ACTIVE NONVIOLENCE AND PEACEMAKING |
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TAKE ACTION: Bar Unconditional Military Aid to Israel That Enables Human Rights Abuses
Right now, the United States is providing Israel with unconditional diplomatic support and billions in military funding, and Israel uses that backing to act with impunity. U.S. tax dollars are funding Israel's oppression of Palestinians. U.S. taxpayers’ dollars should never be used to fund human rights abuses, and Israel isn’t an exception to that rule. Win Without War invites us to tell Congress to bar any military funding to Israel that enables human rights abuses. TAKE ACTION
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Pentagon Accelerates Withdrawal from Afghanistan
United States troops and their NATO allies intend to be out of Afghanistan by early to mid-July, well ahead of President Biden’s Sept. 11 withdrawal deadline, military officials said, in what has turned into an accelerated ending to America’s longest war. The Obama and Trump administrations had already cut the American troop presence back to around 3,500 from more than 100,000 in 2011. MORE
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Texas Poised to Allow Unlicensed Carrying of Handguns
Texas is poised to remove one of its last gun restrictions after lawmakers approved allowing people to carry handguns without a license, and the background check and training that go with it. The Texas State Legislature approved the measure, sending it to Gov. Greg Abbott, who has said he will sign it despite the objections of law enforcement groups who say it would endanger the public and police. MORE
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US Military Considered Using Nuclear Weapons Against China In 1958 Taiwan Strait Crisis
Military planners in Washington pushed for the White House to prepare plans to use nuclear weapons against mainland China during the Taiwan Strait crisis in 1958, newly leaked documents appear to confirm. The documents reveal the extent of Washington's discussions about using nuclear weapons to deter a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, including the acceptance by some US military leaders of possible retaliatory nuclear strikes on US bases. MORE
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Biden Is Facing an Uneasy Truth: North Korea Isn’t Giving Up Its Nuclear Arsenal
As President Biden prepares to meet South Korea’s president, he must grapple with the fact that the North’s stockpile of nuclear weapons and fuel has roughly doubled in the past four years. South Korean President Moon Jae-in has said denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is a “matter of survival” for his country, and he has called on Mr. Biden to revive negotiations. MORE
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Dems Reintroduce SANE Act to Slash $73 Billion From 'Insane' Spending on Nuclear Arsenal
Legislation reintroduced in the House and Senate would slash spending on the United States' nuclear arsenal and "restore budget sanity." Entitled the SANE Act, or Smarter Approach to Nuclear Expenditures Act, the bill from Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) came the same day the Congressional Budget Office released a report projecting the costs of the nation's nuclear forces over the next 10 years to be $634 billion. MORE
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TAKE ACTION: Demand Biden Stop Deportations
The Biden-Harris Administration has deported hundreds of immigrants in its first few weeks, despite a promise to stop deportations. At the end of the day, deportations are at the discretion of the Department of Homeland Security, which is directed by the executive branch. United We Dream urges us to tell the Biden-Harris Administration to stop individual deportations. TAKE ACTION
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Biden Revokes Trump Order on Immigrants' Health Care Costs
The Biden administration has revoked a Trump-era proclamation that required immigrants to prove they could get qualifying health insurance within 30 days of arriving in the United States or prove they had the resources to cover medical costs. Biden said the proclamation didn’t align with U.S. interests. MORE
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Climate Disasters in 2020 Caused More Internal Displacement Than War, New Report Says
Intense storms and flooding forced at least 55 million people to flee their homes in 2020, according to a new report from the Norwegian Refugee Council’s Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre. That’s three times as many people than were displaced within their own countries by violent conflict last year. MORE
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G-7 Nations Agree to Accelerate Efforts to Slow Global Warming
Environment ministers from seven leading industrialized nations agreed last week to accelerate efforts to slow global warming, including a commitment to end government support for new coal-fired power plants by the end of this year. The ministers also promised to combat deforestation and overfishing, to promote biodiversity and to tackle the scourge of ocean plastic. MORE
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Trafficking vs. Smuggling: Understanding the Difference
A spike in the number of migrants attempting to cross into the United States from Mexico this spring has led to concerns about a surge in sex trafficking and claims that lax border enforcement is making trafficking easier. But there has been no evidence of more trafficking happening. Polaris lays out the facts to clarify the widespread misunderstanding about the difference between human trafficking and human smuggling. MORE
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Children Are Most Often Trafficked by Someone Familiar to Them, Not Strangers
Most trafficking victims are familiar with the person that chooses to traffic them. In some cases, the victim might be exploited by a family member – even a parent. Situations can be complicated as many exploited youth don't consider themselves victims and only see the exchange as a means of survival. MORE
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DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT |
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The U.S. Is Distributing Stimulus Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse, Who Faced Even Greater Hardship in the Pandemic
The Biden administration has begun to distribute hundreds of millions of dollars in funds to support victims of domestic abuse, a group that faced greater hardships and more danger while sheltering at home during the pandemic. The Department of Health and Human Services said that it will award $200 million to help abuse victims get counseling, emergency, and transitional housing and help with safety planning and other resources. MORE
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Public health advocates are constantly working to prevent violence before it begins. Among them are hundreds of young people who are sparking conversations in their schools and communities about what healthy relationships should look like and how to recognize abusive behaviors. MORE
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HUMAN RIGHTS AND INCOME INEQUALITY |
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TAKE ACTION: Urge Congress to Support Bills to End Childhood Hunger
The Summer Meals Act of 2021 would ensure low-income children across the country have access to the nutrition they need during the summer months. The Access to Healthy Food for Young Children Act would support healthy nutrition for children in childcare. The Food, Research and Action Center invites us to reach out to Congress in support of this legislation to help end childhood hunger. TAKE ACTION
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Oaklanders Were Tired of the Housing Crisis so They Built a 'Miracle' Village
People experiencing homelessness in Oakland were tired of waiting for affordable housing, so they took matters into their own hands. Under a highway, beautiful structures built from foraged materials offer food, healthcare, showers, and a free ‘store’. It’s fostering a sense of community and dignity, according to the unhoused and housed residents who came together to build it. MORE
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Why Income Inequality Is Growing at the Fastest Rate Among Asian Americans
The Asian American Pacific Islander population is extremely diverse, both culturally and economically. According to a 2019 analysis by the Pew Research Center, Asian American household incomes can range from $44,400 to $120,000. Here’s a closer look at the growing income gap among Asian Americans, how it started, and what’s next. MORE
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TAKE ACTION: Tell the Biden Administration to End the Death Penalty
In the wake of a horrific execution spree by the previous administration, Catholics and people of goodwill are calling on President Joe Biden, a Catholic, to take concrete steps to end the federal death penalty. Catholic Mobilizing Network asks us to join in urging President Biden to prioritize and end capital punishment in the United States. TAKE ACTION
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