10 August 2021
President Joe Biden praised the Senate's passage of the bipartisan infrastructure package Tuesday, calling it "long overdue, much-needed investments in basic, hard infrastructure."
Why it matters: The legislation's passage is a major victory for the Biden administration and would deliver hundreds of billions of dollars for roads, bridges, waterways and other "hard infrastructure" items.
What he's saying: Biden thanked the bipartisan group of senators who worked on the legislation and touted the bill's varied investments in things such as electric vehicle charging stations, public transit, and drinking water systems.
- "Experts believe that the majority of the bill’s benefits will flow to working families. Faster commutes, cleaner water, less expense, available and affordable internet. These are the things that working families need," Biden said.
- "I want to thank those senators who worked so hard to bring this agreement together. ... For the Republicans who supported this bill, you showed a lot of courage."
- "Here on this bill, we proved we can still come together to do big things, important things for the American people."
Vice President Kamala Harris praised the legislation's investments and job creation, saying it would help the U.S. stay competitive in the world.
- "[T]oday we move one step closer to making a once-in-a-generation investment in our nation's infrastructure," Harris said.
- "It provides people with what they need to get where they need to go," she added. "It will do that while also creating millions of good union jobs for our nation's workers."
What to watch: The bill now heads to the House, where it still faces an uphill battle.
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.
