2019 Day 846: The White House rejected Congress' authority and demands for documents and testimony; non-essential U.S. Embassy personnel are being evacuated from Iraq amid escalating tensions with Iran; the White House refused to sign on to an international commitment to combat online extremism; Alabama passed a near-complete ban on abortions with no exceptions for case that involve rape or incest; and Trump Tower is now one of the least desirable luxury buildings in New York City. May 15, 2019
2020 Day 1212: Despite public health experts repeatedly cautioning that developing an effective coronavirus vaccine will take at least a year to a year and a half, Trump claimed that the coronavirus will “go away at some point" and declared – without evidence – that a vaccine would be ready "by the end of the year, maybe before"; the CDC issued six, one-page checklists of recommendations on how to safely reopen; Trump called coronavirus testing "frankly overrated," despite health experts insisting that it is critical to safely reopen businesses; one of the world’s oldest and best-known medical journals urged Americans to elect a president who will support – rather than undermine – public health experts; Betsy DeVos has directed millions of federal dollars intended for public schools and colleges to private and religious schools; and U.S. taxpayers have paid at least $970,000 to the Trump Organization since Trump took office. May 15, 2020
2023 Day 846: A man armed with a metal baseball bat attacked two staff members in Rep. Gerry Connolly’s district office in Virginia; Republican congressman Paul Gosar’s digital director is a neo-Nazi acolyte; Biden will meet with congressional leaders on the debt ceiling limit Tuesday following “productive” negotiations over the weekend; special counsel John Durham concluded that the FBI should never have launched a full investigation into connections between Trump’s campaign and Russia during the 2016 election; and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis defunded diversity, equity, and inclusion programs at the state’s colleges and universities. May 15, 2023
2024 Day 1212: Biden and Trump agreed to a pair of presidential debates before the November election; the Supreme Court restored a congressional voting map in Louisiana that includes two majority-Black districts; the Biden administration will send an additional $2 billion in aid to Ukraine; the Biden administration plans to move forward with the sale of more than $1 billion in arms and ammunition to Israel; and House Republicans are expected to force a vote on legislation compelling Biden to deliver all congressionally mandated aid to Israel, including weapons. May 15, 2024
2025 Day 1577: Trump’s tax bill would add at least $2.5 trillion to the deficit; Walmart will raise prices this month as Trump’s tariffs drive up costs on imported goods; the Trump administration used U.S. diplomats to pressure African governments into fast-tracking approvals for Elon Musk’s satellite company while Musk was working in the White House; Trump told Apple CEO Tim Cook to stop expanding iPhone production in India and instead build more devices in the U.S.; House Democrats opened an investigation into Trump’s acceptance of a $400 million private jet from Qatar, while Senate Democrats moved to block $3.5 billion in arms sales to Qatar and the UAE; Attorney General Pam Bondi sold between $1 million and $5 million in Trump Media stock on the same day of Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff announcement; and Trump’s June 14 birthday military parade will cost taxpayers up to $45 million. May 15, 2025