Biden on court-packing: It "depends" on how the Barrett confirmation is handled
16 October 2020
Joe Biden said at an ABC town hall on Thursday night that he will come out with a clear position on court-packing by Election Day, but that his answer on the issue will depend on how the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court is "handled."
The state of play: Biden said he has "not been a fan" of expanding the court because it would change the court's makeup depending on who is president. But he signaled he would be "open to considering what happens" if Republicans push through Barrett's confirmation before the election without proper debate in the Senate.
Why it matters: Some congressional Democrats have suggested expanding the court if Senate Republicans confirm Trump's Supreme Court nominee Barrett during an election year — which they refused to do for former President Obama's nominee in 2016.
What he's saying: Asked by ABC's George Stephanopoulos if he was open to expanding the court if the Senate votes before Election Day, Biden said, "I'm open to considering what happens from that point on."
- Pressed on whether voters have a right to know where he stands on the issue, Biden said "they do have a right to know where I stand, and they'll have a right to know before they vote."
- Biden added, "no matter what answer I gave you, if I say it, that's the headline tomorrow. It won't be about what's going on now: the improper way they're proceeding."
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.