Editorial cartoons for Sept. 19, 2021: Gen. Milley’s back channel, Biden’s Covid mandate, California recall

“Peril,” the new Donald Trump book by Watergate reporter Bob Woodward and his Washington Post colleague Robert Costa, leads off with Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, conducting secret conversations with his counterparts in China to assure them the outgoing president would not start a war on his way out of office. The revelation sparked praise of Milley from the left for curbing Trump’s worst instincts, and cries of treason on the right for going behind the president’s back. Both viewpoints are expressed in this week’s editorial cartoon gallery.

There also is contrasting commentary on President Joe Biden’s decision to mandate Covid-19 vaccines for millions of Americans who work for government and the private sector. Scott Stantis of the Chicago Tribune drew a mask over the U.S. Constitution, while Bill Bramhall of the New York Daily News has little sympathy for vaccine refusers who lose their jobs.

Other topics in the cartoons include California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s comfortable defeat of a recall effort; healthcare rationing in communities where Covid-19 cases are filling up hospital ICUs; more bad news on climate change; the crisis at Rikers Island jail in New York City; and the “tax the rich” dress worn by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at the Met Gala in New York.

Cartoons were drawn by Nick Anderson, Bill Bramhall, Dana Summers, Drew Sheneman, Scott Stantis, Walt Handelsman, David Horsey, Phil Hands, Joel Pett and Joey Weatherford of Tribune Content Agency; and A.F. Branco, Mike Luckovich and Michael Ramirez of Creators Syndicate.

View more editorial cartoon galleries.

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