A federal program to deal with illegal immigrants near the border stirs controversy; headlines.

According to a new study released on Wednesday by the Pew Hispanic Center, roughly one in twelve babies born in the United States in 2008 had at least one parent who was an illegal immigrant. (That is around 8 percent, or roughly 340,000 of the 4.3 million babies born in the U.S. in 2008.) About 85 percent of those parents are Hispanic. This study comes at a time when several Republican senators are asking for a review of the 14th Amendment, which grants automatic citizenship to children born on U.S. soil.

"Secure Communities," the federal initiative by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, is supposed to find and deport illegal immigrants who have committed violent crimes. ICE aims to do this by requiring states to forward the fingerprints of people booked by local police to federal immigration officials. But is that how the program really works? More than a fourth of the people deported under the Secure Communities policy have no criminal record at all. Some local law enforcement groups say that if illegal immigrants fear they'll be deported after interacting with the police, they will avoid calling them, even when crimes are being committed.

Police believe there is a serial killer on the loose in the vicinity of Flint, Michigan. Law enforcement officials say they believe the killer to be responsible for the deaths of five men as well as attacks on more than a dozen others. All but two of the attacker's victims were black, but authorities in Michigan are not saying the motives of the killer are racial. The attacker may also be involved in a spate of recent attacks in Virginia and Ohio.

During a televised confession, Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani said she was acquainted with man who murdered  her husband. She had been sentenced to death by stoning for adultery. The 43-year-old woman is currently on death row in the East Azerbaijan province of Iran. The BBC's Jon Leyne reports on the case. He says that she is no longer going to be stoned, and that her lawyer has fled the country. He explains that the justice system is trying to shift the focus from stoning for adultery to her alleged involvement in the murder of her husband.

The books we read as adolescents can have a huge influence on our lives. We talk about the ones that matter to us and the evolution of the young adult novel over the years with Essence senior editor Patrik Henry Bass and S.E. Hinton, legendary author of such young adult classics as "The Outsiders," "Tex," and "Rumble Fish."

And we're asking you, What was the first book that changed your life? What book do you remember most from your youth? Let us know.

From Pakistan to Guantanamo, we take look at today's headlines.

The NFL's 2010 season officially begins in 27 days and we want to get up to speed on how exactly the NFL works and what to look for as the season gears up.

The 9.5 percent unemployment rate does not count a huge number of Americans: People who are out of a job and have given up looking. Yesterday, Newsweek and Slate columnist Dan Gross explained why some have stopped their job search altogether, and listeners responded.

Lizzy from the New York City wrote on our website:

“I am a highly educated 43- year- old designer who has had a very successful freelancing career up until end of 2008. Since then, it has been brutal trying to get and keep clients, or find any work whatsoever.”

BP has pledged to give $20 billion in compensation to victims of the devastating Deepwater Horizon oil gusher. So far, $300 million has been distributed, but many are concerned that some portion of this money has gone to people scamming the system.

General Motors has announced its second quarter earnings of $1.3 billion. There had been much anticipation surrounding this report, as many were speculating that GM, which came out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy last year. This means that they earned more than $2 billion dollars in the first six months of this year. This is a major turnaround for the company, even though they have a long way to go to make up for the losses that forced them into bankruptcy.

Best selling author Carl Hiaasen has made a living shamelessly stealing outrageous stories from the headlines of Florida's newspapers. He rips them from the headlines because their real flavor lends a sense of realism to his satire. Hiaasen's latest novel, "Star Island," is no exception.

In Pakistan almost a third of the country is under water. Flood victims are demanding help and many are saying the government has been too slow to respond. the United Nations has launched a $460 million international appeal to help the victims. However, a new political problem is emerging as groups with militant ties are stepping in to help local residents, and even telling locals not to accept help from outside sources. Issam Ahmed, reporter for the Christian Science Monitor has been covering the flooding. He describes the scope of the disaster and squalid conditions for those affected.

Earlier this week in Chicago, Mayor Richard Daley said that he wants to close the “open-door” admissions policy at the City Colleges, which allows students to enroll in classes regardless of past academic performance. He says the system can’t afford to keep spending $30 million a year on remedial classes for students who aren’t prepared to handle college level work.

But for many students, remedial classes are their way into higher education, better jobs and more opportunities.