TAKE ACTION: Cut the Pentagon Budget

The president is putting the final touches on next year’s budget now, and with global tensions on a razor’s edge, “security” is certain to be a top priority. But for decades, the U.S. government has spent more on weapons and war than any other country on earth -- and it didn’t make anyone, anywhere, any safer. Budgets are moral documents that should reflect our values and priorities. Win Without War urges us to call on President Biden to invest in human needs and cut the Pentagon budget now. TAKE ACTION

How Biden Can Stop Houthi Missile Attacks—Without Risking War

There is a simple reason why U.S. and U.K. military strikes against Yemen’s Houthis will not achieve their objective of re-opening the crucial Red Sea lanes for international shipping: The Houthis don’t have to succeed in striking additional commercial vessels, or even successfully retaliate against U.S. military ships. All they need to do is to try. Many Western commercial vessels will simply not risk moving their ships through those waters, not in spite of U.S. military strikes, but now because of them. It didn't need to reach this point. MORE

Congress Backers of Gaza War Received Most from Pro-Israel Donors

Congress members who were more supportive of Israel at the start of the Gaza war received over $100,000 more on average from pro-Israel donors during their last election than those who most supported Palestine, an analysis of campaign data shows. Those who took more money most often called for U.S. military support and backed Israel’s response, even as Gaza’s civilian death toll mounted, the findings show. MORE

Are Nuclear-Armed Nations Entering a New Arms Race in 2024? Experts Weigh In.

As the arsenals of nuclear-armed nations age, they are being replaced, redesigned, or otherwise modernized. The U.S. is poised to spend as much as $2 trillion in the next 30 years to modernize its nuclear arsenal. All other nuclear-armed nations have similar plans to expand or modernize their arsenals. Yet nuclear weapons have limited military value. Experts say the possibility of nuclear war is very small, but that the catastrophic dangers and potential consequences of even “limited use” of nuclear weapons cannot be ignored. MORE

A Moment of Historic Danger: It Is Still 90 Seconds to Midnight

This week the Doomsday Clock was reset at 90 seconds to midnight, still the closest the Clock has ever been to midnight, reflecting the continued state of unprecedented danger the world faces. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, stewards of the Doomsday Clock, emphasized in their announcement that the Clock could be turned back, but governments and people needed to take urgent action. MORE

Biden Administration Has Admitted More Than 1 Million Migrants Into U.S. Under Parole Policy Congress Is Considering Restricting

More than 1 million people have been allowed to enter the U.S. under Biden administration programs based on the immigration parole authority that Congress is considering restricting at the request of Republican lawmakers. Since President Biden took office in 2021, his administration has used immigration parole at a historic scale, invoking the decades-old law to welcome hundreds of thousands of foreigners fleeing armed conflicts in Afghanistan and Ukraine or political and economic crises in countries like Haiti and Venezuela.  MORE

Texas Authorities Have Begun Arresting Migrants at a Public Park Near the U.S.-Mexico Border

Texas authorities arrested migrants at Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, Texas, last week and charged them with criminal trespassing, marking the first arrests of migrants since the state took control of the area at the U.S.-Mexico border. Single adult migrant men and women were taken into state custody, while migrant families and children were transferred to U.S. Border Patrol. The arrests took place at Shelby Park and private lands where the landowner granted the state authority to make arrests. MORE

Why Most Migrants and Asylum Seekers Can’t ‘Just Get a Job’

As Oak Park, Illinois, continues to grapple with housing about 160 migrants who arrived last October, many wonder why they cannot quickly secure jobs. Most new arrivals in the United States have to wait to receive work permits, which can be a lengthy process. “For better or worse, eligibility to work is governed by federal law. It’s not as though someone can just show up and work,” one expert noted. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Get Lead Out of Our Drinking Water

It’s 2024 — but millions of people across the country still drink water that passes through lead pipes, putting countless communities at risk of harmful lead contamination. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finally proposed changes to the rule that regulates how water systems handle lead in water. But we need to keep the pressure up to make sure the final rule is as strong as possible. EarthJustice asks us to tell the EPA to adopt provisions that will help remove lead from drinking water and to strengthen the weaker parts of the rule. TAKE ACTION

Extreme Cold Still Happens in a Warming World – In Fact, Climate Instability May Be Disrupting the Polar Vortex

Recently, extremely cold Arctic air and severe winter weather swept southward into much of the U.S., breaking daily low-temperature records from Montana to Texas. These severe cold events occur when the polar jet stream – the familiar jet stream of winter that runs along the boundary between Arctic and more temperate air – dips deeply southward, bringing the cold Arctic air to regions that don’t often experience it. But does this cold snap contradict human-caused global warming? Scientists say it does not. MORE

How Meat and Milk Companies Are Racing to Ease Your Climate Guilt

Meat companies are trying to persuade consumers that eating the right kind of beef can be almost as good for curbing climate change — maybe even better — than swapping it for an Impossible Burger or the latest dinner plate innovation, lab-cultivated meat. The claims are fortified with meat industry-funded studies.  Dozens of environmental groups and academics say these companies that declare climate-unfriendly products carbon neutral — or even carbon negative —don’t truly mitigate the emissions of those products. MORE

Selling Your Daughter to Survive: The Plight of Afghan Forced Marriage

In the face of extreme poverty, Afghan parents, grappling with financial desperation, are compelled to sell their daughters in forced marriages, some as young as six, to survive. Families, facing dire circumstances, see the $2,000 bride price as a desperate means of sustaining themselves for a year. Escalating rates of suicide and depression among Afghan teenage girls underscore the profound impact of these circumstances on the mental health and well-being of the young brides, painting a bleak picture of the broader social repercussions. MORE

“Fair Trade” Labels Conceal Brutal Abuses of Farmworkers

Many grocery products from Mexico are sold in the US with labels touting their fair labor practices — but the farmworkers who produce that food say they are subject to brutal exploitation and widespread abuse by their employers. The exploitation faced by Mexican farmworkers demands not just consumer awareness but a radical shift in corporate responsibility to ensure fair and equitable conditions. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Prevent Catastrophic Cuts to Victims of Crimes Act Funding

Grant funding for the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) is expected to be cut by $700 million nationwide.  This 40% loss will fall hardest on rural communities, low-income communities, and Communities of Color. Potentially millions of survivors nationwide will lose access to lifesaving and life-sustaining services to escape and heal from domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, and other crimes. The National Network to End Domestic Violence urges us to tell our lawmakers to preserve funding for VOCA. TAKE ACTION

Report Says Combination of Domestic Violence, Poverty Far More Likely to Lead to Homelessness

Last week, the University of California San Francisco released a report showing the linkage between homelessness, intimate partner violence, and poverty. It found that women experiencing poverty and domestic violence in tandem are far more likely to become unhoused than those who are just experiencing domestic violence. Almost everyone who participated in the study said financial support of any kind – whether it be a housing voucher, monthly payments, or a lump sum – would have helped them stay housed. MORE

Proposal Would Bar Universal Basic Income Programs in Iowa

Calling taxpayer-funded basic income programs “insane,” “socialism on steroids” and “an attack on American values,” a pair of Republican state lawmakers last week advanced legislation that would prohibit such programs in Iowa. Universal basic income programs dedicate monthly funds to low-income individuals. The programs are designed to lift people out of poverty by providing them with a baseline and steady source of income. One such program is operating in central Iowa — UpLift, a pilot project of Mid-Iowa Health Foundation in Des Moines. MORE

UAW Chief Says Billionaires—Not Migrants—Are Real Threat to Working Class

United Auto Workers president Shawn Fain says that the current fear-mongering around the U.S. border with Mexico is an attempt by the wealthy and political elites to divide workers. In a recent speech, Fain said. "The threat we face at the border isn't from the migrants. It's from the billionaires and the politicians getting working people to point the finger at one another when in reality, we're all on the same side of the war against the working class." MORE

Corporate Profits Driving More Than Half of Inflation

A new report claims “resounding evidence” shows that high corporate profits are a main driver of ongoing inflation, and companies continue to keep prices high even as their inflationary costs drop. The report, compiled by the progressive Groundwork Collaborative think tank, found corporate profits accounted for about 53% of inflation during last year’s second and third quarters. Comparatively, over the 40 years prior to the pandemic, profits drove just 11% of price growth.  MORE

Kenneth Smith is scheduled to be executed on January 25 by the state of Alabama for the murder of Elizabeth Sennett. Please hold Kenneth, Elizabeth, their families, and the people of Alabama in prayer. TAKE ACTION

Ivan Cantu is scheduled to be executed on February 28 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