"All these people over here are trying to do is worship, which is what you all ought to be doing," said one church member.

MEMBERS OF PASTOR GILYARD CONGREGATION DEFEND THEIR PASTOR HERE

At Christ Tabernacle, some church members questioned why First Coast News was outside their doors. We wanted to know more about the man they've allowed to preach inside.

"He's preaching the Lord's word and he can be wherever he wants to," said Lindy Brown.

This is file video of Darrell Gilyard preaching during his former position as pastor of Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church.

There were no more sermons at Shiloh after he surrendered to police in 2008, and admitted to committing sex crimes against two girls. He's now a registered sex offender.

"He's done his time. He's in counseling and we should give him another opportunity because God can use anybody at any given time," said Rebecca Smith.

Gilyard is now back on the pulpit, preaching at Christ Tabernacle. Rebecca Smith, Gilyard's assistant, said she's been in communication with him over the past three years and he expressed interest in leading a weekly bible study.

"We've been in prayer and I shared with him that God didn't call you to lead bible study. God called you to preach," said Smith. He's now preaching on Sundays indefinitely, "until they tell him he can't come back again."

And because of that, and his legal requirements, children are sent to a separate building and service. Smith says it's proof of how passionate they are about Gilyard returning to leadership.

"I'm passionate about doing the right thing and the right thing is giving another person another chance," said Smith.

This chance also helps Christ Tabernacle out financially. Attendance was down but with Gilyard, it's increased.

"I think it's a wonderful thing," said Brown.

Church members say it was the best decision, based on their beliefs.

"That's what God would have us do. He would have us to appreciate everybody for who they are because none of us are without sin," said Brown.

According to the Department of Corrections website, Gilyard is on probation until December of 2014. His assistant said he is not on payroll at the church, so he's not being paid for his services. She does say he will most likely receive donations.

WATCH COVERAGE OF THIS ONGOING INVESTIGATION HERE

A Georgia chapter reports that corporal punishment is any punishment designed to cause pain. Less than 90 minutes away from Atlanta, Polk County schools have 212 incidents reported and more than half of the incidents came from local high schools.

They claim that students chose corporal punishment in lieu of other disciplinary actions. It is reported that at the beginning of the year, schools send out a note asking if parents would like to opt out of the use of corporal punishment, and in that case they must send in a doctor's note so that the child will not be disciplined with the use of corporal punishment. Georgia laws set very few rules in the case of corporal punishment within various counties, and each local school board then has their own set of rules.

In Georgia's school districts, rulings will be based upon local control and laws. According to the ACLU, 102 counties in Georgia still practice corporal punishment.

"And I called at about 4:20, and she said 'Oh, mom, I'm on the way.' And when I heard 'on the way,' I heard a crackle or something and then her phone went dead," Sharon Leiba said Friday.

WATCH THE ONGOING INVESTIGATION FOR NAKETA LEIBA HERE

Her father, Michael Leiba, said there is no way on Earth she ran away and is sure that someone has her against her will. The girl's friend, Quinton Laurent, even said she posted a tweet saying she was on her way home.

Family members, friends and volunteers spent much of Sunday searching for the girl and handing out fliers. A Facebook page was also created to help in the search for the teen.

"I can't sleep!" Michael Leiba said. "Because I know she's out there and I can't sleep. And I'm trying to lie down and I hear screaming in my head. And I can hear her screaming in my head."

"The ceremony was not my suggestion, nor was it my intent, to participate in any ritual that is offensive in any manner to the Jewish community, or any group,"said Long on Sunday.

theGrio: Why do black churches often put pastors on a pedestal?

"Furthermore, I sincerely denounce any action that depicts me as a King, for I am merely just a servant of the Lord"

WATCH FOOTAGE OF THE EDDIE LONG 'CROWNING' CEREMONY:

The apology came in the form of a letter to Bill Nigut, southeast regional director of the Anti-Defamation League.

Video of the ceremony went viral online. It featured Long being brought on stage at New Birth Baptist Church by Rabbi Ralph Messer. It unfolds with Long being presented with a scroll supposedly recovered from the Holocaust, wrapped in it, hoisted in a chair and paraded around the stage. "He's a king," declared Messer. "God's blessed him. He's a humble man. But in him is kingship."

Rabbis across the country denounced the ceremony for being a fake ritual and for its misuse of a sacred scroll.

Nigut said in response to the apology, "I thought it was a very heartfelt, sincere, humble apology. I was very gratified by Bishop Long apparently recognizing what our concern was."

WATCH THE ONGOING INVESTIGATION HERE

"Where I'm from, young people stand on corners they do not own and frequent stores owned by others. Where I'm from, churches overpopulate blocks as some of their own parishioners enter jails around the clock," she writes on her website.

Raised in the crime-ridden Woodlawn section of Chicago, Gill can easily relate to children from urban communities. She uses her experiences to encourage youth to get an education through the group she founded, called Blackademically Speaking.

WATCH THE GRIO'S 100 CHANDRA GILL ON MSNBC WITH THOMAS ROBERTS:

In fact, she can speak personally relate to the benefits of a good education.

After going through the Chicago Public Schools system, Gill graduated and was accepted into the inaugural class of the prestigious Gates Millennium Scholars Program, which gives students a scholarship to pay for all educational costs throughout college. After college, Gill went on to earn her master's degree.

She faced a setback when she was convicted of aggravated assault against a police officer. However, she did not let that stop her from continuing her education, eventually earning a Ph.D.

Today, Gill can be seen speaking to children about using education as a tool to improve their lives. She has exposed children to college and has motivated them to strive to get there.

Chandra Gill is making history ... as a powerful educator, motivational speaker and advocate for urban youth. Through Blackademically Speaking, Gill has given more than 1,000 children exposure to college, and her efforts have landed her on Chicago's 35 Under 35 leadership list. She was also featured in the United Negro College Fund's Evening of Stars.

What's next for Chandra?

Gill continues to speak to children nationally and internationally. She uses her book, Champions Break Chains, as a guide for achieving success when it seems impossible to do so.

In her own words ...

"I'm there to say, 'You can do whatever you put your mind to, irrespective of what you're going through, irrespective of what you're born in," she said to NBC in a profile about her life. "I get emotional thinking about just how little our children need: just a little encouragement."

A little-known fact about college students

The percentage of black students enrolled in college has increased from 9 to 14 percent in the past 30 years, while the percentage of white students enrolled in college has decreased, from 83 to 62 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

For more information click here...

The request came a day after an Asian-American group called the ad "very disturbing."

The Michigan Republican began taking heat after his ad targeting Democratic incumbent Debbie Stabenow as "Debbie Spenditnow" ran statewide Sunday during the Super Bowl. Some detractors said the ad was racially insensitive, while national GOP consultant Mike Murphy tweeted that it was "really, really dumb." Foreign Policy magazine managing editor Blake Hounshell called the ad "despicable."

WATCH THE CONTROVERSIAL HOEKSTRA COMMERCIAL:

The Rev. Charles Williams II of Detroit's King Solomon Baptist church, where Malcolm X spoke in the 1960s, joined with several other Detroit pastors calling for Hoekstra to pull the ad.

"The Asian woman speaking in this video would be no different than him having a black person speaking in slave dialect," Williams said in a statement Monday. "If Pete Hoekstra does not see any wrong in this commercial, he doesn't deserve to be in the race."

The 30-second ad created by media strategist Fred Davis of California-based Strategic Perception Inc. opens with the sound of a gong and shows the Asian woman riding a bike on a narrow path lined by rice paddies.

Stopping her bike, the woman smiles into the camera and says, "Thank you, Michigan Senator Debbie Spenditnow. Debbie spends so much American money. You borrow more and more from us. Your economy get very weak. Ours get very good. We take your jobs. Thank you, Debbie Spenditnow."

The scene then shifts to Hoekstra telling viewers near a cozy fire, "I think this race is between Debbie Spenditnow and Pete Spenditnot."

Hoekstra defended the ad, telling reporters during a Monday conference call that it has "jumpstarted the debate" over deficit spending. He said it's only "insensitive" to the Democratic philosophy of Stabenow and President Barack Obama, noting the ad doesn't criticize China. Asked about the woman in the ad, Hoekstra said that "her parents are 100 percent Chinese."

"We knew we were taking an aggressive approach on this. But this is a time where the people in Michigan and across the country are fed up with the spending, and we wanted to capture that frustration that they had with Washington, D.C.," he said. "This ad ... hits Debbie smack dab between the eyes on the issue where she is vulnerable with the voters of Michigan, and that is spending."

Michigan Democratic Chairman Mark Brewer, whose party launched an anti-Hoekstra web ad Sunday, said it's Hoekstra's record as an 18-year congressman that won't hold up under voters' scrutiny.

"Hoekstra ran up our debt to countries like China by voting for the $700 billion Wall Street bailout, and for trillions in unfunded giveaways to billionaires and special interests," Brewer said in a statement. "Debbie Stabenow has been one of our strongest leaders in cracking down on other countries' illegal trade violations."

Stabenow planned a Monday conference call to "discuss evidence that the Chinese are strong-arming Michigan businesses" into handing over intellectual property and technology as a cost of doing business in China.

Her campaign has not responded directly to the ad, which is scheduled to run statewide for the next two weeks on cable TV shows aimed at Republican voters.

A barrage of criticism hit Hoekstra's Facebook page early Sunday evening after the ad ran, but most of the negative comments were deleted by Monday morning. On YouTube, the ratings buttons on the ad were disabled after it aired, although another copy of the ad placed there by others was getting a mostly negative response.

The nonpartisan Asian & Pacific Islander American Vote group's Michigan chapter said it was "deeply disappointed" by the ad.

"It is very disturbing that Mr. Hoekstra's campaign chose to use harmful negative stereotypes that intrinsically encourage anti-Asian sentiment," the group said in a statement. In 2010, Michigan's 236,490 Asian-Americans made up 2.4 percent of the state's population, up 35 percent from 2000.

Two of Hoekstra's GOP opponents, Clark Durant and Gary Glenn, issued statements questioning whether the current front-runner is the right candidate for Republicans to support.

___

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

Obama was responding to a question about how he felt when Michelle Obama said she has been inaccurately portrayed as an "angry black woman." While the president did not address that comment specifically, he says his wife is as good a first lady as anyone could imagine, and says he believes Americans have a positive impression of her.

Obama also says the first lady is ready for another four years in the White House, despite her initial reservations about coming to Washington.

The president spoke in an interview with NBC.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

1. Chrysler, "It's halftime, America" -- Clint Eastwood (otherwise known as the voice of Mount Rushmore) helps give Detroit, and Chrysler, the ad of the year for the second Super Bowl in a row. The ad is heartfelt and moving, turning Detroit's comeback into iconic images of America's can-do spirit. We're guessing the Barack Obama administration, which bailed Detroit automakers out, liked it a lot, too. Read more at the Detroit Free Press.

2, Pepsi, "King's Court" -- What do you get when you combine Sir Elton John, X Factor winner Melanie Amaro, elaborate sets (and Flavor Flav?) A fabulous commercial, that's what.

3. The Voice promo, "Vocal Combat" -- The spot had it all: action, intrigue, all four cast members of NBC's hit show The Voice (which debuted its second season right after the big game) and of course, Betty White! What's not to love? Read more at The Hollywood Reporter

4. M&Ms, "Just My Shell" -- Actress Vanessa Williams provides the voice of the new brown M&M -- brown because her shell is brown, not because she doesn't have it on, thank you. It's really not that kind of party.

5. SKECHERS GOrun 2012 - No doubt about it, dogs were completely winning this year's Super Bowl ad wars. In this spot, an adorable French bulldog named Mr. Quiggly gets it done on the racetrack. And in the process, the spot puts more residual cash in the hands of the world's most prolific two-hit wonder, "Wild Thing" rapper Tone Loc.

"It's halftime. Both teams are in their locker rooms discussing what they can do to win this game in the second half. It's halftime in America, too." Eastwood says. "People are out of work and they're hurting. And they're all wondering what they're gonna do to make a comeback."

Pointing to improvement in the auto industry as a positive sign, the "Dirty Harry" star goes on, "Detroit's showing us it can be done. ...This country can't be knocked out with one punch. We get right back up again and when we do, the world is going to hear the roar of our engines."

Though the commercial didn't mention any politicians by name, Twitter quickly lit up with speculation: Was Eastwood giving props to President Obama for bailing out the auto industry? And was the ad a veiled endorsement of his re-election?

Click here read more.

We'll gain insight on trade with the December international trade report. In November the trade deficit grew to nearly 48 billion dollars -- the widest trade gap since June 2011... As imports of autos and oil increased and U.S. exports declined by nearly 1 percent.

WATCH THE LATEST GRIO MARKET UPDATE HERE

We'll gain insight on consumer finances with the December consumer credit report -- which tracks credit card, auto and student loans. In November consumer credit surged by more than $20 billion dollars -- this was the biggest increase in 11 years -- boosted by strong auto sales and credit card use.

Are you feeling better about the economy? We'll find out with the preliminary consumer sentiment report for February. In January sentiment rose to a to a 75 reading -- as consumers' outlook improved... consumer sentiment is a gauge of consumer spending...
And that's your CNBC market look ahead for the Grio dot com..I'm Shartia Brantley.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Now Greene is starring in an update of his famous ad alongside comic actress Amy Sedaris:

WATCH THE INCREDIBLE FOOTAGE FROM MLK's ASSASSINATION HERE:

MLK: The Assassination Tapes premieres Sunday, February 12, 9 pm (ET)

"We want to apologize to the American public for recent decisions that cast doubt upon our commitment to our mission of saving women's lives," a Susan G. Komen for the Cure statement said.

The Associated Press first reported Tuesday that Komen had adopted criteria excluding Planned Parenthood from grants because it was under government investigation -- notably a probe launched in Congress at the urging of anti-abortion groups.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

In Washington, 26 U.S. senators this week signed a letter calling on Komen to reconsider its decision. "It would be tragic if any woman -- let alone thousands of women -- lost access to these potentially lifesaving screenings because of a politically motivated attack," the senators wrote.

Komen leaders had denied Planned Parenthood's assertion that the decision was driven by pressure from anti-abortion groups. According to Planned Parenthood, its health centers performed more than 4 million breast exams over the past five years, including nearly 170,000 as a result of Komen grants. The grants totaled $680,000 last year.

As the controversy erupted, Komen was deluged with negative emails and Facebook postings accusing it of knuckling under to pressure from anti-abortion groups. Many of Komen's affiliates across the U.S. openly rebelled, and donations to Planned Parenthood poured in. The group said the donations since the original Komen decision surpassed $3 million. It has pledged to use the funds to maintain and expand its breast health services.

Planned Parenthood's president, Cecile Richards, thanked those donors Friday and welcomed Komen's change of heart.

"We are enormously grateful that the Komen Foundation has clarified its grantmaking criteria," Richards said. "What these past few days have demonstrated is the deep resolve all Americans share in the fight against cancer."

A source with direct knowledge of decision-making at Komen's headquarters has said the grant-making criteria were adopted with the deliberate intention of targeting Planned Parenthood. The criteria's impact on Planned Parenthood and its status as the focus of government investigations were highlighted in a memo distributed to Komen affiliates in December.

According to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of repercussions, a driving force behind the move was Karen Handel, who was hired by Komen last year as vice president for public policy after losing a campaign for governor in Georgia in which she stressed her anti-abortion views and frequently denounced Planned Parenthood.

Brinker, in an interview with MSNBC, said Handel didn't have a significant role in the policy change.

___

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

Romney declared he was "proud" to have Trump's blessing, saying as he stood stiffly beside Trump at a Las Vegas press conference that appeared to be much more fun for The Donald than for The Romney:

"Being in Donald Trump's magnificent hotel and having his endorsement is a delight, and I'm so honored and pleased to have his endorsement."

The political and media consensus is that Romney should be anything but "delighted, honored and pleased" to have Trump's blessing. But the fact that Trump epitomizes everything that's garish and unpleasant about the merger of money, showbiz and politics isn't even the biggest reason why.

Mitt Romney should have run from Donald Trump, even if it meant leaving Las Vegas, because besides being a sideshow, Trump is also a birther.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

The birther aspect of Trump's three-ring circus shouldn't be dismissed as a minor angle. Whatever else he does in life, however many hotels he builds (or bankrupts) or how many seasons he manages to milk out of The Apprentice, Donald Trump will always be the guy who tried to humiliate the nation's first black president by demanding to see his birth certificate.

Trump's antics when he jumped aboard the birther bandwagon were partly responsible for President Barack Obama actually making his long-form birth certificate public -- an unprecedented action for a sitting president -- just to quiet the absurd speculation that he was not born in the United States.

Still not satisfied, Trump went on to question how a young, black kid from Hawaii like Obama, who Trump "heard from some people" had "terrible grades" -- could have possibly been qualified to attend Ivy League schools.

The unsubtle implication that Obama was an "affirmative action baby," who essentially stole his education from a more qualified white student, is one of the oldest racist dog whistles in the book, and Trump blew it.