29 April 2021
President Biden delivered a historic address before a joint session of Congress on Wednesday — the eve of his 100th day since taking office.
Driving the news: Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) made history as the first women to lead the Senate and House during a president's congressional address. The event was also notable for having pandemic restrictions in place that included having virtual guests.
Biden addresses the joint session of Congress as Harris looks on. Photo: Jim Watson - POOL/Getty Images
The scene in the House chamber during Biden's address. Photo: Doug Mills/Pool/Getty Images
Biden greets Republican Rep. Liz Cheney with a fist bump before his address. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Harris greets Pelosi ahead of Biden's arrival in the House. Photo: Jim Watson/Pool/Getty Images
Editor's note: This a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
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.