ACTIVE NONVIOLENCE AND PEACEMAKING |
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TAKE ACTION: Ban Weaponized Drones from the World
Meticulous researchers have documented that U.S. drones are killing many innocent civilians in Pakistan, Yemen, and elsewhere. Their remoteness provides those responsible with a sense of immunity. Weaponized drones are no more acceptable than land mines, cluster bombs, or chemical weapons. RootsAction urges us to tell the Biden Administration and other world leaders to renounce and forbid the manufacture, possession, or use of weaponized drones. TAKE ACTION
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Biden Focuses 'Ghost Guns' and 'Red Flag' Laws in New Gun Control Measures
President Joe Biden is trying to limit "ghost guns" and make it easier for people to flag family members who shouldn't be allowed to purchase firearms with a series of executive actions taken in the wake of recent mass shootings. The actions by Biden are limited and will still likely face legal opposition from gun rights advocates, who view any efforts to limit access as a violation of the Second Amendment. MORE
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Minnesota Officer Who Killed Daunte Wright Will Be Charged with Manslaughter
The white Minnesota police officer who fatally shot Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, after appearing to mistake her handgun for her Taser will be charged with second-degree manslaughter following three nights of protests over the killing. Hundreds of people have faced off with the police in Brooklyn Center each night since Mr. Wright’s death, demanding that the former officer be charged. MORE
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TAKE ACTION: Support a No First Use Policy
During the 2020 presidential campaign, candidate Biden declared his support for a no-first-use policy. It's time to urge President Biden to make it official and establish a policy that the United States will never start a nuclear war. There is no national security reason for the United States to ever start a nuclear war. The Union of Concerned Scientists urges us to tell President Biden to declare a no-first-use policy today. TAKE ACTION
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U.S., Iran Clash on Sanctions; U.S. Sees Possible 'Impasse'
U.S. and Iranian officials clashed last week over what sanctions the United States should lift to resume compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal, with Washington predicting an impasse if Tehran sticks to a demand that all sanctions since 2017 be removed. The two nations laid out tough stances as indirect talks in Vienna on how to bring both back into full compliance with the agreement wound up for the week, with some delegates citing progress. MORE
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Israel Appears to Confirm It Carried Out Cyberattack on Iran Nuclear Facility
Israel appeared to confirm claims that it was behind a cyber-attack on Iran’s main nuclear facility last weekend, which Tehran described as an act of terrorism that warranted a response against its perpetrators. The apparent attack took place hours after officials at the Natanz reactor restarted spinning advanced centrifuges that could speed up the production of enriched uranium, in what had been billed as a pivotal moment in the country’s nuclear program. MORE
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Arrests and Deportations of Undocumented Immigrants in US Drop Under Biden
Arrests and deportations of undocumented immigrants have decreased under President Biden. The administration narrowed its enforcement focus to people who may pose a threat or have criminal records. In March, ICE arrested 2,214 undocumented immigrants, down from 6,679 in December, Trump's last full month in office. MORE
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Five Reasons Why the U.S. Faces Chronic Crisis at Border
Current issues at the border mirror those from past years. Five reasons help explain the situation: Central American conditions; the business of human smuggling/trafficking; few legal pathways to U.S. residency for Central Americans; poor border infrastructure; and minimal regional enforcement. MORE
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Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala Deploy Troops to Lower Migration
The United States has reached an agreement for Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala to tighten their borders and stem the flow of migrants. The deal will also prevent human traffickers and smugglers from taking advantage of children. Mexico will maintain a deployment of about 10,000 troops, while Guatemala has surged 1,500 police and military personnel to its southern border and Honduras deployed 7,000 police and military to its border. MORE
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In Louisiana, Activists May Be Winning a Battle Against Environmental Racism
Energy industry analysts have declared that the massive petrochemical complex proposed by Formosa Plastics in Louisiana’s St. James Parish is “financially unviable” due in part to a groundswell of political opposition and accusations of environmental racism. Activists are eyeing a rare victory for environmental justice in the industrial corridor along the Mississippi River known as “Cancer Alley” for its concentration of polluters. MORE
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How Persistent Student Organizing Forced One of the Largest Public Universities to Divest from Fossil Fuels
Last month, the University of Michigan became the latest to divest from fossil fuels. With its endowment of $14.2 billion, Michigan now becomes one of the largest public universities to make such a commitment to address the climate crisis. Over eight years, University of Michigan students led bold direct actions, continually recruited new students, and forged ties with regents to keep $1 billion from the fossil fuel industry. MORE
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195 Arrested in Vast International Human Trafficking Sweep
Interpol says police in Africa and Europe arrested 195 people and rescued nearly 500 victims of human trafficking in a vast crackdown. Morocco hosted the operation, which involved 24 countries. Suspects include people in Sudan suspected of trafficking migrants to the Middle East and exploiting children in factories, people in Spain suspected of smuggling Africans to Europe, and Chinese citizens in South Africa suspected of exploiting Malawian migrants. MORE
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U.S. Law Enforcement: When "Rescue" Becomes Exploitation
Disturbingly, police officers have reportedly had sex with suspected “victims” – in the name of undercover investigation – despite only requiring a verbal contract or exchange of money for sex. This means that many women, both trafficking victims and sex workers, end up having to have sex with the people who then arrest them – an exploitative and dehumanizing experience. MORE
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DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT |
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Alternatives to Calling the Police for Domestic Violence Survivors
About 75% of survivors who call the police on their abusers report that the police involvement was unhelpful at best, or at worst made them feel less safe. A quarter reported they’d been arrested or threatened with arrest when reporting partner abuse or sexual assault to police. About half never call the police. Faced with findings and experiences like these, researchers and survivor advocates are increasingly searching for alternative ways to address domestic violence. MORE
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Tools for Teens to Call Out Sexual Violence
In the United States, 87 percent of 18- to 25-year-old women report having experienced sexual harassment. A majority of respondents (72 percent male, 80 percent female) had never had a conversation about how not to harass, or express other forms of misogyny. Young people want to know, “How do I keep myself safe?” “How can I be a supportive friend and ally?” They also want to know, “What’s the deal with drunk sex?” Here are some answers to those questions. MORE
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HUMAN RIGHTS AND INCOME INEQUALITY |
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TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress to Pass President Biden’s Made in America Tax Plan
President Biden is proposing to raise $2 trillion by making America’s corporations pay their fair share of taxes. His newly introduced Made in America Tax Plan will increase the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28%, place a 15% minimum tax on corporations so they can’t get away with paying $0 in taxes, and more. Americans for Tax Fairness invite us to tell Congress to support President Biden’s American Jobs Plan and Made in America Tax Plan. TAKE ACTION
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Infrastructure Plan Calls for Cities to Limit Single-Family Zoning and Instead Build Affordable Housing
Cities may soon have more apartment buildings and multifamily units in areas traditionally zoned for single-family housing. As part of President Biden’s infrastructure plan, cities would allow for apartment buildings with fewer than six units to be built next to traditional homes. Current zoning laws that favor single-family homes have disproportionately hurt low-income Americans who can't afford to buy a big lot of land, leaving them trapped in crowded neighborhoods earmarked in the past for Black and brown residents. MORE
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Some States Secretly Spending Huge Sums on Execution Drugs
Conservative states are spending astronomical sums of their taxpayers’ money to buy pharmaceutical drugs from illicit dealers in a desperate and almost certainly unlawful attempt to carry out lethal injection executions. The most jaw-dropping outlay has been made by the Arizona Department of Corrections which ordered 1,000 vials of pentobarbital sodium salt to be shipped in “unmarked jars and boxes” for which they paid $1,500,000. MORE
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