06 October 2020
Instead of just one report coming out of the House Judiciary Committee's year-long tech antitrust probe, there will likely be one from the Democratic majority and two from Republicans.
Why it matters: The latest developments blunt the likelihood that the parties can come together to rewrite antitrust laws for the digital economy, which Republican and Democratic policymakers alike have said they want to do.
The state of play: Democrats are still committed to soon releasing their own report, to include findings of their investigation into competition in digital markets as well as likely legislative proposals on how antitrust laws should be updated.
Yes, but: That may be coming without GOP support. Lead Judiciary Republican Rep. Jim Jordan will instead be releasing a separate report focusing on allegations of conservative bias by tech platforms, a Republican aide told Axios.
Meanwhile: Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) won't be signing onto the Democrats' report either, despite agreeing with many of its conclusions, and will be releasing a response he's calling "The Third Way," he told Axios on Tuesday.
- "I agree with about 330 pages of the majority report, that these tech companies have been acting anti-competitively," he said. "It's very common for Republicans and Democrats to agree on a problem and offer different solutions to solve a problem."
- Republican Reps. Matt Gaetz and Doug Collins are also signing onto Buck's response, a source familiar with the matter told Axios.
Between the lines: Buck maintains the releases aren't competing reports per se, but separate products of a bipartisan exercise. "I'm really proud to be included in the process, and I think other Republicans are also," he said.
Our thought bubble: The end result as far as the general public is concerned will still ultimately be three separate reports illustrating the partisan cracks that have been apparent throughout this process.
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.