2018 Day 579: Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations for paying Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal to secure their silence "at the direction of the candidate" for the "purpose of influencing the election"; Paul Manafort was convicted on eight counts of tax and bank fraud; the Trump administration rolled back pollution rules for coal-burning power plants; and Russian hackers have been targeting conservative American think tanks critical of Trump's interactions with Putin. Aug 21, 2018
2019 Day 944: The Trump administration will terminate the 20-day cap for detaining migrant children and allow the government to indefinitely detain migrant families who cross the border illegally; the Trump administration is considering a plan to allow states and cities the ability to deny entry to refugees; Trump accused Jewish Democrats of "show[ing] either a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty"; and Trump cancelled his trip to Denmark because the Danish prime minister would not sell him Greenland. Aug 21, 2019
2020 Day 1310: Biden challenged Americans to overcome Trump's "season of darkness"; Trump denounced Biden's convention speech, saying "I'm the only thing standing between the American dream and total anarchy, madness and chaos"; more than 70 former national security officials called Trump "unfit to lead"; Trump pledged to send "sheriffs," "law enforcement," and "U.S. attorneys" to polling locations to guard against the nonexistent threat of voter fraud on Election Day; and Postmaster General Louis DeJoy testified that he is "extremely highly confident" that mail-in ballots sent seven days before Election Day will be properly processed and counted. Aug 21, 2020
2023 Day 944: The House Freedom Caucus threatened to oppose a stopgap funding bill, which would avert a government shutdown at the end of September; the Justice Department is seeking between 27 and 33 years in federal prison in the cases of four Proud Boys convicted of seditious conspiracy; Trump agreed to a $200,000 bond in the Georgia criminal case accusing him of conspiring to overturn his 2020 presidential election results in the state; Trump requested that his criminal trial on charges that he tried to overturn the 2020 election be delayed until April 2026; 62% of likely Republican voters said they'd renominate Trump for the 2024 race today; and 42% of likely Republican Iowa caucusgoers say Trump in their first choice. Aug 21, 2023
2024 Day 1310: Barack and Michelle Obama delivered back-to-back speeches on the second night of the Democratic National Convention, casting Trump as selfish and dangerous while painting Kamala Harris as the heir to their movement; the Georgia State Election Board approved a new rule requiring a “reasonable inquiry” before certifying state elections; Robert Kennedy Jr. reportedly plans to drop out of the presidential race and endorse Trump by the end of this week; the U.S. economy added far fewer jobs in 2023 and early 2024 than previously reported; and a federal judge struck down the Federal Trade Commission’s ban on noncompete agreements that was set to take effect September 4. Aug 21, 2024
2025 Day 1675: The Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to cut nearly $800 million in National Institutes of Health grants tied to diversity, equity, and inclusion policies; a New York appeals court threw out Trump’s $500 million civil fraud penalty but upheld the finding that he and his company committed fraud; an adviser and fundraiser for New York Mayor Eric Adams handed a reporter a bag of potato chips containing an envelope of cash following a campaign event; a federal judge ruled that Trump’s appointment of his former personal lawyer as U.S. attorney for New Jersey was “unlawful”; Texas House Republicans pushed through new congressional maps along party lines, redrawing districts to give Republicans five more seats in Congress; Trump demanded that Colorado release the former Mesa County clerk serving a nine-year prison sentence for allowing unauthorized access to election equipment; Trump promised to “go out tonight” with police and National Guard troops patrolling Washington, D.C.; the Trump administration subpoenaed hospitals for confidential records on transgender minors; the Trump administration is reviewing all 55 million valid U.S. visa holders for any violations that could lead to deportation; and Democrats lost 2.1 million registered voters between 2020 and 2024 while Republicans gained 2.4 million, a 4.5 million shift that erased Democratic advantages in battlegrounds like Pennsylvania, Nevada, and North Carolina. Aug 21, 2025