Update: Please check Blogging the Beltway later today for Cynthia Gordy’s recap of President Obama’s remarks. In the meantime, learn more about the press conference at the Washington Post. Earlier: The Washington Post is reporting that President Obama will hold his second news conference about the debt ceiling Monday morning, just before meeting with congressional leaders…

The Web is buzzing with reports that Hines Ward, star wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers, spent part of his Saturday morning in handcuffs after being arrested in Atlanta for driving under the influence. The former Super Bowl MVP and reigning Dancing With the Stars champ was booked into the DeKalb County jail at 3:41 a.m. and charged with…

Fresh from our “Are you kidding us?” file, News One is reporting that two of the top Republican presidential contenders have backtracked from signing a pledge against gay marriage that also suggested black families were stronger under slavery. First Leader, an Iowa Christian conservative group, released a pledge called “The Marriage Vow” that equates homosexuality…

Edith M. Lederer of the Associated Press is reporting that the United Nations Security Council unanimously approved a new peacekeeping force for South Sudan on Friday, assuring the world’s newest nation on the eve of its independence of military and police support to help maintain peace and security.  The council authorized the deployment of up to…

Update: Despite numerous news reports that Tiger Woods would be holding a press conference today at 11:00 a.m. ET, the press conference did not take place, and his agent Mark Steinberg denied that the golf great would be making a “special announcement,” according to the Associated Press and CBS. Earlier: AJC.com is reporting that the golf…

The Baltimore Sun is reporting that the end of the weekend was marked by violence in Baltimore as three people were killed and four others were injured. Seven separate and apparently unrelated incidents were reported throughout the city within a 24-hour period. Two men were killed, five others were shot and a woman died of…

ColorLines’ Akiba Solomon is hopping mad about the flippancy with which people are using hashtags to identify skin color on Twitter. The hashtags #TeamLightskin, #Teamdarkskinned and #Teambrownskinned are referenced in Solomon’s takedown of those who use these hashtags to perpetuate #structural racism. Solomon admonishes those who say that these hashtags are an interpersonal matter about…

EURweb is reporting that musician Pharrell Williams is opening a youth center in his native Virginia to provide youngsters with an outlet for their creativity. Williams has recruited renowned architect Chad Oppenheim to create a modern tree house-style space in Virginia Beach that will provide an escape for local kids while nurturing their artistic talents. Williams, who…

News One is reporting that South Sudan will officially become an independent nation on Saturday after 50 years of civil wars that left 2 million dead. Military parades and celebrations will burst forth Saturday in front of dozens of visiting world leaders. When that party ends, South Sudan must face grim realities: It will be one…

Michael Grazyk of the Associated Press is reporting that the U.S. Supreme Court refused to block Texas from executing a Mexican citizen, despite a White House-backed appeal that claimed the case could affect other foreigners arrested in the U.S. and Americans in legal trouble abroad. Humberto Leal was executed Thursday evening for the 1994 rape and…