National

(CNN) — Events are scheduled around the United States to honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. as the nation marks the 25th anniversary of the holiday in the civil rights leader’s honor. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama planned to mark the day by participating in a service project in Washington. “Martin […]

ATLANTA — Saying the shooting in Arizona that killed six and seriously wounded Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords underscores the need for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s message, the civil rights leader’s son was expected to address a crowd gathered Monday to mark the 25th anniversary of the federal holiday for his father.

As Michelle Obama celebrates her 47th birthday today, here are 47 things you didn’t know about about the First Lady: 1. Her nickname is “Miche” (pronounced “Meesh”). 2. Her husband calls her “My Rock” 3. Her father worked the swing shift in the boiler room at Chicago’s water purification plant. 4. She grew up with […]

LITHONIA, Ga. — Under a sparkling blue sky, thousands of worshipers in cars and SUVs streamed into the mall-like parking lots at the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, a sprawling campus just off I-20 in this suburb of Atlanta.

Mississippi seceded from the Union 150 years ago this week (Jan. 9). But the intermittent, sometimes bitter, argument over whether the Civil War was “about slavery” again is the focus of public debate.

The 2011 Detroit Auto Show is proving to be more eventful for BMW than the automaker had originally intended. As workers were preparing to load a BMW 7 Series onto a transport truck near Detroit’s Westin Book Cadillac hotel, a pair of thieves jumped in and drove off with the German luxury sedan. The car […]

Dear parents, Like so many Americans all across the country, Barack and I were shocked and heartbroken by the horrific act of violence committed in Arizona this past weekend. Yesterday, we had the chance to attend a memorial service and meet with some of the families of those who lost their lives, and both of […]

NEW YORK — The bleakest year in the foreclosure crisis has only just begun. Lenders are poised to take back more homes this year than any other since the U.S. housing meltdown began in 2006. About 5 million borrowers are at least two months behind on their mortgages and more will miss payments as they […]

Tucson, Arizona (CNN) — In between consoling those touched by Saturday’s Arizona shooting and warning the nation against politicizing the tragedy, President Barack Obama delivered some good news in his address at a Tucson memorial event on Wednesday. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona has opened her eyes for the first time since being shot four […]

ATLANTA — Stanley Nelson writes for a small weekly newspaper in the Louisiana delta. For the past four years, he has been obsessed with one story: who threw gasoline into a rural shoe repair and dry goods shop in 1964 and started a fire that killed Frank Morris?

DETROIT – A month after surgery in Detroit for an undisclosed ailment, Aretha Franklin says her health is “superb.” Franklin called in to Wednesday’s installment of “The Wendy Williams Show,” telling the host she was relaxing at a casino hotel in her hometown and hopes to begin traveling soon, saying she’ll be “looking for a […]

Port-au-Prince, HAITI – In Haiti’s capital city, Bel-Air is one of its poorest neighborhoods. Like so many of the area’s young people, 24-year-old Kitcher Letang doesn’t work, doesn’t go to school and became involved in gangs at a young age. “Imagine living here with no schools, no security,” Letang told theGrio’s Jeff Johnson recently. But […]