TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress: No Money for Palestinian Child Detention, Home Demolition, or Annexation

Congresswoman Betty McCollum's Palestinian Children & Families Act would ensure that no U.S. military funding to Israel can be used to support the Israeli military's detention and torture of Palestinian children, the Israeli demolition of Palestinian homes and displacement of Palestinian families, or the illegal annexation of Palestinian land. Jewish Voices for Peace invite us to tell Congress to support the Palestinian Children & Families Act. TAKE ACTION

Bipartisan Senate Group Introduces Bill to Force Clean Audit of Pentagon Funding Amid Price Gouging Concerns

A bipartisan group of Senators, including Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA), have introduced legislation to ensure the Defense Department passes a clean audit next year, with the bill following repeated concerns from Congress about fraud, waste, and abuse in the Pentagon. The Audit the Pentagon Act of 2023 would require the Defense Department to pass a full, independent audit in fiscal 2024. Agencies within the Pentagon that fail to pass a clean audit would be forced to return 1 percent of their budget for deficit reduction. MORE

Faced With a Violent Killing, a Family Chooses Forgiveness Over Prison

Donald Fields Jr. faced a life sentence in North Carolina after he was charged with his father’s murder. Instead, his case became a pioneering instance of restorative justice. “The healing from the restorative justice process is more complete for survivors,” Assistant District Attorney Kendra Montgomery-Blinn said. “They feel far more heard and involved.” MORE

TAKE ACTION: Support Diplomacy with Iran

News broke recently that the Biden administration has been quietly negotiating with Iran to put a ceiling on its uranium enrichment and de-escalate the tensions between our two countries. Only a negotiated agreement can successfully prevent Iran from achieving a nuclear weapon. Win Without War urges us to commend President Biden for his diplomacy with Iran to halt their nuclear program and de-escalate tensions between our two countries. TAKE ACTION

Wagner's Revolt in Russia Stirred Fears of a Nuclear Crisis

A defiant mercenary commander’s fleeting march on Moscow last weekend sparked concerns among Western intelligence analysts about the stability of Russia’s military command and the security of the nation’s vast nuclear arsenal. Though the immediate crisis was averted, U.S. intelligence remains vigilant, looking for signs of vulnerability to the world’s largest stockpile of nuclear weapons. MORE

DeSantis Unveils an Aggressive Immigration and Border Security Policy That Largely Mirrors Trump’s

Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis promised to end birthright citizenship, finish building the southern border wall and send U.S. forces into Mexico to combat drug cartels as part of an aggressive — and familiar — immigration policy proposal he laid out this week. The sweeping plan represents a long-established wish list of Republican immigration proposals that largely mirrors former President Donald Trump’s policies. MORE

U.S. Rejection of Asylum Seekers Sharply Rises

New Biden administration policies have led to a significant decrease in the number of migrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border who are allowed to apply for asylum, according to legal documents. The rate of single adult migrants passing initial border screenings has decreased from 83 percent to 46 percent. MORE

Supreme Court Says White House Can Continue to Set Deportation Priorities

The U.S. Supreme Court last week boosted President Biden’s authority to focus the government’s immigration enforcement policies on those who are a threat or recently entered the country, and said states generally lacked the legal standing to challenge the federal government’s priorities on whom to arrest or prosecute. The Biden administration policy is a departure from that of the Trump administration, which said anyone in the country illegally could be targeted for deportation, regardless of how long they have been here. MORE

Wind Power’s Explosive Growth Is Blowing Past Green Energy Goals

Every year wind energy production records are being broken as the price is plummeting. And now the wind is back in the sails of the USA’s turbines following the introduction of the Inflation Reduction Act, a law passed by the federal government last year that will provide some $369 billion in funding for renewable energy through tax credits and new spending. Experts estimate the policy, considered the nation’s most significant effort to combat the climate crisis, could cut emissions by 31 to 44 percent by 2030. MORE

3M Reaches $10.3 Billion Settlement Over Contamination of Water Systems

Chemical manufacturer 3M Co. will pay at least $10.3 billion to settle lawsuits over the contamination of many U.S. public drinking water systems with potentially harmful compounds. The deal would compensate water providers for pollution with substances known as PFAS — described as "forever chemicals" because they don't degrade naturally in the environment. PFAS have been linked to a variety of health problems, including liver and immune-system damage and some cancers. MORE

Why the U.S. Electric Grid Isn’t Ready for the Energy Transition

The U.S. electric grid is often described as a vast, synchronized machine — a network of wires carrying electricity from power plants across the country into our homes. But, in reality, there is no single U.S. grid. There are three — one in the West, one in the East, and one in Texas — that only connect at a few points and share little power between them. Those grids are further divided into a patchwork of operators with competing interests. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Outlaw Slavery in the United States

Passed by Congress in 1865, the 13th Amendment of the US Constitution aimed to abolish slavery, but in reality, the amendment allowed slavery to remain legal. The “Exception Clause”, also known as the Punishment Clause, made it possible for slavery to be used as a method of punishment, allowing the government to legally subject people incarcerated across the United States to forced labor. Freedom United invites us to tell our lawmakers to abolish the Punishment Clause in state constitutions and amend the 13th Amendment. TAKE ACTION

Social Workers Driving Haiti’s Efforts to Shut Down Orphanages & Reunify Families

Social workers are the driving force behind the Haitian government’s efforts in recent months to shut down orphanages that rake in donations from abroad while subjecting children to forced labor and abuse, and reunite children with their families wherever possible. But it’s a herculean task in a country where many people don’t have a digital footprint, and addresses and telephone numbers aren’t readily available. MORE

‘It’s Just You – and Memories’: Kenyan Rape Survivors Find Help Hard to Find

At least 13% of women and girls aged 15 to 49 in Kenya have experienced sexual violence, according to last year’s Kenya Demographic and Health Survey. The true figure is likely to be significantly higher, as many cases go unreported, partly due to an expectation that rape will not be successfully prosecuted. Furthermore, there are significant barriers to mental health services, including cost, stigma, a lack of privacy where therapy is offered, and a lack of compassion and sensitivity from poorly trained medical staff. MORE

New Texas Bill Seeks to Prevent Domestic Violence

In Texas this month a new bill was signed into law which will create a website that anyone can use to search if someone they know or may be dating has two or more family violence convictions. Local domestic violence advocates say that having a centralized database of repeat offenders of violent crimes, especially those in the domestic violence space, will allow people who may have suspicions of a partner to double-check if they have an active record. MORE

The Boldest Step to Close the Racial Wealth Divide in Generations

This year, Connecticut is pioneering the country’s first “Baby Bond” program, which will invest $3,200 for every baby born into poverty in the state. The bonds are projected to grow to between $10,000 and $24,000 in value, depending on when they’re used. When they reach a certain age, between 18 and 30, these Connecticut residents will be able to use that money to start a small business, get a higher education or job training, or buy a home. MORE

Supreme Court Denies State Legislatures the Unchecked Power to Set Election Rules

The Supreme Court this week rebuffed a legal theory that argued that state legislatures have the authority to set election rules with little oversight from state courts, a major decision that turns away a conservative push to empower state legislatures. By a 6-3 vote, the court rejected the “independent state legislature” theory in a case about North Carolina’s congressional map. The court’s decision in Moore v. Harper closes the path to what could have been a radical overhaul of America’s election laws. MORE

Pope Francis Declares Mother Lange, Founder of First Order of Black U.S. Nuns, ‘Venerable’

Pope Francis has recognized the heroic Christian virtues of Mother Mary Elizabeth Lange, founder of the first Catholic order of Black nuns. Born in Cuba of Haitian parentage, she arrived in Baltimore in 1813, which opened her eyes to the educational needs of immigrant children. Despite the challenges of being Black in a slaveholding state, she used her own money and home to teach children of color. MORE

Jemaine Cannon is scheduled to be executed on July 20 by the state of Oklahoma for the murder of Sharonda Clark. Please hold Jemaine, Sharonda, their families, and the people of Oklahoma in prayer. TAKE ACTION

James Barber is scheduled to be executed on July 20 by the state of Alabama for the murder of Dorothy Epps. Please hold James, Dorothy, their families, and the people of Alabama in prayer. TAKE ACTION