Action Alert Digest - July 14, 2021

July 14, 2021

Action Alert Digest

Cuomo Declares a Gun Violence Emergency in New York State

Not long after the coronavirus bore down on New York last year, gun violence surged, rising 75 percent or more in some of the state’s largest cities. Last week, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo declared a new state of emergency around gun violence and committed almost $139 million to reverse the trend of rising shootings and murders across the state. MORE

The Cost of the Afghanistan War, In Lives and Dollars

The nearly 20-year American combat mission in Afghanistan was the United States’ longest war. Ordinary Americans tended to forget about it, and it received measurably less oversight from Congress than the Vietnam war did. But its death toll is in the many tens of thousands, and generations of Americans to come will be burdened by the cost of paying it off. MORE

Poor People's Campaign Announces 'Season of Nonviolent Direct Action' Focusing on US Senate

The Poor People's Campaign announced that over the next several weeks, it will hold a series of nonviolent demonstrations to pressure members of the U.S. Senate to end the filibuster, protect voting rights, and approve a $15 federal minimum wage. Organizers are calling for a “Third Reconstruction" which includes a slate of policy demands that includes a federal jobs guarantee, single-payer healthcare, and restoration of the gutted Voting Rights Act of 1965. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress to Pass No First Use Policy

Under current policy, the United States has the ability to initiate a nuclear war at any time. Even in a limited nuclear exchange, there is no winner - the whole world loses, and millions lose their lives. The notion that any one person or nation, regardless of character or party affiliation, could have such vast power to end life on Earth is appalling. Beyond the Bomb urges us to tell Congress to adopt a policy of No First Use. TAKE ACTION

Iran Demands US Commitment to Remain in Nuclear Deal

The US must promise not to repeat its withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal before talks on renewing the deal can continue, says Iranian ambassador to the United Nations Majid Takht-Ravanchi. Representatives from the US have said such a pledge is not possible, signaling challenges for the negotiations as Iran ramps up its nuclear activity. MORE

ICE Will Stop Arresting and Detaining Most Pregnant and Nursing People

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will no longer detain most people who are pregnant, postpartum, or nursing, according to a new policy. However, ICE did not commit to a total ban, saying that there will still be “very limited circumstances” that will allow the agency to detain pregnant people. Under the Trump administration, the rate at which ICE detained pregnant people skyrocketed by 52%. MORE

Amid Extreme Heat, Humanitarian Group Reports Dozens of Migrant Deaths in Arizona Desert

The Tucson, Arizona-based non-profit group Humane Borders reports that amid the Southwest's extreme heatwave last month, an unusually large number of migrants' human remains were found in the desert near the U.S.-Mexico border. The group said its volunteers counted 43 human bodies in June. MORE

DHS Begins Administering J&J Vaccine to Immigrant Detainees

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to immigrant detainees as part of an effort to scale up vaccinations for Covid-19 at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities. DHS received an initial allocation of 10,000 vaccine doses and nationwide distribution is underway. The doses will be replenished on a rolling basis. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress to Prioritize the Environment and Vulnerable in Infrastructure Package

Congress is considering legislation about how to best support our nation’s infrastructure and economic recovery. Lawmakers must set aside their differences to reach an agreement to make the investments necessary to care for the Earth and those on the margins of society. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops invites us to tell Congress to commit to policies that benefit those disproportionately impacted by environmental degradation. TAKE ACTION

EPA Increases Funding for Air Quality, Environmental Justice Initiatives

The Environmental Protection Agency has announced an additional $50 million will be set aside to monitor air pollution and improve air quality in low-income communities and communities of color. The governmental response to air quality concerns is disproportionately based on race, with white citizens’ complaints receiving more action and attention than people of color’s. The agency hopes to ensure it is “adequately protecting all communities” regardless of who lives there. MORE

The Food System’s Carbon Footprint Has Been Vastly Underestimated

A new analysis pins one-third of global greenhouse gases on the food system by including long-overlooked factors such as transportation, packaging, and waste. The new analysis accounts for those emissions that are usually allocated to non-agricultural categories, such as carbon dioxide from pre-production, like manufacturing fertilizer and farm equipment, and post-production emissions, such as food waste disposal, refrigeration, packaging, and transportation. MORE

Why a Supreme Court Decision Could Mean an Increase in Human Trafficking of Farmworkers

A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on private property rights has human trafficking experts, worried that trafficked laborers will now be left without anyone looking out for them. These advocates say union organizers are among the first to recognize signs of labor trafficking. In the Cedar Point Nursery v Hassid decision last month, the Supreme Court upheld private property rights over organizing rights, prohibiting California union organizers from fields and bunkhouses. MORE

Bringing Survivor Expertise to Anti-Money Laundering Professionals

Megan Lundstrom, a leading anti-trafficking advocate, shared two years' worth of her actual bank records from the period when she was in sex trafficking situations. Now, thanks to a collaboration between Lundstrom, Polaris’s Financial Intelligence Unit, PayPal and Capital One, anti-money laundering professionals have new insights that can help them interpret the stories told by the bank records and credit card transactions of people experiencing trafficking. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Tell the Senate to Fix the Victims of Crime Act

Federal grants to victim services through the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) have been cut by two-thirds in the last four years. The House passed legislation earlier this year to fix the current VOCA, but the Senate has yet to bring it to a vote. Futures Without Violence urges us to tell our Senators to pass the VOCA Fix Act. TAKE ACTION

Egypt Organization “Speak Up” Strives to End Sexual Harassment

A 2013 poll showed that 99 percent of Egyptian women have been subjected to one form or the other of sexual harassment and a 2017 Thomson Reuters survey ranked Cairo as the world's most dangerous megacity for women. But due to the pressure exerted by initiatives like Speak Up, the government has upped its measures to counter prevalent sexual harassment, passing laws that criminalize the act and support victims. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Tell President Biden to Lead on Global Vaccination

It is unconscionable for rich countries to hoard the resources and know-how that could end the misery of Covid-19. Nine out of ten people in low-income countries will not receive a single Covid-19 vaccination dose this year. The RESULTS organization asks us to call on President Biden to use his influence to lead a global effort to ensure communities everywhere have access to vaccines. TAKE ACTION

Monthly Payments to Families with Children to Begin

If all goes as planned, the Treasury Department will begin making a series of monthly payments in days ahead to families with children. With all but the most affluent families eligible to receive up to $300 a month per child, the United States will join many other rich countries that provide a guaranteed income for children. Experts estimate the payments will cut child poverty by nearly half, an achievement with no precedent. MORE

Millions of Evictions Are Coming. And Rental Assistance Can't Arrive Soon Enough.

With a federal moratorium set to expire in a matter of weeks, housing advocates are scrambling to avoid what could soon be the biggest eviction crisis in U.S. history. Estimates vary as to how many American households are behind on their rent, but most experts put the number somewhere between 8 million and 13 million. Many of the estimated 30 million people living in these households will be at risk of eviction in a few short weeks. MORE

John Ramirez is scheduled to be executed on September 8 by the state of Texas for the murder of Pablo Castro. Please hold John, Pablo, their families, and the people of Texas in prayer.

Rick Rhoades is scheduled to be executed on September 28 by the state of Texas for the murders of Charles Allen and Bradley Allen. Please hold Rick, Charles, Bradley, their families, and the people of Texas in prayer.