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Let’s not botch the Afghan pullout mission

President Joe Biden has set Aug. 31 — next Tuesday — as the deadline to finish the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. He is being roundly criticized by Democrats, Republicans and leaders in the G-7 for that. The U.S. will not be able to get Americans and their allies out of Afghanistan, especially the Afghanis who cooperated and worked with us over the past 20 years. We agree with the critics. It was a mistake to set a pullout date in the first place. It was a signal to the Taliban forces who have been waiting for their time to stage their week-long sweep to power in the country. ...

Pfizer vaccine meets FDA ‘gold standard’

The US government gave full approval on Monday to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, the first of the vaccines produced and approved since the disease’s outbreak in 2019. Up until now the Pfizer vaccine, like the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson versions, have been approved for emergency use. This fact has led many to question whether the vaccines were safe and effective, and in some people’s minds, whether they were really vaccines at all. It has been used by some as a reason to avoid taking the vaccine. The approval is leading to universities, businesses and other organizations to ...

State GOP needs to regroup, rebuild trust

The Minnesota Republican Party is in a chaotic state following the ousting of State Chair Jennifer Carnahan last week. Carnahan’s connection with fund raiser Anton Lazarro, arrested on federal warrants of child sex trafficking, made it hard for the party to keep her on. But Lazarro’s problems brought to light other criticisms of the way Carnahan has led the party. Last week the State Republican Committee negated several nondisclosure agreements Carnahan had forced several ex-staffers to sign, and four of them quickly voiced charges that Carnahan had created a hostile work environment ...

Thumbs Up/Down

Around the corner Sideways Thumb: It is the time of year when nights get darker a little sooner. Kids know that the summer is winding down and school is just around the corner. This year, they have more to worry about than finding their classrooms and getting to know their new teachers. The shadow of COVID-19 is looming over schools this year, much like it was last year. School districts in the area are only recommending that students and staff wear masks, but with the rising trends in COVID cases, it is possible that more stringent regulations may be necessary. The safety of the ...

State fair will be big test of COVID transmissability

The last time the Great Minnesota Get-Together actually got together, in 2019, 2.1 million people visited the fairgrounds over 12 days. The following year the fair was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year the fair is on again, organizers buoyed by the big lull in new cases earlier this summer and the cessation of the state’s emergency declarations. But as the fair prepares to open next week, COVID infection rates have been rising, spurred on by the quicker spreading delta variant and the slowdown in vaccinations. State and federal health officials are again encouraging ...

Demand a forensic audit of our votes

To the editor: The Democrats were seen everywhere in the media just a few short years ago after the 2016 presidential election claiming foreign interference in the election, including US Senator Amy Klobuchar. What did the Democrats do to ensure that the 2020 election was the most honest and transparent in history? What new legislation was proposed and passed to make such a dramatic change for them to make such a conclusion? If the 2016 election was “tainted” or interfered with by foreign actors in 2016 and nothing was done about it, how can they conclude that the 2020 election ...