12 October 2020
Wall Street billionaire Leon Black expressed remorse for his personal business and philanthropic relationship with Jeffrey Epstein on Monday in a letter sent to investors and obtained by Axios.
Driving the news: Black's letter follows a bombshell New York Times report that reveals that ties between Black, founder and CEO of Apollo Global Management, and Epstein were deeper than previously disclosed, including upwards of $75 million changing hands.
In the letter to limited partners in Apollo funds, Black reiterated past statements that Epstein was never involved in Apollo business, and that he engaged Epstein in "estate planning, tax, and philanthropic endeavors."
- Black also wrote that his family was with him during a visit to Epstein's infamous island estate, and that he occasionally met at Epstein's townhouse because Epstein didn't maintain a separate office.
- He also said he will cooperate with all legal inquiries into Epstein.
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.