TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress to Keep Guns Out of the Hands of Children

76% of all school shootings, 80% of all child suicides, and 76% of all accidental shootings are committed with guns found by kids in their homes. In order to curb the epidemic of gun violence that takes so many of our children’s lives, gun owners need to start being held responsible for the deadly weapons they treat so recklessly. Civic Shout urges us to tell Congress to pass Ethan’s Law which would require that gun owners safely and securely store their firearms. TAKE ACTION

Standing Together: The Peace Movement Inside Israel

Last month more than 2,000 people marched through the streets of Tel-Aviv, calling for a ceasefire agreement that will end hostilities in Gaza, in the biggest peace demonstration inside Israel since the war began. The protesters — both Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel — marched through the streets chanting in Hebrew and Arabic: “Jews and Arabs refuse to be enemies,” “Peace, equality, social justice,” “In Gaza and Sderot, children want to live,” “Our answer to the right-wing: Israel and Palestine.” MORE

Wars Get More Money Than We’re Capable of Understanding

War is a top cause in the world of death, injury, destruction, trauma, and of course far and away the leading cause of homelessness. But, according to David Swanson of World Beyond War, the thing that is worse than war itself is the war budget. The weapon that kills more than any other weapon is the moving of money from useful things to the Pentagon. The U.S. prioritizes the military like no other country. Of 230 other countries, the U.S. spends more on militarism than 227 of them combined.  MORE

How to Reduce Nuclear Risks Between the United States and North Korea

Since the collapse of the diplomatic process between the United States and North Korea in 2019, relations between the two sides have been at a standstill. In 2021, as the Biden administration entered office, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un set into motion a wide-ranging plan for the modernization of his nuclear forces. In the absence of North Korean nuclear disarmament, the United States and South Korea should seek a new approach that seeks to manage and reduce nuclear risks through forward-leaning, practical measures. MORE

Campaigners Warn Return of U.S. Nukes to U.K. Would ‘Make Britain a Guaranteed Target’

Nuclear weapon abolitionists sounded alarm recently in response to fresh evidence that the United States is planning to station nukes in the United Kingdom for the first time in more than 15 years, a move that opponents said would only heighten the risk of an atomic war.  Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament warned in a statement that the redeployment of nukes to the U.K. would "make Britain a guaranteed target in the event of any war between NATO and Russia." MORE    

Surviving an Era of Pervasive Nuclear Instability

Despite ongoing conflicts in Ukraine, Taiwan tensions, and Middle East turmoil, the world has so far avoided a major nuclear catastrophe akin to the Cuban missile crisis. Though North Korea and Putin's threats have caused concerns, extinction-level risks haven't materialized. However, if present trends continue, successive nuclear crises are probable, potentially escalating in danger. Preventing the use of these weapons demands prudent leadership and a public push to avert nuclear doomsday. MORE

Iowa Lawmakers Advance Bill Making Illegal Immigration a State Crime

State courts would be permitted to order the deportation of immigrants arrested in Iowa while in the country illegally, and local officials would be given legal immunity when assisting in immigration enforcement measures under a bill advanced in the Iowa Senate. Senate File 2211 would create a state crime for migrants who enter or re-enter the state illegally from another country and would give Iowa law enforcement authority to arrest undocumented immigrants in the state. MORE

Americans Are Increasingly Worried About Immigration and National Identity, Poll Shows

According to a recent poll, support for the United States to maintain its openness to those in search of a better life has decreased. Although 57 percent of respondents say welcoming others makes the United States what it is, it reflects a significant downward shift in this sentiment since July 2021 when 66 percent supported openness to welcoming others. MORE

Surge in Immigration Will Boost U.S. Economy, Congressional Budget Office Says

The surge in immigration will help bolster the U.S. economy by about $7 trillion over the next decade by swelling the labor force and increasing demand, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The stronger growth will be good for the federal government, lifting revenues by about $1 trillion, according to the non-partisan agency. “Increases in the population boost the demand for goods, services, and housing,” the CBO said. “They also expand the productive capacity of the economy by increasing the size of the labor force.” MORE

TAKE ACTION: Help Plug Dangerous Pipeline Leaks

U.S. gas pipelines leak millions of tons of methane, a powerful driver of climate change, into our atmosphere each year. That’s the same impact as roughly 50 million passenger cars. The Department of Transportation has a proposal to help find and fix more leaks which would require more regular surveys for repairs, more detailed reporting, the use of modern technology for leak detection, and extend protective standards to cover 70,000 more miles of pipelines. Earthjustice urges us to tell Secretary Buttigieg to finalize the rule. TAKE ACTION

Biden's Next Top Climate Aide 'a Serious Catholic' Committed to Laudato Si'

President Biden has tapped John Podesta to succeed John Kerry as his top climate diplomat. Archbishop John Wester of Santa Fe, New Mexico, met with Podesta last fall and was impressed by Podesta's grasp of climate and environmental matters, as well as the Catholic politician's knowledge of church teaching on the subject. Stephen Schneck, a Catholic political philosopher and board member for the Catholic Climate Covenant said, "[Podesta] is committed to the vision of Laudato Si', and utterly gets the social justice core of our church's social magisterium." MORE

Climate Change Has Killed 4 Million People Since 2000 — and That’s an Underestimate

In the early 2000s, researchers began to estimate the morbidity of climate change by examining the number of lives lost to diarrheal disease, malnutrition, malaria, cardiovascular disease (a proxy for heat-related illness), and flooding, worldwide. Experts now predict that by the end of this year, climate change will have killed roughly 4 million people globally since the turn of the century. MORE

DHS, Lyft Partner on Human Trafficking Prevention Campaign

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is teaming up with ride-hailing company Lyft to prevent human trafficking and raise awareness on the issue. The partnership, between the DHS Blue Campaign and Lyft, will include a tutorial program to help ride-hailing drivers in the United States and Canada recognize and prevent human trafficking. The partnership is intended to help raise awareness of the crime, teach drivers the signs that indicate someone may be a victim, and provide them with resources to help. MORE

Mondelez Sued Over Child Labor in Supply Chain

A Mondelez class action lawsuit unveils a disturbing reality of mislabeling and deceptive marketing tactics to conceal the company’s complicity in unethical labor practices.  Mondelez reportedly earned more than $31 billion in revenue in 2022, and some of its most popular products include Oreos, Chips Ahoy, Clif Bars, and Toblerone. However, the Mondelez class action lawsuit alleges the company profits by paying local cocoa farmers as little as $3 per day, causing them to resort to child labor and child slavery.  MORE

Record Protest in Kenya Against Femicide

Thousands gathered in Kenya last month for the largest demonstration against sexual and gender-based violence in the country’s history. Kenyan women have faced a wave of femicides in recent years, and media outlets are reporting at least fourteen additional deaths in the first month of this year. Many protesters are demanding that the government declare femicide as a national emergency and establish expedited processes for adjudicating such crimes. MORE

Helping Girls Deal with Unwanted Sexual Attention

For many girls and women, unwanted sexual attention is a fact of life. This ranges from catcalls on the street to romantic or sexual advances that they don’t welcome. Many girls struggle with how to decline unwanted advances because they’re afraid of hurting someone’s feelings. And when the attention is aggressive or comes from someone older, it can be hard to know how to push back. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress to Fully Fund Housing, Nutrition, and Substance Use Disorder Treatment

Members of Congress are currently in negotiations over the final FY2024 funding bills, which will have major consequences for essential programs such as housing, WIC, and treatment for substance use disorder. Millions of struggling people and communities across the country need our federal government to step up and provide relief now. The Coalition on Human Needs asks us to tell Congress to invest in human needs programs, not cut funding during this challenging time for millions of families.   TAKE ACTION

Moms and Babies Were Struggling in Flint, Michigan. Cash Offers a Lifeline of Hope.

Once a city known for poisoned water and governmental neglect, Flint, Michigan is becoming an example of a new child-centric social contract. This week Flint launched the nation’s first citywide cash program for pregnant moms and infants. This year, every expectant mom in the city will receive $1,500 during mid-pregnancy and, once their babies are born, $500 per month until they turn 1 year old. More than 300 moms have already enrolled in the program and will receive funding for diapers, food, cribs, or whatever each family determines they need most. MORE

Advocates and Experts Warn Against States Using Nitrogen for Executions

The execution of a man by nitrogen gas in Alabama is raising ethical questions about whether the practice is cruel and experimental. The Jan. 25 execution of Kenneth Smith, 58, was the first in the nation in which nitrogen gas was used. Catholic opponents of the death penalty and others concerned about its continued use in several states said the use of nitrogen gas as another form of execution opens the door for new discussions about whether capital punishment should continue. MORE

Ivan Cantu is scheduled to be executed on February 28 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

Thomas Creech is scheduled to be executed on February 28 by the state of Idaho for the murder of David Jensen. Please hold Thomas, David, their families, and the people of Idaho in prayer. TAKE ACTION