August 13

Election deadline: Vermont Governor Primary 2028

Voting for Vermont Governor Primary 2028 occurs on this date. Offices on ballot: U.S. House (1 seat); Governor; State Legislature; President. See the linked election record for registration, early voting, and mail ballot deadlines.

Federal court denies injunction against California climate disclosure laws

The US District Court for the Central District of California denied a motion for preliminary injunction on August 13, 2025, ruling that the US Chamber of Commerce had not demonstrated a likelihood of success on its First Amendment claims against SB 253 and SB 261. The court applied a commercial speech standard rather than strict scrutiny, finding that California had substantial interests in requiring climate disclosures from large corporations. Plaintiffs immediately prepared to appeal to the Ninth Circuit.

Environmental groups sue Trump over suppressed climate report

A coalition of environmental groups filed suit in federal court after the Trump administration withheld the federally mandated National Climate Assessment, which was completed under Biden but shelved before publication. The report documented accelerating climate impacts across all US regions. The administration had dismissed its own expert authors and blocked public release, prompting legal action under the Global Change Research Act of 1990.

63 Members of Congress Resign in Modern-Era Record Exodus

Sixty-three members of Congress resigned in a single month, the highest number in modern American history, citing toxic partisanship, threats to democratic institutions, and personal safety concerns. The exodus spanned both parties but was weighted toward moderate Republicans and Democrats who had publicly criticized the administration. Political scientists noted the vacancies would give the dominant party outsized influence in replacement appointments and special elections.

Kari Lake Assumes Voice of America Control Without Legal Authority

Kari Lake moved to take control of Voice of America without legal authorization, assuming operational command over the federally funded broadcaster despite lacking a lawful appointment. The action bypassed the U.S. Agency for Global Media's independent board structure and raised immediate concerns about the administration seizing control of a congressionally mandated independent news outlet.

White House Retreats From Ukraine Peace as Trump-Putin Summit Excludes Ukraine

The White House walked back earlier commitments to a Ukrainian role in peace negotiations after Trump confirmed the Alaska summit with Putin would not include Ukrainian representatives. Press Secretary statements reversed previous pledges that Ukraine would have a seat at any peace table. European allies and Kyiv condemned the exclusion as a surrender of Ukrainian negotiating rights.

Trump ties opposition to USPS funding to preventing mail-in voting in Fox Business interview

In an interview on Fox Business, President Trump explicitly states that he is blocking $25 billion in emergency USPS funding specifically because he wants to prevent universal mail-in voting. He states "if they don't get those two items, that means you can't have universal mail-in voting because they're not equipped to have it." The statement, unprecedented in its directness, confirms what Democrats and election law experts had been arguing, that the administration's financial pressure on USPS is designed to limit ballot delivery ahead of the November 3 general election.

Gunman kills Arkansas Democratic Party chair Bill Gwatney at party headquarters

Timothy Dale Johnson entered Arkansas Democratic Party headquarters in Little Rock, demanded to see state party chair and former state senator Bill Gwatney, and shot him. Gwatney died later that day; Johnson was killed by police after a chase. Investigators did not identify a clear political motive, but the victim was a party leader and former elected official attacked at a party office.

Reagan signs Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act replacing LIEAP with LIHEAP

President Reagan signs the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981 (P.L. 97-35), establishing the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) as Title XXVI of the law. LIHEAP replaces the predecessor LIEAP with a block grant structure that gives states more flexibility. The program is authorized at $1.875 billion for FY1982 through FY1984. Unlike LIEAP, LIHEAP allows funds to cover cooling costs without medical necessity and sets income eligibility at the higher of 150% of the poverty line or 60% of state median income. The bill also makes sweeping domestic budget cuts across dozens of social programs.

Reagan Signs Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act Cutting Federal Social Spending by $35 Billion

President Ronald Reagan signed the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981 (Public Law 97-35) on August 13, 1981, cutting roughly $35 billion in projected fiscal year 1982 spending and about $130 billion over three years. Office of Management and Budget Director David Stockman drove the cuts, and Rep. Phil Gramm of Texas co-sponsored the substitute Gramm-Latta II package that bypassed House Democratic leadership. The law tightened AFDC eligibility, cut food stamps, reduced Medicaid grants to states, and eliminated CETA public service jobs.

East Germany builds Berlin Wall, Kennedy deploys 1,500 reinforcements along Autobahn to West Berlin

East German troops begin erecting the Berlin Wall on August 13, 1961, sealing the border between East and West Berlin to stop a refugee exodus that had seen 3.5 million East Germans flee to the West since 1945. President John Kennedy sends Vice President Lyndon Johnson and retired General Lucius Clay to West Berlin as a show of resolve, then dispatches a 1,500-troop battle group along the Autobahn to reinforce the Berlin garrison. The Wall becomes the Cold War's most visible symbol and the central justification for maintaining U.S. troops in Germany for three more decades.