ACTIVE NONVIOLENCE & PEACEMAKING

NRA Tweet Warns Doctors to 'Stay in Their Lane' Over Gun Control

A social media war has erupted between doctors and the National Rifle Association, just as 12 people were shot and killed at a California nightclub. Doctors started a hashtag group #ThisisOurLane to argue for action to reduce gun violence, with emergency professionals posting gory pictures -- the result of treating gunshot victims. MORE

Pope Francis Encourages Promotion of Peace in Universities

This week in Rome, Pope Francis stated that in current times, there is an ever-growing need to prevent and resolve conflicts.He explains that it is not only the Church who is called to favor "finding solutions to problems affecting peace, social harmony, the land, the defense of life, human and civil rights, and so forth.” The university world also has an important role in the pursuit of this objective.” MORE

NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT

Smith Hopes to Scrap Trump’s Nuclear Weapons Policy

Rep. Adam Smith — set to become the next chairman of the House Armed Services Committee in the new Congress — and other Democratic lawmakers said this week that they hope to use their party’s takeover of the House to check the Trump administration’s expansive policies toward nuclear weapons. MORE

Timeline and Costs of America’s Newest Nuclear Warhead Designs

Estimates for the cost of America’s nuclear warheads have gone up in the last year, as the government prepares to develop and maintain as many as nine new systems in the next 25 years. The National Nuclear Security Administration expects capital investments during this period could require spending between $61.1 billion and $90.7 billion. MORE

Despite Sanctions, Iran Unlikely To Restart Nuclear Program—Yet

Kelsey Davenport is the Director for Nonproliferation Policy at the Arms Control Association. In the latest Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, she suggests that there are specific ways in which US policymakers can mitigate the impact of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action withdrawal; not overreacting as Tehran tests its boundaries might be first on the list. MORE

IMMIGRATION

TAKE ACTION: Oppose Troop Deployment to U.S.-Mexico Border

President Trump has announced plans to deploy thousands of military troops to the U.S.-Mexico border in response to the expected arrival of the migrant caravan of refugees. Several hundred soldiers have already been deployed to Texas. The Sisters of Mercy invite us to join them in opposing this contrived response to a nonexistent threat. TAKE ACTION

The Migrant Caravan: Teen Faces Agonizing Choice

Javier Flores Maldonado, 16, sneaked out of his home in Honduras to follow his 23-year-old brother, Alex, to the caravan. But when Javier found his brother after several days on his own, Alex was angry that Javier had left their mother. Then they called her from Mexico and heard she had fallen ill with heart problems. The youngest of seven, his family wanted him to come home. MORE

ICE Moves to Silence Detention Center Volunteer Visitors

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in San Diego have stopped allowing volunteers to enter detention centers there because they would not sign a "Volunteer Code of Ethics,” which prohibits them from speaking with media about the conditions of the detention centers. The volunteer group, called Souls Offering Loving and Compassionate Ears (SOLACE), says the code violates their First Amendment Rights. MORE

ENVIRONMENT

TAKE ACTION: Tell Chevron to Stop Funding Climate Disinformation

The Chevron company continues to maintain a leadership role in the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) that spreads disinformation and blocks climate action. With oil giants BP, Conoco Phillips, Shell, and ExxonMobil all breaking from ALEC in recent years,Chevron remains as the only major fossil fuel company still funding the lobby group.The Union of Concerned Scientists urges us to tell Chevron to end its support of ALEC. TAKE ACTION

The Weather and Climate Behind the California Infernos
In mere hours, the Camp Fire in California consumed an estimated 111,000 acres. A second blaze, in Southern California,has surged to over 85,500 acres. How did these wildfires grow so explosively? It began with scant rainfall and abnormally warm temperatures which parched the landscape and created tinderbox conditions. Then came howling winds that fanned the flames, once the fires were sparked. And, in an environment of rising temperatures, climate change increased their potential intensity. MORE

Judge Blocks Keystone XL Pipeline, Says Climate Impact Can't Be Ignored

A federal judge in Montana last week blocked all further work on the Keystone XL pipeline, saying the Trump administration had failed to justify its decision to reverse a prior decision by the Obama administration and to approve the tar sands oil delivery project. It was a striking victory for environmental advocates who have spent over a decade fighting the project to carry tar sands oil from Canada to markets in the United States. MORE

HUMAN TRAFFICKING

Meet the Hero Who Went Undercover to Bust Child Traffickers

A man of faith and father of six, Tim Ballard was reluctant to get involved in this line of work and work so closely with child traffickers. He says it is hard to imagine how someone can divorce themselves so fully from their humanity for money. But people who buy and sell children see it as a business like any other. And the highest demand, he says, is right here in the United States.MORE

Myanmar Girls Sold into Marriage for "3 Years and a Baby"

China’s one-child policy and gendercide have brought about a severe gender imbalance in China. The current reality is that there are now 34 million more men than women in China. As a result, men in China are looking to Southeast Asia — especially neighboring Myanmar — to find wives. But it’s also opened up a market in which Myanmar girls are sold into forced marriages. More often than not their traffickers are their own parents. 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. Originally set to expire in September, Congress extended it with stopgap funding through December 7. But the act still needs to be reauthorized. The United Church of Christ provides a simple way to tell Congress to support prompt reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act.TAKE ACTION

Can a Woman's Rising Social Status Bring Down Rates Of Domestic Violence?

A new study found that, in Bangladesh, improving the economic status of women can decrease domestic violence if the women also took part in an educational program that helped elevate their social standing in the community. Women who received both economic assistance and education for two years reported a 26 percent decrease in domestic violence — even several months after the program stopped. MORE

POVERTY & SOCIAL JUSTICE

TAKE ACTION: Support the Child Care for Working Families Act

The solution to the child care crisis in America is the Child Care for Working Families Act -- a bold new bill that not only provides direct financial assistance for child care and early learning expenses, on a sliding scale based on household income, but takes a comprehensive approach -- addressing child care challenges like the quality, availability, and flexibility of care. People for the American Way urge us to tell Congress to support the Child Care for Working Families Act. Read MORE then TAKE ACTION

Voters Want Health Care and the Economy to Work for Them

Based on exit polls following last week’s elections, Deborah Weinstein, Executive Director of the Coalition on Human Needs, observes that voters spoke loudly in favor of protecting and expanding health care, for fair wages and fair voting. Most do not think last year’s tax cuts are helping them. There are sharp partisan differences, but there is also a strong commitment to extending the benefits of a growing economy to more people. MORE

DEATH PENALTY

Robert Moreno Ramos is scheduled to be executed on November 14 by the state of Texas for the murders of Leticia Ramos, Abigail Ramos and Jonathan Ramos. Please hold Robert, Leticia, Abigail, Jonathan, their families and the people of Texas in prayer. TAKE ACTION