ACTIVE NONVIOLENCE AND PEACEMAKING |
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Peace Is More Than War’s Absence, and New Research Explains How to Build It
While stories of war permeate the news, there are scores of sustainably peaceful societies around the world, ranging from indigenous people in the Xingu River Basin in Brazil to countries in the European Union. The Global Peace Index was designed to measure negative peace, or the absence of violence. But peace is more than not fighting. The Sustaining Peace Project is an alternative, more holistic approach. MORE
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Treating Gun Violence Like a Public Health Issue, Des Moines Works to Prevent the Problem
A new program, passed by Des Moines City Council works to stop gun violence by addressing the systemic issues around it. The Council approved a $380,000 contract with Creative Visions to implement a plan created by a worldwide program called Cure Violence. The program will hire five employees, which includes outreach workers and "violence interrupters" to help stop violence and remediate it before it happens. MORE
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Defense Lobbying Hits Eight-Year High Ahead of Defense Spending Bill
Defense sector lobbying hit an eight-year high ahead of the House passing the annual National Defense Authorization Act. The $98.9 million the industry spent in the first three quarters of 2021 is more than it has spent in the same time period since 2013. The House overwhelmingly passed the $768 billion defense bill earlier this month, providing more money than President Joe Biden’s proposal initially requested. MORE
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Russia Says It May Be Forced to Deploy Mid-Range Nuclear Missiles in Europe
Russia said this week it may be forced to deploy intermediate-range nuclear missiles in Europe in response to what it sees as NATO's plans to do the same. The warning raised the risk of a new arms build-up on the continent, with East-West tensions at their worst since the Cold War ended three decades ago. MORE
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Pentagon Orders Study To ‘Identify Critical Questions’ on Role of Nuclear Weapons in US Defense
The Pentagon has asked a Washington thinktank to draw up a report on the future of the US intercontinental ballistic missile program and deliver it before the end of January. The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace will consult with Pentagon officials, nuclear weapons experts and arms control advocates. Arms control advocates fear that Biden will not keep his pledge to reduce the role of nuclear weapons. MORE
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TAKE ACTION: Support a Pathway to Citizenship for 11 Million Immigrants
Our elected officials now have the opportunity, the mandate, and the political power to transform our nation’s immigration policies while undoing four years of destructive and harmful actions. The National Immigration Law Center invites us to tell Congress to create a pathway to U.S. citizenship for the 11 million undocumented Americans who call our nation home, including millions who are working in essential roles. TAKE ACTION
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Catholic Sisters Make Advent Plea to Biden: End Immoral Immigration Rule
About 80 women religious from 24 congregations around the United States, along with other immigration advocacy groups, sang Advent hymns in front of the White House recently to protest Title 42, a health rule allowing the turning back of migrants at the U.S. border. Biden administration officials claim it’s up to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to decide when to lift Title 42, saying it’s not an immigration policy but a public health measure. MORE
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Global Warming Can Set the Stage for Deadly Tornadoes
Adding a grim exclamation point to a year of deadly climate extremes, the early December tornadoes that killed at least 90 people in the Southeast were some of the most intense storms on record so late in the year. So far in 2021, violent storms have caused $15 billion in damage and accounted for half of the climate-related events on the federal billion-dollar disaster list. MORE
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Nuclear Fusion: Why the Race to Harness the Power of the Sun Just Sped Up
One way to help eliminate carbon emissions and thereby prevent further global warming may be to exploit fusion, the unlimited zero-emissions energy source of the sun and stars. Funded by $2.3 billion in investments, private fusion companies are now hoping to commercialize years of public research by proving fusion power can work and connecting it to the grid as soon as the 2030s. MORE
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EV Chargers Are Coming to a Highway Near You
A coalition of more than 50 power utilities has announced a major new effort to install EV infrastructure across the U.S. By the end of 2023, EV owners will be able to quickly charge their cars at fast-charging stations along most of the country’s major travel corridors. This network of fast chargers — which can charge an EV in just 20 to 30 minutes, as opposed to the hours or even days — will allow the public to drive EVs with confidence regardless of where they live. MORE
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House Passes Bill Punishing China Over Uyghur Treatment After Bipartisan Deal
The House passed a bill this week that would punish China for its treatment of the country's Uyghur population following a bicameral agreement on the legislation. The measure passed by voice vote, indicating unanimous support. The legislation now heads to the Senate, which is expected to send the bill to the White House for President Joe Biden's signature. MORE
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Traffickers Exploiting Bangladeshis in Libya
Traffickers are exploiting young Bangladeshi’s hopes of escaping poverty by offering them fake jobs in Libya, trapping them in horrific conditions once they arrive. Known in Bangladesh as “dalals”, these so-called travel agents traffic young people by convincing them to undertake the long journey to Libya promising them high pay. In reality, they end up being held for ransom in prisons or forced to work in factories for no pay and indebted to the dalals. MORE
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Urgent Action Needed to Halt Trafficking of Children in World’s Orphanages – Report
International children’s charity Lumos says in a new report that an estimated 5.4 million children worldwide live in so-called orphanages that cannot meet their needs and neglect their rights and where they are exposed to multiple forms of exploitation and harm. The report highlights instances of sexual exploitation, as well as children being forced to work and coerced into performing for foreign donors to secure more funding. MORE
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DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT |
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TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress to Protect Pregnant People from Domestic Violence
Currently, around 324,000 pregnant people experience intimate partner violence each year. The Protect Moms from Domestic Violence Act will promote improvements in research and make investments in innovative programs to prevent domestic violence, support survivors, and address structural barriers to health equity. Futures Without Violence urges us to tell our members of Congress to cosponsor the Protect Moms from Domestic Violence Act. TAKE ACTION
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European Court Tells Russia 'Urgent Changes' Needed to Curb Domestic Violence
The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that Russia had not done enough to curb domestic violence and ordered Moscow to pay substantial compensation to four women who were victims of brutal attacks. The court recommended urgent changes to domestic law to prevent similar violations from occurring. In 2017, President Vladimir Putin signed a law easing penalties for domestic violence, citing a need to reduce state meddling in family life. MORE
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HUMAN RIGHTS AND INCOME INEQUALITY |
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TAKE ACTION: Tell the Senate to Pass the Build Back Better Plan
The Build Back Better Act, passed by the House last month, will have a tremendous impact on Americans experiencing poverty. It extends the new Child Tax Credit, extends the increased Earned Income Tax Credit for low-wage workers, provides housing support, and includes funding for COVID vaccines to help get the world vaccinated. The RESULTS organization urges us to tell our Senators to pass the Build Back Better Plan. TAKE ACTION
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Manhattan Hotel Reopens as Shelter Despite Protest from Billionaires Row Residents
A rapid re-housing shelter quietly opened its doors last month in one of Manhattan’s most affluent neighborhoods. It is designed to house up to 80 men and is known as an “employment shelter” meant for those who are seeking employment or who are actively employed. Wealthy area residents spent over $300,000 in lawsuits claiming ‘crime and loitering’ by the occupants would lead to ‘irreparable injuries’ - – fears that appear to have been unfounded. MORE
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A Huge Study of 20 Years of Global Wealth Demolishes the Myth of 'Trickle-Down'
Data of wealth distribution serves as a complete rebuke of the trickle-down economic theory, which posits that cutting taxes on the rich will "trickle-down" to those below, with the cuts eventually benefiting everyone. In America, trickle-down was exemplified by President Ronald Reagan's tax slashes. It's a theory that persists today, even though most research has shown that 50 years of tax cuts benefits the wealthy and worsens inequality. MORE
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Donald Grant is scheduled to be executed on January 27 by the state of Oklahoma for the murders of Brenda McElyea and Suzette Smith. Please hold Donald, Brenda, Suzette, their families, and the people of Oklahoma in prayer. TAKE ACTION
Matthew Reeves is scheduled to be executed on January 27 by the state of Alabama for the murder of Willie Johnson. Please hold Matthew, Willie, their families, and the people of Alabama in prayer. TAKE ACTION
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