TAKE ACTION: Sign Onto the Ceasefire Now Resolution

Millions of Palestinians in Gaza have been cut off from food, water, fuel, and electricity, while simultaneously experiencing bombs dropping across one of the most densely populated areas on the planet. Last October, the "Ceasefire Now" resolution was introduced which demands that the Biden Administration call for an immediate ceasefire and for humanitarian assistance to be allowed to enter Gaza. As of today, the resolution has still not been passed. Jewish Voice for Peace Action urges us to tell Congress to demand a ceasefire now. TAKE ACTION

FBI Data Shows That Violent Crimes in the U.S. Decreased in 2023

New FBI statistics show overall violent crime in the U.S. dropped again last year, continuing a downward trend after a pandemic-era spike. Murders dropped 13 percent in the last three months of 2023 compared with the same period the year before, according to FBI data released this week. Violent crime overall was down 6 percent. Property crime also ticked downward about 3 percent in the nation as a whole, though in the Northeast and in large cities with over a million people it increased by about the same amount. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Call on Congress to Support Nuclear Arms Control Diplomacy

A resolution introduced this month by Rep. Bill Foster in the House (H. Res. 1079) and Senators Ed Markey and Jeff Merkley in the Senate (S. Res. 593) calls on the Biden administration to “continue to pursue nuclear arms control and risk reduction dialogue with the Russian Federation to maintain strategic stability, ensure the conflict in Ukraine does not escalate to nuclear use, and avoid an unrestrained nuclear arms race." The Arms Control Association urges us to tell Congress to support nuclear arms control diplomacy. TAKE ACTION

Nuclear Testing in the 21st Century—Legacies, Tensions, and Risks

Despite an international treaty banning all nuclear detonations, the issue of nuclear weapons testing is taking center stage once again. Although officials—in Russia and elsewhere—have been saying that they will not resume nuclear testing, some evidence could suggest otherwise. Satellite imagery has shown increased construction activities happening since 2021 in recent years at nuclear testing sites in the United States, Russia, and China—the world’s three largest nuclear powers. MORE

Why Are the U.S. and Japan Pushing to Ban Nuclear Weapons in Space?

The U.S. and Japan have proposed a United Nations Security Council resolution calling on countries not to deploy or develop any kind of nuclear weapons in space. The draft resolution did not directly name Russia, but the move comes days after a U.S. intelligence assessment said Moscow’s antisatellite weapons posed a threat to US space capabilities. Russian President Vladimir Putin says, “We are doing in space only what other countries have, including the United States.” MORE

No, Immigrants Aren’t More Likely to Commit Crimes Than U.S.-Born, Despite Trump’s Border Speech

In a recent speech, Donald Trump labeled immigrants as criminals saying, “They're coming from jails and they're coming from prisons and they're coming from mental institutions and they're coming from insane asylums and they're terrorists." Trump added that jails from all over the world are "emptying out" into the U.S. But facts indicate that for the last 150 years, rates of crimes committed by immigrants once they arrive in this country have been lower than those committed by native-born Americans. MORE

Hundreds March in Texas in Solidarity with Migrants, Protest of SB4

Last week hundreds marched through downtown El Paso, Texas, to Sacred Heart Church to show solidarity with migrants and those who help them. Religious leaders and migrant advocacy groups organized the event in opposition to the Texas SB 4 law, which would allow local and state law enforcement to arrest people suspected of being undocumented. MORE

These Businesses Say They Can’t Keep Up with Consumer Demand Without Immigrant Workers. Americans Just Don’t Want the Jobs

The labor shortage in the construction industry, exacerbated by an aging workforce and the growing number of retirements, means it’s more crucial than ever for the U.S. to allow more legal immigrants into the country to bolster the ranks of the construction industry. Some 73% of builders say the high cost and lack of availability of labor were among the top challenges for homebuilders last year. MORE

Family Farmers Invaluable to Future of Agriculture, Pope Says

Family farming is the key to making systems of food production and consumption more "inclusive, resilient and efficient," Pope Francis said. "Family farmers are to be commended for the supportive way in which they work, as well as the for the respectful and gentle way in which they cultivate the land," the pope wrote in a message to a meeting of the World Rural Forum, a global network of partners that promotes family farming and sustainable rural development. MORE

Lithium Mines Threaten South America's Native Cultures, Wealth and Water

In the "lithium triangle" — a region spanning Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia — Native communities sit upon a treasure trove of the stuff: an estimated trillion dollars in lithium. As the world's most powerful increasingly look toward the triangle, the largest reserve of lithium on Earth, as a crucial puzzle piece to save the environment, others worry the search for the mineral will mean sacrificing that very life force that has sustained the region's Native people for centuries.   MORE

In a Boost for EVs, EPA Finalizes Strict New Limits on Tailpipe Emissions

After nearly a year of frantic lobbying and debate, the EPA has finalized strict new rules on vehicle emissions that will push the auto industry to accelerate its transition to electric vehicles. The EPA expects that under the new rules, EVs could account for up to 56% of new passenger vehicles sold for model years 2030 through 2032, meeting a goal that President Biden set in 2021. MORE

U.N. Labor Agency Reports “Obscene” Yearly Profits from Forced Labor

The International Labor Organization’s (ILO) newly released figures calculating illegal profits generated by forced labor worldwide show a huge increase over the last ten years. Up 37% from the last estimate of US $150 billion, the annual total is at least $236 billion. The report explains more people are being exploited and more cash is being generated whilst also noting that some profits have not been included in their calculations, such as forced prison labor and illegal recruitment fees, because of data challenges. MORE

‘Enlist or Die’: Fear, Looming Famine and a Deadly Ultimatum Swell the Ranks of Sudan’s Paramilitary Forces

Late last year, Sudan’s breadbasket, Al Jazira state, witnessed a chilling ultimatum: “Enlist or die.” The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a powerful paramilitary group, swept through the region, wielding food as a weapon, and withholding supplies to coerce men and boys into joining their ranks. Over three dozen witnesses attest to the RSF’s brutal tactics, which include intimidation, torture, and starvation. The conflict in Sudan, which erupted into a civil war between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) last April, has plunged the nation into chaos. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Support Capping Exploitative Overdraft Fees

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has issued a proposal on capping exploitative bank overdraft fees, which can be as high as $39 per transaction. This proposal is a very significant step towards just and equitable banking since the group of people most impacted by overdraft fees are low-income, Black, and brown families. American for Financial Reform urges us to submit a public comment to support capping abusive and exploitative overdraft fees. TAKE ACTION

Total U.S. Billionaire Wealth: Up 88 Percent Over Four Years

Just prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States had 614 billionaires who owned a combined wealth of $2.947 trillion. Now, four years later, on March 18, 2024, the country has 737 billionaires with a combined wealth of $5.529 trillion, an 87.6 percent increase of $2.58 trillion, according to the Institute for Policy Studies. MORE

Growing Racial Disparities in Voter Turnout

The racial turnout gap — or the difference in the turnout rate between white and nonwhite voters — is a key method of measuring participation equality. The gap has consistently grown since 2012 and is growing most quickly in parts of the country that were previously covered under Section 5 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which was suspended by the Supreme Court in its 2013 decision in Shelby County v. Holder. MORE

Michael Smith is scheduled to be executed on April 4 by the state of Oklahoma for the murder of Janet Moore and Sarath “Babu” Pulluru. Please hold Michael, Janet, Sarath, their families, and the people of Oklahoma in prayer. TAKE ACTION

Brian Dorsey is scheduled to be executed on April 9 by the state of  Missouri for the murders of Sarah and Ben Bonnie. Please hold Brian, Sarah, Ben, their families, and the people of Missouri in prayer. TAKE ACTION