10 things you need to know today: September 16, 2021

Women's gymnastics stars condemn FBI abuse investigation, Biden unveils a new military pact with Britain and Australia, and more

Gymnasts
Gymnasts
(Image credit: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

1. Women's gymnastics stars blast FBI abuse investigation

Four U.S. women's gymnastics stars — Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney, Maggie Nichols, and Aly Raisman — harshly criticized USA Gymnastics and the FBI for failing to protect them and other gymnasts from sexual abuse by jailed former team doctor Larry Nassar. "I blame Larry Nassar but I also blame an entire system that enabled … his abuse," Olympic great Biles told the Senate Judiciary Committee. Raisman, the captain of the 2012 and 2016 gold-medal winning Olympic team, said she was traumatized not just by the abuse, but by the delayed, inadequate response by authorities. "The FBI made me feel like my abuse didn't count," she said. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said if the stars' allegations were "not taken seriously by the FBI, what hope do other victims of sexual assault have?"

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Harold Maass, The Week US

Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.