Action Alert Digest - August 10, 2022

August 10, 2022

Action Alert Digest

TAKE ACTION: Tell the Senate to Pass the Assault Weapons Ban

The House recently passed an assault weapons ban for the first time in almost 30 years. The legislation will criminalize the knowing sale, manufacture, transfer, possession, or importation of many types of semi-automatic weapons and large-capacity ammunition feeding devices. In other words, it will take weapons of war off our streets. The gun lobby would love for us to think there’s no chance in this fight, but with champions in Congress and the White House on our side, there is a real chance. Win Without War urges us to tell the Senate to pass the assault weapons ban. TAKE ACTION

Ceasefire Between Israel, Gaza Militants Holds After Deadliest Clashes in a Year

An Egypt-brokered truce between Israel and the militant group Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) came into effect this week after a weekend of violence in which more than forty Palestinians were killed, including two PIJ commanders. Four women and fifteen children were among those killed, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. Israel began launching missiles at PIJ targets on Friday, saying it aimed to prevent a retaliatory attack after arresting the group’s leader. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Take Action to End the Threat of Nuclear Weapons

The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is the first legally binding international agreement to comprehensively prohibit nuclear weapons. The U.S. has not signed on to the treaty, but the recently introduced H.Res. 1185 calls on the President to embrace the goals and provisions of the treaty and make nuclear disarmament the centerpiece of U.S. national security policy. The United Church of Christ urges us to tell our lawmakers to support this important legislation. TAKE ACTION

UN Chief Urges Nuke Powers to Abide by No-First-Use Pledge

Countries with nuclear arsenals must commit to not using their weapons first and not threatening non-nuclear countries, as international tensions increase the threat of nuclear war, says United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Nuclear weapons "guarantee no safety, only death, and destruction," the UN chief warned during an event last weekend, marking the 77th anniversary of the atomic bomb attack in Hiroshima, Japan. MORE

Why Are Nuclear Weapons So Hard To Get Rid Of? Because They’re Tied Up in Nuclear Countries’ Sense of Right and Wrong

Every five years, the nearly 200 member states of the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons meet to review progress, if any, on their goals. But nuclear states remain steadfast in their motivations for keeping nuclear weapons. To understand leaders’ motives – and therefore effectively negotiate the elimination of nuclear weapons – scholars argue that we must acknowledge that policymakers express underlying moral concerns as strategic concerns. MORE

Biden Administration Ends Trump-Era ‘Remain in Mexico’ Policy

The Department of Homeland Security said that it has ended a Trump-era policy requiring asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico for hearings in US immigration court, hours after a judge lifted an order, in effect since December, that the so-called Remain in Mexico rule be reinstated. Critics of the policy had been increasingly outspoken about the Biden administration’s reticence on Remain in Mexico, calling for an immediate end to it. MORE

Seeking Asylum in Texas; Sent to New York to Make a Political Point

The Texas governor has begun busing migrants who crossed the southern border to New York City. The New York mayor has announced emergency measures to quickly add shelter space. New York Archdiocesan Catholic Charities said it has helped more than 1,000 migrants, appearing to have arrived directly from the southern border. MORE

Debunking Major Myths About Immigrants’ Socioeconomic Status in the US

Opponents of immigration often claim that European immigrants who came to the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries are radically different than the Latin Americans and Asians who immigrate here today. But new research reveals that today’s immigrants are in fact very similar to immigrants a century ago. They move up the economic ladder and integrate into U.S. culture at the same rate. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Defund the Mountain Valley Pipeline

For years, activists in Appalachia have been fighting the Mountain Valley Pipeline. If built, this fracked gas pipeline would have the same climate impact as 23 new coal plants ― and it would account for at least 1% of all greenhouse gases from the US energy sector. Stop the Money Pipeline urges us to send a message to JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, MUFG, TD Bank, PNC, and Wells Fargo and tell them that continuing to fund the MVP is unacceptable. TAKE ACTION

Climate Change Is Supercharging Most Infectious Diseases

More than half of all human infectious diseases in recorded history — Lyme, West Nile, hantavirus, typhoid, HIV, and influenza, to name a few — have been exacerbated by the mounting impacts of greenhouse gas-driven climate change. That is the sobering conclusion of a new paper that combed through more than 70,000 scientific studies to pinpoint how an array of climate hazards have impacted 58% of pathogenic diseases known to have impacted humans. MORE

Canada’s Ban on Single-Use Plastics: A Model the World Can Follow

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged to reduce Canada’s plastic footprint back in 2019. According to the new regulations, Canada will soon ban all single-use plastic products including grocery bags, cutlery, and straws with an exception made for various necessary medical supplies. The ban lays out the footprint for what other countries can and should do in order to reduce their plastic pollution. MORE

U.S. Banned Imports from China’s Xinjiang Region. Will Americans Object?

This summer, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act took effect, restricting U.S. imports of products from the Xinjiang region of China, where a great deal of evidence reveals that the Chinese government has been imprisoning and persecuting the resident Uyghur ethnic minority. The Washington Post examines how Americans perceive bans of this sort — and reveals how corporate strategies could have unanticipated consequences. MORE

Indigenous Peoples and the Anti-Trafficking Sector's Blind Spot

Today, indigenous peoples are counted among the populations made most vulnerable to human trafficking. Indigenous communities are usually overlooked when it comes to institutional reporting and data collection on forced labor and trafficking due to problematic definitions of trafficking coupled with the usually remote living arrangements of indigenous communities and their relationships with state authorities. MORE

Domestic Violence, Traditional Values, and Masculinity in Modern Russia

One in five Russian women faces domestic abuse every year. The problem is disproportionately severe in Russia, where a state-sponsored culture of machismo and isolation has eroded what few protections survivors had left. A dismal 10 percent of Russian women who are abused go to the police, and only three percent of those cases ever make it to court. The failures of the police are part of a larger systematic failure of the Russian government to protect women. MORE

CA Bill Could Change How Domestic Violence Crimes Are Reported

The California senate now has a bill that would dramatically change how domestic violence crimes are reported. Supporters say it would help keep victims safe, while the critics argue it can only make domestic violence situations more dangerous. The assembly bill would remove the requirement that a health practitioner must make a report to law enforcement when they suspect a patient has suffered physical injury caused by assault or abusive conduct. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Tell the House to Pass the Inflation Reduction Act

The Senate-passed Inflation Reduction Act will lower the cost of prescription drugs, health insurance, and everyday energy costs, and force the wealthy and large corporations to pay their fair share of taxes. Now the House must pass the bill so President Biden can sign it into law. NETWORK Lobby encourages us to tell our Representatives to pass the Inflation Reduction Act. TAKE ACTION

98 Million in U.S. Skipped Treatment or Cut Back on Essentials to Pay for Healthcare This Year

Higher healthcare prices drove 38% of American adults – representing an estimated 98 million people – to either delay or skip treatment, cut back on driving, utilities, and food, or borrow money to pay medical bills in the last six months, according to a new survey conducted by West Health and Gallup. The survey was conducted in June 2022, the same month inflation reached 9.1%, a new 40-year high. MORE

Nearly 1/3 in U.S. Worry About Violence, Intimidation at Polls

New research reveals that notable shares of U.S. voters are afraid of encountering intimidation or violence at polling stations. About a quarter to a third of respondents worry about politically motivated poll workers intimidating voters; poll workers and vote counters being intimidated by activists; voters, especially people of color, being harassed; people not being allowed to cast a ballot; people carrying weapons at polling places; or other violent attacks on Election Day. MORE

Kosoul Chanthakoummane is scheduled to be executed on August 17 by the state of Texas for the murder of Sarah Walker. Please hold Kosoul, Sarah, their families, and the people of Texas in prayer. TAKE ACTION

James Coddington is scheduled to be executed on August 25 by the state of Oklahoma for the murder of Albert Troy Hale. Please hold James, Albert, their families, and the people of Oklahoma in prayer. TAKE ACTION