Action Alert Digest - January 13, 2021

January 13, 2021

Action Alert Digest

TAKE ACTION: Call for Repeal of Federal Death Penalty

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, the incoming chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., have introduced legislation that would seek to end federal capital punishment. The federal government executed 10 prisoners last year, more civilian prisoners than all the states combined over the same period. The Sisters of Mercy urge us to tell Congress to end repeal the federal death penalty immediately. TAKE ACTION

FBI Memo Warns Law Enforcement Across U.S. of Possible Armed Protests At 50 State Capitols

The FBI has sent a memo to law enforcement agencies across the country warning about possible armed protests at all 50 state capitols starting Saturday and saying an armed group has threatened to travel to Washington, D.C., the same day to stage an uprising if Congress removes President Donald Trump from office, according to a senior law enforcement official. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Take the Nuclear Button from Trump

As President, Donald Trump has the full legal authority to order a nuclear strike at any time. Every minute Trump maintains his authority as Commander-in-Chief is another moment of peril for the United States and the world. No one person should have the power to start a nuclear war. Women's Action for New Directions urges us to tell Congress to enact the No First Use policy immediately. TAKE ACTION

Nuclear Stand-Off: Can Joe Biden Avert A New Arms Race?

There will be urgent pressure on the incoming Biden administration to salvage the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, which has been unraveling at an accelerating speed since Donald Trump withdrew from it in 2018. Last week, the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that, for the first time since the deal was agreed, Iran had begun the process of producing 20% enriched uranium, a major step towards the capability of making weapons-grade material. MORE

The Intersection Between Nuclear Abolition and Racial Justice

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., drew a bold line to connect militarism with racism in a speech he made in 1967. Our nuclear weapons program distributes tax money from ordinary people and transfers it to corporations and stockholders who profit from designing, producing, and maintaining weapons of mass destruction. The economic harms done to people of color by the defense industry extend well beyond diverting funds to address basic human needs. MORE

Arizona Border Deaths Hit 10-Year High After Record Heat

A project documenting the deaths of undocumented crossers at the U.S.-Mexico border in the Arizona desert reported 227 bodies found in 2020, the highest in 10 years. Stricter enforcement efforts in California and Texas have pushed border crossers into more dangerous Arizona areas lacking easy access to food and water. MORE

Migrant Expulsions at Southern Border Shoot Up as Pandemic Drags On

The number of people expelled from the United States in 2020 ended with an upswing. Through November, there had been 29,753 Mexican nationals sent back to Mexico through the state of Baja California, directly south of California. Overall, the numbers show expulsions are up by 400 percent since June. The city of Nuevo Laredo in the Mexican border state of Tamaulipas saw the highest number of repatriated immigrants with almost 27,000. MORE

Trump Administration Locks Down Border Wall Contracts, Complicating Biden's Pledge to Stop Construction

The Trump administration is continuing to award border wall contracts in the waning days of Donald Trump's presidency, including in areas where private land hasn't yet been acquired, an unusual move that will complicate President-elect Joe Biden's pledge to halt construction. Acting Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Mark Morgan says he anticipates they will have well over 700 miles (of 800) locked in by next week. MORE

Biden Climate Team Says It Underestimated Trump’s Damage

President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team says the Trump administration has done more damage than anticipated to the government’s ability to address climate change, Scientific American reports. Biden officials say their agency review teams have found deeper budget cuts, wider staff losses, and more systematic elimination of climate programs and research than they realized. MORE

Oil Companies Lock-In Drilling, Challenging Biden on Climate

In the closing months of the Trump administration, energy companies stockpiled enough drilling permits for western public lands to keep pumping oil for years and undercut President-elect Joe Biden’s plans to curb new drilling because of climate change, the Associated Press reports. Permit stockpiling has centered on oil-rich federal lands in New Mexico and Wyoming. MORE

The Radical Case for Growing Huge Swaths Bamboo in North America

Bamboo has a bad rap in the U.S. as an invasive nuisance, but the plant can quickly sequester at least double—and maybe even six times—the amount of carbon as a similar stand of trees. Now some people see planting large swaths of bamboo as an attractive solution to restoring degraded land and mitigating climate change. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Support the EARN IT Act

The EARN IT Act which seeks to address child exploitation and trafficking online is gaining bipartisan support in Congress. The bill will revoke the immunity that computer services claimed under the Communications and Decency Act so that survivors will be able to sue those who cause harm via online platforms, using federal civil law and state criminal and civil law. Sisters Against Trafficking invites us to tell Congress to pass this important legislation. TAKE ACTION

Looking Ahead: Top Priorities to Tackle Modern Slavery In 2021

While progress has been made since ending modern slavery was established as part of Sustainable Development Goal no. 8 in 2015, the fallout from COVID-19 has driven more people into forced labor and sexual exploitation—as well as making victims less likely to be rescued and receive support. This week, leading academics, activists, officials, and experts identified three priorities for the anti-slavery movement in 2021. MORE

South Korea ‘Comfort Women’ Compensation Verdict Angers Japan

A South Korean court ordered Japan to compensate women forced to work in its World War II-era brothels, a landmark decision that angered Tokyo. The Seoul District Court made what is thought to be the first decision ordering Japan to compensate what are euphemistically known as “comfort women”. It ordered the Japanese government to pay 100 million won ($91,000) each to surviving women and family members of those who died. MORE

Biden, Congress Should Reverse Betsy DeVos’ Rules on Sexual Assault in Schools

The departure of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is leaving many parents and administrators feeling relieved, in large part due to her sweeping directive that allows schools to ignore reports of harassment based on sex. Sarah Chamberlin, President, and CEO of the Republican Main Street Partnership, suggests that the Education Department needs to find a way to rescind the DeVos double standard and replace it with strong protections against sexual harassment. MORE

New Book ‘Dares’ Boys to Be More Emotional, Kind

What does it mean to be a man in a time when there are calls for “dismantling the patriarchy”? How do you raise a boy in a world filled with examples of toxic masculinity? Authors of a new book hope it’s a helpful tool for boys ages 8 to 13. “The Book of Dares: 100 Ways for Boys to Be Kind, Bold, and Brave” is aimed at building emotional awareness and helping kids grow into healthy manhood. MORE

Vast Coalition Calls on Biden To Impose National Moratorium on Water Shutoffs

A broad coalition of organizations (including the Franciscan Peace Center and the Clinton Franciscans) is urging Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to mandate a national moratorium on water and other utility shutoffs on day one in the White House, in order to curtail the spread of Covid-19 and ease the financial burden on struggling Americans. MORE

L.A. County Approves Additional $5 Per Hour ‘Hero Pay’ For Grocery, Front-Line Workers in Unincorporated Areas

Many front-line workers in grocery and drug stores in Los Angeles County will soon earn an additional $5 per hour in “hero pay” for the dangers they face amid the coronavirus pandemic. The LA County Board of Supervisors approved a proposal to require national grocery and drug retailers operating in unincorporated areas of the county to provide the pay bump. MORE

The US Economy Lost 140,000 Jobs in December. All of Them Were Held by Women

According to new data released last week, employers cut 140,000 jobs in December, signaling that the economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic is backtracking. Digging deeper into the data also reveals a shocking gender gap: Women accounted for all the job losses, losing 156,000 jobs, while men gained 16,000. MORE

SCHEDULED EXECUTIONS

Corey Johnson is scheduled to be executed on January 14 by the U.S. Department of Justice for the murders of Peyton Johnson, Louis Johnson, Bobby Long, Dorothy Armstrong, Anthony Carter, Linwood Chiles, and Curtis Thorne. Please hold Corey, Peyton, Louis, Bobby, Dorothy, Anthony, Linwood, Curtis, and their families in prayer. TAKE ACTION

Dustin Higgs is scheduled to be executed on January 15 by the U.S. Department of Justice for the murders of Tamika Black, Tanji Jackson, and Mishann Chinn. Please hold Dustin, Tamika, Tanji, Mishann, and their families in prayer. TAKE ACTION