The United Nations is poised to send 30 unarmed monitors to make sure Syria is obeying its ceasefire agreement. The 15-member Security Council is expected to approve the deployment as early as Friday and eventually send up to 200 observers to make sure both sides adhere to the plan drafted by special envoy Kofi Annan. The U.N. had been slow to respond to the violence in Syria because Russia and China vetoed involvement in the escalating situation, but has since brokered a peace deal put in place this week, which U.S. officials and others around the globe have altered hopes about.

North Korea’s long-range rocket launch turned out to be an outright failure. The rocket flew about 75 miles before breaking up into four pieces and crashing into the sea about a minute into the launch. According to NORAD, the first stage of the North Korean missile fell into the ocean, while the other two stages failed. U.S. officials say there were no casualties or threat to anyone on land. South Korea “strongly condemns” the launch and the White House issued a statement saying, “Despite the failure of its attempted missile launch, North Korea’s provocative action threatens regional security, violates international law and contravenes its own recent commitments.”

While the details surrounding Trayvon Martin’s death are still disputed, the prosecution has filed an affidavit alleging that shooter George Zimmerman “profiled” the teenager as he walked home from buying iced tea and a bag of Skittles. Zimmerman “assumed Martin was a criminal. Zimmerman felt Martin did not belong in the gated community and called the police,” prosecutors wrote. While talking about Martin, Zimmerman said “these assholes, they always get away,” according to the document, which also states that the teenager tried to run home but was followed.

As tensions rise over Iran’s nuclear program, diplomats from six countries will meet with Iranian officials in Turkey on Saturday. The talks will be taking place against a backdrop of strict sanctions against Tehran for what the West sees as its ambitions to build nuclear weapons. Though Iran will have more than one chance to reach an agreement, analysts believe this weekend will be their best shot. The sanctions against Iran are expected to get worse, which will make it harder for the country to negotiate. President Obama has publicly stated that Iran cannot obtain a nuclear bomb and has not ruled out military intervention.

Apple said Thursday night that claims that it colluded with book publishers on e-book prices are “simply not true.” “The launch of the iBookstore in 2010 fostered innovation and competition, breaking Amazon’s monopolistic grip on the publishing industry,” a spokeswoman said, ending the company’s silence on the suit, filed Wednesday morning. The antitrust suit claims that Apple allowed publishers to set their own prices on Apple’s site, but only if the publishers agreed not to price their e-books lower on any other sites, Amazon included. The Apple spokeswoman compared the practice to that of their app store: “Just as we’ve allowed developers to set prices on the app store, publishers set prices on the iBookstore.”

Google employees just got a lot richer. The search giant reported a 61 percent first-quarter profit increase of $2.89 billion from paid advertising clicks, up from $1.8 billion at the same time last year. The company’s revenue also jumped 24 percent to $10.65 billion. In other news, the company is issuing a new class of nonvoting capital stock, the shares of which will be distributed via a stock dividend in what is technically a 2-for-1 stock split. Google says investors have been calling for a split as the company’s value, which has ballooned to nearly $50 billion, continues growing. Future employees will get the nonvoting stock, so that voting power remains with current shareholders.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll released Thursday showed that Americans’ opinions over 17-year-old Trayvon Martin’s death are divided along racial lines. According to the poll of 1,922 Americans, 91 percent of African-Americans think the Martin’s death is “unjust,” compared to 35 percent of whites. “This incident is one of the clearest splits we’ve seen between whites and blacks,” said Ipsos pollster Chris Jackson. Fifty-nine percent of Hispanics said they believe Martin is innocent and unjustly killed. Meanwhile, a full 93 percent of respondents said they had heard of the case.

Democratic strategist Hilary Rosen started a war Wednesday night when she told CNN’s Anderson Cooper that Mitt Romney’s wife, Ann, can’t relate to American women. "His wife has actually never worked a day in her life,” Rosen said. “She's never really dealt with the kinds of economic issues that a majority of the women in this country are facing." Ann Romney responded with her very first tweet: “I chose to stay home and raise five boys. Believe me, it was hard work.” Obama campaign officials, including David Axelrod and Jim Messina, quickly distanced themselves from the comments on Twitter, and thousands of tweets denounced Rosen and praised stay-at-home moms.

After 300,000 tests, researchers at Aix-Marseille University in France are confident that baboons can tell the difference between real and fake words. The six baboons that participated in the study were able to identify the real words about 75 percent of the time, leading scientists to believe that primates are smarter than previously thought. The report, published in the journal Science, shows that baboons are good at finding patterns, which is what humans do when first starting to recognize words.

Talk about a star-studded cast! Ridley Scott is stacking his new movie, The Counselor, a story about a lawyer who goes into the drug business, with a handful of Hollywood A-listers. Michael Fassbender has signed on to play the lead, and now it looks like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie will sign onto the project as well, marking their first movie since teaming up for Mr. and Mrs. Smith in 2005—the movie that sparked their romance. Javier Bardem is also rumored to be in talks to join the cast. If it works out, this will be the first time Pitt reunites with Scott since they made Thelma & Louise together.

Atlantic reporter David Samuels used his exclusive and limited access to President Obama to get right to the heart of what every American is dying to know: Jay-Z or Kanye West? Without a beat the commander in chief revealed he's a Jay-Z fan but admitted to liking Kanye as well. But what about that time you called him a jackass, Mr. President? "He is a jackass," Obama reiterated. "But he's talented."

The peaceful split that ended years of violence between Sudan and its southern region came under attack Thursday when Sudanese war planes dropped five bombs on the South Sudanese town of Bentiu, apparently targeting a strategic bridge. No one was hurt, and the population is staying calm, a South Sudanese official said. Clashes between the two countries have erupted over the past month along the border between them, with both sides accusing each other of sparking the violence. South Sudanese officials added that they would not go to war with Sudan except in self-defense.

Republican money-thrower and volunteer gynecologist Foster Friess made an overtly violent comment directed at President Obama which he regretted almost as soon as the words left his mouth. "There are a lot of things that haven't been hammered at because Rick and Mitt have been going at each other," he said on Fox News Thursday. "Now that they have trained their barrels on President Obama, I hope his teleprompters are bullet-proof." Yikes. Why'd you have to go there, Foster? 

A newborn baby was found alive in a morgue in Resistencia, Argentina, hours after being declared stillborn. Hospital workers told Analia Bouter that the baby showed no signs of life after she was born on April 3, after only six months gestation. Her parents took a trip to the morgue 12 hours later, where they found their daughter in her coffin. “Immediately I heard her cry,” Bouter told reporters after the incident was made public. Bouter and her husband said their daughter had ice on her body, but she is reported to be in good health. She is named Luz Milagros—"miracles" in Spanish.

A lawyer for George Zimmerman, the Florida man who killed the unarmed Trayvon Martin during a neighborhood watch patrol, said his client will plead not guilty to second degree murder charges announced Wednesday. Zimmerman, who is now in police custody in Seminole County, will also ask to be released on bond, said Mark O’Mara, Zimmerman’s new attorney. Zimmerman was charged by a special prosecutor after more than a month of nationwide protests because local authorities declined to arrest Zimmerman. He is due in court at 1:30 pm EST on Thursday.

Ignoring pleas from around the globe to halt the process, North Korea said Wednesday it would launch a rocket as weather allowed over the next few days. "We don't really care about the opinions from the outside. This is critical in order to develop our national economy," an official said. The North Koreans have claimed the rocket is a weather satellite for a “peaceful space program” while international foes believe it’s the next step in nuclear-rocket development in the Communist country. Despite warnings issued from the U.S., Russia, and China, North Korea said it was fueling the rocket for a near-future launch.

Joe Eszterhas has some harsh words for Mel Gibson. The Hollywood screenwriter accused Gibson of “hating Jews” and using him to repair his reputation. In a nine-page letter, Eszterhas said Gibson never intended to make The Maccabees, their joint project that was put on hold Wednesday, because he was anti-Semitic and described Gibson as “wild, crazed, and explosive.” Eszterhas charged that Gibson essentially denied the Holocaust and wanted to use the film to convert Jews to Christianity and often used racial slurs. "You continually called Jews 'Hebes' and 'oven-dodgers' and 'Jewboys,'” Eszterhas wrote.

In the wake of Rick Santorum’s departure from the presidential race, Mitt Romney’s campaign contended with the former Massachusetts governor’s struggle to win female voters. On the first day of the campaign’s strategy to turn criticism of Romney back on Obama, Romney repeatedly touted the misleading claim that 92 percent of job losses under Obama affected women. Top Romney aides also seemed confused about the candidate’s position on a law that makes it easier for women to sue in equal-pay cases, and belatedly released a clarification. Meanwhile, Democrats released a “greatest hits” reel of Romney comments, including that he wants to “get rid of” Planned Parenthood.

Moving swiftly to gain the upper hand after the Justice Department announced a suit against Apple and major publishers for price-fixing on e-books, Amazon lowered prices on major titles from $14.99 to $9.99 or lower. The charges against Apple put Amazon, which once controlled 90 percent of the e-book market, back in a powerful position to set prices. The government has accused Apple of colluding with four major publishers to charge consumers more than they would have paid otherwise. But publishers and sellers say readers won’t be any better off in Amazon’s hands, since the online seller already dominates the market and will now have even more control.

Trayvon Martin’s mother said Thursday morning that while she believes that it was an “accident” that George Zimmerman shot and killed her son, she believes the second-degree murder charges will hold Zimmerman “accountable for what he’s done”—even if he is found not guilty. Speaking on NBC’s Today show, Sybrina Fulton said “I believe it just got out of control and (Zimmerman) couldn’t turn the clock back.” An attorney Martin’s mother, Sybrina Fulton, issued a statement on her Twitter account retracting Fulton’s comments.

A former bartender at Chin Chin, an upscale Chinese restaurant in Manhattan where celebrities often lunch, has filed suit alleging that her co-workers made giant penises from the dumplings they served to customers. The suit claims that Yvonne Diaz faced a constant stream of sexual harassment, and phallic food was one of the primary elements. Workers would fashion dough “in their crotch areas making it look like they had big penises,” and then serve it to customers. Diaz says co-workers also watched porn and ogled her in the kitchen, and that the restaurant’s manager boasted about overcharging Sean "Diddy" Combs and shuttling Mariah Carey to a private section when she came in high on drugs.

The World Financial Center in lower Manhattan, just across the street from the new World Trade Center, was evacuated Thursday morning after reports of a suspicious package. The package contained a toy grenade, and police said workers would be allowed back into the tower. The 44-story building has 2.7 million square feet of office space, and houses major financial institutions like Merrill Lynch and OppenheimerFunds Inc.

The number of Americans filing for unemployment rose in the first week in April, bringing the total number of jobless claims up to the highest levels since January. The news came shortly after the economy showed signs of slowing in March, with only 120,000 jobs added. But there were some good signs: First-time applicants for unemployment aid and the four-week average remained below the 400,000 mark—implying that the overall outlook is good. Some economists said the spring holidays could account for more jobless claims, and the trend could even itself out in upcoming weeks.

The U.S. announced new talks with Iran with a hardline list of demands, but Iran seems to be taking the softer approach. The country’s top nuclear official said Iran will offer “new initiatives” in conversations with the West, scheduled to begin Saturday in Istanbul. "We are ready to hold successful and progressive talks on cooperation,” Saeed Jalili said on state TV. He also promised that Iran would bring a “constructive attitude” to the negotiations. Iran has seen its uranium enrichment as a symbol of its scientific progress and technological independence, but the West suspects it of developing nuclear weapons.

According to a court affidavit released Thursday, Trayvon Martin's mother identified the screams heard on the 911 tape as the teenager. George Zimmerman, the man who confessed to killing Trayvon Martin, appeared in court Thursday, making his first public appearance since the shooting. Judge Mark Herr set Zimmerman's formal arraignment for May 29, with Herr saying he found probable cause to charge Zimmerman. The affidavit also said "Zimmerman confronted Martin," which contradicts Zimmerman's earlier statements about the night he shot and killed the 17-year-old. Zimmerman has been charged with second-degree murder in Martin's death.

Did the “Painter of Light” drink himself to death?  Thomas Kinkade’s girlfriend told reporters that the artist “died in his sleep, very happy, in the house he built, with the paintings he loved, and the woman he loved,” but now a darker picture has emerged. Kinkade’s girlfriend, Amy Pinto, had called 911 last Saturday when he died and told dispatchers he had been “drinking all night and not moving.” Though earlier reports said Kinkade earned $100 million a year in sales of his idyllic paintings, apparently his company was in bankruptcy when he died. His problems with alcohol were not exactly a secret, as he spent time in jail on drunk-driving charges.

A judge ruled on Thursday that the defamation case filed against Casey Anthony by a Kissimmee woman will proceed to trial. Zenaida Gonzalez says Anthony destroyed her reputation when she told authorities that a nanny with the same name had kidnapped her daughter Caylee. During a visitation session, Anthony said, "When they went and interviewed that girl down in Kissimmee, they never showed me a picture of her." Gonzalez’s attorneys say that statement implicates their client and suggests that she was the nanny, since she was the only Zenaida Gonzalez interviewed in Kissimmee. The civil trial will begin in January 2013.

Rick Santorum confessed Thursday that the real reason his presidential campaign was cut short was because he ran out of money. "We were just burning through cash at a rate we couldn't maintain," he said on the radio show show of Family Research Council president Tony Perkins. "Super PAC money didn't pay the bills on the campaign." After his loss in Wisconsin, Team Santorum was unable to raise any cash, meaning he would have had to go into the Pennsylvania primary broke.

Newt Gingrich, who is still, technically, running for president, blamed Fox News, and Rupert Murdoch in particular, for the failure of his presidential campaign Thursday.  "I think Fox has been for Romney all the way through," the former Fox employee said during a private meeting with Tea Party leaders in Delaware. "In our experience, Callista and I both believe CNN is less biased than Fox this year. We are more likely to get neutral coverage out of CNN than we are of Fox, and we're more likely to get distortion out of Fox. That is just a fact." He assumes this distortion can be blamed on Murdoch's affinity for Mitt. 

A U.N.-brokered peace agreement in Syria is only being “partially observed,” according to the opposition, as Bashar al-Assad’s heavily armed troops are still in city streets hours after the 6:00 a.m. cease-fire deadline. White House press secretary Jay Carney called the agreement “tentative” and said “we cannot call what’s happening on the ground a full cease-fire.” Still, heavy clashes seem to have temporarily halted, and the U.N.’s Kofi Annan said he was “encouraged” by the relative calm even as activists protested to test the ceasefire. But the country’s defense ministry reserved the right to retaliate against “armed terrorist groups,” casting doubt on the agreement’s longer-term viability.

In court documents released Thursday, prosecutors allege that George Zimmerman pursued Trayvon Martin and provoked a confrontation with the Florida teen. The latest allegations will likely be used as an affidavit supporting a second-degree murder charge against Zimmerman, who plans to plead not guilty, his new attorney said today. The affidavit claims that Martin was on the phone with a friend, a witness who “advised that Martin was scared because he was being followed … and didn’t know why.” At this point, Martin allegedly started running and Zimmerman chased him down, provoking a physical struggle. Zimmerman’s arraignment is set for May 29.

Tragedy struck a Coast Guard communications station on Kodiak Island off the coast of Alaska when two members were found fatally shot Thursday. Officials confirmed Thursday evening that they believed the shooting to be a double homicide. The secure facility, which has a staff of about 59, requires identification for entry. FBI agents from Anchorage arrived in Kodiak to investigate the killings, which occured early Thursday morning.

It may not be as magical as Harry Potter, but J.K. Rowling is excited about The Casual Vacancy, her first novel for grown-ups. Little, Brown & Co. announced the book's title Thursday with a brief teaser of the "blackly comic, thought-provoking and constantly surprising" story, which takes place in an idyllic English town called Pagford that loses its charm when a parish council election tears the community apart." The book will be available worldwide on Sept. 27, Rowling's publisher said, in both e-book and traditional hardcover formats.

The probe into former Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn’s personal life is investigating if he misused company funds during an alleged relationship with a female subordinate, according to sources close to the investigation. The company would not disclose whether the 29-year-old woman was still with the company, but her Facebook page suggested that she is still a member of the company, The Wall Street Journal reported. The company has declined to discuss any details of the case while the investigation is ongoing, but the acting spokesman for the board said, "The board's findings will be made public and appropriate action will be taken if warranted.”