2018 Day 544: Trump backtracked and tried to spin his Helsinki comments by claiming he misspoke; Trump tweeted that his meeting with Putin was "even better" than his meeting with NATO allies; Obama called these "strange and uncertain" times; the Treasury will no longer require nonprofits like the NRA to identify their financial donors to the IRS; and Mueller requested immunity for five potential witnesses in Paul Manafort's trial. Jul 17, 2018
2019 Day 909: The House will vote to hold Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in criminal contempt of Congress; the House voted to table a resolution to impeach Trump; Trump said he's "not unhappy" with the reaction to his racist comments; and support for Trump among Republicans rose by five percentage points following Trump's racist tweets and comments. Jul 17, 2019
2020 Day 1275: The U.S. recorded more than 75,600 new coronavirus cases on Thursday; the White House blocked the CDC from testifying at a House hearing about reopening schools during the pandemic; White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany claimed that "the science should not stand in the way" of sending American children back to school in the fall; the Trump reelection campaign is investigating spending irregularities during Brad Parscale's tenure as campaign manager; and Trump’s properties have made over $17 million from the Trump campaign and his fundraising committees since 2016. Jul 17, 2020
2023 Day 909: An Iowa judge temporarily blocked the state's new six-week abortion ban; House Republicans narrowly approved a must-pass defense policy bill; a Republican from Arizona referred to Black people as "colored people"; the Biden administration eliminated $39 billion in student debt for more than 800,000 borrowers; presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suggested that Covid-19 was “targeted to attack Caucasians and Black people,” saying that “the people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese”; and 49% of Americans say democracy is not working well in the U.S. Jul 17, 2023
2024 Day 1275: Special Counsel Jack Smith appealed Judge Aileen Cannon’s decision to dismiss criminal charges against convicted felon Trump for mishandling classified information and conspiracy to obstruct justice; Biden is reportedly finalizing plans to reform the Supreme Court, including imposing term limits and establishing an enforceable code of ethics; the Democratic National Committee attempted to virtually nominate Biden for re-election early; Adam Schiff called on Biden to drop out of the 2024 race to make way for another candidate; Biden said he would only consider dropping out of the 2024 presidential race if a doctor diagnosed him with a "medical condition"; and 65% of Democrats want Biden to withdraw from the race and let his party nominate a different candidate. Jul 17, 2024
2025 Day 1640: The Justice Department fired the federal prosecutor who led the criminal sex-trafficking cases against Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell; after being fired without explanation, Maurene Comey warned her former Justice Department colleagues that “fear is the tool of a tyrant”; Trump rejected calls to appoint a special prosecutor in the Jeffrey Epstein case; Senate Republicans pushed through Emil Bove’s nomination for a lifetime appointment to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit after cutting off debate and ignoring a whistleblower request; the Senate voted 51–48 to rescind $9 billion in federal funding for foreign aid and public broadcasting; and the House passed the GENIUS Act, sending the first major federal crypto bill to Trump for final approval. Jul 17, 2025