Larry Kudlow says Trump may offer larger stimulus than Democrats' $2.2 trillion proposal
11 October 2020
White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday that President Trump may propose a coronavirus stimulus package with an even larger price tag than the $2.2 trillion legislation that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has offered.
Why it matters: It's highly unlikely that a bill in the neighborhood of $2 trillion, let alone more than that, would win the support of Senate Republicans. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Friday that a stimulus deal is "unlikely" before the election.
The state of play: After calling off the negotiations via tweet last week, Trump has now raised his offer to $1.8 trillion, spooked by the market reaction to his move and desperate to inject stimulus into the economy before the election.
- Pelosi said the proposal was “one step forward, two steps back," accusing the administration of failing to include public health measures in the package that would help "crush the virus."
What they're saying: "Secretary Mnuchin is up to $1.8 trillion. So the bid and the offer is narrowing somewhat between the two sides," Kudlow said.
- "President Trump actually has always said — I've heard him say it in the Oval — as far as the key elements are concerned, the checks, the unemployment assistance, the small business assistance, we gotta help airlines out — he would go further. He's always said that."
- "He knows that we need as much power for economic recovery as possible. It's not just recovery in three weeks. It's recovery to the end of the year and beyond in a possible second term. So I think Secretary Mnuchin is very good negotiator and will be carrying the president's message."
Go deeper: Trump tells House GOP leader he wants a "big deal" on COVID relief
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.