Baltimore's Deadliest Month in 15 Years:  Over the weekend in Baltimore, 29 people were shot - nine of them fatally - in what has become the city's deadliest month since 1999.  Fox News reports that violence has been reported in every part of the city and no neighborhood is immune.  In the month of May alone, 35 people have been murdered, with a total of 108 homicides for the year.

Border Still Wide Open:  Border Patrol agents have been trying, in vain, to stop the flow of illegals but "open border initiatives" have allowed for the continuous flow of illegal immigrants and drugs across our southern border with Mexico.  Bob Casimiro, former executive director of Massachusetts for Immigration Reform, has this piece in the Bangor Daily News describing two Arizona groups, the Arizona Border Defendants and the Arizona Border Recon, trying to secure the border by "augmenting what the Border Patrol does."  It is estimated that only 30 percent of illegal aliens that cross the border are apprehended.

Death Penalty for Sex Traffickers?:  A Utah lawmaker has proposed legislation that would extend capital punishment to child-sex traffickers.  Robert Gehrke of the Salt Lake Tribune reports that Rep. Paul Ray, who sponsored the measure that reinstated the firing squad as the state's backup execution method, believes that sex traffickers need to face harsher punishment with a stronger deterrent effect.  Civil-liberties groups oppose the measure, claiming that the death penalty will not deter child-sex traffickers.

Cleveland Agrees to New Rules for Police:  Under an agreement with the Justice Department, the city of Cleveland will have its police department overseen by an independent monitor and require its officers to adhere with strict new rules on the use of force.  Sari Horwitz of the Washington Post reports that the agreement, followed Justice Department findings that the city's police "engaged in unnecessary and excessive use of force," requires oversight by a community police commission and a mental health response advisory committee.  The agreement is court-enforceable.

B.B. King's Death Investigated As Homicide:  A homicide investigation is underway in the death of blues legend B.B. King, whose two daughters have filed affidavits alleging that he was intentionally poisoned.  Justin Wm. Moyer of the Washington Post reports that the late musician's daughters, Patty King and Karen Williams, believe that Patricia Toney, King's longtime business agent who has the power of attorney in this case, may be responsible.  King died at the age of 89 on May 14 and the results of his autopsy, which was performed on Sunday, will be available in approximately eight weeks.