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Today is Monday, Dec. 23, 28 days before Inauguration Day. In this week’s Truth and Action Roundup, with Christmas quickly approaching, we offer our “Deep Breaths” spiritual resources at the start of the newsletter, which focuses on the theme of love during this final week of Advent. On the news front, we celebrate President Joe Biden’s commutation of nearly all federal death sentences, report on the narrowly averted government shutdown, and give an update on the next steps in the official process of certifying the winner of the presidential election. Finally, we offer resources on difficult conversations with loved ones during the holiday season and provide a reminder for an upcoming vigil for democracy on Jan. 5 that you can attend in person or virtually.
The Truth and Action Roundup will take a break this Wednesday, Christmas Day, and this Friday, Dec. 27. We will return next Monday, Dec. 30. Merry Christmas to you and yours!
— the Truth and Action Roundup production team
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Advent Readings for today: Psalm 113; Genesis 25:19-28; Colossians 1:15-20 My Big Mama — my paternal grandmother, with her tradition of calling the day before Christmas Eve “Christmas ZZ,” taught me to find joy and anticipation in the simplest moments. Her love and warmth embodied the true spirit of the season — one of hope, peace, and quiet strength. Reflecting on her memory, I’m reminded of Howard Thurman’s “The Sacrament of Christmas.” The poem, published in Meditations of the Heart, beautifully captures these same truths. His words call us to carry joy, trust, and love into the world, no matter the circumstances. Here is one last Christmas playlist for 2024. Enjoy. — Rev. Moya Harris, Director of Racial Justice, Sojourners
P.S. You can access previous Truth and Action Roundup playlists and videos here.
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Here’s what we know at the time of writing:
1) Biden has commuted the sentences of 37 out of the 40 prisoners on federal death row, permanently shielding them from execution. Their sentences have been changed to life without the possibility of parole. A broad array of churches, nonprofits, civil rights groups, and more (including Sojourners) had urged Biden to commute the sentences of all federal death row prisoners given the record number of executions President-elect Donald Trump presided over during his first term. Biden himself had pledged to end the federal death penalty during his 2020 campaign for the presidency.
2) The federal government narrowly avoided a shutdown after passing a modified spending deal early Saturday morning that keeps the government open through March 14. It includes aid to farmers and disaster assistance. After Elon Musk and Trump torpedoed an earlier version last week, the bill passed on a bipartisan basis but did not include the debt ceiling increase Trump had sought.
3) After the Electoral College’s vote last Tuesday at state capitols around the country, the votes from each state’s electors now must be signed, certified, and transmitted to Washington, D.C. by the fourth Wednesday in December, which this year is Dec. 25. The national archivist will then transmit the certificates to Congress on or before Jan. 3, when the new Congress is sworn in.
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Resources for difficult holiday conversations about politics, faith, and more. Here are a couple good resources for having difficult conversations with loved ones across political, generational, and other divides: Join us at the fourth annual “Faith in Democracy” Interfaith Prayer Vigil streaming and in person on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Sunday Jan. 5 at 3:30 p.m. Co-sponsored by Sojourners, the Franciscan Action Network, and Faith in Peace Concerts, this vigil will feature faith leaders sharing why their faith compels them to pursue democracy, peace, and justice at this critical time in our nation. For more information, to register to attend, or to watch the stream for this event, click here.
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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
Senior 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
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