> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.possibilities.news/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Hope, Is That You? - URL: https://www.possibilities.news/hope-is-that-you/ - Published: 2026-11-05T12:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-05T12:00:00.000Z - Description: I'm riding that blue wave high. Are you? - Author: Yessenia Funes **Support my work and upgrade to paid** [**here**](https://www.possibilities.news/#/portal/signup) **for as little as $5 a month.** --- **LISTENING:** *to the guitar and vocals of a coffee shop's live music* **FEELING:** *a slurry of emotions* **SEEING:** *a painted piano hang on the wall of this coffee shop!* Boy, where do I begin? Do I start with the positive? Do I lead with the rage that still lingers in my heart? My new therapist has been advising me to keep some emotions for myself, to take time to process. So I'm trying to be more intentional. Well, I'm sure I don't need to tell y'all, but Democrats have [retaken control](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-elections/senate-results?ref=possibilities.news) of the Senate, giving them full control of Congress. States like Texas and Kansas have elected Democrats to office β€” for Kansas, it's been [nearly 100 years](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/nov/03/adam-hamilton-roger-marshall-kansas-senate?ref=possibilities.news) since the people have done such a thing! In New Mexico, Deb Haaland will become [the first Native American governor](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/nov/03/deb-haaland-new-mexico-governor?ref=possibilities.news) in U.S. history. It's been my great honor to follow her political career since that first House race [nearly 10 years ago](https://gizmodo.com/deb-haaland-could-be-congress-first-native-american-wo-1829933602?ref=possibilities.news). We have a [trans representative](https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/trans-democrat-allison-montgomery?ref=possibilities.news) in Alabama! Ala-fucking-bama!! [Can you spare $5 to support this work?](#/portal/signup) In my beloved New York, a roster of Democratic Socialists will head to the Hill next year [to fight for issues](https://www.npr.org/2026/11/03/g-s1-150034/2026-midterm-election-dsa-candidates?ref=possibilities.news) like universal healthcare, free childcare, and abolishing the evil Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Climate justice policy is mixed into all these directly and indirectly. In a world where wildfires will reduce air quality, people need access to affordable doctors and hospitals. [The care economy is a climate justice issue, too](https://atmos.earth/art-and-culture/ai-jen-poo-climate-domestic-workers-care-economy/?ref=possibilities.news). We know that the workers who care for our children and our elders are also the ones most vulnerable when climate disasters strike. So are mothers and parents. And boy, ICE? There's nothing more natural in this world than migration. Animals of all kinds cross borders when they need to β€” to find food, mates, warmth. Why should politicians put up walls and restrictions on humans? As storms erode coasts and weather disrupts communities the world over, people will need to find new places to call home. That is the natural order of things, and this violent attempt to stop people is causing so much harm. To the animals along our southern border. To the Native communities whose [ancestors remain buried](https://www.propublica.org/article/border-wall-remains-native-american-organ-pipe?ref=possibilities.news) in the sand. To families like mine who have lost loved ones to the president's hateful deportation policies. We have a long way to go. These victories mean very little without action. Without the victors passing policy for the people, not for corporations or their funders. We need to stop the genocide in Gaza and the West Bank. We need liberation for Palestinians. We need clean energy. We need an end to the fossil fuel industry. And we have to count on the Democrats to do something β€” anything β€” while Donald Trump remains in the White House. And let's be honest. We are talking about the Democrats here: a party that has historically not given a fuck about you or me. Let's hope they show us something different this time around. πŸŒ€ ## Currently Reading My colleague Zoe Mendelson's [latest newsletter](https://zoekeziahmendelson.substack.com/p/babies-islands-muertos-molecule-soup-fca) brought me to tears in a moment of grief. Please read it, subscribe, and cry with me: "Separateness in all forms is colonial cockamamie, rationalizations for our collective guilt. The babies know the truth. Maybe it’s her that should be explaining to me." Molly Taft continues their AI-energy beat at WIRED, [exposing](https://www.wired.com/story/anthropic-ipo-identifies-gas-supply-as-big-near-term-risks/?ref=possibilities.news) how Anthropic has identified a major risk to its business: gas to power its data centers. Relatedly, the Washington Post's Evan Halper and Kevin Schaul [write about](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/10/19/big-tech-vowed-lead-climate-now-its-driving-fossil-fuel-boom/?ref=possibilities.news) how much the tech industry is leading gas (aka methane, a greenhouse gas) expansion despite their previous pledges to be climate leaders. We're looking at you, Amazon, Google, Meta, and Microsoft. We could all do with more information on how to unravel the real from the fake after disaster. Angely Mercado [writes a guide](https://grist.org/extreme-weather/how-to-fact-check-during-and-after-a-disaster/?ref=possibilities.news) for Grist's "Distorted" series. I heard about this research during my visit to New Orleans a couple weeks ago, so I was grateful to see [Sara Sneath write about it](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/nov/04/babies-heart-defects-louisiana-industrial-pollution-study?ref=possibilities.news) for The Guardian. Air pollution from toxic refineries may cause a higher risk of heart defects in newborns. ## Collage ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/0c/1a/0c1a1c44-c395-4236-a843-5697585f81d1/content/images/2026/11/023_hope.jpeg) 023\. ****HOPE** by Yessenia Funes using mixed media, 2024\. \[From the archive\] ****Forward this to someone riding that blue wave.** \- Yessenia x