Trump promises economic rejuvenation in speech with few policy details
14 October 2020
President Trump promised on Wednesday to lift the economy "to unprecedented heights" and bring about a quick "return to full employment," but did not lay out specific economic plans for a potential second term.
Why it matters: Economists have largely abandoned expectations that the economy and labor market will spring right back to pre-pandemic levels. Instead, they are bracing for an uneven, sluggish road back.
What he's saying: President Trump told an event hosted by the Economic Club of New York on Wednesday that "we're going again for a big middle income tax cut" — which he also promised ahead of the 2018 elections — but didn't provide specifics.
- Trump also said he has an infrastructure plan now, "but we're gonna make it much bigger." He did not elaborate.
- Trump positioned the election as "a choice between a socialist nightmare and the American Dream," and claimed a Joe Biden victory would cause a "steep" economic depression.
The big picture: President Trump also said the White House was "trying to get some stimulus money" for industries battered by the pandemic, like the airlines and cruise-lines.
- He said he'd like to see the Democrats "loosen up a little bit" — a week after Trump called off negotiations, and then demanded that Congress "go big or go home" on stimulus.
- Negotiations remain at an impasse. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who had a call with Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday, said that it's unlikely that there will be a COVID relief deal before the election.
Go deeper: Where Trump stands on economic promises
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.