Crash Course: Kari Lake declares victory — after judge rejects most of her lawsuit challenging election loss

The failed GOP candidate tried to frame a judge dismissing 8 of 10 counts in her suit as a win. Your daily update from [Salon](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlhXpQP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbjk0aHpoYWQ0MC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTBzbjR1cnQ0dXAmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY6JR9aJjG-zFKFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo). Kari Lake declares victory — after judge rejects most of her lawsuit challenging election loss An Arizona judge dismissed most of failed Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake's lawsuit contesting her defeat to Gov.-elect Katie Hobbs, but the election denier framed the ruling as a win for her campaign. "Our Election Case is going to trial," [Lake wrote on Twitter](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlhXpQP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvdjh5OGwxNjB2cC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTBzbjR1cnQ0dXBXA3NwY0IKY6JR9aJjG-zFKFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo). "Katie Hobbs attempt to have our case thrown out FAILED. She will have to take the stand & testify. Buckle up, America. This is far from over." Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson dismissed eight of the 10 claims Lake brought in her lawsuit, asking the judge to either declare her the winner or hold a revote in the county. While Thompson took no position on the merits of Lake's two surviving claims, he allowed a trial to move forward on two other counts, which involved printers malfunctioning on Election Day and ballot chain of custody. "If there's anything rotten in Arizona, it is what this contest represents," an attorney for Hobbs said at the hearing. "For the past several years, our democracy and its basic guiding principles have been under sustained assault from candidates who just cannot or will not accept the fact that they lost." [Read more from Areeba Shah.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlhXpQP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMva3Q5ODQwaG5ycS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTBzbjR1cnQ0dXAmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY6JR9aJjG-zFKFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) (Photo via Joshua Lott/The Washington Post via Getty Images) Editor's note: Crash Course will be taking a brief hiatus for the holidays this week. The newsletter will resume on Thursday, Dec. 29. “She gladly takes our $$$”: MTG and Lauren Boebert get into “high school drama” over Kevin McCarthy Boebert took a shot at Greene at the Turning Point USA conference in Phoenix on Monday while discussing her differences with the Georgia Republican. "I've been aligned with Marjorie and accused of believing a lot of the things that she believes in," Boebert said. "I don't believe in [McCarthy as speaker], just as I don't believe in Russian space lasers, Jewish space lasers and all of this," she added, referring to a [conspiracy theory shared by Greene](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlhXpQP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvd21wMjNrbXZncS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTBzbjR1cnQ0dXAmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY6JR9aJjG-zFKFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) linking wildfires to a fictional space laser controlled by the Rothschilds, a wealthy Jewish family at the heart of many antisemitic conspiracy theories. Greene fired back on Twitter, accusing Boebert of stoking "high school drama." "I've supported and donated to Lauren Boebert. President Trump has supported and donated to Lauren Boebert. Kevin McCarthy has supported and donated to Lauren Boebert. She just barely came through by 500 votes," Greene [wrote](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlhXpQP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbXk4YmViMzcxay8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTBzbjR1cnQ0dXBXA3NwY0IKY6JR9aJjG-zFKFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo), referring to Boebert's narrow re-election victory. "She gladly takes our $$$ but when she's been asked: Lauren refuses to endorse President Trump, she refuses to support Kevin McCarthy, and she childishly threw me under the bus for a cheap sound bite," Greene added. It's not the first time the two have feuded. [Read more from Igor Derysh.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlhXpQP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvODliZ245NmYyci8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTBzbjR1cnQ0dXAmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY6JR9aJjG-zFKFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) (Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images) - The [Jan. 6 committee makes their final plea](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlhXpQP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvZXE1OTV3bWQzMC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTBzbjR1cnQ0dXAmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY6JR9aJjG-zFKFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo): Prosecuting Trump will be hard, but morally necessary - Jan. 6 assault reflected a deep American division: [Whose democracy is it?](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlhXpQP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvN2VkMDZycjZ6cy8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTBzbjR1cnQ0dXAmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY6JR9aJjG-zFKFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - How "All I Want for Christmas Is You" [made Mariah Carey de facto Queen of Christmas](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlhXpQP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvZ2Ribmh0cWViby8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTBzbjR1cnQ0dXAmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY6JR9aJjG-zFKFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo), sans trademark~/AASU4wA~/RgRlhXpQP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvdGQ1NWZ2aHRleC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTBzbjR1cnQ0dXAmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY6JR9aJjG-zFKFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo - Hey, Democrats: The Clinton era is finally over, and ["triangulation" is dead at last](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlhXpQP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvczMxbnNiajhhYi8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTBzbjR1cnQ0dXAmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY6JR9aJjG-zFKFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - [Jeremy Clarkson slammed](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlhXpQP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvYTcxbDFpenkwaC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTBzbjR1cnQ0dXAmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY6JR9aJjG-zFKFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) for wishing Meghan Markle meets a misogynistic "Game of Thrones" fate - The playful beauty — and overarching sadness — in [Pattie Boyd's life in pictures](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlhXpQP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvaTZocHdyam9kNC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTBzbjR1cnQ0dXAmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY6JR9aJjG-zFKFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - From cheesy brie bites to gooey jalapeño poppers, ["Savory Baking"](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlhXpQP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvd3A1ZmNoZjV4cC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTBzbjR1cnQ0dXAmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY6JR9aJjG-zFKFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) has a place at your holiday table If you found yourself here without subscribing, sign up for [Crash Course](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlhXpQP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvOXdxa2JycGh3dS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTBzbjR1cnQ0dXAmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY6JR9aJjG-zFKFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo), so you don't miss anything! Trump's trading cards are stupid: Ha ha. But who gets the last laugh? Trump's latest con? Last Thursday, in what he billed as a "major announcement," the ex-president told his followers that he was selling a series of "limited edition" NFTs, or "digital trading cards," that can supposedly be sold on cryptocurrency markets. These cards feature poorly-executed cartoon images of Trump in heroic or ultra-masculine garb — as a wrestler or boxer, a fighter pilot, a superhero, an Old West sheriff and various other fantasy depictions. His angle here is twofold: an appeal to greed and the desire by Trump's followers to gain approval from (and potential access) to their cult leader. Writing at The Young Turks, [Matthew Sheffield](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlhXpQP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMveXNpbWE4aTdrei8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTBzbjR1cnQ0dXBXA3NwY0IKY6JR9aJjG-zFKFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) explains the sourcing and quality of these images, which he suggests "appear to be assembled randomly and automatically by a computer program from a pre-defined collection of backgrounds, costumes, and heads." How did professional pundits and many among the public respond to Trump's NFT auction and "major announcement"? With the usual mockery and laughter, calling Trump a "joke" and a "loser" and suggesting this latest scam offers further proof that he's a has-been who is "desperate for attention." That attitude was widely shared across the political spectrum from former Trump adviser and coup plotter Steve Bannon to President Biden. Such reactive mockery and defensive contempt may feel good in the moment but ignores the most obvious fact: Trump and his movement remain be an existential threat to American democracy, and Trump still has tens of millions of loyal followers who love to give him money. [Read more from Chauncey DeVega.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlhXpQP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvcXQ0eTVvbjFzby8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTBzbjR1cnQ0dXAmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY6JR9aJjG-zFKFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) (Photo via Joe Raedle/Getty Images) - "Musk blamed a Twitter account for an alleged stalker. Police see no link," [The Washington Post](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlhXpQP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvaW5xdWpsNjR3dy8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTBzbjR1cnQ0dXBXA3NwY0IKY6JR9aJjG-zFKFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - "Fossil Fuel Villain of the Year: Shell CEO Ben van Beurden," [The New Republic](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlhXpQP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbmtkcHFkZXY3ei8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTBzbjR1cnQ0dXBXA3NwY0IKY6JR9aJjG-zFKFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - "Restaurateur, Political Donor, Tipster: The Many Roles of FTX’s Ryan Salame," [The New York Times](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlhXpQP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvMWxlaHJrd2djMy8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTBzbjR1cnQ0dXBXA3NwY0IKY6JR9aJjG-zFKFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - "While advising Trump on judges, Conway sold her business to a firm with ties to judicial activist Leonard Leo," [Politico](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlhXpQP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvZm9kMm5nc29udi8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTBzbjR1cnQ0dXBXA3NwY0IKY6JR9aJjG-zFKFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - "ChatGPT Can Negotiate Comcast Bills Down For You," [Vice](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlhXpQP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvZXdydnN2cGZzNC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTBzbjR1cnQ0dXBXA3NwY0IKY6JR9aJjG-zFKFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - "How millennials became cringe," [Vox](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlhXpQP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvOHQzeHk3amVvNy8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTBzbjR1cnQ0dXBXA3NwY0IKY6JR9aJjG-zFKFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) "Trap-neuter-release" programs for feral cats may do more harm than good, experts say The trap-neuter-release (TNR) or catch-and-release approach, in which feral cats are captured, rendered unable to reproduce, and then sent back out on their way, has become a mainstay of many policymakers, although non-governmental organizations often perform the "service," as it were. And though trap-neuter-release programs have become normalized, and might seem like a comparatively harmless way of controlling feral cat populations, experts say the practice is actually quite cruel. By keeping feral cats in environments where they don't occur naturally, humans are unknowingly preserving an invasive species in the ecosystem — one that effectively kills many other animals in the environment, thus upsetting the balance of nature. In other words, the practice of catch-and-release fails to "remove an invasive predator from the landscape so they are still able to predate and harass native species and spread diseases and disease vectors for which they were not vaccinated for," explained Stephen M. Vantassel, owner of Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. [Read more from Matthew Rozsa.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlhXpQP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMva3E2dmh1YmU3dC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPTBzbjR1cnQ0dXAmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY6JR9aJjG-zFKFIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) (Photo via (Getty Images / James Lumibao / EyeEm) [Unsubscribe from this list](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlhXpQP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9yZWFkLmxldHRlcmhlYWQuZW1haWwvY3Jhc2gtY291cnNlL3Vuc3Vic2NyaWJlP2lkPUAzNTQzOTUyVwNzcGNCCmOiUfWiYxvsxShSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) Copyright © 2022 Crash Course, All rights reserved. 1000 N. West Street, Suite 1200, Wilmington, DE 19801 [Made with Letterhead [Letterhead logo]](~/AASU4wA~/RgRlhXpQP0QiaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbmVwbm83czh5c1cDc3BjQgpjolH1omMb7MUoUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~)