Pence defends hosting Amy Coney Barrett Rose Garden ceremony during pandemic
08 October 2020
Vice President Pence defended the White House's decision to hold a large event in the Rose Garden to introduce Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett at Wednesday's vice presidential debate, noting that it was outdoors and "many people" were tested for the coronavirus beforehand.
Why it matters: Multiple people who attended the event later tested positive for the virus, including President Trump, first lady Melania Trump, multiple aides to the president and two Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
- Though it was an outdoor event, members of the audience sat cramped together and many did not wear masks.
What they're saying: "My wife Karen and I were there, and honored to be there," Pence said. "Many of the people who were at that event actually were tested for coronavirus, and it was an outdoor event, which all of our scientists regularly and routinely advise."
The big picture: Pence was asked how the administration to expect the American to follow its health guidelines when the White House does not follow its own safety guidelines.
- Pence did not comment on the White House's observation of health guidelines, but praised Americans for putting "the health of their families and their neighbors and people they don't even know first."
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.