Kathy Hochul sworn in as New York's first female governor
24 August 2021
New York Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) being sworn in as the state's 57th governor early Tuesday, following former Gov. Andrew Cuomo's resignation amid allegations of sexual misconduct.
Why it matters: Hochul is the first woman to serve as governor of New York and will serve out the remainder of Cuomo's term until 2022.
- Hochul has already announced her bid for governor in 2022, the first Democrat to do so after Cuomo said he would resign.
- Hochul has vowed that no one will ever call her workplace "toxic," per AP.
Background: Hochul received national attention after winning a special election in 2011 for a New York congressional seat that had not gone to a Democrat in 40 years.
- Hochul later joined Cuomo's gubernatorial ticket as lieutenant governor in 2014, though the two have rarely appeared in public together.
What they're saying: "I have a different approach to governing,” Hochul said, per AP. "I get the job done because I don’t have time for distractions, particularly coming into this position."
- State Democratic Party Chair Jay Jacobs said, "She's very experienced and I think she’ll be a refreshing and exciting new governor."
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.