ACTIVE NONVIOLENCE & PEACEMAKING

Ethiopia War Destabilizing East Africa, Warns EU

Fighting between Ethiopia’s military and regional forces from the northern Tigray region is seriously destabilizing the East African and Horn region and hostilities should halt, the European Union foreign policy chief said.  Hundreds of people have been killed since fighting began on Nov. 4, more than 41,000 refugees have fled to Sudan and there are reports of militias targeting civilians. MORE

US Senators Seek to Halt Trump's $23bn UAE Arms Sale

Democratic Senators Bob Menendez and Chris Murphy and Republican Senator Rand Paul announced they would introduce legislation seeking to halt the Trump administration’s effort to sell more than $23bn of drones and other weapons systems to the United Arab Emirates, a showdown with the president two months before he is due to leave office.  MORE

NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT

B-52 Bombers Just Sent a Warning to Iran: Don't Build Nuclear Weapons

Why did two U.S. B-52 bombers fly from North Dakota to the Persian Gulf last weekend?  Most likely, it was a warning to Iran: don’t build nuclear weapons and don’t attack U.S. troops.  A press release by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which covers the Middle East, said the "short-notice, long-range mission” was intended to "deter aggression and reassure U.S. partners and allies."  MORE

Des Moines Residents Had Input on United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

David E. Drake, D.O., is a Des Moines psychiatrist and president-elect of Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR).  Back in October 2016, Drake and his wife, Claire Cumbie-Drake, participated in a two-day lobbying effort at the United Nations during committee debates on disarmament and international security. They came there as representatives of PSR, joining other groups to lobby representatives to work to outlaw nuclear weapons. MORE

IMMIGRATION

 
TAKE ACTION: Urge Congress to Support Robust Funding for Refugees in FY 2021

Right now, Congress is considering funding bills for Fiscal Year 2021 before federal funding expires on December 11th. This includes funding for the U.S. resettlement program and resources for local communities to help refugees integrate and thrive.   Church World Service invites us to tell Congress to robustly fund the resettlement program and protect refugees. TAKE ACTION

Judge Orders End to Expulsion of Unaccompanied Immigrant Children
A federal judge ordered an end to the U.S. policy of quickly expelling unaccompanied immigrant children who cross the southern border. This halts a policy that has expelled thousands of minors before they could request asylum or other legal protections.  MORE

New US Citizenship Test Makes It Harder for Immigrants to Become Citizens
Lawful permanent residents seeking to become U.S. citizens will now be required to take a more difficult and longer citizenship test. The new test also includes changes that can be viewed as political. MORE

ENVIRONMENT

TAKE ACTION: Restore the Clean Water Act

The Clean Water Act calls for the federal government to protect "waters of the United States" -  but polluters have done their best to limit which waters count under this definition. The Trump administration decided to gut the Clean Water Act to exclude certain waters from protections allowing for polluters to dump their waste without proper permits or restrictions. EarthJustice invites us to tell our Senators to reverse these ongoing rollbacks.  TAKE ACTION

Biden's Appointment of John Kerry as Climate Envoy Sends a 'Signal to the World'

President-elect Joe Biden affirmed climate change as a top priority by selecting former Secretary of State John Kerry to serve as a special envoy for climate and giving him a seat on the National Security Council.  Kerry, who served 28 years in the U.S. Senate before becoming secretary of state under President Barack Obama, was in France five years ago helping negotiate the landmark Paris climate accord.  MORE

G.M. Drops Its Support for Trump Climate Rollbacks and Aligns with Biden

General Motors turned its back on the Trump administration’s legal fight to nullify California’s strict fuel economy rules, signaling that it was ready to work with President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. to reduce climate-warming emissions from cars and trucks.  The decision to withdraw the company’s support for Trump administration efforts to strip California of its ability to set its own fuel efficiency standards was a striking reversal.   MORE

HUMAN TRAFFICKING

Child Sex Trafficking: It's Probably Not What You Think It Is

For many, the term "trafficking” evokes images of children kidnapped off the street, smuggled across borders, and moved from place to place, but that's rarely the case, social workers and researchers say. The children most vulnerable are those living in poverty, often known to child protection services, in foster care, in generally unstable conditions, social workers and researchers say. Many have been sexually abused as children before they become victims.  MORE

39 Rescued from Modern Slavery in Brazilian Gold Mine

Thirty-nine people have been rescued after a raid on an illegal gold mine in northern Brazil—an operation whose owner was already known to labor inspectors as a modern slavery offender.  Raimunda Oliveira Nunes is on Brazil’s "dirty list,” which the government has since 2004 used to identify and sanction those who profit from modern slavery, as a result of two previous illegal mining operations.   MORE

Indian Factory Workers Supplying Major Brands Allege Routine Exploitation

A BBC investigation this week uncovered claims of exploitation made by Indian factory workers that supply British supermarket chains Sainsbury’s, Tesco, and Marks and Spencer, as well as fashion brand Ralph Lauren.  Women working at these factories report that they are made to work continuously, often through the night, and are not afforded time to use the toilet, eat lunch or even drink water on shift.  MORE

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE & SEXUAL ASSAULT

With Domestic Violence on the Rise During COVID-19, Activists Push for Protections

With domestic violence on the rise, activists are holding protests from France to Turkey and world dignitaries are trying to find ways to protect millions of victims.  Pope Francis called for action to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. France sealed a deal with TikTok to encourage young people to report abuse through the social network. And world soccer governing body FIFA announced an awareness campaign.  MORE

Hundreds March Against Lack of Accountability Over Rape at Louisiana State University:

Hundreds of teal-clad students, faculty, alumni, and advocates carrying signs and chanting slogans marched through the Louisiana State University campus last week in reaction to LSU’s systemic mishandling of sexual misconduct complaints against top athletes and others. MORE

POVERTY & SOCIAL JUSTICE

TAKE ACTION: Share the Vaccine with the World

In days, governments will vote on a global plan to suspend all patents for Covid-19 vaccines, allowing production to be massively scaled up so that even the poorest countries could have access.  Avaaz invites us to tell all governments, members of the World Trade Organization, and pharmaceutical companies that patents should be lifted, technological knowledge shared freely and openly, and no profiteering allowed during this pandemic. TAKE ACTION

Solving Homelessness Takes Political Will, Money, and Individualization

Housing is only one solution to the problem of homelessness. Homelessness is an immensely complex issue, and each person's circumstances are so unique that the only way to solve the problem is, essentially, by doing so one person at a time.  Benedictine Sr. Karen Bland, who runs a facility in Colorado, cites the importance of education, job training, addiction treatment, mental health treatment, or a host of other issues people made poor can and do face.  MORE

Shocking Inequality: Why San Francisco Voted For 'Overpaid Executive Tax'

 San Francisco voters overwhelmingly backed a new law that will levy an extra 0.1% tax on companies that pay their chief executive more than 100-times the median of their workforce. San Francisco’s new tax is estimated to bring in an extra $60m-$140m a year. Advocates hope the new law will set an example for other cities, states, and even countries, to follow to try and help tackle inequality worldwide.   MORE

DEATH PENALTY

Brandon Bernard is scheduled to be executed on December 10 by the U.S. Department of Justice for the murder of Todd Bagley and Stacie Bagley.  Please hold Brandon, Todd, Stacie, and their families in prayer.  TAKE ACTION

Alfred Bourgeois is scheduled to be executed on December 11 by the U.S. Department of Justice for the murder of JG Bourgeois.  Please hold Alfred, JG, and their families in prayer.  TAKE ACTION

Lisa Montgomery is scheduled to be executed on January 12 by the U.S. Department of Justice for the murder of Bobbie Jo Stinnett.  Please hold Lisa, Bobbie Jo, and their families in prayer.  TAKE ACTION