Now it's a battle between us and those who refuse the vaccine

Good morning. COVID is all over the news and spiking all over the country. So today we're starting with a column from a doctor who is zeroing in on people who still haven't taken the vaccine. Then scroll down for a recap of Dr. Anthony Fauci's visit with our editorial board. 

It's us against the unvaxxed on COVID 

Dr. Thomas K. Lew

I still don’t believe in it. 

These words, punctuated with gasping breaths, were said to me by my patient infected with COVID-19 when asked why he hadn’t yet been vaccinated against the virus. Hospitalized and hooked to continuous oxygen, he was adamant that no vaccines or precautions would have made a difference in his catching this illness.

Further down the hall, another patient requiring oxygen to stay alive and similarly unvaccinated told me that he did not receive a shot because the media told him it was dangerous and ineffective. I stared at him incredulously. I have been doing a lot of that in recent weeks. 

Today's editorial cartoon 

• August editorial cartoon gallery: Cartoons on Biden, COVID-19, politics and more

Will Garland hold Trump accountable? 

By Noah Bookbinder

There has been a sea change in accountability decisions at the Department of Justice in recent weeks. If Attorney General Merrick Garland aims to restore our government’s commitment to the rule of law, he must show that these decisions are the start of a larger pattern – and make clear that the department will investigate former President Donald Trump's attempts to reverse the outcome of the 2020 election.

More of you to read 

• Campus sexual assault: What parents and college daughters should know
• Why bipartisan infrastructure deal is a win for America's moderates
• Trump sycophants have no standing to demand that Cuomo resign
• Fauci: Get vaccinated to stop risk of an even deadlier COVID variant
• My husband's suicide after Jan. 6 riots was a line-of-duty death

This newsletter was compiled by Louie Villalobos