PLEASE NOTE:
The Action Alert Digest will not be published on May 4.
Our next publication date will be on May 11.
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ACTIVE NONVIOLENCE AND PEACEMAKING |
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Defections Are Crucial to Ending Putin’s War — Russian Soldiers Looking for a Way Out Need Support
Although many in Russia have been conditioned to accept Kremlin propaganda, others have doubts about the war, including some of the troops who have been sent to fight and the young men now facing conscription and possible deployment to the front. A strategy of encouraging noncooperation and defection among Russian troops deserves consideration as a means of undermining the war. MORE
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Relatively Few Young People Are Driving D.C.’s Violence
In February, the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform released a two-year study that estimated about 200 people were driving the bulk of the gun violence in Washington, D.C. at any given time. Experts say the very small number of high-risk individuals are identifiable, their violence predictable and therefore preventable. MORE
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Capitalizing On Conflict: How U.S. Arms Sales Fuel the Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen
U.S. weapons manufacturers fueling the crisis in Yemen spend big money on lobbying but make even more selling arms. Over the last 20 years, defense companies and their affiliates have spent more than $2.6 billion on lobbying politicians and $300 million making contributions to support and influence their campaigns. Getting up to half of a Pentagon budget that is likely to top $800 billion next year makes it well worth the effort. MORE
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Finding Windows for Cooperation Amid Rising Nuclear Threats
Following recent nuclear threats from North Korea earlier this month, the Center for Arms Control and Non-proliferation condemns the recent uptick in nuclear ultimatums, advocating for the United States to remain open to arms control on the Korean peninsula. MORE
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Are the United States and China Entering into a Dangerous Nuclear Standoff?
Top international security analyst Graham Allison explains why the US and China appear to be falling into Thucydides’s trap and how the relationship between the world’s two greatest powers might be managed to avert war. MORE
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TAKE ACTION: Support the End of the Xenophobic Title 42
The Biden administration has announced that in May, it will end Title 42, a policy that has blocked people fleeing from wars, genocide, political repression, and persecution from lawfully applying for asylum at the US border. But now, members of Congress are sponsoring legislation to keep Title 42 in place. The Coalition on Human Needs invites us to tell Congress to stand with President Biden and end the Title 42 expulsion policy. TAKE ACTION
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Hundreds of Thousands of Stateless People Are Living in Legal Limbo in the U.S.
Around the world, conflicts, wars, and other geopolitical crises have left millions of people without citizenship in any country. There are an estimated 10 million so-called “stateless people around the world. It is estimated that roughly 218,000 US residents are potentially stateless or potentially at risk of statelessness: a status that is not clearly defined, yet carries significant risks. MORE
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America's Labor Shortage Is Actually an Immigrant Shortage
U.S. employers say it's a hard time to find and keep talent. Workers are decamping at near-record rates, while millions of open jobs go unfilled. One reason for this labor crunch that has largely flown beneath the radar: Immigration to the U.S. is plummeting, a shift with potentially enormous long-term implications for the job market. MORE
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TAKE ACTION: Urge Congress to Pass Ambitious Climate Solutions
The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reaffirms that we must dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions to prevent the most catastrophic impacts of climate change upon our common home and future. Catholic Climate Covenant asks us to tell our senators to support climate solutions that lower national greenhouse gas emissions and help communities build resilience against the impacts of climate change. TAKE ACTION
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Meet The Power Plant of the Future: Solar + Battery Hybrids Are Poised for Explosive Growth
America’s electric power system is undergoing radical change as it transitions from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Early signs suggest a boom in “hybrid” power plants: combining electricity generation with battery storage at the same location. A look at the power and storage projects in the development pipeline offers a glimpse of hybrid power’s future. MORE
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CO2 Pipelines Are Coming. A Pipeline Safety Expert Says We’re Not Ready.
No less than three separate companies are planning pipeline projects to capture carbon dioxide from ethanol refineries in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and the Dakotas, and then transport it via the proposed pipeline to a site in North Dakota where the CO2 would be buried deep underground. But as the number of pipeline proposals multiplies, a new report warns that CO2 pipeline regulations aren’t up to the task of keeping communities safe. MORE
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Nepal Workers Fight Debt Bondage System
In Nepal, haruwa is a term to describe a worker who plows land for others, while charuwa are the workers who herd cattle. Under the haruwa-charuwa system of forced labor, landowners of privileged castes take advantage of poor residents by offering them loans at extremely high-interest rates. Workers are then made to work for years, even generations, in a futile attempt to pay off the loans — a seemingly never-ending trap of debt bondage. MORE
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The Intersection between Housing Instability and Human Trafficking
Some 64 percent of trafficked individuals reported having experienced homelessness or housing instability at the time that they were recruited. Nearly 70 percent of youth who were trafficked or engaged in survival sex had done so while experiencing homelessness. Having access to stable and safe housing is essential for survivors of human trafficking as they exit their trafficking situation. MORE
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DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT |
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26 Women and Girls Missing, 5 Found Dead in Northern Mexico
Gov. Samuel Garcia of Nuevo Leon, Mexico, has appointed a prominent lawyer to formally tackle femicide in the region as authorities say a total of 31 women and girls have been reported missing so far this year -- five of whom have been found dead. The U.N. Committee on Enforced Disappearances urged action last week to fight rising disappearances in Mexico, where 155 femicides were reported in the first two months of the year. MORE
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Haiti Lawyers Taking Rape to the Courts
Three female lawyers in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, are working to support rape victims in the country, where gang-related sexual violence has spiked and women struggle to get justice. Domestic violence cases in Haiti rose 377% in 2020 and 23% of women who live with a partner will face domestic violence at some point in their lives, according to United Nations data. MORE
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Indonesia Military Finally Ends Abusive ‘Virginity Test’
Indonesia’s armed forces have finally ended all so-called “virginity tests” as part of the recruitment process for women. The military’s first actions against this abusive practice began in June 2021 when an order was issued that female recruits should only be assessed on their ability to take part in physical training. MORE
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HUMAN RIGHTS AND INCOME INEQUALITY |
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TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress to Cap the Actual Price of Insulin at $35/Vial, Not Just the Copay
The House recently passed the Affordable Insulin Now Act to cap insulin copays at $35/month. This is a step in the right direction, but it’s not enough. A $35 insulin price cap is needed so no one—insured or uninsured—is price gouged for the insulin they need to survive. The Other 98 urges us to tell Congress to cap the actual price of insulin. TAKE ACTION
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NY Mayor Proposes 1,400 Shelter Beds to Move Homeless People Off Streets
Putting additional funding behind his efforts to move homeless people off New York City streets, Mayor Eric Adams has announced that he would propose a $171 million investment in homeless services that would include funding for 1,400 specialized shelter beds. The program aims to ease the transition off the street for homeless people who struggle with mental health and substance abuse issues. MORE
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Carman Deck is scheduled to be executed on May 3 by the state of Missouri for the murders of James and Thelma Long. Please hole Carman, James, Thelma, their families, and the people of Missouri in prayer. TAKE ACTION
Clarence Dixon is scheduled to be executed on May 11 by the state of Arizona for the murder of Deana Bowdoin. Please hold Clarence, Deana, their families, and the people of Arizona in prayer. TAKE ACTION
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