A Big Mystery in DC: Mitch McConnell's Health

Mitch McConnell has been hospitalized for three weeks, and his staff still won't say why. The lack of transparency has led to all kinds of speculation about the 84-year-old Kentucky senator and his prospects for returning to the chamber. What we know:

• Hospitalization: McConnell was admitted on June 14, and emergency dispatch recordings suggested that first responders performed CPR on an unconscious male at the senator's Washington address, reports the New York Times. McConnell's name is not mentioned in the recordings. A dispatcher also speculated about a "cardiac arrest."
• Few details: McConnell's staff acknowledged the hospitalization without providing details. The only other statement came Thursday: "The Senator continues to improve, and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session," it read in its entirety, per the Washington Post.

• Rumor mill: In the absence of concrete info, unsubstantiated speculation is rampant, and it's coming from high-profile figures. The far right's Laura Loomer wrote that McConnell "is allegedly in a vegetative state." Steve Bannon used his platform to amplify claims "that McConnell remains in office to avoid triggering a special election that could allow Thomas Massie to run as an independent." The Daily Beast has a roundup.
• Not so fast: But longtime Kentucky political observer Al Cross rolls his eyes at the rumors. McConnell's staffers are "causing themselves problems by not saying more about it, but he's always been very private about his health matters," Cross tells the Hill. (McConnell had polio as a child and has had a number of health issues in his later years, per the AP.) Cross' hunch is that McConnell will return to the Senate. He is due to retire this year, in any event.
• Two friends: Fellow GOP Sens. John Thune—the majority leader—and John Barrasso told reporters they had spoken to McConnell the day after his hospitalization. McConnell is "clearly dialed into what's going on," said Thune. Still, McConnell's absence has already delayed work in the Senate Appropriations Committee, where Republicans need his vote. A prolonged absence would shrink the GOP majority in the Senate to 52-47, which could complicate some votes.