The voting wars are being fought in some of the least white states
13 July 2021
Data: U.S. Census Bureau, via Brookings Institution; Chart: Connor Rothschild/Axios
Texas, Georgia, Florida and Arizona have been at the center of a partisan war over voting rules that could impact voters of color — they're also among the top 10 states with the lowest percentage of white residents.
The big picture: Every state has seen its non-Hispanic, white population decline during the past decade, according to an analysis of census data by the Brookings Institution's William Frey. The census is also expected to show the first overall decline in the U.S. white population.
- Non-white voters have typically leaned Democratic, and in some of the most diverse states, Republicans have pushed measures that could make it harder for some people to vote.
- Republicans also will have complete control over the redistricting process in Texas, Georgia and Florida.
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.