Cruelty and bigotry against Asian Americans, and other top Opinion reads this week

In today's fast-paced news environment, it can be hard to keep up. For your weekend reading, we've started in-case-you-missed-it compilations of some of the week's top USA TODAY Opinion pieces. As always, thanks for reading, and for your feedback.

— USA TODAY Opinion editors

1. Sen. Marco Rubio: Amazon should face unionization drive without Republican support

By Marco Rubio

"For decades, companies like Amazon have been allies of the left in the culture war, but when their bottom line is threatened they turn to conservatives to save them. Republicans have rightly understood the dangers posed by the unchecked influence of labor unions. Adversarial relations between labor and management are wrong. They are wrong for both workers and our nation’s economic competitiveness."

2. What Republicans don't get: Biden's oversize COVID relief package is a new start for America

By Jennifer Horn

"Biden's prime-time address, his first, came hours after he signed a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief law, historic in its breadth and cost, that represents the largest anti-poverty package in generations. It includes direct assistance to most Americans and an expanded child tax credit that could cut child poverty in half, as well as billions for towns, schools and small businesses. And most important, it will expedite access to the COVID-19 vaccines that are so desperately needed to save lives and bring this pandemic, finally, to its knees."

3. Officer accused of killing George Floyd faces additional murder charge. 'It's something. We really need something.'

By Suzette Hackney

"Chauvin, who for more than nine minutes kneeled on the neck of George Floyd, now faces an additional murder charge — a development that offers a glimmer of hope for those here and nationwide who are pushing for a conviction. Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill Thursday granted prosecutors' request to reinstate a third-degree murder charge. Chauvin, 44, is also charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter. Floyd's death sparked weeks of protests and prompted painful conversations around policing and race."

4. Financial world greenwashing the public with deadly distraction in sustainable investing practices

By Tariq Fancy

"As the former chief investment officer of Sustainable Investing at BlackRock, the largest asset manager in the world with $8.7 trillion in assets, I led the charge to incorporate environmental, social and governance (ESG) into our global investments. In fact, our messaging helped mainstream the concept that pursuing social good was also good for the bottom line. Sadly, that's all it is, a hopeful idea. In truth, sustainable investing boils down to little more than marketing hype, PR spin and disingenuous promises from the investment community."

5. Infectious disease expert, former attorney general: Prioritize COVID vaccines for inmates

By Dr. Tom Inglesby and Alberto Gonzales

"Last month, a federal judge in Oregon ordered the state to immediately offer the COVID-19 vaccine to people in prison — the first ruling of its kind in the nation. Prioritizing the inoculation of people behind bars has stirred political backlash in some corners of our country. But it’s a public health measure that makes good sense."

6. Breonna Taylor killing highlights importance of Sunshine Laws

Story and art by Mike Thompson, USA TODAY

7. H.R. 1 would maintain voting rights and voting integrity that states saved amid COVID-19

By The Editorial Board

"The issue is breathtakingly simple: Passing H.R. 1 would make it easier to vote, building off the resounding success of the 2020 election, when more Americans than ever cast ballots. Rejecting H.R. 1 would make it harder to vote, particularly as Republican legislatures across the country institute 'reforms' that would limit balloting."

H.R. 1 is not 'For the People': Sen. Mike Lee

By Mike Lee

"The bill would overturn effective, organically developed voting laws in all 50 states and replace them with mandates written behind closed doors by Democratic activists and politicians. It would impose on the entire country same-day and automatic voter registration, extended early voting, legalized voting for convicted felons; institute a prohibition against prosecuting illegal immigrant voters who had been automatically registered; and ban badly needed voter ID requirements. Oh, and it makes dissent from these diktats federal crimes."

8. Son of political prisoner in Saudi Arabia: Mohammed bin Salman is a threat to human rights

By Abdulhakim Al-Dakhil

"The night my father, economist Abdulaziz Al-Dakhil, was arrested last year, the authorities broke into our house with military force. They seized my father’s documents, money and assets and froze his bank accounts. Then he disappeared inside a 'state security' prison. My father is an economist and finance expert who had always been a perfect example of a law-abiding citizen. He was a deputy finance minister in the 1970s, but resigned in 1979 because he had come to realize the scale of corruption in the country and the depths of its governance problems. His only 'crime' was exercising freedom of speech, eulogizing an imprisoned dissident and lauding transparency, accountability and democracy."

9. Suicide took my son's life. I grieve for people like Meghan Markle, who ask for help and can't find it.

By Meghan Glynn

"As a mother of an 18-year-old wonderful young man who took his own life on what must have been a desperate – indeed fatal – afternoon, the experience Meghan shared has me thinking about other sweet 18-year-olds, or 39-year-olds, or 65-year-olds who watched the interview and are perhaps struggling with their own suicidal thoughts. What hope must they have? What help must they need?"

10. America divided: Why it's dangerous that public distrust in civic institutions is growing

By Gerard Robinson and Maury Giles

"'Rugged individualism' has long been synonymous with America. But, historically, the potential downsides of this societal model have been kept in check through a shared social contract to promote and protect the common good, rooted in strong civic institutions. Institutions such as family, religion, education, media and trusted government typically have inspired cooperation and charity in an otherwise individualistic nation. That is changing. The importance we once placed on strong, external, civic institutions is shifting inward."

11. Asian Americans aren't here for you to objectify, ridicule or kill in Atlanta shootings

By Clayton Park

"Tuesday’s Atlanta-area spa shootings where eight people were killed, including six women of Asian descent, hit close to home for me. At least four victims were of Korean origin. While I was born in this country and I'm proud to be an American, I am half Korean and half Japanese. At this point, it is unclear whether the shooting victims were targeted because of their race. Cherokee County Sheriff Frank Reynolds said Wednesday that the suspect, 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long, of Woodstock, Georgia, told authorities that his actions were not racially motivated and that he had a sexual addiction."

You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter. To respond to a column, submit a comment to letters@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: COVID relief, anti-Asian American hate, and H.R. 1: Top columns