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Many media outlets fail to report everything former President Donald Trump said to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Jan. 2, 2021 ("Ga. grand jury indicts Trump," Aug. 15). What he said was, "I just wanna find, uh, 11,780 votes." The "uh" is the part usually left out. But to me it's significant, marking the moment when Trump stopped to carefully review a little math he or a collaborator had done, subtracting the Trump vote total from Joe Biden's vote total and than adding 1, fabricating an incredible one-vote margin of victory for himself in a race where almost 5 million votes were cast. Our former president was never more transparent.

JIM KAUFMANN, Burnsville

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Donald Trump attempted a coup and an insurrection. The 14th Amendment disqualifies from federal or state office anyone who, having taken an oath as a public official to support the Constitution, subsequently engages in "insurrection or rebellion" against the United States.

Our former president did this. Yes, he is entitled to a fair trial in all of the charges against him, but I witnessed most, if not all, of his transgressions against our Constitution in near real time. He pleaded with his faithful to disrupt a mostly ceremonial counting of electoral votes. He tried to supersede that process by encouraging the submittal of false electors. He contacted state election officials and pressured them to come up with the number of votes to turn those states from Joe Biden to him. He did not request that those states recount the votes to ensure that the will of the people was upheld but rather to ensure that he won.

This man has no place in American politics and no place on our ballots. Minnesota should not include him as a viable candidate for the 2024 election. You could argue that (nearly) half of our country thinks he is deserving of a place on our ballots, but if we are to live by the rules that we have set forth in this country he cannot be considered a legitimate candidate. Signaling our intent not to put him on the ballot would send an important signal to the Republican Party that they need to do better in terms of nominating candidates.

JIM COTNER, St. Paul

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Regarding Donald Trump's fourth indictment, if he eventually gets voted into office then pardons himself, will all of this be for naught? Just askin'.

SHARON CARLSON, Andover

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Former President Donald Trump keeps saying he's totally innocent of all charges in four separate indictments between state and federal lawsuits. TOTALLY UNFAIR! WITCH HUNT! DEMOCRATIC HOAX TO INTERFERE WITH THE UPCOMING ELECTION SINCE HE'S THE FRONT RUNNER!

He still hasn't come up with any evidence that the 2020 election was rigged. In fact, he's lost nearly all court cases connected to the election. He's also lost every challenge at the various recounts. The American taxpayers have picked up all the costs of these recounts. Trump is raising his defense funds from all his believers yet complaining how much it's costing him.

If he was innocent, wouldn't you think he would want to show evidence that he was indeed innocent just to clear his name? If I were charged with a crime and had proof I couldn't have possibly done it, wouldn't I provide that right away to the authorities? Instead, he wants to delay as much as possible and throw up smokescreens.

He entered the GOP race knowing his people would back him and he could make this all disappear if he actually won the 2024 election. He announced his candidacy early to get a jump on the other candidates. He tries to control all his situations in advance by shaping the narrative. He knows what he's doing. His supporters back him because, while he accumulates his power, they also feel empowered.

It's time his scam is exposed along with any of his congressional GOP goons who have perpetuated these crimes against our democracy!

CASEY ZIMMERMAN, Plymouth

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"Donald John Trump! Rudolph William Louis Giuliani! John Charles Eastman! Sidney Katherine Powell! Mark Randall Meadows!"

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis didn't yell, but that's how I heard it. The sound of a stern and just voice bringing arrogant, errant children to attention.

"Presumed innocent!" (Until proven guilty.)

Say their names. Say their full names. It's about time.

DAVID LEUSSLER, Minneapolis

Unsurprisingly, Minneapolis City Council Members Robin Wonsley, Jason Chavez and Jamal Osman gave short shrift to arguments against the city taking unilateral action to regulate rideshare ("What Minneapolis leaders owe rideshare workers," Opinion Exchange, Aug. 15).

Our organizations — the Minneapolis Downtown Council and Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce — oppose a city-only policy. The ordinance under consideration is based on state legislation that was vetoed by Gov. Tim Walz because it failed to balance important competing interests. The proposal at City Hall is similarly flawed.

Individuals dependent on rideshare, especially vulnerable adults, are rightfully concerned about how costs will increase and service may be curtailed. At a recent public hearing neither council members nor city staff could offer guarantees about such critical concerns. These voices need to be heard, and will be as part of the advisory committee that Walz appointed to develop a workable statewide policy. While some drivers support city-only action, others see the wisdom of letting Walz's process, now underway, reach a fair conclusion.

All too often, Minneapolis policymakers ignore problems they create when regulating activities that spill across municipal boundaries in a regional economy. Intentions may be good, but the unintended effects that inevitably occur often undermine stated goals and disadvantage citizens most in need of thoughtful policies. There is no need for the City Council to take rash action when a more reasoned approach regarding rideshare, taking into account input from all stakeholders, is under consideration at the state level.

STEVE CRAMER and JONATHAN WEINHAGEN

Cramer is the president and CEO of the Minneapolis Downtown Council. Weinhagen is the president and CEO of the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Randy Quast of NORML, an organization that favors legalization of recreational marijuana, made two statements in an Aug. 14 letter that struck me as worth verifying. Both pertain to whether it should be permissible to smoke marijuana where people who choose not to smoke it, especially children, would be subjected to secondhand marijuana smoke. I went to the website of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Contrary to Quast's statements, I learned first that people exposed to secondhand marijuana smoke can experience its psychoactive effects. Second, secondhand marijuana smoke contains many of the same toxins and cancer-causing chemicals found in tobacco smoke, some in higher amounts. The website has additional research findings on how marijuana smoke may impact teens, brain health, mental health, heart health, lung health and pregnancy, among other topics.

I suggest that the leaders of our local communities peruse this website before deciding how to manage recreational marijuana smoking in their communities.

DEBORAH SCHMEDEMANN, Mendota Heights