Gabby Giffords to DNC: "We can let the shooting continue, or we can act"
20 August 2020
Former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.), who suffered a severe brain injury when she was shot in an assassination attempt in 2011, addressed the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday night with a call to action for voters seeking to end gun violence in America: "We can let the shooting continue, or we can act."
Why it matters: The third night of the DNC began with a strong emphasis on policy — first gun control, with appearances from Parkland Shooting survivor Emma González and the parents of gun violence victims, and then climate change. Both consistently rank as key issues for young voters.
What they're saying: "I've known the darkest of days. ... Words once came easily; today I struggle with speech. But I have not lost my voice," Giffords said. "America needs all of us to speak out, even when you have to fight to find the words. We are at a crossroads. We can let the shooting continue or we can act."
- "We can protect our families, our future. We can vote. We can be on the right side of history. We must elect Joe Biden. He was there for me, he'll be there for you too," Giffords said.
- "Join us in this fight. Vote, vote, vote," Giffords concluded.
Between the lines: Democrats are unlikely to successfully pass gun control legislation under a Biden administration unless they reclaim the Senate and alter the chamber's rules to ban filibusters.
- Biden has yet to concretely say if he would direct his Senate allies to pursue abolishing the filibuster if elected president.
- He told the New York Times in July that whether he backs abolishing the filibuster will "depend on how obstreperous they become,” referring to Senate Republicans.
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.