2020 Day 1307: Postmaster General Louis DeJoy announced that he is temporarily "suspending" some controversial cost-cutting initiatives until after the election "to avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail"; at least 20 states plan to sue the U.S. Postal Service and DeJoy; Paul Manafort's interactions with Russian intelligence services during the 2016 presidential election posed a "grave counterintelligence threat"; and Trump retweeted Russian propaganda about Joe Biden. Aug 18, 2020
2021 Day 211: A Texas school district made masks part of their dress code to get around Gov. Abbott's anti-mask mandate; Biden will move to deter states from banning universal masking in classrooms; nursing home staff will be required to get vaccinated; the U.S. will advise most Americans to get COVID booster shots 8 months after their last shot; the Afghan president resurfaced in the UAE; federal officials are looking into Rep. Lauren Boebert's apparent personal use of campaign funds; and the New York AG says the NRA must be dissolved. Aug 18, 2021
2022 Day 576: A federal judge ordered the Justice Department to redact the probable cause affidavit used to justify the FBI search of Trump's Florida estate; the Justice Department subpoenaed the National Archives in May for all the documents that were given to the Jan. 6 committee; the Trump Organization's former chief financial officer pleaded guilty to 15 tax fraud charges; new coronavirus cases reported globally dropped 24% in the last week; people who've had Covid-19 face an increased risk of psychotic disorders like "brain fog," psychosis, seizures, and dementia for at least two years; and 54% of Americans – including 76% of Republicans – think there's an "invasion" at the southern border. Aug 18, 2022
2025 Day 1672: Trump paused a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders to call Putin and “began the arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined” between the two leaders; Trump pledged to sign an executive order to “get rid of mail-in ballots" and voting machines before the 2026 midterm elections; Texas Democrats ended a two-week walkout, returning to the Capitol and giving Republicans the quorum needed to advance a rare mid-decade redistricting plan backed by Trump to add five House seats before the 2026 midterms; Republican governors pledged to send up to 750 National Guard troops to Washington, joining the 800 already deployed under Trump’s emergency order and takeover of the city’s police; the Justice Department said it would begin providing Jeffrey Epstein investigation records to the House Oversight Committee on Friday – three days after the panel’s Aug. 19 subpoena deadline; Newsmax agreed to pay Dominion Voting Systems $67 million to settle a defamation lawsuit over false claims that Dominion rigged the 2020 election; the State Department stopped issuing all visitor visas for people from Gaza after far-right activist Laura Loomer posted misleading videos of wounded Palestinian children arriving in the U.S. for treatment and called them “Islamic invaders from an Islamic terror hot zone”; and Trump’s approval rating fell to 38% – down from 41% in June. Aug 18, 2025