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As a notorious (to those who know me) skeptic, I was dismayed to hear and view the extensive coverage of events that unfolded in Russia this weekend with no one asking the question, "What if this is all an elaborate ruse?" ("Russian revolt weakens Putin," front page, June 26.)

We seem to be willing to accept, unchallenged, everything that is coming out of the mouths of those who make a living by lying.

Am I the only one who thought that things seemed to be preceding in a very neat and orderly fashion, almost as if they had been scripted? Lots of verbal bluster, a "march" on Moscow, an offer by a Vladimir Putin puppet to save the day — does any of this pass the smell test?

I don't profess to have more knowledge about world politics than any other private citizen, but, to me, it has the appearance of a staged production. Maybe there is someone in the newsrooms of America and the federal government who has had similar thoughts?

Joe Sausen, Richfield

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People who fall out of Putin's favor tend to fall out of windows. Yevgeny Prigozhin better stick to the main floor.

John Schnickel, Minneapolis

John Rash writes movingly about the greater attention paid to the five lives lost in the Titan submersible accident compared to the hundreds of lives lost when the Adriana capsized ("Why one tragedy at sea eclipsed another," Opinion Exchange, June 24). It's heart-rending to think about refugees drowning as they attempt to reach Europe and the West. We need to watch to see if our nation will help prevent these catastrophes.

In our current Congress, the agreement to lift the debt ceiling seemed to lay out budget figures. But it is turning out that Democrats saw these figures as a floor, while Republicans saw them as a ceiling. A House committee proposed drastic cuts in the budget for State Foreign Operations and Related Programs, which includes programs that help prevent crises that force refugees to flee. The committee proposed cuts in atrocities prevention, conflict resolution and the complex crises fund. These programs are small compared to defense spending, but they can save lives. For example, funds have been used to provide villagers in rural Africa with radios to warn of roving bands of extremist militias. Another program empowered local peacemakers to prevent conflict between vegetable farmers and nomadic herders.

I hope the media will pay attention to how the budget process will define our nation's priorities.

James W. Haefemeyer, Minneapolis

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Rash's comments on the difference in the treatment by the world's media of the tragic loss of life in two different accidents at sea just touched on the larger issue of the mass movements of refugees all over the world. A great deal more thought and consideration on this is necessary for the rest of us. Aside from the appalling difference in treatment of the story of five wealthy adventurers vs. over 500 people missing who were trying to escape poverty and violence is the everyday fact that most of us seem to think of refugees not as humans but as some sort of vagrant pest — if we think of them at all.

We humans started migrating hundreds of thousands of years ago and for the same reasons as today's refugees, looking for a better life. Today is different only because of national borders which are, of course, simple human constructs. I presume we would all still be in Africa if there had been today's borders. I would guess the pilgrims (and all of us who have followed) would not have been successful in our invasion of North America if the Native Americans had guns (and had not trusted our word).

I have no simple solution to this or our self-created immigration problems, but I know we do have to come up with better solutions as the number of refugees only grows. We may even have to start defending our state borders from those pesky refugees from the drought-stricken Southwest and flooding coastal cities.

D. Roger Pederson, Minneapolis

One hundred and ninety years ago, the U.S. Senate censured President Andrew Jackson for "assuming onto himself authority and power not conferred by the Constitution." Several years later, the Democratic Party regained the majority in the Senate and one of their first acts was to offer a resolution to remove this stain and had the censure expunged by the order of the Senate. When the resolution passed, Henry Clay, the leader of the opposition Whig Party, declared that "The Senate is no longer a place for any decent man."

Kevin McCarthy may well be able to get the chaos caucus to "nullify" the Trump impeachments ("McCarthy: Nullify Trump impeachments," June 24). But as with Jackson, this will change nothing. History will render its judgment, and 100 years from now, when some high school history teacher asks, "Who was the only twice-impeached president?" the answer will still probably be Donald Trump. McCarthy is not stupid; he's simply a coward. He tolerates this silliness to keep the speakership by placating a desperate former president and to avoid primary challenges for most of his caucus. Should enough of the majority be so craven as to support such a motion, perhaps we can paraphrase Henry Clay and rightfully ask: "Is the Republican Party any longer a place for decent men and women?"

Timothy McLean, Blaine

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Republicans in the U.S. House now want to expunge both of Trump's impeachments as though they never happened. Isn't it the Republicans who say they don't want to "whitewash history"?

They bemoan taking down statues of Robert E. Lee and other symbols of the Confederacy, while wanting to wipe away Trump's reckless actions and negligence to call off his minions, which jeopardized our democracy and certainly the safety of police officers, members of Congress and the vice president. People died as a result of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, but Republican leaders have downplayed what happened as if the rioters were just a group of lost tourists.

Try as they might, they cannot undo the facts. The grisly images of that infamous day are forever burned into our collective psyche. Police officers, overwhelmingly outnumbered, bravely engaged in hand-to-hand combat to protect the Capitol and our democracy. We all saw the mayhem, brutality and destruction, many times over.

This latest effort by House Republicans is congruent with the insurrection of Jan. 6 itself. After all, the rioters of Jan. 6 — Trump's followers — were carrying Confederate flags and Trump flags and using the American flag to bludgeon police officers.

Louis Asher, Vadnais Heights

There was something that didn't make the front page on Monday morning because it didn't happen. Hundreds of thousands of people came to Minneapolis last weekend, and there were no major incidents of violence. In fact, it was just the opposite. Taylor Swift's fans were busy handing out friendship bracelets and helping each other out. From the pictures, it seemed like the Pride Parade was a happy event. Even the political gatherings seemed pretty civil.

Whatever we pay attention to expands. Friendship, inclusion, kindness, generosity and other virtues are as newsworthy as violence. Maybe even more so. Stories about these rarely make the front page, but maybe one per day could.

Robin Silverman, Eden Prairie