Truth and Action Roundup 5.30.25

View this email in your browser Welcome to the Truth and Action Roundup, a reliable weekly source of information, inspiration, and action for the second Trump administration. Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up here to continue receiving it. Today is Friday, May 30, and we’re continuing to monitor the changes wrought by the Trump administration. Sunday marked five years since George Floyd was murdered by a police officer in Minneapolis, igniting worldwide protests that were often described at the time as a racial reckoning. Initially, many had hope that the moment would generate the necessary momentum to enact broad societal change to dismantle racist policing and social structures. In the years since, such efforts have increasingly had to contend with backlash and retrenchment on racial justice issues from many parts of the private sector and the current administration. The shift in public attitudes on racial issues also proved disappointingly temporary. As we look to the future, let’s recommit to the hard but essential work of racial justice as a central tenet of our Christian faith. — Rev. Adam Taylor, Sojourners In the News Here’s what’s been happening this week: 1) The U.S. Court of International Trade blocked most of Donald Trump’s tariffs on Wednesday, ruling unanimously that he lacks the authority to impose the tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. That was the justification Trump used to put the tariffs in place. The Trump administration immediately announced its intention to appeal the ruling. 2) Five years after George Floyd’s murder, efforts to reform policing continue to face major setbacks. The Justice Department announced last week that it would drop its police accountability agreements with Minneapolis — where George Floyd was murdered — and Louisville, and close investigations into police departments in Phoenix, Memphis, and Oklahoma City, retracting the government’s previous conclusions that those departments violated the Constitution. These developments mirror a broader retreat from racial justice efforts across the public and private sectors in recent years. 3) As Elon Musk departs his official administration role, DOGE’s work will continue, with harmful impacts on federal workers and communities in the United States and around the world. Though Musk’s claims to have cut government spending have been significantly inflated, the impacts of more than 250,000 federal workers being fired or taking incentives to leave their jobs are only beginning to be felt. DOGE’s decimation of foreign aid continues to have devastating impacts in communities on the ground, despite administration claims to the contrary. 4) Trump administration officials such as Stephen Miller and Kristi Noem are pushing ICE to be even more aggressive, demanding in a recent meeting that ICE triple its daily arrests nationwide. The administration has reportedly set a goal of 1 million deportations per year during Trump’s second term. Take Action Join us at the U.S. Capitol for a Pentecost witness for a moral budget! On June 10, we will gather for a public procession and vigil in defense of programs that protect society’s most vulnerable people. We will gather in partnership with national and local faith organizations. Take Action: Tell your Senators to save SNAP now! The budget reconciliation bill that the House passed last week puts millions at risk of going hungry by slashing food assistance for nearly 11 million people, including 4 million children. That is not just policy—it is a moral failure. Now is the time to act. Attend Faithful Conversations: Leading in Divided times, a webinar hosted by SojoAction that will wrestle with the question, “Why hasn’t the American church made more progress in addressing racism?” Panelists Dr. J. Derek McNeil, Jimmy McGee, Dr. Jemar Tisby, and Rebecca Wheeler Walston, Esq. will discuss the history of racism in the American church and its current struggles. What We’re Reading and Watching Why Do So Many Christians Fall For Conspiracy Theories? | Zack Mack, who is a podcast producer and storyteller, hosts a three-part series about his father falling down the conspiracy rabbit hole and the effect it has on his family. Mack’s dad, who is a Christian, was certain that his predictions were ironclad. (By Josiah R. Daniels) How to Keep Showing up Without Burning Out | A spiritual elder offers eight reminders to help you stay rooted as you follow your call. (By Wesley Granberg-Michaelson) Born With Two Strikes | How systemic racism shaped George Floyd’s life and hobbled his ambition. From the Washington Post. (By Toluse Olorunnipa and Griff White) Deep Breaths  It’s funny how time changes perspective. For instance, younger me used to look at the disciples and think, “Get it together, guys” as they seemed to ask all the wrong questions and made what to me appeared to be all the wrong choices. Now that I’m a little older, their confusion makes way more sense to me. In the month after Jesus’ resurrection the scriptures tell us that Jesus appeared, randomly, to encourage his followers and show them he was indeed alive. It must have been a fearful and perplexing time: they were hoping for Jesus to establish an earthly kingdom and put an end to corruption, greed, and injustice. Of course they ask, “Is this the time you’ll establish your kingdom?” Jesus’ responds by telling them to wait for the Holy Spirit to empower them and to be witnesses in the place where they are, the places around them (even the ones they tend to avoid), and really to the whole world (Acts. 1:1-11). No wonder that upon his ascension they stood staring into the sky. “Wait, what?” These days, I, too, look to the skies and wonder, “Is this the time?” because we could use a little divine intervention. Like the disciples, we are well acquainted with the impact of oppression, corruption, and greed. We long for Jesus to come with righteousness and justice. The truth is, I’m not very patient when it comes to waiting. I often read the news and find myself saying, “How long, O Lord?” echoing the cries of God’s people through the ages. Like our ancestors before us, we are waiting for God to show up and make all things new. The real question is, how will we wait? We often think of waiting as a passive endeavor — maybe binge watching something or reading to kill time. But waiting as people of faith has always taken an active posture, more like the notion of waiting tables. We actively look for ways to serve, support, and engage in activities that make a difference. As we wait with anticipation, may we all look for ways to engage. Call your representative, make a meal at a shelter, and offer assistance to refugees in your community. Show up and connect. God is where God’s people are, after all, and Jesus is present in the small but significant ways we wait for him to return and set things right. — Rev. Andrea Saccoccio, Director of Congregational Engagement and Outreach, Sojourners The Truth and Action Roundup is compiled by Sojourners staff: President: Rev. Adam Russell Taylor Senior Research Associate: J.K. Granberg-Michaelson Senior Adviser and Director to the President’s Office: Elizabeth Denlinger Reaves Chief Program and Impact Officer: Bryan Epps Political Director: Chad V. Stanton Director of Congregational Outreach & Education: Rev. Andrea Saccoccio Mobilizing and Policy Assistant: Miriam Tellez Senior Director of Marketing: Sandra Sims

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