Editorials

There is no good reason not to get jabbed

Published on Thu, 02/25/2021 - 4:13pm

Vaccine makers reassured Congress on Tuesday they will boost production and provide an additional 140 million doses in the next five weeks, overcoming the production bottlenecks that have crimped the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. The next hurdle is vaccine hesitancy. Opinion surveys show the United States is drawing closer to the goal of broad public acceptance, but there is a ways to go. Every effort must be made to administer the vaccines as widely as possible.

S. Dakota’s AG’s fatal accident and unresolved justice

Published on Wed, 02/24/2021 - 12:00am

There is a perception that something seemed frustratingly preordained last week when the charges to be filed against South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg in connection with a fatal car accident last September were announced.

Better answers needed in Texas power loss

Published on Fri, 02/19/2021 - 12:00am

With more than 4 million residents recently suffering hours without power in the midst of a historic cold snap and pandemic, Texans deserve to know what went wrong and why. So on Tuesday, as public outrage cascaded across the state, Gov. Greg Abbott wisely added an investigation into the power outage and reform of the grid operator to his list of emergency items for this Legislature to tackle.

The Constitution demands accountability

Published on Thu, 02/11/2021 - 12:00am

Long before Tuesday’s opening of former president Donald Trump’s Senate impeachment trial, Senate Republicans largely coalesced around a strategy to acquit him: Rely on the constitutional argument — however specious — that a president cannot be convicted in the Senate if he’s already left office. Trump’s recently reshuffled legal team obliged them in their avoidance of holding Trump accountable by relying heavily on this defense in their final pre-trial filing Monday.

Trump’s Senate trial matters regardless of outcome

Published on Mon, 02/08/2021 - 12:00am

WASHINGTON (AP) — This matters.

Biden’s cancellation of Keystone XL pipeline pure politics

Published on Thu, 02/04/2021 - 12:00am

President Biden’s decision to cancel the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline has a touch of the theatrical about it. Signing the cancellation order on the first full day of his administration, the president drew applause from environmentalists and boos from a number of labor unions. Native American governments praised the action but the premier of Alberta, Canada, was quick to give it a bad review.

Trying Mr. Trump, private citizen

Published on Thu, 01/28/2021 - 12:00am

Democrats can’t let go of Donald Trump even as a former President, so on Monday House managers walked their article of impeachment to the Senate for a trial. Their goal is to banish Mr. Trump from running for office again. The result may instead be his acquittal and political revival.

Vaccine slower than hoped

Published on Mon, 01/25/2021 - 12:00am

By mid-March, Americans will have reached the one-year anniversary of the emergency declaration for COVID-19. Looking back over those 12 months we see encouraging signs. Topping that list of positive news is the success of ex-President Donald ‘frump’s Operation Warp Speed. In less than a year we’ve developed several safe and effective vaccines.

Presidential pardons should not be a personal perk

Published on Fri, 01/22/2021 - 3:59pm

In one of his last acts as president Donald J. Trump again exercised his constitutional authority to “grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States” in an irresponsible and offensive way — fortunately for the last time.

The way he has used the pardon power to benefit cronies, political allies and the father of his son-in-law underlines just how expansive that power is — and why Trump’s successor must be pressed, including by Congress, to exercise it impartially.

Trump must be removed

Published on Thu, 01/07/2021 - 2:58pm

President Trump’s refusal to accept his election defeat and his relentless incitement of his supporters led Wednesday to the unthinkable: an assault on the U.S. Capitol by a violent mob that overwhelmed police and drove Congress from its chambers as it was debating the counting of electoral votes. Responsibility for this act of sedition lies squarely with the president, who has shown that his continued tenure in office poses a grave threat to U.S. democracy. He should be removed.