A Hampton Inn in Asheville just canceled my family's reservation because our address (incorrectly) showed Asheville—and the hotel bars locals within 50 miles. When I asked why, they said, "because of our homeless population," adding that most hotels here have similar policies. This is outrageous.

They’re not sending their best.

Kyiv did not sleep once again last night. On the last weekend of the year, the capital should have smelled of mulled wine, cinnamon, chocolate and joy. Instead, our city was filled with smoke, gunpowder, explosions, screams, and curses. The Russian attack lasted twelve hours.

That makes 32 reported deaths in ICE custody since Trump took power again.

This is called pillaging.

“… chance of being stopped if you’re Black rose from one in four to one in three.” Fighting back at Des Moines police tactics is producing transparency. Next, change. open.substack.com/pub/basurekh...

In case you missed it: I’ve got a new (warning: somewhat intense) story on @npr.org about all the ways faith leaders have pushed back against the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign this year — including clergy directly confronting ICE agents and police. www.npr.org/2025/12/24/n...

One LA, a local coalition of religious groups and other community institutions, has been convening civics meetings, which the group refers to as “freedom schools,” since the summer in response to immigration raids. religionnews.com/2025/12/18/l...

"any criticism of the election can lead to a minimum sentence of three years in prison, and even the death penalty" Another reminder that elections are not the same thing as democracy www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...

GOP operatives Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman, convicted election fraudsters, were paid $960,000 in the second quarter to secure a pardon for a former nursing-home operator who defrauded the government of $38 million. Trump pardoned the man, Joseph Schwartz, last month.

ICE detain U.S. citizen for looking Somali—use illegal chokehold to tackle him to ground. Man repeatedly begs agents to look at his digital passport ID—they refuse. Drove him 7 miles away before releasing him alone into Minnesota snow storm—told him to "walk home" in freezing weather advisory.

ICE detain father shopping on Christmas Eve—then steal his family's groceries. Then 3 agents divvy up his paid for food—taking what they want for themselves. "Can I just get the wife's number to call and let her know?" woman asks. "No, guess he should've complied," agent says. Yakima, Washington

Pope Leo at Christmas Day Mass: “The Word has pitched his fragile tent among us. How, then, can we not think of the tents in Gaza, exposed for weeks to rain, wind and cold; and of those of so many other refugees and displaced persons on every continent? www.vatican.va/content/leo-...

Now that Bari Weiss pulled a segment telling the truth about Trump's deportations to let Stephen Miller have his say (i.e. spread propaganda), it's a good time to check out our deep dive into Miller's real worldview and agenda, which doesn't pull any punches: newrepublic.com/article/2041...

Kavanaugh tries to put the "Kavanaugh Stops" genie back in the bottle

Remains of two Iowa Guard soldiers killed in Syria to return home Wednesday

Immigrants who are jumping through the multiple ever-changing hoops, are still finding themselves targeted. There is no "right way" to come here, when ICE is snatching people while they are following the rules. It only proves that the US doesn't care about law and order.

The CBS investigation portrays a modern concentration camp, similar to the Soviet GULAG (like CECOT, an acronym): sadistic guards, 24 hour lighting, isolation cells. Americans once opposed this inhumane system. The Trump administration sent innocent people there to suffer.

A bit of beauty for your timeline

This excellent work from the WP should have gotten more attention. Stephen Miller has become a kind of Grand Vizier, directing not only domestic policy but also our military, at least in this hemisphere (gift link): wapo.st/4avmYKt

This means a lot to me! Cherokee Nation is taking control of the cemetery where Elias Boudinot is buried. Elias Boudinot, a relative and the publisher of the first Native-run newspaper in the U.S. He was murdered for signing the Treaty of New Echota.

Warnock: He's got a lot of nerve saying that I'm using faith to divide people. This is a man who literally had protesters gassed and beaten down so he could hold up a bible in front of a church.

Pope Leo has named San Diego Auxiliary Ramon Bejarano (56) as Bishop of Monterey, CA. In February of this year. Bejarano led a protest against Trump’s deportation polices at a San Diego Courthouse, and has celebrated “All are Welcome” Masses for the LGBTQ community in San Diego.

How much venality, nastiness, nihilism, grift, tribalism, racism, pettiness, bigotry, authoritarianism, gaslighting, vindictiveness, stupidity, egotism, ignorance, hatred, hypocrisy, vulgarity, and complete disregard for the rule of law can one nation take?

Wonderful work!

Dr Russell D. Moore is a theologian, pastor, and the editor in chief of Christianity Today.

Two babies were born in New York within a year of each other, soon after WWII. One, Rob Reiner, lived a life of humanity and achievement. He brought us delight and joy. His memory will be a blessing. The other, Donald Trump, will be remembered as an embarrassment to our nation.

Same!

“Tell your children who the cowards were.”

“All three women encountered by the Colorado hospital staff were reluctant to take their monitors off, fearing that doing so would trigger an alert to ICE or BI Inc, the staff said, even if removing the device was deemed medically necessary.” www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

Your household now has to pay about $100 to a farmer. Most of the farmers voted for the tariffs you now have to compensate them for. Tariffs are not the only thing bringing farms down, but they're one of the biggest. www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

Antibiotic use on farms rose 16% last year, after having dropped significantly from 2015-2017. This matters. Antibiotics in livestock help drive antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which are a threat to human (and animal) health. @kennytorrella.bsky.social reports. www.vox.com/future-perfe...

OPINION: The notions of Islam as an existential threat to Christianity continue to echo across generations and reverberate in vitriolic political rhetoric. religionnews.com/2025/12/12/i...

Guatemalan migrants deported from Texas describe inhumane treatment by ICE, including being spoken to only in English and thrown to the ground for handcuffing, reports Carlos Barrera. #efPhoto beta.elfaro.net/en/central-a...

1/ Last night at a “Power of Presence” training, dozens of Iowans learned from the Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice how to help protect our neighbors from ICE raids and get connected with organizations that feed our communities.

People keep wondering why they're going after Venezuela. It's because they want to do regime change and control its oil, then use a big tract of land there to keep a tax free "network state" that looks like Dubai but operates like Rhodesia. They are saying this out loud! Believe them!

That is a blasphemous way to use Christmas.

I've been blown away by the generosity shown to my book this year, and wanted to take a moment to highlight some of the books that meant the most to me in 2025—along with a few I'm especially excited to see out in the world in the new year. THREAD

In recent days, faith leaders across the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area have organized to protect Somali communities and houses of worship as ICE agents launched an operation targeting undocumented Somali immigrants. religionnews.com/2025/12/04/i...

More welfare for farmers, less food stamps for hungry families. content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USD...

It's oyster season! If you're interested in what makes a good oyster, here's a thread on what makes an oyster delicious, and how you can generally tell by looking. My husband and I farmed oysters in the beautiful waters off Cape Cod for 15 years, so we learned a lot. Here's our farm. 🧵

Despicable

Polish Foreign Minister replies to Musk: 🇵🇱

The current Supreme Court has forfeited all legitimacy. Democrats (and everyone) need to address that reality. John Roberts > Roger Taney. Court needs to expand. And have fixed terms—like *every* other supreme court in developed world. And have ethics rules, like all normal organizations.

Yes, the Supreme Court has failed to protect us from Trump. But it’s worse than that: The Supreme Court is imposing its own fascism. It invented presidential immunity. It has gutted the Voting Rights Act, passed by a bipartisan Congress. It’s as bad as Trump, and moving in the same direction.

#JuniorJackpot 💰

Emma and I co-wrote this piece looking at using the Virgin Mary within protest art for @sojo.net sojo.net/articles/opi...

Over the last two months, at least seven Muslim student groups in the United States have been harassed by right-wing Christian activists, said Mohamad Altabaa, student who's tracking harassment cases with a group called MSA Unity. religionnews.com/2025/12/03/m...