Taking a break.

[Mother Jones]( MoJo Reader, It's been quite the week, even by 2020 standards. Where to even begin with the Republican National Convention? A weeklong procession of [gaslighting the American people](, breaking with [longstanding ethics rules](, and using [racism as a rallying cry](, all culminating with President Trump's performance Thursday night, which Nathalie Baptiste [sums up]( this way: "It was too long and riddled with lies, and it caused whiplash for anyone trying to figure out what the message actually was. Afterward, people puzzled over its contradictions—is Joe Biden too tough on crime or not tough enough?—but as with all Trump speeches this one was coherent in the way that matters most to the president and his audience. It was, in ways both subtle and unsubtle, a promise to preserve America's racial hierarchy." You can trace a through line from that speech on the South Lawn, and in 764 miles you'll arrive in Kenosha, where a white teenager answered the call to arms whispered from the White House, amplified by right-wing media, and enabled by platforms like Facebook, and has been charged with murdering two protesters and wounding another, after the police shot Jacob Blake in the back multiple times at point-blank range. If all this left you anxious and wanting to take a break from the headlines, please give yourself permission to do that—and if it helps at all, you have my promise that our team at Mother Jones will stay on the job, tracking the most important highlights and contextualizing the chaos, so you can catch up at your own pace. (Confession: I couldn't bear to watch the president's entire speech in real time, so I stayed current with our team's reports and caught up when I felt ready.) But I wanted to write you today because even as the White House lit up with the president's strongman fireworks, I found myself getting re-grounded in reality. When I looked at what Mother Jones' team had published just that day, I was so grateful to them for staying focused on the deep, important issues that sometimes get drowned out by the chaos. I wanted to share a couple of those stories with you, too. - David Corn [obtained a video of Trump]( (that his lawyer demanded we destroy) from a 2015 deposition in a fraud case targeting his unaccredited Trump University in which he didn't know the camera was rolling. It's quite telling, hearing him boast of how his company threatened the Better Business Bureau and complain about Judge Gonzalo Curiel and "the Spanish thing," and hear his lawyer mention Trump's "guys" had been "sloppy" in explaining the case. - With Trump's hotel serving as the Republican convention's unofficial social hub, Zach Everson—who has tracked activities at the hotel nonstop for a year—reveals the sordid story of that enterprise in "[Stay to Play](," and shows the reckoning that could be right around the corner. He also [documents the lobbyists, superfans, and cronies]( who have frequented the hotel over the years, shoveling money into the president's pockets. (This package appears in our latest magazine issue, which you can [subscribe to here](.) - Meanwhile, Russ Choma, one of our reporters focused on corruption, [obtained a copy of the staff handbook for Trump's DC hotel](. You have to read it for yourself, especially on conflicts of interest and nepotism—and the ban on "profane, discourteous, abusive, or rude language or action." (Russ was also the first to report on [a mysterious loan]( Trump made to himself that is now part of the New York attorney general's criminal probe into the Trump Organization.) - And in "[As Trump Accepts His Party's Nomination, Republicans Double Down on Cheating](," Pema Levy takes a deep dive into how the Trump campaign apparatus has "fallen victim to the same pitfalls that defined Trump's presidency: corruption and incompetence." These reporters' persistence in getting information (and trust!) from sources, even in unlikely places like the Trump Organization, is testament to their hard work and commitment. And it's testament to one more thing: the fact that reader support allows our team to take the time to tell stories that need to be told. These are stories that, unlike so much in the headlines, are not here today and gone tomorrow, but have a lasting impact. I found myself thinking back to [Shane Bauer's undercover investigation from 2016](, before Trump came to power, that gave us a firsthand look at the rise of militias. It's a riveting read, and as Shane tweeted earlier this week, "I'll never forget how many people's response was some version of 'these are just a bunch of grown up boy scouts.' Couldn't believe then, and can't believe now, people weren't taking it seriously." There's so much more I could go into, but I'll save it for another day because right now, I just wanted to share that persistent, steady commitment to the truth that I can see at work in our newsroom every day. We're able to go after the truth instead of staying riveted to the spectacle because of you. Trump does not get to decide which stories we tell, or which issues we pay attention to. You do. Those seeking to hold onto power with lies and deception rely on overloading us. Their goal is to create enough noise and division that we just throw our hands up. But you won't, and we won't. And with so much on the line in the months ahead, there's no one I'd rather face the challenges ahead with than you all—the team at Mother Jones and our incredible community of passionate readers. Thanks for reading, and for all that you do to make Mother Jones what it is. [Alternate text] Monika Bauerlein, CEO Mother Jones [Donate]( PS: One more link to lift your spirits. Our chief operating officer, Jahna Berry, wrote a great piece about [why she became a reporter]( (complete with childhood photos!) that's a powerful reminder of why journalism matters for the transformation ahead. She also wanted to hear from as many readers as possible, so please check it out and let her know what's on your mind. [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [Subscribe]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. 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