2020–Ongoing

Philippines signs Visiting Forces Agreement with France

Nationwide transport strike in Philippines protests fuel prices and energy crisis

Power outage hits parts of Northern San Diego County and Orange County, including Laguna Niguel, Laguna Hills, and San Clemente

Fire destroys major egg production facility in Corwith, Iowa, killing flocks and injuring firefighter

Nicolás Maduro appears in New York federal court following U.S. capture

Government officials report gradual restoration after a second grid failure in a week leaves nearly the entire population without electricity, with hospitals, communications, and food systems severely disrupted

Jury finds Meta and YouTube liable in social media addiction lawsuit and orders damages

Trump appoints Mark Zuckerberg, Jensen Huang, Larry Ellison, and Sergey Brin to federal technology advisory council

Philippines moves to secure oil from sanctioned countries with U.S. approval

Philippines suspends electricity spot market as prices surge during energy crisis

Philippines suspends fuel taxes to control rising energy costs

Jury finds Meta and YouTube liable in social media addiction lawsuit and awards $6 million in damages

Gulf states warn U.N. that ongoing strikes threaten regional energy stability

Trump appoints Mark Zuckerberg, Jensen Huang, Larry Ellison, and Sergey Brin to federal technology advisory council

Gulf states warn Iranian attacks threaten regional stability and energy supply

European Union meets with major tech companies over AI competition concerns

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. declares national energy emergency amid global oil disruptions

OpenAI shuts down its Sora video platform, ending its deal with Disney

A large-scale airstrike hits a hospital in Kabul, killing hundreds and injuring more, marking a major escalation in ongoing regional conflict

Cuba’s grid collapses again days after partial restoration

CBS News shuts down its 99-year-old CBS News Radio and lays off staff

CBS News shuts down CBS News Radio and lays off about 6% of staff

Trump administration releases national AI framework to centralize federal policy

White House releases national AI framework for regulation and development

Attacks on Iranian and Gulf energy infrastructure disrupt oil and gas supply

Israeli strikes hit Iranian-linked gas facilities as Iran-linked forces threaten Gulf shipping routes

Iran-linked forces retaliate with strikes affecting Gulf energy routes

Israeli strikes hit Iranian-linked energy infrastructure in the Persian Gulf

Cuba’s national electrical grid collapses, leaving most of the country without power

OpenAI signs agreement with Amazon Web Services to supply AI systems to U.S. government agencies

OpenAI signs agreement with Amazon Web Services to provide AI tools to U.S. government agencies

OpenAI signs deal to sell AI services to U.S. agencies through Amazon Web Services

Airstrike on hospital in Kabul kills hundreds during regional conflict escalation

Anthropic sues U.S. Department of Defense over restrictions on AI sales to the military

Anthropic files lawsuit over restrictions on selling AI systems to the Pentagon

Nationwide blackout hits Cuba after power plant failure amid fuel shortages

OpenAI signs agreement to deploy AI systems on U.S. government networks

OpenAI raises tens of billions of dollars from investors including major tech firms

Paramount Skydance agrees to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, including HBO

Environmental Protection Agency repeals 2009 endangerment finding on greenhouse gases

House of Representatives passes SAVE America Act requiring proof of citizenship to vote

Federal regulators propose expansion of lower-cost, high-deductible health plans

Pandemic-era Affordable Care Act subsidies expire, ending expanded coverage for millions

Trump administration expands sanctions to block third-party oil shipments to Cuba

White House proposes healthcare plan focused on direct payments to consumers

U.S. cuts off Venezuelan oil flows to Cuba following Maduro’s removal

OpenAI and SoftBank invest $1 billion in energy company building AI data centers

U.S. launches military operation in Caracas, captures President Nicolás Maduro

Shipping routes in the Red Sea are disrupted by attacks on commercial vessels

White House announces plan to create a unified national AI policy

Disney invests $1 billion in OpenAI and licenses characters for Sora video platform

Paramount-backed group submits competing bid for Warner Bros. Discovery

Netflix opens talks to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery’s film and TV assets

Amazon expands use of video content to drive retail sales during holiday season

Federal Reserve signals interest rates will remain high into 2026

U.S. elections result in narrow margins in Congress

U.S. officials increase pressure on TikTok to separate from Chinese ownership

Amazon expands integration of Prime Video into its shopping and advertising systems

YouTube becomes the most-watched video platform on U.S. televisions

Disney tells investors it will focus on streaming profits instead of subscriber growth

California passes law restricting unauthorized use of AI-generated likeness and voice

Congress passes a temporary funding bill days before shutdown deadline

OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank announce new Stargate AI data center sites in the U.S. and abroad

Major data breach hits federal agencies.

Art patron Agnes Gund dies at age 87.

President Trump requires new H-1B visa petitions filed after Sept 21, 2025, to include a one-time $100,000 fee, in effect until Sept 21, 2026.

ABC suspends Jimmy Kimmel’s late night talk show over comments about Charlie Kirk’s assassination.

UC Berkeley shares list of participants in “antisemitic” activities with the Trump administration.

Charlie Kirk assassinated.

Protests organized on Discord erupt around the Nepalese Parliament.

Judge Allison D. Burroughs finds the Trump Administration’s freeze on Harvard’s federal funding illegal, citing the University’s free speech rights.

CBS begins restructuring its news division toward digital and streaming

Paramount Global lays off staff across CBS News divisions

Avant-garde director Robert Wilson dies at 83.

Columbia University agrees to pay Trump Administration $200 Million.

Ari Aster’s film Eddington, a dystopian neo-western about the COVID pandemic, premieres in the United States.

Texas floods kill over 130.

Melissa Hortman is assassinated.

Record heat wave scorches East Coast.

The Whitney suspends the ISP.

Mid-Atlantic flooding submerges towns.

Cardinal Robert Prevost elected Pope Leo XIV.

Pope Francis dies at age 88.

Harvard University sues Trump administration.

CDC reports highest measles cases in 25 years.

Severe storms devastate the South.

White House imposes broad tariffs.

Trump signs executive order “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.”

DoGE seeks to dismantle the U.S. DoE.

Trump administration freezes $400 million in federal funding to Columbia University.

Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist and doctoral student at Columbia University, is arrested by ICE in the lobby of his apartment building in Manhattan.

Mid-air collision over the Potomac River.

TikTok voluntarily suspends its services in the United States.

Los Angeles wildfires force mass evacuations.

The CDC reports multi-state measles outbreak.

The CEO of UnitedHealthcare, is shot and killed by a gunman.

Kamala Harris appears on Call Her Daddy.

Donald Trump survives second assasination attempt.

Joe Biden drops out of the United States presidential race.

Donald Trump survives assassination attempt at rally in Butler, Pennsylvania

20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks shoots at Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania.

First Biden–Trump presidential debate raises concerns about both candidates

Apple announces integration of ChatGPT into iOS and macOS

Donald Trump is convicted on felony charges in New York hush money case

ChatGPT 4 omni, a version of the AI software that can generate images and audio, is released.

Morrison Hall, which houses Princeton African American Studies department, is locked.

Protestors at Princeton stage a peaceful sit-in at Clio Hall.

Students establish Princeton’s Gaza Solidarity encampment at 7:00 am.

Biden signs foreign aid package funding Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan

Columbia University arrests students during Gaza solidarity protests

Alex Garland’s film Civil War premieres in the United States.

Moscow concert hall attack kills over 100 people

Judith Butler’s Who’s Afraid of Gender is published.

U.S. House passes bill that could force TikTok to be sold or banned

AT&T outage disrupts cellular service across the United States

Alabama Supreme Court rules frozen embryos can be considered children

Princeton University dean restricts use of generative AI in coursework

Generative AI banned by Princeton University Dean.

SEC approves spot Bitcoin ETFs for public trading

An-My Lê: Between Two Rivers / Giữa hai giòng sông / Entre deux rivières opens at the Museum of Modern Art.

Elon Musk buys Twitter for 44 Billion USD.

David Velasco is fired from Artforum.

Hamas-led militant groups attack Southern Israel; used as justification for escalation of Israeli settlements.

Elon Musk renames Twitter, X.

The Supreme Court strikes down race-based affirmative action.

Sotheby’s buys Marcel Breuer’s Upper East Side Museum.

Sarah Sze: Timelapse opens at the Guggheim Museum in New York.

ChatGPT 4 is released.

Tortuguita, a Stop Cop City activist, is killed.

Sam Bankman-Fried is arrested in the Bahamas

OpenAI releases ChatGPT

U.S. midterm elections result in divided Congress

Ethereum completes “The Merge” to proof-of-stake

Biden signs Inflation Reduction Act into law

FBI searches Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence

Illinois eliminates cash bail statewide

Supreme Court limits EPA authority to regulate emissions

Roe v. Wade overturned.

The issue of transgender athletes emerges.

Death toll from COVID-19 surpasses 1 million.

WHO announces outbreak of monkeypox.

Politico publishes leaked draft of Supreme Court opinion overturning Roe v. Wade

Elon Musk reaches agreement to acquire Twitter

Images from Bucha reveal civilian killings in Ukraine

Federal Reserve raises interest rates for the first time since 2018

Russia launches full-scale invasion of Ukraine

Russia invades Ukraine.

Elizabeth Holmes is found guilty of fraud in Theranos trial

Don’t Look Up is released.

FDA approves first COVID-19 vaccine.

Cop City is approved by Atlanta City Council; Stop Cop City emerges.

Joe Biden signs the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law, making Juneteenth a federal holiday.

Beeple’s NFT, Everydays: The First 5000 Days, sells at auction for $69 million.

GameStop short squeeze.

Donald Trump is impeached for the second time.

Donald Trump supporters storm the Capitol.

The US FDA issues an emergency use authorization for the second COVID-19 mrna vaccine developed by Moderna.

A US nurse is the first person to receive the COVID-19 vaccine outside of clinical trials.

The US FDA issues an emergency use authorization for the first COVID-19 mrna vaccine developed by Pfizer-Biontech.

Joe Biden elected president.

The US FDA approves the drug remdesivir to treat COVID-19.

Universities remain online.

Lockdowns lifted as social life moves outside; Black Lives Matter protests persist across the country.

First interview published in November.

2020 would see the removal of over 100 confederate monuments across the United States. Some were toppled during protests and some were removed by state actors.

AMNH requests that Theodore Roosevelt monument be removed.

The Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone is established in Portland, Oregon.

#BlackoutTuesday

Demonstrations emerge around the world in response to Floyd’s murder.

Derek Chauvin murders George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Zoom reaches 300 million daily users.

Trump cuts funding to the WHO while his administration investigates that group's handling of the pandemic.

Data is released that suggests that black residents are dying at a higher rates than white residents of Chicago.

COVID-19 deaths in the United States surpass 100,000.

New Yorkers clap and bang pots at 7:00 pm in solidarity with essential workers.

New York City shuts down the public school system.

Princeton and Columbia University close to students.

Classes begin to be conducted on Zoom.

New Rochelle, New York is declared a “containment area.”

The WHO declares the novel coronavirus a pandemic.

The NIH states that COVID-19 is likely to reach “pandemic proportions.”

The phrase “flatten the curve” enters the popular vernacular.

The term COVID-19 is first used to refer to the virus.

The NIH imposes a moratorium on elective medical procedures.

The WHO names the cause of this sickness the “2019 Novel Coronavirus.”

NIH begins developing a 2019 Novel Coronavirus Vaccine.

Wuhan locksdown.

The first case of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus is documented in the United States.

China makes the genetic sequence of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus public.

Individuals report experiencing pneumonia-like symptoms in Wuhan, China.