just hearing there from george floyd's girlfriend, courteney ross.eemed to hone in on george floyd's drug use, his addiction. this is part of the exchange. >> in march of 2020, you got some pills, right? do you remember describing that? >> yes. >> and can you describe what those pills were like? >> like physically? >> physically. >> well, they looked different to me than a normal pill. they seemed like they were thicker. >> joyce, what did you hear there? what do you suspect the defense was trying to accomplish there? >> this is the start of the effort by the defense to attribute mr. floyd's death to an overdose, not to the knee that was held on his neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds. something we heard here was evidence elicited by the defense that mr. floyd had foam around his mouth in this earlier incident where he was overdosing and was taken to the hospital. yesterday morning, they elicited testimony from one of the witnesses also talking about foam around his mouth on that day in may when he actually died. they will begin to try to plant the sug

. >> courteney ross described how injuries and the desire to be physically active led george to pain pills. the defense referencing a time when george floyd overdosed and hospitalized and steering courteney ross toward their use of other stronger pills that she said made her jittery and kept her up all night. the defense also said george floyd bought stronger pills, again, days before his death under derek chauvin's knee. >> and when you took him to the hospital, did you notice foam coming from his mouth? >> i noticed, like, some kind of -- yeah, foam building in the corners of his mouth, kind of. >> a dry, white substance? do you recall telling the fbi that when you had that, you felt like you were going to die? >> i don't remember saying that. >> do you recall telling the fbi that there would be times he would just be up and bouncing around, and then there would be times that he would be, like, unintelligible? >> i don't recall that, but -- >> would you disagree if i said that that's in the transcript. >> no. >> the defense appearing to argue that the substances in floyd's body con

hear from charles mcmillan, who spoke with george floyd and courteney ross, george floyd's girlfriend peered the trial of derek chauvin sunday at 3:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. the capitol is understood security following the failed attack on friday. i want to read to you about what happened from a story in rol lcall.com. " u.s. capitol officer was killed after a man ran a vehicle into him and another officer and a barricade. the suspect exited the cart wielding an from ignored commands, once towards officers at which time u.s. capitol police officers fired upon the suspect, activating -- acting chief told reporters. capitol police announced the suspect wasn't custody and died after being transferred to the hospital. the other officer was hospitalized according to an update from police wasn't stable and nonthreatening condition. the daily events but the complex into lockdown for two hours -- deadly events put the complex into lockdown for two hours." flags are at half mast across washington, d.c. and the capitol building following the death of police officer william evans. the suspect w

i will tell you, when i watched courteney ross, george floyd's girlfriend testify, it was painful toch not only the loss she suffered and how she would light up from time to time when she was remembering how george really loved to play football, he loved to work out. you can see the sort of passion she had for her former boyfriend. but she was also made to talk about her own illegal drug use, her own opioid addiction, her boyfriend's opioid addiction. chuck, even though i was a prosecutor 30 years, i winced when she was asked, okay, who's selling you those drugs? when you're having to talk about the drug dealer, the person from whom you're getting illegal drugs, that is a really difficult and potentially dangerous area of testimony for a witness. so she felt very much like a victim by extension because her boyfriend was killed and now she's trying to relive that while not only 12 jurors watch her but the nation watches her. >> you know, shawna, i was struck, glenn just referred in some ways she was a victim too. and i have been struck by all of the testimony by various either eyewitn

george floyd's girlfriend, courteney ross, also testifying today about their struggle with opioids. abc's alex perez again tonight from minneapolis. >> reporter: today, paramedic seth bravinder testifying that when the ambulance arrived on the scene, he thought police were still wrestling with george floyd. >> multiple officers on top of the patient when we pulled up at that point. i assumed that there was potentially some struggle still because they were still on top of him. >> reporter: but when he got out of the ambulance, he realized that wasn't the case. >> i didn't see any breathing or movement or anything like that. >> did he appear to be unresponsive to you at that point in time? >> from what i could tell just standing from a distance, yes. >> reporter: the other paramedic derek smith approached floyd. >> the officers were still on him when i approached. >> and what did his condition appear to be to you overall? >> in lay terms, i thought he was dead. >> reporter: you can see smith here, taking floyd's pulse, former officer derek chauvin still with his knee on floyd's neck.

sunday, hear from charles mcmillan who spoke with george floyd during his arrest and courteney ross, his girlfriend. the trial of derek chauvin, saturday and sunday at 3 p.m. eastern on c-span. >> the labor department reports the economy created 900,000 new jobs in march. unemployment fell to 6%. at the white house, president reacted to the news, talked about his infrastructure plan, and the administration's coronavirus response. pres. biden: before i start, i hope you have a good weekend. i am looking forward to it. well, good morning. this morning, we have learned that our economy created 900,000 jobs in march. it means the first two months of our administration, we've seen more jobs created than the first two months in any administration in history. we still have a long way to go to get our economy back on track after the worst crisis in more than a century. my message to the american people is this -- help is here, opportunity is coming, and at long last there is hope for so many families. so many families. credit for this progress belongs not to me, but for the american people,

that's courteney ross's testimony _ lobby. that's courteney ross's testimony a — lobby.rom mr morries hall, correct? i believe so, i'm not morries hall, correct? i believe so, l'm not sure- _ do you recall telling the fbi that you bought pills from mr hall one week— you bought pills from mr hall one week prior to mr floyd's death? yes, but i week prior to mr floyd's death? yes, but i wasn't — week prior to mr floyd's death? yes, but i wasn't there, _ week prior to mr floyd's death? yes, but i wasn't there, i _ week prior to mr floyd's death? 13:2 but i wasn't there, i wasn't there, i didn't see anything happen. yesterday when you met with prosecutors, did you tell them that you were _ prosecutors, did you tell them that you were in — prosecutors, did you tell them that you were in the car at the hotel when _ you were in the car at the hotel when those pills were purchased? yes. �* , ., when those pills were purchased? yes. �* , l, l, when those pills were purchased? yes. �* ., ., when those pills were purchased? yes. ., ., , ., yes. and you are on the phone with mr flo d

we know his girlfriend courteney ross told us that, when she took the stand in the case of derek are chauvin, accused of killing george floyd, kneeling on his neck for nine minutes. gasping for air, gasping for breath. i'm still trying to process the sheer horror of it all. this is what this case is all about. >> relax. >> i can't breathe. hold on. >> what do you want? >> i can't breathe! >> it is so difficult to watch. it's so gut wrenching. sickening. you know it goes on for nine minutes and 29 seconds. floyd pleading for his life, said repeatedly, he couldn't breathe. i can't breathe. many people probably dismiss george floyd as a big, bad black dude who may have been high with minneapolis police arrested him for trying to pass a counterfeit $20 bill. he is a man, a mama's boy who stumbled just like many of us. honestly, who among us is perfect? if you think are you, you should call your mama or go see a therapist. my mom would knock me down a few pegs if i say i was perfect. she could say, i bore you, i raised you, you're not perfect. george floyd was all of us. he had a job, he

courteney ross shared details of the opioid addiction.he defense will later argue that it was the main factor in floyd's death. >> we both suffered from chronic pain, mine in my neck and it -- his was in his back. we both have prescriptions, but after prescriptions that were filled -- we got addicted. >> the world health organization has criticized the european union's vaccine rollout as slow. myanmar's civilian leader facing the most serious charge and is being forced from power by the military and carries up to 14 years in prison. activists have been continuing to protest two months after the general seized power. a ship carrying 1200 people who fled violence in mozambique has arrived at a port. family members were waiting outside the port to see which of their loved ones were among them. armed people storms killing hundreds of people. the suez canal authority says that the country expects more than a billion dollars in compensation after a cargo vessel blocked at the canal for more than a week. losses and loss transit fees, but he did

and the story that courteney ross told of their relationship and their struggle against addiction, and their love for each other was at times touching. at times, very sad and difficult to watch because it was so, so, so emotional. so intimate. >> jamil hodge, what stood out for you in the testimony today? >> i pick up where eugene left off. just really learning about george floyd as a person. today, we heard his name. you know, we know his name has catalyzed a movement, but today, we learned about the man. we learned about him as a boyfriend. as a father. as a son. and so, we got to see a little bit more about him, as a -- as a human being. and to recognize, really, how profound the loss is. not just, again, as a catalyst for a movement but for a daughter and for a girlfriend and for brothers and family members, who are living every day with this, you know, untimely death. >> and gene robinson, you have covered enough of these cases to know, that the place where -- one of the places police always want to go in defending themselves is the drug use of the person who was killed. they are

his former girlfriend courteney ross spoke about when they met.k her. >> he has this great, deep southern voice, raspy. he's like, sis, you okay, sis? and i wasn't okay. i said, no, i -- i'm just waiting for my son's father. sorry. he said, um -- he said, well, can i pray with you? >> george floyd was a son, a father, a friend, a brother. how is his family handling the first week of this trial? let's discuss that with terrence floyd, george floyd's brother and benjamin crump, an attorney for the family. mr. floyd, let me start with you, how the family is spending the weekend, it's easter weekend, how you're spending this time this weekend to prepare you for the next week of the trial. sorry, mr. floyd, can you hear me? >> vaguely, vaguely. >> i'm asking how are you and your family doing this weekend after this intense week of the trial with another week and probably several more weeks to come? how are you and the family doing and how are you spending this weekend? >> basically after this week -- well let me tell you what we're doing this week. it'

the court also heard emotional testimony from courteney ross, floyd's girlfriend of nearly three years. she told the story of how they met at the salvation army shelter where floyd worked. >> he said, can i pray with you? this kind person just to come up to me and say, can i pray with you, when i felt alone in this lobby. it was so sweet. >> reporter: chauvin's defense focusing on floyd's alleged past drug use arguing it was drugs in his system that killed him, not chauvin's actions. they questioned ross about i an overdose that sent floyd to the hospital just months before his death. >> you had not known he had taken heroin at that time? >> no. >> it was your belief that mr. floyd started using again about two weeks prior to his death, correct? >> i noticed a change in his behavior, yes. >> reporter: ross shared the couple's struggle with opioids. >> we got addicted, and tried really hard to break that addiction many times. >> reporter: it's important to note that an autopsy report said that drug use was significant, but listed floyd's cause of death as heart failure during that restr

. >> reporter: it didn't take long for courteney ross to cry as she remembered how she met george floyd in 2017. >> floyd, i called him momma's boy. i could tell from the minute i met him. >> reporter: this now iconic photo o floyd was taken as a selfie at the salvation army where he worked. >> floyd has this great, deep southern voice. >> reporter: they began dating, as she told jurors how he was devastated by the death of his mother. >> he seemed kind of like a shell of himself, like he was -- like he was broken he seemed so sad >> reporter: during her testimony, meant to humanize floyd, one juror off camera had a furrow brow and one of his hands up by his masked face, seemingly emotional. ross said injuries and his desires to still be physically active led floyd to pain pills. >> we both suffered from chronic pain. mine was in my neck and his was in his back we got addicted and -- and tried really hard to -- to break that addiction many times. >> reporter: in march of 2020, ross testified she drove floyd to the hospital and learned he'd overdosed. >> you did not know that he had take

anchor: after courteney ross, the prosecution called one of the paramedics that arrived to assist georgeested that george floyd was unresponsive when he arrived at the scene and was still pinned down by derek chauvin and other officers. the court is now heang from his colleague, derek smith, who told the court he was unable to find his pulse and thought that george floyd was already dead before he arrived at the scene. before we listen to more testimony from darris smith, -- from derek smith, i must warn you there may be graphic details or evidence that you might find distressing. we are not in control of the picture feed, so it is worth bearing in mind that at any point the court may choose to look at a video or a still that you might find dtressing. having said that, let's watch some more of the testimony as it happens. well, as you can see there are some conversations happening in the courtroom at the moment. just a couple momentago, derek smith was continuingis testimony. as far as i know, he is still giving testimony, but evidently there is a pause in his testimony. that is the lead

. >> reporter: jurors heard from floyd's girlfriend of three years, courteney ross, who acknowledged she and floyd had abused prescription drugs. >> it's a classic story of how many people get addicted to opioids. we both suffered from chronic pain. mine was in my neck, and his was in his back. we got addicted and tried really hard to break that addiction many times. >> reporter: under cross-examination ross confirmed floyd was hospitalized for several days after overdosing on heroin in march. >> and it was your belief that mr. floyd started using again about two weeks prior to his death, correct? >> i noticed a change in his behavior, yes. >> reporter: the defense arguing drugs contributed to floyd's death. >> the defense is going to argue it's the drugs in his system, that's what killed him. i don't think the defense is doing the greatest of jobs in trying to at least acknowledge derek chauvin was on his neck but it's obviously from the video he doesn't need to bring it up but focusing on a cocktail of drugs. the prosecution is the exact opposite saying it wasn't enough to kill him

mr floyd's girlfriend, courteney ross, acknowledged that they shared a struggle with drugs.2020 to be treated for an overdose. it's a classic story of how many people get addicted to opioids. we both suffered from chronic pain. a full autopsy report indicated mr floyd had fentanyl and methamphetamine in his system when he died, and traces of the pills were found in his car and the police car. the defence pounced on the presence of drugs as a critical part of their strategy — to introduce reasonable doubt over the manner of george floyd's death. eric nelson did as good a job with what had been given to him. and the devastating, i think, case that was put forward by the state was difficult to overcome. really, all he had to work with to instill that reasonable doubt was, is there anything, anything i can pull at that was this cause of death, other than derek chauvin kneeling on george floyd's neck and suffocating the life out of him? and those two things were medical and drugs. so he played that up as much as he possibly could. the defence called dr david fowler. he told the c

. >> testimony today from george floyd's girlfriend, courteney ross, describing floyd's grief after losing mother. ross also described how they both struggled with opioid addiction. >> we both suffered from chronic pain. mine was in my neck, and his was in his back. we got addicted and tried really hard to break that addiction many times. >> derek smith, one of the first paramedics responding to the scene testified that when he arrived three officers were on top of george floyd. he was also asked about george floyd's condition. >> i did not palpate a pulse. >> it means you didn't feel or detect a pulse. >> i did not detect a pulse. >> and what did his condition appear to be to you overall? >> in lay terms, i thought he was dead. >> as i mentioned, the esteemed lawyer paul butler has agreed to stay with us in this segment. paul, how strong a witness was george floyd's girlfriend? let me go ahead and mention this. opioid addiction may have been a showstopper in a trial 30 years ago. in 2021, i don't think it's possible to find an american family, if not with a direct connection, than a tange

sunday, here from charles mcmillan and courteney ross, george floyd's girlfriend.the trial of derek chauvin, today and sunday at 3:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. >> today on "the communicators," tom wheeler. >> the complaint that was made during our term about net neutrality is that it would stifle innovation. and it would stifle investment. but the reality is that in the period of time when the net neutrality rules were in place, the internet service providers spent more on capital investment than they spent after the trump fcc removed those rules. and it was that i investment that has allowed us to be successful now, during covid, when everybody is on zoom and stressing out the network. the point of the matter is that what we tried to deal with was to continue this concept, this basic american concept of not having gatekeepers for crucial services and encouraging competition among those using those networks. >> watch "the communicators" today on c-span. >> the labor department reports the economy created 900,000 new jobs in march. and unemployment fell to 6%. at the

. >> tara, i was so struck listening to courteney ross. she called him floyd. floyd's girlfriend.e told our miguel marquez yesterday just moments before the verdict came down. listen to this. >> it's a first step in a long road to recovery. we have a lot of work to do in minneapolis, but i believe floyd came here for a reason. this is a sacred, sacred land. and we need to start respecting that again. and i know that that is what he would want. >> she's hopeful. hopeful for that change you were just calling for. what do you think your cousin would think of this moment and this movement? >> i think that he's probably very proud of the efforts that we've put in to this. he's probably very proud of -- i know he's proud of, you know, this victory that we're able to celebrate on yesterday. i can see him, you know, smiling down on us and just being very, very proud of us. >> tara, derek chauvin chose not to speak in his own defense in the trial. and this is a difficult question, but i wonder, if you had the opportunity to speak to him, what would you say? >> that's a good question. and i

and joining us now is courteney ross. great to see you this morning -- today, i should say. to you after your -- your, i think, really powerful testimony on the stand. let me just start with this week because you've had a really intense week. first, the conviction of derek chauvin and then you went to the funeral for daunte wright. so, how are you at the end of this week? >> i think i'm still in shock. there's been so much happening this week, but losing daunte has really affected not only me, but the entire educational community that i worked with daunte in. the students, the staff, across the community is crushed right now. all these young people are really suffering. i've just been trying to really now find strength for them. they need it more than anything. >> i mean, i was surprised to learn that you were not only -- obviously, played a huge role in george floyd's life as his girlfriend but you played a role in daunte wright's life and that you worked at the school where he went. i know they're only ten miles apart, but the fact you were the nexsus between these two cas

. >> reporter: the tears were immediate for thursday's first witness, courteney ross. >> when was itfirst met mr. floyd? >> it's one of my favorite stories to tell. >> reporter: she testified the first time she met george floyd she was upset and he, then a stranger, consoled her. >> he had this great, deep, southern voice, raspy, he was like, sis, are you okay, sis? and i wasn't okay. >> reporter: ross eventually became george floyd's girlfriend. >> we had our first kiss in the lobby. >> reporter: in their nearly three-year relationship she testified they both struggled with prescription pain pill addiction. >> floyd and i both suffered with an opioid addiction. we got addicted and tried really hard to break that addiction many times. >> reporter: the defense honed in on where the drugs came from and the timeline of their drug use, including an overdose and hospital visit for floyd two months before his death. >> you did not know that he had taken heroin at that time? >> no. >> it was your belief that mr. floyd started using again about two weeks prior to his death, correct? >> i not

courteney ross, george floyd's girlfriend of three years, told the jury about this character and described him as a mama's boy after his mother died. she talked about the relationship and shared struggle with addiction. >> our story is a classic story of how many people get addicted to opioids. we both suffered from chronic pain. mine was in my neck and his was in his back. we both have prescriptions, but after prescriptions that were filled and -- we -- we got addicted and tried really hard to break that addiction many times. >> prosecutors later used two body camera clips showing chauvin's former supervisor going to the scene and speaking with chauvin. after fielding complaint calls from witnesses. he offered the following testimony. >> do you have an opinion as to when the restraint of mr. floyd should have ended in this encounter? >> yes. >> what is it? >> when mr. floyd was no longer offering up any resistance to the officers. they could have ended their restraint. >> that was after he was handcuffed and on the ground and no longer resistant? >> correct. >> the trial resumes later on

courteney ross, floyd's girlfriend of almost three years told the jury about his character and describedecame a shell of himself when his mother passed away. she also talked about their relationship and shared struggle with addiction. >> our story, it's a classic story of how many people get addicted to opioids. we both suffered from chronic pain. mine was in my neck and his was in his back. we both had prescription. we got addicted, and tried really hard to break that addiction many times. >> prosecutors later used two body camera clips showing chauvin's former supervisor going to the scene and speaking with chauvin after fielding complaint calls from witnesses. he offered the following testimony. >> do you have an opinion as to when the restraint of mr. floyd should have ended in this encounter? >> yes. >> what is it? >> when mr. floyd was no longer offering up any resistance to the officers, they could have ended their restraint. >> and that was after he was handcuffed and on the ground and no longer resistant? >> correct. >> joining us now from minneapolis, nbc news political reporte

here from charles mcmillan, who spoke with george floyd during his arrest and courteney ross, georgeloyd's girlfriend. the trial, today beginning at 3 p.m. eastern on c-span. >> middleton high school students participated in c-span's studentcam competition about issues that congress and president should address this year. all month, we arat

. >> reporter: the tears were immediate for thursday's first witness, courteney ross. >> when was it that you first met mr. floyd? >> it's one of my favorite stories to tell. >> she testified the first time she met george floyd, she was upset, and he, then a stranger, consoled her. >> this great deep southern voice, raspy. he's like, sis, you okay, sis? and i wasn't okay. >> reporter: ross eventually became george floyd's girlfriend. >> we had our first kiss in the lobby. >> reporter: in their nearly three-year relationship, she testified they both struggled with prescription pain pill addiction. >> floyd and i both suffered with an opioid addiction. we got addicted and tried really hard to brave that addiction many times. >> reporter: the defense honed in on where the drugs came from and the timeline of their drug use, including an overdose and hospital visit for floyd two months before his death. >> you did not know that he had taken heroin at that time? >> no. >> it was your belief that mr. floyd started using again about two weeks prior to his death, correct? >> i noticed a chang

we also heard deeply moving testimony from george floyd's girlfriend of three years, courteney ross. told the court the story of how they met in august of 2017. ross was visiting a salvation army shelter. she was upset, and floyd who worked there as a security guard, tried to comfort her. >> floyd came to me. floyd had this great, deep, southern voice, raspy. >> floyd came to me. floyd had this great, deep, southern voice, raspy. and he's like, sis, you okay, sis? and i wasn't okay. i said no, i'm just waiting for my son's father. he said, um, said can i pray with you? i thought, i was so tired. we had been through so much, my sons and i. and this kind person, just to come up to me and say can i pray with you, when i felt alone in this lobby. it was so sweet. >> rachel is a former u.s. attorney for the district of minnesota. now a professor at the university of st. thomas school of law. and she joins me now. rachel, thank you for coming on the show. former officer chauvin's supervisor testified that chauvin should have stopped restraining george floyd when he was no longer resisting.

. >> reporter: floyd's girlfriend, courteney ross, broke down in tears as she remembered how they met in 2017. >> he had this great, deep southern voice. >> reporter: ross said injuries and his desire to still be physically active led floyd, a former athlete, to pain pills. >> it's a classic story of how many people get addicted to opioids. we both suffered from chronic pain. we got addicted and tried really hard to break that addiction many times. >> reporter: in march of 2020, ross testified she drove floyd to a hospital and learned that he'd overdosed. >> you did not know he had taken heroin at that time? >> no. >> reporter: the defense team is arguing his underlying health conditions and drug use are what killed him. floyd's family calls the defense's argument a distraction. philonise floyd was in the courtroom as graphic pictures were shown of efforts to revive his brother inside the ambulance. >> there is no justification why a person should put their knee and all of their weight on a man's neck until they pass. he was tortured to death. >> reporter: the prosecution has called 1

here from charles mcmillan, who spoke to george floyd during his arrest, and courteney ross, torch floyd's -- george floyd's girlfriend. >> florida republican senator rick scott speaks at an iowa g.o.p. fundraiser in cedar rapids. later, he and senator joni ernst said they are in favor of preserving the state's first in the nation presidential caucuses. senator scott is considered a potential 2024 presidential candidate but hasn't yet publicly announced a white house bid. [applause] >> and we have a special guest here today. and i've had the honor of linda and i of being with senator scott before -- right before the event. and senator scott is going to be -- i know he's going to talk to us about the things he's going to do for iowa and specifically for our senate seat here. and i've asked several people including two of his colleagues. i talked to senator grassley earlier today. and senator ernst. and i have talked. and you may live in the sunshine state, senator, but i think joni, you have the final word on this, but i think -- can we all agree that he can come in without a passport, with

also testifying thursday was george floyd's girlfriend courteney ross, who described how the pair fellove in 2017 after they met at a salvation army shelter, where floyd worked as a security guard. ross described their shared struggle with opioid addiction. chauvin's defense is focusing on floyd's past drug use in a bid to imply he died of an overdose, not from derek chauvin's knee. floyd family attorney benjamin crump responded quote “tens of thousands of americans struggle with self-medication and opioid abuse and are treated with dignity, respect and support, not brutality. we fully expected the defense to put george's character and struggles with addiction on trial because that is the go-to tactic when the facts are not on your side. texas's state senate has passed a voter suppression bill banning drive-through voting; limiting extended early voting hours; and making it illegal for local election officials to send vote-by-mail applications to voters, even if they qualify. the legislation now heads to texas's republican-controlled house of representatives. meanwhile religious leader

sunday, hear from charles mcmillan who spoke with george floyd during his arrest and courteney ross, his girlfriend. the trial of derek chauvin, saturday and sunday at 3 p.m. eastern on c-span. >> the labor department reports the economy created 900,000 new jobs in march. unemployment fell to 6%. at the white house, president reacted to the news, talked about his infrastructure plan, and the administration's coronavirus response. pres. biden: before i start, i hope you have a good weekend. i am looking forward to it. well, good morning. this morning, we have learned that our economy created,0

george floyd's girlfriend, courteney ross, took the stand, and cried as she told the story of how the two met at a salvation army shelter in 2017. >> floyd has this great, deep, southern voice, raspy. and he's like "sis, you okay, sis?" this kind person just to come up to me and say "can i pray with you," it was so sweet. >> reporter: ross described floyd as a "momma's boy" who loved his two daughters. she also spoke about their shared struggle with opioid addiction. >> we both suffered from chronic pain. we got addicted, and tried really hard to break that addiction many times. >> reporter: derek chauvin's defense is trying to convince jurors that floyd's drug use-- coupled with underlying health conditions-- actually caused his death. an autopsy revealed floyd had fentanyl and methamphetamine in his system when he died. ross told jurors, she took floyd to the hospital in march 2020, just two months before his death, for what she later learned was an overdose. shortly after ross's testimony, lawyers for floyd's family released a statement, saying, "we fully expected the defense to pu

courteney ross. and it really served two purposes. she provided the human side of george floyd. talking about him as someone who loved his children. talking about his future. his hopes, his dreams and the like. she also talked about a very personal topic for them and that was floyd's past drug use. that brought up by prosecutors. take a listen to what she said. >> we both suffered from chronic pain. addiction in my opinion is a life-long struggle. so it's something that we dealt with every day. >> going forward to may of 2020, was there a time when you thought he might be using again? >> yes. >> now people might wonder why the prosecutors would bring up george floyd's past drug use. the question here the defense attorneys have been trying to raise is whether george floyd died on the scene from that officer's actions or whether there was some type of pre-existing condition. maybe he was under the influence of some type of drug. the prosecutors took that issue head-on in this exchange with the girlfriend. the ultimate result was the prosecutor essentially saying that, look, yes, g

and then today courteney ross intensely personal. her boyfriend was george floyd. opened up at the prosecution's request about their struggles with drug addiction. however, i wanted to start it with her recounting how she met her boyfriend george floyd. >> has this great deep, southern voice, raspy. sis. you okay, sis? and i wasn't okay. i'm just waiting for my son's father. he -- he said, um, well, can i pray with you. >> van jones joins me now. i learned something today from someone else i'm blessed with in my life. and i really want to make sure that this has got to be so hard for you to watch because sure it's one man. it's one incident. it's one officer primarily in this trial. but this speaks to so much for so many people of color, whether or not you're living in the hood in minnesota or not. and i know it's got to be so hard, van. and i just want you to know i see that, and i feel for you in this. >> i think your level of empathy and your understanding that this is playing differently for different types of people has come through a lot. and it means a lot.

. >> reporter: the tears were immediate for thursday's first witness, courteney ross. >> when was ithat you first met mr. floyd? >> it's one of my favorite stories to tell. >> reporter: she testified the first time she met george floyd she was upset and he, then a stranger, consoled her. >> floyd has this great deep southern voice, raspy, and he was like, sis, are you okay, sis? and i wasn't okay. >> reporter: ross eventually became george floyd's girlfriend. >> we had our first kiss in the lobby. >> reporter: in their nearly three-year relationship she testified they both struggled with prescription pain pill addiction. >> floyd and i both suffered with an opioid addiction. we got addicted and -- and tried really hard to break that addiction. many times. >> reporter: the defense honed in on where the drugs came from and the timeline of their drug use, including an overdose and hospital visit for floyd two months before his death. >> you did not know that he had taken heroin at that time? >> no. >> it was your belief that mr. floyd started using again about two weeks prior to his dea

here from charles mcmillan, who spoke to george floyd during his arrest, and courteney ross, torch floyd's -- george floyd's girlfriend. >> florida republican senator rick scott speaks at an iowa g.o.p. fundraiser in cedar rapids. later, he and senator joni ernst said they are in favor of preserving the state's first in the nation presidential caucuses. senator scott is considered a potential 2024 presidential candidate but hasn't yet publicly announced a white house bid.

george floyd's girlfriend, courteney ross, has been giving emotional testimony in court today, on theed of killing him. previous days of the trial saw several witnesses breaking down on the stand as they described their attempts to intervene. speaking in court, ms ross talked about the early days of her relationship with mr floyd. just about every day we sorry other as much as we possibly could. where there times where you are not as close? ~ ., _, , , ., as close? like all couples we argued sometimes and _ as close? like all couples we argued sometimes and it _ as close? like all couples we argued sometimes and it might've - as close? like all couples we argued sometimes and it might've taken - as close? like all couples we argued sometimes and it might've taken a l sometimes and it might've taken a break but... like most couples? like most couples, i assume. did break but... like most couples? like most couples, i assume.— most couples, i assume. did you learn whether _ most couples, i assume. did you learn whether he _ most couples, i assume. did you learn whether he was _ most cou

hear from charles mcmillan, who spoke with george floyd and courteney ross, george floyd's girlfriend peered the trial of derek chauvin sunday at 3:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. the capito

>> while the nation, the world knows george floyd because of the way he died, his girlfriend courteney ross took the stand to tell us how he lived. his love of food. his grief over the loss of his mother, his struggles with pain and addiction and his faith. which was apparent from the very moment they met. >> floyd came up to me. he said, can i pray with you? i thought, i was so tired. we'd been through so much, my sons and i. and this kind person just to come up to me and say, can i pray with you when i felt alone in this lobby. >> and then there were the other witnesses who took the stand who, one by one, tearfully admitted a sense of guilt, wishing that they could have done more to help floyd as they watched him beg for his life. >> there's been nights i stayed up apologizing and apologizing to george floyd for not doing more. and not physically interacting, not saving his life. >> i offered to walk -- kind of walk them through it or told them if he doesn't have a pulse, you need to start compressions, and that wasn't done either. >> how did that make you feel? >> totally distressed. >>

student who goes through the court's transcripts every year and counts the number of times the courteney ross into laughter. consistently justice breyer leads the pack. it is my pleasure to introduce our distinguished speaker, justice stephen g. breyer. justice breyer: thank you. that was a very nice introduction. it is really nice you invited me to give the scalia lecture. he was a good friend of mine. it is very nice that maureen is here and ann and gene and the grandchildren, that they are listening to this. we loved to debate, discuss. we would go down to the law school or talk to students when we had the chance. we would try to explain where we agreed, which was most of the time, and where we disagreed, which was some of the time. i used to say talking about the constitution, how quickly it evolves over time. i would say george washington doesn't know about the internet. he would say, i knew that, good point. and he would say, i don't say my system is perfect. it is like the two campers. one sees the other putting on his running shoes and says, where are you going? he says, there is a be