ACTIVE NONVIOLENCE & PEACEMAKING

TAKE ACTION: Say No to War with Iran

President Trump has threatened that the US is "locked and loaded” suggesting war with Iran over Saudi oil.  Congress has the power to prevent this looming crime against humanity by passing H.R.2354 / S.1039 – The Prevention of Unconstitutional War with Iran Act of 2019.   RootsAction urges us to tell our Representative and Senators to cosponsor the bills that would block this war and to take other necessary steps to move us in the direction of peace.    TAKE ACTION

145 CEOs Call On Senate to Pass 'Common-sense, Bipartisan' Gun Laws

The CEOs of 145 companies issued a call for gun safety last week, sending a letter to members of the Senate stating that it is "simply unacceptable" to do nothing about gun violence and mass shootings in the U.S.  The letter urges the Senate to pass bipartisan background checks legislation. The CEOs come from a variety of companies, including Amalgamated Bank, Royal Caribbean Cruise line, AirBnB, Yelp, and Dick's Sporting Goods and more.  MORE

Afghan Peace Talks Are Damaged, But Not Yet Broken

President Trump’s recent announcement of a halt to U.S. peace talks with Afghanistan’s Taliban—including a previously unannounced U.S. plan for a Camp David meeting to conclude that process—leaves the future of the Afghanistan peace process unclear. USIP’s Andrew Wilder suggests that U.S. negotiators use the setback as a moment to clarify the strategy, and then urgently get the peace process back on track before too much momentum is lost.  MORE

NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT

The American Public Supports New START. Will the Trump Administration?

A recent survey shows impressive public support for extending the New START treaty, which is otherwise set to expire in 2021.  The results show that across the United States, support for extending New START for five years beyond 2021 exceeds 70 percent in every state. One striking aspect of the data is that approximately two-thirds of those who voted for Donald Trump in 2016 would approve of extending the treaty.  MORE

Even "Limited" Nuclear War Would Actually Be Very Bad and Kill Tens of Millions

Even a limited nuclear war would be catastrophic and kill millions, a new study finds, despite the belief of the Pentagon that the U.S. military could effectively and safely use nuclear weapons in a conflict.  The report, which Princeton University's Science and Global Security Lab presents in video form, affirms the position of anti-nuclear war activists that no use of nuclear weapons is sensible—or safe.  MORE

IMMIGRATION

TAKE ACTION: Call on Congress to Stop the Inhumanity

The Interfaith Immigration Coalition is seeking signatures on a petition calling on the Senate to reduce funding for deportation, detention, and border militarization; support funding for refugee resettlement and asylum; keep families together and invest in alternatives to detention, and exert robust oversight over detention and uses of federal funding.  The petition will close on Friday, September 20 and has a goal of at least 5,000 signatures of people of faith.  TAKE ACTION

California Bans Private Prisons – Including Ice Detention Centers

The private prison industry is set to be upended after California lawmakers passed a bill last week banning the facilities from operating in the state. The move will probably also close down four large immigration detention facilities that can hold up to 4,500 people at a time.  The legislation is being hailed as a major victory for criminal justice reform because it removes the profit motive from incarceration.  MORE

Trump Administration Bars Access to Immigration Tent Courts

The Trump administration has announced that new immigration courts in tents on the Texas border with Mexico will be closed to legal observers, the press and the public.  Immigration lawyers condemned the restrictions as a violation of the due process rights of asylum seekers.  Federal contractors built the two massive tents along the Rio Grande in the cities of Brownsville and Laredo this summer at a cost of$25 million.    MORE

ENVIRONMENT

TAKE ACTION: Tell the EPA to Protect Our Drinking Water from Toxic Chemicals

Last week, Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency officially rolled back the much-needed 2015 Clean Water Rule which means we are now living with drinking water protections that date back to 1986.   Friends of the Earth provides an opportunity to submit a comment to the EPA to pressure the agency to reject this dangerous rollback.  TAKE ACTION

How to Stop Plastic Pollution Forever

Humans have produced more than 8.3 billion tons of plastic in the last 70 years and 91% of that has not been recycled.  The fossil fuel industry plans to increase plastic production by over 40% in the next decade which means more plastic the world has ever seen. The Story of Stuff has released a new video that explains how to put a stop to the growing crisis of plastic pollution.  MORE

Massive Global Climate Strike to Be Held on Friday

On September 20, three days before the UN Climate Summit in New York, young people and adults will strike all across the world to demand transformative action be taken to address the climate crisis.  It is estimated that millions will take the streets to protest government and business inaction on climate change. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg will be leading a demonstration in New York, with parallel strikes in 150 countries.  MORE

HUMAN TRAFFICKING 

Leaders of California Church Indicted In Labor Trafficking Scheme Targeting Homeless People

From San Diego to Texas, homeless people were cajoled into vans with promises of food and shelter.  Instead, prosecutors allege the needy were forced to panhandle for up to nine hours a day, locked into group homes against their will and held captive by leaders of Imperial Valley Ministries.  A dozen leaders of the El Centro-based church were arrested last week on charges of conspiracy, forced labor, document servitude, and benefits fraud.  MORE

Dallas-Based Man Charged With Running Large-Scale Human Trafficking Ring

Federal officials have charged a Dallas man with crimes related to his allegedly running a large-scale sex trafficking ring. Tremont Blakemore may have trafficked hundreds of victims, according to the feds, keeping them under his control through violence, intimidation and frequent threats.  According to those witnesses, Blakemore created what a federal agent describes as an "environment of paranoia."  MORE

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE & SEXUAL ASSAULT

 
TAKE ACTION: Urge the Senate to Pass VAWA

The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (H.R. 1585) recently passed the House of Representatives with strong bipartisan support. Now the Senate needs to pass their version which will help increase access to safety and justice for more survivors of domestic violence, many of whom have been unable to find help before.   The National Network to End Domestic Violence urges us to tell the Senate to pass this important legislation.  TAKE ACTION

For 1 In 16 US Women, First Sexual Intercourse Experience Was Rape

The first experience with sexual intercourse for more than 3 million U.S. women was forced or coerced, according to a new study.  Those women faced more long-term health consequences compared with peers who had a voluntary first experience, according to the study in JAMA Internal Medicine.   Of the respondents who were forced, about 56% say they were verbally pressured, 46% said they were held down and 25% said they were physically harmed.   MORE

POVERTY & SOCIAL JUSTICE

White House Intervenes In General Motors Strike

Some 48,000 GM workers went out on strike this week demanding higher wages, more generous health care benefits and more job security than management has been willing to offer in a new contract.  The White House is seeking to get involved in support of the striking workers.  If successful, the effort could boost the president's reelection chances next year in Michigan and Ohio, where his approval rating has been slipping.  MORE

Stress, Overwork, and Insecurity are Driving the Invisible Workplace Accident Rate

Of all of the work-related deaths recorded, less than 14 percent occur at the workplace. The vast majority were the result of long-term physical or mental illness.  We work in safer environments than we did 30 years ago but the physical and emotional health of workers remains fragile.  Increasing pressure, precarious contracts, and working hours incompatible with life continue to feed the invisible accident rate that does not appear in the news.  MORE

DEATH PENALTY

Robert Sparks is scheduled to be executed on September 25 by the state of Texas for the murder of Chare Agnew, Harold Sublet, Jr., and Raeqwon Agnew.  Please hold Robert, Chare, Harold, Raeqwon, their families, and the people of Texas in prayer.  TAKE ACTION