Tension

South Carolina is battling the U.S. government in a racially charged conflict that is drawing heated rhetoric from Republican presidential candidates. A new state law that would require residents to produce a photo ID before they could vote. Federal officials say it could disproportionately keep black voters away from the polls. Nationwide studies have indicated that African Americans, Latinos, the elderly, people with disabilities and students are less likely to have a photo ID than other voting groups, in part because of the expense involved in obtaining one. The Justice Department blocked the law on December 23 on the grounds that it would disproportionately affect minority voters. Republican presidential candidates call it another example of Obama's overly intrusive government. Texas Governor Rick Perry said Saturday at a candidates' forum in Charleston, "Each of our states are under assault right now by this administration," "we may be under assault, South Carolina, they're actually at war with you." Republican candidates are arguing for states' rights as they emphasize their small government credentials. The cry for states' rights was used to defend slavery before the Civil War and racial segregation during the post-World War battles over civil rights. Senator Rick Santorum said last week the coming election would be the most important since 1860, the year before the Civil War began. U.S. Representative Jim Clyburn, a South Carolina Democrat and the highest-ranking African American in Congress, says some candidates have been using coded phrases to play up racial tension. "What we hear more and more today is people picking up what I call 21st-century words and phrases to transmit the same thoughts that went into the political procedure years ago." About 200,000 registered voters, in South Carolina, do not have a driver's license or other state-issued ID, according to the state election commission. "If the only people who vote in elections are law-abiding, hardworking citizens who are deeply committed to America, the left wing of the Democratic Party will cease to exist," Gingrich said on Friday at a campaign stop in Duncan, South Carolina.

Christian Leaders Pick Rick Santorum

Christian leaders on Saturday endorsed Rick Santorum for the Republican U.S. presidential nomination. The group of 150 conservatives agreed to support the former Pennsylvania senator. They had not been expected to reach agreement on one candidate since evangelical support was splintered among Santorum, former U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Governor Rick Perry. Tony Perkins, leader of the Family Research Council and spokesman for the group, said "What I did not think was possible appears to be possible." Perkins described a "vigorous and passionate" discussion about who would make the best president and said eventually people made concessions to their views in order to coalesce around one candidate. In the 2008 election, about 60 percent of the voters in South Carolina described themselves as evangelical Christians. Santorum is a Catholic and father of seven who strongly opposes abortion and gay rights. Perkins said the group debated and prayed over who to pick. Conservatives are desperate to find a viable alternative to Romney, who won the first two nomination contests in Iowa and New Hampshire and now leads the polls in South Carolina, which holds its Republican primary on January 21. Perkins said all factors were taken into account at the Texas meeting and said that Romney's Mormon religion "wasn't even discussed."

Obama's Recess Appointment Ruled Legal

The Justice Department released a 23-page legal opinion Thursday summarizing the advice it gave the White House before the Jan. 4 appointments. GOP leaders have argued the Senate was not technically in recess when Obama acted so the regular Senate confirmation process should have been followed. Assistant Attorney General Virginia Seitz wrote that the president has authority to make such appointments because the Senate is on a 20-day recess, even though it has held periodic pro forma sessions in which no business is conducted. Seitz argued the pro forma sessions — some with as few as one member present — have not been sufficient for the chamber to exercise its constitutional authority to advise and consent to normal presidential nominations. The Justice official who wrote the opinion, Seitz, heads the department's Office of Legal Counsel, which is empowered to provide binding legal opinions to the executive branch. Her new memo cites a Justice Department legal opinion from President George W. Bush's Republican administration in justifying Obama's recent appointments. On Jan. 4, Obama appointed Richard Cordray, a former attorney general of Ohio, to be the first director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Obama also appointed two Democrats and a Republican to the National Labor Relations Board that day. There was stiff Republican opposition to creating the new consumer agency, which was authorized in the financial regulation law, and Republicans have argued that the labor board has tilted toward unions under Obama's Democratic administration.

Obama Wants $1.2 Trillion Debt Ceiling Increase

President Barack Obama notified Congress on Thursday that he plans a $1.2 trillion increase in the U.S. debt ceiling. The move by the president, gives Congress 15 days to vote on a resolution of disapproval under terms of budget control legislation passed last year. Lawmakers are unlikely to get the votes needed to block the increase in borrowing capacity. Obama originally intended to start the process on December 30 but House and Senate leaders asked him to delay the move to allow lawmakers to consider it while they are back in session. The U.S. Treasury Department had to dip into the Exchange Stabilization Fund, to allow for the delay, which has a dollar balance of $22.7 billion. A Treasury official said other measures, such as suspending the daily reinvestments of assets in a government pension fund, may also be needed until the debt-limit increase is secured.

Africans Transmit HIV at a Higher Rate

According to a new study conducted in Africa, a heterosexual person infected with HIV will transmit the virus to their partner once in every 900 times the couple has unprotected sex. The amount of virus in the blood is the single most important factor in determining whether HIV is passed between sexual partners, the study found. For every tenfold increase in the concentration, there is about a threefold increase in the risk of transmission during a single sexual act. People with very high blood concentrations of the virus (such as those who very recently acquired the infection) may need to have sex only 10 times to transmit the virus, Hughes said. The best methods for reducing HIV transmission are those that decrease the concentration of the virus in the blood, as can be done with antiretroviral drugs, Hughes said. A study published last year found the drugs could reduce the transmission of HIV between partners by 96 percent. The new study also confirmed condoms are highly effective in preventing HIV infection, reducing the risk of transmission by 78 percent. Male circumcision reduced the risk of HIV transmission by 47 percent. The new study included 3,297 couples from sub-Saharan Africa that were "HIV-discordant," meaning one partner had HIV while the other did not. The HIV-infected partners in the study were tested periodically over the two-year study for the amount of HIV in their blood. Infected partners were also interviewed every month and asked how many times they had sex, and whether they used protection. The uninfected partners were tested periodically to see whether they had acquired HIV. The researchers used genetic testing of the virus to confirm that any new HIV infections had been acquired from the study partner designated at the study's start. Eighty-six HIV transmissions occurred during the study period. Men were about twice as likely to transmit HIV to women as women were to men. This increased risk of transmission could be attributed to higher virus concentrations in the blood of men compared with women, according to the study. In addition, women were more likely to have genital herpes, which increases susceptibility to HIV. The number of sexual acts needed to transmit the virus is likely specific to the African population studied, Hughes said. Previous studies in the United States have found a lower transmission rate.

Supreme Court Ruling

The Supreme Court on Wednesday held for the first time that religious employees of a church cannot sue for employment discrimination. The first time the high court has acknowledged the existence of a "ministerial exception" to anti-discrimination laws — a doctrine developed in lower court rulings. This doctrine says the First Amendment's guarantee of freedom of religion shields churches and their operations from the reach of such protective laws when the issue involves employees of these institutions. The case came before the court because the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued the Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School of Redford, Mich., on behalf of employee Cheryl Perich, over her firing, which happened after she complained of discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Chief Justice John Roberts said allowing anti-discrimination lawsuits against religious organizations could end up forcing churches to take religious leaders they no longer want. "Such action interferes with the internal governance of the church, depriving the church of control over the selection of those who will personify its beliefs," Roberts said. "By imposing an unwanted minister, the state infringes the Free Exercise Clause, which protects a religious group's right to shape its own faith and mission through its appointments." Douglass Laycock, who argued the case for Hosanna-Tabor, called it a "huge win for religious liberty." "The court has unanimously confirmed the right of churches to select their own ministers and religious leaders," he said. This was the first time the high court has ever considered the "ministerial exception," it would not set hard and fast rules on who can be considered a religious employee of a religious organization, Roberts said. "We are reluctant ... to adopt a rigid formula for deciding when an employee qualifies as a minister," he said. "It is enough for us to conclude, in this, our first case involving the ministerial exception, that the exception covers Perich, given all the circumstances of her employment." A federal judge threw out the lawsuit on grounds that Perich fell under the ADA's ministerial exception, which keeps the government from interfering with church affairs. But the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated her lawsuit, saying Perich's "primary function was teaching secular subjects" so the ministerial exception didn't apply. Roberts refused to extend the ministerial exception to other types of lawsuits that religious employees might bring against their employers. "We express no view on whether the exception bars other types of suits, including actions by employees alleging breach of contract or tortious conduct by their religious employers," Roberts said.

Michelle Obama Rejects Kantor Portrayal

The Kantor book portrays a White House where tensions developed between Mrs. Obama and former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel and former press secretary and presidential adviser Robert Gibbs. The book, titled "The Obamas," describes Mrs. Obama as having gone through an evolution from struggle to fulfillment in her role at the White House, while labeling her an "unrecognized force" in pursuing the president's goals. Neither the president nor his wife agreed to be interviewed for the book. Mrs. Obama tells CBS News she hasn't read New York Times reporter Jodi Kantor's new book that characterizes her as a behind-the-scenes force in the Executive Mansion, whose strong views often draw her into conflict with President Barack Obama's top advisers. "I never read these books," she told CBS's Gayle King in an interview broadcast Wednesday. "So I've just gotten in the habit of not reading other people's impressions of people." In the interview, Mrs. Obama said, "I love this job. It has been a privilege from day one." "Now there are challenges," she added. "If there's any anxiety that I feel, it's because I want to make sure that my girls (Malia and Sasha) come out of this on the other end whole." Michelle Obama is challenging assertions she's forcefully imposed her will on White House aides and says people have inaccurately tried to portray her as "some kind of angry black woman." "I do care deeply about my husband," Mrs. Obama said in the CBS appearance. "I am one of his biggest allies. I am one of his biggest confidants." But she sought to put aside "this notion that I sit in meetings." "I guess it's just more interesting to imagine this conflicted situation here," she said. "That's been an image people have tried to paint of me since the day Barack announced, that I'm some kind of angry black woman." "There will always be people who don't like me," Mrs. Obama added, and said she could live with that. About an assertion of dissension between herself and Emanuel, now the mayor of Chicago, the first lady said she has "never had a cross word" with him. The same, she said, applies to Gibbs, whom she described as "a good friend, and remains so." "I'm sure we could go day to day and find things people wished they didn't say to each other," Mrs., Obama said. "And that's why I don't read these books. ... It's a game, in so many ways, that doesn't fit. Who can write about what I feel? What third person can tell me what I feel?" "If there's communication that needs to happen, it's between staffs," she said. "I don't have conversations with my husband's staff."