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Trump calls getting coronavirus "a blessing in disguise"

07 October 2020
 Dan Ackermann

President Trump said in a new video on Wednesday evening that contracting the coronavirus was "a blessing in disguise" and claimed — without scientific evidence — that the antibody cocktail from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals he was treated with is a "cure."

Driving the news: The president said he is seeking emergency use authorization for the antibody cocktail, which he received last week while experiencing "mild" symptoms. He claimed that it was his suggestion to doctors that he be treated with the therapeutic, which Regeneron says has only been given to 10 people outside of clinical trials.

What he's saying: "I spent four days at [Walter Reed]," Trump said. "I went in and I wasn't feeling so hot. And within a very short period of time, they gave me Regeneron. It's called Regeneron. And other things too, but I think this was the key."

  • "They gave me Regeneron, and it was like unbelievable. I felt good immediately. I felt as good three days ago as I do now. So, I just want to say, we have Regeneron. we have another drug by [Eli Lilly and Company]. And they're coming out, and we're trying to get them on an emergency basis."
  • "We've authorized it. I've authorized it. And if you're in the hospital and you're feeling really bad, I think we're going to work it to where you're going to get them and you're going to get them free. And especially if you're a senior, we're going to get you in there quick."
  • "They call them therapeutic, but to me it wasn't therapeutic. It just made me better. Okay, I call that a cure."

Go deeper: White House physician says Trump has been "symptom-free for over 24 hours"

Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times

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Newly 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.