Speaking with “Fox News Sunday” host Chris Wallace, former Massachusetts governor and presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, said that it “kills him” that he didn’t defeat President Barack Obama in the 2012 election, reports Salon.com.

“It kills me not to be there, not to be in the White House,” Romney said dejectedly.

His wife, Ann, who sat next to him, agreed. “I’m like a she-lion when it comes to defending him,” she said. “And I mourn the fact that he’s not there.” Of the defeat, she added: “We were a little blindsided.”

Mitt acknowledged that he was surprised by the loss, but showed some real contrition. “I lost my election because of my campaign, not because of what anyone else did,” he said.

Ann, however, said she was “happy to blame the media.” The press’ bias “never let the American people see the real Mitt,” she explained.

Romney said that when Obama won Florida, there was a “slow recognition” that he was going to lose because he thought that he was a sure-thing in the Sunshine State. The moment that he lost was particularly tough on Ann, who cried in defeat.

Watch Mitten’s breakdown below:

Though Romney said that he won’t take a third shot at the White House, he did suggest a future game-plan for his fellow conservatives:

Do not under-estimate the influence of low-income and minority voters.

The Big Day! 2013 Inauguration Of President Barack H. Obama Start Gallery

Fiona Clarke (pictured), 40, fired home health care worker in Norwalk, CT is accused of leaving feces in her former employers’ oven and refrigerator after a work-related dispute, reports Raw Story.

Earlier this year, Clarke was caring  for an elderly woman in Norwalk when the family asked her if she would like to work more hours. After she declined, the family hired another worker to do the extra work and everything went down hill from there.

Raw Story reports:

When Clarke was rude to the new worker in early February, the family fired her. Days later, a family member turned on the oven in the house. Police reported that the house began to smell of “feces and mothballs.”

The family member opened the oven and found feces wrapped in a paper towel. More fecal matter was found in the elderly woman’s refrigerator.

Though Clarke denied the allegations, the Hour said, “police gathered enough probable cause to get a warrant signed for her arrest.”

Clarke was charged with third-degree criminal mischief and breach of peace.  Her court date is set for March 7.

When a football player allegedly aimed a loaded .22 caliber revolver at another student on a Florida school bus, a 16-year-old student bravely wrestled it from him — then got suspended for his heroic action.

The incident occurred between Cypress Lake High students in Fort Myers, Florida on Tuesday afternoon. The student, who remains anonymous because he fears for his safety, said there was “no doubt” the gunman was aiming to kill.

Read more from Fox4.com:

“I think he was really going to shoot him right then and there,” said the suspended student, not identified by WFTX because of safety concerns. “Not taking no pity.”

The student said the suspect, a football player, threatened to shoot a teammate because he had been arguing with his friend.

Authorities confirmed to WFTX the weapon was indeed loaded, and the arrest report stated the suspect, identified by WVZN-TV as Quadryle Davis, was “pointing the gun directly” at the other student and “threatening to shoot him.”

That’s when, the teen told the station, he and two others tackled the suspect and wrestled the gun away. The next day, all three were suspended.

“How they going to suspend me for doing the right thing?” he asked.

Lee County School District spokesman Alberto Rodriguez said the students involved in the rescue were given an “emergency suspension,” which is standard protocol:

“If there is a potentially dangerous situation, Florida law allows the principal to suspend a student immediately pending a hearing,” said Rodriguez.

Though the students involved are able to return to school on Monday, one mother says that’s not enough:

“All the kids that was involved in this they should have a pat on their backs because they did the right thing to save someone from burying their child.”

The suspended teen is allowed to go back to school Monday.

The student gunman has been charged with “aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill.” Authorities say that is based on the information regarding the incident at this time, but the investigation is ongoing.

Jeremy Bush places flowers and a stuffed animal at a makeshift memorial in front of a home where a sinkhole opened up underneath a bedroom late Thursday evening and swallowed his brother Jeffrey in Seffner, Fla. on Saturday, March 2, 2013. Jeffrey Bush, 37, was in his bedroom Thursday night when the earth opened and took him and everything else in his room. Five other people were in the house but managed to escape unharmed. Bush’s brother jumped into the hole to try to help, but he had to be rescued himself by a sheriff’s deputy. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

SEFFNER, Fla. (AP) — The effort to find the body of a Florida man who was swallowed by a sinkhole under his Florida home was called off Saturday and crews planned to begin demolishing the four-bedroom house.

The 20-foot-wide opening of the sinkhole is almost completely covered by the house and rescuers feared it would collapse on them if they tried to search for Jeff Bush, 37. Crews were testing the unstable ground surrounding the home and evacuated two neighboring homes as a precaution.

Hillsborough County Administrator Mike Merrill said heavy equipment would be brought in to begin the demolition Sunday morning.

“At this point it’s really not possible to recover the body,” Merrill said, later adding “we’re dealing with a very unusual sinkhole.”

Jessica Damico, spokeswoman for Hillsborough County Fire Rescue, said the demolition equipment would be placed on what they believe is solid ground and reach onto the property to pull apart the house. The crew will try pulling part of the house away from the sinkhole intact so some heirlooms and mementoes can be retrieved.

Bush was in his bedroom Thursday night in Seffner – a suburb of 8,000 people 15 miles east of downtown Tampa – when the earth opened and took him and everything else in his room. Five others in the house escape unharmed.

On Saturday, the normally quiet neighborhood of concrete block homes painted in Florida pastels was jammed with cars as engineers, reporters, and curious onlookers came to the scene.

At the home next door to the Bushes, a family cried and organized boxes. Testing determined that their house and another was compromised by the sinkhole. The families were allowed to go inside for about a half-hour to gather belongings.

Sisters Soliris and Elbairis Gonzalez, who live on the same street as Bushes, said neighbors were worried for their safety.

“I’ve had nightmares,” Soliris Gonzalez, 31, said. “In my dreams, I keep checking for cracks in the house.”

They said the family has discussed where to go if forced to evacuate, and they’ve taken their important documents to a storage unit.

“The rest of it, this is material stuff, as long as our family is fine,” Soliris Gonzalez said.

“You never know underneath the ground what’s happening,” added Elbairis Gonzalez, 30.

Experts say thousands of sinkholes form yearly in Florida because of the state’s unique geography, though most are small and deaths rarely occur.

“There’s hardly a place in Florida that’s immune to sinkholes,” said Sandy Nettles, who owns a geology consulting company in the Tampa area. “There’s no way of ever predicting where a sinkhole is going to occur.”

Most sinkholes are small, like one found Saturday morning in Largo, 35 miles away from Seffner. The Largo sinkhole, about 10 feet long and several feet wide, is in a mall parking lot.

The state sits on limestone, a porous rock that easily dissolves in water, with a layer of clay on top. The clay is thicker in some locations – including the area where Bush became a victim – making them even more prone to sinkholes.

Jonathan Arthur, the state geologist and director of the Florida Geological Survey, said other states sit atop limestone in a similar way, but Florida has additional factors like extreme weather, development, aquifer pumping and construction. “The conditions under which a sinkhole will form can be very rapid, or they can form slowly over time,” he said.

But it remained unclear Saturday what, if anything, caused the Seffner sinkhole.

“The condition that caused that sinkhole could have started a million years ago,” Nettles said.

Jeremy Bush, who tried to rescue his brother, lay flowers and a stuffed lamb near the house Saturday morning and wept.

He said someone came to his home a couple of months ago to check for sinkholes and other issues, apparently for insurance purposes, but found nothing wrong. State law requires home insurers to provide coverage against sinkholes.

“And a couple of months later, my brother dies. In a sinkhole,” Bush said Friday.

When the story broke that Pamela Smith, basketball giant Michael Jordan’s ’90s ex-fling and allegedly the Mother of his child, was suing for child support, many questioned why she waited 16 years to file a paternity suit. Well, Smith now claims that she doesn’t need the money, but that her son, Grant Pierce Jay Jordan ‘Taj’ Reynolds, begged her to file suit so that Jordan will be forced to publicly acknowledge him, reports TMZ.com.

RELATED: Michael Jordan Asks Georgia Court To Dismiss Paternity Suit

According to Smith, she and Jordan have a “good” relationship and she didn’t want to embarrass him, but Taj no longer wanted to keep his paternity secret. Even though Jordan gave them money and gifts over the years, the boy could never tell anyone that he was his father.

As previously reported by NewsOne, Smith wants to retain full custody, but wants Jordan to pay for Taj’s medical expenses, in addition to child support. Taj also reportedly wants to change his last name to Jordan.

L-R: Pamela Evette Smith; Taj Jordan Reynolds (PHOTO CREDIT: Twitter)

Though neither Taj nor his mother have spoken extensively about the custody battle, both of them have retweeted TMZ’s article and encouragement from people who have followed the story. They even showed each other some social media love.

@hottestexpert love you 2 mom !—
Taj Jordan ™ (@TajJordan) March 01, 2013

@TajJordan @hottestexpert just watched your youtube video & read story. I believe you 100%. I hope you get JUSTICE! GO TAJ & PAM!—
James Camper (@jamescamper) March 01, 2013

Smith claims that she is doing all of this because Taj wants Jordan, who is currently engaged to model Yvette Prieto, to play a larger role in his life. We’re not sure exactly how this lawsuit is going to accomplish that, but we do know this:

Pamela Evette Smith (@hottestexpert), describes herself on Twitter as “America’s Hottest Love Expert/ Loveologist/Relationship Coach/Author Professional Speaker, Men/Women Issue” and Taj (who goes by @TajJordan) is pursuing a rap career based on music videos uploaded to his page and his timeline.

So, maybe, possibly, the answer all boils down to this one retweet from Taj:

My Nigga @tajjordan On #The ComeUp Now #Viisiion—
. (@YoungNeverDies) March 01, 2013

Whatever the case, if Jordan is his father, Taj shouldn’t have to “come up” on him. He should already be there; only time will tell if that happens once the facts are revealed.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Severe spending cuts now the law of the land, President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans refused Saturday to concede any culpability for failing to stave off what both parties acknowledged was a foolhardy way to slash $85 billion in federal spending.

The still-fragile economy braced itself for the gradual but potentially grave impact of the across-the-board cuts, which took effect Friday night at the stroke of Obama’s pen. Hours earlier, he and congressional leaders emerged from a White House meeting no closer to an agreement.

Even as they pledged a renewed effort to retroactively undo the spending cuts, both parties said the blame rests squarely on the other for any damage the cuts might inflict. There were no indications that either side was wavering from entrenched positions that for weeks had prevented progress on a deal to find a way out: Republicans refusing any deal with more tax revenue and Democrats snubbing any deal without it.

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“None of this is necessary,” Obama said in his weekly radio and Internet address Saturday. “It’s happening because Republicans in Congress chose this outcome over closing a single wasteful tax loophole that helps reduce the deficit.”

The president said the cuts would cause “a ripple effect across the economy” that would worsen the longer they stay in place, eventually costing more than 750,000 jobs and disrupting the lives of middle-class families.

In the Republican-controlled House, GOP lawmakers washed their hands of the mess, arguing that bills they passed in the last Congress to avert the cuts absolved them of any responsibility. Those bills passed with little to no Democratic support and were never taken up by the Senate.

“We’ve done the work and shown that these choices can be made in a responsible, thoughtful way,” said Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington in the GOP address.

Obama was holding out hope that as Americans start feeling the effects of the sequester – the term used for the automatic spending cuts – public pressure will force lawmakers back to the table. Ever wary that such fiscal fiascos could jeopardize the rest of his second-term agenda, Obama vowed in his weekly address to keep pushing reforms on immigration, preschool, gun violence and transportation.

But attention was already turning to the next major budget hurdles, with less than a month to negotiate a plan to fund the government beyond March 27 and a debt-ceiling clash coming in May.

Hopes that a measure to undo the spending cuts could be wrapped into a March deal to keep the government running dimmed Friday when both Obama and House Speaker John Boehner said they’d prefer to keep the two issues separate.

“I’m hopeful that we won’t have to deal with the threat of a government shutdown while we’re dealing with the sequester at the same time,” Boehner said.

SEE ALSO:

Michelle Obama Responds To Critics Over Her Oscar Appearance

More Black Men In College Than In Jail? Wrong

L-R: Kile Glover, Usher and Tameka Foster Raymond

Jeffrey Simon Hubbard, the jet-ski operator who allegedly ran over 11-year-old Kile Glover in a jet-ski accident on Atlanta’s Lake Lanier on July 8, 2012,  was arrested this morning and charged with homicide by vehicle, reports TMZ.

Kile was the son of Tameka Foster Raymond and Ryan Glover, and step-son of recording artist Usher.

Jeffrey Simon Hubbard

As previously reported by NewsOne, following the accident, Kile was on life support for almost 2 weeks before his heart stopped beating on July 21. It was initially reported that his parents had decided to take him off of life support, but according to a source speaking under condition of anonymity, Raymond, still hoping for a miracle, had no plans to make that devastating decision.

RELATED: Rest in Peace: Kile Glover Laid to Rest in Atlanta [PHOTOS]

During his funeral service, Kile was honored with a video and collection of photos entitled “A Beautiful Mind.” Included in the program was a postcard sent by him from his iPhone just before the accident:

“Hello from paradise, wishing you were here,” Kile wrote. “Our vacation is everything we have hoped for and more. We’re also excited to come home to family and friends.”

See home video of Kile here:

 

According to the District Attorney, Hubbard, a family friend of Kile’s father, was indicted for “Homicide by Vessel, Serious Injury by Vessel, as well as Reckless Operation of a Vessel.”

Hubbard is currently being held without bail.

Remembering Kile Start Gallery

“Iiiiiiiiin West Philadelphia, born and raised/on a playground is where I spent most of my days/Chilling out, maxing, relaxing all cool all…

Stop right there! Singing the next line may get you arrested; at least that’s what happened to a high school student in Pennsylvania who had the classic ‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ theme song on his phone.

Read more from WPXI:

Schools across Beaver County were placed on lockdown Thursday after one person misheard a student’s voicemail.

Police said a worker calling to confirm a doctor’s appointment with an Ambridge High School student heard the theme song to the “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” when she attempted to call. The worker said she called police when she misheard the lyrics — which she claimed said “shooting people outside of school.”

The actual lyrics to the song say “shooting some b-ball outside of school.”

The call to 911 forced the entire district into lockdown for about 30 minutes and police said they detained the 19-year-old student for three hours while searching his locker, before determining that it was all one big misunderstanding.

“He was afraid and embarrassed. Obviously staff at the doctor’s office was embarrassed about the whole thing too,” said Ambridge police Officer Mike Natale.

See WPXI news report here. Law enforcement said nothing about violating the student’s rights by detaining him, but they did say it was good practice in case a real threat came through. We don’t know if we should laugh or cry at this story; but in the mean time, click below to take a trip down Memory Lane.

 

Jason Furman (pictured), deputy director of the White House National Economic Council, said that automatic budget cuts, known as the sequester, will harm those least able to help themselves as they will threaten vital services for children, seniors, and the mentally disabled.

RELATED: President On Sequester: ‘The Pain Will Be Real’

In a conference call with national online media outlets, including NewsOne, Furman said the impacts of budget cuts might not be immediate or drastic but will grow to hurt Americans as time goes on.

“Every day, the cost of the sequester will go up,” Furman said.

The sequester is a series of across-the-board federal budget cuts designed to trim about $85 billion over less than a year. The first of the cuts are to begin today.

While many programs will face some cuts of about 9 percent, others like Social Security checks, Veteran’s Administration programs, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, food stamps, and Pell grants will not be cut.

Furman said the cuts could eventually lead to hundreds of thousands of jobs, mostly in the private sector, being lost. He added that while the initial impact might be slight, the cuts will eventually sting.

For example, Furman said that if you are a doctor who is paid through Medicaid reimbursements, the cuts won’t affect you until April. It’s the same case with federal workers who receive furlough notices, which generally have a 30-day delay before they take effect, he said.

“Even if (the cuts) don’t hit instantly, you still have repercussions…,” Furman said.

Furman laid blame for cuts on Congressional Republicans whom he accused of “moving the goalposts” during negotiations with President Obama by refusing to close tax loopoles used by the wealthy.

Over the past few weeks, President Barack Obama and Republican Congressional leaders have been playing the blame game for failing to reach a compromise and avert the cuts.

At a news conference today, Obama said Republicans are trying to maintain benefits for the rich.

House Speaker John A. Boehner, a Republican, told reporters that while his party disagrees with Obama about what should be cut, the House would seek to avoid a government shutdown in late March by passing a temporary funding resolution.

Just months ago, Obama and Republicans bargained down to the last minute to avoid the “fiscal cliff,” which like the sequester, promised across-the-board budget cuts experts said would hurt average American families.

But there was no last second bargaining among government leaders to avoid the sequester. In fact, members of Congress left town Thursday so Washington observers knew no last minute deal was coming this time around.

RELATED: Obama’s Next Financial Fight: The Sequester

 

 

 

 

 

First Lady Michelle Obama, along with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, has launched a new partnership with schools across the country called “Let’s Move! Active Schools,” reports WTVY 4.

The project’s national announcement was also made on the popular TV daytime medical show, “The Dr. Oz Show.” The new initiative was launched to help encourage children to have physically active lives. A mere one in three children incorporate some form of exercise into their lives, according to the First Lady. The problem stems from many schools scaling back on their physical education programs and  re-prioritizing resources to classroom instruction.

SEE ALSO:  Has President Obama Dropped The Ball On Hunger?

The First Lady recently discussed the health risks associated with inactivity. She noted that a lack of exercise is “not just bad for (children’s) bodies, it’s also bad for their minds, because being less active can actually hurt kids’ academic performance as well.”

“Lets Move! Active Schools” is designed to make active lifestyles normal in the minds of children. Mrs. Obama also points out that activity and fun should go hand-in-hand. She added that when children have positive experiences with physical activity early on, it shapes their attitudes for healthy living well into their adult lives.

The program’s goal is to sign on at least 50,000 schools to become active over the next five years. Footwear manufacturer Nike has sanctioned the project by investing a hefty $50 million. The donated monies from the sneaker king will assist schools in creating environments that will motivate children to get in an hour of physical activity before, during and after their school day.

The First Lady has spent the last week promoting the new and exciting venture and is urging school officials and others to sign up and get moving by visiting the website www.letsmoveschools.org.

Visibly disappointed, President Barack Obama emphasized that middle-class Americans and businesses across the country will be significantly impacted by unnecessary budget cuts due to Republicans’ unwillingness to work for the people.

RELATED: White House Says Sequester Impacts Will Grow Over Time

In a press conference held Friday morning, President Obama said that while he knows that the American people have the tenacity and will to get through the sequester as with past economic struggles, it should still be known that the sequester is definitively “unnecessary”:

“But Washington sure isn’t making it easy. At a time when our businesses have finally begun to get some traction, hiring new workers, bringing jobs back to America, we shouldn’t be making a series of dumb, arbitrary cuts to things that businesses depend on and workers depend on like education and research and infrastructure and defense. It’s unnecessary, and at a time when too many Americans are still looking for work it’s inexcusable.”

The President then went on to explain what Americans can expect as the reality of the budget cuts take effect:

“Now, what’s important to understand is that not everyone will feel the pain of these cuts right away. The pain, though, will be real.

…

“Businesses that work with the military, like the Virginia shipbuilder that I visited on Tuesday, may have to lay folks off. Communities near military bases will take a serious blow.

“Hundreds of thousands of Americans who serve their country — Border Patrol agents, FBI agents, civilians who work at the Pentagon — all will suffer significant pay cuts and furloughs.”

And not surprisingly, this will directly impact our economy:

“Layoffs and pay cuts means that people have less money in their pockets, and that means that they have less money to spend at local businesses. That means lower profits, that means fewer hires.

“The longer these cuts remain in place, the greater the damage to our economy, a slow grind that will intensify with each passing day. So economists are estimating that as a consequence of the sequester that we could see growth cut by over one half of 1 percent. It will cost about 750,000 jobs at a time when we should be growing jobs more quickly.”

And the President made sure to call out exactly what Republicans have been protecting in spite of the the American people:

“As recently as yesterday, they decided to protect special- interest tax breaks for the well-off and the well-connected, and they think that that’s apparently more important than protecting our military or middle-class families from the pain of these cuts.”

President Obama then took the opportunity to provide his solution to these “unnecessary” cuts:

“I do believe that we can and must replace these cuts with a more balanced approach that asks something from everybody. Smart spending cuts, entitlement reform, tax reform that makes the tax code more fair for families and businesses without raising tax rates.

“Also that we can responsibly lower the deficit without laying off workers or forcing parents to scramble for child care or slashing financial aid for college students.

“I don’t think that’s too much to ask. I don’t think that is partisan. It’s the kind of approach that I’ve proposed for two years. That’s what I ran on last year. The majority of the American people agree with me and this approach, including, by the way, a majority of Republicans.”

Watch the President’s speech here:

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And even though the country’s economic situation looks grim and Republican’s obstructionism seems even bleaker, the President says he will not stop pushing to connect with Republicans because it is imperative the country moves forward:

“In the coming days and the coming weeks, I’m going to keep up — keep on reaching out to them, both individually and as — as groups of senators of members of the House, and say to them, “Let’s fix this, not just for a month or two, but for years to come.

“Because the greatest nation on earth does not conduct its business in month-to-month increments or by careening from crisis to crisis. And America’s got a lot more work to do. In the meantime, we can’t let political gridlock around a budget stand in the way of other areas where we can make progress.”

If Republicans and Democrats aren’t able to work together, the President will be forced to sign an order of sequestration by 11:59 p.m. Friday.

Sound off!

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RELATED: Obama’s Next Financial Fight: The Sequester

Mr. Marcus and his man thang are in the news again after he reportedly had on-air sex during a radio show this week, TMZ reports.

RELATED: Mr. Marcus Admits To Starting Syphilis Scare And Lying About Positive Test Results

The legendary porn star–who had sex on the job after knowing he was diagnosed with Syphilis–was a guest on Jessica Bangkok‘s show, “Real Life Stories,” a SiriusXM channel operated by Radio Sex, when he reportedly had sex on-air.

Porn actresses Debi Diamond and Nicki Hunter were in the studio and did the wild thang on-air, too.

Bangkok, Diamond and Hunter, all employed by Radio Sex, were canned after the parent company, Manwin USA, investigated the allegations.

TMZ reports that photos of the on-air romp made their way on social media. When the brass at Manwin USA learned of what went down, they reportedly went crazy–thus the pink slips. Though Bangkok’s show was indeed about sex, no one is allowed to get freaky in the studio. For one, it is against company policy. Not to mention, the show does not have permits to have sex on-air.

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The biggest issue of all is the fact that Bangkok allegedly knew of Mr. Marcus’ Syphilis history and still allowed him to do the nasty on-air. Mr. Marcus admitted last year to doctoring a positive STD test result and presenting it to porn producers as negative. He went on to have sex with several performers after lying about his results. After news broke that he lied about his STD status, the porn industry shut down for a month while everyone was tested.

TMZ reached out to Mr. Marcus but have not heard back. NewsOne went to his timeline to see if he is talking about it there; he isn’t–at least not explicitly.

Though he did tweet this message yesterday:

Just left the gym. Put in 2 hours of lifting. About to fuck these haters with pure strength.—
Mr.Marcus (@akaMrMarcus) February 28, 2013

Six-year-old Amar Diarrosova (pictured) was on his way to school when he was reportedly plowed down and killed by a tractor-trailer truck in Harlem while the school’s crossing guard was on a break, reports NBC News.com.

SEE ALSO: More Black Men In College Than In Jail? Wrong

The elementary school boy was just one block from his destination as he crossed a busy avenue with his 9-year-old brother just before 8 a.m. Thursday morning.  According to New York City police, the unidentified driver was making a right turn with his rig on to the avenue and claims he did not see the child.

According to witnesses, the truck driver continued on for two blocks until he was flagged down. Amar’s unidentified brother was not injured.

Watch news coverage of this tragedy here:

Police investigators say that the 55-year-old crossing guard Roman Flavia was in fact allowed to take a mini break but should have noted her temporary absence in a ledger, which she failed to do. She has since been suspended from her position pending further investigation.

The two young siblings, who attended P.S. 155, were crossing the wide avenue — which reportedly always has a steady stream of traffic — within the cross walk, when Amar was struck. The school is approximately 12 blocks from the children’s residence and many are wondering why they were not accompanied by an adult.

Amar, who has been described as a “sweet boy who loved school and who prayed a lot,” was rushed to nearby Harlem Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Meanwhile, the driver of the truck was cited for failing to yield and for failure to exercise due care according to police. No criminal charges have been filed though the case is still under investigation.

NBC News tried to speak to Amar’s parents, but they were still reeling from the shock of their son’s death.  Amar’s father did manage to state that his other son seems to be doing “OK.”

City Councilwoman Melissa Mark Viverito is however demanding some answers with regards to the heartbreaking incident.  Viverito is questioning whether there is a sufficient number of crossing guards posted in the school’s area since the roads are so heavily traveled at all times.

SEE ALSO:  I’m Black And I Think I Have Presidential Roots

CHICAGO– Michelle Obama (pictured center) says it was “absolutely not surprising” to her that her satellite appearance at the Academy Awards ceremony provoked a national conversation about whether it was appropriate, after some conservative critics accused her of selfishly crashing the event in an attempt to upstage it.

RELATED: Evolution Of Mom Dancing: Michelle Obama Gets It In On ‘Late Night With Jimmy Fallon’ [VIDEO]

She attributed the chatter to a culture shift that has spawned legions of bloggers, tweeters, and others who talk about anything and everything all the time.

“Shoot, my bangs set off a national conversation. My shoes can set off a national conversation. That’s just sort of where we are. We’ve got a lot of talking going on,” the First Lady said only somewhat jokingly Thursday before an appearance in Chicago, her hometown. “It’s like everybody’s kitchen-table conversation is now accessible to everybody else so there’s a national conversation about anything.”

Watch an NBC report discussing Michelle Obama’s Oscar appearance:

In what was not the first-ever Oscar appearance by a first lady, Mrs. Obama was beamed live from the White House into Sunday’s ceremony in Los Angeles to unseal the envelope and announce that the night’s final award, for Best Picture, would go to “Argo.” In 2002, Laura Bush appeared at the ceremony on videotape.

Americans have long been fascinated by their first ladies, scrutinizing everything from their clothes and hair to the issues they promote and how they raise their children. Mrs. Obama acknowledged that she and President Barack Obama have added appeal, and perhaps sometimes are subject to extra scrutiny, because they are the first Black family in the White House but also a young couple (she turned 49 last month; he’s 51) with young children (daughters Sasha, 11, and Malia, 14).

She said she doesn’t give a second thought to critical comments about what she does as first lady.

Her strategy, she said, is to do things that further her larger goals and Oscar night fit with her support for the arts. She recently invited the director and cast members from the Oscar-nominated film “Beasts of the Southern Wild” to the White House to participate in a question-and-answer session with students from Washington and New Orleans who had seen the film at the executive mansion.

“I just don’t think about that stuff,” said Mrs. Obama, who was asked for her reaction to the criticism during an interview with a small group of reporters who were invited to accompany her on a three-city tour marking the third anniversary of her “Let’s Move” campaign against childhood obesity.

She said she was astounded by the buzz about cutting her hair to add bangs, which she unveiled on her birthday, just before inauguration weekend.

Asked if she was surprised that the bangs made the news, Mrs. Obama said: “I was, I have to say. I’m like, It’s a haircut.”

In the interview, Mrs. Obama also revealed that she used a lot of salty language as a 10-year-old, which she said she didn’t realize until the year it cost her the title of “best camper” at the day camp she and her brother, Craig, attended every summer. The experience taught her a lesson, she said.

“I was going through my cursing stage,” she said. “I didn’t realize until my camp counselor at the end came up and said, `You know, you would have been best camper in your age group but you curse so much.’ And I was thinking, `Really. Was it that noticeable? And I thought I was being cool. Little did I know I lost `best camper.’ I didn’t curse again.”

RELATED: FLOTUS Style: 8 Michelle Obama Looks We’d Vote For

PHILADELPHIA– A driver opened fire on a crowd of people surrounding the tour bus of rapper French Montana (pictured right) after a concert in Philadelphia, killing one person and injuring another, according to police.

SEE ALSO: Cheaters Never Prosper: Michael Jordan Sued For Child Support

The shooting happened around 11:30 p.m. Thursday as the entourage had arrived at a hotel near Penn’s Landing, after the rapper had headlined a sold-out show at the Theatre of Living Arts. Philadelphia police Chief Inspector Scott Small said a crowd formed around the bus, a car pulled up, and someone began shooting.

“A large crowd of fans, as well as some of the entourage, were loitering and just hanging out,” Small told reporters. He said one man may have fired back.

A 27-year-old man was hit in the abdomen and later pronounced dead at a hospital; another man was hit in the shoulder. Their names haven’t been released.

Investigators were still questioning several people about the shooting Friday, but no arrests were announced, said Officer Tanya Little, a police spokeswoman. Investigators said they don’t think the rapper or his entourage were targeted and neither victim appeared to be with the rapper’s group.

The Moroccan rapper, born Karim Kharbouch, posted a photo on Twitter showing a police officer interviewing a person after the shooting and also posted photos of himself with Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill at the show. The New York artist is scheduled to play Brighton Music Hall in Boston on Friday night and is touring to promote his upcoming debut album, “Excuse My French,” which features Nicki Minaj.

Last month, three people were killed and five injured in a shootout and crash on the Las Vegas strip; police think that shootout may have started as an argument at the valet area of the upscale Aria resort-casino the same night French Montana was playing at Aria’s signature nightclub, Haze.

A message left by the Associated Press for the artist’s publicist was not immediately returned.

SEE ALSO: Reports: Ice-T Files For Divorce In Wake Of Coco Cheating Scandal

R&B diva Beyoncé has once again ruffled the feathers of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). And this time it is because of her custom-made kicks, which are reportedly made from various animal skins, according to the New York Daily News.

SEE ALSO: First Lady Needs To Raise Her Game

Beyoncé is reportedly a fan of the Isabel Marant wedge sneaker, so she reportedly designed her own “King-Bey” shoes.

The high-end footwear manufacturers Perfectly Made Kicks (PMK) made the beige and tan, velcroed shoes per Beyoncé’s specifications, with the crooner reportedly selecting her own skins that included anacondas, stingrays, crocodiles, calves, and ostriches. PMK then weaved them in to the kicks by hand, which the company describes as “another world first.”

Watch news coverage of Beyonce’s sneakers here:

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Not surprisingly, the fashionista was slammed by PETA for her animal-skin selections:

[The sneakers] come with a high price, PETA said in a statement. “And it’s paid by the various animals who were beaten and skinned alive or cruelly farmed and killed.”

Earlier this year, Beyonce was criticized by PETA for shamelessly sporting a mink coat at the presidential inauguration and for wearing leather during her Super Bowl half-time performance.

Beyoncé’s mogul hubby, Jay-Z, who is also a fan of PMK, also ordered a specially designed pair of trainers last year, which resembled the ever-popular Jordan 1 (pictured below) basketball sneaker. Mr. Carter named his sneaks Brooklyn Zoo 1s and he also chose to incorporate a few exotic skins like elephant-print, ostrich, python, boa, crocodile lizard, alligator, suede, and sting ray.

The “King-Bey” sneakers can be purchased through the PMK website for a mere $5,500.

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SEE ALSO: James Brown’s Estate Still Unsettled

Basketball legend, Michael Jordan, is being sued for child support by a woman he allegedly had an affair with in 1995,while he was still married to ex-wife Juanita. The mother wants full custody and support. Plus, she wants the boy, Taj, to have Jordan’s last name.

TMZ has more:

Pamela Smith claims in her paternity suit — filed February 6 in Fulton County, GA and obtained by TMZ — she became pregnant after having sex with Jordan in 1995.  Pamela gave birth to Grant Pierce Jay Jordan Reynolds — aka Taj — in June 1996.  BTW, Jordan was married to Juanita Vanoy at the time he allegedly had sex with Smith.

Pamela says in her legal docs she welcomes a paternity test to prove Jordan’s the dad.  She wants full custody and child support.  She also wants Jordan to pay the kid’s medical expenses.

  Read more at TMZ.

Call it the Harlem Shake Renaissance, because the frenzied dance looks like it’s going to stick around awhile this year. And who better to get in on the action than the crowd-pleasing Miami Heat?

Check out the hilarious clip below:

Residents of Harlem voiced anger that people with no allegiance to the borough have made a joke out of dance that has held a special place in Harlem’s heart since the early ’80′s.

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According to ABC, as of “Feb. 11, there have been over 12,000 “Harlem Shake” videos, and they’ve been watched more than 44 million times. Now, YouTube says, over 4,000 of these crazy dance videos are being uploaded per day.”

To “show ‘em how to do this, son,” Harlem residents uploaded a video of the real Harlem Shake:

UPDATE: A rep for the couple told E! Online that the story of a divorce is false:

“Ice and Coco are doing totally fine,” Coco’s rep exclusively tells E!. “Those papers are fake. They are not addressing rumors or the photos (her posing with that rapper) and are moving forward happily.”

——————————————————————————————————————-

As Bay-area rapper, AP.9, continues to tell the world that he had sex with Coco, 33, wife of rapper turned-turned-actor Ice-T, 54, reports are surfacing that Ice has filed for divorce, according to VH1.com.

In an interview with HollywoodLife.com, AP.9 said that he was exposing Coco to clear his name:

“We had sex,” AP.9 says. “I don’t know who made the first move. It wasn’t making love; it was just sex.”

“We had sex unprotected. I really hope she isn’t pregnant!”

“She did an interview and said, ‘Oh, he was a superfan, everywhere I went he showed up and ran up to me talking pictures. She threw me under the bus like I was some groupie stalking her.”

The rapper claims that he spoke with Ice-T about it and admitted the one-night stand to the veteran rapper and actor:

“He called me and said, ‘My wife wouldn’t f**k with you. You need to tell the truth because my wife wouldn’t do that.’ So I told Ice-T: ‘You want the truth? OK. Me and your wife had sex!’”

I got respect for Ice, and I’m not mad at her. But don’t lie about me. Everyone is looking at me like I’m the bad guy. I don’t have a reason to lie. But she has a reason to lie. She’s the one who’s married.”

As previously reported by NewsOne, Ice-T tweeted his outrage over the pictures that his wife took with the rapper while in Las Vegas performing in a topless peepshow:

Coco’s in Vegas. She has given me her explanation of the pics on the net from her first weeks out there with some dude. She said he knew someone in the crew from our show and would pop up where ever they would go. He also said he knew me.. I don’t know dude.

Regardless.. They would take Posed pics every time. Most of them disrespectful and in bad taste. She’s made me look.. And feel like sh-t.

I say this on Twitter because there’s no way to avoid the obvious misconduct of a married couple. That’s it. Any more questions ask @Cocosworld

Don’t get it twisted… I’m not happy about this sh-t.

Daily Game: Trust no one.

Follow @newsoneofficial

Coco apologized for disrespecting her husband, but claimed there was no affair:

Ice is right,the pics I took with this man were in poor taste & I disrespected my husband however the pics were the only thing that happened

—
Coco (@cocosworld) December 08, 2012

I feel so sad,the bottom line is I love Ice & I can understand why he's upset theres no excuse for my actions.I'm so sorry baby & to evryone

—
Coco (@cocosworld) December 08, 2012

Though the reports keep coming in, Coco took to her Twitter account to show that she was spending time with her husband:

On the set of law and Order waiting on Ice to get off work so we can go grub.I love NY restaurants so many to pick from..decisions,decisions—
Coco (@cocosworld) March 01, 2013

Ice-T has made no comment.

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Taking “can’t we all just get along” to another level, members of the Grape Street Crips gang in Memphis have joined with members of Ku Klux Klan to protest a planned KKK rally in Memphis on March 30th, reports ABC24.com.

Protest organizer, Dajuan Horton, said that the purpose of the counter-protest is to meet racism with non-violence:

“The first thing I was thinking was the largest rally you’ve even seen and you’re telling us about it. You’re sending the first blow, we’re not throwing blows we’re going to dodge that one and hug you.”

After seeing a YouTube video of Horton outlining his vision of solidarity with the Ku Klux Klan,  Bradley Jenkins, the Imperial Wizard for the United Klan of America, vowed to join his cause:

“We will stand resolute with the citizens of Memphis and this young man and anyone in town, no matter what color they be, because hate and racism has no place,” he said.

“This young man and the people of the community do not need to fear the Klan coming. People making accusations that thousands of Klansmen are coming to fill the streets of your town – that’s one little man speaking for many got
to stop,” he said. “Don’t be fooled. They’re fooling the media, everybody these folks saying they’re Klan, they’re not Klan.”

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Jenkins claims that the march, allegedly to protest the renaming of parks that currently honor known racists and Klansmen, is self-serving and not in the Klan’s best interest:

“The Ku Klux Klan stands for not self but others. How can that be for others arguing over the name of a park inside of a city that made the decision to rename it? That is the community’s prerogative.”

Edward, a member of the Loyal White Knights, the Klan group planning the rally, said they have no plans of terrorizing the town, but that White people must unapologetically stand up for their rights.

Watch the news report below: