Petition To Terminate Parental Rights of Rapists:  A new petition is targeting a Maryland law that allows rapists parental rights if their victims become pregnant.  The Inquisitr reports that the petition is over halfway to reaching its goal of 5,000 signatures from opponents of the law who believe that women who give birth to a child that was conceived as a result of sexual violence should not have to endure harassment from their rapists for custody and visitation.  Supporters of the current law fear that if it is abolished, there is a risk of legitimate father's being cut out of their children's lives.

CA County Jail Releases Rise Since Realignment:  Each year since 2011, Merced County's two jails have seen an increase in the number of inmates released as well as an increase in the daily inmate population, which authorities attribute AB 109 as the "direct result."  Don Thompson of the AP and Rob Parsons of the Merced Sun-Star report that last year, the county's average daily population was 895 inmates and released a total of 725 inmates early, dropping with the passage of Prop. 47 last year.  County Sheriff Vern Warnke believes that together, the two laws put residents at greater risk of becoming crime victims.

Gang Violence Continues In Chicago:  Chicago "remains a shooting gallery," experiencing 21 shootings, four deaths and 17 injuries over the weekend.  Warner Todd Houston of Breitbart reports that thus far in 2015, the city has had a total of 340 shootings and 102 deaths.  Practically all of the violence has been carried out by the city's gang members.

New Bill Urges Security Along Texas Border:  "My son is dead because the concept of borders is dead," stated that father of a young man who was fatally shot in his car while waiting for a stoplight by an illegal immigrant with a violent criminal record that had been deported several times.  Lana Shadwick of Breitbart reports that a new Texas bill, SB 1252, would permit an interstate compact agreement that would strengthen border security.  In the state of Texas alone, 96,000 illegal immigrants were arrested for criminal charges between June 2011 and December 2014.  

Protesters Given Space to Destroy:   In response to the suspicious death of a black suspect taken into Baltimore police custody on April 19, protesters hit the streets smashing store and car windows and setting fires.  CBS DC news reports that at a Saturday evening press conference the city's Mayor, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, announced that she had instructed police to give protesters who "wished to destroy" the space to do so.  The Mayor explained that she wanted to make sure that the "protesters were able to exercise their right to free speech."