Monday, May 18

á           Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced Sen. Marco Rubio will temporarily serve as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee after Sen. Richard Burr stepped down from the post while he faces an FBI investigation into his stock trades. Burr sold hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of shares months ago around the time he participated in closed-door briefings about the then-impending coronavirus pandemic.

á           President Donald Trump told reporters he has been taking the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine along with a zinc supplement daily Òfor about a week and a half now" as a coronavirus prevention method despite no evidence from the scientific community to support claims of its efficacy and how it has been linked to serious and even fatal side effects by the Food and Drug Administration.

á           Attorney General William Barr issued a rebuke to TrumpÕs recent accusations of vague misconduct by former President Barack Obama administration officials, characterizing them as Òincreasing attempts to use the criminal justice system as a political weapon.Ó Barr added, ÒAs long as IÕm attorney general, the criminal justice system will not be used for partisan political ends.Ó

Tuesday, May 19

á           Trump threatened to permanently remove U.S. funding from the World Health Organization, citing debunked claims that WHO ignored credible reports of the virus spreading in Wuhan in early December.

á           The Department of Health and Human Services awarded a four-year, $354 million contract to Phlow Corporation, a privately held pharmaceutical manufacturing company, to make COVID-19 drugs, other essential drugs and their ingredients.

á           The Senate Intelligence Committee endorsed the confirmation of Rep. John Ratcliffe as the White HouseÕs next director of national intelligence. Ratcliffe will be the first permanent replacement to the post since Dan Coats stepped down in August 2019.

Wednesday, May 20

á           The Democrats who lead the Oversight Committee and Foreign Affairs Committee wrote a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo demanding the reinstatement of the State Department watchdog Inspector General Steve Linick who Trump ousted at Pompeo's request, an action which the Democrats describe as politically motivated.

á           The U.S. announced another round of sanctions against Iran as part of its Òmaximum pressureÓ campaign, this time targeting IranÕs interior minister and senior law enforcement officials, over claims of human rights violations.

á           The U.S. Supreme Court temporarily blocked the House of Representatives from obtaining secret grand jury testimony from former Special Counsel Robert MuellerÕs Russia investigation because, so the ruling states, the House did not give sufficient indication it Òurgently needs these materials for any ongoing impeachment investigation.Ó

Thursday, May 21

á           The Senate confirmed Ratcliffe as the White House's new director of national intelligence, voting 49-44 in a party-line vote with Republicans in the majority.

á           A bipartisan group of senators struck a deal on a small business loan overhaul with legislation that would double the amount of time small businesses could spend government loans while still qualifying for forgiveness with 16 weeks instead of eight weeks to spend the money.

á           Michael Cohen, TrumpÕs former personal lawyer, was released from a federal prison after serving little more than a year of his three-year sentence for financial crimes, paying hush money to two women Trump had sexual relationships with, and lying to Congress, due to concerns that he could be exposed to the coronavirus while imprisoned.

Friday, May 22

á           Former Vice President Joe Biden joked in an interview, "If you have a problem figuring out whether you're for me or Trump, then you ain't black,Ó a remark which critics from both the left and right called racist. The interviewer, radio show host Charlamagne tha God, commented later,  Ò[Black people] have been loyal to Democrats for a long time, black people have invested a lot into that party and the return on investment has not been great.Ó

Saturday, May 23

á           The FDA published research on remdesivir, an experimental drug made by Gilead Sciences that federal scientists claimed helped severely ill coronavirus patients. One study in this body of research confirmed the drug shortened coronavirus recovery time from 15 days to 11 days in hospitalized patients.

Sunday, May 24

á           The White House warned ChinaÕs new proposed national security legislation for Hong Kong could lead to sanctions and threaten the cityÕs status as a financial hub. Meanwhile Beijing warned of a Ònew Cold WarÓ with the U.S., with Chinese government officials saying the U.S. has been infected by a Òpolitical virusÓ compelling people to continually attack China.

á           The White House announced a ban on travel to the U.S. from Brazil due to the countryÕs rapid spread of coronavirus. According to Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, the ban applies to all foreign nationals who have been in Brazil within 14 days prior to heading to the U.S.