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Conservative allies urge Trump not to extend unemployment benefits in next relief bill

19 July 2020
 Dan Ackermann

Conservative allies of the president are weighing in on the next tranche of coronavirus relief funding, warning that Trump's reelection could hinge on the economic impact of the new bill — and urging him not to extend unemployment benefits from the CARES Act.

Details: Publishing magnate Steve Forbes and economist Stephen Moore have been warning Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, the administration's lead negotiator on stimulus talks, and members of the White House economic council that the stakes for the new package "couldn't be higher."

  • Moore tells me, "We're very worried about Trump doing a deal with [House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi that would have very negative effects on the economy."
  • Moore predicted that if unemployment benefits from the CARES Act are extended, "You're not gonna have a jobs recovery in the fall. Not only is that bad for millions of Americans, but Trump can't win an election if we don't have a good economy."
  • Instead, they suggested Trump move ahead with a payroll tax cut (something Trump said is a must-have, but other Republicans aren't as keen on).

What's next: Moore and Forbes plan to send President Trump a letter outlining these concerns.

  • The letter will also state that that cutting a bad deal could be "reminiscent" of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 under President George H.W. Bush that raised taxes and "cost him the election."
  • They'll also be releasing an ad this week through the Committee to Unleash Prosperity, which was founded by Forbes, Moore and economist Art Laffer, detailing why an extension of the $600 weekly unemployment benefits would be "disastrous" for the president.

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.