On an evening in late July, just blocks from the Washington, D.C., row house my wife and I share with our two boys, a shootout erupted between two groups of people. Injuries resulted; cars and homes were riddled with bullets and police determined more than 140 shots were fired.

With criminal activity like this still a daily fact of life in the nation’s capital — and with Americans nationwide often uneasy about their families’ public safety — Democrats are playing political Russian roulette by citing encouraging crime statistics to declare President Donald Trump’s takeover of DC’s Metropolitan Police Department wholly unnecessary.

The same goes for his flooding of the city streets with National Guard troops and federal law enforcement. A not-insignificant portion of the electorate in crucial 2026 midterm election battlegrounds might conclude that at least Trump is doing something and acting within the law.

Yes, statistics prove crime is dropping, these same voters might acknowledge. But if conditions haven’t improved sufficiently to assuage voters’ concerns — if they feel unsafe — then citing crime stats to insist nothing at all needs doing is liable to push voters toward Trump, however imperfect his solution to the problem.

Similarly, just because FBI statistics released earlier this month showed the rate of murders, rapes, aggravated assaults and robberies dropping across the U.S., that doesn’t mean that they reached levels voters find acceptable. It’s not unlike the political risk of arguing to voters anxious about paying their bills that the economy is fine because the stock market is booming, unemployment is at historic lows and statistics show inflation is slowing.

“You never win in politics by telling people something’s not a problem when they feel it is. Democrats have long had a trust deficit on crime and public safety, and voters start by being skeptical that they are willing to hold criminals accountable. Trump is well aware of this vulnerability and is masterful at exploiting it,” said Lanae Erickson, vice president for social policy, education and politics at Third Way, a centrist Democratic think tank in Washington.

I live on Capitol Hill and will have been here 20 years later this month. My wife has called the Hill home even longer. If we felt the neighborhood was prohibitively unsafe for our family, we would have followed many of our friends to the suburbs.

Over the past roughly 18 months, we have felt safer than during the crime spike that occurred at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and the two years-plus that followed, when DC was plagued by carjackings and other violent crime. Year-over-year stats compiled by the Metropolitan Police Department showing violent crime down 26% year-to-date would appear to fit our experience. (Some DC police officers are accusing the department of falsifying statistics, although FBI tracking seems to confirm the city’s official numbers.)

But a Washington Post-Schar School poll, conducted this past spring, suggests that many residents are still waiting for the district to feel as safe as it did before the pandemic — when affordable housing, not crime, topped their concerns.

As Democratic DC Councilman Charles Allen conceded in an email to constituents denouncing Trump’s law enforcement action in Washington, “If a crime happened to you, someone you love, or on your block, all the stats in the world are meaningless.”

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Trump on Aug. 11 announced he was invoking the Home Rule Act of 1973 granting DC limited self-governance to assume command of the Metropolitan Police Department and deploy the National Guard and various federal law enforcement agencies to the city. The president suggested he might do the same elsewhere, although the legal basis for expanding these actions beyond Washington is questionable and carries some political peril.

“People believe their own feelings more than government statistics,” said Alex Conant, a Republican operative and cofounder of the Washington public relations firm, Firehouse Strategies. “Both sides risk overplaying their hands. But Trump has the advantage here.” Still, as a matter of pure, crass politics, Democrats are not in some box canyon requiring them to rubber-stamp Trump’s policy in Washington or approach to crime generally.

As Democratic strategist Dane Strother told me late last week, his party has strategic options for opposing Trump’s “theatrics.” His advice: validate voters’ insecurities, offer compelling explanations for why the president’s strategy is counterproductive and propose concrete alternatives. “Democrats must publicly support cracking down on crime — and who wouldn’t,” said Strother, who when not in DC spends time in California and Montana.

The bottom line is that Trump isn’t politically invulnerable.

His average job approval rating is a middling 45.5% and per the most recent YouGov survey for The Economist, voters rate his handling of crime about the same: 45%. With Trump’s penchant for stretching executive authority beyond the Constitution’s intent, and his excessive declarations of national emergencies putting many Americans on edge, those mediocre numbers suggest voters will listen to strong arguments that there are more effective ways to reduce crime and improve their quality of life.

Of course, those arguments must first be made.

David M. Drucker is columnist covering politics and policy. He is also a senior writer for The Dispatch and the author of “In Trump’s Shadow: The Battle for 2024 and the Future of the GOP.”

For leaders in business, failing to learn the lessons of a crisis can be disastrous. For leaders in government, when millions of lives are at risk, such disasters can be catastrophic. Unfortunately, that’s where the U.S. is heading, thanks to the disagreement that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has with his boss, President Donald Trump.

A little history: On Jan. 10, 2020, a Chinese scientist posted the genetic sequence of a “mystery virus” that had sickened dozens and caused at least one death. Forty-two days later, as COVID-19 spread across the globe, researchers near Boston sent the first shipment of an experimental vaccine to U.S. regulators. Three months after that, Trump announced Operation Warp Speed, an $18 billion effort to accelerate the development, approval and distribution of vaccines.

Within a year, billions of vaccine doses had been administered worldwide — saving millions of lives, including those of many Americans. As Trump said: “Operation Warp Speed, whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican, was one of the most incredible things ever done in this country.”

He was absolutely correct — but his health secretary disagrees. The question is: Will Trump allow Kennedy to destroy his legacy?

Kennedy recently canceled $500 million in contracts for the research and development of so-called messenger RNA vaccines. His defense — that mRNA technology is ineffective against respiratory infections — is wrong. Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health, must know that, so he subsequently offered a different defense: There is insufficient public confidence in it.

Bhattacharya didn’t mention, of course, that Kennedy has fueled that public distrust. Regardless, the correct response to misperceptions about lifesaving medicine is not to throw up one’s hands, cancel funding for it and walk away. It’s to use the power of the bully pulpit to bring people together — community, faith, civic and other leaders — to spread facts and overcome hesitations. That’s leadership.

Not content to peddle misinformation and halt existing projects, Kennedy also effectively terminated additional federal funding for research on mRNA vaccines. The two edicts put countless American lives at risk.

To see the scale of the danger Kennedy is creating, it helps to understand how revolutionary mRNA vaccines are. For many decades, traditional vaccines have injected a small part of a dead or weakened virus into a healthy person. This stimulates the immune system to create antibodies, which protect people from serious infection when they encounter the real thing. In some cases, millions of chicken eggs are used to develop and produce these traditional vaccines, by incubating the viruses. In other cases, cell cultures are grown in bioreactors. Both processes are complex and time-consuming.

New mRNA vaccines are faster to develop. Messenger RNA is a strand of genetic code that gives cells instructions. For decades, scientists worked to design a synthetic form of mRNA, which would then tell the body to fight specific infections. Such a discovery, in theory, would also enable drugmakers to manufacture a vaccine without using a virus, cutting months off development. Yet despite significant advances, an mRNA vaccine had never been produced or tested at scale.

Operation Warp Speed helped overcome the obstacles and produce vaccines in record time. The speed of this breakthrough led to fantastical theories, including that the shots change one’s DNA, insert microchips into the body and cause infertility. It was all nonsense — the ultimate fake news. But it spread nonetheless, amplified by skeptics like Kennedy. Countless studies proved the vaccines safe, and the two scientists behind their development won the Nobel Prize.

The misinformation couldn’t be contained, but Kennedy can be. All that’s needed is a call from the White House directing him to reverse his recent decisions. Otherwise, when the next pandemic strikes, other countries — including China — will be equipped to distribute a shot within weeks, while scientists in the U.S. will be left to fiddle with outdated technology as Americans wait in line.

U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, whose vote was critical for Kennedy’s confirmation, lamented this month that the secretary has “conceded to China an important technology” and is imperiling the administration’s goals. He’s right — yet Cassidy and his colleagues in Congress have stood aside while Kennedy puts American lives at risk.

Without government leadership, the private sector is unlikely to fill the funding gap. Research on treatments for a hypothetical pandemic is financially risky, so public funding is essential to saving lives.

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Kennedy’s actions will also have a chilling effect on other potential mRNA developments, including work on Type 1 diabetes, HIV, genetic diseases and myriad other illnesses, especially cancer. That bears repeating: mRNA research could lead to a cure for cancer. How many Americans who have family members suffering from cancer are ready to sacrifice them to Kennedy’s dunderheaded paranoias?

The White House should remember and celebrate its extraordinary first-term success — and build on it by reining in Kennedy. If it does that, the president who sped the development of the COVID vaccine might go down in history as doing the same for a cure for cancer and other diseases.

Michael R. Bloomberg is the founder and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News, and the founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies.

Listening to public radio one morning, Keely Wolter heard the following anecdotal statistic: By the time many children reach middle school, they’ve already viewed pornography.

When she heard that, Wolter said she thought, “That’s coming up sooner than I think.” She’s the mother of a 5-year-old and a 9-year-old.

What to do?

After several unsuccessful attempts to learn what her own kids would be taught in school for sex education, Wolter decided to take control of the situation. Her plan for her own kids is now her business, The Talk Toolbox — a monthly subscription box of materials designed to guide parents and their kids through comprehensive sex education with books, games and toys.

The Talk Toolbox made it to the semifinals of this year’s MN Cup competition, which awards seed money to Minnesota entrepreneurs. It brings together established business owners, experts in their field and everyday folks who have figured out a solution to one of life’s problems. Wolter falls into that last category. MN Cup recently named finalists in nine divisions and will announce a Grand Prize winner Oct. 6.

While Wolter’s startup did not make it to the finals, the Toolbox stood out among its competitors, said Kailin Oliver, director of the MN Cup. “They took a topic that is hard to talk about and made it resonate,” she said.

The goal of the toolbox, Wolter said, is to change that one-time dreaded “talk” for parents (and kids) into a series of little talks that focus on topics like autonomy, friendship versus romance, internet safety and handling rejection.

“So many of us who didn’t get a talk in our childhood, we don’t know how to have that talk with our kids because we never did it,” said Wolter, who works as a vocal coach for the Guthrie Theater and was born in St. Paul. “So we’re teaching kids and parents and fostering relationships and conversations.”

So far, Wolter’s invested $75,000 of her own savings into the business and is interested in working with potential investors.

The materials for the boxes are printed at Smartpress in Chanhassen and as for the manufacturing process, that’s all done in Wolter’s garage, she said, adding that her own children love folding the boxes.

How it works

Separated into four age groups — 4-7, 8-10, 11-13 and 14-16 — The Talk Toolbox is designed with age-appropriate content to meet kids where they’re at.

At $50 a month, each box comes with a book related to that month’s topic, a specialized game, a craft or activity, conversation cards, and a toy or stickers.

Keely Wolter talks about her product, The Talk Toolbox, at her Richfield home on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025. The Talk Toolbox is a monthly subscription box to help parents teach their children comprehensive sex education. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

For the youngest age group, the basics covered are things such as the names of body parts and why it’s important to ask for permission before touching someone.

“Autonomy” is one of the themes for ages 8-10 with boxes addressing changing bodies and relationships.

For ages 11-13, themes include hormones, identities and hygiene, to name a few. For the oldest age group, 14-16, sex is at the forefront, Wolter said, and themes covered in the box include contraceptives and pornography literacy, such as being able to critically analyze porn and its potentially problematic themes.

Before it arrives in the mail, parents receive an email that outlines what they can expect in that month’s box.

The boxes can also be tailored to fit a family’s needs, Wolter said. For example, parents who don’t allow their children screen time can opt out of a book about internet safety. “It really puts the parents in control,” she said.

Choosing the curriculum

When it came to creating the curriculum, Wolter knew the questions she wanted to ask, but didn’t have the answers.

What do we need to be teaching them and when? What is age appropriate? When do we need to introduce certain topics? “I’m not a sex educator, I’m just a mother,” said Wolter.

Enter Dr. Kristen Mark, a professor at the University of Minnesota’s Department of Family Medicine and Community Health and the Joycelyn Elders Endowed Chair in Sexual Health Education.

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“When (Wolter) reached out, I was like, ‘Yes, finally someone is doing something like this,’” said Mark, who also serves as the director of education at the Eli Coleman Institute for Sexual and Gender Health and as the director of the Center for Women’s Health Research.

The content in each toolbox is based on scientific literature around sexual development, and the exercises and activities are aligned with developmental readiness and attention at that age, Mark said.

“Sex education entails way more than just the mechanics of sex,” she said.

For example, one box focuses on navigating and communicating consent and includes role-play scenarios where kids can practice saying yes and saying no in different situations.

Another box, focused on bodily autonomy, includes a sign for kids to hang on their door that says “accepting hugs” on one side and indicates “alone time” on the other. While it is a simple act, flipping the sign from one side to the other throughout the day gives kids agency over their bodies and their time.

‘Wonder and excitement’

Ingrid Wolter, 6, sets up the cards for a game included in The Talk Toolbox at her Richfield home on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025. The Talk Toolbox is a monthly subscription box for parents to teach their children comprehensive sex education. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Freelancer Jason Ballweber, who created the games in the Toolbox, said his job starts once Mark’s ends.

As soon as a lesson plan is nailed down, he starts creating an interactive game that uses the lessons and information in that month’s box. Ballweber, who also handles administrative tasks for the Toolbox, has experience in educational theater ranging from summer camps to college students.

“I knew there was a lot I was going to have to learn because I didn’t get the female side of things in school and I didn’t want to put it on my partner just because she’s a woman,” said Ballweber, who has a 9-year-old daughter.

When playing the games in the box, Ballweber said he wants participants to “come at it from a place of wonder and excitement.”

When you ask really specific questions, it gives kids a guide and filters the conversation, he said, and his games are designed to do just that.

“None of the games are about winning, they are about ‘How do we make it more fun and more normal?’” he said.

One game that he created for the “anatomy” themed box is a variation of bingo where the spaces are different body parts. “It’s going to make kids giggle at first, but that’s okay, have it come from a place of fun, not shame or terror,” he said.

A card game Ballweber created asks kids how they would react to certain people or situations using only a handful of responses: “wave,” “high five,” “fist bump” and “kiss.”

Similar to the Apples to Apples party game, a universal card is flipped for everyone to respond to with their chosen reaction.

For example, say the universal card is “dentist” and everyone needs to pick a reaction.

“If the kid says — ‘I would kiss my dentist,’ — ask why,” Ballweber said. “To an 8-year-old, a kiss doesn’t mean a passionate, romantic kiss,” he said, adding that maybe it’s just because their mouth is clean.

“You learn a lot about each other when they go, ‘I would high five a potato, but never fist bump it,’” he said.

Even if the written rules of the game aren’t followed, Ballweber said, “The point is to get to a place where your kid feels comfortable talking about these things with you.”

Sex ed in school

“Sex ed in schools has not improved over time, in fact, in a lot of ways it has gotten less comprehensive,” Mark, the U of M professor, said.

Minnesota gets a B for its current sex ed requirement but the content was rated D+ by the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States, a nonprofit that advocates for sex education. The curriculum focuses on abstinence and doesn’t require instruction on consent, sexual orientation or gender identity, according to SEICUS.

“Students in St. Paul Public Schools receive age-appropriate health lessons from their classroom teachers starting in kindergarten,” said Amy Wardell, physical education and health coordinator for SPPS, in an email. “In earlier grades, the focus is on safety and well-being. In later elementary grades, lessons include information about healthy relationships and human reproduction.”

The district also partners with Family Tree Clinic, Wardell said, to provide a comprehensive lesson plan on puberty for fourth and fifth grade students. Students are not separated by gender for these talks and parents are informed in advance of the lessons.

Health education continues in middle and high school at least one time for a semester each, according to the district.

Harmful misinformation

Mark said kids today are turning to online media like TikTok, Snapchat and pornography for sex education.

“Even if they’re Googling, the websites they can end up at might have wildly inaccurate information,” she said. “They don’t necessarily have at that age the ability to critically evaluate what their sources are.”

Without vetted sources, Mark said children could not only be given inaccurate information, but harmful misinformation.

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“They might stumble upon porn and get unrealistic expectations about sex,” Mark said.

“We know, and the research shows, that when you experience feelings of shame around sex, you are less likely to seek medical care, you are less likely to have a healthy sexual trajectory and more likely to have negative implications that can occur around sex happen to you,” Mark said.

“If no one is taught and no one knows where to find accurate, reliable, empirically informed information, then what do you do?” Mark said. “That’s what this (toolbox) is for.”

Currently in the pre-revenue stage, Wolter said once her online waitlist reaches 200, she will start shipping out the boxes herself.

To join the waitlist for The Talk Toolbox, go to thetalktoolbox.com.

(Courtesy of Dark Matter Ink)

PATRICK BARB: St. Paulite launches his debut novel “Abducted,” in which police sergeant Stacy is working her first case, the abduction of a young boy from his bedroom. The case goes cold until 19 years later when Stacy is on the verge of retirement. The young man has been found, but he has changed. And things about his story don’t add up. Stacy is skeptical of the official narrative and dives deep into investigating a case that has haunted her for decades. The author’s published works include dark fiction collections and novellas. He also runs the monthly interview column in Shortwave magazine. His 2023 short story “The Scare Groom” was selected for “Best Horror of the Year Volume 16.” 6 p.m. Tuesday, Next Chapter Booksellers, 38 S. Snelling Ave., St. Paul.

LAUREN STRINGER: Painter, writer, picture book illustrator and set designer launches her picture book “An Abundance of Light: A Story of Matisse in Morocco,” capturing the light and shadows in the city of Tangier, which captivated Matisse in 1912-13 and inspired an outburst of radical abstraction in his paintings and sculptures in the years that followed. 5 p.m. Tuesday, Groveland Gallery, 25 Groveland Terrace, Mpls.

NICOLE WELLS: Presents “It’s All About Astrology.” 7 p.m. Wednesday, Magers & Quinn, 3038 Hennepin Ave. S., Mpls. A portion of the day’s proceeds will support purchases for the Women’s Prison Book Project.

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