TAKE ACTION: Support Pope's Call to Urge Peacebuilding in Ukraine

The catastrophic war in Ukraine continues to escalate and help is needed to advocate for diplomatic negotiations and other peacebuilding practices to end the war and lead us into a just peace. In Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis invites us “grasp the abyss of evil at the heart of war” and to "touch the wounded flesh of victims." Franciscan Action Network provides a form to ask Congress to speak publicly and to President Biden about promoting diplomatic negotiations and other proven peacebuilding practices.  TAKE ACTION

Why Turkey Changed Its Stance on Sweden’s NATO Membership

Turkey has agreed to allow Sweden to join NATO after closed-door negotiations between NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg and the leaders of the two countries ahead of a NATO summit in Lithuania. Hours after Ankara’s decision was revealed, the administration of United States President Joe Biden announced it will move forward with the transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey in consultation with the U.S. Congress, in what seemed to be a trade-off for Ankara’s green light to Stockholm’s NATO membership. MORE

Adding Nonviolence to the Police Mindset in Providence

For three full days during the last week in June, police recruits in Providence, Rhode Island, were immersed in learning the techniques and principles of nonviolence, to give them more tools to de-escalate conflicts and build connections with the communities they are about to serve. They will have two more days of training after they graduate next month. With all the training they’ve had during the six-month academy, in policies, the law, use of force, and policing techniques, this is something different. MORE

A Plan to Reduce Nuclear Dangers in a Time of Peril

Deteriorating relations between the major nuclear powers have stymied progress on nuclear arms control and disarmament for more than a decade. The last remaining treaty limiting the massive U.S. and Russian strategic nuclear arsenals will expire in 2026. There are no talks underway on what might replace it. Meanwhile, China is quickly expanding its relatively smaller nuclear arsenal and refusing U.S. overtures for a bilateral nuclear dialogue. As bleak as the situation is, reports of the death of nuclear arms control are greatly exaggerated. MORE

De-Escalation Can Start with Ending All Nuclear Weapons ‘Sharing’

Ukraine, the United States, and NATO have condemned what they correctly called Russian President Putin’s recent “dangerous and irresponsible” deployment of nuclear weapons to neighboring Belarus. But as Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko pointed out that the United States has transferred more than 100 of its 50- and 170-kiloton nuclear gravity bombs to bases in Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Turkey, where allied pilots rehearse nuclear weapons attacks using their allied fighter jets. MORE

Number of Migrants at the Border Plunges as Mexico Helps U.S. to Stem Flow

Instead of surging as elected officials and immigration advocates had warned, the number of migrants trying to enter the United States at the southern border has plummeted following the expiration in May of a pandemic-era border restriction. The drop comes from a flurry of strict constraints the Biden administration has imposed. But it is also the result of tough steps Mexico has taken to discourage migrants from massing along the border, including transporting them to places deep in the country’s interior. MORE

DHS Announces Family Reunification Parole Processes for Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras

The Biden administration announced a new immigration program for people from Colombia, El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. They will be allowed to fly to the United States and obtain a work permit if they have a relative who is a U.S. citizen or has permanent residency and has applied for a visa on their behalf. MORE

Ron DeSantis Faces Legal Challenge Over Anti-Immigration Law

Florida Senate Bill 1718, which took effect on July 1, imposes a wide range of restrictions on undocumented immigrants in the state. A group of prominent human rights and immigration advocacy organizations have announced they will file a lawsuit challenging a section of the new law that criminalizes the transport of undocumented immigrants into, within, or out of Florida. The law provides no exception for those traveling with undocumented partners or family members, or for NGOs helping migrants, who would also be considered "human smugglers." MORE

TAKE ACTION: Tell President Biden: Sign the Global Ocean Treaty

In March, world leaders delivered one of the biggest conservation victories in human history — a Global Ocean Treaty to help protect at least 30% of the world's oceans. Though the agreement is in place and the language is finalized, our work is not done. Over the next 90 days, world leaders will review the agreement, before beginning the process of officially signing the treaty on September 20. Greenpeace asks us to tell President Biden to show the world that the US is fully behind this treaty by signing it on Day 1. TAKE ACTION

Protests Break Out in South Korea Over Fukushima Plans to Release Waste Water To Ocean

South Koreans poured onto the streets last week in protest against Japan’s plans to dump treated radioactive water from the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima power plant into the ocean. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recently approved the release of more than 1 million metric tons of water into the Pacific that was used to cool damaged reactors at the power plant hit by an earthquake and a tsunami in 2011. The IAEA says that the treated water will be diluted to well below internationally approved levels of tritium. MORE

‘Uncharted Territory’: UN Declares First Week of July World’s Hottest Ever Recorded

The beginning of July was the hottest week on record for the planet as a whole, according to the World Meteorological Organization. This year had already seen the hottest June on record, the UN body said, driven by climate change and the early stages of an El Niño weather pattern. It is the latest in a series of records halfway through a year that has seen a drought in Spain and fierce heatwaves in China as well as the U.S. MORE

Over Half of Child Trafficking Victims Recruited by Family and Friends

A new report by the International Organization for Migration and Harvard University has uncovered how more than half of child trafficking victims are recruited into exploitation by people close to them, including their own family and friends. The “enmeshment” process then followed the recruitment stage whereby children are coerced into remaining in exploitation through abuse, threats, and excessive working hours. MORE

Supporting Recovery for Youth Trafficking Survivors

Youth survivors of sex trafficking are disproportionately at the intersections of marginalization and vulnerability. These children tend to be girls (mostly of color), LGBTQ youth, foster youth, youth who have experienced abuse and/or economic and housing insecurity, and disabled youth. Legislation like HB 3414, also called the Prevent Unfair Sentencing of Youth Act, which was recently signed into law in Illinois, amends the unfair sentencing practices that impact criminalized youth trafficking survivors. MORE

Can Domestic Violence and Community Violence Be Interrupted at the Same Time?

The violence intervention and prevention organizations We Build the Block and Brownsville In Violence Out have organized the circle as part of a pilot program called Heal the Ville. The hope is that it will reduce violence between intimate partners, and in doing so, will prevent violence in the streets, too. It’s among the first community-based programs to view the two traditionally siloed forms of violence — community violence and domestic violence — as explicitly interconnected and to take a combined approach to preventing both. MORE

Proposed Bill Would Require Beauty Workers to Recognize Signs of Domestic Violence

A bill has been proposed in the Massachusetts State House that would require beauty workers to be trained to recognize signs of domestic violence. Under the legislation, beauty schools would be responsible for incorporating a one-hour training on domestic violence and the signs into their curriculum. The bill would also require beauty-industry professionals to direct victims toward resources that could help them escape their abuser. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Fund WIC for All Families in Need

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) helps to provide healthy food for vulnerable moms, infants, and young children. This year, rising food costs and increased program participation make strong investments in WIC more important than ever. A proposed $800 million cut to the program would inflict deeper hardship on struggling families. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops asks us to tell Congress to continue providing the WIC program with adequate resources to serve all eligible participants. TAKE ACTION

Poverty Is 4th Leading Cause of Death in the U.S. as Calls Grow for Third Reconstruction

Bishop William Barber, co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign, says it’s “grotesque and immoral” that poverty is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, higher than homicide and respiratory illness, citing recent findings published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. A resolution called the Third Reconstruction would work to end poverty in the United States by addressing systemic racism, economic and public health inequity, militarism, and other issues. MORE

In 31 States, Utilities Can Shut Off Power for Nonpayment in a Heat Wave

Millions of Americans have been sweltering through heat waves in recent weeks, and U.S. forecasters warn of a hot summer ahead. For people who struggle to afford air conditioning, the rising need for cooling is a growing crisis. One in 4 American households are at risk of losing power because of the high cost of energy. Over 30% of those power disconnections are in summer when the hot weather gets dangerous. MORE

Jemaine Cannon is scheduled to be executed on July 20 by the state of Oklahoma for the murder of Sharonda Clark. Please hold Jemaine, Sharonda, their families, and the people of Oklahoma in prayer. TAKE ACTION

James Barber is scheduled to be executed on July 20 by the state of Alabama for the murder of Dorothy Epps. Please hold James, Dorothy, their families, and the people of Alabama in prayer. TAKE ACTION