Radical Reimagining

Sunday, July 5
8:00 p.m. ET • 7:00 p.m. CT • 6:00 p.m. MT • 5:00 p.m. PT • 4:00 p.m. AT • 2:00 p.m. HT
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Join Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth (UUMFE)  in the spirit of healing and liberation as they recognize the 250th anniversary of the United States. In acknowledgment of our nation’s birthday, join to honor our country’s past while addressing its harm then and now. Gather in an effort to transmute our future into the loving and liberatory place we know that it can be. Join in fellowship so that “The American Dream” may be reclaimed and realized for even more people.

Big Ugly Law Virtual Rally

Wednesday, July 8
7:00 p.m. ET • 6:00 p.m. CT • 5:00 p.m. MT • 4:00 p.m. PT • 3:00 p.m. AT • 1:00 p.m. HT
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As we approach the grim milestone of 1 year since the enactment of the Big Ugly Law (HR.1, OBBBA), we are collectively feeling its impacts and harms across our communities. Our friends at Americans for Tax Fairness are partnering with Public Citizen, National Women's Law Center, and Oxfam to invite UUs and others to a grassroots, virtual rally to hear about those impacts 1 year later and to provide action steps to address them.  We must show the leadership regime that we haven’t forgotten about the harm from their Big Ugly Law. See: Families Across U.S. Feeling Pain as Anniversary of 2025 Republican Reconciliation Law Approaches, CBBP

Also, consider joining the Covenant for Our Future (webpage) with UUSJ and others. Both individuals and organizations are encouraged to covenant. Help grow the community that covenants to repeal HR.1

See. Love. Vote. Virtual Launch Party

Thursday, July 9
7:00 p.m. ET • 6:00 p.m. CT • 5:00 p.m. MT • 4:00 p.m. PT • 3:00 p.m. AT • 1:00 p.m. HT
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We have received an invitation to attend and partake with our interfaith friends at NETWORK Advocates for Catholic Social Justice. They have launched “See. Love. Vote.” – a c3 non-partisan voter engagement and education campaign, connecting communities with the tools they need to be informed and engaged voters, inspired by the common good. They offer logos, posters, postcards, banners, stickers, and a digital toolkit, along with links to check registration status or to register.

They warmly invite us, Unitarian Universalists, and other faith traditions, to draw on the resources in our own work, declaring, “We are in this together!”  UUSJ has endorsed the initiative. We see this as a great resource and helpful opportunity, especially for those where UU driven activities are not occurring in your region, state, county, or municipal backyard.

All Roads Lead To Delaney

Monday, July 13 
12:00 PM -  6:00 PM ET
RSVP for in-person action

Join in faithful witness and prophetic action as UUs show up for families at Delaney Hall. You will be a piece of the tapestry in the broader fight to end family detention and create a fair and welcoming country. This event will occur in Union County, location details will be shared later.

Take our action on this topic here or below in the featured actions section.

No Frills Action Hour

Wednesday, July 15
7:30 p.m. ET • 6:30 p.m. CT • 5:30 p.m. MT • 4:30 p.m. PT • 3:30 p.m. AT • 1:30 p.m. HT
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Join us for the next UUSJ no-frills action hour. July’s topic will focus on Healthy Democracy Issues, with an eye toward Voting Rights, and thus will dovetail with the Good Trouble Lives On Weekend of Action (GTLO) two days later.

Good Trouble Lives On Weekend Of Action
July 17-19

Six years after the passing of Congressman Lewis, we continue the fight for voting rights through Good Trouble Lives On (GTLO) and with our advocacy. This month, the Good Trouble Lives On Weekend of Action is a three-day national mobilization to honor the legacy of Congressman John Lewis by doing what he loved most - organizing, acting, and registering voters (with Rock the Vote tools). 

The 2026 theme is “TEACH! REACH! PREACH!”, a call to demand “hands off our vote!” in the face of threats. The weekend will serve as a kick-off to voter engagement, education, preaching, and other activations leading to electiosn. See the website for more information.

Find ways to participate: host an event or join an event, and do consider, politely, requesting a sermon July 19th from your congregational worship team (more below).

Democracy Leaders Coalition

Wednesday, July 22
7:00 p.m. ET • 6:00 p.m. CT • 5:00 p.m. MT • 4:00 p.m. PT • 3:00 p.m. AT • 1:00 p.m. HT
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If you or someone in your congregation leads a democracy team and wants to connect with similar individuals to discuss dynamics, learn, and expand your local outreach and impact, consider applying to the coalition. Sessions are on the fourth Wednesday of each month.

Project Jupiter Data Center, On-the-Ground Perspective

Thursday, July 23
8:00 p.m. ET • 7:00 p.m. CT • 6:00 p.m. MT • 5:00 p.m. PT • 4:00 p.m. AT • 2:00 p.m. HT
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Hear from organizers on the ground, working the fight on Project Jupiter, including the proposed large-scale data center and natural gas power plant in southern New Mexico near Las Cruces and within pipeline distance of El Paso, Texas.

Learn more about the data center situation with this case study vignette. Hear from grassroots environmental organizing groups fighting the Project Jupiter data center and its associated harmful infrastructure.

Our featured guests are Daisy A. Maldonado, one of the founders of Fight Chihuahuan Desert Xtraction, and Jon Copeland of Hold the Line Campaign. Additional guests may join.

Oppose The New OMB Proposed Rule (Click And Comment) 

The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has proposed a sweeping overhaul of federal grant regulations (OMB-2026-0034). OMB argues the new rule will strengthen oversight. The proposed changes would make significant alterations to 2 CFR Part 200, allowing for the termination of grants based on "reputational damage" and restricting DEI initiatives.

Civil society actors such as the National Council of Nonprofits, Independent Sector, Union of Concerned Scientists, and many others, oppose the rule. We view the rule as a means to politicize funding, downgrade community needs, increase the volatility of grant terms and parameters. It is a mechanism to decenter both programs and research that help racial, social, or other disparities, and in particular those intended for underserved communities.

Individualized, unique, and personal comments in opposition are sought:

• Review the National Council of Nonprofits Comment Guide to prepare draft text; or,
• Tweak the pre-prepared message-comment by the Union of Concerned Scientists; or,
• Adjust the pre-prepared letter-comment by Independent Sector.

Detentions At Delaney Must End

The Delaney Hall Detention Center situation in Newark, New Jersey, remains highly volatile following a major hunger and labor strike launched by hundreds of civil immigration detainees. 

Detainees and advocacy groups report severe human rights abuses: food contaminated with worms, extreme temperatures, and catastrophic medical neglect. Public officials have demanded the privately run ICE facility be shut down. This has led to a legal showdown between the State of New Jersey and the operator, GEO Group.

While some reports indicate a pause in the strike, Advocates say Delaney Hall detainees have ended hunger strike, NJ Monitor. The need for investigation and oversight remains. The plans for a July 13th mobilization continue.the

Tell Congress they must intervene to provide investigation and oversight.

Farm Bill 2026: The Senate Must Side With Regular Americans

Less than a year after HR.1, OBBBA, was passed, Congress has failed to correct its policy misstep on SNAP. OBBBA cut federal food assistance to extend tax breaks for the wealthy. See: States’ First-Ever Bill for SNAP Benefits Could Cost Billions, and Families Across U.S. Feeling Pain as Anniversary of 2025 Republican Reconciliation Law Approaches, CBBP.

The 2026 Farm Bill is the last, best chance to make the needed correction. Due to limited resources and, especially, an unrealistic timeline, some states question their ability to ensure a smooth transition. Others question their ability to continue providing SNAP benefits at all.

Join us in urging your Members of Congress to include at least a two-year delay of this harmful cost shift in the Farm Bill with this newly updated action.

Miami Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Joins UUSJ

UUSJ proudly welcomes the Miami Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (MVUUF) into the UUSJ family.

MVUUF Mission: Covenant to create a Beloved congregation that nurtures spiritual growth and joy, collaborates with other progressive groups, and inspires remarkable transformation in us and our world.

Review our member/partner details if you are primed for transformative action and want to explore how your Congregation, Church, or Fellowship can deepen your federal engagement.

UUs Involved In PBS Broadcast Project

Roberts Court Steps Away From Welcome In Cruel Ways

On June 25th, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) issued decisions in the asylum case (Mullins v. Al Otro Lado), allowing the "turnback policy," also known as "metering," for asylum seekers. Simultaneously, SCOTUS eliminated safeguards for newcomers to the United States, known as Temporary Protected Status (TPS), thereby allowing major changes to proceed (Mullins v. Doe), perhaps precipitating the end of TPS.

In response, Pablo DeJesús, Executive Director, UUSJ, said: "Judges have once again done the Executive’s bidding rather than side with justice." See the full statement.

The UUA said: “Immigrants are people with inherent worthiness and dignity, and Unitarian Universalists will continue to rise in solidarity with our immigrant and refugee neighbors within and beyond our national borders.” See their full statement.

UUSC put out: “We applaud the leadership of frontline migration justice advocates, and we will join them in the next stages of the struggle.” See their full statement.

The Interfaith Immigration Coalition (IIC) released the following Press Releases: “Faith Leaders Condemn Anti-Asylum Supreme Court Decision, and “Congress must enact a permanent solution now”; Faith leaders to react to Supreme Court decision on TPS.”

The "How" Of The Matter

Few dynamics have defined Donald Trump's political movement more than the twin culture wars on welcome (immigration enforcement) and democratic procedure (who votes and how). On the issue of democracy and “how,” mail-in voting is central yet has been a bit of a sleeper issue, but in a 5-4 decision issued on June 29, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states are legally permitted to count mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day, provided they were postmarked or cast by Election Day. The landmark ruling in Watson v. Republican National Committee upheld a Mississippi state law that allows for a five-day grace period, preserving similar ballot-receipt deadlines in roughly 30 states ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.

Here is a round-up:

• Justices uphold state law allowing for late-arriving mail-in ballots, SCOTUSblog
• Supreme Court upholds grace periods for mail-in ballots, siding against the GOP, NPR
• Supreme Court Protects Mail Voting and Preserves States’ Authority Over Ballot Receipt Rules, ACLU
• Supreme Court OKs late-arriving mailed ballots in loss for Trump, USA Today
• Supreme Court Says States Can Count Mail-In Ballots Arriving After Election Day, NCSL

Related content:

• Senate stalemate clouds Trump's election security push, FOX-SA
• Trump v. Barbara, Common Cause
• What oral argument told us in the birthright citizenship case, SCOTUSblog
• Status of Trump’s 2025 Anti-Voting Executive Order, Brennan Center
• Republicans are trying to impose Trump’s voting restrictions at the local level, Democracy Docket
• Courts Keep Blocking Trump’s Moves Against the Right to Vote, TAP
• Federal Court Hears Challenge to Executive Order Restricting Mail-in Ballots, ACLU
• Postal Service moving forward with Trump’s attack on mail voting, Democracy Docket
• Postal Service won’t deliver mail ballots for states that don’t hand over voter lists, under plan for Trump directive, CNN
• What Is the SAVE System?, CLC
• Trump Is Waging War on Our Elections. People Are Fighting Back, Brennan Center
• WATCH: Trump signs executive order to create national list of eligible voters, PBS
• Trump signs sweeping order attacking mail-in voting, Democracy Docket
• Stopping a Dangerous Article V Convention, Common Cause

Congress Is Part Of The Problem

The Brennan Center for Justice has just issued a call to repair and renew our democracy. They argue America's public institutions are in dire need of revitalization.  Confidence in government has fallen to unprecedented levels. People feel economically unstable, overlooked, and unhappy with their governing bodies. They remind us, historically, that reform is often sparked by scandal and crisis. Action today can bring a democratic renaissance. They recommend eight key steps in Eight Solutions to Unstick Congress

Connecting The Dots On Good Trouble

As faith communities, our traditions have long been moral guides and key partners in U.S. civil rights movements, advocating for a pluralistic American Democracy. At minimum, we need better representatives, more able and willing to be pro-democracy, regardless of party.

This year, during the Good Trouble Weekend of Action (July 17th-19th), the GLTO effort, inspired by the late Rep. John Lewis, includes three calls to action: 

• Teach about the near sacredness of voting, 
• Reach out to register and mobilize voters, and 
• Preach to connect faith teachings to these efforts. 

To participate, host an event as an individual or join an event.

Preach Good Trouble, From July Until The Votes Are Counted!

You are encouraged to hold a Good Trouble Service or Sermon and activate your members to Teach, Reach, and Preach until voting and vote counts conclude. Invite your worship team to address voting rights and pluralistic democracy on Sunday, July 19. Register your event with GTLO: you can announce it publicly via Mobilize or list it privately. (And we would add, if that date does not work consider 7/12 or 7/26, or any other date.)

Start the voter education and mobilization season with GLTO and then going beyond:

• Engage with UU The Vote.
• Covenant For Our Future to repeal H.R.1, both as individuals and as organizations.
• Review opportunities with See.Love.Vote. This may be helpful if UU activities are not occurring in your backyard. UUSJ has endorsed it, so you have access.

Join Or Plan A UU Summit 

UU The Vote summits will bring together Unitarian Universalists, people of faith across traditions, lay leaders, organizers, advocates, and community partners to strengthen regional networks, deepen relationships, and practice the kind of solidarity this moment demands. 

Plan to participate in one of the scheduled regional summits:

• Pennsylvania (8/28)
• Tennessee (9/18)
• Texas (10/2)

If these are not tenable, learn how your congregation can host a regional solidarity summit

Denying Asylum Claims At The Highest Rate Ever

In September 2023, the nationwide asylum denial rate stood at 44 percent. By April 2025, it had reached 80 percent, a trajectory Austin Kocher wrote about in “The Asylum Denial Machine.” 

The surge in denial rates began after the Biden administration implemented the Circumvention of Lawful Pathways rule in May 2023. Under the Trump administration, denial rates increased further to 93.8 percent. Immigration judges now deny nearly every case, influenced by Executive Office for Immigration Review policies that prevent cases from reaching the merits, the mass firing of judges not aligned with the administration, and pressure on the few remaining judges. Consequently, immigration courts have almost stopped functioning as venues for genuine asylum claim adjudication. 

Also see: 

• This Week by the {Immigration} Numbers (June 27, 2026)
• Why Have Asylum Grant Rates Been Plummeting?, CIS

DACA 14^th Anniversary Hill Day

June 15, 2026, marked the 14th anniversary of DACA, which is currently under attack, causing serious issues for recipients. Over 340 current DACA recipients have been detained, and more than 90 deported. Delays in processing renewals by the administration lead to job losses for many. A permanent solution requires a citizenship pathway through legislation such as the Dream and Promise Act or the Dream Act. 

UUSJ joined the Home is Here Coalition for the DACA anniversary Hill Day, where over 200 participants met with staff in 90 congressional offices to highlight Dreamers’ contributions and advocate for their permanent protection.

Dismantling Detention

The Administration is buying up warehouses across the country to expand its detention and deportation regime while planning for more militarized surges in major US cities. The threat is escalating. 

Indivisible offers a resource that breaks down what communities are demanding, how they are fighting back, and how you can get trained to respond when ICE comes to your community.

Detention Watch Network (DWN), of which UUSJ is a member, offers materials to engage locally: #CommunitiesNotCages Toolkit, and DHS Expansion of Immigration Detention into Warehouses Toolkit.

Also see:

• What’s the Alternative? Instead of Detention Centers, Use Warehouses for Communities, IRI
• Trump admin scraps ICE detention warehouse plans after controversy, USA Today
• Berks County officials await answers from Trump admin on ICE warehouse’s future, SPA
• Federal officials plan to offload some warehouses purchased for immigrant detention, PBS
• April: Deaths in Detention: ICE Is Rapidly Expanding Detention Camps into Warehouses Despite Record Deaths, ACLU

For more context, review several older but important pieces:

• ICE expansion has outpaced accountability. What are the remedies?, Brookings
• Report Details ICE’s Expanding and Increasingly Unaccountable Detention System, AIC
• Deaths at Adult Detention Centers, AILA

Articles Shared By The Team

• Trump says he’s nominating former Oklahoma State Trooper Lance Schroyer to be ICE director, NBC
• Court allows Trump administration to end removal protections for Syrian and Haitian nationals, SCOTUSblog
• Supreme Court allows cancellation of TPS for Haitians, Syrians, as attorneys warn of impact on thousands, ABC
• Justices side with Trump administration in border dispute over asylum seekers, SCOTUSblog 
• Supreme Court lets Trump turn back asylum seekers at US-Mexico border, The Guardian
• In Blow to Asylum Rights, Supreme Court Allows Trump Administration to Block Asylum Seekers at Border, AIC
• ‘Devastating’: lives of nurses and patients upended by Trump migrant crackdown, Guardian
• Judge vacates Trump policy allowing arrests at immigration courts, Politico
• Immigration courts are using a new tactic to speed up deportations, NPR
• 20th Immigrant Dies in Trump’s Detention Camps, The American Prospect 
• Supreme Court appears likely to side against Trump on birthright citizenship, SCOTUSblog

Bread-and-Butter: Tariffs, Trade, And Economic Populism

A thought-provoking student piece from 2025, Trump’s Evolved Form of Populism Works… and Hurts., posted to The Democratic Erosion Consortium, merits another look as we enter voting season, and bread-and-butter pocketbook issues tend to come to the fore.

For more recent considerations, also see:

• The US is driving away international students at a long-term economic cost, PIIE
• Trump’s international student crackdown kicked off a domino effect that could shave nearly $500 billion off the economy, Fortune
• The Courts Closest to the People: The Battle Between Populism and Democracy in the U.S. District Court, School of Law, University of Missouri
• From rules to discretion: How Trump reconfigured US tariff policy, Brookings
• Why US Democracy Trumps Populism: Comparative Lessons Reconsidered, University of Texas at Austin
• How the Make America Great Again (MAGA) and Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Populist Movements are Influencing the U.S. Diet, Nutrition Security, and Health Equity, Virginia Tech
• Why is the Maga project teetering? Because not even Trump supporters voted for this dysfunction, Guardian
• Get Ready for Zombie Tariffs, The Atlantic
• A Horseshoe Theory of Trump, The Atlantic
• An Analysis of Authoritarian Risk in the Trump Administration, 
• My guide to populist-proofing your democracy – before it’s too late, Guardian

Data Centers Are A Pocketbook Issue 

“In local elections across the country on Tuesday, voters proved that data center opposition has transcended party politics. Republican voters in counties that supported President Donald Trump in 2024 by double digits, for instance, showed that even within a party that typically aligns with pro-business and anti-regulatory policies, support for data centers can be a career-ending move,” reports Story Hinckley for the Christian Science Monitor.

• What most battleground House districts have in common: Data centers, Politico
• How Data Centers Could Upend the Midterms, Newsweek

Reading these tea leaves, Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ-6) declared at a recent Energy Subcommittee Markup of Eight Bills on Electricity and Pipeline Safety, “Americans across the county have expressed concern and opposition to the rampant construction of AI data centers, and Congress should take this political groundswell seriously with a data center moratorium.” 

Pallone is “the most powerful congressional Democrat with jurisdiction over energy and environment issues to support such a policy in the face of public backlash” reports Poltico.

Data Centers Are A Local Issue 

The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) has made data centers a primary race flashpoint across the United States. This hyper-local backlash cuts entirely across traditional party lines, uniting voters against the massive water consumption, noise pollution, and soaring residential electricity rates associated with the facilities.

• As the data center capital of the world, Virginia has seen the most intense political fallout, see: Virginia slaps data centers with big new tax — but no climate rule, and Hanover residents pressure BOS to oppose massive data center.
• In North Carolina, local data center battles directly unseated entrenched politicians.
• In Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat, data center tax incentives became a policy wedge.
• Festus, Missouri, saw voters organize a cross-partisan effort to oust four incumbent city council members who had supported a $6 billion data center proposal.
• In Maryland’s highly competitive primary races of Prince George's and Montgomery Counties, data center skepticism became a key metric for candidate vetting.

Civic Search shows hundreds of comments on data centers or hyperscale data centers across the U.S. from recent and documented meetings.

Economic And Tax Policy Clippings

• Bernie Moreno and Elizabeth Warren: Our Plan to Save Social Security, NYT
• Musk’s Trillion-Dollar Fortune Is a Flashing Warning Light for Democracy, Inequality
• We Can’t Address the U.S. Deficit Without Corporate Tax Reform, FACT
• Coke Takes on IRS With $20 Billion at Stake, WSJ
• Shutdown Risks, IRS Leadership, And Revenue Gaps, TPC
• ‘They like a good batting average’: Crypto racks up primary wins, Politico
• Crypto Bill Offers Potentially Huge Tax Benefits To Trump Family; Recipients of Crypto Cash Will Be The Deciding Factor, Revolving Door Project
• Sovereign wealth fund tax on AI companies unveiled by Sanders, Roll Call
• Why Corporations Must Pay More, ITEP
• How Congress should block the President’s get-out-of-tax-free card, Tax Law Center
• Tax the Rich and Save the World, Common Dreams
• How Americans in the Battleground View Republican Policies, Navigator
• The Stock Market Boom Is a Boon for Billionaires, Jacobin

Goldilocks Squandered

One of planet Earth’s blessings is that we are in the "Goldilocks zone" where we are orbiting at that "just right" distance from the Sun, our star, to host, support, and sustain liquid water, but a recent piece by the UN University Institute states, “The world has moved beyond a water crisis and into a state of global water bankruptcy.” So we ask: have we squandered that blessing? Review the blog post, the news release, and the full report.

Must Read: Carbon Capture Discredited?

ProPublica and Drilled have put out a one-two punch on carbon policy considerations. They offer ‘Carbon Captured,’ an infographic to try to explain how the fossil fuel industry worked to sway climate research, and pair that with an investigative journalism piece, False Promises: Why carbon capture and storage won’t fix our climate crisis. They are worth review.

Developing Markets And Climate Philanthropy

“Fossil fuels used to be viewed as reliable and secure, and it was renewable energy that was viewed as volatile and intermittent. That has flipped on its head. Supporting clean energy work in these emerging and developing markets feels very timely,” says Antha Williams, who leads the environment program at Bloomberg Philanthropies. See David Gelles, An Influx of Climate Cash, NYT

U.S. Energy Dominance Means War And Volatility

Last month, another ceasefire and peace deal were announced, then seemingly broken. Earlier this spring, the world watched as President Trump delivered a harsh speech, threatening Iran with war crimes, including destroying crucial civilian infrastructure. The administration's "energy dominance" agenda threatens global stability, using oil and gas as leverage in geopolitical actions.

Fossil fuel dependence makes economies more volatile, puts communities at risk, and enables the wealthy few to profit from wars. Accelerating a just transition towards renewable energy is essential to building a more stable and peaceful future.

• Trump’s Appalling Address to the Nation Exposed Yet Another Dark Side to the U.S. Oil and Gas Boom: War, Oil Change
• Trump’s War on Iran: As People Are Killed, Big Oil’s Windfall Will Deepen Our Energy Affordability Crisis, Oil Change
• Trump’s war in Iran has wiped out 1.5 years of wage growth, EPI

Green Issue Coverage

• The Politics of Climate Possibility, Psychology Today 
• Sen. Markey, Reps. Garbarino, Houlahan Reintroduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Legislation to Prioritize Grants and Research on Natural Climate Solutions, Press Release 
• Europe suffers under record heatwave as temperatures forecast to reach 44C Extreme heat, The Guardian
• A single kilogram of conventionally farmed beef requires approximately 15,400 litres of water, Space Daily
• El Nino is back with a vengeance - and fears of “godzilla” strength may be the least of our worries, The Guardian
• When the Heat Steals Your Smile, Earth Island Journal
• White Paper: Disproportionate Regulation of Residential Plug-in Solar, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy
• Roots of Resilience: Honoring Traditional Knowledge for Climate Action, SDG
• Why pastors hesitate to talk climate in US churches, DW
• Europe must choose between AI and climate goals, data center lobby says, Politico
• We are storytelling apes: Experimenting with new scientific narratives in a time of climate and biodiversity collapse, British Ecological Society