U.S. Military Leaders Pressure Anthropic to Bend Claude Safeguards

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is demanding that Anthropic executives accept Pentagon terms of use of the company’s AI model, Claude.  Defense officials are seeking unfettered access to the system. But Anthropic, which presents itself as the most safety-forward of the leading AI companies, has reportedly resisted allowing its product to be used for mass surveillance or autonomous weapons systems that can use AI to kill people without human input.  MORE

Mexico on Edge Following Drug Lord’s Killing

Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, the head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, was killed Sunday in a US intelligence-aided Mexican military operation. President Claudia Sheinbaum said “peace, security, and normalcy” are being maintained across Mexico after suspected gang members torched buses and businesses while clashing with security forces in the wake of the killing. Dozens were killed in the clashes. MORE

Trump Imposes New Sanctions on Iran Ahead of Nuclear Talks

The U.S. is imposing new sanctions on Iranian individuals, companies, and ships accused of enabling the country’s illicit oil sales and ballistic missile programs as President Trump escalates pressure on Tehran over its nuclear program. The Treasury Department has announced additional action targeting vessels in Iran’s “shadow fleet” that officials said have collectively transported “hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth” of petroleum and petrochemical products to foreign countries. MORE

Is Trump Jeopardizing Nonproliferation Efforts to Get a Nuclear Cooperation Deal with Saudi Arabia? A Report to Congress Suggests He Is.

When the Trump administration announced a joint declaration on U.S. nuclear cooperation with Saudi Arabia in November 2025, the White House claimed the proposed deal would lead to a “decades-long multi-billion-dollar nuclear energy partnership” with benefits to American nuclear companies. But U.S. officials dodged key questions about the nonproliferation obligations Saudi Arabia—a country that has openly threatened to develop nuclear weapons if Iran does—will be subject to under the proposed agreement.  MORE

TAKE ACTION: Hold Corporations Accountable for ICE Violence

ICE enforcement has become increasingly violent and lawless. Communities across the country have witnessed raids, surveillance, and deaths in custody. Behind this violence stands a network of powerful corporations. Amazon, AT&T, Home Depot, Microsoft, and Palantir are profiting from ICE enforcement while enjoying massive tax breaks. The Coalition on Human Needs urges us to demand that corporations stop profiting from ICE violence and end their collaboration.  TAKE ACTION

ICE Officer Training Is ‘Deficient’ and ‘Broken,’ Former Agency Lawyer Tells Congressional Forum

A former U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement lawyer who was responsible for training new deportation officers has warned that the agency’s training program for new recruits is “deficient, defective, and broken.” Ryan Schwank’s comments during a forum held by congressional Democrats come at a time of intense scrutiny of the officers tasked with carrying out President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda. MORE

ICE Plans to Spend $38.3 Billion Turning Warehouses into Detention Centers

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement expects to spend $38.3 billion on its plan to acquire warehouses across the country and retrofit them into immigrant detention centers that can hold tens of thousands of immigrants. ICE plans to buy and convert 16 buildings across the country to serve as regional processing centers, each holding 1,000 to 1,500 immigrant detainees at a time. Another eight large-scale detention centers will hold 7,000 to 10,000 detainees at a time, and serve as “the primary locations” for international removals. MORE  

TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress to Mandate Filters to Stop Microfiber Pollution

The Fighting Fibers Act has been introduced in Washington, requiring all new washing machines have built-in microfiber filters by 2030.  With this implementation, emissions can be reduced up to 90%, providing a way to wash our clothes without adding to microplastic pollution. Nearly 70% of garments manufactured every year are made from oil and, when washed, shed plastic microfibers. Globally, 500,000 tons of microfibers are released into oceans every year through domestic washing machines. EarthDay.org urges us to tell our legislators to support the Fighting Fibers Act.  TAKE ACTION

After Promising to ‘Make America Healthy Again,’ Trump Mandates Production of Cancer-Causing Glyphosate

Less than a decade ago, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. helped win a landmark $289 million verdict against Monsanto, which was found to have distributed a weedkiller containing the carcinogenic chemical glyphosate. But last week, the nation’s top health official could only shrug after President Trump issued an executive order mandating the production of the chemical, which was found in 2015 to be “probably carcinogenic to humans” by the International Agency for Research on Cancer at the World Health Organization. MORE

‘They Pushed So Many Lies About Recycling’: The Fight to Stop Big Oil Pumping Billions More into Plastics

Plastic production has doubled in the past 20 years and is projected to double or even triple again soon. In her new book, Plastic Inc: Big Oil, Big Money and the Plan to Trash Our Future, environmental journalist Beth Gardiner reports that petrochemicals—used largely to make plastic—are expected to drive future oil demand growth. As energy markets shift away from fossil fuels, oil companies are relying on plastics to sustain drilling and profits, a strategy she warns poses a serious threat to the climate.  MORE

Royal Arrest Spotlights Power in Human Trafficking

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly the Duke of York, was arrested last week for misconduct in public office. The arrest relates to the former prince’s connection to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Authorities are investigating whether Mountbatten-Windsor shared sensitive information with Epstein while serving as the UK’s trade envoy. They are also reviewing claims of Mountbatten-Windsor’s involvement in allegations that a survivor of Epstein’s trafficking network was brought to the UK for sexual exploitation, which he has repeatedly denied. MORE

New Report Exposes Trafficking of Children with Disabilities for Forced Begging

A new study is providing critical information about a largely unrecognized form of human trafficking and the population of people most at risk: the trafficking of people with disabilities for forced begging. The freshly published report specifically discusses how people with disabilities are at increased risk of human trafficking for begging.  While these findings will help develop evidence-based interventions to combat forced begging globally, researchers interviewed survivors in Ethiopian cities where large numbers of beggars congregate. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Stop the Administration’s Secret Tax Breaks for the Rich and Corporations

The Corporate Alternative Minimum Tax, enacted through the Inflation Reduction Act, requires corporations with over $1 billion in profits to pay at least 15% in federal taxes and was projected to raise $222 billion over a decade. New Treasury and IRS regulations are weakening enforcement, raising thresholds, and exempting certain industries. These changes could restore loopholes for large corporations. Americans for Tax Fairness urges us to tell Congress to demand oversight, ensure transparency, and require full enforcement of the law so profitable corporations pay what they owe. TAKE ACTION

Cuts to the IRS Workforce Will Delay Refunds Families Desperately Need

As 190 million Americans start to file their taxes, families across the nation are looking forward to their refunds. With rising costs squeezing middle- and lower-income households alike, many families are counting the days until their refunds hit their bank accounts. This year, however, the administration’s cuts to the IRS workforce and new policy changes increase the challenge of delivering the refunds that families count on every year. MORE

Black Women Suffered Large Employment Losses In 2025—Particularly Among College Graduates and Public-Sector Workers

The national unemployment rate climbed to its highest point in four years, job growth slowed dramatically, and federal employment fell by a staggering 277,000. Black women bore the brunt of the economic slowdown, suffering far greater employment losses than other groups of women or Black men. Notably, some of the largest losses among Black women were college graduates and public-sector workers, according to our new analysis. MORE

Billy Kearse is scheduled to be executed on March 3 by the state of Florida for the murder of Danny Parrish. Please hold Billy, Danny, their families, and the people of Florida in prayer. TAKE ACTION 

Cedrick Ricks is scheduled to be executed on March 11 by the state of Texas for the murders of Roxann Sanchez and Anthony Figueroa. Please hold Cedrick, Roxann, Anthony, their families, and the people of Texas in prayer. TAKE ACTION

Charles “Sonny” Burton is scheduled to be executed on March 12 by the state of Alabama for the murder of Doug Battle. Please hold Charles, Doug, their families, and the people of Alabama in prayer. TAKE ACTION

Michael King is scheduled to be executed on March 17 by the state of Florida for the murder of Denise Lee. Please hold Michael, Denise, their families, and the people of Florida in prayer. TAKE ACTION