What to Know About the Global Boycott Movement Against Israel

On- and offline, activists are urging consumers to boycott brands like Starbucks and McDonald’s over their perceived support for Israel’s ongoing military offensive in Gaza, which has killed at least 28,000 Palestinians to date. The boycotts nod to the wider Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which seeks to mobilize international pressure on Israel to end its occupation of the Palestinian territories. Here’s what to know about the movement and its influence during the Israel-Hamas war. MORE

How the Kansas City Shooting Proves the “Good Guy with a Gun” Idea Is a Fallacy

In remarks following a mass shooting at the Chiefs Super Bowl parade, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas pointed out how the tragedy was able to take place even with more than 800 police officers stationed at the parade to secure the area. The fact is that the proliferation of guns and weak gun control policies have fueled the United States’s mass shooting crisis. They also explicitly acknowledge the fallacy of the “good guy with a gun” argument: the idea that adding armed security — rather than limiting access to guns — can keep people safe. MORE

Feds Charge Japanese Organized Crime Syndicate Leader with Nuclear Materials Trafficking

Federal prosecutors in New York said they charged a Japanese Yakuza leader with conspiring to traffic nuclear materials from Burma to other countries. Prosecutors said the accused gangster, Takeshi Ebisawa, “and his confederates showed samples of nuclear materials in Thailand” to an undercover agent from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. A U.S. nuclear forensic laboratory later analyzed the samples and confirmed that the samples contained uranium and weapons-grade plutonium. MORE

U.S. Intelligence Warns About Russia Wanting Nuclear Weapons in Space

Last week, U.S. intelligence suggested Russia’s recent advances in space-based nuclear weapons are not intended to use these weapons on Earth but possibly against foreign satellites. However, anti-satellite weapon systems have the potential to be used in a variety of nuclear-related missions. MORE

Fewer Financial Institutions Back the Nuclear Weapons Industry Since the Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty

A new Don’t Bank on the Bomb report entitled “Untenable Investments” shows that the number of investors supporting the nuclear weapons industry continues to drop. The report indicates that there are fewer financial institutions providing money to the nuclear weapons industry falling from 306 to 287 in the last year, continuing the trend since the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons went into effect. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Prioritize Refugee Resettlement

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates there are more than 110 million people forcibly displaced across the globe, 35.3 million of whom are refugees and half of whom are children. Yet, fewer than 1% of the world’s refugees may ever be resettled. Refugees are often fleeing conflict, instability, and persecution. Increasingly, individuals are being displaced by climate disasters. Global Refuge urges us to tell Congress to Prioritize Refugee Resettlement this appropriations season. TAKE ACTION

Immigration Court Backlog Hits Record High 

The U.S. immigration court backlog has increased to over 3 million cases — up from 1.9 million cases in September 2022. There are now more immigrants with pending cases than residents in Chicago. Reasons for the backlog include a record number of migrant border crossings and a lack of immigration judges. MORE

‘Migrant Crime Wave’ Not Supported by Data, Despite High-Profile Cases

Some crimes involving migrants have been captured on video and gone viral, leading some politicians and city leaders to say migrant criminals are besieging New York City. But police statistics do not indicate a crime surge since April 2022 when Texas began sending migrants north to New York City. MORE   

‘America Is a Factory Farming Nation’: Key Takeaways from U.S. Agriculture Census

Record numbers of U.S. farms are going out of business with small farms and Black farmers the hardest hit – again, according to the 2022 agriculture census, a comprehensive snapshot of the state of America’s farms and farmers published every five years by the Department of Agriculture. Yet industrial factory farms rearing thousands of livestock in confinement have further expanded into rural America, acquiring smaller farms, raking in taxpayer subsidies, and generating environmental harms. MORE

The Fraud of Plastic Recycling

Underpinning the plastic waste crisis is a campaign of fraud and deception that fossil fuel and other petrochemical companies have created and perpetuated for decades. Through new and existing research, “The Fraud of Plastic Recycling” shows how Big Oil and the plastics industry have deceptively promoted recycling as a solution to plastic waste management for more than 50 years, despite their long-standing knowledge that plastic recycling is not technically or economically viable at scale. MORE

The Planet Needs Solar Power. Can We Build It Without Harming Nature?

The grasslands north of Flagstaff, AZ are a crucial habitat for pronghorn, offering sustenance through fall and winter. However, this land is increasingly sought after for solar panel installations. While renewable energy is vital for combating climate change, it poses a threat to wildlife habitats, exacerbating the global decline in biodiversity. Although there are methods to mitigate harm to wildlife, such as wildlife corridors and native plant integration, they're often overlooked as solar farms rapidly expand across the nation. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Help Support the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act

A recent study of nearly 500 trafficking survivors in the U.S., found that 42% of all respondents reported having a criminal record. Of those with records, 90% reported that all, or some, of their arrests were related to their exploitation. The Trafficking Survivors Relief Act of 2024 (HR 7137) would provide resources to expunge their criminal records for crimes committed while they were in their situations of trafficking. Polaris urges us to tell Congress to pass this important legislation. TAKE ACTION

New Anti-Trafficking Bill Will Not Only Help U.S.

The U.S. House last week voted to reauthorize the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, legislation to bolster anti-trafficking programs, for another five years. In a bipartisan 414-11 vote, the House approved the legislation which includes prevention and education initiatives for elementary and middle schools and provides funds for survivors’ employment, housing, and education, among other initiatives. The bill is now before the Senate. MORE

Unleashing Potential: Strategies to Access Employment and Education for Trafficked Youth

Child and youth trafficking inherently involves victimization that takes place in a “workplace” setting and is often highly correlated with significant interruptions in education and employment. Together, the National Youth Employment Coalition and Love146, are working to address the barriers to employment and education that exist for survivors of trafficking and provide ways to better prepare workforce development programs to address the unique needs of this population. MORE

Shaken by Grisly Killings of Women, Activists in Africa Demand Change

A recent surge in brutal attacks on women across multiple African nations has sparked widespread anger and demands for urgent government intervention against gender-based violence. Shockingly, 31 women were violently killed in Kenya in January, while in Somalia, a pregnant woman was allegedly set on fire by her husband. Additionally, in Cameroon, a prominent businessman faces accusations of assaulting numerous women. MORE

2 Officers, 1 First Responder Killed Responding to Domestic Violence Call in Minnesota

Two police officers and a first responder were killed in Burnsville, Minnesota, responding to “a call of a family in danger” this past weekend. The alleged shooter also died in the incident, which officers attempted to quell over the course of several hours.  Seven children, aged 2-15, were found inside the home with the suspect and survived.  MORE

TAKE ACTION: Speak Out to Protect the Affordable Care Act

The Inflation Reduction Act is helping working families across the country save an average of $2,400 on their insurance premiums, dramatically increasing the number of insured Americans and giving them more room to pay for other necessities like food, gas, and rent. Also, thanks to investments in outreach to rural Americans, people of color, and people with disabilities, more Americans than ever can get affordable coverage. MomsRising urges us to tell Congress to make the enhanced premium tax credits permanent before they expire. TAKE ACTION

Iowa Lawmakers Move to Limit Challenge to Trump, Ban Ballot Drop Boxes

The Iowa House and Senate State Government Committees advanced legislation last week banning ballot drop boxes and ranked-choice voting. The legislation would make multiple other changes to Iowa election law, including measures to allow federal candidates convicted of felonies on Iowa ballots, and requiring absentee ballots to be received by county auditors the day before the election.  MORE

Ivan Cantu is scheduled to be executed on February 28 by the state of Texas for the murders of James Mosqueda and Amy Kitchen. Please hold Ivan, James, A my, their families, and the people of Texas in prayer. TAKE ACTION

Thomas Creech is scheduled to be executed on February 28 by the state of Idaho for the murder of David Jensen. Please hold Thomas, David, their families, and the people of Idaho in prayer. TAKE ACTION

James Harris, Jr. is scheduled to be executed on March 13 by the state of Texas for the murder of Alton Wilcox. Please hold James, Alton, their families, and the people of Texas in prayer. TAKE ACTION