2020 in the United States

Incumbents

Federal government

• President: Donald Trump
• Vice President: Mike Pence
• Chief Justice: John Roberts
• Speaker of the House: Nancy Pelosi
• Senate Majority Leader: Mitch McConnell
• United States Congress: 116th

  Governors

Lieutenant governors

Ongoing events

• 2020 United States Census
• COVID-19 pandemic in the United States
• George Floyd protests

  Events by month

January

• January 1
• *2019–20 Persian Gulf crisis: Iraqi militiamen and protesters disperse from the site of the U.S. embassy in Baghdad a day after attacking it.
• *Several new regulations take effect in the United States, including new regulations on retirement funds, new minimum wage rules, and new overtime rules.
• *Recreational marijuana becomes legal in Illinois.
• *All books and films published in 1924 enter the public domain in the United States.
• January 3 - 2019–20 Persian Gulf crisis: President Donald Trump approves the targeted killing of notorious Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi paramilitary leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in Baghdad, Iraq, without the consultation of Congress. Fears of a conflict between Iran and the U.S. results in "World War III" trending on Twitter.
• January 5 - The 77th Golden Globe Awards are held in Beverly Hills, California.
• January 6 - Former film producer Harvey Weinstein is charged with four additional counts of rape and sexual battery in a Los Angeles court.
• January 8
• *Persian Gulf crisis: Iran launches ballistic missiles at Iraqi military bases hosting American troops. More than 60 U.S. service members are eventually treated for traumatic brain injury by the end of the month, prompting the Veterans of Foreign Wars organization to demand an apology from the president for apparently downplaying the injuries.
• *The American Cancer Society reports a 2.2% drop in the cancer death rate between 2016 and 2017, the largest single-year decline in mortality for this disease ever recorded in the U.S.
• January 9
• *Persian Gulf crisis: The House of Representatives votes 224–194 to pass a non-binding War Powers Resolution to limit the president's ability to pursue military actions against Iran without congressional consent.
• *The Justice Department winds down its two-year investigation into Hillary Clinton's business dealings after reportedly finding "nothing of consequence".
• January 10 - For the first time since the Great Recession, women outnumber men in the American workforce, with women holding 50.04% of all jobs.
• January 11
• *Puerto Rico is hit by a 5.9 earthquake and several earthquakes of 5.0, following the 7 January 6.4 that left one dead and several wounded in addition to thousands without electric power.
• *At least seven people are killed by wind and rain storms across the South.
• January 14
• *The seventh Democratic presidential debate is held in Des Moines, Iowa. Six candidates participate.
• *The Women's National Basketball Association and its players' union reach an eight-year agreement allowing top players to earn $500,000 with an average salary of $130,000. It also provides fully-paid maternity leave.
• *Delta Air Lines Flight 89, en route to Shanghai, dumps fuel on a school playground near Los Angeles International Airport. 60 people, including 17 children, are treated for skin irritation.
• January 15 - President Donald Trump and China's Vice Premier Liu He sign the U.S.–China Phase One trade deal in Washington, D.C.
• January 16 - The impeachment trial of President Donald Trump begins in the U.S. Senate.
• January 20 - 22,000 people attend a gun rights rally at the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond to protest proposed gun laws.
• January 21 - 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic: The first case of the COVID-19 coronavirus in the United States is confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• January 22 - The Oakland Raiders officially relocate to Las Vegas, Nevada.
• January 24 - Donald Trump becomes the first sitting president to personally attend the annual March for Life anti-abortion protest in Washington, D.C.
• January 26
• *A helicopter crash in Calabasas, California kills nine people, including basketball star Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna Bryant.
• *The 62nd Annual Grammy Awards are held in Los Angeles, California, hosted by Alicia Keys.
• January 29
• *President Donald Trump signs the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement.
• *2019–20 COVID-19 pandemic: President Trump establishes the White House Coronavirus Task Force.
• January 30 - 2019–20 COVID-19 pandemic: The CDC confirms the first case of human-to-human transmission of the COVID-19 coronavirus in the U.S.
• January 31
• *The U.S. Senate votes 51–49 against calling witnesses in President Donald Trump's impeachment trial.
• *2019–20 COVID-19 pandemic: President Trump imposes travel restrictions preventing foreign nationals from entering the U.S. if they visited China within the previous two weeks.
• *President Trump expands his travel ban to include six new countries: Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Nigeria, Sudan, and Tanzania.
• *At a human trafficking summit in the White House, Trump creates a new White House position dedicated solely to addressing the issue.

  February

• February 2 - Super Bowl LIV: The Kansas City Chiefs defeat the San Francisco 49ers, 31-20.
• February 3 - The 2020 Iowa Democratic and Republican caucuses take place. The Democratic caucus results are delayed due to problems with a vote-counting app.
• February 4 - President Donald Trump delivers his third State of the Union address. Among the guests are Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó and conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, who is awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
• February 5 - The impeachment trial of President Donald Trump concludes with the Senate voting 52-48 to acquit on the first article of impeachment and 53-47 on the second charge. Utah Senator Mitt Romney becomes the first ever senator to vote to remove a president of their own political party.
• February 6 - The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gives permission for Nuro Inc. to deploy up to 5,000 driverless delivery vehicles across the country. It is the first time the NHTSA ever allows deployment of automated driving systems without meeting all national auto safety standards.
• February 9 - The 92nd Academy Awards is held in Hollywood, California. Bong Joon-ho's Parasite becomes the first South Korean film to receive Academy Award recognition, as well as the first non-English-language film to win Best Picture.
• February 10
• *Persian Gulf crisis: The Pentagon confirms that more than 100 U.S. troops were diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries following the January Iranian ballistic missile attack in Iraq.
• *Former Congressman J. C. Watts launches the first all-news channel aimed at African Americans, the Black News Channel.
• February 11 – The 2020 New Hampshire primaries are held.
• February 13 – The McClatchy newspaper chain files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
• February 17
• *COVID-19 pandemic: More than 300 Americans are evacuated from the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan, including 14 who have tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus.
• *The national Boy Scouts of America files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Independently funded local councils are not effected.
• *Pier 1 Imports files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and plans to do so in Canada as well.
• *Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos pledges $10 billion to fight climate change using a new fund called the Bezos Earth Fund.
• February 19 - The Utah Senate votes to decriminalize polygamy.
• February 20 - Political consultant Roger Stone is sentenced to 40 months in prison after being found guilty of witness tampering, obstructing an official proceeding, and five counts of making false statements.
• February 21 - Wells Fargo agrees to pay a $3 billion fine as a result of the 2016 fake account scandal.
• February 22 - The 2020 Nevada Democratic caucuses are held. The Republican caucuses are cancelled with President Trump winning all delegates by default.
• February 23 - Ahmaud Arbery is killed in Glynn County, Georgia. No arrests are made until May.
• February 24 - Former film producer Harvey Weinstein is found guilty of rape.
• February 25 - Amazon opens its first cashierless grocery store, located in Seattle.
• February 27
• *COVID-19 pandemic: Growing fear of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic causes the Dow Jones Industrial Average to plunge by 1,190.95 points, closing at 25,766.64—its largest one-day points decline in history. This follows several days of large falls, the Dow's worst week since 2008.
• *Marine commandant General David H. Berger orders the removal of Confederate symbols from Marine Corps bases around the world.
• *Former Baltimore mayor Catherine Pugh is sentenced to three years in prison and three years probation after pleading guilty to tax evasion and conspiracy to defraud the government.
• February 29
• *The Trump administration and the Taliban sign a conditional peace agreement in Doha, Qatar as part of a process to end the war in Afghanistan.
• *COVID-19 pandemic: The first death from COVID-19 in the U.S. is reported by officials in Washington state, as the total number of cases nationwide reaches 66.
• *The 2020 South Carolina Democratic primary is held; billionaire candidate Tom Steyer suspends his presidential campaign.

  March

• March 1 - Former South Bend, Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg suspends his presidential campaign.
• March 2
• *A tornado outbreak strikes four counties around Nashville, Tennessee, killing 26 people.
• *Senator Amy Klobuchar suspends her presidential campaign.
• *MSNBC commentator Chris Matthews announces his retirement.
• March 3 - Super Tuesday 2020
• March 3-10 - 2020 Democrats Abroad primary Bernie Sanders 23,139 votes, 9 delegates; Joe Biden 9,059 votes, 4 delegates
• March 4
• *COVID-19 pandemic: At least 130 cases of COVID-19 are reported in the United States, with ten deaths in Washington State and one in California. California governor Gavin Newsom declares a state of emergency.
• *Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg suspends his presidential campaign.
• March 5
• *COVID-19 pandemic: The Senate approves an $8.3 billion federal emergency aid package in response to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. President Trump signs the bill into law the next day.
• *The Arizona House of Representatives passes a bill banning transgender females from sports.
• *Senator Elizabeth Warren suspends her presidential campaign.
• March 6
• *COVID-19 pandemic:
• **Florida reports two deaths from COVID-19, the first confirmed U.S. fatalities outside of the west coast.
• **The annual South by Southwest festival is canceled due to COVID-19 fears; it is the first time the event has been canceled in its 34-year history.
• *President Trump announces Representative Mark Meadows will succeed Mick Mulvaney as White House Chief of Staff.
• March 7 - COVID-19 pandemic: Washington, D.C. records its first case of COVID-19.
• March 9
• *Black Monday 2020: Share prices fall sharply, in response to economic concerns and the impact of COVID-19. The Dow Jones industrial average plunges more than 2,000 points, its biggest ever fall in intraday trading. Oil prices plunge by as much as 30% in early trading, the biggest fall since 1991, after Saudi Arabia launches a price war.
• *The U.S. begins a conditional troop withdrawal from Afghanistan; American troop numbers are to be reduced from 12,000 to 8,600 within 135 days.
• March 10 - COVID-19 pandemic: The number of COVID-19 cases in the United States exceeds 1,000, with a 50% increase within a 24-hour period and infections reported in 35 states.
• March 11
• *COVID-19 pandemic: President Trump announces a 30-day ban on incoming travel from Europe, effective midnight EDT on March 13. The announcement occurs the same day the World Health Organization declares the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic. The travel ban is extended to the UK and Ireland on March 16.
• *Persian Gulf crisis: Two Americans and one British soldier are killed in a rocket attack in Taji, Iraq.
• *The Justice Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration announce the arrest of more than 600 alleged members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
• *Former film producer Harvey Weinstein is sentenced to 23 years in prison for rape and sexual assault.
• March 12
• *Black Thursday 2020: Following a series of recent major falls, the Dow Jones plunges yet again, this time by over 9.5%, along with markets around the world.
• *A federal judge orders whistleblower Chelsea Manning be released from prison, but must pay accrued fines of $256,000.
• March 13
• *COVID-19 pandemic:
• **President Trump declares a national emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, freeing up $50 billion in disaster relief funds.
• **The Food and Drug Administration grants emergency authorization for a coronavirus test by Swiss diagnostics maker Roche.
• *Bill Gates steps down from the board of Microsoft to focus on philanthropic activities.
• *Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency medical technician, is shot eight times by Louisville police during a no-knock warrant as part of a narcotics investigation.
• March 15 - COVID-19 pandemic: The Federal Reserve announces that it will cut its target interest rate to 0 to 0.25 percent.
• March 16
• *COVID-19 pandemic:
• **The Dow Jones falls by −2,997.10, the single largest point drop in history and the second largest percentage drop ever at −12.93%, an even greater crash than the Wall Street Crash of 1929.
• **The first Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating a potential COVID-19 vaccine begins at Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in Seattle.
• **The 2020 Kentucky Derby is postponed until September 5, the first postponement since 1945.
• **Online retail giant Amazon announces that it will hire an extra 100,000 workers to cope with the surge in demand for online deliveries triggered by COVID-19.
• March 17
• *COVID-19 pandemic: West Virginia becomes the 50th state to have a confirmed a case of COVID-19.
• *After 20 seasons, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady announces he will not re-sign with the team, instead selecting free agency.
• March 18
• *COVID-19 pandemic:
• **President Trump signs the Families First Coronavirus Response Act into law and announces he will invoke the Defense Production Act to improve U.S. medical resources and that he directed the Housing and Urban Development Department to suspend evictions and foreclosures until the end of April. He also announces the temporary closure of the Canada–United States border; cross-border trade will continue.
• **The Dow Jones closes down 6 percent, falling below 20,000 points, reportedly erasing nearly all of its Trump-era gains.
• *A 5.9 earthquake hits Salt Lake City, Utah.
• *Representative Tulsi Gabbard suspends her presidential campaign.
• March 19 - COVID-19 pandemic: The Department of Labor reports that 281,000 Americans filed for unemployment in the last week, a 33 percent increase over the prior week and the biggest percentage increase since 1992.
• March 20 - COVID-19 pandemic: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo orders staff at all "non-essential" businesses to remain at home as the number of coronavirus cases in the state exceeds 7,000.
• March 21 - COVID-19 pandemic: Biotech company Cepheid Inc reports that it has been granted FDA approval for a new rapid diagnostic test, able to detect COVID-19 in just 45 minutes.
• March 22
• *COVID-19 pandemic:
• **President Trump says the National Guard has been activated in California, Washington, and New York, thus far the most impacted states during the pandemic. The Washington National Guard clarifies that it was yet to be "activated", only declared available if needed.
• **The USNS Comfort hospital ship is announced to be deployed to New York. The USNS Mercy is to be deployed to Los Angeles.
• **Rand Paul is the first senator to test positive for COVID-19.
• March 23 - Colorado becomes the 22nd state to abolish the death penalty.
• March 24
• *COVID-19 pandemic:
• **The Dow Jones jumps by over 2,100 points, or 11.3 percent—its biggest one-day percentage gain since 1933.
• **The U.S. box office records zero revenue for the first time ever.
• **Nevada governor Steve Sisolak bans the use of anti-malaria drugs for COVID-19 treatment, notably chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine.
• **FBI agents kill a man in Belton, Missouri suspected of plotting a bombing attack at a Kansas City hospital believed to be treating COVID-19 patients.
• *A Gallup poll places President Trump's approval rating at 49 percent, his highest thus far. A separate Hill-HarrisX poll places him at 50 percent, his highest since August 2018.
• March 25
• *COVID-19 pandemic:
• **Deaths from COVID-19 in the U.S. surpass 1,000 as the total number of cases reaches almost 69,000.
• **The White House and the Senate agree to a $2 trillion stimulus package-the largest in U.S. history-to boost the economy amid the ongoing pandemic. The Senate subsequently approves the negotiated bill in a 96–0 vote. Trump signs the bill into law on March 27 after a House voice vote.
• **The Pentagon orders a 60-day halt on all overseas troop travel and movement as 227 U.S. troops have thus far tested positive for COVID-19. The withdrawal from Afghanistan will continue.
• March 26
• *COVID-19 pandemic:
• **The number of COVID-19 infections exceeds 82,000 - surpassing the numbers in China and Italy - as the U.S. now has more cases reported than any other country to date.
• **The Department of Labor reports that 3.28 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits in the last week, the largest increase in U.S. history. It supersedes the all-time high of 695,000 in October 1982.
• *The Trump administration indicts Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's government of drug trafficking and narcoterrorism and offers a $15 million reward for information leading to his arrest.
• *The Space Force launches its first satellite, an Advanced Extremely High Frequency military communications satellite that cost $1.4 billion.
• March 29 – As part of a withdrawal effort, U.S.-led coalition troops pull out of K-1 Air Base in Iraq, the third site left by coalition forces this month. At least $1.1 million of equipment are transferred to the Iraqis.
• March 31
• *COVID-19 pandemic:
• ** There are more than 163,000 reported COVID-19 cases thus far as the national death toll reaches 3,000. Three-quarters of the U.S. population are under lockdown as Maryland, Virginia, Arizona and Tennessee become the latest states to restrict movement.
• **U.S. dairy producers dump milk as farmers cannot get their product to market because of a truck driver shortage.
• *The Federal Communications Commission mandates cell phone providers implement STIR/SHAKEN by June 30, 2021 for large carriers and June 30, 2022 for small carriers to prevent robocalls maliciously using caller ID spoofing to avoid being traced.
• *A 6.5 earthquake strikes Central Idaho.

  April

• April 1
• *The Trump administration deploys anti-drug Navy ships and AWACS planes near Venezuela in reportedly the largest military build-up in the region since the 1989 invasion of Panama.
• *Coal companies owned by West Virginia Governor Jim Justice agree to pay $5 million for thousands of mine safety violations.
• April 3 - COVID-19 pandemic: The CDC recommends all citizens consider wearing cloth or fabric face coverings in public.
• April 6
• *COVID-19 pandemic: The national COVID-19 death toll surpasses 10,000 with 19,800+ recoveries.
• *President Trump signs an executive order encouraging future long-term commercial exploitation of various celestial bodies and mining of lunar resources.
• April 7
• *COVID-19 pandemic: The U.S. records the most COVID-19 deaths in a single day to date, with more than 1,800 fatalities reported, taking the cumulative total to nearly 13,000. This is overtaken on April 15 when 2,371 deaths are recorded in a single day, topping 30,800 fatalities.
• *Wisconsin primaries.
• April 8
• *Senator Bernie Sanders suspends his presidential campaign, leaving Joe Biden as the presumptive Democratic nominee.
• *COVID-19 pandemic: Over 100 inmates at Monroe Correctional Complex in Monroe, Washington riot after six inmates test positive for COVID-19.
• April 11
• *COVID-19 pandemic:
• **The U.S. becomes the country with the highest number of reported COVID-19 deaths: over 20,000, overtaking Italy.
• **For the first time in U.S. history, all 50 states have simultaneous federal major disaster declarations after Wyoming receives the final declaration. Washington, D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico also have major disaster declarations by this time.
• April 12 - At least 30 people are killed and 1.3 million left without electricity after an Easter tornado outbreak across the South.
• April 14 - COVID-19 pandemic: President Trump announces that he will suspend U.S. funding of the World Health Organization pending an investigation into its early response to the outbreak.
• April 15
• *COVID-19 pandemic:
• **Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer faces two federal lawsuits accusing her of violating constitutional rights during the state's containment efforts. Thousands of people attend a protest in Lansing as anti-lockdown sentiment spreads.
• **Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, signs an executive order requiring everyone in the state to wear a mask or a mouth/nose covering in public when not social distancing.
• April 16
• *COVID-19 pandemic:
• **It is revealed that nearly 22 million Americans have filed for unemployment in a single month due to COVID-19 lockdowns, the worst unemployment crisis since the Great Depression.
• **The Trump administration reveals federal guidelines outlining a three-phased, gradual reopening of schools, commerce, and services for parts of the country.
• April 17 - COVID-19 pandemic: Texas is the first state to begin easing coronavirus-related restrictions. Florida's Duval County is the first in the state to ease restrictions, with Jacksonville, Atlantic, and Neptune being the first beaches in the state to reopen, on a limited basis.
• April 20 - Oil prices reach a record low, falling into negative values, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the Russia–Saudi Arabia oil price war.
• April 21
• *COVID-19 pandemic: The state of Missouri challenges China's sovereign immunity in U.S. district court by suing three Chinese government ministries, two local governments, two laboratories and the Chinese Communist Party over its handling of the COVID-19 outbreak.
• *A bipartisan Senate report reaffirms intelligence findings that Russia meddled in the 2016 Presidential Election.
• April 22 - COVID-19 pandemic: President Trump signs an immigration executive order halting the issuance of certain green cards for 60 days.
• April 24
• *COVID-19 pandemic:
• **New Jersey reports 100,000 cases and 5,617 deaths.
• **Trump signs a $483 billion bill to rescue small businesses.
• April 27
• *The Pentagon officially releases three short videos showing "unidentified aerial phenomena" that had previously been released by the New York Times in 2019.
• *COVID-19 pandemic: The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States passes 1 million.
• April 29 - The Department of Commerce reports that the U.S. economy shrank by 4.8% in the first quarter of 2020, its most severe contraction since 2008.
• April 30
• *COVID-19 pandemic: Armed protesters enter Michigan's State Capitol to demand an end to the coronavirus lockdown.
• *NASA selects three U.S. companies - Blue Origin, Dynetics, and SpaceX - to design and develop human landing systems for the agency's Artemis program, one of which is planned to deliver the first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024.

  May

• May 1 - COVID-19 pandemic: The FDA authorizes emergency remdesivir use to treat the sickest COVID-19 patients.
• May 2 – 2020 Kansas Democratic primary: Joe Biden wins in a mail-in primary with ranked-choice voting.
• May 3 - The United States faces an invasion of Asian giant hornets, threatening domestic bees.
• May 7 - The Department of Justice drops charges against former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn in the Trump-Russia case. On May 11, nearly 2,000 former Justice Department officials sign a letter calling for Attorney General William Barr to resign over what they describe as his improper intervention in the Flynn case.
• May 8 - COVID-19 pandemic: The national unemployment level reaches 14.7%, with more than 33 million jobless claims having been filed since mid-March.
• May 13 - COVID-19 pandemic: Paul Manafort, the former election campaign chairman for Trump, is released to home confinement due to threats of COVID-19 infection.
• May 15
• *The Senate Intelligence Committee submits the fifth and final volume of its report on Russian election meddling to the ODNI for classification review. The report totals "nearly 1,000 pages."
• *A 6.4 earthquake strikes Nevada.
• May 16
• *Tropical Storm Arthur is the first storm of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season.
• *An explosion in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles sets multiple buildings on fire and leaves 11 firefighters injured.
• *A massive fire destroys a historic condominium in Padre Island, Texas.
• May 18 – The FBI confirms that the Naval Air Station Pensacola shooting in 2019 was the first terrorist attack on American territory that had been directed by a foreign actor since September 11, 2001.
• May 19
• *COVID-19 pandemic: The U.S. passes 1,500,000 confirmed cases and 90,000 deaths.
• * Two dams in Midland County, Michigan, fail, resulting in extensive evacuations and the declaration of a state of emergency by Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
• *The Congressional Budget Office reports a 38% fall in GDP on an annualized basis in the second quarter of 2020, with 26 million more unemployed Americans than in Q4 2019.
• May 20 - James Jamal Curry, 31, who spat and coughed on a police officer in Miami, Florida, after claiming to have COVID-19, is indicted for committing a biological weapon hoax.
• May 25 - Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is videotaped kneeling on the neck of George Floyd, 46, until he dies, as three others watch. Video of the incident goes viral and the four officers are subsequently fired.
• U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attended and spoke at a ceremony at Fort McHenry in Baltimore. He delivered the Fort McHenry Address dedicated to troops and the COVID 19 Pandemic.
• May 26
• *George Floyd protests: Major protests begin in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area following the killing of George Floyd.
• *For the first time, Twitter labels a tweet by President Trump "misleading" and includes a "fact check" link.
• May 27
• *Protests in Minneapolis turn violent as activists call for murder charges against the police officers involved in George Floyd's death.
• *COVID-19 pandemic: The official death toll passes 100,000 - more Americans than were killed in the Vietnam and Korean wars combined, and approaching that of the First World War, when more than 116,000 Americans died in combat. The total number of cases continues to rise, although the rate is slowing.
• *President Trump threatens to shut down Twitter and other social media platforms, which he claims "totally silence conservatives voices."
• May 28
• *A state of emergency is declared in the Twin Cities, with hundreds of National Guard soldiers deployed on the streets, as protests spread nationwide.
• *President Trump signs an executive order rolling back liability protections for social media companies over user-generated content.
• May 29
• *Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin is charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd. An independent autopsy concludes on June 1 that George Floyd's cause of death was "homicide caused by asphyxia due to neck and back compression that led to a lack of blood flow to the brain." Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison later increases the charge against Derek Chauvin to second degree on June 3; charges against the three other officers who were present are also filed.
• *Twitter hides a tweet by President Trump after he reacts to the Minneapolis riots by warning that "when the looting starts, the shooting starts." Twitter says the post violates its rules about glorifying violence, but rather than being deleted, "it may be in the public's interest for the Tweet to remain accessible," so the tweet can be viewed by clicking past the warning.
• May 30
• *The first crewed flight of the SpaceX Dragon 2 is launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, the first crewed spacecraft to take off from U.S. soil since 2011.
• *Curfews are declared in Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Atlanta as riots and protests continue nationwide. The weeks' rioting is termed the worst instance of civil unrest in the United States since the 1968 King assassination riots.
• *Minnesota authorities say that 80% of those arrested in the Twin Cities on May 29 had come from outside Minnesota. Among the 40 people arrested are individuals linked to white supremacist groups and organized crime.
• May 31 - In response to a wave of civil unrest across the country, President Trump says he will designate the far-left activist group Antifa a terrorist organization. This comes amid reports and allegations that some violent protests are being fomented by antifa members and anarchists. The next day, June 1, Trump threatens to deploy the military to quell the riots. He subsequently conducts a photo-op at St. John's Episcopal Church after National Guard and riot police forcefully clear Lafayette Park of peaceful protestors. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley later apologizes for taking part in the president's photo op on June 11.

  June

• June 2 - Blackout Tuesday, an industry-driven collective protest against racism and police brutality, is observed.
• June 3 - A 5.5 M_w earthquake said to be an aftershock of the 2019 Ridgecrest earthquakes hits near Searles Valley, California. No injuries or damages are reported.
• June 5 - Washington, D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser designates a two-block-long section of 16th Street NW as "Black Lives Matter Plaza".
• June 8
• *Amid unrest in Seattle, protestors declare an autonomous zone in the city's Capitol Hill.
• *Amid renewed national debate over Confederate monuments, Army Secretary Ryan D. McCarthy says he will consider renaming the service's 10 bases and facilities that are named after Confederate leaders, a reversal of the Army's previous position on the issue.
• June 9
• *Air Force General Charles Brown becomes the first African American military service chief and the first African American Air Force Chief of Staff.
• *HBO Max removes Gone with the Wind from its streaming service, amid concerns over "ethnic and racial prejudices" depicted in the 1939 movie. HBO reinstates the film on June 25, alongside a disclaimer saying it "denies the horrors of slavery".
• June 10 - COVID-19 pandemic: The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States passes 2 million.
• June 11 - The Trump administration authorizes sanctions and additional visa restrictions against the International Criminal Court in retaliation for their investigation into potential war crimes by U.S. officials.
• June 12
• *The Minneapolis City Council votes unanimously to disband the Minneapolis Police Department and replace it with a "community" safety department, however it is prevented from doing so by the city charter.
• *Protesters in Nashville, Tennessee declare the Nashville Autonomous Zone on capitol grounds.
• *Protests breakout in Atlanta following the killing of Rayshard Brooks, 27, by a police officer in the parking lot of a Wendy's fast food restaurant. The next day, June 13, Atlanta Chief of Police Erika Shields resigns and protesters burn down the fast food restaurant where the incident took place.
• June 14 - COVID-19 pandemic: New infections increase by 25,000, the highest since May 2, in part due to increased testing.
• June 15
• *The Supreme Court rules that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which makes it illegal for employers to discriminate because of a person's sex, also covers sexual orientation.
• *COVID-19 pandemic: The FDA withdraws emergency use authorization for hydroxychloroquine to treat hospitalized COVID-19 patients, saying the drug carries too many risks without any apparent benefit.
• June 16 - The Trump administration requests that a federal judge block publication of John Bolton's new book, The Room Where It Happened, a memoir of the former national security adviser's time in the Trump White House.
• June 18 - The Environmental Protection Agency drops the introduction of federal limits for perchlorate-a component of rocket fuel, ammunition, and explosives-which has been linked to infant brain damage.
• June 19 – Juneteenth is observed across the country.
• June 20 – President Trump holds his first 2020 campaign rally in months at the Bank of Oklahoma Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The lower-than-expected audience attendance draws significant media coverage.
• June 25 - COVID-19 pandemic: The U.S. reaches a record daily high of 40,000 new COVID-19 cases, following a reversal in the downward trend of infections in early June. Southern and western states are the worst affected.
• June 26
• *President Trump signs an executive order on ensuring that anyone who destroys or vandalizes a public monument, memorial, or statue is prosecuted to the fullest extent under federal law.
• *The New York Times, citing unnamed sources, reports that a Russian military intelligence unit offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for the killing of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan and that President Trump was briefed on the findings in late March 2020, but did not authorize any response. Trump denies he was ever briefed on the matter.
• June 29 - COVID-19 pandemic: Arizona governor Doug Ducey orders all bars, nightclubs, gyms, movie theaters and water parks to close for 30 days due to a spike in COVID-19 cases.
• June 30 - Following a vote by the state legislature, Mississippi governor Tate Reeves signs a bill retiring the official Mississippi state flag, the last state flag incorporating the Confederate Battle Flag of the Army of Northern Virginia into its design. A commission is established to design a new state flag.

  July

• July 1 - The House Armed Services Committee votes for a National Defense Authorization Act amendment to restrict President Trump's ongoing troop withdrawal from Afghanistan and prospective withdrawal from Germany.
• July 2
• *The FBI arrests British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, an associate of late disgraced U.S. financier Jeffrey Epstein. Having gone into hiding since Epstein's arrest in July 2019, she is found in New Hampshire.
• *COVID-19 pandemic: Florida reports 10,000 new coronavirus cases in a single day, the biggest one-day increase in the state since the pandemic started, and more than any European country had at the height of their outbreaks.
• July 4
• *Rapper Kanye West announces his candidacy in the 2020 Presidential Election.
• *The 2020 Salute to America Independence Day event is held in Washington, D.C.
• July 7 – Primary elections are held in New Jersey, rescheduled from June 2.
• July 8
• *The Supreme Court rules that President Trump must release his financial records for examination by prosecutors in New York.
• *COVID-19 pandemic: Florida emerges as the world epicenter of the pandemic, with 220,500 confirmed cases statewide.
• July 10 - President Trump commutes the 40-month sentence of political consultant Roger Stone. The action is condemned by former special counsel Robert Mueller.
• July 11 - COVID-19 pandemic: President Trump is seen publicly wearing a face mask for the first time while visiting wounded soldiers and health care workers at Walter Reed military hospital.
• July 12 - 18 sailors are injured by an explosion and fire on the USS Bonhomme Richard in San Diego, California.
• July 14
• *White supremacist and murderer Daniel Lewis Lee is executed by lethal injection in Terre Haute, Indiana, becoming the first federal execution since 2003.
• *COVID-19 pandemic: The Trump administration orders hospitals to bypass the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and send all COVID-19 patient information to a central database in Washington.
• *COVID-19 pandemic: Pharmaceutical company Moderna announces that its vaccine will begin the final phase of testing, with approximately 30,000 human volunteers.
• July 15
• *The Twitter accounts of prominent political figures, CEOs, and celebrities are hacked to promote a bitcoin scam.
• *Trump demotes his campaign manager Brad Parscale and replaces him with Bill Stepien.
• *COVID-19 pandemic: Georgia Governor Brian Kemp voids all of the state’s local face mask mandates.
• July 17 - Secretary of Defense Mark Esper issues a memorandum to the military on the appropriate display of flags, which excludes the Confederate flag, thereby effectively banning it.
• July 18 - Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum files a lawsuit against the federal government, accusing it of unlawfully detaining protesters, after footage emerges of agents in unmarked vehicles appearing to forcefully seize protesters without justification.
• July 21 - Federal officials arrest Republican House Speaker in Ohio Larry Householder in connection with a $60 million bribery case. Former Ohio GOP Chairman Matt Borges is also arrested, along with a GOP advisor and two lobbyists.
• July 22
• *A 7.8-magnitude earthquake is reported off the coast of Alaska.
• *Trump announces a "surge" of federal officers into Democratic-run cities, following an earlier crackdown on rioters in Oregon.
• July 24 - The Trump administration announces that it is revoking the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing provision of the 1968 federal Fair Housing Act.
• July 25 - Hurricane Hanna makes two landfalls in South Texas with 90 mph winds, one in Padre Island, Texas and another landfall in Kennedy County, Texas.
• July 29 - Oregon Governor Kate Brown and Vice President Mike Pence agree to a phased withdrawal of deployed federal law enforcement from Portland following recent protests.
• July 30
• *President Trump suggests delaying the 2020 Presidential Election, saying increased postal voting could lead to fraud and inaccurate results.
• *Federal economic figures show a 32.9% annualized rate of GDP contraction between April and June, the sharpest decline since records began in 1945.

  Predicted and scheduled events

August

• August 15 – Assumption of Mary
• August 17–20 – The Democratic National Convention is planned to be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
• August 20 – Muharram
• August 23 – Indianapolis 500, Indianapolis, IN.
• August 24–27 – The Republican National Convention is planned to be held in Charlotte, North Carolina.
• August 28–30 – Electric Zoo, Electronic music festival, Randall's Island, New York, NY.
• August 30-September 7 – Burning Man festival, Black Rock Desert, Nevada.
• August 31-September 10 – The United Methodist Church general conference in Minneapolis will vote on whether to split into two separate entities due to differences over LGBTQ rights.
• August – Afropunk Festival, Brooklyn, NY.

  September

• September 5 – Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs, Louisville, KY. Rescheduled from May 2
• September 7 – Labor Day
• September 11 – Patriot Day
• September 13 – National Grandparents Day
• September 19 – Rosh Hashanah
• September 22 – Fall equinox
• September 28 – Yom Kippur

  October

• October 2–4 – Electric Daisy Carnival, Las Vegas, Nevada.
• October 4–6 – Austin City Limits Music Festival, part one, Zilker Park, Austin, TX.
• October 11–13 – Austin City Limits Music Festival, part two, Zilker Park, Austin, TX.
• October 12 – Columbus Day or Indigenous People's Day
• October 25 – American Airlines launches daily nonstop flights between Seattle–Tacoma International Airport and Bengaluru, Kempegowda International Airport marking their return to India for the first time since 2015.
• October 31 – Halloween

  November

• November 1
• *Daylight Saving Time ends
• *All Saints' Day
• November 3 – 2020 United States Elections
• November 11 – Veterans Day
• November 26 – Thanksgiving
• November 29 – First Sunday of Advent

  December

• December 8 – Feast of the Immaculate Conception
• December 11 – Hanukkah
• December 18 – Hanukkah
• December 25 – Christmas Day
• December 26 – Kwanzaa

  TBD

• Oregon becomes first state with no coal power plants.

  Deaths

January

• January 1
• * Lexii Alijai, rapper
• * Tommy Hancock, Western swing fiddler and bandleader
• * Doug Hart, football player
• * Don Larsen, baseball player
• * Roland Minson, basketball player
• * David Stern, National Basketball Association commissioner
• January 2
• * John Baldessari, conceptual artist
• * Tom Buck, politician and lawyer
• * Lorraine Chandler, soul singer and songwriter
• * R. Kern Eutsler, United Methodist bishop
• * Nick Fish, politician and lawyer
• * Sam Wyche, football player and coach
• January 3
• * Ken Fuson, journalist
• * Reuben Hersh, mathematician
• January 4
• * Emanuel Borok, violinist and concertmaster
• * James Parks Morton, Episcopal priest
• January 5 – Betty Pat Gatliff, forensic artist
• January 6
• * Mike Fitzpatrick, politician
• * Frank Gordon Jr., judge
• January 7
• * Silvio Horta, screenwriter and television producer
• * George Perles, football coach
• * Patrick Welch, politician
• * Elizabeth Wurtzel, writer and journalist
• January 8
• * Edd Byrnes, actor
• * Buck Henry, actor, screenwriter, and film director
• January 9
• * Walter J. Boyne, U.S. Air Force officer and historian
• * Galen Cole, businessman and philanthropist
• * Pete Dye, golf course designer
• * Pampero Firpo, professional wrestler
• * Mike Resnick, science fiction writer
• * Hal Smith, baseball player
• January 10 – Ed Sprague Sr., baseball pitcher
• January 11
• * Stan Kirsch, actor, screenwriter, and film director
• * Steve Stiles, cartoonist and writer
• January 12
• * Jack Baskin, engineer, businessman, and philanthropist
• * C. Robert Sarcone, politician
• January 14 – Steve Martin Caro, pop vocalist
• January 15 – Rocky Johnson, Canadian professional wrestler
• January 19 – Jimmy Heath, jazz saxophonist
• January 24 – Pete Stark, businessman and politician
• January 26
• * Kobe Bryant, basketball player
• * Louis Nirenberg, Canadian-American mathematician
• January 31 – Mary Higgins Clark, author

  February

• February 3
• * Gene Reynolds, actor, television writer, director, and producer
• * George Steiner, French-American literary critic and essayist
• February 5
• * Stanley Cohen, biochemist
• * Kirk Douglas, actor, director, producer
• February 7 – Orson Bean, actor and comedian
• February 8 – Robert Conrad, actor
• February 9 – Paula Kelly, dancer, singer, and actress
• February 10 – Lyle Mays, jazz pianist and composer
• February 14 – Lynn Cohen, actress
• February 16 – Larry Tesler, computer scientist
• February 17 – Ja'Net DuBois, actress
• February 19 – Pop Smoke, rapper
• February 24
• * Diana Serra Cary, child actress
• * Clive Cussler, author
• * Katherine Johnson, mathematician
• February 27
• * R. D. Call, actor
• * Colin S. Gray, British-American writer
• February 28 – Freeman Dyson, British-born American physicist and mathematician
• February 29
• * Nicholas Alahverdian, author and whistleblower
• * Bill Bunten, politician

  March

• March 1 – Jack Welch, businessman, engineer and writer
• March 2 – James Lipton, television host
• March 6 – McCoy Tyner, jazz pianist
• March 20 – Kenny Rogers, country singer and songwriter
• March 27 – Joseph Lowery, minister and civil rights activist
• March 28 – Tom Coburn, politician and physician
• March 29 – Joe Diffie, country singer

  April

• April 1 –
• *Anne Hendricks Bass, investor and philanthropist
• *Cristina, singer
• *David Driskell, visual artist and academic
• *Kevin Duffy, jurist
• *Ed Farmer, baseball player
• *Edward L. Feightner, Navy officer and flying ace
• *Ellis Marsalis Jr., jazz pianist
• *Bucky Pizzarelli, jazz guitarist.
• *Adam Schlesinger, musician
• April 7 –
• *John Prine, folk singer
• April 12 – Tarvaris Jackson, NFL Quarterback
• April 22 – Vanessa Guillen, Soldier and notable murdered victim
• April 27
• * Lynn Harrell, classical cellist
• * Troy Sneed, gospel musician

  May

• May 25
• *George Floyd, Rapper and Security Guard.

  June

• June 2
• * Mary Pat Gleason, actress
• * Wes Unseld, basketball player and coach
• June 4 – Pete Rademacher, Olympic boxing champion
• June 6 – Reche Caldwell, NFL Wide Receiver
• June 11
• * Mel Winkler, actor
• * Dennis O'Neil, comic book writer
• June 13 – Dick Garmaker, basketball player
• June 17 – Jean Kennedy Smith, diplomat
• June 26
• * Kelly Asbury, film director and animator
• * Milton Glaser, graphic designer
• June 27 – Freddy Cole, jazz singer and pianist
• June 28 – Rudolfo Anaya, author
• June 29
• * Johnny Mandel, composer
• * Carl Reiner, actor, film director and comedian

  July

• July 1 – Hugh Downs, broadcaster and television personality
• July 6
• * Charlie Daniels, country singer-songwriter and musician
• * Ronald Graham, mathematician
• July 8 – Naya Rivera, actress, model and singer
• July 12 – Kelly Preston, actress and model
• July 13 – Grant Imahara, electrical engineer, roboticist, and television host
• July 16 – Phyllis Somerville, actress
• July 17
• * John Lewis – civil-rights leader and politician
• * C. T. Vivian – minister, author and lieutenant of Martin Luther King Jr.
• July 21 – Annie Ross, Scottish-American singer and actress
• July 24 – Regis Philbin, actor, singer, and media personality
• July 25 – John Saxon, actor
• July 26 – Olivia de Havilland, British-born American actress
• July 30 – Herman Cain, businessman and politician

  August

• August 1 – Wilford Brimley, actor and singer

  Country overviews

• United States
• History of United States
• History of modern United States
• Outline of United States
• Government of United States
• Politics of United States
• Years in United States
• Timeline of United States history

  Related timelines for current period

• 2020
• 2020s
• 2020s in political history
• 2020s in United States political history

  Specific situations and issues

• 2019–20 Persian Gulf crisis
• Impeachment of Donald Trump
• COVID-19 pandemic in the United States