There Are Nonmilitary Alternatives to Israel’s War in Gaza

Israel and its allies have made a knee-jerk assumption that war is the only way to create safety and respond to the Oct. 7 massacre by Hamas. This assumption — which upholds violence as the only path forward — is commonly accepted by extremists on both sides of the conflict, as well as most leaders and institutions across the U.S. and Europe. Nonviolence author, educator, and activist, George Lakey explains that there’s a wide range of options to generate safety beyond taking up arms. MORE

Young Men in Violent Parts of Philadelphia, Chicago Die from Guns at a Higher Rate Than U.S. Troops In the Heat of Battle

Mass shootings tend to dominate the debate over gun violence – but they accounted for just 3% of all firearm homicides in the United States in 2021. The vast majority of gun homicides are murders that happen in an extremely concentrated number of neighborhoods – places where the rate of gun deaths rivals war zones.  Young Black men represented 93.9% of firearm-related homicide victims in Chicago and 79.3% of gun homicides in Philadelphia – where young Hispanic men make up another 12.9%. MORE

Can Restorative Justice Break the Cycle of Mass Incarceration?

No country incarcerates more people than the United States. It’s a tragic aspect of a uniquely American story, one rooted in a history of racialized violence. However, a small but growing number of programs around the country are showing how restorative justice can be an effective alternative to the seemingly endless cycle of crime, violence, and punishment – bringing healing and resolution to victims and perpetrators alike. MORE

U.S. Announces the Arrival of a Nuclear Submarine in the Middle East

Over 500 feet long, 18,750 tons submerged, and carrying as many as 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles, the Ohio-class guided missile submarines are among the U.S. military’s most formidable weapons. Ordinarily, the location of these submarines is kept top secret, but U.S. Central Command announced that a submarine had arrived in the Middle East on Nov. 5. The move is the latest attempt by the U.S. to bolster its military presence in the region and to deter Hezbollah, Iran and their allies in the region from escalating. MORE

The Climate Blind Spot in Nuclear Weapons Policy

The world-ending potential of nuclear weapons looms over populations around the world. Climate change is a slower-moving catastrophe, but it openly threatens every community. Although younger generations are focused on climate change as the biggest threat, these two existential crises are intrinsically linked. Understanding their connection can lay the groundwork for alleviating the threat of nuclear war and the cataclysmic climate event that would follow. MORE

UN Adopts Resolution on Addressing the Legacy of Nuclear Weapons

Late last month, a United Nations committee adopted a new resolution, to address the devastating legacy damage of nuclear weapons use and testing and provide assistance for victims and environmental remediation to those affected.  The resolution was brought forward by the Republics of Kazakhstan and Kiribati, two states that have been devastatingly impacted by nuclear testing (by the Soviet Union and United Kingdom/United States, respectively). Thirty-seven other continents expressed enthusiastic support for the resolution. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Urge Congress to Fund Programs that Ensure the Safety and Well-Being of Unaccompanied Children

In the last two years, immigration officials encountered over 250,000 unaccompanied children at U.S. borders. They are facing a new world, and Congress has a critical role to play to ensure these children have the resources they need to rebuild their lives and succeed. Church World Service invites us to tell Congress to robustly fund post-release services, culturally competent home studies, legal representation, mental health services, and child advocates to ensure the safety and well-being of unaccompanied children.  TAKE ACTION

Five Mayors Seek Meeting with Biden on Migrants' Arrivals

The mayors of Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, and New York City are seeking a meeting with President Biden to press for help in managing the migrant arrivals in their cities. One key issue is that migrants want jobs but the federal government is standing in the way by failing to quickly issue work permits, said Denver's mayor. MORE

The Number of Migrants Is Not the Problem—Our Asylum System Is

More than 60,000 migrants currently reside in New York City shelters and roughly 30,000 migrant children have enrolled in the city’s public schools this year alone.  The overwhelming majority of border encounters this year involved people who applied for entry via the CBP One app, as required. The problem is not the number of migrants asking for asylum at the border, but rather the underlying system that keeps them in perpetual limbo after they’ve set foot in the United States. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Protect Our Public Lands from Fossil Fuels

The oil and gas industry pays far less than market rates to exploit federal public lands and routinely leaves the public on the hook for cleaning up the messes they make. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is developing new regulations to unwind some of these subsidies. EarthJustice urges us to tell the BLM to end financial giveaways to the fossil fuel industry and tie fossil fuel extraction rules to our greenhouse-gas reduction goals. TAKE ACTION

Mixed Response to Climate Loss and Damages Talks Set Stage for Conflict at COP28

Tense negotiations at the final meeting on a climate-related loss and damages fund — an international fund to help poor countries hit hard by a warming planet — ended Saturday in Abu Dhabi, with participants agreeing that the World Bank would temporarily host the fund for the next four years. The United States and several developing countries expressed disappointment in the draft agreement, which will be sent for global leaders to sign at the COP28 climate conference, which begins in Dubai later this month. MORE

Police in Savannah Arrest 20-Year-Old Woman on Charges of Sex Trafficking Underage Girls

Police in Savannah, GA have arrested a 20-year-old woman in connection with a human trafficking/sexual exploitation of a child investigation. Authorities said the arrest stems from an October 2022 investigation where police said Ferrell was attempting to traffic two underage girls. The woman was already in custody after being arrested on drug charges and other crimes. One of the victims was a runaway and both of them have been returned to their families. MORE

I Was Trafficked as a Teen. Here’s What I Want People to Understand

Trafficking survivor Kyle Dillon Hertz says that when he talks about being trafficked as a teenager, people ask two questions: How did it happen, and how did nobody know it happened? The problem of the commercial sex trade doesn’t just exist, he says, it persists. He says that by sharing what happened to him, he hopes that other victims will have an easier time speaking up and advocating for justice. MORE

Study Shows Domestic Violence Victims More Likely to Be Killed in United States

America may not have the highest rates of domestic violence worldwide, but it is the deadliest. According to the research, an American woman is 25 times more likely to be shot and killed by her partner than women in other developed countries. Sociologist Sonia Salari, a professor at the University of Utah, said it’s due to our access to guns compared to restrictions in other nations. MORE

Supreme Court Seems Likely to Uphold Law Barring Domestic Abusers from Owning a Gun

The Supreme Court seemed likely Tuesday to preserve a federal law that prohibits people under domestic violence restraining orders from having guns. In their first guns case since last year’s expansion of gun rights, the justices suggested that they will reverse a ruling from an appeals court in New Orleans that struck down the 1994 ban on firearms for people under court order to stay away from their spouses or partners. The ruling is expected by July. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Restore the Expanded Child Tax Credit

In 2021, 2.9 million children were lifted out of poverty by the expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC)—and we could continue to reduce poverty for 18.6 million more children, especially Black and Latino children, if Congress continues the expansion. But some in Congress would rather pass a tax bill that would provide $60.8 billion in tax cuts for the rich while claiming that we can’t afford to invest in children and families. NETWORK Lobby invites us to call on Congress to restore the expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC) and reject corporate tax breaks.  TAKE ACTION

Bangladesh Government Raises Garment Worker Wages After Protests 

Officials this week said they would raise pay by about 50 percent after violent protests broke out over the weekend over wages as low as $80 per month. The garment industry accounts for more than 80 percent of Bangladesh’s annual exports, and more than half of the sector’s employees are women.  MORE

In Detroit, a Building Is Transformed into Permanent Housing for Veterans Experiencing Homelessness 

Four organizations in Detroit and a national partner have worked together to reduce homelessness in the city toward “functional zero.” A building, operated by the nonprofit Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries, gives veterans experiencing homelessness a much-needed permanent housing option while stripping away some long-standing rental barriers, such as bad credit or a record of evictions, depending on their circumstances. These barriers often hinder veterans going through a rough phase from securing an apartment. MORE

Brent Brewer is scheduled to be executed on November 9 by the state of Texas for the murder of Robert Laminack. Please hold Brent, Robert, their families, and the people of Texas in prayer. TAKE ACTION

David Renteria is scheduled to be executed on November 16 by the state of Texas for the murder of Alexandra Flores. Please hold David, Alexandra, their families, and the people of Texas in prayer. TAKE ACTION

Casey McWhorter is scheduled to be executed on November 16 by the state of Alabama for the murder of Edward Williams. Please hold Casey, Edward, their families, and the people of Alabama in prayer. TAKE ACTION