January 4 – Government data reveals that the U.S. economy added 312,000 jobs in December, far ahead of predictions of 177,000, and that manufacturing ended 2018 with the most jobs added in one year since 1997.[6]
January 8 – In a televised address to the nation, President Donald Trump makes the case for his proposed border wall.[7]
January 19 – President Trump offers a "compromise" of three years' additional protection for 700,000 Dreamers who entered the USA illegally with their parents and the 300,000 people holding visas under Temporary Protection Status (TPS) in exchange for funding for his security wall, but the offer is rejected by Democrats.[13]
Flights are halted into New York's LaGuardia Airport due to shortages of air traffic control staff, as a result of the ongoing government shutdown.[17]
President Trump agrees to temporarily end the government shutdown as he backs a deal to fund federal agencies for three weeks.[18]
Large portions of the United States are hit by a polar vortex, bringing "once-in-a-generation" low temperatures and heavy snow. A state of emergency is declared in several states and a number of cold-related deaths are reported.[21]
Teachers rally in Denver following a vote on January 22 to strike for higher pay.[22]
February 16 – Bishop Theodore Edgar McCarrick is defrocked, following historical sexual abuse allegations. He becomes the most senior Catholic figure to be dismissed from the priesthood in modern times.[35]
President Trump issues the first veto of his presidency, striking down a Senate resolution to end his national emergency declaration to build a border wall.[55]
Hundreds of students stage a walkout and rally at the Capitol building, demanding legal action on climate change. They are joined by students in over 1,600 simultaneous protests in 100 countries around the world.[56]
Robert Gentile, 82, whom federal authorities believe is a person of interest in the $500 million Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum theft, is released from federal custody.[57]
The Washington State Senate approves legislation that would legally require all presidential candidates to release the last five years of their personal tax returns in order to have their names featured on both primary and general election voting ballots.[59]
The University of Tennessee announces it will guarantee free tuition and fees to admitted in-state residents with a family household income of less than $50,000.[60]
March 18 – Floods across the Midwest kill at least three people and inflict hundreds of millions of dollars in damage.[61]
Attorney Michael Avenatti is arrested in New York on charges of attempting to extort more than $20 million from sports company Nike. He is also charged with wire and bank fraud in a separate case in Los Angeles.[74]
March 31 – A 23rd horse is reported to have died at Santa Anita racetrack in California, the latest in a string of deaths occurring since December 2018.[82]
The U.S. halts the delivery of F-35 fighter jet-related equipment to Turkey to protest the country's planned purchasing of Russia's S-400 missile defense system.[84]
The Colorado legislature passes a red flag law, allowing seizure of guns from people deemed a threat to themselves or others.[85]
Prosecutors in Waco, Texas decide to not go ahead with prosecution of individuals allegedly involved in the 2015 Waco shootout that left nine dead and 20 people injured.[89]
An explosion at a chemical plant in Crosby, Texas leaves one dead and two injured. This comes just weeks after a similar Houston-area explosion in Deer Creek, Texas on March 17.[90]
The Pittsburgh City Council votes for new gun laws, including a ban on certain semiautomatic assault weapons.[93]
April 4 – The 1973 War Powers Resolution is invoked for the first time when the House votes 247–175 to end U.S. military assistance to Saudi Arabia in its intervention in the Yemeni Civil War; the Senate voted 54–46 on the bill in March 2019. President Trump vetoes the bill on April 16, the second veto of his presidency.[94][95]
Arson is suspected as the cause of three fires in historically black churches since March 26 in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana. A fourth, smaller fire was set at a majority-white church in Caddo Parish on March 31.[96] The culprit in the case of the three black churches is arrested and charged on April 11.[97]
Federal prosecutors announce a 36-count indictment against lawyer Michael Avenatti, including bank fraud, embezzlement, tax evasion and wire fraud.[99]
April 16 – Apple and Qualcomm settle a multi-year legal dispute regarding patent royalties. The deal between the two tech giants helps, among other arrangements, pave the way for Apple to have 5GiPhones on the market by 2020.[103][104]
Former Vice President Joe Biden announces his candidacy for the 2020 presidential election, expanding the field to a record 20 candidates, the largest field of presidential candidates in U.S. history.[110]
April 28 – Undersea explorer Victor Vescovo sets a new world record for the deepest ever sea dive at 10,972 metres (35,997 ft) in the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench. Several unusual things are discovered at the bottom, including four new species of prawn-like crustaceans and a new species of snailfish.[114]
Minneapolis Police Officer Mohamed Noor is convicted of third-degree murder and manslaughter for shooting and killing Australian woman Justine Damond after she called 9-1-1 to report the possible assault of a woman.[116]
May 3 – New economic data shows that the U.S. unemployment rate fell from 3.8 percent to 3.6 percent in April 2019, the lowest in 49 years, with employers adding 263,000 jobs in April versus the expected 190,000.[121]
The New York Times publishes newly obtained tax information revealing that from 1985 to 1994, Donald Trump lost $1.17 billion from his various businesses – a far greater amount than previously known, and more than any tax payer in U.S. history.[131]
May 10 – At 12:00 a.m. EST, President Trump's proposed 25 percent tariff hike on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports takes effect, escalating tensions between the two nations amid the ongoing China–United States trade war. The deadline hits as negotiations between trade representatives continued.[133]
Abortion is outlawed in the state of Alabama, except for cases where a woman's life is threatened or a lethal fetal anomaly is present. The anti-abortion law, written to serve as a catalyst for a legal challenge against the Roe v. Wade ruling, is set to go into effect in November.[135][136]
May 16 – New York City mayor Bill de Blasio announces his candidacy in the 2020 presidential election, expanding the Democratic primary field to a record 24 candidates, already the largest presidential primary field for any political party in American history.[141]
May 21 – Washington becomes the first state to legalize human composting, the right to allow people to have their body turned into soil after death. The process is seen as an alternative to traditional cremations and burials.[145]
May 23 – California native John Walker Lindh, a former Taliban fighter and the first person to be convicted of a crime in the War on Terror, is released from federal prison after serving 17 years of a 20-year sentence.[147]
President Trump announces his intentions to apply a 5 percent tariff on all Mexican imports, effective June 10, to pressure Mexico to do more to crack down on a surge in Central American migrants trying to cross the U.S. southern border. The tariffs are to increase to 10 percent on July 1, and by another 5 percent each month for three months. The tariffs are averted on June 7.[152]
Louisiana bans abortions at six weeks of pregnancy, joining five other states that have passed heartbeat bills that ban abortions six weeks into a pregnancy – the earliest a fetal heartbeat can be detected.[153]
United Technologies and Raytheon agree to a merger. The resultant company is projected to be the second largest defense and aerospace contractor in the U.S.[157]
At least two dozen police officers and two journalists are injured in overnight riots in Memphis, Tennessee after U.S. Marshals kill a 20-year-old black man, Brandon Webber, during an attempted arrest.[161]
Journalist and advice columnist E. Jean Carroll accuses President Trump of having sexually assaulted her in a Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room in the mid-1990s.[166]
Rucho v. Common Cause and Benisek v. Lamone: The Supreme Court rules 5–4 that federal courts are constitutionally powerless to hear challenges to excessive partisan gerrymandering, leaving it up to states and Congress to legally address the issue.[170]
During a 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries debate, Moderator and NBC "Today" host Savannah Guthrie asked the 10 Democratic primary candidates on stage if their health plans would provide coverage for the estimated 11 million people living in the U.S. illegally. Every candidate raised their hands.[171] One study predicts this would cost American taxpayers up to $23 billion a year.[172]
During a three-way meeting at the Korean Demilitarized Zone with South and North Korean leaders, President Trump becomes the first sitting U.S. president to set foot on North Korean territory. Both Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un pledge to restart stalled nuclear negotiations between the two countries.[173]
In a one-hour Independence Day event titled Salute to America, President Donald Trump becomes the first U.S. president in nearly seven decades to address a crowd at the National Mall during the holiday. President Harry Truman had previously done so in 1951.[176]
July 7 – The U.S. women's soccer team wins their fourth World Cup, defending their status as the No. 1 team in the world and renewing their campaign for pay equity.[183]
In a 3–2 vote, the Federal Trade Commission approves a record $5 billion fine on Facebook to settle an investigation into data privacy violations.[188]
Hurricane Barry approaches the Gulf Coast, becoming the first hurricane of the 2019 season, with a sustained wind speed of 75 mph (120 km/h).[190]
Willem Van Spronsen, a self-described Antifa member armed with a rifle and incendiary devices, attacks an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Washington state. Van Spronsen fires several shots at the detention center, throws incendiary devices, and sets vehicles on fire. While attempting to ignite a propane tank, Van Spronsen is shot and killed by Tacoma police officers.[191]
July 14 – President Trump sparks controversy over remarks directed at four Democratic congresswomen that were widely perceived as racist; Trump sharply denies the comments were racist.[192][193][194] The House of Representatives votes 240–187 to condemn the President's remarks two days later.[195][196] The controversy persisted as Trump supporters chanted similar remarks at a subsequent rally in Greenville, North Carolina on July 18.[197] Trump disavowed the chant the next day.[198]
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocks legislation to improve election security less than 24 hours after Special Counsel Robert Mueller warns of the continued threat of interference in American elections.[206]
Five women (Alexandria "Ally" Kostial, 21; Zaria Newton, 20; Arykah Patrice White, 16; Lisa Nguyen, 59; and Shayna Catherine Cline, 19) are killed in Mississippi in separate incidents within 24 hours. All five were killed by firearms.[208]
The Federal Reserve cuts interest rates for the first time since 2008, with a 0.25% reduction to a baseline level of 2–2.25%.[213]
Leslie McCrae Dowless faces new charges of electoral fraud in North Carolina. Dowless was arrested in 2017 and charged with trying to rig the election in North Carolina's 9th Congressional District in favor of Mark Harris, the Republican candidate.[214]
Puerto Rico governor Ricardo Rossello resigns, and Pedro Pierluisi (who was appointed secretary of state on July 31) takes the oath of office to succeed him.[217]
August 4 – 2019 Dayton shooting: A mass shooting occurs in the Oregon Historic District in downtown Dayton, Ohio, resulting in 10 fatalities (including the perpetrator) and 27 injuries.[220]
The Trump administration issues new rules that reject applicants for temporary or permanent visas for failing to meet income standards or for receiving public assistance such as welfare, food stamps, public housing or Medicaid.[229]
August 17 – 18 – Anti-gun rallies are held in over 100 cities in all 50 states.[239]
August 20 – Richard Ross Jr., police commissioner of Philadelphia, resigns amid allegations that members of his department engaged in sexual harassment and racial and gender discrimination against women serving in the ranks.[240]
August 22 – A federal grand jury in Los Angeles charges 80 people, mostly Nigerians, in a conspiracy to steal and then launder millions of dollars. 14 people are arrested.[242]
August 29 – A federal judge in Georgia rules that the state must replace all of its voting machines or use paper ballots in time for the March 24, 2020 Presidential primary election.[250] Several faulty voting machines were reported during the Mississippi gubernatorial primary on August 27.[251]
August 31 – Midland–Odessa shooting: Seven people are killed and 21 others wounded in a shooting in West Texas, between the cities of Midland and Odessa. The suspect is shot and killed by police outside a movie theater in Odessa.[252]
Walmart announces they will stop selling handgun ammunition and certain types of ammo for short-barrelled rifles.[255]Kroger asks shoppers to refrain from openly carrying guns even if it is legal.[256] Other major retailers follow suit.[257]
Hurricane Dorian makes landfall on Cape Hatteras, North Carolina as a Category 1 storm. 350,000 residents and businesses in North Carolina and South Carolina are left without electricity.[260]
Saturday Night Live fires comedian Shane Gillis after his anti-Asian and anti-gay videos come to light.[274] Presidential candidate Andrew Yang, who is Taiwanese-American and was called a “Jew c***k,” forgives Gillis.[275]
An 18-year-old Oklahoma woman is arrested for felony terrorist hoax. She was in possession of an AK-47 and a shotgun at the time of the arrest.[276]
September 17 – 33 inches of rain from Tropical Storm Imelda falls on Hamshire and other areas of southeastern Texas, causing severe flooding.[277]
HUD Secretary Ben Carson is accused by members of his department of making transphobic remarks at a meeting in San Francisco.[281] He says his comments about "big, hairy men" using women's homeless shelters were a "mischaracterization."[282]
Six-year-old Kaia Rolle is handcuffed, fingerprinted, mug-shot, and charged with battery after throwing a tantrum at Lucious and Emma Nixon Academy, a charter school in Orlando, Florida. The same police officer also arrested an eight-year-old in an unrelated incident the same day.[283] The officer was subsequently suspended.[284]
The proposed "invasion" by 2,000,000 truth-seekers of the classified Air Force base known as Area 51 falls short of its goal by about 1,999,970 participants. Only the Pentagon takes it seriously, threatening to bomb participants. They later apologize.[289]
At least five deaths are reported due to Tropical Storm Imelda in southeast Texas. 40 inches (101.6 cm) of rain falls in 72 hours in one of the wettest tropical storms in American history.[292]
Vice President Mike Pence ignores a century-old tradition that prohits motor vehicles on Mackinac Island, Michigan, when he sent an eight-car motorcade to a Republican Party meeting.[295]
September 22 – Three men are dead and four are hospitalized due to a mysterious "medical situation" in Pittsburgh. All are believed to be middle-aged men, and all were wearing orange wristbands.[296]
September 25 – The White House releases details of a July 25 phone call between President Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky, in which Trump asks the Ukrainian President to investigate Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.[299]
September 26 – The Trump administration says it plans to allow only 18,000 refugees to resettle in the United States in the 2020 fiscal year, its lowest level since the modern program began in 1980.[300][301][302][303]
The New York Times reports that Wayne LaPierre, chief of the National Rifle Association offered President Trump "financial support for the president's defense" if the president will "stop the games" on gun-control legislation. The NRA denies any wrongdoing.[304]
Coal miners in Cumberland, Kentucky have called off the protest that began two months ago against their employer, Blackjewel, when the company suddenly declared bankruptcy and did not pay their wages. They intend to continue their fight in court.[307]
California governor Gavin Newsom signs a law over the objections of the National Collegiate Athletic Association that allows college athletes to be financially compensated for the use of their names, images, and likenesses.[309]
California becomes the second state, after North Dakota, to allow the establishment of public banks as an alternative to commercial banks. The idea is to provide low-interest loans for businesses, affordable housing, and municipal infrastructure.[315]
Dallas police officer Amber Guyger is sentenced to 10 years in prison after being found guilty of murdering Botham Jean in his home. This is the first time a white female police officer has been convicted of murdering an unarmed black man.[316] Joshua Brown, a key witness in the trial, is killed two days later.[317]
European Commission spokesperson Daniel Rosario threatens retaliatory measures if the United States imposes a US$7.5 billion (€6.823 billion) tariff on products such as olives, whiskey, wine, cheese, yogurt, and airplanes. The tariffs are scheduled to take effect on October 18.[324]
Microsoft says a group called Phosphorus, which is linked to the Iranian government, has attempted to hack accounts belonging to American journalists, former government officials, and the 2020 United States presidential election, as well as prominent Iranians living outside Iran.[325]
Defense Secretary Mark Esper says the United States has picked up its attacks in Afghanistan since peace talks with the Taliban fell apart last month. In August, Politico reported that the U.S. troop strength is about 13,000, fewer than the authorized 14,000.[327]
A report by the Associated Press finds that 1,700 Roman Catholic priests accused of being sex offenders live freely in the United States.[328]
October 7 – Federal judge Victor Marrero orders Trump to turn over eight years of tax returns, saying he cannot endorse a "categorical and limitless assertion of presidential immunity from judicial process."[329] An appeals court grants a temporary stay of the order.[330]
Marie Yovanovitch, the former ambassador to Ukraine, testifies at the Impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump.[333] Former diplomats and oversight committee members praise Yovanovitch's "bravery" for testifying in response to a subpoena but in defiance of a State Department order.[334]
Democratic incumbent Governor of LouisianaJohn Bel Edwards is narrowly forced into a run-off in his bid for a second term. He advances to a runoff (November 16) with wealthy Republican businessman Eddie Rispone.[338]
Two people are killed and 20 injured when a Hard Rock Hotel and Casino under construction in downtown New Orleans partially collapses.
Journalist Max Blumenthal ("The Grayzone") is arrested and charged with assault in a case related to a May 7 incident at the Venezuelan embassy in Washington, DC.[356]
Senator Kamala Harris reverses herself on participation in the "Second Step Justice Forum" after 20/20 Club drops its sponsorship. Senator Cory Booker announces he will attend also.[357]
A North Carolina court rules that the state can't proceed with next year's House primary elections due to political gerrymandering.[364]
On his first visit to Chicago, President Donald Trump calls the city "embarrassing to us as a nation" and blasts the police superintendent for not attending his speech at the International Association of Chiefs of Police.[365] Thousands protest against Trump, who called for "a surge," or militarization, of the nation's police.[366][367]
Dr. Michael Baden, one of the world's leading forensic pathologists, describes his findings of the Jeffrey Epstein suicide, noting that the financier's injuries appeared more consistent with murder than suicide, contradicting an earlier report by the New York City Medical Examiner.[372] Dr. Barbara Sampson, the chief Medical Examiner, sticks by the original finding that Epstein's death was due to suicide by hanging.[373]
Wildfires rage across California, with a rare "extreme red-flag warning" issued from weather officials, as gusts exceed 70 mph (113 km/h).[374]
The Federal Reserve lowers its benchmark interest rate by a quarter point, to a range of 1.5% to 1.75%, the third cut in four months.[375]
Social media website Twitter bans all political advertising worldwide.[376]
New York City voters approve a ballot measure that would establish ranked-choice voting in primary and special elections for all local offices beginning in 2021.[390]
The San Francisco Chronicle publishes a report that says the Halloween shooting at an Airbnb rental property in Orinda, California is part of a pattern of violence at such parties, involving the shooting of 42 people and 17 deaths.[393]
Transcripts released from the closed-door hearings of the impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump reveal that witnesses were concerned about a quid pro quo (English: "this for that") holding up millions of dollars in aid to Ukraine in return for dirt on Hunter Biden and his father, former Vice President Joe Biden. Witnesses were Marie Yovanovitch and Michael McKinley,[394] Bill Taylor,[395] Gordon Sondland and Kurt Volker,[396][397] George Kent,[398] Alexander Vindman,[399] Fiona Hill,[400] and Laura Cooper.[401] Lawyer Rudy Giuliani hires three attorneys as his dealings in Ukraine have attracted the scrutiny of federal prosecutors and House impeachment investigators.[402]
Two former Twitter employees are charged with spying for Saudi Arabia. Ahmad Abouammo, a U.S. citizen, was arrested in Seattle on November 3, but Ali Alzabarah, a Saudi citizen, is presumably back in the Middle East.[403]
Transform Holdco LLC, which purchased nearly all of the assets of Sears Holdings Corp in February, announces that it will be closing 96 Sears and K-Mart stores across the country.[405]
Representative Eric Swalwell farts aloud while being interviewed on MSNBC by Chris Matthews, sparking #FartGate online. Swalwell denies ripping the fart and pins the blame on either Matthews or a moving mug.[416]
Walt Disney Animation Studios' 58th animated film, Frozen II, a sequel to 2013's Frozen, is released in theatres. Although critical reception is not as strong as its predecessor (though still positive), it is, to date, the animation studio's biggest commercial success (earning $1.450 billion), the tenth highest-grossing film of all time and the second highest-grossing animated film of all time behind The Lion King remake earlier in the year.
A federal judge rules that former White House counsel Don McGahn must testify to House impeachment investigators.[427] The Justice Department plans to appeal the ruling.[428]
Democrats in the House of Representatives announce formal charges against President Trump that accuse him of abusing power and obstructing Congress, making him the fourth U.S. president in history to face impeachment.[450]
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is left unable to intervene in trade disputes, after the U.S. blocks the appointment of new panel members.[452]
Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin controversially pardons or commutes sentences for 428 convicts, including child rapists and murderers; one commutation was for the brother of a family that raised $21,500 to pay off Bevin's campaign debt.[453][454]
December 15 – Hallmark Channel faces a backlash after pulling ads that show same-sex couples celebrating marriages.[459] The backlash caused an almost immediate reversal of the plan.[460]
A former employee of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints alleges that the Church illegally built a $100 billion investment fund intended for charitable purposes and owes billions in taxes. The Church denies the allegations.[464]
A judge temporarily blocks a North Carolina law that requires voter ID. Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein is undecided as to whether to appeal.[488]
The Food and Drug Administration officially raises the legal age for tobacco products, e-cigarettes, and vaping cartridges from 18 to 21.[489]
Personal income in the United States: Increase 0.5% in November 2019, compared to +0.1% in October; Wages and salaries increase 0.4% in November, compared to 0.5% in October.[499]
Current account deficit: Down $1.1 billion, or 0.9%, to $124.1 billion in the third quarter of 2019. The third quarter deficit was 2.3% of GDP.[499]
World Population Review rates the U.S. #2 in overall education, after the U.K.[503]
Programme for International Student Assessment (15-year olds): The OECD ranks the United States #24/63 with 1489 total points; 500 in reading (average 493), 487 in math (average 496), and 502 in science (average 501).[503]
Immigrants (2017, the year with the most recent figures): 44.4 million people, 13.6% of the total population; 77% are legally authorized and 45% are naturalized citizens.[505]
Country of origin of immigrant population (2017): Mexico (25%) China (6%), India (6%), the Philippines (5%) and El Salvador (3%). Regionally: South and East Asia (27%), Europe/Canada (13%), the Caribbean (10%), Central America (8%), South America (7%), the Middle East (4%) and sub-Saharan Africa (4%).[505]
Country of origin for new immigrants (2017): Total: 1,000,000; India (126,000 people), Mexico (124,000), China (121,000) and Cuba (41,000).[505]
Overstayed visas vs. illegal border crossings: The Center for Migration Studies of New York estimates that 62% of the undocumented immigrants in the U.S. had overstayed their visas versus 38% who crossed the border illegally.[506]
Population 330,193,593 (est, Dec 26); #3 in world.[513] Most populous: California (39,747,267) Least populous: Wyoming (572,381).[514]
Life expectancy: 78.6 years for a baby born in 2017, down from 78.7 years in 2016. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cites a 72% increase in overdoses in the last decade (including a 30% increase in opioid overdoses from July 2016 to September 2017), a ten-year increase in liver disease (men 25 to 34 increased by 8%; women by 11%), and a 33% increase in suicide rates since 1999.[515]
^Kumar, Devika Krishna (31 October 2019). "Keystone pipeline shut after spilling 9,000 barrels of oil in N. Dakota." Thomson Reuters Foundation News website Retrieved 1 November 2019.
Media related to 2019 in the United States at Wikimedia Commons