“If the United States is to deter a nuclear attack,” then-U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara said in a 1967 speech in San Francisco, “it must possess an actual and a credible assured-destruction capability.”

McNamara was elucidating a long-established defense concept known as “mutually assured destruction,” meaning that if one side has the ability to destroy its enemy but knows that it cannot do so without being destroyed itself, and that its enemy can and will act to do precisely that, stability is the result.

Something like that argument is being applied to gerrymandering, which is applying nuclear-level destruction to American democracy at both state and federal levels. And it is proliferating.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom used the phrase “fight fire with fire” when he said he planned to work with the California legislature and congressional representatives on a plan that would temporarily set aside California’s independent redistricting commission. The aim is to draw a map that would offset any gains the GOP makes in Texas, where President Donald Trump and Gov. Greg Abbott are trying to force a gerrymandered, mid-decade congressional map through the Texas legislature with the aim of maintaining Republican control of the U.S. House.

That action in Texas, of course, explains why Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker was holding a news conference this month with Texas Democrats who had fled the Lone Star State to try to prevent, well, their own mutually assured destruction. After other Texans in exile made their way to New York City for a separate news conference, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said that “if Republicans are willing to rewrite these rules to give themselves an advantage, then they’re leaving us no choice, we must do the same.”

Closer to home, Pritzker assailed what was happening in Texas as a “corrupt” act, likely to “silence millions of voters,” with nary a sense of irony, as if his own party was squeaky clean on the matter in Illinois, which is hardly the case.

Illinois Republicans, or what is left of them, roared at the hypocrisy, given that the Illinois version of gerrymandering, as egregiously implemented in 2021, has effectively disempowered Republicans, and thus Republican voters, to the point that very few of them even see a point in running for office in Illinois districts anymore, beyond the safe Republican islands. That’s despite 44% of Illinoisans voting for Trump in 2024.

The problem with applying the language of assured mutual destruction is that democracy does not die in a nuclear flash, to be avoided at all costs. It dies progressively, eaten away by incremental loss of trust.

We’ve railed against gerrymandering on both state and federal levels before, of course, and not just to lament the cowardice on gerrymandering displayed by the Illinois Supreme Court, as well the U.S. Supreme Court’s lamentable 2019 decision in Rucho v. Common Cause that removed federal courts as a crucial check on partisan gerrymandering. At the time, Chief Justice John Roberts clearly recognized the threat gerrymandering posed to democracy, but the 5-4 court majority he led ruled that the only lawful remedies were political, as distinct from federal judicial intervention.

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Already that decision has not aged well.

We’re back on the topic today to say that the events of the last few days only have deepened our conviction that gerrymandering is a real and present threat to American democracy that must be stopped before yet more damage is done. We also are here to say that phrases like “fire with fire” and “all’s fair in love and war” are nothing more than lazy, partisan thinking, tempting as they may be to utter.

This isn’t about one side laying down its arms, or refusing to do so. It’s about building a structure with bipartisan buy-in so both are able to do so at once. We like to believe that could still be done in America.

— The Chicago Tribune

Edouard Julien was not beating his chest on Friday, the day after he took reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal deep in a 4-3 extra-inning loss to Detroit at Target Field.

Julien did, however, acknowledge an injection of confidence.

“Best pitcher in the game,” he noted.

The clout wound up in the plaza behind the right-field bleachers, and was the first by a left-handed hitter against the lefty Skubal all season. Julien also singled and sliced a hard liner into left against Skubal, the AL ERA leader (2.42 in 24 starts) and a favorite to repeat as the league Cy Young winner.

“Ed had a great day,” manager Rocco Baldelli said after the game.

It’s the kind of attention Julien has been trying to demand since returning from a long stint at Class AAA St. Paul after the July 31 trade deadline. After a promising and productive rookie season in 2023, Julien struggled to adjust to pitching that had adjusted to him in 2024.

He made the team out of training camp this season but was optioned to St. Paul after hitting .198 in 29 games. But he found his swing with the Saints, hitting .276 with 21 extra-base hits (11 home runs) in 70 games.

A second baseman for most of his major league games, Julien played first on Thursday and again on Friday. Asked about it, he said, “I honestly don’t think about any of that stuff.”

“I’m just ready every day to try and help the team win, and whatever position they play me at, I’m going to be a guy that gives them some good at-bats and be a good hitter,” he said. “I’m trying to be as good a hitter as I can be, get on base and hit for power. That’s all I’m trying to do.”

Good day for López

Right-hander Pablo López, working his way back from a teres major strain in his right shoulder, pitched two simulated innings against teammates before Friday’s game against Detroit at Target Field.

The veteran said he threw 35 to 40 pitches against teammates Julien, Ryan Fitzgerald and Austin Martin.

“Everything felt good with the delivery, the mechanics, the execution, the pounding the zone, that mentality,” López said. “So, I think everything’s good. I wanted to check all those boxes.”

Lopez said he had hoped to be pitching in games by this time but is pleased with his rehabilitation. If he feels good on Saturday, he should be on pace to throw again in five or six days and build up to 65 pitches.

The goal is to build up five innings and 80 pitches. Then, López said, “I’ll be able to get a few starts in (September), get some peace of mind going into the offseason.”

Briefly

Outfielder Alan Roden, acquired in the trade that sent Louie Varland to Toronto, jammed a thumb a few days ago and re-injured it while sliding head-first into home plate on Thursday. Manager Rocco Baldelli said he’s going to get an MRI on the thumb. … Right-hander David Festa, out with a shoulder impingement, said he’s making progress in his rehab and fully intends to return and “finish the season strong.”

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By COLLEEN SLEVIN

DENVER (AP) — Three women who were among the more than 100 inmates whose strip search videos were allegedly watched repeatedly by a Colorado jail’s former commander are suing him and government agencies, saying they failed to keep tabs on who was accessing the images and why.

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The proposed federal class action lawsuit, filed Wednesday, alleges that La Plata County and its sheriff’s office knew that Edward Aber had a history of being accused of sexual impropriety or harassment when he was hired and failed to place controls on access to strip search footage, including monitoring who was accessing it.

Aber is already being criminally prosecuted after a state investigation found that he had watched the strip search videos of at least 117 female inmates over about five years, often viewing them weeks and months after they were recorded as part of the jail’s intake process. The searches of female inmates entering the county jail are done by female deputies and recorded on their body cameras to ensure the new inmates are not hiding contraband like drugs on their bodies.

His lawyer in the criminal case, Barrie Newberger King, was traveling and did not immediately return emails or a voice message left at her office, which is closed this week. A telephone message left at a number listed for Aber was not immediately returned.

Interim Deputy County Manager Megan Downing said the county does not comment on active litigation.

Another lawsuit involving the jail was filed last month against the county commissioners, the sheriff and others by the parents of an inmate who died there in 2023 after they say the jail’s nurses and sheriff’s deputies ignored his cries for help over about 15 hours.

Edward Aber, former commander of the La Plata County, Colo., jail, walks through the facility in Durango, Colo., Dec. 13, 2022. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald via AP, File)

Aber was placed on paid leave in July 2024 while he was investigated for “alleged sexual conduct” with female inmates and sexual harassment of sheriff’s office employees, according to an arrest warrant affidavit prepared by an agent from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation in the video case. The previous investigation did not result in any criminal charges being filed against Aber, who resigned in July 2024, but prompted a review of his computer use, the document said.

Between February 2019 and July 2024, investigators found that Aber had logged in to access body camera footage over 3,000 times, mostly to watch footage labeled as strip searches, without any apparent legitimate reason, according to the arrest affidavit. The videos were sometimes watched from home and hotels, often late at night or early in the morning, it said.

Aber was charged last month with one count of first degree official misconduct as well 117 counts of invasion of privacy for sexual gratification, all misdemeanors, for alleging watching the videos of female inmates, including the three women who filed the lawsuit. The lawsuit also seeks to include any other woman whose videos were allegedly viewed by Aber.

The document noted that some videos Aber had accessed were purged from the system, so there could be more women whose videos he watched beyond the videos of the 117 women that remained.

The lawsuit accuses Aber and the others of violating the women’s constitutional rights, including their rights to privacy and to be protected against unreasonable searches.

One of their attorneys, Kevin Mehr, acknowledged that strip searches are needed in jails. But he said there could be some limits on why videos of such intrusive moments can be viewed, such as if contraband was found or if an inmate complains of being mistreated, he said. Otherwise, trust in the criminal justice system can be eroded, he said.

“Seeing this happen and thinking this could happen somewhere else really deteriorates the whole trust in the system,” Mehr said.

St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter faces four challengers as he runs for his third term in office: A state lawmaker, an engineer, a scientist and a local business owner.

Candidates had until Aug. 12 to file paperwork to run, and there won’t be a primary. Election Day is Nov. 4.

Mayoral elections are nonpartisan, though they often draw strong party interest. This year will be a little different, however: the St. Paul Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party is not making any endorsements in the race as it works to rebuild itself.

This will be the last year a mayoral election happens in an odd-numbered year in St. Paul. In 2024, voters approved a measure to shift the election to even-numbered years when other major contests are on the ballot.

The mayor is typically elected to a four-year term. But because of the change, the next election will be in 2028. The winner of this year’s election will only serve a three-year term.

Under St. Paul’s ranked-choice voting system, voters can rank candidates in order of preference.

Here’s who is officially running:

Melvin Carter

Carter was first elected mayor in 2017 and won reelection to another four-year term in 2021. He announced he’d run for a third term in January.

During his tenure, Cater has pursued a progressive agenda that has included medical debt forgiveness, college savings accounts for newborns, and a new sales tax to fund roads and parks.

Carter has faced growing challenges in recent years. While homicides and carjackings have fallen since peaking during the pandemic, public safety challenges remain, especially along the Green Line light rail corridor on University Avenue.

Carter also has faced pushback from other local leaders. He clashed with the city council over the 2025 budget, and a difficult year could be ahead amid declining downtown property values and federal funding cuts.

Yan Chen

Yan Chen (Courtesy of the candidate)

Yan Chen is a biophysicist at the University of Minnesota who ran for St. Paul City Council Ward 1 in 2023.

On her campaign website, Chen argues that the city is not doing enough to manage growing operational costs and instead raises property taxes at an unsustainable rate.

“If this continues, residents and businesses will leave, our tax base will shrink, and our city will lose its vibrancy,” she said.

Chen is also a critic of Carter’s endorsement of the 2021 rent control referendum and handling of the city’s garbage contract.

In a 2023 questionnaire with the St. Paul Pioneer Press, when she ran for City Council, Chen said she wanted to strengthen city services and stabilize the budget, and then move to address affordable housing.

In addition to being a scientist, Chen is a landlord. She owns five single-family rental homes in St. Paul.

Adam Dullinger

Adam Dullinger (Courtesy of the Candidate)

North End resident and mechanical engineer Adam Dullinger is the most recent candidate to enter the race.

Dullinger appeared at an April St. Paul City Council meeting to speak against exemptions in the city’s rent control ordinance, but said that issue isn’t the reason he decided to run.

Instead, Dullinger said he wants the city to focus on managing everyday problems like infrastructure maintenance — an area where he says his engineering background would give him an edge.

The political newcomer also said the city should do more to improve the affordability of housing, transportation and food. One way to improve affordability and food access could be municipal grocery stores, he said.

Dullinger also wants the city to continue developing its bicycle infrastructure to reduce road congestion, improve air quality and combat climate change.

Kaohly Her

State Rep. Kaohly Her entered the race earlier this month. The fourth-term St. Paul DFL legislator is the mayor’s most politically prominent challenger.

Rep. Kaohly Her (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Her said she decided to enter the race because she felt there hadn’t been enough debate on issues facing the city — whether it be rising property taxes, public safety and development challenges in districts like downtown.

“I hadn’t seen any engagement with voters in this mayoral race,” she said in an Aug. 4 interview. “It is important for us to vigorously debate the issues and the solutions in front of us, so that voters have a choice.”

Her, who used to work for the mayor, said she supports Carter’s progressive polices like medical debt forgiveness, but doesn’t think it’s a city’s job to provide them. Instead, St. Paul should focus on fundamental services, she said.

Mike Hilborn

Mike Hilborn (Courtesy of Excalibur Portraits / minnesotaheadshots.com)

Mike Hilborn runs a power washing, snowplowing and Christmas tree lighting business and ran as a Republican for downtown St. Paul’s state House district in 2024.

In a biography on his campaign website, he describes himself as “a father, an entrepreneur, a second-chance employer.” The company he started 30 years ago is headquartered on West Seventh Street.

Hilborn’s stated priorities include lowering taxes and promoting law and order. Earlier this year, his website said he would double the size of the St. Paul Police Department while cutting property taxes by 50%

Hilborn, who works with nonprofits that provide work opportunities for the disabled and people getting out of prison, wants to combat homelessness by expanding access to shelter and addressing root causes like addiction and mental health challenges, according to his website.