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ACTIVE NONVIOLENCE & PEACEMAKING
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IMMIGRATION
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 ICE Immigration Arrests of Noncriminals Double Under Trump
Immigration arrests rose nearly 33 percent in the first weeks of the Trump administration, with newly empowered federal agents intensifying their pursuit of not just undocumented immigrants with criminal records, but also thousands of undocumented immigrants who have been otherwise law-abiding.
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The Cost to Deport an Undocumented Immigrant
 President Trump has said he wants to deport two to three million criminal undocumented immigrants. While it's unclear where he got that figure from, achieving his goal won't come cheap. Each deportation conducted by ICE cost taxpayers an average of $10,854 in fiscal 2016. This amount includes everything from housing and feeding a detainee to transporting him back to his home country.
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1,500 Economists Tell Government to 'Modernize Our Immigration System'
Almost 1,500 economists have addressed a letter to President Trump and top congressional leaders stressing the importance of immigrants for economic growth. It notes that "the benefits that immigration brings to society far outweigh their costs, and smart immigration policy could better maximize the benefits.
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ENVIRONMENT
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 TAKE ACTION: Don't Gut Support for Renewable Energy
The White House's proposed budget would gut the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and would cut nearly $1 billion from the Office of Science. These cuts would send a strong signal to Big Polluters that they can continue to destroy our planet without restriction. Friends of the Earth urges us to tell our Senators to save the Department of Energy.
TAKE ACTION
How Farmers Can Profit Economically and Politically by Addressing Climate Change
 Farmers are in a unique position to tackle climate change. They have the political power, economic incentive and policy tools to do so. But there is a need for the agriculture community to make tough choices about its policy priorities in the face of dramatic political shifts in Washington. Trade and immigration policy and the president's fiscal 2018 budget proposal are already creating disagreements between farmers and the Trump administration.
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HUMAN TRAFFICKING
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Sold Into Slavery: India's Lost Generation of Missing Children
In India, almost quarter of a million children have been reported missing in 5 years, up to 70 percent are trafficked and enslaved. But campaigners say these figures are just the tip of the iceberg, as many cases are not registered by parents or the police, and the children dismissed as runaways.
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Cuba Fights Trafficking Better than Most Countries
 Following a recent investigation, a U.N. official reports that Cuba's socialist health care, education and social security systems help reduce vulnerabilities that can lead to trafficking. Trafficking in Cuba is less of a problem compared to other countries where deep social inequalities or situations of complete destitution create desperate citizens drawn to traffickers' promises of a better life.
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DOMESTIC VIOLENCE & SEXUAL ASSAULT
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Can These Three African First Ladies End Female Genital Mutilation?
This week, three African first ladies spoke out against female genital mutilation. Niger's first lady, Lalla Malika, Claudine Talon, the first lady of Benin, and Sika Kabore, first lady of Burkina Faso called attention to the cruel persistence of female genital mutilation in their countries and others around the world.
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Maryland Rape Survivors No Longer Need To Prove They Fought Back
 Sexual assault survivors in Maryland don't have to prove they physically fought their attackers to establish that a crime occurred under a new law signed by Gov. Larry Hogan. Previously, a statute required evidence of force or "threat of physical force" and lack of consent to charge someone with a sexual offense.
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POVERTY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
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How Poverty Changes the Brain
When a person lives in poverty, a growing body of research suggests the limbic system is constantly sending fear and stress messages to the prefrontal cortex, which overloads its ability to solve problems, set goals, and complete tasks in the most efficient ways. When brain capacity is used up on worries and fears of how to make ends meet, there simply isn't as much bandwidth for other things.
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Putting the Brakes on Runaway CEO Pay
 The city of Portland, Oregon, has passed an ordinance to raise the business tax on companies with CEOs who earn more than 100 times the median pay of their workers. Portland city government projects the tax will raise $2.5 million to $3.5 million a year, which city officials have said will likely help pay for the city's homeless programs. MORE
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DEATH PENALTY
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Three Executions Are Blocked, but Arkansas Still Plans Five More This Month
Scheduled Executions
Stacey Johnson is scheduled to be executed on April 20 by the state of Arkansas for the murder of Carol Heath. Please hold Stacey, Carol, their families and the people of Arkansas in prayer.
Ledell Lee is scheduled to be executed on April 20 by the state of Arkansas for the murder of Debra Reese. Please hold Ladell, Debra, their families and the people of Arkansas in prayer.
Jack Jones is scheduled to be executed on April 24 by the state of Arkansas for the murder of Mary Phillips. Please hold Jack, Mary, their families and the people of Arkansas in prayer.
Ivan Teleguz is scheduled to be executed on April 25 by the state of Virginia for the murder of Stephanie Sipe. Please hold Ivan, Stephanie, their families and the people of Virginia in
prayer.
Kenneth Williams is scheduled to be executed on April 27 by the state of Arkansas for the murder of Edward Miller. Please hold Kenneth, Edward, their families and the people of Arkansas in prayer.
Jason McGehee is scheduled to be executed on April 27 by the state of Arkansas for the murder of John Melbourne Jr.
Please hold Jason, John, their families and the people of Arkansas in prayer.
Ronald R. Phillips is scheduled to be executed on May 10 by the state of Ohio for the murder of Shelia Evans. Please hold Ronald, Shelia, their families and the people of Ohio in prayer.
Tilon
Carter is scheduled to be executed on May 16 by the state of Texas for the murder of James Tomlin. Please hold Tilon, James, their families, and the people of Texas in prayer.
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| CORPORATE PUBLIC STANDS |
The Sisters of St. Francis, Clinton Iowa have taken the following corporate stands:
Death Penalty Nuclear Weapons Immigration Reform Human Trafficking |
HOW TO CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATORS
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Contacting your elected officials is one of the most effective ways to bring about positive change. You can find the names and contact information of your local members of congress by entering your zip code at:
Here are phone numbers for elected officials for Clinton, Iowa:
President
Donald Trump (202) 456-1414
Iowa Senators
Chuck Grassley (202) 224-3744
Joni Ernst (202) 224-3254
Clinton area District 2
US Representative
Dave Loebsack (202) 225-6576
Governor (Iowa)
Terry Branstad (515) 281-5211
The main switchboard for Congress is: (202) 224-3121
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TED
TALKS
ON TUESDAY
The Franciscan Peace Center holds Ted Talk discussions
every Tuesday on a variety of Ted Talks
on the Sisters of St. Francis Facebook page.
Our next discussion will be:
April 25 - Monica Araya: A small country with big ideas to get rid of fossil fuels
How do we build a society without fossil fuels? Using her native Costa Rica as an example of positive action on environmental protection and renewables, climate advocate Monica Araya outlines a bold vision for a world committed to clean energy in all sectors.
http://bit.ly/2bymO8d
Click on the link above to watch the TED Talk, then join our discussion that will take place on Tuesday on the Sisters
of St. Francis Facebook page at 11 a.m.
Click HERE to visit us on Facebook.
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President Trump is planning to increase U.S. defense spending by $54 billion next year. But a series of recent reports by the Government Accountability Office say that the Pentagon remains unable to accurately track its $591 billion annual budget and experiences billions of dollars in accounting gaps and errors each year.