DeSantis signs restrictive Florida voting law at event exclusive to Fox News
06 May 2021
At event on Monday that banned all local media except for Fox News, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed a controversial elections overhaul bill that curbs certain forms of voting.
Why it matters: The law increases restrictions on drop boxes, requires voters to sign up for mail-in ballots every year, and limits who can drop off ballots at drop boxes. Opponents say the law will make it more difficult to vote in the state, and will disproportionately impact communities of color.
What they're saying: With a cheering crowd behind him, DeSantis told Fox & Friends in an "exclusive" broadcast that he believes the law includes the "strongest election integrity measures in the country."
- "Me signing this bill here says, 'Florida, your vote counts. Your vote is going to cast with integrity and transparency, and this is a great place for democracy,'" DeSantis said.
- The event was billed as a rally "for the best governor in the USA." It's unclear if it was an official governor's event or campaign rally, per the Washington Post.
The big picture: Florida is one of a number of Republican-run states — including Georgia, which has faced intense backlash — that have either passed or are considering new voting restrictions after the 2020 election.
- Many of the laws are based on unsubstantiated allegations of widespread voter fraud propagated by former President Trump.
- Hundreds of corporations and voting rights groups have embarked on a pressure campaign to stop the laws from taking effect.
Go deeper ... Mapped: Which states are weighing voting changes
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.