It’s Christmas Eve in Southern California! Isn’t it beautiful? Don’t you wish you were going to have an azure Christmas?

But wait. This picture was taken last month, and the weather report says it’s going to rain tomorrow. What about that, Mr. Puffy Clouds and Long Exposure Ocean?

Meh. Salesmanship has been part of California’s heritage ever since the Southern Pacific laid down tracks to Los Angeles. We’ve been boasting about our weather ever since and promoting pictures all over the country that exaggerate our already impressive natural beauty. Why stop now?

November 29, 2019 — Laguna Beach, California

DONALD TRUMP & DEMOCRACY

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DONALD TRUMP & DEMOCRACY

Mother Jones was founded to do things differently in the aftermath of a political crisis: Watergate. We stand for justice and democracy. We reject false equivalence. We go after, and go deep on, stories others don’t. And we’re a nonprofit newsroom because we knew corporations and billionaires would never fund the journalism we do. Our reporting makes a difference in policies and people’s lives changed.

And we need your support like never before to vigorously fight back against the existential threats American democracy and journalism face. We’re running behind our online fundraising targets and urgently need all hands on deck right now. We can’t afford to come up short—we have no cushion; we leave it all on the field.

Please help with a donation today if you can—even just a few bucks helps. Not ready to donate but interested in our work? Sign up for our Daily newsletter to stay well-informed—and see what makes our people-powered, not profit-driven, journalism special.

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