09 August 2021
The Pentagon will require members of the military to get the COVID-19 vaccinated by Sept. 15, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a memo on Monday.
Why it matters: About 64% of active duty military members are fully vaccinated, higher than the American average but low enough to pose concern for potential outbreaks and international deployments, reports the New York Times.
The big picture: Austin noted in the memo that the inoculation deadline could be moved up if the Food and Drug Administration formally approves the COVID-19 vaccines.
- Without the approval, Austin needs a waiver from President Biden to mandate the vaccines.
- “I will seek the president’s approval to make the vaccines mandatory no later than mid-September, or immediately upon” the FDA's approval, Austin wrote in the memo.
- “I will not hesitate to act sooner or recommend a different course to the President if l feel the need to do so," he added. "To defend this Nation, we need a healthy and ready force."
Biden said in a statement Monday that he strongly supports Austin's "message to the Force today on the Department of Defense’s plan to add the COVID-19 vaccine to the list of required vaccinations for our service members not later than mid-September."
- "Secretary Austin and I share an unshakable commitment to making sure our troops have every tool they need to do their jobs as safely as possible. These vaccines will save lives. Period. They are safe. They are effective," he added.
- "Being vaccinated will enable our service members to stay healthy, to better protect their families, and to ensure that our force is ready to operate anywhere in the world. We cannot let up in the fight against COVID-19, especially with the Delta variant spreading rapidly through unvaccinated populations."
State of play: As COVID-19 case numbers surge across the United States, the government has rolled out several new vaccination mandates, including for federal workers and contractors.
- Biden hinted last month that military personnel could be next for a vaccine mandate.
- On Sunday NIAID director Anthony Fauci said that FDA approval of the vaccines could be coming within a matter of weeks.
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.