Biden, Trump speak out as race remains too close to call
04 November 2020
Joe Biden addressed supporters at a drive-in rally in Delaware at 12:40 am ET on Wednesday night, as the presidential race remained too close to call and ballots remained uncounted in critical swing states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.
What they're saying: Biden said that his campaign believes they are "on track to win this election," but stressed that "it ain't over until every vote is counted, every ballot is counted."
- "Look, we could know the results as early as tomorrow morning. But it may take a little longer, as I've said all along," he continued.
- "It's not my place or Donald Trump's place to declare who's won this election. That's the decision of the American people. But I'm optimistic about this outcome."
The other side: President Trump quickly responded on Twitter, baselessly accusing Biden of trying to "steal" the election and claiming "a big WIN."
- Within minutes, Twitter added a label to Trump's tweet that read: "Some or all of the content shared in this Tweet is disputed and might be misleading about an election or other civic process."
- Trump added in a second tweet that he will be making a statement later Wednesday morning.
The bottom line: The dueling statements previewed what is likely to come: Trump could seek to declare himself the winner prematurely and stop mail-in ballots from being counted in states like Pennsylvania. The dispute could end up in court.
Go deeper: Trump's plan to declare premature victory
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.