Russians Who Fled Putin's Mobilization Speak Out

Tens of thousands of Russians continue to try to flee the country, fearful of being caught up in the military mobilization ordered by President Vladimir Putin last week to replenish his forces in Ukraine. Miles-long lines of traffic have formed at border crossings with some neighboring countries amid the exodus, as Russians pack exit routes, worried the government might soon impose further restrictions on military age men leaving. MORE

Global Women Activists Call for the US To Be Removed from the UN Security Council

At the third World Women’s Conference held earlier this month in Tunisia, delegates from 42 countries called for the United States to be removed from its permanent seat on the UN Security Council. Citing flagrant and sustained violations of the UN Charter, the United States was named the largest purveyor of militarism, violence, and destruction impacting women, grassroots communities, and the environment throughout the globe.  MORE

Australian Artist Removes Ukraine and Russia Mural After Backlash

An Australian artist has painted over a street mural showing Ukrainian and Russian soldiers hugging, after a community backlash. The Melbourne artwork advocated a "peaceful resolution" between the two countries, creator Peter Seaton says. But some have likened the three-story mural to Russian propaganda.  Critics said the work - titled Peace Before Pieces - drew a false moral equivalence between the two sides. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Limit the President's Ability to Launch Nuclear Weapons

Presidents have sole authority to launch nuclear weapons. This is too dangerous an authority to be held by one person. No one person should be allowed to decide to end life on the planet as we know it, but that’s exactly what current U.S. law allows for. Win Without War urges us to tell Congress to put immediate limits on the president's authority to start a nuclear war. TAKE ACTION

Eliminating Nuclear Weapons 'Is Not Only Possible, It Is Necessary': UN Chief

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called for global nuclear abolition earlier this week on the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. "We are in danger of forgetting the terrible lessons of Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and the Cold War, and inciting a humanitarian Armageddon," warns Guterres. "We reject the claim that nuclear disarmament is some impossible utopian dream." MORE

US Believes It’s Unlikely Putin Will Use a Nuclear Weapon but Threat Has ‘Elevated’

US officials believe that the likelihood Russian President Vladimir Putin will use a tactical nuclear weapon in his struggling war in Ukraine is perhaps the highest it has been since Russia invaded in February — but is still not probable, according to multiple officials familiar with the latest intelligence. However, the threat is certainly “elevated” compared to earlier in the year, according to multiple sources. MORE

Biden Is Hoping Small Changes Go a Long Way on Immigration

President Biden has no magical strategy to overhaul the immigration system without bipartisan support from Congress, a prospect that no one in Washington expects anytime soon. But after months of debate in the White House, the Biden administration has begun to address a small slice of the problem: the woefully backlogged process to decide who qualifies for asylum, or protection from persecution, in the United States. MORE

Immigration Is a Divisive Issue, But Most Americans Agree on Certain Points

A majority of Americans support a pathway to citizenship for certain groups of immigrants, including farmworkers, those deemed as essential workers, and for immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. Americans seem inclined to support immigrants who are already living and working here. They're not quite as generous to immigrants who are trying to come here to seek asylum. National Public Radio explores why immigration has become a contentious topic. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Tell the Iowa Utilities Board: No Carbon Pipelines

Nearly 2,000 miles of hazardous carbon pipelines are being proposed for Iowa. These pipelines threaten our land, our property rights, our public safety, and our climate. The Iowa Utilities Board is responsible for granting the permits pipeline corporations need to build their projects. Food and Water Action urges us to stop the build-out of dangerous carbon pipelines across Iowa by sending a message to the Iowa Utilities Board. TAKE ACTION

Manchin’s Big Oil Deal Scrapped from Budget Bill in Victory for Climate Movement

The Senate voted to advance a must-pass government funding bill this week after a so-called side deal to greatly expand fossil fuel infrastructure sponsored by conservative Sen. Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) was taken out, in a massive victory for thousands of climate and community activists who mobilized against the proposal.  MORE

Thousands Call For ‘Climate Reparations and Justice’ In Global Protests

Thousands of young people have staged a coordinated “global climate strike” across Asia, Africa, and Europe in a call for reparations for those worst affected by climate breakdown. From New Zealand and Japan to Germany and the Democratic Republic of Congo, activists walked out of schools, universities, and jobs in about 450 locations to demand rich countries pay for the damage global heating is inflicting on the poor. MORE

TAKE ACTION: End Forced Labor in Qatar

As preparations for the football 2022 World Cup infrastructure intensify, more low-paid migrant workers in construction, hospitality, and other key sectors will be vulnerable to forced labor under Qatar’s kafala system. Freedom United urges us to call on the Qatari authorities to deliver on the critical reforms they promised and end forced labor.  TAKE ACTION

Five U.S. States to Vote on Forced Prison Labor in November

Over 1.2 million people are currently incarcerated in state and federal prisons across the United States. Approximately, two-thirds of them are forced to work, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. This November, voters in five states will have the chance to end forced labor in prisons by voting to remove the punishment clause from their state constitutions. MORE

South Sudan Rape is So Common That Women Do Not Report It

A United Nations human rights team says incidents of rape have become so common in South Sudan that many women are no longer bothering to report repeated sexual attacks. Rape victims lack access to medical and trauma care, including those who have been gang-raped multiple times in the ongoing conflict in the country. Some women have been raped up to five times in the last nine years, the panel said. MORE

Biden Signs Bill Eliminating Civil Statute of Limitations for Child Sex Abuse Victims

President Biden has signed a bill that will eliminate the statute of limitations for people who were sexually abused as minors to file civil claims. The Eliminating Limits to Justice for Child Sex Abuse Victims Act eliminates time constraints for survivors to file civil claims related to sex abuse crimes against minors, including forced labor, sex trafficking, sexual abuse, and sexual exploitation of children. MORE

80% of US Voters Want Congress to Enact National Paid Family Leave: Poll

A new survey found that 89% of Democrats, 76% of Independents, and 70% of Republicans support a federal program that would enable people to take paid time away from work to attend to serious illnesses or provide care for loved ones, including sick or disabled family members and newborn or newly adopted children.  The U.S. is one of only seven countries in the world without guaranteed paid family and medical leave; far outpacing the U.S., the average length of maternity leave worldwide is more than six months.  MORE

With Deadlocked Vote on Dark Money, DISCLOSE Act Fails to Clear Senate

A measure that would require “dark money” groups to disclose donors who contribute more than $10,000 has failed to advance in the Senate. Democratic and Republican senators deadlocked 49-49 in a procedural vote on the Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light On Spending in Elections Act, also known as the DISCLOSE Act. MORE

Free Shipping Isn’t Free for Everyone

The explosion of online shopping has led to a frenzy of warehouse construction in almost every region of the United States. To accommodate the flow of merchandise, Amazon and other online retailers have built what they call “fulfillment centers” in key hubs where zoning is welcoming (or nonexistent) and land is cheap. MORE

John Ramirez is scheduled to be executed on October 5 by the state of Texas for the murder of Pablo Castro. Please hold John, Pablo, their families, and the people of Texas in prayer. TAKE ACTION

Benjamin Cole is scheduled to be executed on October 20 by the state of Oklahoma for the murder of Brianna Cole. Please hold Benjamin, Brianna, their families, and the people of Oklahoma in prayer. TAKE ACTION