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Welcome to the Truth and Action Roundup, a reliable source of information, inspiration, and action for the post-election period. Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up here to continue receiving it.

Today is Monday, Nov. 25, 56 days before Inauguration Day. In today’s Truth and Action Roundup, we highlight a few of President-elect Donald Trump’s final picks for his cabinet, unpack the recently concluded COP29 climate negotiations, and look at what the Biden administration is trying to accomplish before leaving office. Given that it’s Thanksgiving week in the U.S., we offer several resources for tackling tough conversations about faith and politics with loved ones. Finally, we offer a reminder of the hope and love of Jesus as Christians look ahead to the season of Advent.

– Rev. Adam Taylor and Rev. Moya Harris, Sojourners

In the News

Here’s what we know at the time of writing:

1) On Friday, Trump announced his remaining nominees to fill his cabinet. Among these nominees, Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination for secretary of labor seems like a laudable choice given her support for unions as a member of Congress — she was one of a few Republicans who voted for the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act. Meanwhile, Trump’s nominee for director of the Centers for Disease Control, former congressman and medical doctor Dave Weldon, has “championed the long-debunked notion that thimerosal, a vaccine preservative, is linked to autism,” according to the Washington Post.

2) The COP29 climate negotiations concluded over the weekend, with wealthy nations pledging to contribute $300 billion per year in climate financing to the Global South by 2035. The deal is far less than the $1.3 trillion per year that independent experts have estimated is needed to support the most impacted nations and fund the energy transitions away from fossil fuels that will be required to curb global temperature increases. With Trump’s promise to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Agreement, the negotiators attempted to design the deal with an eye toward “Trump-proofing” it, both in terms of its timeline and by broadening the base of contributing nations.

3) The Biden administration is also working to protect its legacy ahead of the incoming administration. Two key priorities before leaving office include filling as many judicial vacancies as possible and awarding funding to implement the CHIPS and Science Act, which incentivizes U.S. chip manufacturing.

Take Action

• Learn how to have difficult conversations about politics, faith, and more. Just in time for Thanksgiving week, today we’re offering several helpful resources for navigating tough conversations with loved ones across political, generational, and other divides:

  • A free 40-minute online course from Braver Angels on families and politics. There’s also a printable PDF version.

  • Advice for those dreading holiday arguments about religion and politics from author and regular Sojourners contributor Amar D. Peterman.

  • Simple tools to disagree better this Thanksgiving from decision scientist Julia Minson of Harvard Kennedy School.

Deep Breaths

"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. — Revelation 1:8

For those who follow the liturgical calendar, yesterday was Reign of Christ Sunday or Christ the King Sunday. This day signals the end of the church year, reminding us to celebrate Christ’s sovereignty over all creation and preparing us for the season of anticipation and hope found in Advent.

It seems as though we need this reminder every year. So much happens that we often forget Jesus’ power and love over all things. Christ is still glorious and all-powerful, no matter the outcome of the election. This long year is coming to an end, and for that, I am grateful! I appreciate the reminder that God is both Alpha and Omega, beginning and end. It helps me breathe easier.

Today’s song is “Alpha and Omega” by Israel Houghton, and today's prayer comes from the Revised Common Lectionary:

Most High God, majestic and almighty,
our beginning and our end:
rule in our hearts
and guide us to be faithful in our daily actions,
worshiping the one who comes
as Savior and Sovereign,
and who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen.

— Rev. Moya Harris, Director of Racial Justice, Sojourners

The Truth and Action Roundup is compiled by Sojourners staff:
President: Rev. Adam Russell Taylor
Director of Racial Justice: Rev. Moya Harris
Senior Research Associate: J.K. Granberg-Michaelson
Senior Adviser and Director to the President’s Office: Elizabeth Denlinger Reaves
Director of Campaigns and Mobilizing: Sandy Ovalle Martínez
Director of Congregational Outreach & Education: Rev. Andrea Saccoccio
Digital Communications Associate: Lexi Schnaser
Senior Director of Marketing: Sandra Sims