TAKE ACTION: Establish a Federal Office of Gun Violence Prevention

The #1 cause of death for children is gun violence. A focused and intentional office of gun violence prevention at the federal level is one way to make a real difference in lowering the biggest scourge on our society today. The Peace Alliance urges us to tell our federal legislators to support and co-sponsor HR 1699 or S 951 to establish a federal Office of Gun Violence Prevention. TAKE ACTION

U.S. Considering Sending Cluster Munitions to Ukraine

The Biden administration is considering giving Ukraine cluster munitions, a U.S. official confirmed last week. Dual-purpose improved conventional munitions (DPICMs) are surface-to-surface warheads designed to explode and send multiple small munitions over a wide area to cause maximum damage. Since last year, Ukraine has asked the United States for the weapons but Washington has held off due to an international treaty that bans cluster bombs. MORE

“I Just Want to Give Back” - The Reintegration of People Sentenced to Life Without Parole

When a judge hands down a sentence of life without parole, it places a human being beyond redemption. No second chance. A life forever defined by a criminal act. But what happens when that person is given a second chance? A new report shows how people in California who had been sentenced to life without parole have flourished since leaving prison, contributing to their communities in remarkable ways. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress to Say No to New Nuclear Weapons

Recently, the House Armed Services Committee authorized $190 million in funding to develop a new nuclear-capable sea-launched cruise missile (SLCM-N) that the Biden administration had rejected. Adding a new type of tactical nuclear weapon to the U.S. arsenal would increase the risk of nuclear war, and prompt Russia and China to build up their forces in response. It would also cost U.S. taxpayers more than $30 billion. The Arms Control Association urges us to tell Congress to block attempts to approve funding for the SLCM-N.  TAKE ACTION

Belarus Leader Says Nuclear Arms Will Not Be Used

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, the Kremlin's staunchest ally in its war in Ukraine, said he was certain Russian tactical nuclear weapons deployed in his country would never be used. Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin have acknowledged that some tactical weapons have arrived in Belarus and the remainder would be put in place by the end of the year. Lukashenko, like Russia, has repeatedly accused Western countries of trying to destroy his state and says the nuclear deployment is necessary to deter potential aggressors. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress to Support Policies that Welcome Asylum Seekers and Reject the Further Militarization of the Border

In May, the Biden administration replaced the harmful Title 42 border policy with a restrictive asylum ban, in effect replacing one Trump-era restriction reducing protections for those seeking protection at our doors with another. Lower border encounter numbers belie increasingly dangerous conditions for migrant families, children, and others at risk.  Church World Service urges us to tell Congress to invest in humane, coordinated migrant processing that recognizes the dignity of those fleeing persecution. TAKE ACTION

Undocumented Workers Face Uncertainty as Immigration Law Takes Effect in Florida

Florida's SB1718, one of the nation's strictest immigration laws, took effect on July 1. Individuals who knowingly transport undocumented immigrants into the state may now face felony charges. Florida has also invalidated out-of-state driver's licenses that are given to undocumented immigrants. Hospitals and medical providers that accept Medicaid will now be required to ask people for their immigration status. These new restrictions have caused mass confusion and fear throughout Florida, not only for immigrants but also for Floridians. MORE

How Migrants Flown to Martha’s Vineyard Came to Call It Home

It has been nine months since the government of Florida, under the direction of Gov. Ron DeSantis, chartered two flights from Texas that picked up 49 newly arrived migrants and dropped them off on Martha’s Vineyard, a liberal enclave that until then had little firsthand experience with the surge in migration on the U.S.-Mexico border.  Since then, most have gone elsewhere but a few found steady work, friends, and a new life on the wealthy island. As it turned out, though, not all of them left. Some found work and have settled in. MORE

Solar Helps Texas Carry Energy Load As Heatwave Puts Power Grid to Test 

As a deadly, record-breaking heatwave puts Texas’s grid to the test, renewable power sources are helping the state maintain energy reliability, contrary to some of the state’s lawmakers' claims that clean energy is less reliable. Texas has for more than two weeks been blanketed by an oppressive heat dome. But even amid three-digit temperatures, the state has still managed to avoid rolling blackouts this month. A key reason, energy analysts say, is the state’s supply of solar power, which has doubled since early 2022. MORE

What Should the Next Generation of Cities Look Like?

For decades, cities in the US have been designed around cars. But the current generation finds itself redesigning cities after a global pandemic, now seeing more people on foot, empty parking lots, and streets entirely shut down to promote outdoor events. Clearly, walkability is becoming one of the top most desired traits for our cities. Part of the Green New Deal includes efforts toward creating cities that value community, fresh air, and less pollution from automobiles and highways.  MORE

Canada Wildfire Season Is Now the Worst on Record

Canada has surpassed its record for the largest area burned by wildfires in a single year. The blazes have burned more than 20 million acres across the country - 21 times above the average over the last decade. There are currently 483 wildfires across Canada. More than 250 of those are considered to be out of control. The wildfires have also produced record levels of carbon emissions, with smoke reaching as far as Europe. Experts have pointed to a warmer and drier spring than normal as the reason. MORE

In the D.C. Area, Undocumented Migrants Are Easy Prey for Labor Traffickers

In 2021, there were just over 300 proven cases of human trafficking reported in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. But experts say that’s a drastic undercount. Among local migrant communities, labor and sex traffickers are often family members, neighbors, or friends of their victims. This makes quantifying and preventing the problem particularly challenging. MORE

Canada a ‘Dumping Ground’ for Products Made by Forced Labor

The Canadian government will introduce legislation next year to eradicate forced labor from Canadian supply chains, the Minister of Labor said last month. Human rights activists say the promised legislation is badly needed and overdue, citing numerous examples of products linked to forced labor allegations in China’s Xinjiang region, which are widely available for sale in Canada. MORE

Supreme Court to Review Law Barring Domestic Abusers from Having Guns

The Supreme Court next term will consider whether individuals subject to domestic-violence restraining orders can be prohibited from having firearms, setting up the first major test of gun restrictions since the court’s conservative majority expanded Second Amendment rights last year. The court last week announced plans to take up the gun case and several others, filling in its calendar for the term that begins in October. MORE

Coast Guard Apologizes for Covering Up Long History of Sexual Assault

The U.S. Coast Guard apologized last week for covering up scores of documented sexual assault and harassment cases that took place at the service’s academy and failing to properly investigate or discipline those accused in dozens more cases. An internal Coast Guard review called “Operation Fouled Anchor” determined that between 1988 and 2006 there were 62 incidents of rape, sexual assault, and sexual harassment that took place either at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn. or were committed by cadets during those years. MORE

Supreme Court Strikes Down College Affirmative Action Programs

The Supreme Court last week struck down affirmative action programs at the University of North Carolina and Harvard, ending the systematic consideration of race in the admissions process. The court ruled that both programs violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution and are therefore unlawful. The decision was hailed by prominent conservatives while others condemned the ruling, pointing out that affirmative action is a key tool for remedying historic race discrimination. MORE

Putting Clinics in Schools Boosts Students’ Mental Health

Some 6.3 million students in more than 10,000 schools now have access to health clinics in schools. School-based health centers offer free services — from flu shots and physicals to talk therapy — which students can access without insurance or a trip to the doctor’s office. It is often the only care option for vulnerable students. As more children have received care and counseling on-site, discipline problems have plummeted. MORE

Evictions Are Soaring. Affordable Housing Advocates Warned This Would Happen.

Eviction rates are soaring in some cities and states throughout the U.S., and in some cases are up 50 percent or more when compared to pre-pandemic levels. The higher rates appear to be linked to increased rents and a shortage of affordable housing stock as well as to the end of a federal moratorium on evictions and the expiration of rental assistance programs approved by Congress. 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