President Biden isn’t a puppet and the other top opinion columns of the week – USA TODAY

In today's fast-paced news environment, it can be hard to keep up. For your weekend reading, we've startedin-case-you-missed-it compilations of some of the week's topUSA TODAY Opinionpieces.As always, thanks for reading, andfor your feedback.

USA TODAY Opinion editors

By Connie Schultz

"Most students at John Carroll dont know that Mallorys father died of COVID-19. I dont tell them because I dont want to be that girl who everyone pities, she says. I was that girl in high school. I hate Im sorry. Thats pity. My father died. Its something that happened.

By Suzette Hackney

"We've been here before too many times. Tens of thousands of individuals Black, Latino, Asian, Indigenous, LGBTQ, young,old, men and boys disappear every year. Some return to their families; some remain unaccounted for; and,unfortunately, some end updead. But very few receivethe national spotlight that seems reserved for white women and white girls."

By Jill Lawrence

"Likewise, the attacks on Biden's capacities are rooted in the many questions about Trump's. The former president'sdisordered speechdrew attention from experts who said it reflected cognitive decline. He himself has never stopped marvelingathis amazing performance ona cognitive test in 2018(bestcaptured by comedian Sarah Cooper). Trump bragged about the teston the 2020 campaign trailand was still braggingin Texas this summer:I aced it. And Id like to see Biden ace it. He wont ace it.

By Lauren Krouse

"But psychological abuse is real. Contrary to popular opinion, it is the single clearest warning sign of a partnership that can become life-threatening. Its the thread that runs through all abusive relationships. And its exceedingly common, especially in the years when we should be exploring new frontiers and chasing our dreams: ages 18 to 24.We have to find a way to pause and point it out to each other, regardless of our biases, regardless of all the different ways we explain it away. Before its too late."

By Connie Schultz

"For months after her fathers death, Mallory was terrified of getting COVID-19, not for herself, but for Julie. We could not expose my mother, she says. And we had to wait for the vaccine. When people say getting the vaccine is a choice, it makes me angry. My father would have gotten the vaccine as soon as he could.

By Lynette Christmas

"Unlike most sexual assault victims who fear not being believed or have other reasons for not speaking up, I immediately reported the incident. In August 2017, Pierson was found guilty of sexual assault on a person in custody and six other charges related to traffic stops with myself and two other women. Two months later, he was sentenced by a Georgia Superior Court judge."

By The Editorial Board

"The issues surrounding unauthorized migration across our nation's border with Mexico are undeniably complex. And the rush of Haitian migrants in recent days has presented Biden and his team with a difficult set of choices. Even so, the scenes that unfolded at the border Sunday are indefensible, no matter your politics or your position on border policy."

By The Editorial Board

"Each of the federal circuit courts interprets prior high court rulings in its own way. In several, judges have shown more common sense, allowing citizens to find a remedy when a federal cop violates their rights. But citizens in the 5th Circuit, covering Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, and in the 8th Circuit, which covers seven states running south from Minnesota and North Dakota, are barred from doing so. As Willett put it, in some places federal officials operate in something resembling a Constitution-free zone.

ByJulia Bascom and Chris Jorwic

"Julia runs the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, a policy advocacy organization working on disability rights issues. In April of 2020, ASAN began tracking COVID-19 deaths in institutions for people with disabilities. This research has borne out what weve always known: Our governments actions can make the difference between a society where people like us get the services we need to thrive in our communities and a society that leaves us to die."

ByMarcos Del Rosario Santiago

"Why are they related? COVID affects the pulmonary microvasculature. Erectile dysfunction is often a reflection of other health issues. For example, diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol and coronary diseases all affect the internal part of the arteries, or the endothelium. Endothelium are the cells that line the internal part of the arteries and veins."

By Larry Strauss

"The budget cuts necessitated by the 2008 financial collapse betrayed hundreds of young teachers, many of whom left teaching when they got laid off with no imminent hope of being reinstated.Could there be a worse moment for this than now with ignorance threatening our very existence (climate change and deadly viruses made worse by the denial of science; political violence that betrays a meaningful understanding of our Constitution)?"

ByEric Reinhart

"COVID-19 outbreaks are surging again in jails and prisons across the country as the delta variant takes advantage of persistent local and federal government policy failures to control the pandemic. The recent cases and violence at New York's Rikers Island show in deadly ways why emptying these institutions is vital for the protection of incarcerated populations, staff and surrounding communities."

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President Biden isn't a puppet and the other top opinion columns of the week - USA TODAY