September 4, 2019
Action Alert Digest
TAKE ACTION: Tell Microsoft: Drop AnyVision

This June, Microsoft made a massive multi-million dollar investment in AnyVision, an Israeli facial recognition company led by former Mossad and Israeli Defense Forces staff. There is nothing ethical about creating an Orwellian surveillance system to watch over an imprisoned people. Jewish Voice for Peace invites us to sign their petition demanding Microsoft cut all ties with AnyVision.  TAKE ACTION
A New Ordinance in San Jose, CA Would Require Gun Owners to Carry Liability Insurance

Gun violence costs every American more than $700 a year with a total cost of $229 billion per year — much of which is paid for by taxpayers. Those costs include emergency services, police investigations, prison costs, lost wages, and long-term mental and physical care. Given the massive costs associated with gun violence, Sam Liccardo, the mayor of San Jose, California has proposed an ordinance that would require all gun owners to carry liability insurance.  MORE
Iran Goes Further In Breaching Nuclear Deal, IAEA Report Shows

Iran has gone further in breaching its nuclear deal with world powers, increasing its stock of enriched uranium and refining it to a greater purity than allowed, the U.N. atomic agency report said last week. The report confirms Iran is progressively backing out of the deal in retaliation for Washington’s withdrawal from the accord and renewal of sanctions that have hit Iranian oil sales.   MORE
US Experts Propose Having AI Control Nuclear Weapons

Hypersonic missiles, stealthy cruise missiles, and weaponized artificial intelligence have so reduced the amount of time that decision-makers in the United States would theoretically have to respond to a nuclear attack that, two military experts say, it’s time for a new US nuclear command, control, and communications system. Their solution? Give artificial intelligence control over the launch button.  MORE
TAKE ACTION: Reject The Administration’s New Fast Track Deportation Rule

The White House announced its new plan to fast track deportations for undocumented individuals who cannot prove they have been physically present in the United States for at least two years. The rule allows immigration enforcement officers to remove noncitizens from the United States without ever seeing a judge. Catholic Legal Immigration network provides an opportunity to submit a public comment about this harmful new rule.  TAKE ACTION
Trump Administration Transfers FEMA Funds to Expand Immigration Detention

This week, news broke that the Trump administration is transferring $271 million in Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding -- including $158 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Disaster Relief Fund and $116 million from the Coast Guard -- to expand immigration detention and fund the dangerous “Remain in Mexico” program.   MORE
Immigration Agency to Re-Open Some Requests to Defer Deportation

US Citizenship and Immigration Services has announced that it will re-open some pending cases of those applying for relief from deportation after a move to end deferment requests prompted concerns among undocumented families, some of whom are seeking relief for medical issues. Earlier this month, USCIS sent letters to family members who had requested relief from deportation, in spite of being treated for life-threatening diseases and conditions.    MORE
TAKE ACTION: Urge Congress to Support Climate Action

The International Climate Accountability Act (S.1743) calls upon the United States to remain a global leader in the effort to address climate change. It asks the Administration to develop and submit a plan that enables our nation to meet our commitments under the Paris Agreement, which was signed by 193 other nations.  Catholic Climate Covenant urges us to tell our Senators t o support legislation to protect Creation TAKE ACTION
Fracking in U.S. and Canada Linked To Worldwide Atmospheric Methane Spike

New research by a scientist at Cornell University warns that the fracking boom in the U.S. and Canada over the past decade is largely to blame for a large rise in methane in the Earth's atmosphere—and that reducing emissions of the extremely potent greenhouse gas is crucial to help stem the international climate crisis. Between 2005 and 2015, fracking went from producing 31 billion cubic meters of shale gas per year to producing 435 billion cubic meters.  MORE
Climate Change Turns Arctic into Strategic, Economic Hotspot

As climate change melts ice sheets and permafrost, exposing greater areas of the Arctic, more countries are eyeing the region for its untapped wealth of oil, natural gas, and rare earth minerals. Inside Climate News explains why unleashing the Arctic's carbon would have devastating consequences for the planet.  MORE
Tech Tools Can Lead Fight Against Modern Slavery

Two billion people - more than 60% of the world's workers - are in informal employment, putting them at a higher risk of slavery. But now technology is helping to identify slave-owners and offer help to those at risk. Innovative tools range from using satellite images to look out for illegal factories to securing blockchain databases that trace apparel back to the source, and simple apps giving advice and contacts to vulnerable workers.  MORE
New Hope for Child Rights After India Gets Tough On Traffickers

Campaigners hailed new hope for child rights last week after a trafficker who tricked five Indian boys into menial work with the promise of better schooling was awarded a rare life sentence. The five boys, aged 10 to 17, were rescued from a bangle making unit in Jaipur in 2016. They had been tricked, lured from their homes in Bihar under promises of better schooling.  MORE
As Deaths Mount, France Tries to Get Serious About Domestic Violence

According to government figures, a woman is killed in France by her partner or former partner every three days. The toll is increasingly catching the attention of French officials, who have begun taking more urgent steps to combat the trend. Last week, the French government opened a national debate in an effort to stamp out what some lawyers and prosecutors call femicide to underscore the particular nature of the crime.  MORE
Rights Experts Flag Violations of Rape, Sex Abuse In Yemen

Experts backed by the U.N.’s top human rights body have flagged allegations of rape, sexual assault and gender-based violence committed by all sides in Yemen’s civil war, now in its fifth year. The experts pointed to the hostage-taking of women and girls, and the practice of kidnapping and detaining women over the last two years to blackmail their relatives.  MORE
Homeless People are Dying on Los Angeles Streets in Record Numbers

In 2012, 407 homeless people died in L.A. County. The number has gone up sharply every year, to last year’s record high of 921. This year, the toll hit 525 in just the first six months — 88 more than over the same period a year earlier. On average, nearly three homeless people are dying daily in the county, nearly double the rate of deaths by homicide. Illness, addiction, accidents, suicide and the ravages of being unsheltered are among the primary causes of death.  MORE
Addressing the Root Causes of Hunger in America

Across the U.S., more than 40 million Americans live in households that struggle against hunger, with poverty and racial inequities often being root causes. Dr. Kofi Essel of Children’s National Health System in Washington, D.C., explains that hunger is a product of intentional, manmade social and economic systems and policies that systematized racism and created divisions, hierarchies, and injustices.     MORE
Gallup Poll Shows Support for Unions at Near 50-Year High

A new Gallup poll shows support for unions among the American public is at a near 50-year high despite the best efforts of corporations and conservative politicians. The Gallup survey found that 64 percent of Americans approve of unions, up 16 percent from 2009. "The current 64 percent reading is one of the highest union approval ratings Gallup has recorded over the past 50 years," the polling organization noted.  MORE

Mark Soliz is scheduled to be executed on September 10 by the state of Texas for the murder of Nancy Weatherly. Please hold Mark, Nancy, their families and the people of Texas in prayer.  TAKE ACTION

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