2020 Day 1159: The World Health Organization warned that "the pandemic is accelerating"; the Senate failed to pass the $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill for the second day in a row; the U.S. economy is deteriorating more quickly than anticipated; Trump is considering ending "social distancing" guidelines; the administration is updating guidance on how hospitals should respond if supplies like masks, face shields, and other protective equipment run out; and U.S. intelligence agencies issued classified warnings in January and February about the global danger posed by the coronavirus. Mar 23, 2020
2021 Day 63: Biden called on Congress to "immediately pass" legislation that would close loopholes in gun background checks and ban the purchase of assault weapons; a Colorado judge blocked Boulder's ban on assault weapons 10 days ago; the gunman used an AR-15 rifle he purchased six days ago; the second-largest teachers union is "not convinced" it's safe to reduce social distancing in schools to three feet between students; Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's 10-year strategic plan for the U.S. Postal Service includes higher postage rates, slower services, and reduced post office hours; and the Trump administration impeded at least nine key oversight investigations. Mar 23, 2021
2022 Day 428: The U.S. government formally accused Russia of committing war crimes in Ukraine; Putin's press secretary refused to rule out the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine; NATO will double its troop presence on the alliance’s eastern flank in response; Russia's climate envoy resigned and left the country; Paul Manafort was blocked from leaving the country because he tried to use a revoked passport; Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson continued to defended her record against increasingly aggressive and contentious questioning from Senate Republicans that fact-checkers and Democrats have debunked and criticized; and 58% of Americans say the Senate should confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court. Mar 23, 2022
2023 Day 793: The Manhattan grand jury hearing evidence about Trump’s role in the hush-money payment to Stormy Daniels will not consider the matter again until at least Monday; the Manhattan district attorney called demands by three House Republican leaders to force his testimony about his criminal investigation into Trump “an unprecedented inquiry into a pending local prosecution”; Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen backtracked on the prospect that regulators would not extend deposit insurance to protect the banking system; a hospital in Idaho will stop delivering babies or providing other obstetrical care due recently enacted state laws "that criminalize physicians for medical care nationally recognized as the standard of care"; Georgia’s Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed a bill to ban most gender-affirming care for minors; and 78% of trans adults say that "living as a different gender has made them more satisfied with their lives." Mar 23, 2023
2026 Day 1889: Trump delayed his threat to “obliterate” Iran’s power plants for five days, claiming the U.S. and Iran had held “very good and productive” talks on a “complete and total” resolution of the war; Tehran, however, denied that there were any direct or indirect negotiations, calling it fake news, market manipulation, and “psychological warfare”; Trump deployed ICE officers to more than a dozen U.S. airports to help with TSA staffing shortages during the partial DHS shutdown; and the Supreme Court appears likely to limit mail-in voting in federal elections. Mar 23, 2026