TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress No More Military Funding and Weapons for Israel, and We Still Demand a Ceasefire

Despite Israel’s blatant crimes against humanity and violations of international law—including through the intentional acts of collective punishment and deliberate targeting of civilians, this week, our government is preparing to send more than $14 billion in weapons to Israel. AJP Action urges us to tell Congress to cut military funding to Israel and call for a permanent ceasefire.  TAKE ACTION

How Philadelphia Disrupted the School-to-Prison Pipeline

School-based arrests are one part of the school-to-prison pipeline, through which students—especially Black and Latine students and those with disabilities—are pushed out of their schools and into the legal system. Getting caught up in the legal system has been linked to negative outcomes, as well as increased risk for future arrest. Public agencies in some states have looked for ways to arrest fewer young people in schools. Philadelphia, in particular, has pioneered a successful effort to divert youth from the legal system. MORE

After an Emergency Mental Health Hospitalization, Few States Block Gun Purchases

The Lewiston, ME shooting in October was one of at least 13 high-profile attacks carried out by people who retained their gun rights after hospitalization during a mental health crisis. The case has raised questions about what kinds of mental health hospitalizations disqualify someone from buying or owning firearms — and how so many mass shooters retain their gun rights even after interactions with mental health systems. MORE

Would a Nuclear Weapon Make South Korea Safer?

With the recent escalation in the pace of North Korea's nuclear provocation, China's aggressive nuclear buildup, and waning confidence in the U.S. commitment to extended deterrence, the question of whether a nuclear deterrent might be necessary for South Korea has experienced a resurgence.  Experts say that although a nuclear weapon might make South Koreans feel safer, at least temporarily, it would not make the country any more secure and in fact may undermine South Korean efforts to protect itself against a North Korean threat. MORE

No Good Reason for Nuclear Testing

For decades, the Departments of Energy and Defense have routinely stated that explosive nuclear testing was not necessary to be confident in the safety and security of the U.S. nuclear stockpile, but the reality is more complex than that, writes Arms Control Center Senior Policy Director John Erath after a visit to the Nevada National Security Site.   MORE

TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress to Reject Extreme, Anti-Immigration Policies

Congress and the White House are seriously considering proposals that would revive Trump-era immigration policies like restricting asylum, expanding expedited removal, detaining families, and reviving emergency authority to bar any immigration and likely trigger mass deportations. The Coalition on Human Needs urges us to tell Congress to reject any and all anti-immigration policies. TAKE ACTION

Texas Governor Signs Bill That Lets Police Arrest Migrants Who Enter the U.S. Illegally

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law granting state police sweeping powers to arrest migrants entering the United States without authorization. It also grants local judges the authority to order them to leave the country. This new law tests the limit a state has in immigration measures as enforcement is a federal responsibility. MORE

Over 1,000 Migrant Families Separated at Border Near San Diego Since September

Since September, nearly 1,100 families have been separated at the U.S.-Mexico border near San Diego. In a letter to the Department of Homeland Security, immigrant advocates state that Customs and Border Protection's practice of releasing high volumes of migrants to the streets without coordinated reception plans is to blame. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Stop Carbon Dumping in Our National Forests

Our national forest lands are irreplaceable national treasures. And until now, they’ve been off-limits to carbon capture and storage. However, the U.S. Forest Service is proposing a new rule to allow carbon dioxide waste dumping in national forests and grasslands. Along with the carbon, the industrialization of our forests includes dangerous carbon dioxide pipelines, injection wells, and roads posing deadly risks to people and wildlife. Climate Hawks Vote invites us to tell the US Forest Service to oppose carbon capture and storage under national forests.  TAKE ACTION

The Financial Paradox Blocking Efforts to Fight Climate Change

Average global temperatures have already risen about 1.2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. Without a rapid shift away from fossil fuels, scientists warn that catastrophic warming will destroy coastal cities, ravage agricultural land, and imperil millions of lives. And yet there is a bedeviling economic paradox inhibiting efforts to create a more sustainable world: It’s relatively easy to find financing for the dirty projects the world needs less of, but maddeningly difficult to finance the clean projects the world needs more of. MORE

Carbon Capture’s Publicly Funded Failure

Oil Change International has released a new briefing providing analysis on six of the largest operating carbon capture sequestration (CCS) projects in the U.S., Middle East, and Australia, revealing that the world’s largest CCS projects overpromise and under-deliver on emissions reductions to an alarming degree. To make matters worse, governments have spent over $20 billion – and have approved up to $200 billion more – of public money on CCS. MORE

7 Months Inside an Online Scam Labor Camp

A young man was abducted by a Chinese gang and forced to work in a scam operation where he was beaten and tortured. He managed to gather detailed financial information, photos, and videos and shared the material with The New York Times.  His brave story reveals a complicated web of deceit and illicit business that has involved thousands of trafficking victims and has swindled millions of dollars out of people, mostly women, across Asia.  MORE

Prisoners Are Suing Alabama Over Forced Labor, Calling It a 'Form of Slavery'

A group of current and former Alabama prisoners are alleging that the state's prison labor practices amount to a "modern-day form of slavery," according to a complaint filed in federal court this week. The plaintiffs include 10 men and women who worked during their time in Alabama's prisons and say they were trapped in a system in which they were forced to work, often for little or no money, for the benefit of government entities and private businesses. MORE

Why Do Some Men Commit Domestic Violence? Trauma and Social Isolation May Play a Role

Support for survivors of domestic violence is important, but to end domestic violence once and for all, society needs to understand the people who perpetrate it and how to successfully intervene. Certain childhood experiences can put people at risk of committing domestic violence in the future. Researchers have found that child abuse, neglect, and a negative parent-child relationship are significant risk factors that may lead someone to later perpetrate domestic violence.  MORE  

Taliban Sending Afghan Women to Prison to Protect Them from Gender-Based Violence

Taliban officials are sending Afghan women to prison to protect them from gender-based violence, according to a U.N. report published last week. Before the Taliban seized power in 2021, there were 23 state-sponsored women's protection centers in Afghanistan where survivors of gender-based violence could seek refuge. Now there are none, the U.N. report said. The Taliban sends women to prison if they have no male relatives to stay with or if the male relatives are considered unsafe. MORE

Domestic Violence Calls Among the Most Dangerous for Officers, Police Say

A recent shootout that killed a man and injured a St. Paul, MN police officer stemmed from a domestic violence call, which police say are some of the most dangerous calls an officer can deal with. "Our officers are…thrust into situations that are often very unpredictable and extremely dangerous," said St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry. Although gender violence activists agree that officers are in danger when responding to domestic calls, they said those involved in the relationship are the most in danger. MORE

Unhoused Community Resists Government Tear-Down Orders

After a tent encampment in New Haven, CT was bulldozed by the city, displaced residents needed a place to live. Founders of a local Catholic Worker house stepped up and declared their backyard a “human rights zone.” Then they invited people who had been evicted from the encampments to set up their tents in the backyard and offered daily food and support. The encampment prevents the need to carry around one’s belongings all day and offers stability that overnight shelters cannot. MORE   

The Nation’s Largest Credit Union Rejected More Than Half Its Black Conventional Mortgage Applicants

The largest credit union in the U.S. has the widest disparity in mortgage approval rates between White and Black borrowers of any major lender, a trend that reached new heights last year. Navy Federal Credit Union, which lends to military service members and veterans, approved more than 75% of the White borrowers who applied for a new conventional home purchase mortgage in 2022. But less than 50% of Black borrowers who applied for the same type of loan were approved. MORE

Kenneth Smith is scheduled to be executed in Alabama on January 25, 2024, by the state of Alabama for the murder of Elizabeth Sennett. Please hold Kenneth, Elizabeth, their families, and the people of Alabama in prayer. TAKE ACTION