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President Biden on Thursday signed a slew of executive orders to address the coronavirus pandemic, including an interstate face mask mandate and an order to renew supplies of PPE, testing materials and vaccines through the Defense Production Act.

Why it matters: The stakes are highest for Biden’s vaccination effort. Several states cannot keep up with demand.

  • The day before Biden's inauguration, the U.S. hit 400,000 deaths due to COVID-19 — counting more than 100,000 fatalities in 36 days.

Details: Biden signed 10 executive orders related to the pandemic, which included asking Americans to wear masks when traveling across state borders, and mandating that people flying in the U.S. wear face coverings and get COVID tests prior to traveling.

The plan also calls for:

  • Masks in airports, trains, planes, ships and intercity buses.
  • Proof of negative tests for international travelers before departing for the U.S.
  • OSHA guidance for work safety enforcement.
  • Massive efforts for “real-time” data collection for schools and higher education, plus a public dashboard on coronavirus cases, testing, vaccinations and hospital admissions.
  • The Department of Education and Health and Human Services to provide schools and communities with resources to safely reopen schools.

Our thought bubble: Biden’s executive orders are providing a more uniform approach in controlling the pandemic across state lines, unlike during the Trump administration when governors and public health departments were left to coordinate most of the logistics.

What he's saying: Biden acknowledged that the death toll from the pandemic is likely to reach 500,000 people by next month, after the U.S. hit 400,000 deaths due to COVID-19 just days ago.

  • "You're going to be hearing a lot from Dr. Fauci again," Biden added, saying that scientists will be involved in the federal government's planning for the pandemic and will be "free from political interference."
  • "We will level with you when we make a mistake," he said, adding: "We're still in a dark winter of this pandemic. It's gonna get worse before it gets better. It's gonna take many months before we're where we need to be."
  • "Despite the best intentions, we're going to have setbacks, which I will always explain to you."

Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times

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Newly 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.