ACTIVE NONVIOLENCE AND PEACEMAKING |
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TAKE ACTION: Ban Autonomous Killer Robots
The U.S. military’s increasing focus on and potential development of fully autonomous weapons — and calls for the use of these technologies to “compete” with China and Russia — are deeply troubling. Fully autonomous weapons threaten to violate international law and severely limit accountability for unlawful acts. Win Without War invites us to tell President Biden to support a global ban on autonomous weapons systems. TAKE ACTION
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Mental Health Response Teams Yield Better Outcomes Than Police In NYC, Data Shows
A New York City pilot program that dispatches mental health specialists and paramedics instead of police for certain nonviolent emergency calls has resulted in more people accepting assistance and fewer people sent to the hospital, early data shows. It's one of a number of programs underway around the country trying to address violence and systemic racism issues such as mental health or drug and alcohol crises. MORE
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Ex-Cop Who Stormed US Capitol Is Jailed After Buying 37 Guns and Posting That 'Violence' Is Better Than 'Peaceful Protest'
An ex-cop and Army reservist from Virginia, who was one of the first people charged in the insurrection, was jailed by a federal judge after buying 37 “high-powered assault weapons” in a two-month span following his January arrest. Investigators said bomb-making materials were also found in his home. MORE
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U.S., Russia to Resume Strategic Stability Talks in September
The United States and Russia will meet informally before the next planned strategic stability dialogue in September to determining topics for the second plenary. Washington and Moscow have different priorities when it comes to strategic stability. For the United States, the Biden administration has expressed its desire to address Russian nonstrategic nuclear weapons and new nuclear delivery systems, as well as to bring China into the arms control process. MORE
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Biden Plan Will Try to Tackle Root Causes of Migration from Central America
The White House plans to tackle the root causes of migration, teaming up with the private sector and foreign governments to make changes in Central America. Officials say they've received commitments from Mexico, Japan, and South Korea, as well as the UN. The plan seeks to address economic inequality, combat corruption and strengthen democratic institutions, protect human and labor rights, and counter criminal gangs, and combat gender violence. MORE
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Unaccompanied Children at the Border Hit Record-High in July
The U.S. likely encountered more than 19,000 unaccompanied children at the U.S. Mexico border in July, exceeding the previous high of 18,877 children in March 2020, according to a U.S. official. The number of July border encounters are still preliminary numbers, and a final count is expected in the next several days. MORE
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The State of Texas is Arresting and Detaining Border Crossers for Trespassing
The state of Texas has started a concentrated effort to arrest immigrants who have recently crossed the U.S.-Mexico border. The immigrants are charged with criminal state offenses of trespassing and criminal mischief. Texas cannot enforce immigration law—only the federal government has the authority to do so. Instead, Texas is using the fact that most land in the state is private to bring criminal charges of trespassing or criminal mischief. MORE
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TAKE ACTION: Protect Our Environmental Laws
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is a critical protection for our health and environment. It requires the government to weigh environmental and community concerns before approving pipelines, highways, drilling permits, and new factories on federal lands. Trump’s rollback has already exposed more communities to toxic air pollution. Friends of the Earth urges us to tell the Biden administration to reverse the rollback of the NEPA. TAKE ACTION
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Big Oil and Gas Kept a Dirty Secret for Decades. Now They May Pay the Price
After a century of wielding extraordinary economic and political power, America's petroleum giants face a reckoning for driving the greatest existential threat of our lifetimes. An unprecedented wave of lawsuits, filed by cities and states across the US, aim to hold the oil and gas industry to account for the environmental devastation caused by fossil fuels — and covering up what they knew along the way. MORE
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Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal Leaves Out Key Climate Change Provisions
As expected, the bipartisan package to tackle the nation’s crumbling infrastructure is emerging without key provisions the Biden administration had originally included to help curb the worsening climate crisis, the Associated Press reports. The $1 trillion legislation adds funding for “climate resilience,” but lacks policies advocates say would be necessary to transition the country away from fossil fuels. MORE
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TAKE ACTION: Support the Trafficking Survivors Housing Act
Homeless youth and individuals experiencing unstable housing situations are at higher risk of becoming trafficking victims. Safe and affordable housing is necessary for trafficking survivors to heal and recover from their exploitation. Shared Hope urges us to tell Congress to pass the Trafficking Survivors Housing Act which would study the availability and accessibility of housing and services for survivors of trafficking and persons at risk of being trafficked. TAKE ACTION
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Over Half a Million Hotel Workers Trained Through Industry Human Trafficking Awareness Training
The American Hotel & Lodging Association, the American Hotel & Lodging Foundation (AHLA Foundation), and ECPAT-USA announced that over 500,000 hotel workers have been trained through the industry’s free human trafficking awareness training since it was released in early 2020. Marriott plans to donate its new enhanced human trafficking awareness training to the industry in early 2022 to help further educate the entire hospitality industry. MORE
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DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT |
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Biden Says Cuomo ‘Should Resign,’ as Sexual Harassment Findings Emerge
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women, including current and former government workers, whose accounts of unwanted touching and inappropriate comments were corroborated in a damning report released this week by the New York State attorney general, Letitia James. The report prompted multiple calls for Mr. Cuomo to resign, including from President Biden, a longtime ally of the governor. MORE
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Taliban’s Violent Advances Indicate Bleak Future for Afghan Women
While disputed, some estimates suggest the Taliban now have control of half of the districts across Afghanistan. Amid this campaign of terror, the rise in violence against women is staggering. In June, the U.N. mission in Afghanistan reported an 82 percent increase in women casualties compared to the first six months of 2020, with a total of 727 women killed and injured in the first six months of 2020. MORE
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HUMAN RIGHTS AND INCOME INEQUALITY |
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The New Faces of Hunger
On our nation’s richest lands, farmers grow crops used to feed livestock, make cooking oil, and produce sweeteners. Yet one in eight Iowans often goes hungry, with children the most vulnerable. In the U.S., more than half of hungry households have White household members, and two-thirds of those with children have at least one working adult, typically in a full-time job. The number of people going hungry has grown 57 percent since the late 1990s. MORE
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New York Is Pushing Homeless People Off the Streets. Where Will They Go?
As the country’s most populous city strives to lure back tourists and office workers, it has undertaken an aggressive campaign to push people experiencing homelessness off the streets of Manhattan. City workers used to tear down one or two encampments a day. Now, they sometimes clear dozens. Advocates say the sweeps accomplish little more than chasing people from one spot to another, upending already precarious lives and discouraging people from accepting help. MORE
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White House Says It Has Donated 110 Million COVID-19 Vaccine Doses
The White House announced it has donated and shipped 110 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines abroad and plans to donate hundreds of millions more. U.S. vaccine donations outstrip those from the European Union, which has donated 7.9 million doses, and from China, which has donated 24.2 million doses. Meanwhile, health experts warn that global vaccine production still needs to increase dramatically. MORE
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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. TAKE ACTION
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.
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