ACTIVE NONVIOLENCE & PEACEMAKING

Senators Introduce Assault Weapons Ban

Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) last week led a group of senators in introducing the Assault Weapons Ban of 2019 [S.66], an updated bill to ban the sale, transfer, manufacture and importation of military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines. MORE

Study Finds Increased School Bullying In Areas That Voted For Trump

After the 2016 presidential election, teachers across the country reported they were seeing increased name-calling and bullying in their classrooms. New data shows that students in areas that favored Trump reported bullying rates that were 18 percent higher than students living in areas that went for Clinton. They were also 9 percent more likely to report that kids at their schools were teased because of their race or ethnicity. MORE

NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT

Russia, U.S. Fail to Save Missile Treaty, Washington to Pull Out

The United States this week rejected a Russian offer to save a landmark treaty that keeps nuclear missiles out of Europe because it could not be properly verified, setting the stage for Washington to withdraw from the pact next month. MORE

High-Level Talks Between U.S. and North Korea Could Be Held This Week

High-level talks between the U.S. and North Korea are due to take place in Washington as soon as this week, where envoys are expected to discuss plans for a second leaders meeting. Reuters reports that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and North Korea’s Kim Yong Chol are set to meet Thursday or Friday. The North Korean envoy is also expected to meet U.S. President Donald Trump as the two sides lay the groundwork for a follow-up summit. MORE

IMMIGRATION

Court Blocks Trump Administration from Asking About Citizenship in Census

A federal judge has blocked the Commerce Department from adding a question on American citizenship to the 2020 census, handing a legal victory to critics who accused the Trump administration of trying to turn the census into a tool to advance Republican political fortunes. The ruling marks the opening round in a legal battle that seems certain to reach the Supreme Court before the printing of census forms begins this summer. MORE

Thousands of Migrants in Legal Limbo as Shutdown Forces Multi-Year Court Delays

Thousands of immigration hearings have been canceled due to the partial government shutdown, leaving immigrants in legal limbo as they await rescheduled dates that could be as late as 2022. Their cases will be added to a record-high backlog of over 800,000 immigration cases that existed before the shutdown started. MORE

Trump Says There’s A ‘Crisis’ at the Border. Here’s What the Data Says

President Trump’s argument for building a border wall has boiled down to one word: crisis. The White House has focused their case for a crisis on three main points: the flow of illegal immigration, drugs, and terrorism into the U.S. through the southwest border. But a closer look at the numbers raises questions on whether these issues are getting worse, and, whether they constitute a crisis. MORE

ENVIRONMENT

TAKE ACTION: Tell the House to Prioritize Climate Legislation and a Green New Deal

The new class of progressives in the House represents unprecedented diversity and a mandate to solve rising inequity and climate chaos. Friends of the Earth invites us to tell our newly elected Representatives to prioritize the development and passage of ambitious climate legislation in the coming year. TAKE ACTION

Trump Administration Expands Oil Drilling Despite Shutdown

Three weeks into the longest US government shutdown in history, many important government services have been paused – but the Trump administration has continued efforts to expand oil drilling. Despite the shutdown directive, the interior department has continued processing oil drilling permits and applications. It has also moved forward with a controversial plan to increase drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. MORE

HUMAN TRAFFICKING

Human Trafficking Reaches 'Horrific' New Heights, Declares U.N. Report

Human trafficking has taken on "horrific" dimensions, according to the 2018 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons released this month by the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The report, which looked at data from 142 countries between 2014 and 2016, points to two particularly disturbing trends: an increasing number of girls forced into trafficking, and the growing prevalence of trafficking as a tool of war. MORE

US Approved Thousands of Child Bride Requests

Thousands of requests by men to bring in child and adolescent brides to live in the United States were approved over the past decade according to government data obtained by The Associated Press.In one case, a 49-year-old man applied for admission for a 15-year-old girl. The approvals are legal: The Immigration and Nationality Act does not set minimum age requirements. MORE

The Indian Village Where Child Sexual Exploitation Is the Norm

Many families in India still mourn the birth of a girl. But when Leena was born, people celebrated. Sagar Gram, her village in central India, is unique that way. Girls outnumber boys. When a woman marries, it is the groom’s family that pays the dowry. Women are Sagar Gram’s breadwinners. When they are deemed old enough, perhaps at the age of 11, most are expected to start doing sex work. MORE

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE & SEXUAL ASSAULT

TAKE ACTION: Stand in Solidarity with Victims of Gender-Based Violence

The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), first passed in 1994, was enacted to ensure protection against domestic and sexual violence and abuse. The law expired last month, which, in combination with the partial government shutdown, now threatens funding for crucial victim support programs. The United Church of Christ provides a simple way to tell Congress to support prompt reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act.TAKE ACTION

How GPS Tracking Technology Can Curb Domestic Violence

Research shows that GPS-monitored offenders are 95 percent less likely to commit a new crime. Anew study confirmed that GPS tracking resulted in heightened compliance with restraining orders. The New Jersey State Parole Board reported that GPS tracking of sex offenders reduces recidivism from 5.3 percent to 0.4 percent. The results are clear: less violence, fewer murders, and lower incarceration rates. MORE

What Teenage Boys Still Don’t Know About Sexual Assault

Bestselling author and speaker, Laurie Halse Anderson, says that empathetic boys are searching for ways to help survivors, but they struggle in the absence of information. They are looking for leadership and models of behavior. They share a desire to learn more. Their intentions might be good, she says, but their ignorance is dangerous. MORE

POVERTY & SOCIAL JUSTICE

TAKE ACTION: Support the "Raise the Wage Act of 2019”

The federal minimum wage has not received an increase in nearly a decade.And at $7.25 per hour, it is now more than 25 percent below where it was in real terms half a century ago. The newly introduced "Raise the Wage Act of 2019” would raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2024.Roots Action urges us to tell our Representatives to support this important legislation. TAKE ACTION

With Pharma Greed That Is 'Literally Killing People,' New Bills Intend to Lower Drug Prices

Sen. Bernie Sanders, along with several other Democratic lawmakers have introduced a package of legislation aimed at dramatically reducing the nation's sky-high prescription drug prices. "The United States pays by far the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs," Sanders declared in a statement. "This has created a healthcare crisis in which one in five American adults cannot afford to get the medicine they need." MORE

Dreams Deferred:How Enriching the 1 Percent Widens the Racial Wealth Divide

Over the past three decades, a polarizing racial wealth divide has grown between White households and households of color. Between 1983 and 2016, the number of households with $10 million or more skyrocketed by 856 percent. A new report examines how both the racial wealth divide and our staggeringly unequal economy reflect public policies that have favored Whites and the very wealthy. MORE

DEATH PENALTY

Robert Jennings is scheduled to be executed on January 30 by the state of Texas for the murder of Elston Howard. Please hold Robert, Elston, their families and the people of Texas in prayer. TAKE ACTION