Sen. Thom Tillis wins re-election against Cal Cunningham in North Carolina
11 November 2020
Sen. Thom Tillis (R) has won re-election against Democratic challenger Cal Cunningham in North Carolina, AP projects.
Why it matters: Tillis' victory is a major win for Republicans as they fight to keep control of the U.S. Senate.
- Tillis was first elected in 2014 and has branded himself as a loyal defender of President Trump.
Between the lines: Polls generally favored Cunningham, but both candidates were plagued by controversies in the run-up to the election.
- Cunningham's polling lead took a hit in early October after he admitted to having an extramarital affair.
- Tillis, meanwhile, faced criticism when he and several others tested positive for the coronavirus after attending a Rose Garden ceremony introducing Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett.
Data: AP; Chart: Naema Ahmed, Andrew Witherspoon, Danielle Alberti/Axios
What they're saying: "While the results of this election suggest there remain deep political divisions in our state and nation, the more complete story of our country lies in what unites us: our faith and sense of confidence in our democracy, our civic values and common humanity, our shared aspiration to care for one another, and our belief that we live in a country that does exceptional things," Cunningham said in a statement conceding to Tillis.
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.