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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.

This Saturday, thousands of people will leave their homes and gather across the country for the third No Kings protest since Donald Trump returned to office. They do so in the context of a nation at war, both abroad and seemingly within. The war with Iran has continued to expand and escalate, while the U.S. is also maintaining a blockade against Cuba. In the United States, ICE agents are being deployed to airports across the country. Conservative figures and political advisors like Steve Bannon are declaring this is a perfect preview of what November will look like at the polls. Amid all of this, Congress continued to debate additional funding for agencies within the Department of Homeland Security, which started this airport crisis in the first place. This weekend’s protests could not have been timelier.

As Christians, we’re told to “do nothing from selfish ambition or empty conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests but to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4 NRSVUE). While many will take to the streets this weekend with this teaching in mind, the deployment of ICE agents underscores how Americans have been subjected to the personal whims of Donald Trump, ruled by his interests.

Deciding to deploy ICE agents to airports on a day’s notice highlights how the targeted terror aimed at communities across the country, from Los Angeles to Minneapolis, is also unnecessary. From the beginning of his administration, Trump’s own interests have steered the nation's direction. This is not how democracy works. Once again, this weekend’s “No Kings” protests could not be timelier. As we gather this weekend and demand a true vision of democracy, remember you do so not only because that’s our right as free people, but because we value others above ourselves, as commanded in Scripture.

–Rev. Moya Harris and Chad Stanton, Sojourners

In the News

Here’s a look at what happened this week:

1. In international news, conflict and instability continued in several hot spots, often as a result of U.S. actions:

   • The war with Iran continued to escalate, with about 2,000 soldiers from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division deployed to the Middle East, reportedly to “give President Trump more military options,” according to Defense Department officials who spoke to The New York Times. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Iran rejected Trump’s plan for ending the war and presented five conditions of its own, including safeguards against future attacks on Iran, the payment of war reparations and recognition of Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.

   • In Cuba news, a Russian tanker carrying desperately needed oil approached the island nation. Several experts alleged that the move by Russia is a deliberate provocation designed to force a disproportionate American response. Former Trump administration officials expect the tanker to be intercepted by the U.S. military before it can reach port.

   • In Ukraine, Russia launched its largest aerial attack since the war began, hitting cities across the country with 948 drones. The attacks killed at least five people, injured scores, and damaged a 16th-century monastery that is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. U.S.-brokered talks aimed at ending the war have been stalled since the United States launched its war with Iran in late February.

2. Battles over Trump’s deportation agenda continued around the country and on Capitol Hill.

   • ICE agents arrived at major airports around the country this week and began helping screen passengers, allegedly to ease long lines at security checkpoints caused by the partial government shutdown, which in turn was caused by the Democrats’ unwillingness to fund ICE without major reforms.

   • According to national outlets like USA Today, the move to send ICE agents to airports has neither reduced security lines nor broken the impasse in Congress over funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Democrats have asked for a variety of reforms before agreeing to fund the department, including requiring agents to wear identification and body cameras, restricting them from operating near hospitals and schools, imposing new restrictions on warrants and banning agents from wearing masks.

   • Markwayne Mullin was sworn in Tuesday as the new Secretary of Homeland Security, replacing Kristi Noem. Mullin’s confirmation largely signaled a continuation of the Trump administration’s status quo on immigration, while he also suggested he might take a less public role than his predecessor.

   • In the wake of Trump’s public statements disparaging Somali immigrants and the targeting of Somali immigrants in Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota, a new analysis finds that two-thirds of all Somali noncitizens with an open immigration court case have been scheduled for a hearing with a new judge on short notice. The phenomenon points to the creation of an unofficial Somali “rocket docket” early this year, coinciding with Trump’s racist attacks on Somali immigrants.

3. The electoral landscape for this year’s midterms and beyond continued to take shape.

   • On Tuesday, Democrat Emily Gregory won a state legislative election for the district that includes President Trump’s Palm Beach estate, Mar-a-Lago. Her predecessor, Mike Caruso, is a Republican who carried the district by 19 points in 2024.

   • Due to Senate Republicans’ inability to pass the so-called “SAVE America Act,” which would likely disenfranchise millions of voters, some are looking to budget reconciliation as a way to pass parts of the legislation. However, the idea is facing significant pushback from conservatives in both chambers due to the slim chances of success.

   • Former White House strategist Steve Bannon suggested the presence of ICE agents at airports this week is a “test run” for using them at polling places in the midterms later this year.

Take Action

• We are continuing to call on Congress to end the war with Iran.

• We are supporting the third No Kings protest taking place Saturday.

What We’re Reading

“There Is No Biblical Justification for this War” | The Trump administration is begging Americans to accept its convoluted moral logic for war. Christians must say no. (by Michael Woolf)

“When Leaders Like César Chávez Fall, Abuelitas Remain” | From King David to the now-disgraced UFW co-founder, patriarchy has served to protect power and obscure harm. But there is another way. (by Kat Armas)

Deep Breaths

No Kings

I find it striking, and perhaps providential, that we are heading into No Kings weekend and Palm Sunday at the same time. The juxtaposition of antiquity's power dynamics and today's cannot be missed, and the question of which crowd you will be found in has never been more urgent.

Will you stand with the oligarchs, clutching whatever bit of earthly power remains and using white supremacy as a weapon? Will you be among those shouting Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, only to turn around and support the status quo? Will you hold a sign that says No Kings, but when it’s time to truly sacrifice for your neighbor, will you turn your back? We are at a critical juncture. We must keep our eyes wide open, observing actions that contradict words. They claim America First, but involve our government in other nations' affairs, start wars, kidnap presidents, and cut social services that millions of Americans rely on. They shout Hosanna and then deport five-year-olds on commercial flights.

Where will we find ourselves this November during the midterms? What will we choose when we step into the ballot box? Will we even vote?

We watched the United Nations vote to recognize the atrocities of the Transatlantic Slave Trade and chattel slavery as the "gravest crime against humanity," and the United States, Israel, and Argentina were the three nations that voted against this call for reparatory justice, while others abstained entirely. We saw polarization on the world stage in real time, a stark reminder that the question of who represents all of humanity is far from settled.

These are the things we must confront when we show up in the crowd. Are we doing this for show? Do we genuinely believe the world is not as God intends, even when we benefit from policies that harm others? Grace was never meant to keep us comfortable.

As we move through the different crowds this weekend, whether in our neighborhoods or on Sunday morning when we wave palm leaves, let us be honest with ourselves, understanding that this moment is much deeper than it appears. For some of us, this is just the start of the struggle. For others, it has been ongoing for centuries.

PS, I hope you will join a No Kings event in your neighborhood this weekend. Every voice needs to be heard in this moment. Find information on events near you here.

––Rev. Moya Harris, Sojourners

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