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April 2: Rod Blagojevich, the former governor of Illinois charged with attempting to sell President Obama's vacated senate seat to the highest bidder, is indicted on 19 charges, 16 of them felonies.
March 11: The government begins to intervene in the U.S. financial system to avoid a crisis. The Fed
March 11: The government begins to intervene in the U.S. financial system to avoid a crisis. The Federal Reserve outlines a $200 billion loan program that lets the country's biggest banks borrow Treasury securities at discounted rates and post mortgage-backed securities as collateral. March 16: The Federal Reserve approves a $30 billion loan to… Read more
June 4: In a speech during a visit to Cairo, Egypt, President Obama calls for "a new beginning betwe
June 4: In a speech during a visit to Cairo, Egypt, President Obama calls for "a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world," asking for new alliances based on mutual respect and common interests.
April 30: Justice David H. Souter announces he is retiring from the U.S. Supreme Court when the curr
April 30: Justice David H. Souter announces he is retiring from the U.S. Supreme Court when the current term ends in June. He was appointed by President George H. W. Bush in 1990. This will be the first Supreme Court pick for President Obama.
March 12: Bernard Madoff, who has admitted to operating a massive Ponzi scheme that defrauded his ma
March 12: Bernard Madoff, who has admitted to operating a massive Ponzi scheme that defrauded his many clients out of billions of dollars over the past 20 years, pleads guilty to 11 counts of fraud, money laundering, perjury and theft. The judge revoked bail and remanded the financial swindler due to his relatively high flight risk.
Oct. 1: The U.S. Senate ratifies an agreement that allows India to buy nuclear fuel on the world mar
Oct. 1: The U.S. Senate ratifies an agreement that allows India to buy nuclear fuel on the world market for its reactors as long as it uses the fuel for civilian purposes only.
Sep. 29: An internal inquiry by the U.S. Justice Department's inspector general and its Office of Pr
Sep. 29: An internal inquiry by the U.S. Justice Department's inspector general and its Office of Professional Responsibility reports "significant evidence that political partisan considerations were an important factor in the removal of several of the U.S. attorneys." (Nine federal prosecutors were fired in 2006.)
Sep. 4: Sen. John McCain accepts the the Republican presidential nomination.
June 3: On the final day of the 2008 primary season, Sen. Barack Obama secures 2,154 delegates and b
June 3: On the final day of the 2008 primary season, Sen. Barack Obama secures 2,154 delegates and becomes the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. He's the first black candidate to head a major party ticket in a presidential election. Aug. 28: Obama accepts the Democratic presidential nomination, becoming the first African American to be… Read more
June 26: The U.S. Supreme Court rules, 5 to 4, that the Constitution protects an individual's right to possess a gun, but insists that the ruling "is not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose."
Dec. 19: President George W. Bush announces plans to lend General Motors and Chrysler $17.4 billion to survive the next three months.
May 20: Senator Edward Kennedy, a Democrat from Massachusetts who's been in office since 1963, is di
May 20: Senator Edward Kennedy, a Democrat from Massachusetts who's been in office since 1963, is diagnosed with malignant glioma, a brain tumor.
March 6: Unemployment in the U.S., which has been steadily growing for several months, reaches 8.1% in February 2009. This is the highest rate since 1983.
May 15: California's Supreme Court rules, 4 to 3, that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry.
March 18: Sen. Barack Obama delivers a pivotal speech on race, denouncing the provocative remarks on
March 18: Sen. Barack Obama delivers a pivotal speech on race, denouncing the provocative remarks on race made by his former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Jr., but explains that the complexities of race in America have fueled anger and resentment among many African Americans.
March 8: President George W. Bush, saying intelligence officials must have "all the tools they need to stop the terrorists," vetoes legislation that would have outlawed all methods of interrogation that are banned in the Army Field Manual, which prohibits waterboarding and other harsh techniques that have been used by the CIA.
Feb. 5: Arizona senator John McCain emerges as the clear front runner among Republicans in the Super
Feb. 5: Arizona senator John McCain emerges as the clear front runner among Republicans in the Super Tuesday primary races. On the Democratic side, New York senator Hillary Clinton wins big states such as California and Massachusetts, but Illinois senator Barack Obama takes more states.
Jan. 3: The presidential primary season begins with Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Mike Huckab
Jan. 3: The presidential primary season begins with Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Mike Huckabee.
March 4: Sen. John McCain has enough delegates to secure the Republican presidential nomination.
Nov. 4: Voters in California narrowly pass a ballot measure, Proposition 8, that overturns the May 1
Nov. 4: Voters in California narrowly pass a ballot measure, Proposition 8, that overturns the May 15, 2008, California Supreme Court decision that said same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry.
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