Mom has always loved cats. Where do you think I got it from, after all?

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I’m going out of my mind. In addition to three years of Donald Trump; my own energy-sucking dex problems; the COVID-19 pandemic; and some annoying work stuff, my mother has suddenly become extremely ill. Two weeks ago she was her usual self: gardening, painting, swimming 50 laps, and cursing our president. Then she suddenly started getting weak. Within three days she could barely move herself to an upright position—which is when I called 911 and had her taken to the hospital. Three days after that she was entirely immobile, able to move her arms to her head and nothing more. Her voice is so weak and slurry that it’s basically gone, so we can’t communicate with her. She won’t eat more than a few bites a day, and doesn’t drink much either.

And nobody knows what caused this. Not even a guess. Her lungs are OK, her heart is OK, and her brain seems to be OK. What on earth could do this in the space of six days?

Anyway, this is the “family business” I mentioned a few days ago, and it’s why the blog is moving a little slower than usual these days.

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DONALD TRUMP & DEMOCRACY

Mother Jones was founded to do journalism differently. We stand for justice and democracy. We reject false equivalence. We go after stories others don’t. We’re a nonprofit newsroom, because the kind of truth-telling investigations we do doesn’t happen under corporate ownership.

And we need your support like never before, to fight back against the existential threats American democracy faces. Fundraising for nonprofit media is always a challenge, and we need all hands on deck right now. We have no cushion; we leave it all on the field.

It’s reader support that enables Mother Jones to report the facts that are too difficult, expensive, or inconvenient for other news outlets to uncover. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

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