Two Sudan Generals Are at War With Each Other. Here's What to Know.

The death toll from the crisis in Sudan as well-armed factions led by two rival commanders continue fighting each other in heavily populated cities has reached at least 270 people, according to the United Nations. Violence was still raging Wednesday despite a planned ceasefire, five days into the fighting and days after a U.S. diplomatic convoy came under fire. Here's what's happening in the east African nation, and why. MORE

Moscow Jails Activist for 25 Years for Opposing Ukraine War

A court in Moscow has sentenced the opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza to 25 years in prison, in one of the most high-profile cases to date of a Russian dissident being jailed for opposing the invasion of Ukraine. Kara-Murza, who holds Russian and British citizenship and studied at the University of Cambridge, was detained in April 2022 and charged with spreading false information about the Russian army in Ukraine. He was later also charged with high treason over public speeches he made that criticized Kremlin policies and the war in Ukraine. MORE

Two Shootings at Mistaken Addresses Have Renewed the Focus on 'Stand Your Ground' Laws

The recent shootings of two young people who accidentally came to the wrong address - a 16-year-old boy in Kansas City and a 20-year-old woman in rural New York - have sparked concerns over self-defense laws known as "stand your ground." Adopted by over two dozen states in the past 18 years, these laws have been linked to a rise in firearm homicides across the country. Moreover, their application is often uneven, resulting in racial disparities in who can successfully use the defense.  MORE

TAKE ACTION: Support the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

In January, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moved their iconic Doomsday Clock ahead to 90 seconds before midnight, the closest it's ever come to symbolic global apocalypse. Back from the Brink urges us to tell our representatives to co-sponsor H. Res 77, a resolution that calls on the United States to embrace the goals and provisions of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and to adopt Back from the Brink's common sense policies for preventing nuclear war. TAKE ACTION

The G7 in Hiroshima Must Make Plan to Abolish Nuclear Weapons

For the first time ever, heads of state from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as high-level representatives from the European Union, the G7, will meet in Hiroshima, Japan May 19 – 21. Reports out of Japan indicate that an action plan or other commentary on nuclear weapons will emerge from the Hiroshima meeting, and it is important that G7 leaders commit to serious and substantive nuclear disarmament actions. MORE

Biden Moves to Expand DACA Recipients' Access to Government-Funded Health Insurance

The Biden administration has announced a plan to expand access to Affordable Care Act and Medicaid coverage for DACA recipients. The change would treat DACA recipients more like other groups with temporary legal status. The Department of Health and Human Services will propose an amended definition of "lawful presence" to include recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, the White House said last week. MORE

Where Immigrants Come From and Where They Go After Reaching the U.S.

The U.S. is home to more immigrants than any other country – more than 45 million people, according to the latest Census estimates. That’s 13.6% of the US population, about the same as it was a century ago. But over the years, we’ve seen significant shifts in where immigrants to the U.S. come from, and where they end up once they get here. MORE

Year Is Off to a Deadly Start for Migrants Crossing Mediterranean Sea

The International Organization for Migration reported 441 deaths among migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea from Africa to Europe in the first quarter of this year, bringing fatalities on the route to over 20,000 since 2014. Efforts by NGOs to rescue passengers of stranded or sinking boats on route to Europe have been complicated by countries that have restricted their access to ports, delayed sending assistance, or threatened aid ships. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Urge Bank Execs to Support Climate Shareholder Resolutions

Next week, Bank of America, Citibank, and Wells Fargo will each be holding their annual general meetings. It’s important that they use this opportunity to pass four urgent shareholder proposals to limit fossil fuel expansion financing, increase transparency, and honor the rights of indigenous peoples. Stop the Money Pipeline urges us to tell bank executives to create a policy to phase out financing for companies that are engaged in fossil fuel expansion. TAKE ACTION

EPA Lays Out Rules to Turbocharge Sales of Electric Cars and Trucks 

The Biden administration has proposed the nation’s most ambitious climate regulations to date, two plans designed to ensure two-thirds of new passenger cars and a quarter of new heavy trucks sold in the United States are all-electric by 2032. If the two rules from the Environmental Protection Agency are enacted as proposed, they would put the world’s largest economy on track to slash its planet-warming emissions at the pace that scientists say is required of all nations to avert the most devastating impacts of climate change. MORE

World's 60 Largest Banks Have Dumped $5.5 Trillion Into Fossil Fuels Since Paris Accord

According to the annual report Banking on Climate Chaos, since the Paris Agreement took effect in 2016, the world's 60 largest private banks have provided $5.5 trillion in financing to the fossil fuel industry, despite their promises to lead clients towards net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. The report reveals that banks' lending and underwriting practices have enabled new coal, oil, and gas projects to proceed, despite the international scientific consensus that fossil fuel expansion is incompatible with limiting global warming to 1.5°C above preindustrial levels. MORE

Bill Addressing the Smuggling of Girls Gets Bipartisan Support

Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) will soon introduce legislation, known as Stopping the Abuse, Victimization, and Exploitation of Girls Act (SAVE Girls Act), to address the human trafficking of girls within the United States. The legislation would authorize $50 million per year to states, localities, and non-profit organizations to pursue human traffickers and treat their victims.   MORE

U.S. Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services Announce Additional Steps to Address Child Labor Violations, Strengthening Coordination

The U.S. Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services announced a Memorandum of Agreement to advance ongoing efforts to address child labor exploitation. The purpose of the agreement is to maximize the enforcement of existing child labor protections, to enhance the ability to protect children from labor exploitation and connect individuals to needed benefits and services. MORE

Feds Sending $30 Million or More to Africa to Help Address Gender-Based Violence

In collaboration with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the federal government is giving $50 million to close "the digital gender gap" around the globe, particularly in Africa. The funding is intended to help increase access to the internet for women, design tools that meet women's needs, strengthen women's digital skills, address "technology-facilitated gender-based violence," and more. MORE

How Mexico’s Criminal Violence Reshapes Women’s Lives

Nearly half of all women in Mexico have been sexually assaulted over the course of their lifetimes. In 2021 alone, almost one in five women were exposed to sexual violence. While many of the perpetrators of these attacks are violent, abusive men who are not linked to criminal groups, the “war on drugs” has exacerbated the conditions under which gender-based violence takes place. Women have, in effect, been caught in the crossfire. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress to Tax Wealth Like Work

The U.S. tax code gives special treatment to passive income, making every dollar earned by an investor worth more than one earned by a worker. Lawmakers have privileged investment income over actual labor, resulting in a lower tax rate of 20% for investors and a higher rate of up to 37% for workers. Furthermore, wealthy families can pass on up to $22 million tax-free to their heirs, creating an unfair advantage for those born into wealth. Patriotic Millionaires urge us to tell Congress to reform the tax code to ensure all income over $1 million is taxed equally. TAKE ACTION

Bill to Cut Food and Medicaid Benefits Goes to Iowa Gov. Reynolds’ Desk

Despite objections from working-class and low-income Iowans, food banks, and more than 200 Iowa religious leaders, Iowa House Republicans advanced a bill last week to cut food and healthcare benefits for thousands of Iowans. After a marathon debate, the Iowa House advanced SF 494 in a 58-41 vote. All 35 Iowa House Democrats voted against the bill and five Republicans joined Democrats in opposing the measure, which will also cost the state millions of dollars upfront. MORE

LA Mayor Seeks $1.3B for Homeless Crisis, Hotels for Housing

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has announced that she would suggest spending a record $1.3 billion next year to tackle the city's homeless crisis. The funding, included in the upcoming budget, would be used to provide shelter and treatment programs for unhoused people, and potentially buy hotels or motels for conversion into housing. The mayor made the announcement during an annual address to the City Council on the state of the city, four months into her first term. MORE

Ivan Cantu is scheduled to be executed on April 26 by the state of Texas for the murders of James Mosqueda and Amy Kitchen. Please hold Ivan, James, Amy, their families, and the people of Texas in prayer. TAKE ACTION

Darryl Barwick is scheduled to be executed on May 3 by the state of Florida for the murder of Rebecca Wendt. Please hold Darryl, Rebecca, their families, and the people of Florida in prayer. TAKE ACTION