2020 Day 1370: Mitch McConnell warned the White House not to strike a coronavirus relief deal before Election Day; the coronavirus has caused about 299,000 more deaths in the U.S. than would be expected in a typical year; the CDC issued new guidelines that all passengers and workers on planes, trains, buses, and other public transportation wear masks to control the spread of the coronavirus; the Supreme Court allowed Pennsylvania to count mail-in ballots that arrive up to three days after Election Day; the Commission on Presidential Debates will mute the microphones of both Trump and Biden; and the Justice Department argued that Trump's denial of a rape allegation was an official presidential act and he should not be sued personally. Oct 20, 2020
2021 Day 274: Senate Republicans blocked a federal voting rights bill for the third time; Joe Manchin reportedly threatened to leave the Democratic Party if Biden and congressional Democrats didn't agree to his demands; Biden lowered the new tax-and-spending proposal to between $1.75 trillion and $1.9 trillion; the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol voted unanimously to recommend charging Stephen Bannon with criminal contempt for defying its subpoena; the Trump administration discussed sending 250,000 troops to the southwest border at the start of the coronavirus pandemic; and 78% of Republicans say they want to see Trump run for president in 2024. Oct 20, 2021
2022 Day 639: Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett rejected a challenge to Biden's student loan forgiveness program; a federal appeals court ordered Lindsey Graham to appear before a Georgia grand jury investigating Trump for criminal interference in the state’s 2020 presidential election; 49% of Americans say they want Republicans in control of Congress; 59% of voters say they believe outside politics influence the Justice Department's decision to prosecute federal crimes; and 9% of Americans think democracy is working “extremely” or “very well.” Oct 20, 2022
2025 Day 1735: A divided federal appeals court ruled that Trump can deploy National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon; James Comey asked a federal judge to dismiss his indictment, claiming Trump ordered the prosecution “because of personal animus” and that interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan was "defectively appointed"; Trump told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to concede the Donbas region to Russia because “Putin will destroy you if you don’t agree now”; Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed a White House “framework” to secure U.S. supplies of rare earth minerals and reduce reliance on China; nearly 7 million people joined “No Kings” protests across all 50 states on Saturday to oppose Trump’s policies and what organizers called his “authoritarian rule”; the White House began demolishing part of the East Wing to build Trump’s $250 million, 90,000-square-foot ballroom without approval from the National Capital Planning Commission; and 47% of Americans say they are “not very” or “not at all confident” they could find a good job if they wanted to. Oct 20, 2025