U.S.-Russia summits have dwindled over the years
16 June 2021
Data: U.S. Department of State's Office of the Historian; Chart: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios
The number of meetings between U.S. and Russian presidents has dwindled in recent years, according to State Department data.
Why it matters: Any get-together is momentous if only for the participants. U.S. presidents have met with Russian dictators during World War II. The nations' leaders have signed arms deals, discussed Ukraine and reports of election interference by Russia in U.S. elections.
What to watch: President Biden has studied up for the summit, meeting with experts and even former Trump officials, Axios reported.
- The president plans to be tough with Putin but isn't overly optimistic about what can get done, according to Politico.
- Axios World author David Lawler notes: "All of Biden's predecessors on this list came into office hoping to improve relations with Russia. Biden's goals are more modest: to work together on the few issues, like nuclear security, where interests overlap, and to avoid crises that will cause relations to deteriorate any further."
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.