A Bill Giving Schools the Option to Arm Teachers, Staff Is Still Alive in the Iowa House

GOP lawmakers in the Iowa House are advancing a bill that sets standards for arming school employees. The proposal passed by the House Public Safety Committee creates a permit for staff members who could carry firearms in school buildings if a school district chooses to allow it.  The bill attempts to ensure that districts allowing teachers to carry guns can buy insurance. It grants school districts qualified immunity to protect them from lawsuits.  MORE

Mexico Is Suing U.S. Gun-Makers for Arming Its Gangs − and a U.S. Court Could Award Billions in Damages

The government of Mexico is suing U.S. gun-makers for their role in facilitating cross-border gun trafficking that has supercharged violent crime in Mexico. The lawsuit seeks US$10 billion in damages and a court order to force the companies named in the lawsuit – including Smith & Wesson, Colt, Glock, Beretta, and Ruger – to change the way they do business. MORE

Nonviolence in the Holy Land

Palestinian nonviolent activist Sami Awad says that politicians and media have harnessed fear and exploited unhealed traumas so that violence seems to be the only response to conflict. This, he insists, is a distortion – and one that must be actively resisted. Instead of accepting the simplistic binary categories of victim and victimizer, Palestinians can envision and then work collectively through nonviolent means to realize a just future, one which they themselves have chosen. MORE

Ukraine: How Nuclear Weapons Continue to Increase the Risks, Two Years On

Two years after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the risk of nuclear weapons use continues to escalate. Nuclear-armed states and their allies waver between condemning nuclear threats and engaging in irresponsible practices such as nuclear sharing and championing their own nuclear deterrent. But the rest of the world is pushing back, condemning these behaviors and demanding the total elimination of these weapons of mass destruction through the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. MORE

How To Avoid Nuclear Escalation as a Confident Iran and Insecure Israel Square Off

Last November, a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) provided insights into the sustained and unprecedented progress of Iran’s nuclear program, including the alarming update about a speed-up in its uranium enrichment. While the ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to capture both regional and global attention, the report serves as an urgent reminder that the Iranian nuclear challenge persists, and with it a substantial risk of regional escalation. MORE

Keeping Outer Space Nuclear Weapons Free

There is growing concern that Russia is working on an orbiting anti-satellite weapons system involving a nuclear explosive device. U.S. officials say they have reached out to Russia to discuss the system and concerns about violations in the Outer Space Treaty of 1967. The Kremlin has issued non-denial denials, but says it is "ready to discuss the issue if there are initiatives from the American side.” Activists warn that Washington, Moscow, Beijing, and other space-faring nations to get serious finally about additional measures to protect space security. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Oppose Enforcement-Only Immigration Bills in Iowa

Under federal law and the U.S. Constitution, the federal government has the only authority to investigate violations of immigration policy. It is possible to have border protection policies that are consistent with humanitarian values and that treat all individuals with respect. Unfortunately, there are several bills moving in the Iowa Legislature that do not align with these principles. Iowa Catholic Conference explains this legislation and urges us to tell our state lawmakers to reject anti-immigrant policies. TAKE ACTION

Americans United in Saying Gov't Doing Bad Job at Border; Differ on Solutions

A new Pew Research Center poll finds that 80 percent of Americans say the federal government is doing a bad job handling immigration — up from 65 percent in 2019, but they differ on solutions. Republicans focus on security-based efforts, such as building a wall or blocking undocumented immigrants from entering the country. Democrats are more likely to seek improved pathways to legal immigration as a solution. MORE

El Paso Leaders Rally Around Migrant Shelters

Leaders in El Paso, Texas, criticized recent state efforts to close Annunciation House, a Catholic-supported network of migrant shelters operating for nearly 50 years. The nonprofit, which opened its first shelter at a local Catholic Church and receives support from the church, said it has helped hundreds of thousands of refugees who have come through El Paso by feeding and keeping them off city streets. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Demand the Juliana 21 Be Heard at Trial

In 2015, 21 young Americans filed their climate lawsuit, Juliana v. United States, against the U.S. government. Their complaint asserts that, through the government's affirmative actions that cause climate change, it has violated the youngest generation’s constitutional rights to life, liberty, and property.  After nearly 9 years, the DOJ is again trying to silence the ‘Juliana 21’ and prevent the case from proceeding to trial. People vs Fossil Fuels asks us to tell the Biden Administration and the DOJ to let the voices of the ‘Juliana 21’ be heard at trial.  TAKE ACTION

Chicago Sues Oil Companies for Impacts of Climate Change

The city of Chicago sued six major oil companies and the primary fossil fuel lobbying group last week, alleging they funded and planned a campaign of climate change denial that directly affects the city’s residents. In the lawsuit, the city accused BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Exxon Mobil, Phillips 66, Shell, and the American Petroleum Institute of misleading the public about the impact of their products and of contributing to the effects of climate change on Chicago. MORE

Revealed: The 1,200 Big Methane Leaks from Waste Dumps Trashing the Planet

Analysis of global satellite data from around the world shows there have been more than 1,000 huge leaks of the potent greenhouse gas methane from landfill waste dumps since 2019. Landfills emit methane when organic waste such as food scraps, wood, cardboard, paper, and garden waste decompose in the absence of oxygen. Methane, also called natural gas, traps 86 times more heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide over 20 years, making it a critical focus for climate action. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Tell the Senate to Pass H.R. 5856 to Thwart Human Trafficking and Support Survivors

On February 13, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted to pass the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2023 (H.R. 5856). This bipartisan measure would do several things to combat the scourge of human trafficking. Justice for Immigrants invites us to tell our Senators to pass this important legislation. TAKE ACTION

Migrants In New York City Shelters Falling Victim to Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is a crime that preys on vulnerable men, women, and kids, and now it's happening to migrants, many of whom are still in shelters, can't legally work, and feel they are out of options. Federal agents with Homeland Security Investigations are focused on rescuing victims and finding those behind trafficking and child exploitation.  Federal agents say that because of the trauma and the threats of violence to the person and/or the families, victims and survivors don't necessarily come forward. MORE

UN Report Calls for UK to Take ‘Urgent Action’ to Combat Violence Against Women and Girls

The UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, Reem Alsalem, published a statement last week calling for the UK government to take “urgent action” to end all forms of violence against women and girls. A woman is killed by a man every three days in the UK. Additional statistics show that domestic abuse accounts for around 14 percent of all recorded crimes in England and Wales. MORE

‘The Staff Get Hush Money’: The Hidden Scandal of Rape in Indian Prisons

Women in co-ed prison facilities in India's West Bengal are routinely abused and assaulted, and numerous female inmates have become pregnant and delivered babies during their sentences despite a ban on conjugal visits, an investigation of the system indicates. Tapas Kumar Bhanja, who led the investigation, says complete reform of the system is needed, including the construction of women-only prisons and mandatory pregnancy tests for women entering the facilities. MORE 

1 In 4 Children In New York City Are Living in Poverty, Study Says

Poverty in New York City is rising at a startling rate and it's affecting the city's most vulnerable residents -- children, according to a newly released report. More than half of New York City residents, including a quarter of all children, live in poverty or are low-income. Overall, the city's poverty rate increased from 18% to 23% and the number of New Yorkers living in poverty grew from 1.5 million to 2 million between 2021 and 2022, marking the largest single-year jump in poverty rates in a decade. MORE

A Majority of America’s Small Business Owners Support Minimum Wage Increase, Even as They Worry About Worker Affordability

New data shows that the majority (61%) of small business owners support raising the minimum wage in their state, even while half (50%) believe it could make it difficult to afford the workers critical to their businesses. In recent months, some business owners have expressed support for minimum wage increases in the hopes that higher salaries in their communities will give potential customers more spending money, raise tax revenue that can be used to improve the local community and increase employee satisfaction by meeting cost-of-living demands. MORE

Michael Smith is scheduled to be executed on April 4 by the state of Oklahoma for the murders of Janet Moore and Sarath Pulluru. Please hold Michael, Janet, Sarath, their families, and the people of Oklahoma in prayer. TAKE ACTION

Brian Dorsey is scheduled to be executed on April 9 by the state of  Missouri for the murders of   Sarah and Ben Bonnie. Please hold Brian, Sarah, Ben, their families, and the people of Missouri in prayer. TAKE ACTION