Monday, Oct. 19

á           The Justice Department unsealed an indictment against six Russian military officers purported to have attempted to disrupt the French election, the 2018 Winter Olympics and various United States businesses through computer hacking. Assistant Attorney General John Demers called it Òthe most disruptive and destructive series of computer attacks ever attributed to a single group.Ó

á           A Wall Street Journal report revealed top White House counterterrorism official Kash Patel traveled to Damascus earlier this year to meet in secret with the Syrian government to discuss the release of at least two U.S. citizens.

á           Fifty-five congressional Democrats (and one independent) sent a letter urging Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to release activists, journalists, lawyers and prisoners of conscience who were Òunjustly detained for exercising their fundamental human rights.Ó Egypt has waged an aggressive crackdown on dissent since 2013 following a military coup that deposed the countryÕs democratically elected leader Mohamed Morsi.

á           In a 4-4 split, the Supreme Court left in place a ruling that extended a deadline for counting mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania, a battleground state in the upcoming presidential election.

Tuesday, Oct. 20

á           Senior Indonesian officials disclosed that earlier this year the Indonesian government rejected a U.S. request to allow maritime surveillance planes to land and refuel in the country.

á           The Justice Department filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google for abusing its monopoly on online search markets, the most significant antitrust action against an American company in over two decades.

á           The Standing Rock Sioux and other tribes again asked a federal judge to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline from pumping oil while the legal battle over the lineÕs environmental hazardousness is still active. An appeals court overturned an attempted shutdown earlier this year, so the tribes are appealing again for clarification on the ruling and to order another shutdown.

á           A NASA spacecraft landed on an asteroid and gathered rock samples in a mission 12 years in the making, the first time the U.S. has gathered asteroid samples and the second time any country ever has after Japan.

á           A court document revealed the parents of 545 children separated at the U.S.-Mexico border between 2017 and 2018 under President Donald TrumpÕs Òno toleranceÓ migration policy have still not been found despite a federal judgeÕs order that children in government custody must be reunited with their parents.

Wednesday, Oct. 21

á           Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the U.S. would designate the U.S. operations of six China-based media companies as foreign missions, which Pompeo construed as a pushback against communist propaganda. Editor-in-chief of ChinaÕs Global Times newspaper Hu Xijin responded, ÒThe US has gone too far. The move will further poison media outlets in each otherÕs country.Ó

á           The State Department notified Congress that it approved a potential $1.8 billion sale of weapons systems to Taiwan, raising tensions between China and the U.S. even further.

á           A federal judge ruled that despite TrumpÕs tweets calling for the declassification of all documents related to the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, there would not be any further release of information to the public.

á           Trump issued an executive order designed to remove job protections for workers involved in developing policy by reclassifying them into a new category. Labor unions and Democrats criticize this as a move to politicize civil service.

á           Senate Democrats blocked a Republican-backed $500 billion coronavirus relief proposal, far short of the multi-trillion proposals offered by Democrats. Republicans accused Democrats of taking an all-or-nothing approach to coronavirus relief and Democrats said the vote was only a political stunt. Meanwhile, no one in power in Congress seems to believe coronavirus relief will come before the election as millions suffer across the country.

Thursday, Oct. 22

á           The U.S. and Mexico reached a water supply deal wherein the U.S. will help supply water to Chihuahua in emergencies and Mexico will send water from its side of the Rio Grande to the U.S., an agreement first made under a treaty in 1944. The negotiations were tense due to protests from Mexican farmers suffering from drought and the shutdown of an important U.S.-Mexico railway.

á           GOP senators ordered FacebookÕs Mark Zuckerberg and TwitterÕs Jack Dorsey to testify to the Senate Judiciary Committee on why they chose to suppress a news story concerning Democratic presidential candidate Joe BidenÕs son Hunter. The story has not been authenticated and has been widely described as implausible, at best.

á           The Food and Drug Administration approved Gilead SciencesÕ antiviral drug remdesivir for COVID-19 treatment, making Gilead the first and only company to receive such approval in the U.S. The approval came on the heels of a World Health Organization study showing no positive effect from the treatment.

á           The U.S. sanctioned five Iranian groups that it claimed, in a statement, Òdirectly or indirectly engaged in, sponsored, concealed, or otherwise [have] been complicit in foreign interferenceÓ in the November 3 election.

á           Walmart sued the U.S. government to seek clarity on whether its pharmacists should have refused to fill valid opioid prescriptions because it said it believes federal authorities will seek civil penalties if a pharmacy fails to report suspicious orders.

á           Trump and Biden faced off in the last presidential debate of the 2020 election cycle, which was widely considered calmer than the previous debate, although Trump insulted China and India, mocked BidenÕs son for having addiction issues and touted conspiracy theories popular in rightwing circles. ÒYou know who I am, you know who he is,Ó Biden said to viewers toward the end. ÒLook at us closely.Ó

á           Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans jammed the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court through the committee, despite a boycott of the committeeÕs 10 Democratic members.

Friday, Oct. 23

á           The U.S. sanctioned RussiaÕs Central Scientific Research Institute of Chemistry, accusing it of building the tools that enabled a malware attack on a Saudi petrochemical facility in 2017. ÒThe Russian government continues to engage in dangerous cyber activities aimed at the United States and our allies,Ó Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin claimed.

á           The full Senate began its debate on the confirmation of Barrett to the Supreme Court. BarrettÕs nomination would give the Supreme Court a 6-3 conservative majority.

Saturday, Oct. 24

á           Vice President Mike PenceÕs Chief of Staff Marc Short announced he tested positive for the coronavirus along with at least four others close in his orbit. Despite this, Pence said would continue to hold in-person, maskless rallies.

Sunday, Oct. 25

á           The Trump administration signaled it had given up on trying to control COVID-19. ÒWeÕre not going to control the pandemic,Ó Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said. ÒWe are going to control the fact that we get vaccines, therapeutics and other mitigation.Ó