Monday, Oct. 26

á           Following a starkly partisan Senate vote, Amy Coney Barrett was sworn into a lifetime position on the Supreme Court.

á           NASA announced it detected water on the moon. Planetary scientist Paul Hayne explained, ÒOur results suggest that water could be much more widespread in the moonÕs polar regions than previously thought, making it easier to access, extract and analyze.Ó

á           The State Department approved the potential sale of coastal defense systems to Taiwan worth $2.4 billion, which followed days after the approval of another sale to Taiwan of $1.8 billion in weapons systems. China threatened sanctions in response to the sales, which are considered part of a United States move to heighten tensions with China.

á           Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper visited India to negotiate and sign on to the ÒBasic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement,Ó which allows the U.S. to share top-secret satellite and sensor data with India. Pompeo said this was a step taken toward Òcooperation [with India] against all manners of threats and not just those posed by the Chinese Communist Party.Ó

á           Ron Sanders, the head of the Federal Salary Council, resigned from his post in protest over Trump's executive order stripping civil service protections from certain federal workers.

Tuesday, Oct. 27

á           The White HouseÕs Office of Science and Technology Policy ranked Òending the Covid-19 pandemicÓ on its list of TrumpÕs top first-term accomplishments, even as the deadly virus continues to ravage the country on an unprecedented scale.

á           Trump lied that COVID-19 cases are down in the nation while speaking at a campaign rally in Wisconsin, where cases are surging above the already-high nationwide average.

á           A federal judge ruled that the U.S. government couldnÕt shield Trump from a defamation lawsuit by writer E. Jean Carroll, who accused the president of raping her in a Manhattan department store in the 1990s.

á           Trump issued a proclamation formally removing tariffs on raw aluminum imports from Canada, but threatened to reinstate them should a surge in imports cross the border.

á           Postmaster General Louis DeJoy argued the Constitution does not guarantee delivering mail-in ballots on time, in response to a lawsuit from a number of states claiming that DeJoyÕs dismantling of the postal service over the summer are violating the Elections Clause of the Constitution by putting election mail at risk.

á           NBC News obtained a letter from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to congressional Democrats that slammed the Trump administration for having Òfailed miserablyÓ to pass more coronavirus relief aid before the election.

á           A report from the Government Accountability Office, an independent government watchdog, found that poor staffing and unreliable data in Customs and Border Protection have hampered efforts to block imports of goods made with slave labor.

Wednesday, Oct. 28

á           Secretary of State Mike Pompeo referred to ChinaÕs government as a ÒpredatorÓ during a trip to Sri Lanka to boost ties in the region. The Chinese embassy responded to the comment with an image of the poster for the film ÒAlien vs. PredatorÓ with the caption, ÒSorry Mr. Secretary Pompeo, weÕre busy promoting China-Sri Lanka friendship and cooperation, not interested in your Alien v Predator game invitation.Ó

á           The Justice Department charged eight people for allegedly working on behalf of the Chinese government as part of an effort to coerce a Chinese family wanted by Beijing to return to China to face charges.

á           The Justice Department unsealed an indictment of Haji Najibullah, an Afghanistan citizen, with six charges related to the 2008 kidnapping of an American journalist and two other Afghan citizens. Najibullah was arrested and transferred from Ukraine to the U.S., where he will face trial.

Thursday, Oct. 29

á           Pompeo said the U.S. would seek new ways to cooperate with Indonesia in the South China Sea, which China claims as its own, a claim Pompeo deemed Òunlawful.Ó ÒI am looking forward to cooperating together in the new ways to ensure maritime security protects some of the worldÕs busiest trade routes,Ó Pompeo said.

á           The U.S. announced it would allow U.S. citizens born in Jerusalem to list Israel as their birthplace on passports and other documents, furthering U.S. tensions with Palestine.

á           Despite opposition from indigenous and environmental activists, the Trump administration removed environmental protections for the Tongass National Forest in Alaska, opening three million of its seven million hectares up for timber harvesting and road construction.

á           The Trump administration announced sanctions against 11 firms and individuals involved in the sale of Iranian petrochemicals and related products as a means of further isolating Iran from the global economy.

á           Officials revealed the U.S. seized Iranian missiles bound for Yemen and sold 1.1 million barrels of previously-seized Iranian oil bound for Venezuela.

á           Three civil rights groups filed a lawsuit against TrumpÕs executive order prohibiting federal agencies from holding diversity trainings that the president deems Òanti-American,Ó arguing that the order violates free speech rights.

á           The Trump administration announced its intent to remove the grey wolf from its list of endangered species, arguing despite contrary evidence from conservation groups that the animal no longer requires federal protection.

Friday, Oct. 30

á           The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security accused Iran of sending threatening emails to thousands of Americans that claim to have accessed voter data. Iran denies responsibility for the emails, saying it does not matter to the country who wins the presidential election, but the agencies confirmed voter registration info had been compromised in at least one state. The emails themselves say they are from the Proud Boys, a violent domestic far-right menÕs group.

á           A Stanford University study linked TrumpÕs campaign rallies to over 30,000 COVID-19 cases and about 700 deaths across the country.

Saturday, Oct. 31

á           The Defense Department confirmed U.S. military forces rescued an American teenager who was kidnapped for ransom in Niger earlier in the week.

Sunday, Nov. 1

á           Dr. Anthony Fauci, the governmentÕs top infectious diseases expert, challenged TrumpÕs claims that the nation is recovering from the pandemic, cautioning that the U.S. Òcould not possibly be positioned more poorlyÓ to deal with the coronavirus during the winter and will see Òa whole lot of hurtÓ in the weeks ahead due to surging cases.