Fauci says he accepted Biden's offer to be chief medical adviser "on the spot"
04 December 2020
The government's top infectious-disease expert Anthony Fauci said Friday that he "absolutely" will accept the offer from President-elect Joe Biden to serve as his chief medical officer, telling NBC's "Today" that he said yes "right on the spot."
Why it matters: President Trump had a contentious relationship with Fauci, who has been forced during the pandemic to correct many of the president's false claims about the coronavirus. Biden, meanwhile, has emphasized the importance of "listening to the scientists" throughout his campaign and transition.
Between the lines: Biden's decision to praise and hire Fauci not only continues the contrast he is trying to create with President Trump, who has talked about firing the doctor, but also shows the calibrated media exposure the president-elect and his team are using to control their message and instill public calm.
The big picture: Biden said in an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper on Thursday night that on Inauguration Day he will ask Americans to wear a mask for 100 days, "not forever," as a patriotic duty.
- Fauci said that he spoke to Biden about that suggestion and told him it was a good idea, but clarified that mask-wearing may still be needed after the 100 days.
- On the vaccine front, Fauci told NBC: "As we get into January and February and March, more and more people will be able to get vaccinated. So now is the time to hang in there and not give up."
Go deeper: More highlights from Biden's interview with Tapper
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.