17 November 2020
President Trump's controversial Fed pick Judy Shelton appears to be blocked from joining the central bank's board, for now —a dramatic turn of events, marred by two senators who were expected to support her, but were in quarantine for COVID-related concerns.
Why it matters: Some Republicans broke ranks and opposed Shelton, who in the past has endorsed fringe economic policies and reversed her beliefs to be more in line with those of Trump. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris also cast a crucial vote on Tuesday, with the final tally coming out to 50-47.
Yes, but: Sen. Mitch McConnell changed his vote to "no" — a strategy that could revive Shelton's nomination down the line.
Details: Shelton's last hurdles to confirmation looked like a lock late last week when Sen. Mitch McConnell invoked cloture on her nomination. That is until Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said Tuesday that he was exposed to the coronavirus, forcing him to quarantine and miss the vote. Sen. Rick Scott was also absent as he quarantines.
- On Monday, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) came out against Shelton, but was planning to be absent from the vote regardless.
- Sens. Mitt Romney and Susan Collins voted against Shelton. Democrats unanimously opposed the nomination.
The big picture: All but one member of the Fed's seven-member board have been nominated by Trump.
- Shelton is another setback for the president, who's failed to fill the remaining two open slots on the Fed thanks to a string of unsuccessful candidates that have been unable to move forward — including the late Herman Cain and Stephen Moore.
What to watch: Still no word on a full Senate vote on Christopher Waller, a director of research at the St. Louis Fed and the far less controversial candidate nominated by Trump.
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.