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Daily Dose of Democracy:

In chaotic 4th debate, DeSantis fades badly
Heel lifts or no heel lifts, part-time Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was caught flat-footed when asked repeatedly on the debate stage Wednesday evening whether Donald Trump is mentally fit to return to power. Fear not, fearmongers! He did manage to work some of his patented transgender hysteria into the affair, but anyone in the GOP hoping for any signs of life from his floundering campaign almost certainly went to bed disappointed.

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Trump fake electors indicted in Nevada
A Nevada grand jury has just returned indictments for six Republicans who served as fake electors for Donald Trump in 2020. Huh, more election fraud! Committed by cronies loyal to the serially indicted ex-president. Again. You know, at some point Republicans might want to cook up a new strategy for sowing distrust in elections and undermining American democracy in general. This whole "election fraud" crusade just seems to be culling their own herd and further tarnishing whatever's left of their grand old brand.

Take Action: Tell President Biden to take executive action to fight corruption in politics!

ALERT: McConnell on the cusp of convincing Senate Democrats to sell out human rights
United We Dream: Senate Republicans are primed to score one of their biggest victories on one of their most insidious agenda items. In negotiations for war aid, Democrats are signaling a willingness to trade away immigrant and asylum protections — a move that would immediately condemn many to death and untold masses to a life of suffering. It is absolutely unacceptable for Democratic leaders to enable this Trumpian scheme to persecute those in the most need. United We Dream is leading the charge to stop Democrats from supporting enabling the MAGA agenda — but they can't do it alone. Can you chip in a few bucks to ensure they have the resources to get the job done?

At least 3 killed in massing shooting on UNLV campus, 67-year-old suspect dead
Yet another gunman opened fire on yet another campus, this time at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, on Wednesday, killing three people and seriously injuring a fourth before being shot dead by police. The suspect has been identified as a 67-year-old semi-retired professor living in nearby Henderson who reportedly recently applied for — but did not receive — a teaching job at UNLV. Republicans' performative thoughts and prayers were immediately dispersed following news of the latest mass shooting, providing cold, calculated comfort to gun lobby puppeteers and 2nd Amendment zealots alike, while the rest of us ache for the victims and their families and yearn for a day where sensible politicians from the other side of the aisle join Democrats and finally, finally enact meaningful, life-saving gun-safety reforms.

Governments — including the US — are spying on Apple and Google users through phone notifications, senator says
Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden warned that governments are spying on smartphone users by compelling Apple and Google to turn over push notification records. While Wyden did not specify which countries have asked Apple and Google for such records, a source confirmed to Reuters that foreign government agencies — as well as US government agencies — have asked both Google and Apple for information from push notifications, including metadata that can help connect anonymous users on messaging apps to specific Apple and Google accounts. Neat!

Take Action: Tell Congress to end legacy enrollments at taxpayer-subsidized Ivy League schools!

Georgia prosecutors predict jail sentences in Trump 2020 election case
Look, we remain clear-eyed and pragmatic about the prospect of the disgraced ex-president ever spending any actual time behind bars, but the expansive conspiracy and racketeering case Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has built against the serially indicted con man and his top allies is strong, and we're more than little bit hopeful that justice — someday, anyday — will finally be served.

Take Action: Tell corporations to stop funding lobbyists pushing harmful laws!

Vivek Ramaswamy fans conspiracy flames, says Jan. 6 insurrection was "an inside job"
Oh, good. Future former presidential also-ran Vivek Ramaswamy has another provocative conspiracy theory to hawk, this time concerning Trump's failed insurrection. "Why am I the only person on this stage, at least, who can say that Jan. 6 now does look like it was an inside job?" Ramaswamy said, before he rambled off a list of other topics popular in QAnon-soaked conspiracy circles. Okay, here us out. Jan. 6 WAS an inside job — orchestrated loudly and in plain sight BY DONALD TRUMP for months, from the White House and also on live TV, alongside a ramshackle army of obnoxious crooks, goon lawyers, and feckless MAGA minions anxious to do his bidding in Congress. This isn't the conspiratorial hot take Vivek wants Republican viewers to walk away with from last night's shit show of a debate, of course, but it is the truth.

Trump suddenly rocked with BOMBSHELL new ruling in court
No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen: Bad news for Trump...

Kevin McCarthy calling it quits
Speaking of feckless congresspeople, ex-House Speaker and loyal Trump lapdog Kevin McCarthy announced he will be resigning from Congress at the end of the month, ending weeks of speculation about his future after he was unceremoniously ousted from his leadership role in October by right-wing radical toddlers in his own clown caucus. "I have decided to depart the House at the end of this year to serve America in new ways. I know my work is only getting started," McCarthy said. Gee, dunno. Pretty sure Kevin's "work" to prop up, enable, empower, and re-platform a treasonous ex-president while running the American government into the ground started a long time ago, but maybe he's eyeing a career change or something. Used cars, maybe?

Ukraine aid from US in doubt after failed Senate vote
Senate Republicans have blocked a move to pass a critical aid bill for Ukraine after failing to secure sweeping — and unrelated — changes to US immigration and border policies in exchange. While Republican members proclaim to be generally in favor of continued aid to Ukraine, they clearly see the issue as a way to extract divisive concessions from Democrats on immigration. A Ukrainian official said that failure to secure more US aid would mean a "very high possibility" that the war will be lost to Russia.

Chris Christie rips fellow Republican hopefuls for cowering to "Voldemort" Trump
The former New Jersey governor and one-time Trump ally came out swinging at the serially indicted con man during the GOP presidential debate on Wednesday and excoriated his fellow debate participants for sticking to carefully crafted talking points and avoiding the 315 lb. elephant not in the room. "The fact of the matter is, he is unfit to be president...and yet I’ve got these three guys who are all seeming to compete with Voldemort, he who shall not be named," Christie said. The debate predictably devolved throughout the night, with Vivek Ramaswamy steering clear of Donald and throwing a signature sexist punch at Nikki Haley, whom he described as a "fascist neocon" with lipstick. Very presidential!