Amid news of Morehouse College graduating its first white valedictorian, this week, we have a submission from blogger Kyle "Scoop" Yeldell. Yeldell, a Morehouse graduate and writer for Finditt.com, takes issue with what he calls the "media attention and slant to [valedictorian Joshua Packwood's] success."

Kyle "Scoop" Yeldell

Spike, Martin, Samuel, shoot, even Mukasa could be the face of dear old Morehouse.

It's been circulating that for the first time in Morehouse's 141-year history that she has a white valedictorian.

Joshua Packwood is a valedictorian that had a holistic college and social experience, one who excelled in the classroom both and abroad. Josh earned the right to be both valedictorian and wear the title "Morehouse Man."

However, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution titled their article on him with a preposterous question: Is he the face of Morehouse College?

US civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson speaks at a press conference on relief aid in Haiti

Thony Belizaire, Getty Images

Members of the United States Secret Service are under investigation after racist and sexually charged e-mails recently surfaced. One in particular, which references two-time presidential candidate Jesse Jackson, has the civil rights leader upset. According to CBS:

"Rev. Jackson's dealings with the Secret Service date back to his two campaigns for the Democratic presidential nomination in the 1980s. He actually asked for and was assigned protective details before other candidates back then.

The Secret Service e-mail, obtained from a court filing in Washington, was titled "The Righteous Reverend," and jokes about the deaths of Jackson and his wife when a missile strikes their plane. The e-mail ends with, it "certainly wouldn't be a great loss and probably wouldn't be an accident either."

Jackson is requesting to read every correspondence that concerned him and his family, dating back to the 1980s. While the most damaging e-mails found had nothing to do with the elder Jackson, his son, U.S. Rep Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.), isn't convinced this was a one-time event.

"The Secret Service is charged with investigating threats, not initiating them. This gives you some sense, some insight, into what may be taking place there," he said. "The Congress of the United States has oversight responsibilities and we're going to be looking very carefully at what's going on there."

Should Barack Obama be worried about the level of protection he receives from the Secret Service? One lapse in Obama's security at a Dallas event left some wondering.

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Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Flickr, Twitter, MeetUp ... these days, there's a social networking site for your every need. But can you be too connected?

Blogger Natalie P. McNeal (via The Root) is feeling the urge to unplug:

"I manage my actual social life far better than my virtual one. I have my own operating hours, for instance, to coordinate time with friends who hang out too late on work nights. I take them to events like receptions that end by 10 p.m.

But with social networking sites, there isn't a clear beginning, middle or end. You start by snooping on friends' pages and posting pithy status updates, and next thing you know, you're losing hours playing Scrabulous, and you've slipped into a networking vortex.

... Between my multiple e-mail accounts, IMs, and my blog, I am a fully connected woman. I am not saying these social networks aren't fun. I'm just saying I need to unplug."

How connected are you? And where do you draw the line?

It happened when Paul Pierce committed a hard foul against LeBron. The two became entangled near where LeBron's mother, Gloria, was sitting. She got up to defend her son, and that's when LeBron appears to tell her to "sit your a** down."

Check it out for yourself (around 0:12).

First question: Did he say it? Second question: If LeBron really did say what most people think he said, why did his mother not kill him right there on the court?

Sen. John Edwards attends the 30th Annual 'Outstanding Mother Awards' in New York City.

Amy Sussman, Getty Images

NPR is reporting that Sen. John Edwards will endorse his former rival, Sen. Barack Obama, at a rally tonight in Michigan.

Will Edwards' support help Obama? How big a role will it play in the campaign?

More: John Edwards to Endorse Obama

Sure, Google has cornered the market on search. But if this trick takes hold, their name may no longer be as ubiquitous.

Zyber Media's PimpMySearch.com allows you to replace Google's name with your own ... or whatevever word you choose, by laying a customized "skin" over Google's search interface.

Here's how:

Use this link, swapping out "NAME" with whatever word you want to display.

http://www.pimpmysearch.com/home.html?gname=NAME

Paste it into your Web browser ... and voila!

(Special thanks to our very own Tony Cox for putting us onto this.)

The highest-ranking black officer in the NYPD was parked in a department-issued SUV, wearing plainclothes, when two officers approached him. According to the New York Daily News:

"In his briefing to Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, Zeigler said the two cops, who are white, had no legitimate reason to approach his SUV, ranking sources said.

After they ordered him to get out, one officer did not believe the NYPD identification Zeigler gave him."

NYPD Chief Douglas Zeigler

At the same time, the officers in trouble offer a different story:

"When one officer spotted Zeigler's service weapon through the rolled-down window, he yelled "Gun!" according to sources who have spoken with the officers.

Both cops raised their weapons and ordered the driver out of the car, sources said.

Instead of saying he was an armed member of the NYPD, Zeigler shouted, "Don't you know who I am?" the sources said."

Following a rash of highly-publicized incidents involving the police and civilians, some argue that this event further illustrates the notion that racial profiling in the department is alive and well.

State Senator Eric Adams is calling for reform within the NYPD, especially when dealing with minorities.

"Something is wrong with our Police Department and their interactions with people of color," said State Sen. Eric Adams (D-Brooklyn), a former police captain.

WCBS has more:

The incident was reported as police are being criticized for stopping and frisking record numbers of pedestrians -- about 145,000 in the first quarter of this year. The majority of them were black or Hispanic.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, who has been leading demonstrations in the city to protest the acquittals of three police officers in the shooting death of an unarmed man as he left his bachelor party, took note of the Zeigler incident while speaking at his weekly rally in Harlem.

"You can't make this stuff up!" he said. "The problem isn't that they didn't recognize him. It is that they don't recognize our rights!"

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Are black smokers' preference of mentholated brands like Kool, Salem and Newports a matter of cultural preference, tobacco industry marketing, or some combination thereof?

A researcher at the University of California offers his theory via the New York Times:

"The migration of African-Americans to urban manufacturing centers after World War II, coupled with the emergence of black-oriented newspapers and magazines, created various opportunities for niche marketing. In the case of cigarettes, with research showing a slight black preference for Kools, a menthol brand, the industry saw an opening to appeal to black smokers."

And then there's this: Though magazine advertising for cigarettes has declined, the Times reports "the portion devoted to menthol brands -- only 12 percent in 1998 -- had grown to 76 percent by 2006."

More: Cigarette Bill Treats Menthol With Leniency

A close-up of the sculptural rendering of the proposed MLK Jr. statue.

Getty Images

The 28-foot tall statue, carved from a large chunk of granite called the Stone of Hope, is the centerpiece of the memorial. But this statue of a man who embodied hope, compassion, and freedom is said to resemble an Eastern European dictator with a chip on his shoulder.

According to the New York Times, "the commission, whose approval is necessary for the project to proceed, recommended that the sculpture portray Dr. King as a more sympathetic figure."

The group has asked lead sculptor, Lei Yixin of China, to make the modifications. As you'll remember, some were critical of Yixin being selected over an African-American artist to lead this project.

How should he convey King's strength, while making him appear -- as the commission requests -- "more sympathetic"? What do you think of their suggestion?

Related Links:
King To Soon Stand in Nation's Capital
Commission Calls for MLK Statue's Redesign
Some Say Memorial Design Misrepresents MLK Jr.
Design Change Sought for King Memorial

R&B singer R. Kelly arrives at the Chicago courthouse where jury selection is scheduled to begin for his child pornography trial.

Scott Olson, Getty Images

It's been six years since famous R&B crooner R. Kelly was nabbed on child porn charges.

Even with the subsequent release of a sex tape supposedly documenting the entire affair, and plenty of sordid details related to his alleged crime being made public, the man's popularity has hardly suffered. Certainly, he has still been touring and making money. (The same could not be said for Michael Jackson after his first court battle over similar charges.)

In fact, on today's roundtable discussion, we learned that listeners actually complained when radio stations pulled R. Kelly from the airwaves following his arrest.

Then there is the Senegalese Singing Sensation, Akon. According to TheSmokingGun.com, he faked his way to the top by exaggerating a largely benign criminal past.

"Police, court, and corrections records reveal that the entertainer has created a fictionalized backstory that serves as the narrative anchor for his recorded tales of isolation, violence, woe, and regret. Akon has overdubbed his biography with the kind of grit and menace that he apparently believes music consumers desire from their hip-hop stars."

AOL Black Voices has more on Akon's fraudulent past, including video of his now-refuted debut hit "Locked Up."

Do you agree that the hip-hop community lends a level of respect to performers who have served time? Do you care that Akon may have invented a troubled past to sell records? If child porn charges aren't enough to turn the public off a performer, what are?

Subscribe to the "News & Notes" RSS Feed to remain current on all the hottest topics.

Hillary Clinton addresses a crowd of supporters in Eleanor, West Virginia.

Joe Raedle, Getty Images

In order to keep her presidential pursuit afloat, Hillary Clinton has loaned her campaign nearly $12 million of her own money. But unless she's able to raise that amount and repay herself before the Democratic National Convention, Clinton will have to claim it as a loss.

Now, as part of a Clinton-Obama "olive branch" deal, (which would likely include Clinton withdrawing from the race), Obama would help Clinton discharge some of her debt. It's not as unusual as it may sound.

Some Obama supporters were initially skittish about the idea. But the New York Times clarifies how it would work:

"If Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton would happen to broker a deal to help pay off her campaign debts -- this remains a big if, aides said, because nothing has been formally discussed -- the money would not be taken from Mr. Obama's campaign account. Instead, he would have to make a fund-raising appeal on her behalf, asking people to contribute."

And Thomas Edsall further explains:

"Under federal campaign finance law, the Obama campaign cannot directly pay off Clinton's debts, or the $11.43 million she has loaned the campaign, because that would violate campaign contribution limits. But if Obama is the nominee, he and his donor base could provide invaluable help to her in raising money through signed appeals, joint fundraisers and by other methods."

So ... should Obama help pay Clinton's campaign debt? If so, how?

Plus, a political photo montage set to the music of Thomas Mapfumo of Zimbabwe:

We debated Clinton's comments on today's reporters' roundtable. Take a read and tell us what you think:

"I have a much broader base to build a winning coalition on," she said in an interview with USA TODAY. As evidence, Clinton cited an Associated Press article "that found how Sen. Obama's support among working, hard-working Americans, white Americans, is weakening again, and how whites in both states who had not completed college were supporting me."

"There's a pattern emerging here," she said.

What do you think?

Gas prices in Fremont, Calif.

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As the price of gas reaches record highs in this country ... compared to other places across the globe, paying $4 per gallon could be considered a privilege.

CNNMoney has more:

"Out of 155 countries surveyed, U.S. gas prices were the 45th cheapest, according to a recent study from AIRINC, a research firm that tracks cost of living data.

The difference is staggering. As of late March, U.S. gas prices averaged $3.45 a gallon. That compares to over $8 a gallon across much of Europe.

... Cheap gas prices have also lulled Americans into a cycle of buying bigger cars and bigger houses further away from their work - leaving them more exposed to rising prices, some experts say."

Check out the comparisons:

How much are you paying for gas these days? At what point will the price of gas impact your daily driving?