The Current - Vol. 1

Welcome to The Current 🌊

The Current is West Bay Blue Wave’s new weekly blog for staying plugged in,  without getting swept away.

Each issue gathers the most useful podcasts, articles, Instagram reels, and TikTok stories about what’s happening to shape the present and future of our local community here in Rhode Island’s West Bay and across the country. Think of it as our way of compiling the news, so you don’t have to doomscroll to stay informed.

Think of it as your “what actually matters this week” briefing: what’s moving at City Hall or the State House, what’s heating up nationally, and how it all connects back to our lives, our neighbors, and our power as a community.

To get the most value out of The Current:

• Skim the whole thing first to see what grabs you.

• Pick 1–2 pieces to go deeper on (a podcast for your commute, a reel to share, an article to read tonight).

• Take one small action at the end. Share a link, talk to a friend, show up to a meeting, or sign up for an event.

Our goal isn’t just to keep you informed — it’s to help you feel grounded, hopeful, and ready to act.

Welcome to The Current. Let’s ride the wave. 🌊

📖 Read: 

• Letters from an American, November 9th, 2025 - Heather Cox Richardson, "Letters from an American" 

  • Last week, U.S. District Court Judge John McConnell of the District of Rhode Island ordered the administration to use the emergency reserves to fund SNAP at least partially and to consider using the nutrition money to fund it fully. The administration said it would use the reserve for partial funding but that disbursing a fraction of benefits would create an administrative problem that would take weeks or even months to sort out, delaying payments.

    Last Thursday, Judge McConnell found that the Trump administration had ignored his order to pay at least partial SNAP benefits last week and ordered the Trump administration to distribute the full amount of SNAP benefits for November to the states for distribution by the end of Friday.

• "15 Ways You Can Fight for Democracy" - The Contrarian

  • Every day, hundreds of family members, friends, and Contrarian readers reach out to ask what they can do to stop Trump and turn the tide against autocracy in America. 

    What follows is a concrete list of actions—practical, tangible ways to actively defend democracy. Some may be unconventional, ambitious, or require long-term commitment. But fighting autocracy demands outside-the-box thinking, courage, and sustained investment. You don’t need to follow (or agree) with these suggestions. All you need to do is pick one or two that resonate, and go for it.

• RFS Feel-Good Update - Run For Something 

  • With 166 of our 222 races called, we’ve notched 110 outright wins and 8 more candidates moving to run-offs.

    That list includes at least 25 red-to-blue flips.

    This is going to be a long batch of good news.

💻 Watch:

• "You're Not a Radical" - Zohran Mamdani chats with Bernie Sanders
  • Zohran Mamdani sits down with Bernie Sanders to discuss how Sanders got his start in politics as Mayor of Burlington and what candidates need to know if they're running for local elections.

🎧 Listen:

• Dave Weigel: Now That's A Landslide - The Bulwark Podcast
  • The huge Democratic wins in Virginia, New Jersey, NYC, and California spoke loud and clear, and make Trump’s 2024 supposed ‘landslide’ margin of 1.5% look even more wimpy. Trump is not delivering on his economic promises and the backlash was across the board. Plus, what Mamdani could teach Democrats, and the bad place the Republicans put the party in by focusing on Trump’s random obsessions instead of talking about the concerns of voters.