Biden to pick Vilsack for agriculture secretary, Fudge for HUD
08 December 2020
President-elect Joe Biden plans to nominate former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack as his agriculture secretary and Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge as his housing and urban development secretary, people familiar with the matter tell Axios.
Why it matters: The selection of Vilsack is another example of Biden turning to a trusted friend to serve in a key role.
- The choice of Fudge may appease some members of the Congressional Black Caucus, who lobbied Biden to choose her for the agricultural post. Fudge's planned nomination was first reported by Politico.
- TheAn announcement could come as soon as this week.
The big picture: Members of the CBC made it a priority to help install Fudge at agriculture to signal that the department was more focused on serving agricultural consumers and not just producers.
- Biden’s choice of Vilsack indicates he wants the USDA to stay more focused on its traditional roles of supporting farmers ensuring food safety.
Between the lines: Fudge’s departure will shave one seat off Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s razor thin majority in the House.
- But Pelosi is likely prepared for her loss. “Look for her to be in the Cabinet,” House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn said on MSNBC Tuesday morning. “It may not be at agriculture but she will be nominated to be in the Cabinet.”
Flashback: Vilsack was a prominent Biden supporter in the Iowa caucuses and defended Biden as his campaign limped to a fourth-place finish.
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.