09 August 2020
Some Republicans joined Democrats in criticizing President Trump Saturday night for taking executive action on coronavirus aid, with Democratic leaders demanding the GOP return to negotiations after stimulus package talks broke down a day earlier.
Why it matters: Trump could face legal challenges on his ability to act without congressional approval, where the power lies on federal spending. Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) was the most vocal Republican critic, saying in a statement: "The pen-and-phone theory of executive lawmaking is unconstitutional slop."
Instead of putting in the work to solve Americans’ problems, Pres. Trump chose to stay on his golf course to announce unworkable, weak & narrow policy announcements to slash the unemployment benefits that millions desperately need and endanger seniors’ Social Security & Medicare pic.twitter.com/QNwu3HEcbi
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) August 9, 2020
What else they're saying: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) issued a joint statement on Saturday evening accusing Trump of failing to comprehend "the seriousness or the urgency of the health and economic crises facing working families."
- Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, accused Trump of putting Social Security at risk with what he described as "a series of half-baked measures." Biden said in an emailed statement that Trump's payroll tax plan — which the president said would help "greatly," with payroll taxes for Americans earning less than $100,000 a year — had "no protections or guarantees," unlike those in the Obama administration.
- Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) tweeted, "The president is doing all he can to help workers, students and renters, but Congress is the one who should be acting. Democrats should stop blocking common sense proposals to help students going back to school & college & parents going back to work who need child care."
- Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a Trump ally, tweeted, "I appreciate the President taking this decisive action but would much prefer a congressional agreement. I believe President Trump would prefer the same."
- Rep. Justin Amash (L-Mich.), a vocal Trump critic who left the Republican Party in 2019, tweeted, "Our Constitution doesn’t authorize the president to act as king whenever Congress doesn’t legislate."
What he's saying: Trump conceded that Democrats might legally challenge his actions, but he said: "Through these four actions, my administration will provide immediate and vital relief to Americans struggling in this difficult time."
- In a Saturday night tweet, Trump attacked Biden's plan to raise $3.2 trillion over a decade from tax increases in order to pay for his climate and health care proposals, saying: "Sleepy Joe Biden just agreed with the Radical Left Democrats to raise Taxes by Three Trillion Dollars. Everyone will pay - Will kill your Stocks, 401k’s, and the ECONOMY. BIG CRASH!"
Of note: The order and memoranda signed by Trump would dd $400 per week in extra unemployment benefits through the end of 2020, requiring states to cover 25% of the additional benefits.
- Previous enhanced unemployment benefits related to COVID-19 added $600 a week to standard state unemployment.
Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.
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.