Senate Votes to Repeal Iraq War Power Authorizations, 20 Years After U.S. Invasion

On the 20th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, the Senate finally voted to repeal the authorizations for the use of military force against Iraq, a move to reassert authority in foreign military intervention. The legislation now goes to the U.S. House of Representatives, where bipartisan backing for the repeal suggests it has a good chance of passing.  Speaker Kevin McCarthy has indicated he supports the legislation and is likely to bring it to the House floor. MORE  

Why Force Fails - The Dismal Track Record of U.S. Military Interventions

U.S. decision-making has a strong bias in favor of military intervention. When crises emerge, the pressure for a U.S. military response is often immediate, on the grounds that it is better to try to control the situation than to do nothing. But in many cases, the United States could likely have achieved its goals without intervening militarily.   MORE

Gun Rights Groups Continue to Focus on State and Federal Assault Weapons Bans Amid Mass Shootings

President Joe Biden has once again called for a ban on assault weapons. But a federal ban is unlikely to pass a divided Congress, in part due to the strong influence of the gun rights lobby. Gun rights groups continue to target legislation that would limit access to or ban assault weapons at both the state and federal levels. These groups have contributed a total of $15 million to members of the 118th Congress throughout their careers. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Support Arms Control Diplomacy with Russia

The 2010 New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty between the United States and Russia (New START) places limits on the warheads held by each side but is set to expire in 2026. Unless the two sides negotiate a successor agreement, the world's two largest nuclear arsenals will be unconstrained for the first time since 1972. The Physicists Coalition for Nuclear Threat Reduction urges us to tell Congress to support arms control diplomacy with Russia. TAKE ACTION

All START: A Proposal for Moving Beyond US-Russia Arms Control 

In an article for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, two prominent experts propose a new framework to broaden participation in nuclear arms control, with China, Britain, and France joining the United States and Russia in a future accord—All START. One that could eventually even include Israel, India, Pakistan, and North Korea. MORE

Global Nuclear Freeze Could Avert New Arms Race

"After more than a decade of deteriorating relations and dithering on disarmament, the three largest nuclear powers—Russia, the United States, and China—are on the verge of an unconstrained era of dangerous nuclear competition," writes Daryl G. Kimball in the April issue of Arms Control Today.  "Leaders in Washington, the leading non-nuclear-weapon states, and concerned people everywhere need to press these states, as well as France and the United Kingdom, to exercise restraint and engage in disarmament diplomacy,” Kimball argues. MORE

As Italy Faces New Migrant Records, Pope Welcomes Controversial NGO

As Italy grapples with a record increase in migrant arrivals, Pope Francis encouraged the work of a non-governmental organization rescuing migrants at sea, called Mediterranea Saving Humans. This comes at a time when organizations performing these rescues are criticized as fueling unauthorized migration. The group was received by the pope on March 22 in recognition of their efforts. MORE

U.S. Border Policies Have Created a Volatile Logjam in Mexico 

Since more restrictive policies were implemented at the U.S.-Mexico border, the number of migrants crossing the border is at its lowest level since President Biden took office. However, these new policies have created a volatile bottleneck along Mexico's northern border. Tens of thousands of desperate migrants are awaiting relief in overcrowded shelters in Mexican border cities. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Demand Bold Solutions from the EPA to Address the Plastic Crisis 

The world faces an indisputable plastic pollution crisis. More than 99% of plastic is made from fossil fuels, and fracked gas is fueling an unprecedented boom in plastic production. Plastic is an environmental nightmare at every step of its life cycle. Powerful corporations and the fossil fuel industry are raking in massive profits while people, animals, and the planet suffer the devastating consequences of rampant plastic pollution. Friends of the Earth urges us to tell the EPA to prioritize the plastic crisis. TAKE ACTION

The Inflation Reduction Act Is Driving a Renewed Pivot to Green Energy

The states reaping the most from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) tend to be those mainly represented by Republican members of Congress, even though not a single Republican in the House or Senate voted for the climate bill to pass. But that isn't stopping manufacturers in their states from enjoying the benefits of going renewable. MORE

Exxon in the Classroom: How Big Oil Money Influences U.S. Universities

Tim Barckholtz is not a Princeton professor. He is a senior scientific adviser at ExxonMobil, the oil giant that has done so much to both perpetuate and downplay the climate crisis. Barckholtz spent around six months sitting in and contributing to lectures and research groups, based in his own office space at the elite university. Dozens of U.S. universities, it turns out, retain links with the fossil-fuel industry in a variety of ways, despite the growing pressure on them to cut them. Several host Exxon representatives on campus and even provide them with office space. MORE

North Korean Girls Exploited in China's 'Red Zone'

Around half a million female North Koreans, some as young as 12, are hiding in border regions of China, according to a new report by an international human rights law firm. Activists warn that women and girls remain at critical risk of exploitation even after fleeing their homeland. The group discovered over 4,340 documented cases of human trafficking of North Korean women from China in the last decade and at least 80,000 reported abuses of human rights. MORE 

UK “Illegal Migration Bill” Exacerbates Risks for Survivors of Modern Slavery

Immigration activists warn that a proposed bill in Great Britain, known as the Illegal Migration Bill, would deny victims of human trafficking the opportunity to gain protection and make them more vulnerable to human traffickers. The bill would deny asylum for asylum-seekers who arrive irregularly in England, mainly by boat, and subject them to detention and removal. Such a policy would deny victims the opportunity to inform authorities of their situation, identify their traffickers, and become eligible for services and protection. MORE

This Sexual Assault Survivor Took Part in a ‘Restorative Justice’ Process in 2019. She’s Pushing for Others to Have the Same Chance

Is restorative justice in sexual assault cases “too soft on crime?” Marlee Liss, a sexual assault survivor, says we need to ask better questions. “Is it efficient in driving change? Is it enhancing public safety? Is it bringing healing for the people who were hurt? Is it preventing the person who did this from doing this again? A growing number of experts have said existing policies need to change, to recognize that the criminal system is retraumatizing sexual assault survivors and is not rehabilitating offenders. MORE

“I’d Rather Take a Beating Than Catch a CPS Case”: Survivors Face an Impossible Choice

Parents who are faced with the choice between being beaten by their partner or having their children taken away by social services often choose the former. This is because once a Child Protective Services (CPS) case is initiated, parents are subject to invasive and unannounced visits from caseworkers who can strip-search their children, search their home, and administer substance tests without cause. Anything deemed out of order can lead to parent victims losing custody of their children. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Don’t Create New Barriers for People Accessing Public Assistance in Iowa

Iowa Senate File 494, which alters the application and qualification process for Iowa's public assistance programs like Medicaid, SNAP, CHIP, and FIP, has passed the Senate and is being considered in the Iowa House. Approximately 8,000 Medicaid, 600 CHIP, 100 FIP, and 2,800 SNAP beneficiaries will have their benefits terminated due to income verification discrepancies, requiring over 200 new HHS staff to implement. Iowa Catholic Conference urges us to tell our state representatives to oppose these unjust restrictions. TAKE ACTION

How Investors Accelerate the Affordable Housing Crisis

Investors spent over $31 billion on residential property in the final quarter of 2022 across 40 major cities in the U.S.  New digital systems provide these investors with instant property value assessments and offers. This has given corporate landlords an advantage in buying and reselling homes, leading to a decrease in available housing supply and higher real estate prices for working families. As a consequence, 80% of homes are now considered unaffordable for median-income earners, up from 50% five years prior. MORE

Vatican Formally Rejects ‘Doctrine of Discovery’ After Indigenous Calls

The Vatican last week responded to Indigenous demands and formally repudiated the “Doctrine of Discovery,” the theories backed by 15th-century “papal bulls” that legitimized the colonial-era seizure of Native lands and form the basis of some property laws today. A Vatican statement said the papal bulls, or decrees, “did not adequately reflect the equal dignity and rights of Indigenous peoples” and have never been considered expressions of the Catholic faith. MORE

Louis Gaskin is scheduled to be executed on April 12 by the state of Florida for the murders of Robert and Georgette Sturmfels.  Please hold Louis, Robert, Georgette, their families, and the people of Florida in prayer. TAKE ACTION

Ivan Cantu is scheduled to be executed on April 26 by the state of Texas for the murders of James Mosqueda and Amy Kitchen. Please hold Ivan, James, Amy, their families, and the people of Texas in prayer. TAKE ACTION