Tammy Duckworth: "Joe Biden would never let tyrants manipulate him like a puppet"
21 August 2020
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) rebuked President Trump at the Democratic National Convention for not confronting Vladimir Putin over intelligence reports that alleged Russia paid the Taliban to kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
Why it matters: Duckworth, an Army veteran who lost her legs in the Iraq War, sought to draw a sharp contrast between Trump and Biden, whose son Beau was deployed to Iraq, on the issues of national security and protecting U.S. troops.
What she's saying: "Joe Biden understands the sacrifices because he has made them himself. When his son Beau deployed to Iraq, his burden was also shouldered by his family. Joe knows the fear military families live because he's felt that dread never knowing if your deployed loved one is safe," Duckworth said.
- "That is the kind of leader our service members deserve, one who understands the risks they face and who would actually protect them by doing his job as commander-in-chief. Instead, they have a coward-in-chief who won't stand up to Vladimir Putin, read his intelligence briefings, or even publicly admonish adversaries for reportedly putting bounties on our troops' heads."
- "As president, Joe Biden would never let tyrants manipulate him like a puppet. He would never pervert our military to stroke his own ego. He would never turn his back on our troops, or threaten them on Americans peacefully exercising their First Amendment rights."
The bottom line: "Donald Trump doesn't deserve to call himself commander-in-chief for another four minutes, let alone another four years," Duckworth concluded. "Our troops deserve better. Our country deserves better."
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.