Monday, Sept. 21

á           The Centers for Disease Control took down guidance posted the previous Friday that recommended people use air purifiers to limit the airborne spread of the disease, saying a draft of the recommendation was posted in error.

á           The Justice Department announced charges against New York City police officer Baimadajie Angwang for allegedly acting as an agent of the Chinese government.

á           The Justice Department threatened to revoke federal funding for New York City, Seattle and Portland, Oregon, where key racial justice uprisings have taken place in recent months, with Attorney General William Barr referring to them by the paradoxical moniker Òanarchist jurisdictions.Ó Barr said, ÒWe cannot allow federal tax dollars to be wasted when the safety of the citizenry hangs in the balance.Ó

Tuesday, Sept. 22

á           Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer tried and failed to pass a resolution to recognize Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader GinsburgÕs request that her Supreme Court seat not be filled until after the election.

á           The death toll from COVID-19 in the United States surpassed 200,000, or more than one in five of total global COVID-19 deaths. ÒDue to Donald TrumpÕs lies and incompetence in the past six months,Ó Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said, Ò[we] have seen one of the gravest losses of American life in history.Ó

á           Authorities arrested a Canadian woman on suspicion of sending a ricin-filled envelope to the White House the previous Saturday. ÒI found a new name for you: ÔThe Ugly Tyrant Clown.Õ I hope you like it,Ó a note in the envelope read. ÒYou ruin USA and lead them to disaster.Ó

á           The House passed a temporary government-wide funding bill to prevent a government shutdown, keeping federal agencies running through December.

Wednesday, Sept. 23

á           The federal government began a three-day vigil for Justice Ginsburg, the first woman and the first Jewish person to lie in state at the Capitol.

á           Testing began on a single-dose coronavirus vaccine, although many in Congress question its efficacy. ÒWe feel cautiously optimistic that we will be able to have a safe and effective vaccine, although there is never a guarantee of that,Ó said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nationÕs top infectious disease expert.

á           Trump refused to guarantee he would step down as president should be lose the November election. ÒWeÕre going to have to see what happens,Ó he said.

Thursday, Sept. 24

á           TrumpÕs niece Mary Trump sued the president, accusing him and other family members of defrauding her out of tens of millions of dollars in inheritance.

á           The federal government executed Christopher Vialva, the first Black man to face the federal death penalty since the punishment was resumed recently after a 17-year hiatus.

á           The Justice Department released the details of an investigation into discarded mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania, which the New York Times says Òstoked new fears that [TrumpÕs] political appointees were using the levers of law enforcement to sow doubt about the election.Ó

á           A Pentagon spokesperson confirmed that a Special Forces strike using a secretive weapon called the Ninja Hellfire missile killed a senior Al-Qaida leader in Syria.

á           Trump was publicly booed during a ceremony in which he paid his last respects to Justice Ginsburg.

á           FBI Director Christopher Wray told lawmakers there is no evidence of a Òcoordinated national voter fraud effortÓ as touted by Trump and his supporters.

Friday, Sept. 25

á           An internal State Department review revealed it rescinded plans to give one of its courageous women awards to Finnish journalist Jessikka Aro after it was revealed Aro expressed criticism of Trump on social media.

á           An appeals court ruled that the House can pursue a constitutional lawsuit against TrumpÕs use of emergency powers to spend more public funds on the border wall in the southwestern U.S.

Saturday, Sept. 26

á           About 3,500 companies, including Tesla, Walgreens and Home Depot, sued the Trump administration over the imposition of tariffs on more than $300 billion in Chinese goods.

á           Trump selected rightwing constitutional scholar Amy Coney Barrett as his nominee to fill the vacant Supreme Court seat. If confirmed, Barrett would swing the court to a 6-3 conservative majority.

Sunday, Sept. 27

á           The New York Times released a report outlining TrumpÕs financial history as gleaned from tax returns, revealing he paid only $750 in federal income taxes in both 2016 and 2017.