Welcome to the Truth and Action Roundup, your reliable weekly source for information, inspiration, and opportunities for action during the second Trump administration.  Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up here to continue receiving it.

We are once again witnessing the consequences of tolerating and justifying dishonesty across society. Lies, both new and old, were on display during the Trump administration this week. Whether through Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s vaccine skepticism and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Board's move to change the recommended vaccination schedule, or through xenophobic and racist rants against Somali people by the president while he sat in the Oval Office, we observed levels of racism rarely exhibited by the federal government.

In Kennedy's attack on medicine and science, the newly permissive attitude toward questioning health care fostered during the recent COVID-19 pandemic is now directly endangering our children. The threat of preventable diseases is not hypothetical; we're already witnessing increases in illnesses like measles, pertussis, and whooping cough with fatal outcomes. This ideologically motivated attack on public health is an unacceptable manifestation of a "survival of the fittest" approach to medicine. It is antithetical to a justice-informed Christian faith that values the divine in every person.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump once again used hateful speech, this time targeting the Somali people and blaming them for "ruining" the country. In doing so, Trump once again employed the "great replacement" logic that has driven his mass deportation efforts. We must speak openly about the long-standing dehumanizing hatred shaping this moment—hatred that depicts every non-white person as an invader or enemy. Only by building the Beloved Community where everyone's humanity is recognized can we hope to defeat the persistent lies and racist stereotypes.

- Rev. Moya Harris and Chad Stanton, Sojourners

In the News

The Trump administration ramps up anti-immigration rhetoric and action by making sweeping policy changes and deploying troops:

In a message on Truth Social, Trump announced that his administration will pause all migration from “third world” countries on Thanksgiving Day.
The administration is revoking Temporary Protected Status from immigrants from Haiti, Myanmar and Somalia, despite ongoing war and violence. More than 500,000 Haitian immigrants will face returning to their country, ravaged by gang violence, as soon as February. This week, during a meeting where Trump disparaged Somali immigrants and derided Rep. Ilhan Omar, the Department of Homeland Security added 30 new countries to the proposed travel ban.
Communities in Louisiana are bracing themselves for ICE raids akin to those in North Carolina as National Guard troops prepare to move into the state. As the holidays continue, pastors fear ICE will target their churches. After the shooting in Washington, D.C., last week, officials relocated hundreds of South Carolina National Guardsmen to the nation’s capital, and troops will now carry live weapons.
On Thursday, Sojourners gathered on the Hill with lawmakers and other advocates in support of the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act or DREAM Act. Sen. Durbin proposed his final introduction of the DREAM Act and shared stories on the Senate floor. This legislation has received bipartisan support and has been introduced in Congress every year since 2001.

Internationally, the United States is positioning itself to intervene in ongoing foreign affairs, while human rights violations and genocides continue globally amidst ceasefires:

As the Administration pivots to official talk about a ground invasion in Venezuela, additional pressure has been applied to President Nicolás Maduro to resign from his position. Authorities have rejected every negotiation attempt Maduro has made regarding his amnesty. Trump has additionally demanded an immediate closure of Venezuelan airspace with no additional information on what plans are to come.
Despite the ceasefire that went into effect on October 10, Israel has violated the terms more than 500 times, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stating that “the war has not ended.” Along with continued attacks, they have failed to grant access to the amount of aid stipulated in the ceasefire agreement.
This week, global calls for the Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces to be investigated for war crimes following an attack from earlier this year have begun. Simultaneously, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has claimed that Donald Trump is “the only leader in the world capable of resolving the Sudan crisis”.
The state of North Carolina has divested its state pension fund from Israeli government bonds, after tireless protests for divestment continue nationwide.

Uncertainty over health care lingers as millions wait on ACA subsidy extensions to be voted on in Congress and vaccination schedules revised:

Lawmakers gathered on Thursday to continue discussions on extending health care subsidies, while the Administration develops alternative plans with stricter eligibility limitations. Democratic leaders plan to force a vote on the extension next week but face obstacles in passing it, even as millions of people face higher premiums and potentially go without care.
Vaccine advisors under RFK Jr. are calling for changes to the long-standing childhood vaccine schedule. The CDC’s advisory committee, whose names have not been disclosed to the public, is responsible for determining the content, relevance, and schedule of childhood vaccinations, which include hepatitis B and COVID-19 vaccines.
Communities are picking up the pieces of the broken health care system through increased giving and mutual aid networks. Find a network near you.

Take Action

Today, Free DC will launch its “No ICE in My Cup” campaign to protest the planned presence of ICE during the World Cup.
Next Tuesday, December 9, at 7:00 PM EST, we will host “Engage and Adapt 4” with Lauren Reliford from the Children’s Defense Fund joining us to discuss the impact of cuts to public health care.
On 12/15, SojoAction is partnering with AETH (Asociacion para la Educacion Teologica Hispana), Latino Christian National Network, and Fuller Centro Latino, for the webinar series "La Iglesia Que Acompaña al Migrante" (The Church that Accompanies the Migrant), to help educate and walk with the local church and faith leaders on the topic of Immigration.

What We’re Reading

“The Cost of Staying Quiet When Murder Becomes Foreign Policy” | “Morally, I hope we are not at a place where I have to make a Christian case for why murder is wrong.” (By Rev. Adam Taylor)

“The Sojourners Holiday Survival Kit” | “Deck the halls with faith and justice.” (By The Editors)

Deep Breaths

Advent: A Season to Reset

For me, Advent is an alternative to the consumer-centered holiday season that’s taken hold of our world. It is a time of reflection, meditation, prayer and deep anticipation of the Lord’s coming again. A time to acknowledge our shared humanity in the midst of an upside-down world.

Every day, we are bombarded with the weight of racism, hegemony and injustice—yet we are told to be joyful in ways that are often superficial and rooted in capitalism. But Advent calls us into something deeper. It offers us a sacred pause—a chance to reset, to reflect and to pray for peace: peace in our lives and peace in the world.

Advent opens our eyes to the humanity of others. It helps us recognize the power of our words and the impact of our policies—especially those that center death rather than life, dominance rather than justice.

So, what must we do to become agents of peace?

Today, I close once again with the words of Howard Thurman. This prayer comes from his powerful collection The Mood of Christmas and Other Celebrations. I invite you to pause and pray this prayer with me.

—Rev. Moya Harris, Senior Director of Programs, Sojourners

A Prayer For Peace

By Howard Washington Thurman

Our Father, fresh from the world with the smell of life upon us, we make an act of prayer in the silence of this place. Our minds are troubled because the anxieties of our hearts are deep and searching. We are stifled by the odor of death which envelops the earth because in so many places brother fights against brother. The panic of fear, the torture of insecurity, the ache of hunger–all have fed and rekindled ancient hatreds and long-forgotten memories of old struggles when the world was young and Thy children were but dimly aware of Thy Presence in the midst. For all this we seek forgiveness. There is no one of us without guilt, and before Thee we confess our sins: we are proud and arrogant; we are selfish and greedy; we have harbored in our hearts and minds much that makes for bitterness, hatred, and revenge. 

While we wait in Thy Presence, search our spirits and grant to our minds the guidance and the wisdom that will teach us the way to take, without which there can be no peace and no confidence anywhere. Teach us how to put at the disposal of Thy Purposes of Peace the fruits of our industry, the products of our minds, the vast wealth of our land, and the resources of our spirit. Grant unto us the courage to follow the illumination of this hour, to the end that we shall not lead death to any man’s door, but rather may we strengthen the hands of all in high places in common tasks who seek to build a friendly world of friendly men, beneath a friendly sky. This is the simple desire of our hearts which we share with Thee in quiet confidence.

The Truth and Action Roundup is compiled by Sojourners staff:

President: Rev. Adam Russell Taylor
Senior Research Associate: J.K. Granberg-Michaelson
Digital Content and Community Specialist: Kassandra Tapia
Chief Program and Impact Officer: Bryan Epps
Political Director: Chad V. Stanton
Senior Program Director: Rev. Moya Harris
Digital Education and Outreach Specialist: Cortnie Brooks
Policy and Action Assistant: Trinity Williams
Senior Director of Marketing: Sandra Sims

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