The Idolatry of Gun Worship

Addressing America’s gun violence crisis is a daunting and necessary task. An average of 43,375 people are shot to death every year, and the number is increasing rapidly. Between 2012 and 2021 the number of gun deaths increased by 39 percent, with gun violence now being the leading cause of death for children and teens. What is both tragic and deeply disturbing is the extent to which religion — or, more accurately, the distortion of religion — is contributing to this epidemic. MORE

Cluster Bombs Are as Outdated as War

The Biden administration has taken a cruel weapon—the cluster bomb—off the shelf and sent it to Ukraine to be used in the war against Russia. The weapons pose such an extraordinary danger to civilians that they have largely been gathering dust because their use and sale are so controversial on the world stage. The White House’s decision to transfer the bombs to Ukraine both escalates the already horrific war and legitimizes a weapon that has no place in our world. MORE

Survey: Most Americans Don’t Know Much About Nuclear Weapons. But They Want to Know More.

For younger generations, the recent Oppenheimer film might raise existential issues surrounding nuclear weapons. But how ready are Americans to reengage with nuclear issues? A recent survey shows that many Americans—especially younger and non-white Americans—don’t think nuclear weapons make a difference to U.S. national security or say they don’t know enough to give an opinion. While lacking familiarity with nuclear weapons policy, a majority (60 percent) of the public also say they are interested in learning more. MORE

There Should Be No Saudi Uranium Enrichment

There is increasing talk of a United States-brokered “grand bargain” on Middle East security, the core of which would be the normalization of ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia. As part of the negotiations, Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman is demanding access to uranium enrichment technology that would ostensibly provide fuel for future Saudi nuclear power plants. Indeed, enrichment is a step in the production of nuclear reactor fuel. It is also a vital part of one of two paths to the atomic bomb. MORE

Moving Away from Mass Destruction: 109 Exclusions of Nuclear Weapon Producers

A new report by PAX and the International Campaign Against Nuclear Weapons found that investors are actively rejecting nuclear weapons following the adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). The report “Moving Away from Mass Destruction” lists financial institutions actively restricting investments in the companies producing nuclear weapons, analyses the policies of these banks, pension funds, insurance companies, and asset managers, and shows avoidance of the nuclear industry. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Take Action to Stop Border Militarization

Border walls and abusive immigration enforcement have a deadly impact—causing the deaths of thousands, separating families, and terrorizing our communities. Each dollar given to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is money that harms people in our communities and puts lives at risk. The American Friends Service Committee invites us to tell Congress to stop funding the deadly militarization of our nation's border communities. TAKE ACTION

Government's Own Experts Found 'Barbaric' and 'Negligent' Conditions in ICE Detention

NPR has published an investigative report on the appalling conditions in immigration detention. The Department of Homeland Security’s own Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties found serious malfeasance at more than two dozen facilities across 16 states, including negligent physical and mental health care, unsafe and filthy living conditions, racist and physical abuse of detainees, and issues that contributed to detainee deaths. MORE

Tenth Bus of Migrants from Texas Arrives in Los Angeles

The tenth bus of migrants sent from Texas this summer arrived in Los Angeles last week. Passengers included 12 families, among them 21 children and 19 adults. The youngest members of the group are a 5-month-old boy and a set of twins under the age of two. A representative of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles said the newcomers were welcomed with open arms saying, “We are called to welcome them with love and dignity as they seek a safer life and will continue to do so as long as necessary.” MORE

TAKE ACTION: Build a Clean and Equitable Electricity Grid Now

As we move towards a 100% clean energy future, we need to urgently build more power lines to move clean energy across the country. Thousands of renewable energy projects in various stages of development are waiting years for approval to connect to the U.S. electric grid. Earthjustice urges us to tell the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to address the transmission bottleneck while preventing harm to impacted communities. TAKE ACTION 

Youth Plaintiffs Notch a Victory in Landmark Climate Change Lawsuit

A Montana district judge recently issued a ruling in the nation’s first constitutional climate change trial declaring that the youth plaintiffs have a “fundamental constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment” while revoking two Montana statutes. The lawsuit, the first of its kind to reach trial, was filed by 16 youth plaintiffs from across Montana who alleged the state violated their constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment by promoting the fossil fuel industry and exacerbating climate change. MORE

How Much Money Can You Get with the Inflation Reduction Act? 

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is a landmark climate and clean energy legislation that has ushered in a new era of clean energy investment in the United States. One of the components of the IRA provides funds directly to consumers and property owners who decarbonize their homes and lifestyles in the form of tax credits and rebates. Rewiring America has created an online calculator to find out exactly how much money you can receive from the IRA in your specific ZIP code. MORE

Dispute Between a Utah Farmer and Farmworkers Prompts Probe into Fraud and Human Trafficking

Authorities are investigating the former president of the Utah Farm Bureau Federation over allegations of fraud and human trafficking following an altercation that left one of his farmworkers in need of medical care.   The farmworker stated that he and several of his colleagues hadn’t received four past paychecks and that when he brought it up he was assaulted. Such incidents occur to vulnerable farmworkers far more often than people realize due to limited labor protections, according to a spokesperson from the United Farm Workers. MORE

Advocates Sue Federal Government for Failing to Ban Imports of Cocoa Harvested by Children

Child welfare advocates have filed a federal lawsuit to block imports of cocoa harvested by children in West Africa that can end up in America’s most popular chocolate desserts and candies. The lawsuit, brought by International Rights Advocates, seeks to have the federal government enforce a 1930s-era federal law that requires the government to ban products created by child labor from entering the U.S. The group cites extensive evidence documenting child labor in supply chains of candy makers such as Hershey, Mars, Nestle, and Cargill. MORE

Russian Women Fear Return of Murderers Freed to Fight for Wagner

Tens of thousands of Russian prisoners were freed early to fight in Ukraine. As part of the deal, convicts were told that if they fought for six months, they would be allowed to go back to normal life without serving the rest of their sentences. One women’s rights activist says survivors know that “if the men who tormented them come back from this war, and start to beat them again or even kill them, the police will not do anything, because now these men are seen as heroes instead of rapists or killers.” MORE

Accessing Mental Health Care for Survivors of Violence

Domestic violence survivors often need mental health care. Like veterans of wars or victims of human trafficking, these survivors have often been subjected to prolonged periods of extreme stress and fear for their safety, which is harmful to the health of both body and brain. Experts say states should do more to help survivors access mental health support by providing additional funding to domestic violence agencies to expand mental health services. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Stay Firm Against Corporate Lobbyists and Tax Billion Dollar Corporations

In 2020, 55 of the largest corporations in the U.S. paid $0 in federal taxes, despite having substantial pre-tax income. In response, last year, a law was passed setting a 15% corporate profits minimum tax on billion-dollar corporations. Major lobbying firms that represent these corporations are pushing for loopholes that would reduce corporations’ tax liability. The Coalition on Human Needs asks us to tell the Biden administration to stand up to billion-dollar corporations and their lobbyists seeking to maintain egregious tax loopholes. TAKE ACTION

Florida Sets Up Formerly Incarcerated People to Vote — Then Arrests Them

Gov. Ron DeSantis and conservative lawmakers have launched continued attacks on voting rights that have made the state’s historically inequitable criminal justice and voting rights systems worse.  In 2018, a ballot measure gave returning Florida citizens the right to vote unless they had committed murder or a sexual offense. It was a dream come true for returning citizens – until election crimes task force officers began going door to door with guns raised to arrest the very people the legislation was intended to re-enfranchise. MORE

What Can Cities Do to Correct Racism and Help All Communities Live Longer? It Starts with City Planning 

The average life expectancy in the U.S. is 76.1 years. But this range varies widely – a child raised in a wealthy community can expect to live nearly 85 years. A child raised in a more urban area could expect to live about 66.7 years. Race, poverty, as well as related issues like the ability to find nearby grocery stores and easily visit clean parks, all influence health. The air people breathe, the streets they walk, and their general sense of safety and happiness are all shaped by city and town plans. MORE

Anthony Sanchez is scheduled to be executed on September 21 by the state of Oklahoma for the murder of Juli Busken. Please hold Anthony, Juli, their families, and the people of Oklahoma in prayer. TAKE ACTION