More than 560 were arrested in Toronto over the weekend as the G20 meeting was held behind the tightest security cordon in the summit's history. Violence began after a small group of "black bloc" anarchists broke away from the main march to smash the windows of banks and chain stores and torch two police cars. But hundreds of peaceful protesters were swept up by police who used batons, tear gas, pepper spray and plastic bullets. It is said to be the first time Toronto police have used tear gas.

In a 5-4 decision in the Michigan murder case Berghuis v. Thompkins, the Supreme Court's conservative majority further eroded Miranda rights for criminal suspects June 1. Justice Anthony Kennedy in the majority opinion said that when Miranda warnings are properly given, a person wishing to invoke the right to remain silent must do so explicitly. The court overturned a ruling by the Sixth Circuit appeals court, which held that the defendant's nearly three-hour silence in response to questioning constituted a desire not to waive his rights. Justice Sonia Sotomayor, in a dissent, said the decision "turns Miranda upside down."

The New York Times in a front-page story May 26 said that President Barack Obama will send up to 1,200 National Guard troops to the Southwest border and seek increased spending on enforcement there to combat drug smuggling. The decision was disclosed after Obama met the previous day with Republican senators to discuss the issue.

Why is there more outrage in the national media about mosques being built than about mosques being vandalized?
From the Detroit News, May 16:

Vandals hit Downriver mosque twice within a week
Brownstown Township — Police are investigating two incidents of vandalism that happened within a week at a local mosque. Windows were broken and doors were smashed at the Masjid Umar-bin-Khattab Mosque on May 9 and again on Saturday, with the second attack caught on videotape, said spokesman Muhammad Khan.

Our April Exit Poll was: "Is the new healthcare bill a small step for social justice, or big one towards corporate totalitarianism?" We received the following two rather diametrically opposed responses:

Two Latino advocacy groups say they will challenge the constitutionality of Arizona's new immigration law, asserting it permits racial profiling. SB 1070 signed into law April 23 by Gov. Jan Brewer, permits police to question the immigration status of suspected illegal immigrants. Officials from the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF) and the National Coalition of Latino Christian Clergy (CONLAMIC) contend the law will let police single out minorities for immigration inspections. Under the law, it is designated a crime to be in the country illegally and immigrants unable to verify their legal status can be arrested and jailed for six months and fined $2,500.

A federal grand jury in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan on March 29 returned a five-count indictment against nine suspected members of the "Hutaree" militia group accused of plotting to kill police officers. The group members allegedly planned to kill Michigan law enforcement officers by, among other methods, making phony 911 calls and ambushing those who responded. The members then planned to attack the funeral processions of the fallen officers.

The Obama administration will halt new work on the $3 billion "virtual fence" planned for the Mexican border, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced March 16, diverting $50 million in planned economic stimulus funds for the project to other purposes. "Not only do we have an obligation to secure our borders, we have a responsibility to do so in the most cost-effective way possible," Napolitano said in a statement. "The system of sensors and cameras along the Southwest border known as SBInet has been plagued with cost overruns and missed deadlines."