US executive branch text over image of White HouseThis report provides a snapshot of the US Executive Branch priorities via daily schedules and the prior day’s press releases.

POTUS’ Schedule*

*The US President (POTUS) and Vice President’s (VPOTUS) daily schedules are subject to change.

12:00 p.m. EDT – THE PRESIDENT participates in a roundtable with supporters | Washington, D.C.

1:15 p.m. EDT – THE PRESIDENT receives a briefing on Hurricane Laura | FEMA Headquarters

2:10 p.m. EDT – THE PRESIDENT arrives at the White House

10:30 p.m. EDT – THE PRESIDENT delivers his Acceptance Speech to the 2020 Republican National Convention | South Lawn

VPOTUS’ Schedule*

1:15 p.m. EDT – THE VICE PRESIDENT joins THE PRESIDENT for a briefing on Hurricane Laura | Washington, D.C.

2:30 p.m. EDT – THE VICE PRESIDENT leads a White House Coronavirus Task Force meeting | White House Situation Room

Looking Ahead:  On Friday, August 28, Vice President Pence will travel to Minnesota and Michigan.  In Duluth, Minnesota, the Vice President will deliver remarks at a Workers for Trump event.  Following, the Vice President will travel to Traverse City, Michigan, to deliver remarks on the Trump Administration’s record.  The Vice President will return to Washington, D.C., later that day.

On Saturday, August 29, Vice President Pence will travel to Franklin, Wisconsin, to deliver remarks to the 2020 graduating class at Wisconsin Lutheran College’s commencement ceremony.  He will return later that day to Washington, D.C.

Recap of Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Note: All bold hyperlinks spotlight COVID-19 and reopening developments.

The White House

  • Article: The Trump Administration Is Investing $1 Billion in Research Institutes to Advance Industries of the Future
  • Nominations: President Donald J. Trump Announces Judicial Nominee

Department of Defense (DOD)

Department of State

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is in Oman, the final planned stop of his trip, on August 27.

  • Daily Schedule | Thursday, August 27
  • August 26: Readout | Secretary Pompeo’s Meeting with Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa
  • August 26: Readout | Secretary Pompeo’s Meeting with Crown Prince of Bahrain, His Royal Highness Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa
  • August 26: Readout | Secretary Pompeo’s Meeting with United Arab Emirates Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and National Security Advisor Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan
  • August 26: Statement | On China’s Continued Coercion of the United Kingdom
  • August 26: Sanctions | U.S. Imposes Restrictions on Certain PRC State-Owned Enterprises and Executives for Malign Activities in the South China Sea
  • August 26: Transcript | Briefing With Senior State Department and Commerce Officials On State Department Visa Restrictions Placed on Individuals from the People’s Republic of China and Commerce Department Restrictions Placed on Chinese Corporate Entities
  • August 26: Statement | Rewards for Justice – Reward Offer for Information on Kidnapping of Mark Randall Frerichs and Paul Edwin Overby, Jr.

US Agency for International Development (USAID)

  • Press Release: Funding in Global Health, International Higher Education, Youth Empowerment, And Women’s Economic Empowerment Programs under the New Partnerships Initiative

US Mission to the United Nations (UN)

  • Remarks at a UN Security Council Arria-Formula Meeting on Cyber Attacks Against Critical Infrastructure (via VTC)
  • Remarks at a UN Security Council Briefing on the Situation in Iraq (via VTC)

Department of the Treasury

  • Statement by Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin, Governor for the United States of America, on the Occasion of the 2020 Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank Group

Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC)

  • Press Release: SEC Monitoring Impact of Hurricane Laura on Capital Markets
  • Press Release: Fee Rate Advisory #1 for Fiscal Year 2021
  • Press Release: SEC Adopts Rule Amendments to Modernize Disclosures of Business, Legal Proceedings, and Risk Factors Under Regulation S-K
  • Press Release: SEC Modernizes the Accredited Investor Definition
  • Press Release: SEC Charges BorgWarner for Materially Misstating its Financial Statements
  • Press Release: SEC Halts Fraudulent Offering by Florida Investment Adviser

Department of Justice

  • Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) | Daily Press Releases
  • Speech: Remarks of Deputy Attorney General Jeffery A. Rosen on Malign Foreign Influence in U.S. Elections
  • Statement by Department of Justice Spokesperson Kerri Kupec on the Execution of Lezmond Mitchell
  • Press Release: Department of Justice Announces Rules Furthering Lawfulness and Transparency in the Regulatory Process
  • Press Release: District Court Enters Permanent Injunction Shutting Down Telecom Carriers Who Facilitated Hundreds of Millions of Fraudulent Robocalls to Consumers in The United States
  • Press Release: Second Government Contracting Executive Pleads Guilty to Bribery Conspiracy Involving PBGC Contracts
  • Press Release: Ghanaian Citizen Extradited in Connection with Prosecution of Africa-Based Cybercrime and Business Email Compromise Conspiracy
  • Press Release: Minneapolis Woman Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Provide Material Support to Al-Qa’ida
  • Press Release: Three Texans, One New Yorker Indicted for Conspiracy to Sell Sanctioned Iranian Petroleum to Refinery in China for Millions in Profit
  • Press Release: Bosnian National Charged with Robbery and Firearms Offenses in Connection With Attack on New York City Police Officers
  • Press Release: Department of Justice Requesting Data From Governors of States that Issued COVID-19 Orders that May Have Resulted in Deaths of Elderly Nursing Home Residents
  • Press Release: Miami Neighbors Charged with COVID-Relief Fraud after Falsely Claiming to be Farmers
  • Press Release: Nevada Man Charged with Using COVID-Relief Funds to Buy House
  • Press Release: North Carolina State Legislator Pleads Guilty to Making a False Statement to a Bank
  • Press Release: Missouri Man Sentenced to 46 Months for Unlawful Possession of a Firearm

Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)/Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

  • Press Release: Weekly Update | DHS Response to COVID-19
  • Press Release: CISA, Treasury, FBI and USCYBERCOM Release Cyber Alert on Latest North Korea Bank Robbing Scheme
  • Press Release: CBP Makes Final Preparations for Arrival of Hurricane Laura (Washington, D.C.)
  • Press Release: CBP Seizes $111,500 Worth of Fentanyl at Calexico West Port of Entry (California)
  • Press Release: USBP & Partners Foil Maritime Smuggling Attempt (California)
  • Press Release: Tribal/Federal Collaboration Leads to Sex Offender Arrest (Arizona)
  • Press Release: Yuma Air Branch Conducts Life-Saving Rescue Operations (Arizona)
  • Press Release: World Trade Bridge Officers Intercept Hard Narcotics Worth Over $29 Million (Texas)
  • Press Release: Joint Efforts Leads to Multiple Stash House Disruptions in the RGV (Texas)
  • Press Release: Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol Arrests Sex Offender (Texas)
  • Press Release: Smugglers Put on Notice with the Deployment of New Asset in the RGV (Texas)

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

  • Press Release: FEMA Fire Management Assistance Granted for the Griffin Fire (Arizona)
  • Press Release: Proposed Flood Maps for Golden Valley County Reflect Changes to Local Flood Risk, Insurance Rates – 90-Day Period for Filing Appeals and Comments Begins September 3, 2020 (Montana)
  • Press Release: FEMA Awards Orange County $8.67 Million for Hurricane Irma Debris Removal (Florida)
  • Press Release: FEMA Awards Department of Juvenile Justice $2.22 Million for Dormitory Damaged by Hurricane Irma (Florida)
  • Press Release: FEMA approves nearly $5 million for Hurricane Michael recovery expenses (Florida)
  • Press Release: FEMA Invests $2.6 Million to Strengthen Puerto Rico’s Agriculture Industry

Department of Commerce

  • Sanctions: Commerce Department Adds 24 Chinese Companies to the Entity List for Helping Build Military Islands in the South China Sea

US Export-Import Bank (EXIM)

  • Press Release: EXIM Chairman and West Virginia Native Kimberly Reed Honors 30 West Virginia Companies Receiving Governor’s Export Award
  • Press Release: EXIM Board Member Judith Pryor Speaks at the Energy Storage Association Annual Conference

Department of Agriculture (USDA)

  • Press Release: EPA and USDA Announce Competition to Advance Agricultural Sustainability in the United States

Department of Energy

  • Press Release: Department of Energy Stands Ready to Respond to Hurricane Laura
  • Press Release: White House Office of Technology Policy, National Science Foundation and Department of Energy Announce Over $1 Billion in Awards for Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Information Science Research Institutes
  • Press Release: Department of Energy Announces $33 Million in Funding for Carbon Neutral Hybrid Electric Aviation

Department of Transportation

  • Press Release: U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao Announces $400 Million in Federal Funding Allocations for Four Transit Infrastructure Projects

Department of Labor

  • Press Release: U.S. Secretary of Labor Announces Award of Nearly $20 Million to Combat Opioid Crisis

Food & Drug Administration (FDA)

  • Press Release: FDA Authorizes First Diagnostic Test Where Results Can Be Read Directly From Testing Card
  • Press Release: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update | Daily Roundup August 26, 2020

US Government (USG) COVID-19 Webpages

Non-USG COVID Webpages

Johns Hopkins University & Medicine

Synopsis of President Trump’s Tweets

  • August 26: “We will NOT stand for looting, arson, violence, and lawlessness on American streets. My team just got off the phone with Governor Evers who agreed to accept federal assistance (Portland should do the same!)…”
  • August 26: “…TODAY, I will be sending federal law enforcement and the National Guard to Kenosha, WI to restore LAW and ORDER!”
  • August 26: “Hurricane Laura is a very dangerous and rapidly intensifying hurricane. My Administration remains fully engaged with state & local emergency managers to continue preparing and assisting the great people Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas. Listen to local officials. We are with you!”

  • August 26:  “Just In: Chinese State Media and Leaders of CHINA want Biden to win “the U.S. Election”.  If this happened (which it won’t), China would own our Country, and our Record Setting Stock Markets would literally CRASH!”