Crash Course: Keeping the Big Lie alive after Virginia

Plus: The full moon seems to affect men more than women [Crash Course] Your daily update from [Salon](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjbOfQP0QWaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tL1cDc3BjQgphgdJiimGLxd4kUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~). Written by [Brett Bachman](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjbOfQP0QhaHR0cHM6Ly90d2l0dGVyLmNvbS9CcmV0dEFCYWNobWFuVwNzcGNCCmGB0mKKYYvF3iRSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~). Keeping the Big Lie alive after Virginia: Maybe Glenn Youngkin was a fake? Republican Glenn [Youngkin won the hotly contested bellwether race for governor](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjbOfQP0RqaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjEvMTEvMDkva2VlcGluZy10aGUtYmlnLWxpZS1hbGl2ZS1hZnRlci12aXJnaW5pYS1tYXliZS1nbGVubi15b3VuZ2tpbi13YXMtYS1mYWtlL1cDc3BjQgphgdJiimGLxd4kUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) of Virginia last week, even after many on the right had issued dark warnings about the supposed possibility of election fraud in the Old Dominion. Yet the GOP victory has done nothing to squelch the "Big Lie," otherwise known as the belief that the 2020 election was "stolen" from Donald Trump through voting machines somehow compromised by China and the Democrats. Many observers assumed that Youngkin's win over Democratic former governor Terry McAuliffe would leave right-wing media and online characters alike mute, at least temporarily, on the topic of election fraud. Except that wasn't how things played out. Instead, conspiracy theories seemed to build on each other, Jenga Tower-style, creating an unstable and even indecipherable mess. Last Wednesday, far-right Gateway Pundit founder Jim Hoft floated the imaginative notion that Youngkin's win could have been the result of a sinister "larger psyop" carried out by Democrats in order to distract from the really big election fraud being committed. In other words, maybe Glenn Youngkin was a false flag. [Read more](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjbOfQP0RqaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjEvMTEvMDkva2VlcGluZy10aGUtYmlnLWxpZS1hbGl2ZS1hZnRlci12aXJnaW5pYS1tYXliZS1nbGVubi15b3VuZ2tpbi13YXMtYS1mYWtlL1cDc3BjQgphgdJiimGLxd4kUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~). (Photo by Getty Images) The full moon seems to affect men more than women If all the patterns observed from the ghostly visage of Earth's full moon, many cultures' folklore identifies the shape of a so-called man in the moon. Now, a new study suggests [a connection between men and moons that goes beyond the so-called man within](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjbOfQP0Q1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjEvMTEvMDgvZnVsbC1tb29uLW1lbi1zbGVlcC9XA3NwY0IKYYHSYophi8XeJFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo). Researchers at Uppsala University in Sweden say that sleep issues in men may be correlated with the cycles of the moon. The peculiar study, published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, is especially curious for its observations of differences among genders: Women, by contrast, seemed to be largely unaffected by the lunar cycle. This is in stark contrast with folklore: Women have often been associated with the moon, from the ancient Roman goddess Luna to the term "menstruation," which erroneously links periods with lunar cycles. "I think this is the first report of a sex difference in lunar cycling," Helen Burgess, Ph.D., co-director of the Sleep and Circadian Research Laboratory at University of Michigan Health, told Salon. [Read more](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjbOfQP0Q1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjEvMTEvMDgvZnVsbC1tb29uLW1lbi1zbGVlcC9XA3NwY0IKYYHSYophi8XeJFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo). (Photo by Getty Images) - Sorry, Josh Hawley, the left doesn't hate masculinity — [women just don't want to make you a sandwich](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjbOfQP0RyaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjEvMTEvMDgvc29ycnktam9zaC1oYXdsZXktdGhlLWxlZnQtZG9lc250LWhhdGUtbWFzY3VsaW5pdHktLW1pc29neW55LWlzLXRoZS1yZWFsLXByb2JsZW0vVwNzcGNCCmGB0mKKYYvF3iRSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) - [“Most Wanted” Capitol rioter flees FBI](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjbOfQP0RsaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjEvMTEvMDgvbW9zdC13YW50ZWQtY2FwaXRvbC1yaW90ZXItZmxlZXMtZmJpLS1yZXBvcnRlZGx5LXNlZWtpbmctYXN5bHVtLWluLWJlbGFydXMvVwNzcGNCCmGB0mKKYYvF3iRSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) — reportedly seeking asylum in Belarus - 4-to-1 vaccine split means [COVID deaths are three times higher in Trump counties](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjbOfQP0RwaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjEvMTEvMDgvNC10by0xLXZhY2NpbmUtc3BsaXQtbWVhbnMtYXJlLXRocmVlLXRpbWVzLWhpZ2hlci1pbi1jb3VudGllcy10aGFuLWJpZGVuLWFyZWFzL1cDc3BjQgphgdJiimGLxd4kUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) than Biden areas - Learning how to talk to your doctor is [a skill that might just save your life](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjbOfQP0RvaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjEvMTEvMDgvbGVhcm5pbmctaG93LXRvLXRhbGstdG8teW91ci1kb2N0b3ItaXMtYS1za2lsbC10aGF0LW1pZ2h0LWp1c3Qtc2F2ZS15b3VyLWxpZmUvVwNzcGNCCmGB0mKKYYvF3iRSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) - Marvel’s first deaf superhero shines, but ["Eternals" has an accessibility problem](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjbOfQP0RvaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjEvMTEvMDgvbWFydmVscy1maXJzdC1kZWFmLXN1cGVyaGVyby1zaGluZXMtYnV0LWV0ZXJuYWxzLWhhcy1hbi1hY2Nlc3NpYmlsaXR5LXByb2JsZW0vVwNzcGNCCmGB0mKKYYvF3iRSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) - Shirley Manson on [the album that expanded Garbage's sound](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjbOfQP0R5aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjEvMTEvMDgvc2hpcmxleS1tYW5zb24tb24tdGhlLWFsYnVtLXRoYXQtZXhwYW5kZWQtZ2FyYmFnZXMtc291bmQtd2UtZ290LXJveWFsbHktcHVuaXNoZWQtZm9yLWl0L1cDc3BjQgphgdJiimGLxd4kUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~): "We got royally punished for it" - On "SNL," Cecily Strong's Goober the Clown nails [the joy and comedy of abortion](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjbOfQP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjEvMTEvMDgvc25sLWNlY2lseS1zdHJvbmctY2xvd24tYWJvcnRpb24vVwNzcGNCCmGB0mKKYYvF3iRSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) - I was one of the lawyers who helped win marriage equality. And [yes, the GOP can take it away](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjbOfQP0R0aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjEvMTEvMDgvaS13YXMtb25lLW9mLXRoZS1sYXd5ZXJzLWhlbHBlZC13aW4tbWFycmlhZ2UtZXF1YWxpdHktYW5kLXllcy10aGUtY2FuLXRha2UtaXQtYXdheS9XA3NwY0IKYYHSYophi8XeJFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - My playwriting student wrote a scene — about [his year in solitary confinement](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjbOfQP0RuaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjEvMTEvMDgvbXktcGxheXdyaXRpbmctc3R1ZGVudC13cm90ZS1hLXNjZW5lLS1hYm91dC1oaXMteWVhci1pbi1zb2xpdGFyeS1jb25maW5lbWVudC9XA3NwY0IKYYHSYophi8XeJFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) Not a subscriber yet? [Sign up](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjbOfQP0RVaHR0cHM6Ly9zYWxvbi51czgubGlzdC1tYW5hZ2UuY29tL3N1YnNjcmliZT91PTcxY2IzZThhNmU5NjM5YzgxMDIzY2Q0MjcmaWQ9NWRlZGEyYWFhN1cDc3BjQgphgdJiimGLxd4kUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) to receive Crash Course. Hillary was right about Trump then — and she's right now If you still hate Hillary Clinton for some reason, [it's time to get over it, according to Salon's Chauncey DeVega](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjbOfQP0RtaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjEvMTEvMDgvc3RpbGwtaGF0ZS1oaWxsYXJ5LWdldC1vdmVyLWl0LXNoZS13YXMtcmlnaHQtYWJvdXQtdGhlbi0tYW5kLXNoZXMtcmlnaHQtbm93L1cDc3BjQgphgdJiimGLxd4kUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~). Clinton was right about Donald Trump and his movement in 2016 . . . and she's right now. Of course, DeVega is referring to Clinton's observation that a large percentage of Donald Trump's followers could be considered a "basket of deplorables" during the presidential campaign five years ago. "Those afflicted with Hillary Derangement Syndrome should feel free to bray at the moon, scream into the wind or do whatever else is necessary to get that energy out of their system. But this is a moment to join in alliance with others, across ordinary lines of politics and ideology, to stop the Republican-fascist movement. Sometimes the enemy of my enemy really is my friend," DeVega writes. [Read more](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjbOfQP0RtaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjEvMTEvMDgvc3RpbGwtaGF0ZS1oaWxsYXJ5LWdldC1vdmVyLWl0LXNoZS13YXMtcmlnaHQtYWJvdXQtdGhlbi0tYW5kLXNoZXMtcmlnaHQtbm93L1cDc3BjQgphgdJiimGLxd4kUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~). - "Jan. 6 panel subpoenas Flynn and Eastman, scrutinizing election plot," [NY Times](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjbOfQP0RXaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMS8xMS8wOC91cy9wb2xpdGljcy9qYW4tNi1zdWJwb2VuYXMtZWFzdG1hbi1mbHlubi10cnVtcC5odG1sVwNzcGNCCmGB0mKKYYvF3iRSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) - "International travel ban ends as borders open to visitors from dozens of countries," [The Washington Post](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjbOfQP0RVaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cud2FzaGluZ3RvbnBvc3QuY29tL3RyYW5zcG9ydGF0aW9uLzIwMjEvMTEvMDgvdXMtaW50ZXJuYXRpb25hbC10cmF2ZWwtYmFuL1cDc3BjQgphgdJiimGLxd4kUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) - "Big Bird got 'vaccinated' against COVID-19, drawing outrage from Republicans," [NPR](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjbOfQP0RiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnByLm9yZy8yMDIxLzExLzA4LzEwNTM1NDgwNzQvYmlnLWJpcmQtY292aWQtMTktdmFjY2luZS1jb25zZXJ2YXRpdmUtYmFja2xhc2gtdGVkLWNydXpXA3NwY0IKYYHSYophi8XeJFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - "Taylor Energy oil spill: Stanching the longest-running oil spill you’ve likely never heard of," [CBS News](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjbOfQP0RaaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuY2JzbmV3cy5jb20vbmV3cy90YXlsb3Itb2lsLXNwaWxsLWxvdWlzaWFuYS1jb2FzdC1ndWFyZC02MC1taW51dGVzLTIwMjEtMTEtMDcvVwNzcGNCCmGB0mKKYYvF3iRSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) GOP congressman tweets anime-themed video of him killing AOC Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., the far-right dentist known for his ties to multiple white nationalist groups, on Sunday released a video of photoshopped clips of [an anime show depicting him killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjbOfQP0RnaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjEvMTEvMDgvY29uZ3Jlc3NtYW4tdHdlZXRzLWFuaW1lLXRoZW1lZC12aWRlby1vZi1oaW0tYWxleGFuZHJpYS1vY2FzaW8tY29ydGV6L1cDc3BjQgphgdJiimGLxd4kUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) The tweeted video – which he captioned, "Any anime fans out there?" – opens with Gosar's name under Japanese text that reads "attack of immigrants," an apparent reference to the anime show "Attack on the Titan" from which the Republican pulled various clips. In [a March interview with Salon's Igor Derysh](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjbOfQP0R6aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjEvMDMvMTMvcmVwLXBhdWwtZ29zYXJzLXNpYmxpbmdzLXNheS1oZXMtYS13aGl0ZS1zdXByZW1hY2lzdC0tYnV0LWhpcy1nb3AtY29sbGVhZ3Vlcy1zdGF5LXNpbGVudC9XA3NwY0IKYYHSYophi8XeJFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo), all three of Gosar's siblings expressed a firm belief that their brother is a white supremacist. "He's literally scared of his own shadow," said Gosar's brother, Tim. "That's what kind of person we're talking about here. Is he a white supremacist for political gain? Absolutely. Is he a white supremacist because he's a 'scared of his own shadow' guy? Yeah, he is that too." [Read more](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjbOfQP0RnaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2Fsb24uY29tLzIwMjEvMTEvMDgvY29uZ3Jlc3NtYW4tdHdlZXRzLWFuaW1lLXRoZW1lZC12aWRlby1vZi1oaW0tYWxleGFuZHJpYS1vY2FzaW8tY29ydGV6L1cDc3BjQgphgdJiimGLxd4kUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~). (Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images) Have a tip for Salon? Feedback on this newsletter? [Let us know](mailto:brett.bachman@salon.com). Copyright © 2021 Crash Course, All rights reserved. Our mailing address: 1000 N. West Street, Suite 1200 Wilmington, DE 19801 [Unsubscribe from this list](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjbOfQP0RBaHR0cHM6Ly9yZWFkLmxldHRlcmhlYWQuZW1haWwvY3Jhc2gtY291cnNlL3Vuc3Vic2NyaWJlP2lkPTM1NDM5NTJXA3NwY0IKYYHSYophi8XeJFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) [Made with Letterhead [Letterhead logo]](~/AASU4wA~/RgRjbOfQP0QiaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbmVwbm83czh5c1cDc3BjQgphgdJiimGLxd4kUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~)