Haiti: Six Ways the US and International Community Can Help Without Armed Intervention

The international community seems poised to send military and/or police units to the country following the Haitian government’s request for help dealing with armed groups that have taken over large sections of Port-au-Prince.  But it is important to remember that there are other things that the international community – and especially the United States, which dominates Haiti-related affairs – can do. MORE

Texas Goes Permitless on Guns, and Police Face an Armed Public

Texas, with a new law allowing “permitless carry”, joined what has been an expanding effort to remove nearly all restrictions on carrying handguns. The state legislative push has coincided with a federal judiciary that has increasingly ruled in favor of carrying guns and against state efforts to regulate them. The new law allowing people to carry handguns without a license has led to more spontaneous shootings, many in law enforcement say. MORE

Russia Recruiting U.S.-Trained Afghan Commandos, Vets Say

Afghan special forces soldiers who fought alongside American troops and then fled to Iran after the chaotic U.S. withdrawal last year are now being recruited by the Russian military to fight in Ukraine, according to three former Afghan generals. They said the Russians want to attract thousands of the former elite Afghan commandos with offers of steady pay and promises of safe havens so they can avoid deportation home to death at the hands of the Taliban. MORE

US Vows Full Military Defense of Allies Against North Korea

The United States will make full use of its military capabilities, “including nuclear, conventional and missile defense,” to defend its allies Japan and South Korea, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said last week as she warned North Korea against escalating its provocations. Sherman said North Korea’s repeated firings of ballistic missiles and artillery in recent weeks were provocative military actions.  MORE

Cuban Missile Crisis, 60 Years On: New Papers Reveal How Close the World Came to Nuclear Disaster

The commander of a nuclear-armed Soviet submarine panicked and came close to launching a nuclear torpedo during the Cuban missile crisis 60 years ago, after being blinded and disoriented by aggressive US tactics, according to newly translated documents. The crisis points to the fact that humans are fallible in managing crises with nuclear weapons.  MORE

TAKE ACTION: Sign on to Oppose Unlawful Movement of Migrants

The governors of Texas and Florida have sent migrants across state lines without permission, knowledge, or consent causing chaos and confusion. The Fellowship of Reconciliation urges us to sign their petition to state and local lawmakers of the targeted cities asking them to do whatever is necessary to hold DeSantis, Abbott and any other lawmakers taking similar actions accountable for kidnapping, “unlawful restraint,” human trafficking, and dereliction of duty.    TAKE ACTION

Violence and Abuse Against Black Immigrants in Immigration Detention

Black migrants are subject to abuse and a disturbing pattern of racism, violence, and harm at disproportionately higher incidence than non-Black migrants while in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to a groundbreaking report. The report documents several examples across detention facilities in the South, where a lasting legacy of Black and Indigenous-led movements and resistance in the South persist.  MORE

With a Possible Surge of Haitian Migrants Ahead, the Biden Admin Is Weighing Holding Them in a Third Country or at Guantánamo

The White House National Security Council is asking the Department of Homeland Security what number of Haitian migrants would require the U.S. to designate a third country, known as a “lily pad,” to hold and process Haitian migrants who are intercepted at sea and what number would overwhelm a lily pad country and require Haitians to be taken to Guantánamo. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Remove Forever Chemicals from Our Daily Lives

PFAS are toxic chemicals that can persist in human bodies and in the environment for decades. Enacted by Congress in 1980, the Superfund law was designed to clean up communities polluted by toxic contamination - but PFAS are not currently covered by the law. EarthJustice urges us to tell the EPA to add PFAS to the Superfund list and advocate for the cleanup of this public health crisis.   TAKE ACTION

As Drought Chokes Mississippi River, Barges Carrying Grain Shipments Have Nowhere to Go

Harvest time has come, but ongoing droughts have left farmers with nowhere to send their grain. The Mississippi River, which carries 60 percent of the country’s grain exports, has reached historically low water levels. Barges have been stalled or slow-moving along the river for weeks, causing major disruption in the agricultural industry at a time when farmers generally expect to move harvested grains. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Ban Slavery in Our State

Twenty-two U.S. states plus Washington D.C. allow slavery, most of them as punishment for crime. Colorado, Nebraska, and Utah amended their Constitutions to outlaw slavery. States that still need their laws changed to ban slavery include California, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Wisconsin, Washington DC, and more. Roots Action invites us to tell our governor and state legislators to ban slavery. TAKE ACTION

Some Private Contractors Are Accused of Abusive Labor Practices on U.S. Military Bases

Foreign workers are crucial for the more than 700 military bases with U.S. service members around the world. But a new report suggests that thousands of people have been allegedly trafficked into labor by private contractors on these bases — where workers have been paid less than promised, charged recruiting fees that leave them deep in debt, and pressured to sign improper contracts and work long hours. MORE

Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire Boycott Chocolate Industry Meetings

Last week, companies representing around 80% of the global cocoa market met in Brussels for the World Cocoa Foundation partnership meetings on cocoa sustainability. But representatives from the governments of Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire chose not to attend. Farmer poverty is a key driver of exploitation in the cocoa sector, including forced labor and child labor, but too few of the major chocolate companies have taken steps to raise the amount they pay for cocoa. MORE

Outrage in South Africa as Charges Dropped in Gang Rape Case

Women’s rights groups in South Africa expressed outrage and criticized police for perceived failures after charges were dropped against 14 men accused of gang-raping and robbing female members of a film crew at an abandoned mine in Krugersdorp, west of Johannesburg. MORE

Emergency Department Visits Have Increased Drastically for Sexual Assault Survivors in the Last Decade

The number of sexual assault survivors who sought emergency medical care has increased by 1,533% in the last decade, according to a new study. This study found that sexual assault-related emergency department visits increased dramatically from 3,607 in 2006 to 55,296 in 2019. Female, younger, and lower-income individuals were more likely present at emergency departments after experiencing sexual assault. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Pass the Billionaire Minimum Income Tax

During the first two years of the coronavirus pandemic, America’s billionaires grew $2 trillion richer. There are basically two tax codes in America -- one requires workers to pay taxes on every paycheck and the other allows billionaires to avoid paying taxes for years on the source of their wealth: their assets. Patriotic Millionaires urges us to tell Congress to pass the Billionaire Minimum Income Tax. TAKE ACTION

Why Inequality Is Growing in the US and Around the World

U.S. income inequality grew in 2021 for the first time in a decade. That might sound surprising, since the most accurate measure of the poverty rate declined during the same time span. But for development experts, this apparent contradiction makes perfect sense. That’s because what’s been driving income inequality in the United States – and around the world for years – is that the very rich are getting even richer, rather than the poor getting poorer. MORE

Chaos and Cruelty in Louisiana Juvenile Detention

An investigation has revealed repeated abuses, overlooked complaints and a surge in suicide attempts at a juvenile detention center with powerful allies. What has happened there has brought into sharp focus pervasive despair among children there that no one is going to rescue them from acts of physical violence, sexual assault and psychological torment. MORE

Tracy Beatty is scheduled to be executed on November 9 by the state of Texas for the murder of Carolyn Click. Please hold Tracy, Carolyn, their families, and the people of Texas in prayer. TAKE ACTION

Murray Hooper is scheduled to be executed on November 16 by the state of Arizona for the murders of Patrick Redmond and Helen Phelps. Please hold Murray, Patrick, Helen, their families, and the people of Arizona in prayer. TAKE ACTION

Stephen Barbee is scheduled to be executed on November 16 by the state of Texas for the murders of Lisa Underwood, her unborn child, and her son Jayden. Please hold Stephen, Lisa, her unborn child, Jayden, their families, and the people of Texas in prayer. TAKE ACTION

Richard Fairchild is scheduled to be executed on November 17 by the state of Oklahoma for the murder of Adam Broomhall. Please hold Richard, Adam, their families, and the people of Oklahoma in prayer. TAKE ACTION

Kenneth Eugene Smith is scheduled to be executed on November 17 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