ACTIVE NONVIOLENCE AND PEACEMAKING |
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TAKE ACTION: Tell Insurance Companies to Stop Doing Business with Manufacturers of Weapons of War
Firearms manufacturer Remington and its insurers have been held accountable for the gun violence crisis in our nation. The $73 million settlement with the Sandy Hook families is the maximum coverage from Remington's insurance carriers. The Newtown Action Alliance urges us to call on the nation's insurers to learn from this settlement and reconsider doing business with the gun manufacturers who market and sell weapons of war. TAKE ACTION
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What We Don’t Know About War and Peace
Preventing major conflicts like a Russia-Ukraine war is hugely important. But figuring out how to do that is really hard. We don’t know a whole lot about why great powers fight. The truth is that understanding interstate war, and war in general, is very difficult, and the attempt to develop rigorous, testable theories about when such wars break out and why is still in its infancy. MORE
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Putin Reminds Everyone That Ukraine Joining NATO Could Lead to Nuclear War
In a jarring answer to a media question, Russian President Vladimir Putin said allowing Ukraine to join NATO would increase the prospects of a Russia-NATO conflict that could turn nuclear. With Russian troops amassed at Ukraine’s border, the conference was originally called to discuss ways to de-escalate the situation. However, Putin made it clear there were some lines that could not be crossed without severe and possibly even nuclear consequences. MORE
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No Place to Hide: Nuclear Weapons and the Collapse of Health Care Systems
A new report reveals that the healthcare systems in ten major cities around the world would be desperately overwhelmed by the immediate impact of the detonation of just one nuclear weapon. It examines how many hospital beds, doctors, nurses and where information is available, ICU beds and burn care centers would be left to treat hundreds of thousands to over one million injured people. MORE
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Illinois Just Ended ICE Detention. What Happened to the People Detained Here?
Last August, Illinois passed a law to ban both private and county-run immigration detention. In the weeks leading up to the deadline this month, ICE released 41 of the 76 immigrants who had been in two jails as of mid-January. But a week before the deadline, ICE transferred 30 detainees to detention centers in other states, including Indiana, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Texas. The rest were deported or transferred to other law enforcement agencies. MORE
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Corrupt US Employers and Smugglers Are Exploiting Migrant Teens for Profit
A skyrocketing number of migrant teens from Central America are finding their way into the undocumented workforce of the United States. They are doing rigorous, grueling work often meant for adults, like operating heavy machinery in food processing plants. Exploitation by unscrupulous employers and a lack of follow-up by U.S. authorities mean many get trapped in this vast network of under-the-table labor. MORE
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Private Prison Company to Operate 'Home Curfew' Pilot Program for Detained Migrants
A private prison operator is set to run a pilot program to track immigrants who are placed in house detention rather than in detention facilities. GEO Group, one of the country's largest operators of detention facilities, will run the program. The move is part of the Biden administration's push to decrease immigrant detention and drawdown for-profit incarceration, but it's still being met by resistance from immigrant rights advocates. MORE
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TAKE ACTION: Call for a Global Plastics Treaty
Plastic is poisoning life on earth. Shocking studies are finding plastic pollution everywhere: in the rain, our food, our drinking water, even in the human placenta. Tiny, invisible pieces of plastic can travel around the world through water and air, contaminating all life on earth. Right now, a movement is underway calling for a global legal framework regulating the use of plastic. EarthDay .org urges to endorse the call for a Global Plastics Treaty. TAKE ACTION
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NOAA Predicts One-Foot Sea-Level Rise by 2050
Ocean levels along the U.S. coastline are projected to rise by an average of 10 to 12 inches over the next three decades, worsening the threat of flooding in dozens of highly populated cities, according to a new report released Tuesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other federal agencies. MORE
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This Iron and Water Battery Could Power a More Renewable Grid
To unlock the potential of wind and solar power, you need some kind of energy storage device. Unlike other elements used in batteries — like titanium, vanadium, or the lithium that now powers our phones and laptops — iron is one of the most abundant elements on earth. Could this new technology from NSAS solve a problem that’s plagued renewables for over 150 years? MORE
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North American Missionaries Perpetuating Orphanage Exploitation in Haiti
Hundreds of unregulated orphanages have sprung up in Haiti over the past decade, attracting donations from foreigners. An in-depth investigation exposes how orphanages set up and funded by North American missionaries are raking in millions of dollars while children in these institutions face abusive conditions. MORE
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Nearly 500 Arrested in California Human Trafficking Operation
Authorities this week announced the results of a statewide crackdown on human trafficking that resulted in nearly 500 arrests and more than 80 sex workers being helped. Over 30 people suspected of trafficking or exploiting sex workers were arrested, along with 201 people who were allegedly caught trying to buy sex. About six dozen adults and eight minors were “rescued,” according to a law enforcement spokesman. MORE
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DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT |
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Senators Announce a Deal to Reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act
A bipartisan group of senators last week announced that they had reached an agreement on a reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, after months of negotiations. One provision that both sides agreed on was addressing the so-called "boyfriend loophole," which restricts convicted spousal abusers from accessing firearms, but in some instances does not impose the same restrictions on dating partners who have been charged with abuse. MORE
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Congress Passes New Law Ending Forced Arbitration for Sexual Harassment and Assault Claims
Despite the bitter partisan divide in Congress, both the House of Representatives and Senate recently passed the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021. The secretive dispute resolution process keeps litigation out of the public eye and is widely considered to favor employers over workers. It’s expected to be signed into law by President Biden given his administration’s support of this proposed law. MORE
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HUMAN RIGHTS AND INCOME INEQUALITY |
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TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress to Stop Trump-Era Spending Levels
A review of over 190 programs of particular importance to people with low and moderate incomes finds that 126 programs―or two-thirds―lost ground in 2021 compared with 2010 with one-third of those programs receiving cuts of 20% or more when taking inflation into account. The Coalition on Human Needs urges us to tell Congress to pass an appropriations bill immediately that reflects the needs of low-income and working people. TAKE ACTION
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‘They’re Shut Out of The Market’: The Struggle to Rent with a Criminal Record
Three-quarters of a million New Yorkers have convictions in their history. ‘Fair chance’ laws could change their lives. These laws – which prohibit treating rental applicants or tenants differently based on this history – could smooth some of the obstacles keeping New Yorkers out of housing and contributing to homelessness, and they could stem recidivism. MORE
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America’s Inherited Wealth Dynasties Park Trillions Out of Reach of Taxation
A new report estimates that $21 trillion of wealth will pass internally within America’s already dynastically wealthy families between now and 2045. The report estimates that these wealthy families will avoid as much as $8.4 trillion in estate and generation-skipping taxes between now and 2024, by using dynasty trusts and other currently legal loopholes. MORE
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Gilbert Postelle is scheduled to be executed on February 17 by the state of Oklahoma for the murders of James “Donnie” Swindle Jr., Amy Wright, Terry Smith, and James Alderson. Please hold Gilbert, James, Amy, Terry, James, their families, and the people of Oklahoma in prayer. TAKE ACTION
Michael Gonzales is scheduled to be executed on March 8 by the state of Texas for the murders of Manuel and Merced Aguirre. Please hold Michael, Manuel, Merced, their families, and the people of Texas in prayer. TAKE ACTION
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