On This Day: May 5

5 posts spanning 2017–2025

2017

• Day 106 May 5, 2017

2020

• Day 1202: Dr. Anthony Fauci, contradicting both Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, said the best scientific evidence shows that the coronavirus did not originate in a Chinese laboratory; Trump blocked Dr. Anthony Fauci from testifying before the House because, he claims, it's "a setup" with a "bunch of Trump haters"; Mike Pence said the White House is in "preliminary discussions" to wind down the coronavirus task force, because “of the tremendous progress we’ve made as a country"; and Trump promised to resume the White House coronavirus briefings, saying “everybody” enjoyed them — including himself. May 5, 2020

2021

• Day 106: A federal judge accused the Justice Department and then-Attorney General William Barr of misleading the court about how they decided that Trump should not be charged with obstructing Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation; a federal judge struck down the national eviction moratorium, ruling that the CDC exceeded it's authority and should be vacated; the Biden administration said it supports waiving intellectual property protections for Covid-19 vaccines; and Trump’s Facebook account will remain suspended for the time being. May 5, 2021

2022

• Day 471: Senate Democrats moved to vote on a bill to codify abortion rights into federal law; Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Justice Department "will address appropriate next steps" if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade; Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito canceled a conference appearance after his draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade leaked; Louisiana House Republicans advanced a bill that would classify abortion as homicide; the stock market had one of its worst days since 2020; and nearly 15 million people worldwide have died from causes related to the coronavirus pandemic. May 5, 2022

2025

• Day 1567: Trump said he doesn’t know if he’s required to uphold the Constitution as president, saying, “I don’t know. I’m not a lawyer”; Trump refused to fully rule out military action against Canada to make it the 51st state, saying it was “highly unlikely” but “could happen”; Mike Waltz, Trump’s recently fired national security adviser, was photographed using TeleMessage – an encrypted messaging app that stores chat logs – during a Cabinet meeting last week; Trump dismissed signs of an economic slowdown, saying the U.S. is in a “transition period” and would “do fantastically”; the Trump administration will pay $1,000 and provide free airfare to undocumented immigrants who agree to self-deport using a government-run app; Trump ordered federal agencies to rebuild and reopen Alcatraz; Israel approved a plan to seize Gaza, displace most of its population, and take over aid distribution, with no timeline for withdrawal; HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ordered the CDC to search for measles treatments using drugs and vitamins as the U.S. faces its worst outbreak in decades; and the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to let Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency access millions of Americans’ Social Security data. May 5, 2025