Action Alert Digest - January 12, 2022

January 12, 2022

Action Alert Digest

TAKE ACTION: Tell NATO and the U.S. to Stop Escalating Conflict in Ukraine

Right now, there is a dangerous escalation of tensions at the Russia/Ukraine border and the real possibility of a military conflict that could easily spiral out of control. The United States and NATO have contributed to exacerbating this conflict. CodePink urges us to call on the US and NATO to play a role in its de-escalation. TAKE ACTION

Kazakhstan: More Than 160 Killed, 5,000 Arrested During Protests

More than 160 people were killed and 5,000 arrested in the violence that shook Kazakhstan over the past week. A total of 164 people, including two children, were killed in the deadliest outbreak of violence in the country’s 30 years of independence. The crisis was sparked a week ago in western provincial areas by a fuel price increase. In response, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev issued shoot-to-kill orders to end the unrest. MORE

It’s Official: Gun Deaths Hit an All-Time High in 2020

The number of gun deaths in America hit an all-time high in 2020, owing mostly to an increase in homicides. A total of 45,222 people died of gunshot wounds — a 14 percent jump from 2019 and the largest year-over-year rise on record. The data demonstrates that the pace of gun violence in the United States is accelerating quickly. Firearm injury is now the 13th leading cause of death, eclipsing car crashes for the fourth year in a row. MORE

Obstacles to Reducing Reliance on Nuclear Weapons

Public hints about the Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), to be released early this year, suggest President Joe Biden will not achieve his goal of reducing the U.S. reliance on nuclear weapons. If Biden’s NPR walks back these commitments, it would be only the latest example of a president trying and failing to reduce the nation’s reliance on nuclear weapons. MORE

Santa Fe's Archbishop Wester Urges Nuclear Disarmament in New Pastoral Letter

In a new pastoral letter, Archbishop John Wester of Santa Fe, New Mexico, urges the local community and the world to join "a renewed commitment to the cause of peace" with the goal of eliminating all global nuclear weapons arsenals. The document, "Living in the Light of Christ's Peace: A Conversation Toward Nuclear Disarmament," challenges conventional political thinking that possessing nuclear weapons serves as a deterrence. MORE

Number of Migrant Children in US Custody Drops Below 10,000 For First Time Since March

The number of migrant children in federal custody dipped below 10,000 for the first time since last March. As of Jan. 2, there were 9,980 children in the custody of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. That number peaked for the year around April 28, when there were more than 22,500 children in custody. MORE

Concerns Grow Over Denials of Afghan Humanitarian Parole Requests

Months after the U.S. military withdrew its presence from Afghanistan, many of our allies have been denied protection in the United States or remain in limbo. Many of these individuals had previously assisted the U.S. military and its allies throughout the decades-long war. But tens of thousands of Afghans were unable to flee and are still at serious risk of harm. MORE

The Trip to The U.S. Southern Border Is Hard, Let Alone for Kids Traveling Alone

Last year saw a large wave of migrant children making the difficult trip to the U.S.-Mexico border. Many traveled alone. Most were fleeing danger in Central America and came to live with relatives in the United States. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Demand Action to Stop Plastic Pollution

Billions of tons of plastic are dumped in the ocean every year. At this rate, it’s predicted that there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish by 2050. We’re heading toward a devastating plastic apocalypse — but we can still stop plastic pollution from destroying our planet if we act now. Friends of the Earth ask us to join in demanding that President Biden address the plastic crisis before it overruns our planet. TAKE ACTION

U.S. Emissions Surged in 2021: Here’s Why in Six Charts

U.S. carbon dioxide emissions boomeranged toward pre-pandemic levels in 2021, a turnaround from more than a decade of downward trends, and freight transportation and coal are major culprits. The transportation sector, which experienced the largest decline in greenhouse gas emissions in 2020, saw the largest increase in 2021 as demand, primarily for freight transport of consumer products and secondly for passenger travel, rebounded. MORE

Global Exodus from Fossil Fuel Holdings Tops 1,500 Institutions

More than 1,500 pension funds, universities, and other organizations around the world have announced that they will divest from fossil fuel assets, doubling from five years earlier. These institutions have roughly $40 trillion in assets under management. The threat of divestment is one of the most effective ways to pressure corporations into addressing environmental, social, and corporate governance issues. MORE

Crypto Increasingly Used in Human/Drug Trafficking

The Government Accountability Office says there has been a five-fold increase in the number of suspicious activity reports that involve virtual currency and drug trafficking to almost 1,432 in 2020 from 252 in 2017. According to Polaris, a national anti-trafficking nonprofit, in 2020 virtual currency was the second-most commonly accepted payment method on 40 platforms in the online commercial sex market—which has been used to facilitate sex trafficking. MORE

No, Most Sex Trafficking Victims Are Not Kidnapped by Strangers

New warnings about supposed sex trafficking schemes frequently go viral on social media. Many social media users have claimed traffickers have targeted victims by tying zip ties to their cars, using Snapchat to locate potential victims, or – most recently – tracking them using Apple’s Air Tags. In reality, the vast majority of sex trafficking victims are lured in by someone they know. MORE

Greek Sailing Coach in Rape Trial Over MeToo Revelations

A Greek sailing coach has gone on trial in Athens accused of raping an 11-year-old girl, in a case that came to light when a gold medal-winning athlete spoke out about sexual abuse in sport. Coach Triantafyllos Apostolou finally appeared in court last week, almost 12 years after the alleged rape took place. MORE

Kansas Finally Cleared a 2,000-Plus Backlog of Rape Kits and Is Poised to Require Quicker Processing

In the mid-2010s, Kansas left as many as 2,200 rape kits languishing after they’d been used to document possible sexual assaults. That slowed prosecutions and undercut a valuable law enforcement tool for identifying serial rapists. Now thanks partly to a federal $2 million grant Kansas landed in 2015, a bottleneck that overwhelmed the state’s ability to process the kits has been cleared away. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Tell the Senate to Pass Critical Voting Rights Legislation

After months of delays, energy is brewing in the Senate to change the filibuster rules to pass desperately needed voting rights and electoral protections. It's time to pass critical legislation that would protect access to voting, end gerrymandering, and help eliminate the undue influence of dark money in our elections. The Union for Concerned Scientists urges us to demand the Senate change the filibuster rules and pass national voting rights legislation. TAKE ACTION

Unions Make Life Better at Work and Beyond, New Report Shows

While it is well-established that unions strengthen worker power on the job and reduce inequality, a new report shows that higher unionization rates are also associated with improved conditions outside of the workplace, including better access to healthcare, paid leave, and the ballot box. MORE

Donald Grant is scheduled to be executed on January 27 by the state of Oklahoma for the murders of Brenda McElyea and Suzette Smith. Please hold Donald, Brenda, Suzette, their families, and the people of Oklahoma in prayer. TAKE ACTION

Matthew Reeves is scheduled to be executed on January 27 by the state of Alabama for the murder of Willie Johnson. Please hold Matthew, Willie, their families, and the people of Alabama in prayer. TAKE ACTION