ACTIVE NONVIOLENCE AND PEACEMAKING |
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Pentagon Projected to Hand $407 Billion to Private Military Contractors This Fiscal Year
President Biden signed a record-shattering military budget earlier this week, and a new analysis has predicted that if recent contracting trends continue, the Pentagon will funnel $407 billion worth of public funds to private weapons makers this fiscal year. Analysts say there are over 700 lobbyists representing for-profit military contractors in D.C., and this redistribution of wealth is why they're there. MORE
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NATO Calls Extraordinary Meeting to Discuss Russia
NATO will hold an extraordinary meeting of foreign ministers on Friday to talk about the Russian military build-up on the border with Ukraine. On a video call, the ministers will discuss Russia and “broader European security issues”. Tensions between Moscow and the West have soared in recent months and U.S officials have warned that Moscow could be planning a full-scale invasion of its neighbor after amassing more than 100,000 troops at the frontier. MORE
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Five of World’s Most Powerful Nations Pledge to Avoid Nuclear War
Five of the world’s most powerful nations have agreed that “a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought” in a rare joint pledge to reduce the risk of such a conflict ever starting. The pledge was signed by the US, Russia, China, the UK, and France, the five nuclear weapons states recognized by the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) who are also the five permanent members of the UN security council. MORE
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Virus Delays UN Nuclear Treaty Meeting, Possibly Until August
A coronavirus surge has upended plans to hold a major nuclear treaty conference at the United Nations, with participants agreeing to postpone the meeting just days before its scheduled start. After nearly two years of pandemic delays, delegations from around the world had been scheduled due to converge on U.N. headquarters this week to take stock of the 1970 Non-Proliferation Treaty, a pillar of nuclear arms control. MORE
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Ready to Stay: A Comprehensive Analysis of the US Foreign-Born Populations Eligible for Special Legal Status Programs and Legalization under Pending Bills
A new report from the Center for Migration Studies offers estimates of US foreign-born populations that are eligible for special legal status programs and those that would be eligible for permanent residence under pending bills. Of the 10.35 million US undocumented residents, 58 percent had lived in the United States for 10 years or more as of 2019. A legalization program would strengthen their contributions to their families and communities. MORE
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Illinois' Law Ending Immigration Detention in 2022 Hits Snag
An Illinois law ending federal immigration detention has hit another legal snag, delaying a change immigrant rights activists had celebrated as historic. Local governments in three Illinois counties faced a Jan. 1 deadline to end contracts. One in downstate Illinois complied last year, but two others are involved in a federal lawsuit challenging the law. A federal judge has granted an extension and authorities in McHenry and Kankakee counties now have until Jan. 13. MORE
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TAKE ACTION: Fund Public Transportation
Tens of millions of Americans drive to work each day because they lack access to safe, reliable public transportation. Even in large cities like Los Angeles, San Diego, or the Dallas-Fort Worth area, the public transportation options may take so long or be so frustrating that commuters just find it easier to hop in their car. Dream Corps Green For All invites us to sign their petition urging Congress to increase funding for public transportation programs across the country. TAKE ACTION
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Retiring MidAmerican's Coal by 2030 Could Save Iowans $1.2 Billion
Analysis filed with the Iowa Utilities Board shows that MidAmerican Energy could save Iowans nearly $1.2 billion by retiring all of its coal plants by 2030. The independent analysis concluded that replacing the coal plants with renewable resources, such as wind, solar, and battery storage, was the most cost-effective option while ensuring reliable service to customers. Under a scenario with high gas prices and a carbon tax, the savings grow to $5 billion. MORE
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Can Mushrooms Eliminate Plastic?
Unfortunately, around 40 percent of plastic is used for food packaging every year. Viable technologies are in the works and intended on addressing these challenges. The International Institute for Sustainable Development reviews three opportunities of multidimensional sustainable solutions that leverage innovative technologies to move away from paper, plastic, or Styrofoam packaging. MORE
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TAKE ACTION: Support Sara’s Law and the Preventing Unfair Sentencing Act
Child sex trafficking victims are often tried as adults and given harsh sentences for crimes they committed as a result of their victimization. This approach ignores the impact childhood trauma has on a victim’s decision-making process. If passed, Sara’s Law and the Preventing Unfair Sentencing Act of 2021 would provide significant protections for child sex trafficking victims. Shared Hope invites us to tell our elected officials about this essential piece of legislation. TAKE ACTION
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Ghislaine Maxwell Found Guilty in Sex Trafficking Trial
British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell has been convicted for her role in luring and grooming girls to be sexually abused by the American financier Jeffrey Epstein. Maxwell – a close friend of Epstein’s – was found guilty of five counts including sex trafficking a minor. The verdict comes more than two years after Epstein took his own life while in jail awaiting trial on charges including conspiracy to traffic underage girls for sex. MORE
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DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT |
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Cuomo’s Criminal Sexual Assault Case Is Dropped
Three days before former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was to be arraigned, the district attorney in Albany announced that he would not face prosecution in a case involving allegations that he groped a former aide in the Executive Mansion in 2020. David Soares, the Albany County district attorney, said he could not prove the charge beyond a reasonable doubt. Cuomo resigned in August, after a report that said he had sexually harassed 11 women. MORE
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UK Vows Crackdown on Threats Against Women
Britain's justice secretary says he wants to put the "fear of God" into those who threaten women and that restoring women's faith in the legal system was his "top priority" following a string of high-profile murders in London. According to official figures in England and Wales, in the year to March 2020 around 1.6 million women experienced domestic abuse, more than 600,000 were sexually assaulted and almost 900,000 were stalked. MORE
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Tennessee Is the Latest State to Require Hairstylists to Complete Domestic Violence Training
The relationship between a hairstylist and a client can be far more than simply somebody to cut and shape hair, which is why Tennessee is the latest state to require cosmetologists to complete training on how to recognize and respond to signs of domestic violence. Under the law that went into effect on January 1, beauty professionals must complete up to an hour of training on how to recognize and respond to signs of domestic violence. MORE
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HUMAN RIGHTS AND INCOME INEQUALITY |
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TAKE ACTION: Demand the U.S Senate Include the Billionaire Income Tax in the Build Back Better Act
Polling shows that the Billionaires Income Tax is strongly supported by the American people with support for the Build Back Better Act rising by a net of 20 to 40 points when voters learn that it would be funded by a tax on billionaires’ investment gains. Americans for Tax Fairness invites us to tell the U.S. Senate to include the Billionaires Income Tax in the Build Back Better Act. TAKE ACTION
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When Amazon Expands, These Communities Pay the Price
Spurred by the pandemic boom in online purchasing, Amazon opened 300 new distribution facilities in the U.S. in 2020 — disproportionately affecting communities of color with higher traffic and pollution. It’s just the opposite for Whole Foods and other Amazon retail stores. These tend to be located in a city’s wealthier, whiter neighborhoods, away from the communities where Amazon runs its warehouses. MORE
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Investments in Child Care Are Needed to Improve Provider Pay and Reduce Parent Expense
For decades, insufficient public investments in childcare have created economic burdens and instability for families and providers. The lack of public spending on childcare disproportionately impacts families with low incomes and families of color, placing the cost of care on the backs of parents to provide wages for providers. Families in poverty pay approximately 30 percent of their income on childcare, much more than the federal affordability benchmark of 7 percent. MORE
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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
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