Eyeing China, Japan Lifts Longtime Restrictions to Allow Major Defense Buildup

In the first revision of its national defense strategy since 2013, Japan plans to double defense spending by 2027 and lifts a self-imposed restriction on its ability to strike other nations with missiles. The shift is part of a major remilitarization that reverses the pacifist orientation Japan has held in the decades since World War II.  MORE

How Does a Child Become a Shooter? Research Suggests Easy Access to Guns and Exposure to Screen Violence Increase the Risk

In the aftermath of a shocking incident in which a first grader shot and seriously injured a teacher at a school in Newport News, Virginia, the city’s mayor asked the question: “How did this happen?” Experts in media use and its connections to violence report that children are influenced by gun violence depicted in media. More troubling is the fact that millions of children in the U.S. have easy access to firearms in their homes. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Tell U.S. to Join Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapons Possession

The UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons reached the required 50 states parties for its entry into force, and it became law two years ago this week on January 22, 2021. The U.S. government keeping nuclear weapons in other countries is not supported by the people of those nations and is arguably already illegal under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. World Beyond War urges us to tell the U.S. government to sign the treaty banning nuclear weapons possession. TAKE ACTION

U.N. Chief Says Onus on North Korea to Return to Talks

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says that the onus is on North Korea to return to talks aimed at getting Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons program. North Korea has been subject to U.N. sanctions since 2006 over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. China and Russia have since pushed for U.N. sanctions to be eased for humanitarian purposes and to entice Pyongyang back to talks. MORE

In a First, South Korea Declares Nuclear Weapons a Policy Option

President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea said for the first time last week that if North Korea’s nuclear threat grows, South Korea would consider building nuclear weapons of its own or ask the United States to redeploy them on the Korean Peninsula. Mr. Yoon’s comments marked the first time since the United States withdrew all of its nuclear weapons from the South in 1991 that a South Korean president officially mentioned arming the country with nuclear weapons. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Tell Our National Leaders to Welcome People Seeking Protection and Reject Immoral Anti-Asylum Policies

By expanding Title 42, the Biden administration continues to erode the legal right to seek asylum and is violating our moral and legal obligations to welcome those seeking a safe place to call home. It is equally imperative that Congress work to build a humane, welcoming, and just asylum system, and to invest in community-based case management for asylum seekers. Church World Service invites us to tell Congress to reject proposals that block people fleeing persecution from permanent protection. TAKE ACTION

NYC Mayor Adams Calling For 'Coordinated Effort' From Mayors Dealing with Migrant Crisis

Mayor Eric Adams made his first visit to El Paso, Texas, over the weekend, and from the moment he landed he said the crisis was clear. More than 40,000 migrants have arrived in NY since last April, overwhelming the shelters and forcing the mayor to declare a state emergency last year. He says he's asked the federal government for $2 billion to help with the migrant influx. "We're going to fight so that you can experience the American dream," he promised a group of migrants gathered outside a church in El Paso. MORE

Honduran Environmental Defenders Shot Dead in Broad Daylight

Two environmental defenders have been shot dead in broad daylight in Honduras, spurring fresh calls for an independent investigation into the persecution and violence against a rural community working to stop an illegally sanctioned mine. Aly Domínguez, 38, and Jairo Bonilla, 28, from Guapinol in northern Honduras, were murdered as they returned home on a moped after finishing work collecting payments for a cable company. They were intercepted by armed assailants and died at the scene, according to relatives. MORE

700,000 Sign 'Cease and Desist' Letter to Fossil Fuel CEOs at Davos

A group of climate leaders from across the globe issued a "cease and desist notice" directed at fossil fuel CEOs attending this week's World Economic Forum. The open letter—penned by Vanessa Nakate of Uganda, Greta Thunberg of Sweden, Helena Gualinga of Ecuador, and Luisa Neubauer of Germany—demands that fossil fuel companies "immediately stop opening any new oil, gas, or coal extraction sites, and stop blocking the clean energy transition we all so urgently need." MORE

Study Suggests US Freshwater Fish Highly Contaminated With ‘Forever Chemicals’

Eating just one serving of freshwater fish each year could have the same effect as drinking water heavily polluted with “forever chemicals” for an entire month, a new study finds. The equivalent monthlong amount of water would be contaminated at levels 2,400 times greater than what’s recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency’s drinking water health advisories. MORE

What Survivor-Centered Work Looks Like

Trafficking survivors say that just listening to stories is not enough. In the anti-human trafficking movement, organizations have sometimes gotten stuck in this level of survivor involvement. It can feel tokenizing and even retraumatizing to survivors who are asked to share deeply personal experiences without the support they need. What that support looks and feels like is different for everyone depending on any number of factors. MORE

U.S. Guest Worker Visa Program Expands Rapidly – and, With It, Worker Abuse and Exploitation

The U.S. government is expanding its non-agricultural temporary worker visa (H-2B) program to “unprecedented” levels. Members of Congress have been pushing for this expansion for years despite the fact that the program is rife with abuse and exploitative practices by employers, leaving workers vulnerable to trafficking. MORE

Offering Kids to Help Support Drug Habit a Common Human Trafficking Scenario 

“In the work that we do, a lot of times substance abuse is the root of the ‘why,'” said Gabi Smith, a Nashville area anti-trafficking advocate. Familial trafficking is where a family member acts as a trafficker.  “I need to be able to afford whatever it is that I’m using, I have a 14-year-old kid, and I’m going to make some money off of this to be able to upkeep my habit. This is probably the most common type of trafficking that I see.” MORE

The Intersections of Stalking and Domestic Violence

Domestic violence is all about one person gaining and maintaining power and control over another person, and stalking can be one way abusers choose to accomplish this. Stalking is defined as “a pattern of behavior directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to fear for the person’s safety or the safety of others; or suffer substantial emotional distress.” Stalking can be a scary, even dangerous, violation of privacy impacting millions of people each year. MORE

Telehealth Brings Expert Sexual Assault Exams to Rural Patients

A Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) is a registered nurse who completed additional education and training to provide comprehensive health care to survivors of sexual assault. But there’s a nationwide shortage of these healthcare professionals, especially in rural areas. Now teleSANE services are expanding across the country in rural, sparsely populated areas, allowing for virtual professional evidence collection, and improving the chance of a successful prosecution. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Tell the Senate to Reject House Plan to Defund the IRS and Protect Wealthy and Corporate Tax Cheats

In their first order of business, some in the House have voted to repeal IRS funding designed to modernize the IRS and crack down on millionaire, billionaire, and corporate tax cheats. Since 2010, the IRS budget was slashed by 20%, leading to delays in processing tax returns and refunds and allowing the richest 1% to avoid paying $160 billion in taxes they owe, each year. Americans for Tax Fairness asks us to tell the U.S. Senate to reject defunding of the IRS. TAKE ACTION

What Is Racial Battle Fatigue? A School Psychologist Explains.

The term “battle fatigue” has long been used to describe the symptoms that result from the stress of combat, such as depression and anxiety. The term “racial battle fatigue,” then, likens the collective experiences of people of color who are subjected to racial hostility to that of soldiers who experience combat stress. Both are believed to result from being placed in a hostile environment filled with regular threats and attacks. MORE

Why Do Some Des Moines Homeless People Avoid Shelter? A New Study Finds Out, Plus Other Takeaways

A new study examines why individuals face barriers to shelter and permanent housing in Des Moines and provides a platform for people who are homeless and unsheltered to tell the community how best to help them. Lead researcher, Elizabeth Talbert says, "Dignity is a big part of what people are seeking every day, and a lot of the structural ways we are dealing with homelessness … are not supporting that in the same way that people feel like they really need it." MORE

Wesley Ruiz is scheduled to be executed on February 1 by the state of Texas for the murder of Mark Nix. Please hold Wesley, Mark, their families, and the people of Texas in prayer. TAKE ACTION

Leonard Taylor is scheduled to be executed on February 7 by the state of Missouri for the murders of Angela Rowe, Alexus Conley, AcQreya Conley, and Tyrese Conley. Please hold Leonard, Angela, Alexus, AcQreya, Tyrese, their families, and the people of Missouri in prayer. TAKE ACTION