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Far-right-friendly social network Parler is back online after going dark for more than a month, following suspensions from Google, Apple and Amazon in light of the Jan. 6 Capital siege.

Why it matters: Parler's de-platforming ignited a free speech debate over whether Big Tech giants have too much control over discourse in America and around the world.

The state of play: Republican political donor Rebekah Mercer, who controls the company's board, has "hired Mark Meckler, a leading voice in the Tea Party movement, to run Parler," the New York Times reports.

  • Existing users will be allowed to return to the app this week, while those looking to join will be able to sign up beginning next week.
  • The company did not reveal which web service will host Parler, saying instead that it is now "built on robust, sustainable, independent technology."

What they're saying: "When Parler was taken offline in January by those who desire to silence tens of millions of Americans, our team came together, determined to keep our promise to our highly engaged community that we would return stronger than ever," Meckler said in a statement, per The Hill.

  • "Parler is being run by an experienced team and is here to stay. We will thrive as the premier social media platform dedicated to free speech, privacy and civil dialogue,” Meckler continued.

But, but, but: "Parler remains in an uncertain position. Apple and Google haven’t restored [Parler's] app to their stores, and it’s still fighting an ongoing lawsuit against Amazon, where a judge appeared unsympathetic to its claims," The Verge writes.

Flashback: Parler's ex-CEO John Matze says company's board fired him in wake of the Capitol attack. He told Axios on HBO earlier this month that he feels "betrayed" by Mercer, the heiress daughter of hedge fund billionaire Robert Mercer.

Go deeper:

Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times

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Newly 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.