ACTIVE NONVIOLENCE AND PEACEMAKING |
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How US Gun Culture Stacks Up with the World
Many Americans hold their right to bear arms, enshrined in the US Constitution, as sacrosanct. But critics of the Second Amendment say that right threatens another: The right to life. America's relationship to gun ownership is unique, and its gun culture is a global outlier. As the tally of gun-related deaths continues to grow daily, CNN examines how gun culture in the US compares to the rest of the world. MORE
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Prosecutor Drops Charges Against Officer in Rare Case of Restorative Justice Mediation
Criminal charges against a St. Louis County police officer who shot a Black woman were dropped this week after the victim requested a restorative justice mediation that focuses on repairing the harm caused by an offense. The officer mistakenly drew her firearm instead of using her Taser to restrain the victim and shot her in the torso, leading to critical injuries. MORE
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TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress to Get Behind Diplomacy with Iran
Returning to the Iran deal — which the United States unilaterally left – is a necessary requirement for effective, broader diplomacy with Iran. It is our chance for a long-term diplomatic approach to Iran that ultimately minimizes suffering and fosters a lasting peace. Win Without War invites us to tell Congress to publicly support diplomacy and to do everything in their power to ensure that the United States works to return to the Iran deal. TAKE ACTION
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As China Speeds Up Nuclear Arms Race, the U.S. Wants to Talk
The United States and China have never had an in-depth, serious conversation about American missile defenses in the Pacific, or China’s experiments to blind U.S. satellites in times of conflict. And Chinese officials have consistently rejected the idea of entering arms control talks, noting — accurately — that the United States and Russia each have deployed five times more nuclear warheads than Beijing possesses. President Biden is seeking to change all that. MORE
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NATO Parliamentarians Support No-First-Use Policies
Over 30 current and former legislators from NATO countries sent a joint letter to President Biden encouraging him to adopt a policy of no-first-use of nuclear weapons in the U.S. nuclear posture review, and to use the occasion of the 10th Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty Review Conference in January to universalize this policy. The call by the legislators contradicts recent reports that United States allies want the US government to retain the option of initiating nuclear war. MORE
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TAKE ACTION: Support Continued Safety for Afghan Evacuees
Since the United States military withdrew from Afghanistan, tens of thousands of Afghan evacuees have fled danger and persecution to be resettled in communities across the U.S. The Christian Reformed Church urges us to call on Congress to pass an Afghan Adjustment Act, creating a pathway to lawful permanent residence status for Afghan evacuees. TAKE ACTION
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UN, Foundation Launch Foster Care for Migrant Kids in Mexico
The U.N. Commission on Refugees and a private foundation announced a sort of foster-care program to place about 120 unaccompanied minor migrants with Mexican families for up to two years. Foster families of the type known in the United States don’t generally exist in Mexico. Mexico has seen a huge increase in refugee and asylum applications this year, including around 1,000 accompanied minors. MORE
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Temporary Relief for Millions of Essential Immigrant Workers Could Be a Reality
For more than 20 years, Guillermo Garcia has worked in the fields of California harvesting the produce that annually graces our Thanksgiving tables. Like more than half of U.S. farmworkers, Garcia is undocumented, a status that leaves him vulnerable to deportation and exploitation each and every day. The recently passed House version of the Build Back Better Act would make undocumented immigrants like Garcia eligible for temporary work permits. MORE
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Boston City Council Says No to Fossil Fuel Investments
The City of Boston is poised to give final approval to a law that would divest city funds from the fossil fuel industry, a symbolic but forceful message supporting green energy investment as Massachusetts officials are set to similarly debate where to devote state resources. In a unanimous vote, the City Council passed an ordinance that would prevent the city treasury office from investing any funds in the fossil fuel industry, including infrastructure. MORE
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10 Reasons to be Optimistic (Without Being Naive) About Climate Change
The climate fight is a big and complex war that’s being carried out on many fronts. Even for experienced climate warriors, it’s hard to keep the whole picture in your head at once. While there wasn’t a lot of big news out of the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Glasgow last month, there are signs of real progress. Yes! Magazine outlines ten reasons for optimism. MORE
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Alliant Energy has Plans for Iowa’s Largest Solar Power Project
Alliant Energy says it will invest $750 million in 400 megawatts of solar power generation and 75 megawatts of battery storage in eastern Iowa, making it the state’s largest solar project to date. The state got nearly 60% of its energy from wind last year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. MidAmerican Energy, Iowa’s other large investor-owned utility, has invested mostly in wind, which provides about 80% of its power generation. MORE
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Woman Testifies Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein Started Abusing Her When She Was 14
A woman who testified this week in the sex trafficking trial of Ghislaine Maxwell said she met the close confidante of Jeffrey Epstein and the billionaire businessman when she was 14. Maxwell was first charged in July 2020 with enticement and conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, transportation, and conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity for allegedly grooming and recruiting underage girls. MORE
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Goodyear Facing Scrutiny from U.S. Homeland Security Over Forced Labor
American tire giant Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. is once again in the hot seat for labor abuse allegations. This time, the stakes are much higher for the company as their Malaysian factory is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The HSI questioning follows allegations filed by 185 migrant workers from Nepal, India, and Myanmar citing unpaid wages, non-compliance with a collective agreement, wrongful deductions, and threats to workers. MORE
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DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT |
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Senate Effort to Reform Military Justice System, Now Under Threat, Faces Final Hurdle
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., is leading a bipartisan coalition in urging congressional leaders to keep significant reforms to the way the military prosecutes serious crimes, such as sexual assault, in this year's defense bill. The proposal would keep serious crimes under military oversight but allow those cases to be handled by criminal justice attorneys with relevant expertise rather than commanders who often lack legal training. MORE
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Slain Woman Had Begged Apartment Complex to Change Locks, Lawsuit Claims
Fearful that her husband would come into their apartment and hurt their children, Ruth Esther Reyes de Severino “begged” the managers of her apartment building to change the door locks after she was granted a temporary restraining order against him. She asked at least five times in the following weeks, but nothing happened. A month later, her estranged husband unlocked her door with a key, walked in with a knife, and fatally stabbed her and their two children. MORE
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HUMAN RIGHTS AND INCOME INEQUALITY |
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1,500 Unhoused LA Residents Died on the Streets During Pandemic, Report Reveals
Nearly 1,500 unhoused people are estimated to have died on the streets of Los Angeles during the pandemic, according to a new report that raises alarms about authorities’ handling of a worsening humanitarian crisis. The 1,493 figure is probably an undercount. The coroner’s office only tracks fatalities that were “sudden, violent or unusual”. The data does not include unhoused people who were receiving medical care or hospitalized when they died. MORE
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Bigler Stouffer is scheduled to be executed on December 9 by the state of Oklahoma for the murder of Linda Reeves. Please hold Bigler, Linda, their families, and the people of Oklahoma in prayer. TAKE ACTION
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