Black lawmakers and civil rights groups are concerned by a proposal in the Senate’s immigration reform bill that would do away with “diversity” visas that are often a pathway for African and Caribbean immigrants to enter the United States.

Advocates said they haven’t seen evidence yet that a new merit-based program is an acceptable replacement for the diversity visas, which total 55,000 each year and are granted via a lottery.

Hilary Shelton, director of the NAACP Washington bureau, said he is telling lawmakers not to eliminate the diversity program when comprehensive immigration reform moves forward.

“At this point, we are urging lawmakers not to eliminate the diversity visa program,” Shelton told reporters. “This is one of the places in the bill that needs to be addressed. We will work with our friends in the Senate, and we have started working with our friends in the House as well.”

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), co-chairman of the immigration task force for the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), called the Senate bill “a significant step in the right direction” but said his caucus is worried about the plan to eliminate diversity visas.

“With respect to the abolishment of the diversity visa lottery program, the CBC is extremely concerned that it might limit the future flow of immigration for people from certain parts of the world,” Jeffries said. “That’s troublesome, and we’re evaluating the merit-based visa proposal to determine if it’s fair and balanced.”

The diversity program makes 55,000 visas available each year to countries with low immigration rates to the United States. Those awarded the visas are chosen by a lottery, with about half typically going to African immigrants.

Republican lawmakers have targeted the program in the past for elimination, arguing the program’s lottery system can lead to fraud and undermine national security.

The Senate bill proposes ending the diversity visas in 2015 and creating a new, merit-based visa program. It would make 120,000 visas available per year, rising to a maximum of 250,000, depending on the need for them and the unemployment rate. Immigrants would earn points toward visas based on their education, employment, family ties and other criteria.

“The jury is still out on whether the merit-based visas will be sufficient to address the concerns we have identified with diversity visas,” said Wade Henderson, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. “We are concerned but we are still looking, and we are still making a decision.”

Some groups are furious with lawmakers for putting the diversity program on the chopping block.

“This is not a zero-sum game where we take from one to give to another. That is not how comprehensive immigration reform should work,” said Bertha Lewis, president of The Black Institute. “We are really, really angry about this diversity visa business.”

Jeffries said it was “too early to say” whether he would support the Senate bill without changes. The CBC is in talks with lawmakers negotiating a House immigration overhaul, he said.

“The situation is still very much in flux, and we won’t know until the end of the month what that bill might ultimately look like,” Jeffries said.

Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), another co-chairman of the CBC’s immigration task force, said the group met on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the diversity visa issue.

“We continue to be concerned about the discontinuation of the diversity waiver, and the fact that … African and Caribbean immigrants who are participating in the diversity visa [program] per year could lose that pathway,” Horsford said.

Horsford said CBC leaders have been in talks with immigration reform negotiators in both the House and the Senate. He suggested the merit-based replacement program was included in the Senate bill at the urging of the CBC.

“In large part, this alternative has been proposed because of our concerns with the diversity visa [discontinuation]. Meaning, we brought this issue up when we heard that it was being talked about [being] eliminated,” Horsford said. “And we said, ‘Look, without some meaningful alternative that ensures that all communities, including Caribbean and African immigrants, are protected, then, you know, we [the CBC] would have major concern.’”

Horsford said Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.), another leader of the CBC’s immigration task force, has been in talks with Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), a member of the Senate’s “Gang of Eight,” about diversity visas.

“And now that we have the language, and now that we can see the alternative specifically, we can, you know, begin to work on how it affects our communities,” Horsford said.

Horsford said he expected the House immigration reform bill would have similar language related to diversity visas and the merit-based replacement program.

Shelton of the NAACP said he was hoping for “a strengthening” of the diversity visa program in the immigration reform bill by increasing its numbers of visas and expediting their processing time.

“It has not been demonstrated yet that the merit-based visas that are being lifted up will solve the problems that diversity visas were intended to solve,” Shelton said. “There may be a need for an amendment to fix this problem in the future to help African and Caribbean immigrants.”

Rihanna just gave ex-boyfriend Chris Brown a little taste of what he’s missing … her perfectly sculpted ass. RiRi just posted an extreme close-up shot of her nearly bare derriere in shorts that are so tiny, her THONG is hanging out of ‘em. 

Rihanna added a caption saying the pic was from the set of her new music video … but we think it’s pretty obvious the photo was for an audience of 1 — Chris … who was recently spotted out with his other sometimes-GF Karrueche Tran (who definitely doesn’t have an ass like Ri).

Think he’s regretting the breakup yet
?

Ever wonder what became of Paris Hilton‘s music career?

Well the 32-year-old socialite has now signed to Cash Money Records and will release music alongside labelmates Nicki Minaj, Drake and Lil Wayne, reports MTV News.

Hilton’s self-titled debut was released in 2006 and the vixen said to Showbiz 411 she hopes to have a follow up soon with Cash Money, adding that it would feature multiple hip-hop acts.

“This is a lot different than my first album,” she described. “It’s really going to be house music.”

Label reps confirmed Hilton is the newest member to their musical family although her rep indicated that it’s not a solid deal as of yet: “Paris Hilton is in talks with a number of record labels right now but we can’t confirm anything. When a deal is finalized we will make an official announcement.”

Birdman of Young Money Cash Money Billionaires tweeted Wednesday, “Welcome @ParisHilton to tha Family. RichgangRichgirl. YMCMB.”

Shortly after, Hilton posted a music video on Twitter for the song with Wayne called “Last Night,” which was released last year.

“Love this song I recorded with @LilTunechi,” she wrote. ”Love Lil Wayne, he is so amazing! Can’t wait for our new song! #I(heart)YMCMB“

The starlet confirmed what her rep seems to be denying, that her long standing relationship with Cash Money is now turning into an actual musical venture.

Birdman indicated that while some other acts may not be signed to the label they still collaborate to put out projects.

“We have other artists like Future, who is not signed to us but a part of us,” he explained to RapFix. “A lot of business we do don’t necessarily have to be about money, it’s about relationships and this is about people that we have relationships with.”

Hilton’s self-described “electro-pop music” will reportedly be released sometime in the summer of 2013, although she teased fans last year when she indicated her sophomore effort was going to be out in mid-2012.

“I think a lot of people don’t know that music is my passion since I was a little girl,” she told MTV News last year. “I’m very musically talented. This is more my thing [musically on this album], more of a club scene, more dance.”

Times of stress and hardship often turn non-religious people into believers.

But one Moore, Oklahoma resident refused to thank to Lord for surviving the gigantic tornado that pulverized her suburb on Monday, making for an extremely awkward TV interview.

In a clip going viral on the internet, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer stands in front of mountains of debris and says to survivor Rebecca Vitsmun: ‘We’re happy you’re here. You guys did a great job. I guess you got to thank the Lord. Right?’

The young mom initially says ‘yeah,’ looking awkwardly at her feet, but Blitzer presses her.

‘Did you thank the Lord for that split-second decision?’ he says, as Vitsmun cradles her  19-month-old son, Anders.

After an uncomfortable pause, Vitsmun replies: ‘I… I’m actually an atheist’ and then laughs awkwardly.

Clearly taken aback, Blitzer, also laughing, scrambles to recover.

‘You are. All right,’ he says. ‘But you made the right call.’

Humbly, Vitsmun responds: ‘Yeah. We are here. And you know, I don’t blame anybody for thanking the Lord.’

Critics took to Twitter to blast Blitzer for the blunder, while others rallied for Vitsmun as an advocate for atheists the world over.

‘I wonder if that atheist interviewed by Wolf Blitzer knows that she’s a Twitter hero?’ user Ozark Atheist tweeted.

Vitsmun narrowly survived the tornado by fleeing her home moments before it struck, with her baby in tow. In the days after the storm, she and her husband, Brian, began picking through the remains of their devastated property

A terrified woman from Josephine County, Oregon, dialed 911 to report that her violent ex-boyfriend is trying to break into her home, but in response she was told that there are no officers on duty to help her. 

The cash-strapped sheriff’s department in the county had been forced to lay off 23 of its 29 deputies after losing millions in federal aid. The remaining six officers had their shifts slashed to eight hours Monday through Friday.

Unfortunately for the woman faced with an out-of-control jilted lover, her 911 call came on a Saturday.  

Eventually, the crazed man forced his way into the house, choked his former girlfriend and raped her without no one there to stop him.

The suspect, Michael Bellah, was later arrested and pleaded guilty to kidnapping, assault and sex abuse.

The details of her horrific ordeal last August emerged on Tuesday after voters in Josephine and Curry counties with the lowest property taxes in the state turned down tax increases that would have increased the number of officers on the force.

Even if the county residents were to approve the levy, which would have raised taxes from 59 cents to $1.48 per $1,000 of property value for the next three years, it would have been too late for one local woman.

At 4.58am on August 18, the Cave Junction resident called 911 to report an emergency.

‘My ex-boyfriend is trying to break into my house. I’m not letting him in but he’s like, tried to break down the door and he’s tried to break into one of the windows,’ the unnamed victim told the dispatcher.

The woman explained that her ex-boyfriend, Michael Bellah, had put her in the hospital just weeks prior, and she has been trying to keep him away.    

Because the number of deputies at Josephine County’s Sheriff’s Department had been cut following the expiration of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act – a multimillion- dollar annual federal aid payment for timber-producing  counties – the remaining officers were only available 8am to 4pm Monday through Friday.

Since the incident report came on a Saturday, the dispatcher transferred the call to the state police. 

But the officer who picked up the phone at the Oregon State Police headquarters in Grants Pass that morning was not much help either, OPB.com reported.

‘Uh, I don’t have anybody to send out there. You know, obviously, if he comes inside the residence and assaults you, can you ask him to go away? Do you know if he’s intoxicated or anything?’ the officer, who identified himself as Ray, told the caller.

The woman explained that she has already asked Bellah to leave and warned him that she was going to call police, but that did nothing to stop him from trying to break down the door – something he had done in the past, according to the girlfriend.

The state police dispatcher stayed on the phone with the woman for more than 10 minutes, during which time she told the operator that there is already a warrant out for Bellah’s arrest.

‘Once again it’s unfortunate you guys don’t have any law enforcement out there,’ Ray the dispatcher could be heard telling the frightened woman.

‘Yeah, it doesn’t matter. If he gets in the house, I’m done,’ she says in reply.

According to police records, a few minutes later, Bellah used a piece of metal to pry open the front door.

He then proceeded to choke his former girlfriend before sexually assaulting her. Later that day, he was arrested by the state police.

Josephine County Sheriff Gil Gilbertson said that due to lack of funding , residents of the county are not guaranteed protection in case of an emergency simply because there are not enough deputies on hand to respond to every call.

‘There isn’t a day go by that we don’t have another victim,’ Gilbertson told NPR.

Through her attorney, the woman who made the 911 call in August said in a statement she felt hopeless, alone, and very scared on that day.

She said that the tax increase could have spared other people the nightmare she had to live through.

However, residents of Josephine County decided on Tuesday to reject the three-year levy to raise $9.1million a year by 51 per cent to 49 per cent, which would have increased their property taxes.

The county, population 83,000, is looking at further cuts that would leave just one sheriff’s deputy on patrol and an even smaller jail to hold suspects awaiting trial.

Grandpa McCain’s having trouble with his gosh darn iPhone.

After grilling Apple CEO Tim Cook about his company’s tax strategy, the senator skipped a trip to the Apple store and went straight to the big boss for customer service.

“I’m out of time, but what I really wanted to ask was why the hell I have to keep updating apps on my iPhone all the time and why you don’t fix that,” the Arizona Republican grumbled as laughter broke out during the panel session.

“Sir, we’re trying to make them better all the time,” Cook replied, flashing a broad smile.

The lighthearted back-and-forth was a brief respite during an otherwise grueling hearing of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.

McCain, the subcommittee’s chairman, was questioning Cook over allegations that Apple had used loopholes in the tax code to shirk at least $3.5 billion in federal taxes in 2011 and $9 billion in 2012.

Cook dealt swiftly with the senators’ questions, insisting that the $102 billion in cash that the company is holding overseas is not part of a plan to reduce Apple’s U.S. taxes.

“We pay all the taxes we owe — every single dollar,” Cook said. “We don’t depend on tax gimmicks.”

Despite several testy confrontations, some of the lawmakers couldn’t hide that although they might not agree with Apple’s practices, they are big fans of its products.

“I love Apple,” gushed panel member Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) during the hearing, saying that she had “converted” her husband to the MacBook.

“I have an iPad right here,” said Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich). “My granddaughter even knows how to use it — all of it.”

Perhaps Levin’s granddaughter could give McCain a couple of tips.

The man who famously put down his Big Mac to help rescue three women held captive for a decade in an Ohio house will never have to pay for another burger in his hometown.

Charles Ramsey has been promised free burgers for life at more than a dozen Cleveland-area restaurants.

The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer reports that the restaurant where Ramsey worked as a dishwasher initially created a special burger in his honor, but eateries in the city decided a larger tribute was due.

Ramsey was called a hero after helping Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight break out of the house May 6. Ariel Castro is now facing charges.

The newspaper says Ramsey was traveling and would get his “Chuck Card” when he returns.

A 12-year-old Queens girl hanged herself in her family home yesterday after being relentlessly cyberbullied by her middle-school classmates, sources told The Post.

Gabrielle Molina was found hanging by a belt from a ceiling fan at about 2:15 p.m. on 220th Street in Queens Village, cops said.

The troubled tween left behind a heartbreaking note that recounted the torture she endured at the hands of bullies at IS 109.

She also apologized to her family and tried to explain the reasons behind her decision.

Her devastated mom, Glenda Molina, told police her daughter was depressed over constant online harassment from classmates.

The Department of Education declined to comment.

“She’s very quiet, very friendly,” said her heartbroken aunt, Irma Molina, who saw her niece’s body. “She wanted to dance and sing. She’s so young. I don’t understand.”

The aunt said Gabrielle’s sister, Georgia, 15, broke into a locked bedroom to reach her sibling when she didn’t answer the door.

Gabrielle lived with her parents, sister and older brother, Geonel.

Her mom works as a nurse’s aide, while her father, George, is employed at a recycling plant.

“They’re just a wonderful family,” said a neighbor. “The girls were very sweet. They would always say hello. It’s just so sad. I don’t know how they are going to get by.”

Another neighbor said she was shocked that the little girl who frolicked with her sister chose to end her life.

Cyberbullying is on the rise across the country.

Staten Island teen Amanda Cummings threw herself in front of a bus last year after being incessantly bullied by a clique of cruel classmates at New Dorp HS.

Her friends and family said she spiraled into a deep depression because she couldn’t escape the abuse, which focused on everything from her looks to her failures with boyfriends.

The National Crime Prevention Council says 43 percent of teens are subject to cyberbullying.

I love it when you call me … BIG CLOTHING MOGUL — at least, that’s what Christopher Wallace‘s daughter is aspiring to become after launching a fashion line named after her dad.

19-year-old T’yanna Wallace has officially hit the market with “Notoriouss” — a line of shirts and other fashion items.

One interesting point — one of the t-shirt designs has imagery of guns on the front — an odd choice considering the manner in which Wallace died back in 1997.

An FBI agent was involved in a fatal shooting overnight in Orlando, Florida with a suspect connected to Boston Marathon bombers, according to a new report.

Ibragim Todashev, who was being interviewed about his connections to Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, attacked the agent and was shot, NBC News reported.

Todashev, 27, was originally cooperative but later turned on the agent.

“We are currently responding to a shooting incident involving an FBI special agent,” FBI Special Agent Dave Couvertier said in a statement to the network.

“The incident occurred in Orlando, Florida. The agent encountered the suspect while conducting official duties,” Couvertier said. “We do not have any further details at this time. We expect to have more information later this morning.”

One of the suspect’s friends, Khusn Taramiv, told Orlando TV station WESH that Todashev was being probed because both Tamerlan and Todashev were MMA fighters.

Taramiv said he was also interviewed by the FBI at the Windhover Condominiums, according to the report.

WESH reports that Todashev was busted earlier this month for aggravated battery.

“(The FBI) took me and my friend, the suspect that got killed. They were talking to us, both of us, right? And they said they need him for a little more, for a couple more hours, and I left, and they told me they’re going to bring him back. They never brought him back,” Taramiv said.

“He felt inside he was going to get shot,” Taramiv said about Todashev. “I told him, ‘Everything is going to be fine, don’t worry about it.’ He said, ‘I have a really bad feeling.’”

“The FBI kept asking, ‘What’s the connection?’ But there is no connection… no connection,” Taramiv told MyFoxOrlando.

Taramov said the victim had planned to return to Chechnya but had canceled his tickets.

“Me and him and my friends, we knew this was going to happen. That’s why he wanted to leave the country,” Taramiv said. “But he canceled the tickets. The FBI’s been pushing him, ‘Don’t leave, don’t leave.’ So he decided to stay,” he said.

Taramiv said he found about the shooting after returning back to his apartment, according to the report.

“I was completely shocked. I still can’t believe it, you know what I mean?” he said.