The fight for women's rights in Afghanistan is a long and ongoing battle that has taken a huge step backwards with recent Taliban control. Despite immense danger and sacrifice, the Afghan women's soccer team is working to prove progress is possible. By breaking down cultural barriers and taking the field, they are not only challenging societal norms, but they are also providing a source of hope and inspiration. The problem? FIFA, the governing body of international soccer, refuses to recognize the team. This failure means the women cannot represent their country, compete in professional matches, or receive the funding they need to pay players and staff. But that can change. After months of player protests and widespread criticism over its human rights abuses in Doha, FIFA is eager to rehabilitate its image. And with the Women's World Cup taking place in Australia and New Zealand this July, FIFA will once again be center stage — and sensitive to public pressure and protest.  Right now, FIFA’s PR machine is closely watching and listening. That means we have a crucial opportunity to call on them to use their power for good. Can you join us to support women’s rights and diplomacy by signing our petition to FIFA President Gianni Infantino?

This statement was created by the Vietnam Peace Commemoration Committee. Our purpose is to honor the protests and the activists that helped end the US war in Indochina and to share lessons for the present. www.vietnampeace.org

A hate group like the KKK should have no place of recognition on any college campus, let alone one where soldiers are trained to kill. But for decades, “cadets” at West Point have walked past a panel of three plaques that includes an image of a hooded figure and the words “Ku Klux Klan”. Ultimately, the Secretary of Defense will have the final say, and that’s why we’re going straight to the top! What happens next is crucial — Sec. Austin has heard from Congress, he’s heard from racial justice leaders, and now he needs to hear from grassroots activists just like you.

When deadly fires raged in Cuba's primary oil storage tanks in Matanzas August 5-12, US agencies failed to provide or fund immediate material help and personnel to extinguish them, despite our special competence and respected history of international disaster assistance. Prompt action could have saved lives and prevented the fire from destroying two additional storage tanks. The US can now take the generous and humane step of providing assistance to address the fire's aftermath, including further deterioration in Cuba's electrical generation and distribution system as discussed with the Environmental Protection Agency. Hurricane Ian devastated western Cuba before striking Puerto Rico and Florida., destroying homes, businesses and vital crops. USAID's website reports, "The Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) is responsible for leading and coordinating the U.S. government’s response to disasters overseas. OFDA responds to an average of 65 disasters in more than 50 countries every year." Director Samantha Power is well positioned to lead such an effort as shown by her groundbreaking speech to the UN General Assembly, full text here https://tinyurl.com/PowerUN Resources * "U.S. will provide $2 million of hurricane aid in Cuba" by Karen De Young, Washington Post, October 18, 2022 https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/10/18/biden-cuba-hurricane-ian/ * "Disaster diplomacy: Why Biden should rush to help Cuba after Hurricane Ian" by Professor William LeoGrande, Responsible Statecraft https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2022/09/30/disaster-diplomacy-why-biden-should-rush-to-help-cuba-after-hurricane-ian/ * Letter from Representatives Lee, McGovern and Meeks calling for US humanitarian aid to Cuban victims of Hurricane Ian https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/chairs-lee-meeks-and-mcgovern-issue-statement-regarding-humanitarian-assistance-to-cuba-following-hurricane-ian * Letter from FFRD to USAID https://cubapeopletopeople.blogspot.com/2022/08/letter-to-usaid.html * "Cuba’s enormous blaze fuels fears of instability even as flames are doused" by Ed Augustin https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/10/cuba-fire-government-power-cuts * "Did U.S.-Cuba dysfunction prevent a quicker end to the Matanzas oil fire disaster?" by Tim Padgett https://www.wlrn.org/news/2022-08-19/did-u-s-cuba-dysfunction-prevent-a-quicker-end-to-the-matanzas-oil-fire-disaster * "We appreciate humanitarian assistance offer made by the US. This material contribution that is worth 2 million USD, channeled through the International Federation of Red Cross, will add up to our recovery efforts in support of the victims of the ravages caused by #HurricaneIan" Tweet by Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez.

Tangible challenges such as inadequate materials, lack of access to sanitation products and inadequate facilities, coupled with psychological challenges such as the lack of menarche education, fear and cultural stigmatization put secondary school girls and menstruating youth in Nigeria at a disproportionate risk for adverse educational impacts and other negative outcomes.

It’s not enough to hit pause on human rights violations Did you know the Biden administration has asked Israel to pause “actions in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem that could create tensions” ahead of the president’s visit to the region this week? That means they’ll play “nice” while the diplomats meet, but once the president is gone, it’s back to business as usual: occupation, evictions, bulldozers, and violence. Take Masafer Yatta — just weeks before President Biden’s first official visit to the Middle East, Israel began the largest forced eviction in the West Bank in DECADES. At least 1,000 Palestinians living in the villages of Masafer Yatta are facing eviction as the Israeli government continues its strategy of illegal encroachment in the West Bank. It’s not enough for the Israeli government to simply pause their human rights violations, and we can help put a stop to them once and for all. Usually, this kind of aggression by Israel’s government would be overlooked by the United States. But with President Biden touching down in the region today, and members of Congress already speaking out, we have a unique opportunity to push for more and to STOP the evictions and demolitions before it’s too late.

Ben & Jerry’s is in court protecting their decision to stop selling ice cream in occupied Palestinian territories, after a betrayal by their parent company, Unilever. To appease the Israeli government, Alan Jope, CEO at Unilever, authorized a backroom deal to sell the franchise to an Israeli company – essentially overriding Ben & Jerry’s decision. Sign the petition: tell Unilever to stop its betrayal of Ben & Jerry’s and Palestinian human rights. Ben & Jerry’s made the human rights-affirming decision in 2020 to stop doing business in occupied Palestine, following a decade of grassroots organizing and campaigning by Palestinians and allies across the globe. In 2021, Ben & Jerry’s finally went public with their decision — after a particularly brutal Israeli military assault on Gaza which killed over 200 people — and during a huge surge of international support for Palestinian freedom. Now, a year after Ben & Jerry’s public announcement, their parent company, Unilever, has made a backroom deal to sell ice cream operations to the Israeli licensee rather than honor Ben & Jerry’s decision to respect Palestinian lives.

20 years ago — George W. Bush lied to Congress and received authorization to invade Iraq. It is now 2022 and Congress has left that law on the books and open to misuse. The good news is, right now, we’re as close as we’ve ever been to repealing the Authorization for the Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002. And with your help — we can pressure Congress into repealing the authorization for good. It is dangerous to give presidents the authority to wage war unilaterally. During the final year of the Trump presidency, Donald Trump used the ‘02 AUMF to assassinate General Qasem Soleimani of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps with a targeted drone strike in Iraq. That assassination brought the U.S. dangerously close to an all out war with Iran. It makes no sense to keep this legal authority to wage war against a government that hasn’t existed for 19 years on the books.

With 2.9% of every company's earnings contributing to the SSA, I am urging the decision-makers to consider the welfare of such a diverse community of citizens who are so in need of a hope to hold on to. By making one small step for man, we can rest assured that addressing this issue head-on is the most important leap for mankind during this prevailing crisis. By increasing policies to aid the crisis itself, I believe that taking action will create a domino effect in which others will want to be apart of. It is not too late to make a difference, sign this petition to propel this initiative forward and enact change in our country today.

Cuong Phan is a 46 year old incarcerated Vietnamese immigrant who came to this country in 1984, when he was 8 years old. Cuong was sentenced to serve 15 years to life for gang-related shooting in September of 1994, even though he wasn’t the shooter. He was just an 18 year old boy when he was arrested. Cuong has since taken full responsibility for his actions, serving 28 years in State Prison. In this time, he’s completed multiple programs (Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Criminals and Gangs Anonymous, Lifer's Activity Group, Anti-Recidivism Coalition, Meditation Buddhist Pathways, Going Out By Going In, Partnership for Re-Entry Program); built his skills in the trades (Vocational Machine Shop, Computer Services and Repair, Vocational Mill and Cabinet, Braille Transcriber); and continued his education to earn 6 college degrees. Cuong is now the Supervisor for the braille program at Ironwood State Prison, which helps produce books for blind and disabled students across the nation. The company he works for has also offered him a job when he’s free. Cuong was recently granted parole, pending Governor Newsom’s approval. His release will be in July of this year. However, ICE has issued a detainer on Cuong. This means that ICE requested the State Prison to notify them before releasing Cuong. On his release day, instead of being freed, Cuong will be detained by ICE, and potentially deported to a country he’s never known. Cuong should be reunited with his family and community, who are ready to support him and his freedom. Will you sign the petition TODAY to stop Cuong from being transferred to ICE?

It is total hypocrisy for the U.S. to oppose Russia's oil dictator Vladimir Putin while supporting Saudi Arabia's oil dictator Mohammed bin Salman. But according to news reports, President Biden is about to travel to Saudi Arabia to restore U.S. relations with Saudi Arabia's brutal oil dictator, Mohammed bin Salman. Biden may travel to Saudi Arabia later this month in order to shake the Saudi dictator's hand. Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil company, Saudi Aramco, is the world's largest corporate climate polluter. Meanwhile, the Saudi dictatorship has used billions of dollars in U.S. weapons to starve and kill thousands of people in Yemen. Tell President Biden not to shake hands with Saudi Arabia's dictator. SOURCES: 1. "Biden to Travel to Saudi Arabia, Ending Its ‘Pariah’ Status," The New York Times, June 2, 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/02/us/politics/biden-saudi-arabia-trip.html. 2. "What do we know about the top 20 global polluters?" The Guardian, October 9, 2019, https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/09/what-we-know-top-20-global-polluters 3. "Yemen: US-made weapon used in air strike that killed scores in escalation of Saudi-led coalition attacks," Amnesty International, January 26, 2022, https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/01/yemen-us-made-weapon-used-in-air-strike-that-killed-scores-in-escalation-of-saudi-led-coalition-attacks/

When we were called to serve and protect our nation, we showed up. Congress: the American people are now calling on you for action. It's time to deliver real clean energy security that takes the power back from hostile dictators and greedy corporations.