Inside the Gun Shop: Firearms Dealers and Their Impact

A new report reveals that the U.S. has nearly 78,000 licensed gun dealers, more than all post offices in the United States, and more than the number of McDonald’s Burger King, Subway, and Wendy’s locations combined. Over half of all gun dealers are located in residential communities. Oversight of these dealers is alarmingly lax, resulting in thousands of firearms lost or stolen each year, with many being used in crimes. MORE

When the Crime Wave Recedes, the Only Certainty of America’s Urban Politics Is That There Will Be More Cops

As swiftly as it began, America’s crime spike that started in 2019 — and worsened with the pandemic — has ended, with homicides on track to fall by double digits in 2023. Despite the current drop, we’re still seeing more homicides than we did in 2019 and more homicides than any other developed economy in the world. What has not changed, though, is the widespread belief that hiring more cops is the best way to reduce crime, despite the fact that there is little to no conclusive evidence this is true.  MORE

The Dark — and Often Misunderstood — Nuclear History Behind Oppenheimer

The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki still have the power to shock: In an instant, the U.S. killed more than a hundred thousand people. But even if the director Christopher Nolan fictionalized some of the story Oppenheimer, his biopic of the scientist behind the Manhattan Project, the film may spark a new conversation about a history many of us studied in high school, but that often fails to resonate as it should. MORE

Second U.S. Submarine Arrives in South Korea Amid North Korea Tensions

A U.S. nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Annapolis, arrived in South Korea this week, only days after the first U.S. nuclear-armed submarine, the USS Kentucky, made port in the country in four decades, as the two allies seek to boost American strategic assets to deter North Korea. North Korea launched two ballistic missiles last week hours after the visit by the USS Kentucky, and again fired several cruise missiles a few days later.  MORE

Archbishops Etienne, Wester Lead Pilgrimage of Peace to Japan

A delegation from the Archdioceses of Santa Fe and Seattle has embarked on a transformative Pilgrimage of Peace to Tokyo, Akita, Kyoto, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki, Japan, from July 31 to August 12, 2023. The delegation, being led by Most Reverend John C. Wester, Archbishop of Santa Fe, and Most Reverend Paul D. Etienne, Archbishop of Seattle, is driven by a compelling vision rooted in a world free from nuclear weapons due to their inherent threat to lasting peace. MORE

TAKE ACTION: U.S. Asylum Policy Must Be Legal and Safe

People seeking a new life in our country deserve dignity and an immigration process that is fair and safe. Rapidly changing asylum policies are unsafe and cause great harm to immigrants and those who serve them. Our laws must work for all of us, this includes immigrants. NETWORK Lobby invites us to tell Congress to ensure that the Shelter and Services Program is fully funded and that the funds are distributed equitably, and to restore our asylum system to its legal and moral state. TAKE ACTION

Federal Judge Blocks New Biden Asylum Policy

A federal judge has invalidated a strict asylum policy deemed vital by the government to handle the southern border, marking a setback for the Biden administration's strategy, which coincided with a significant decrease in illegal migrant crossings. The policy, in effect since May 12, prevented most individuals from seeking asylum if they entered the United States without an appointment at an official entry point or without demonstrating they sought legal protection in another country en route. MORE

Justice Department Sues Texas After Gov. Abbott Refuses to Remove Floating Barrier

The Department of Justice has sued Texas Gov. Greg Abbott following the governor's refusal to remove a stretch of inflatable buoys on the Rio Grande, which sits between his state and Mexico. The lawsuit accuses the state of violating the River and Harbors Act, which prohibits the placement of obstructions in the water without federal approval. The 1,000-foot-long floating barrier was installed near a border town in early July as part of Abbott's $4 billion border security initiative. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Stop Polluting Our Oceans with Radioactive Waste

The International Atomic Energy Agency just signed off on a plan allowing Japan to release more than a million tons of nuclear waste into the Pacific Ocean.  The waste is left over from the 2011 disaster at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, which suffered multiple nuclear meltdowns and hydrogen explosions following a massive earthquake and tsunami. The Juggernaut Project urges us to tell the International Atomic Energy Agency to reverse its decision and stop polluting our oceans. TAKE ACTION

How to Confront Despair About the Coming Effects of Climate Change

It may be impossible not to let all this bad news paralyze us, drown us in despair. Against such enormous forces of nature, recycling, and composting don't seem to make a dent. This problem of paralyzing despair is a tricky one. But despair and denial cannot be allowed to stifle us. Author Michael Sean Winters suggests that the ecology of the human spirit must be attended to and harnessed if the ecology of the planet is to be defended in time to avert even greater catastrophes than those we are witnessing today. MORE

Decades of Public Messages About Recycling in the U.S. Have Crowded Out More Sustainable Ways to Manage Waste

A decades-long effort to educate the U.S. public about recycling has succeeded in some ways but failed in others. These efforts have made recycling an option that consumers see as important – but to the detriment of more sustainable options. And it has not made people more effective recyclers. Furthermore, new research suggests that even when plastic does get recycled, it produces staggering amounts of microplastic pollution. MORE

Trafficking Survivor Stories

For many years, the anti-human trafficking field has focused on “rescuing” victims from their trafficking situations and asking concerned citizens to “say something” if they “see something.”  It’s past time to recognize that we can’t say something without knowing the true story from the survivors themselves.  Survivors of sex and labor trafficking are resilient and the true experts in the anti-human trafficking field. They teach us about some of the risk factors that contributed to their situations of trafficking so we can improve our prevention efforts. MORE

‘Where Is the Money?’ U.S. Workers Left Unpaid After Federal Contractor Wage Theft

Wage theft of workers employed by federal contractors under the Service Contract Act is not uncommon. In 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor’s wage and hour division recovered more than $48m in back wages owed to more than 21,000 workers on federal contracts. Federal contractors found to have conducted wage theft are supposed to be excluded from receiving new contracts for three years but enforcement is lax, according to a government survey. MORE

Should Hotel Chains Be Held Liable for Human Trafficking?

Across the country, hotels have become a familiar scene of sex-trafficking crimes. According to the 2018 Polaris Survivor Survey, more than sixty percent of sex-trafficking victims said that they were forced to sell sex from hotels. Over the last four years, more than a hundred and ten civil sex-trafficking lawsuits against hotel franchisers have been brought in federal courts across the country. MORE

Indian Women Set Fire to House of Suspect as Manipur Sex Assault Case Triggers Outrage

Women in India's northeastern state of Manipur attacked the house of the main suspect in a sexual assault case that has enraged the nation. The person had allegedly dragged two tribal women onto the streets in May and incited a mob to rape and parade them naked, police said. The sexual assault took place over two months ago, but it captured national attention after a video went viral on social media this week, triggering unrest in Manipur. MORE

Wisconsin Survivors of Sexual Assault Could Go After Rapists for Child Support Payment Under New Proposal

People in Wisconsin who become pregnant by sexual assault and give birth could go after rapists for child support — even if the rapist's parental rights are terminated — under a GOP proposal. State legislators who introduced the bill argue the person convicted of sexual assault "should bear both halves of the financial responsibility for raising the child." The Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault is looking into the bill, which is early in the legislative process. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Urge OSHA to Implement Immediate Heat Standards

The summer heat is here and farm workers and other outdoor workers desperately need a federal heat standard. Farm workers are as much as 35 times more likely to die from heat than any other civilian occupation. Climate change is worsening this hazard. In recent years, record-high temperatures have been seen across the country. Workers need emergency heat standards to be put in place now -- before people die. United Farm Workers invites us to join in demanding that OSHA enact heat regulations immediately. TAKE ACTION

Florida Approves Black History Standards Decried As ‘Step Backward’

The Florida State Board of Education has approved new rules for how Black history will be taught in public schools that critics are decrying as a “step backward.” The updated standards say students should learn that enslaved people “developed skills” that “could be applied for their personal benefit,” and that in teaching about mob violence against Black residents instructors should note “acts of violence perpetrated against and by African Americans.” MORE

We Need to Address the Housing Supply Crisis

Housing costs have ballooned, far outpacing the broader cost of living in the U.S. Renters devote more and more of their already limited budget to housing costs and home ownership feels out of reach for many Americans. One key reason for this is the dwindling housing supply across the U.S. Officials at all levels of government want to ensure that the communities and families they represent have a chance to feel secure in their own home and future. The Federation of American Scientists suggests changes to housing policy to address this crisis. MORE

Johnny Johnson was scheduled to be executed on August 1 by the state of Missouri for the murder of Casey Williamson. Please hold Johnny, Casey, their families, and the people of Missouri in prayer. Although a stay has been issued, signatures are still being collected by Death Penalty Action to appeal for clemency. TAKE ACTION

James Phillip Barnes is scheduled to be executed on August 3 by the state of Florida for the murder of Patricia “Patsy” Miller. Please hold James, Patricia, their families, and the people of Florida in prayer. TAKE ACTION