Action Alert Digest - May 19, 2021

May 19, 2021

Action Alert Digest

TAKE ACTION: Tell President Biden and Vice President Harris to Oppose Violence and Evictions in Israel/Palestine

The Biden Administration has consistently said that they will center human rights and rule of law in their foreign policy decisions. They must now put these words into action by intervening directly with the Israeli government to end the violence against Palestinians. Churches for Middle East Peace urges us to push the Biden Administration to play a proactive role in bringing about justice and peace in Jerusalem and throughout Israel/Palestine. TAKE ACTION

DOJ Proposes Crackdown On 'Ghost Guns' Following Biden Pledge

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is addressing the problem of “ghost guns,” proposing to close a loophole that allows people to avoid background checks. A proposed rule would include weapons that can be assembled at home. The homemade weapons allow those barred from owning a firearm to skirt background checks. Furthermore, these weapons lack serial numbers, making it difficult to trace guns that have been used in crimes. MORE

Israeli Public Opinion Makes A US-Iran Nuclear Deal Urgent

Israel has consistently opposed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)—the 2015 Iran nuclear deal that the Biden administration is seeking to revive. When progress on the deal was reported, Israel allegedly damaged an Iranian military vessel and a few days later caused a power outage at the Iranian nuclear site in Natanz. Israel believes Tehran never abandoned its ambition to become a nuclear-armed state and that the deal paves the path for that. MORE

U.S. Says China Is Resisting Nuclear Arms Talks

China is resisting bilateral talks with the United States on nuclear weapons, the U.S. disarmament ambassador told a U.N. conference, as Washington seeks to advance efforts to reduce nuclear arms stockpiles. In an apparent rebuttal, China's envoy later told the same virtual U.N. meeting that Beijing was prepared for dialogue. MORE

Help Wanted: Nuclear Weapons Courier, Serious Inquiries Only

For those interested in guarding nuclear weapons as they crisscross the United States, the National Nuclear Security Administration has a job opening for precisely that. And it’s a great reminder that U.S. roads carry some pretty interesting cargo, even if it’s all kept very hush-hush. The job posting from NNSA, advertised on USA Jobs, is looking for a Nuclear Materials Courier with a salary between $52,248 and $76,981 per year. MORE

Texas Sheriff Tapped to Head ICE

President Biden intends to name Harris County, Texas, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez to head Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He is the son of Cuban immigrants and has been a strong critic of Trump policies, such as the massive roundup of undocumented immigrants and the separation of children from their parents. MORE

Far Fewer Young Migrants Are in Border Patrol Custody

The number of migrant minors in Border Patrol custody is falling dramatically, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told senators last week. The number has dropped from nearly 6,000 in late March to 455 as of May 11. And the number of children in custody for longer than 72 hours has also fallen from 4,078 to zero in the same period. MORE

TAKE ACTION: End Sacrifice Zones

Black people have been on the front lines of the climate crisis—suffering the most from polluted air to natural disasters to cancer mortality, as the government has long designated communities of color “sacrifice zones” for environmental zoning. The HipHop Caucus urges us to tell Congress to pass legislation that invests in clean housing, in public transportation, in protecting communities of color from the ravages of environmental degradation. TAKE ACTION

End New Oil, Gas and Coal Funding to Reach Net-Zero, Says IEA

A landmark report from the International Energy Agency says countries need to move faster and more aggressively to cut planet-warming pollution. Investors should not fund new oil, gas, and coal supply projects if the world wants to reach net-zero emissions by mid-century, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said this week, in the top global watchdog's starkest warning yet to curb fossil fuels. MORE

Vatican Office Invites Church on Journey To 'Total Sustainability' In Next Decade

The Vatican's peace and justice office is inviting Catholic communities across the world to join a grassroots movement to gradually work toward "total sustainability" in the coming decade, a path that would include carbon neutrality, simpler lifestyles, and divestment from fossil fuels. The initiative was revealed as part of a "special anniversary year" planned for Pope Francis' 2015 social encyclical, "Laudato Si', on Care for Our Common Home." MORE

TAKE ACTION: Sign the Petition to Walmart to Protect Seafarers

The Neptune Declaration is a global pact to protects seafarers. It includes a designation as essential workers and calls for cooperation within supply chains to enable seafarers to return home to family between trips. The Coalition of Catholic Organizations Against Human Trafficking urges us to tell Walmart, one of our largest retailers, to show concern for the wellbeing of seafarers by signing the Neptune Declaration. TAKE ACTION

Why Are Indigenous Communities in North America Overrepresented in Trafficking Statistics?

The intersection of vulnerabilities faced by indigenous women and girls in North America, and elsewhere, means that they continue to make up a disproportionately high number of recorded trafficking survivors. An investigation into the trafficking of indigenous girls in New Mexico examines why girls from these communities are left so unsupported. MORE

Iowa Lawmakers Look to Crack Down on Human Trafficking at Massage Parlors

House File 452, which is now awaiting the signature of Gov. Kim Reynolds, will give law enforcement more tools to investigate and prosecute human trafficking at massage parlors and cosmetology businesses. Several cities around Iowa have ordinances in place that require licenses for anyone giving massages to be licensed through the state, but not all municipalities do. HF 452 would change that. MORE

Iowa Governor Signs Bill, Eliminating Statute of Limitations on Sex Crimes Against Minors

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed Senate File 562 into law last week. Under the new law, there will no longer be a statute of limitations for sex crimes against minors. Before this bill, victims had until age 33 to press criminal charges. The bill also expands the definition of “sexual exploitation by an adult providing training or instruction” to include adults who provide paid training or instruction to a minor outside of a school setting. MORE

Bay Area Teens Led Campaign to Stop Sexual Harassment on Public Transit

Almost half of Bay Area youth said they felt unsafe on local trains due to sexual harassment. An alliance of nearly 500 teens organized to change that. Bay Area Rapid Transit executives followed with action, approving a resolution to support a youth-led partnership and working group to advance a gender-equity safety action plan for transit spaces. MORE

US Millionaire CEOs Saw 29% Pay Raise While Workers’ Pay Fell, Report Finds

The millionaire chief executives of some of the American companies with the lowest-paid workers saw an average pay raise of 29% last year while their workers saw a 2% decrease. The Institute for Policy Studies calculated that the average CEO compensation in 2020 was $15.3m when looking at the 100 companies with the lowest median wage for workers in the S&P 500 index. The median worker pay was $28,187, down from $43,695 in 2019. MORE

Almost 6 In 10 Support Biden's American Families Plan: Poll

A majority of Americans support President Biden's proposed American Families Plan, a measure to help working people as the country recovers from the pandemic. The plan will provide better education, access to quality, affordable childcare, an upgrade in paid medical leave for working parents, and a tax credit for working families. The plan would partially be paid for by lifting the top tax bracket (those making over $400,000/year) to 39.6% from 37%. MORE

Amazon’s Fair Share in US Taxes Would Be Enough to Keep 1.7 Million Americans from Going Hungry Each Year

While the average US worker pays a tax rate of 22%, Amazon’s federal tax rate last year was just 9%, despite earning a record $20 billion in US profits. According to Oxfam calculations, if Amazon paid the current US corporate tax rate of 21% it would pay an additional $2.5 billion in taxes a year—enough to provide Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program benefits (SNAP) to 1.7 million Americans facing hunger. MORE

South Carolina Governor Signs Bill Adding Firing Squad as an Option for Executions

Republican South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster has signed into law a bill allowing death row inmates to elect execution by electric chair or firing squad if lethal injection drugs are not available. The change in South Carolina's law comes as states nationwide have hit barriers executing those on death row due to problems administering lethal injections, the widely preferred method in the US. MORE