President Biden's winter COVID plan
Jaden AmosPresident Joe Biden has released a new plan to tackle COVID — and the new Omicron variant — without lockdowns. We also have a column about qualified immunity and many more. Happy reading, and have a good weekend.
My winter plan to fight COVID without lockdowns
By President Joe Biden
I know that Americans are exhausted from COVID-19 and want to know when it will end, and the new variant is adding to that unease. I get it.
I pledged to always be straight with the American people and tell you the truth. Here’s the truth about the new omicron variant: While it is a cause for concern, it is not a cause for panic. Experts say that COVID-19 cases will continue to rise in the weeks ahead this winter, and that we will see more omicron cases here in the United States in the days, weeks and months ahead. Our best scientists and doctors are on the case and gathering data, but early indications are that our vaccines will provide a measure of protection against this strain. We have the tools to protect ourselves and battle this virus, and I’m laying out a plan to do just that this winter.
We are going to fight COVID-19 not with shutdowns or lockdowns – but with more widespread vaccinations, boosters, testing and more. We will beat it back with science and speed, not chaos and confusion – just as we did in the spring and again with the more powerful delta variant in the summer and fall.
Today's Editorial Cartoon
This is the first step to end police violence. But it's not the last.
By Chris Kemmitt and Kevin Jason
For decades, qualified immunity has provided a safe harbor for police malfeasance. The court-developed doctrine says police officers and other government officials generally cannot be sued for damages, even when they unconstitutionally kill or injure people, unless a previous court decision has ruled that nearly identical conduct violated the Constitution.
In this way, qualified immunity denies the victims of police violence the opportunity to seek justice through civil damages in court – and removes an important mechanism for police accountability. Unsurprisingly, it has led to a series of grotesque injustices, with officers escaping liability for setting a man on fire, allegedly stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars and shooting a driver for slowly rolling his car forward with nobody in the vehicle’s path. Yet as bad as qualified immunity is, eliminating it is only the first step toward reining in discriminatory and violent police behavior.
Our daughter died in mass shooting. Oxford charges bring justice
By Sandy and Lonnie Phillips
The parents of 15-year-old Michigan school shooting suspect Ethan Crumbley have been charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter. While there is no winner in cases like this, it's a rare step toward the justice system working as it should.
Our daughter was killed during a mass shooting nearly 10 years ago.
When children are suspected in such incidents, the parents should also be brought to justice. This needs to hit home with all those parents who allow their kids to have guns.
Other columns to read today
- Child sex abuse victims too often are sent back to parents
- Why prosecutors charged Oxford school shooting suspect's parents
- School shootings: Gen Z grew up with the threat of death at school
- USA TODAY investigation reveals a stunning shift in the way rain falls in America
Columns on qualified immunity
We are doing a series examining the issue of qualified immunity. For more on the series read here.
- Police recruitment was already tough. Attacks on qualified immunity make matters worse.
- Calls to reform qualified immunity are coming from left and right. I'm still skeptical.
- City officials threw me in jail to silence me. Years later, I'm still seeking justice.
- University officials flagrantly violate student speech rights. Courts let them off the hook.