PSR Monitor

Join with PSR to commemorate Hiroshima & Nagasaki 75th anniversary

This year, the 75th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, PSR is proud to be part of an enormous coalition of 173 organizations—including 17 PSR chapters—working together specifically to honor survivors of the bombings—the "Hibakusha"—as we acknowledge that the nuclear weapons, the atomic survivors, and civilization itself are #StillHere. Please participate! So far, PSR's intrepid summer intern Liberty Potter is tracking 106 U.S.-based virtual and in-person events in 24 states. For ten hours on August 6 and seven hours on August 9, the coalition will broadcast a national livestream to shine a spotlight on creative projects and local events around the country and amplify the voices of activists and stories of downwinders and survivors. For a wealth of information, including a clickable map of activities, full calendar listings, the list of coalition partners, the Joint Position Statement, a downloadable toolkit for social media, and the Hibakusha Appeal petition in support of the nuclear weapons ban, please visit the HN75 website.

PSR's Board is also sponsoring a 1:1 matching campaign to raise money to continue our important work on nuclear weapons abolition. Click here to double your donation today.

Congress rejects a 10% Pentagon budget cut as it prepares to debate funds for nuclear testing

The week of July 20, both chambers of Congress rejected amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act that would have redirected 10 percent of the Pentagon budget toward community needs like housing, education, and healthcare. Then, the House and Senate passed their versions of the NDAA with bipartisan majorities authorizing a whopping $740 billion for the Pentagon. Meanwhile, the stage has been set for a House-Senate debate over funding for new nuclear weapons tests.

Don't Bank on the Bomb

Don't Bank on the Bomb, a project of PAX and ICAN, produces the only regularly published report on private nuclear weapons manufacturers and their financiers. The annual reports examine contracts for the design and production of nuclear weapons, identifying the top private manufacturers. Most importantly, DBOTB also offers individuals the opportunity to make a difference: the reports allow people to see if their own financial institutions invest in nuclear weapon production and offer avenues of action. PSR recently signed onto a petition asking PNC Financial Services to end its investment in nuclear weapon production, which added up to over $1 billion in 2019. To see what you can do, read more.

PSR Climate Ambassadors making their voices heard

PSR Climate Ambassadors are making the connection between COVID-19, climate change and how pollution from energy use is impacting people's health around the country, especially those most vulnerable and economically disadvantaged.

Read this excellent Perspective in the New England Journal of Medicine co-authored by PSR Climate Ambassador Dr. Caren Solomon on this topic: The Climate Crisis and Covid-19 — A Major Threat to the Pandemic Response

Learn more about our PSR Climate Ambassadors program and consider joining this special advocacy effort. If you have any questions contact Antonia Herzog.

Protecting Voting Rights for All

We need to begin preparing now for an election that protects public health AND voting rights, and ensures that everyone can make their voice heard. Over the coming months, PSR will be reaching out to ask you to help ensure safe voting in the 2020 elections.

We are launching this vital effort with this first request to take action: As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, we need Congress to make vital investments NOW to guarantee the 2020 elections are safe, secure, and accessible to ALL voters.

PSR Actions

Tell Congress: Protect Voting and our Democracy!

In the news

Congress is actually debating new nukes testing amid a devastating pandemic
Allen Hester, PSR, Responsible Statecraft - Jul 26

Daily Digest: Trump administration's rollback on Clean Car Standards causes concern
Iowa Public Radio News - Jul 23 (3:31pm)
Quotes PSR Iowa Coordinator Maureen McCue, MD

Doctors, parents, teachers discuss concerns of in-person schooling during TCAC press conference
WCTV - Jul 22
Mentions PSR Florida

EPA's Chance to Get Science Advice Right
Union of Concerned Scientists - Jul 21
Discusses a letter signed by PSR and partner groups on EPA's advisory committees.

Environmental Justice: Oil bankruptcies require a just transition (worker retraining and toxic cleanups)
Red, Green, and Blue - Jul 17
Quotes Martha Argüello, Executive Director of PSR-Los Angeles

Catherine Plume: Washington Gas owes DC a serious climate plan
The DC Line - Jul 16
Mentions PSR's gas stoves report

Interview with Dr. Ira Helfand
KPFA Evening News - Jul 11
PSR's Ira Helfand, MD, discusses the Back from the Brink campaign.

Push EPA to attend to air pollution and protect the lives and well-being of Iowans
Sheri Deal-Tyne of PSR Iowa and Rishi Shah, Des Moines Register - Jul 10

Florida governor resists ordering masks as hospitals fill up amid COVID-19 pandemic
Associated Press - Jul 10
Quotes PSR Florida board member Ron Saff, MD

Group of doctors demand statewide mask mandate outside Florida governor's mansion
ABC 27 - Jul 10
Coverage of PSR Florida's protest in favor of a mask mandate

Florida physicians seek statewide mask order as judge holds up Leon County order
News4Jax - Jul 10
Quotes PSR Florida board member Ron Saff, MD

NASA aims to make field lab a cultural site; activists say it's ploy to get out of cleanup
Ventura County Star - July 8
Quotes Denise Duffield of PSR-Los Angeles

Facing History and Ourselves: Full Spectrum Dominance from White Supremacy to Hiroshima & Nagasaki
Pressenza - Jul 8
Cites PSR's Nuclear Famine report

239 scientists write letter to WHO, urge organization to recognize coronavirus travels farther in the air
Fox 35 Orlando - Jul 6
Quotes PSR Florida's Donald Axelrad, PhD

"Cancel the Rent" Calls Grow Louder as End of Eviction Hold Threatens to Put Thousands on Streets
Maryland Matters - Jul 2
Quotes Gwen DuBois, MD, MPH, president of Chesapeake PSR

Santa Susana Field Lab could become cultural site; some fear that will impede toxic cleanup
Los Angeles Daily News - Jun 28
Quotes Denise Duffield of PSR-Los Angeles

Unleashing our imagination
Citizen's Climate Radio - Jun 26
Podcast interview with PSR board member Natasha DeJarnett, PhD, MPH

Distressed by recent turmoil? New book offers coping tips based on your 'reactor type.'
Lise Van Susteren, MD, PSR Board Member, and Stacey Colino, The Washington Post - Jun 2