Action Alert Digest - June 2, 2021

June 2, 2021

Action Alert Digest

TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress to Ban Assault Weapons

Assault weapons have been the firearms of choice in some of the deadliest mass shootings in our country’s history. President Biden has called on Congress to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines to save lives from gun violence — but it’s going to take a massive groundswell of support to make this the law of the land. The Brady Campaign urges us to tell Congress to ban assault weapons without further delay. TAKE ACTION

How 60 Years of Racial Violence Shaped America

On May 31, 1921, Tulsa, Oklahoma, became the site of a horrific massacre that was shrouded in silence for decades. A White mob descended on the city’s prosperous Black enclave of Greenwood and proceeded to burn, loot and kill until scores were dead and 35 city blocks were destroyed. But Tulsa wasn’t alone. Between the end of the Civil War and the 1940s, the destruction seen in Tulsa happened in various ways to communities of color across the country. MORE

Biden Open to Talks with North Korea

President Biden has promised to engage North Korea diplomatically on pragmatic steps to end the nuclear threat and reinforced that commitment by appointing veteran U.S. diplomat Sung Kim to lead the effort. Kim, the new U.S. special envoy for North Korea, had been ambassador to Indonesia. Previously, he was ambassador to South Korea and also served as Obama’s special envoy to the six-party talks with North Korea. MORE

Nuclear Flash Cards: US Secrets Exposed on Learning Apps

U.S. troops charged with guarding nuclear weapons in Europe used popular education websites to create flashcards, exposing their exact locations and top-secret security protocols last week. To help themselves memorize things like which shelters in various locations had vaults with live nuclear bombs, with security patrol schedules, and with identification badge details, the soldiers created digital flashcard sets on apps like Chegg Prep, Quizlet, and Cram. MORE

Biden Administration Officially Ends Trump's 'Remain in Mexico' Asylum Policy

The Biden administration has formally pulled the plug on former President Donald Trump's "remain in Mexico" policy, which forced tens of thousands of asylum-seekers from Central America to stay south of the U.S. border until their claims were heard. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said he was ending the policy, formally known as the Migration Protection Protocols, in a memo to agency heads after a months-long review by his office. MORE

Chamber of Commerce: Worker Shortage Can't Be Solved Without Ramping Up Immigration

As businesses grapple with record-high job openings, the US Chamber of Commerce is loudly calling on Washington to allow more foreign workers to legally enter the country. Neil Bradley, chief policy officer at the Chamber of Commerce, says that the worker shortage can't be solved in the long run without ramping up immigration. MORE

Enforcing Title 42 Puts Migrants in Harm's Way

Border encounters between migrants and U.S. officials fell by half in 2020 compared to 2019, but encounters requiring a rescue operation doubled to the highest level in a decade. The key factor may be that the United States has virtually sealed off the southern border, so migrants are seeking more dangerous places to cross. MORE

The Smartest Way to Finance Clean Energy That You’ve Never Heard Of

In the United States, financing infrastructure and clean energy projects can get bogged down. But a “green bank” model has been successful in several other countries such as the UK and Australia. These banks typically take the form of either a government-owned or quasi-public bank that takes a set amount of government money to launch and then leverages private money to fund different projects. And like private banks, green banks expect to be paid back. MORE

Dutch Court Gives Shell Nine Years to Cut Its Carbon Emissions by 45 Percent from 2019 Levels

In a landmark ruling being hailed by climate activists as “game-changing,” a Dutch court has ordered Royal Dutch Shell to cut its carbon emissions by 45 percent from 2019 levels by 2030. While legally binding only in the Netherlands, the ruling could influence similar cases around the world. And it’s the first time a court has held a major energy company liable for climate change, activists say. MORE

Biden to Suspend Oil and Gas Leases in Alaskan Wildlife Refuge

The Biden administration is suspending all oil and gas leases in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in order to take a deeper look at the environmental impacts of drilling in the region. The Refuge is a 1.6 million-acre stretch of tundra on Alaska’s North Slope and is home to endangered polar bears whose population has been in dramatic decline due to diminishing sea ice. The region also provides important calving habitat for the Porcupine caribou herd. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Pass Mandatory Human Rights Due Diligence Laws

Right now, there are millions of people all over the world being forced to work to produce goods that we use every day. But we can help change this by requiring big businesses and governments to act. Freedom United is calling on world governments to pass mandatory human rights due diligence laws so that the private and public sectors are required to take responsibility for the impact of modern slavery and human rights abuses across their supply chains. TAKE ACTION

U.S. Bans Seafood from Chinese Company Over Suspicions of Forced Labor

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has imposed a new ban on seafood from a fleet of Chinese fishing vessels after a year-long investigation uncovered signs of forced labor within the fleet's operations. The agency said it identified at least 11 indicators of forced labor across the company's fleet, "including physical violence, withholding of wages, and abusive working and living conditions." The allegations include abuses against many Indonesian workers. MORE

TAKE ACTION: End the Rape Kit Backlog

It’s unconscionable that, even today, some survivors of sexual assault are forced to wait nearly a decade to get their kits processed and tested. Debbie Smith Act funding has produced more than 42% of the DNA hits identifying criminal suspects in the FBI’s DNA database. As of March 2021, the system had produced 558,427 hits. RAIIN (the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) urges us to tell Congress to fully fund the Debbie Smith Act. TAKE ACTION

Domestic Violence Poses a Danger to All, Including Responding Police Officers

Domestic violence calls for police are some of the most dangerous situations they encounter because emotions are running high behavior can be unpredictable. Domestic violence-related police calls make up the single largest category of calls received by police, accounting for roughly 15 to more than 50 percent of all calls based on the department, according to a new report. The report also found domestic violence disproportionately affects Black women. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Pass H.R. 40 and Bring Reparations to A Vote

For the first time since H.R. 40’s introduction in 1989, the House Judiciary Committee has voted H.R. 40 favorably out of committee and onto the House floor for full consideration. The time for the United States to account for its legacy of slavery is long overdue. Americas for Democratic Action urge us to tell our Representatives to make sure H.R. 40 is brought to the House floor for a vote. TAKE ACTION

Democratic Lawmakers Hope to Make Biden's Summer Food Program for Kids Permanent,

Democratic lawmakers have introduced a bill to make permanent a temporary children’s summer food program created because of the pandemic. The proposed law would cement and slightly expand a program first created in the American Rescue Plan that provides cash for an estimated 33 million kids in low-income families. Earlier this year, the Biden administration called it “the largest summer food program in U.S. history.” MORE

States Cutting $300-A-Week Unemployment Benefits Face $12 Billion Economic Hit

The 24 states that plan to cut off federal unemployment benefits in the coming weeks stand to have their economies lose a combined $12 billion, according to a report from the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee, countering claims from those who insist dropping the $300-a-week benefits is necessary for a continued economic recovery. Each dollar the government spends on unemployment benefits is estimated to generate $1.61 in local spending. MORE

Brad Sigmon is scheduled to be executed on June 18 by the state of South Carolina for the murders of David Larke and Gladys Larke. Please hold Brad, David, Gladys, their families, and the people of South Carolina in prayer. TAKE ACTION

Freddie Owens is scheduled to be executed on June 25 by the state of South Carolina for the murder of Irene Graves. Please hold Freddie, Irene, their families, and the people of South Carolina in prayer. TAKE ACTION

John Hummel is scheduled to be executed on June 30 by the state of Texas for the murders of Joy Hummel and Clyde Bedford. Please hold John, Joy, Clyde, their families and the people of Texas in prayer. TAKE ACTION