New Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi declares "fiscal emergency"
03 January 2021
New Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi declared a "fiscal emergency" Saturday, hours after being sworn in on a vow to unite the U.S. territory, per Bloomberg.
Why it matters: The U.S. territory has experienced a tumultuous period politically and economically, with three governors in four years and a billion-dollar public debt.
- The pandemic has badly affected the island, which is still recovering from the catastrophic Hurricane Maria and last year's earthquakes.
- Political analyst Mario Negrón told AP, "The economy is in critical condition, and even though federal funds are on their way, people forget that the debt will have to be paid starting in February."
The big picture: Pierluisi's fiscal executive order for government agencies to impose measures to reduce costs, such as travel limits, was one of six he signed Saturday night.
- The 61-year-old also ordered the Caribbean island's health department to "design a robust" plan for coronavirus testing and for Puerto Rico's justice department to "work more closely with federal prosecutors on corruption cases," according to Bloomberg.
What he's saying: In a bilingual speech after being sworn in earlier Saturday, Pierluisi vowed to "turn the page on political turbulence," fight corruption, "work hard on what unites us," and achieve prosperity through statehood.
- He called on "everyone to battle our common enemies: the pandemic, poverty and crime, lack of access to good education and health care, economic stagnation, corruption and inequality."
- Doing this while jump-starting the economy, attracting investment and growing the tourism industry would "put Puerto Rico on a path to recovery and progress," said Pierluisi, who previously caucused with the Democrats as the island's congressional representative for eight years.
Of note: Pierluisi, leader of the pro-statehood New Progressive Party, briefly served as governor after former Gov. Ricardo Rosselló resigned last year amid massive protests after the U.S. territory's House of representatives found five impeachable offenses against him.
Go deeper: Why Puerto Rico is still struggling to get online
Editor's note: This article has been updated with details of the executive orders.
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.