Tropical Storm Isaias expected to strengthen into hurricane as it nears Florida
02 August 2020
As Tropical Storm Isaias neared Florida's east coast Saturday, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) urged communities to "remain vigilant and be prepared for heavy rain, strong winds and potential flooding."
The state of play: After pummeling the Bahamas and parts of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic as a Category 1 storm Friday, Isaias was downgraded from a hurricane Saturday evening. But the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Isaias was expected to "regain hurricane strength" overnight.
Here are the 5pm Key Messages on #Isaias. Hurricane conditions are still expected along portions of the Florida east coast on Sunday. Go to https://t.co/SiZo8ohZMN for detailed local information. The latest advisory is at https://t.co/tW4KeFW0gBpic.twitter.com/DCnawp12kC
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) August 1, 2020
What to expect: The storm is expected to hit Florida's southeast coast late Saturday or early Sunday and before traveling north along the coast, per the NHC.
Of note: Florida authorities temporarily closed all state-supported coronavirus testing sites Thursday evening ahead of the storm's arrival.
- The state has the second-highest number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. though daily reported infections have moved below 10,000.
- Free COVID-19 testing remains available through local County Health Departments, the Florida Division of Emergency Management said.
Editor's note: This is a developing news story. Please check back for updates.
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.