More than 800 people have been arrested this week in the Twin Cities; nearly half of them were taken last night during what started as a peaceful protest in Saint Paul. We hear from Hip Hop Artist Stick 187 – one of hundreds of people outraged by the police suppression last night.

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Coming off the four day long Republican convention, which got off to a slow start due to Hurricane Gustav, John McCain and his vice presidential pick Sarah Palin have hit the campaign trail as the official GOP ticket. FSRN's Leigh Ann Caldwell reports.

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The Republican Platform is the document that defines the party's core beliefs and positions on varying issues. One of the planks in the platform is a hard-line stance against abortion. But as FSRN's Tanya Snyder found this week, there is some surprising new language in the preamble which may help free Republicans from towing the line.

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As we reported at the top of the newscast, nearly 400 people were arrested on the last night of the Republican National Convention here in the Twin Cities, bringing the preliminary total to more than 800. Rachel Bengtson is the Vice President of the Minnesota Chapter of the Lawyer's Guild – FSRN's Aura Bogado spoke with her as authorities detained dozens of Lawyer's Guild legal observers.

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Thailand's beleaguered Prime Minister, Samak Sundaravej says he will not resign despite mounting pressure. On Thursday, he offered to hold a referendum on whether he should stay or go: a compromise proposal which has met fierce criticism from anti-government protestors who want immediate elections. On Tuesday Samak imposed a state of emergency in Bangkok after his supporters and opponents clashed in the capital, leaving one person dead. Protesters say the government is a front for Thaksin Shinawatra – the former prime minister, now in exile. As FSRN's Rebecca Henschke reports the nation is deeply divided.

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A federal grand jury in New York this week indicted a behavioral scientist on charges that she tried to kill her American
terrogators when she was arrested in Pakistan in July. It is alleged she has ties to al-Qaeda, but no terrorism charges were files. Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, who disappeared in 2003 with her three children during a stay in Karachi, has become a cause célèbre among Pakistanis. The US government says it had no idea of Siddiqui's whereabouts till her arrest this July in Ghazni, Afghanistan. Her supporters say she's just one of the 600 Pakistanis disappeared by Pakistan's government to serve the US war on terror. From New York, Madiha Tahir reports.

As of air time, 320 people have been arrest; 135 are charged with felonies, the most common charges include conspiracy to riot and criminal damage to property. Minnesota state's Patriot Act. Monica Bicking, Eryn Trimmer, Luce Guillen Givins, Erik Oseland, Nathanael Secor, Robert Czernik, Garrett Fitzgerald and Max Spector were all processed yesterday on terrorism charges which could result in up to 10 years in prison. FSRN caught up with Michelle Gross from Communities United Against Police Brutality, who sat through the Ramsey County Courthouse felony calendar, and says the charges are a sham.

Sarah Palin accepted her party's nomination for Vice President last night. Palin used her time on stage to attack her opponents and promise to produce more energy domestically. But critics worry that her claims don't hold water. FSRN's Tanya Snyder was on the floor watching the speech.