General History after 1997.
What happened: (Conspiracy part I'll post on admin boards)
SkyNET was able to hijack many forms of government communication following Judgment Day.
Emergency services and aid relief were given false and intentionally vague or misleading orders to delay emergency response and the care for survivors. Some orders actually led supply convoys into planned ambushes, scattering the highways of America with even more burning hulks.

Law Enforcement and city and county governments struggled to maintain order, and received further misleading directives to guide survivors out of their homes into "Safe Zones," which were later proven to be highly unsafe. This proved to be devastating to survivors on the Great Plains, but unsuccessful on the East and West coasts, as surviving universities were able to establish reliable radiological measurements for their entire regions, which indicated that some of these Safe Zones were highly radioactive.

Both human scientists and SkyNET were proven wrong regarding the concept of nuclear winter: Ash clouds temporarily concealed the sun, but never completely blocked it out enough to cause unlivable temperatures.

What players should actually know: (Posted publicly)
Environment:
Several areas were hit by nuclear weapons multiple times: New York City, San Francisco, the District of Columbia and Houston each suffered three nuclear detonations from large yield weapons. No EMP effects were detected in North America, so it was surmised that no attempt was done to cripple the United States' electronic capacity. In fact, many otherwise choice targets were missed, such as nuclear power plants in Southern California and Upstate New York.

Large swaths of the country were affected by nuclear fallout. As the week had been forecast to display large storm systems, wind currents deposited dangerous radioactive material on areas partially or even entirely unaffected by detonations. For at least a month, the radiological count for Cincinnati, Ohio was enough to cause moderate radiation poisoning, despite the nearest nuclear hit being far north in the state. Louisiana was doubly damaged by a Category 4 Hurricane that occurred the week after Judgment Day, causing widespread flooding in the already nuked New Orleans.

Anyone who was not able to take shelters in basements, cellars, parking garages or other forms of indoor protection would later die from radiation exposure: Violent crimes dropped to zero for a brief time as any criminals would be more concerned about tooth and hair loss. But for the brief time they had, they would have been able to notice that dead bodies were not rotting properly (even decomposers and scavengers were severely reduced in population), and that rain came down in the form of sickly black droplets that dirtied skin to the touch.

For most of the Continental United States, it was safe to emerge from their homes after approximately a month, although limited exposure was possible after two weeks. The survivors that emerged would notice the land covered in a thick layer of dust. The high amount of detonations carved away at the layers of the atmosphere and particularly the ozone: As a result, many would be subject to higher amounts of UV Radiation, which over the long term would lead to a prevalence of cataracts and skin cancers.

The Federal Government:
The Government's post-nuclear emergency response was absolutely dismal. Much emergency information was outdated and pre-recorded, with little consideration being towards current conditions. Safe zones designated before the attacks were often entirely unsecure and highly radioactive: many living in the Great Plains that were evacuated were decimated by large parties of raiders and radiation poisoning. Other areas of the United States with surviving universities and hospitals were able to use radiological equipment and utilized CB Radio to enable real-time monitoring of Fallout conditions. Government broadcasts were largely ignored, due to their perceived inaccuracy.

National Guard units weren't properly mobilized, due to the lack of any warning of nuclear attack and most National Guardsmen holding civilian jobs. It's said that the 101st Airborne Division and 10th Mountain were among the current remaining assets of the US Military, and acted with the full power of martial law. Much of 1997's National Guard that survived would be dispersed among the civilian population, as none were willing to leave their families.

Aid relief was either highly delayed or never came. In extremely devastated areas, survivors would witness entire convoys pass large groups of civilians without depositing a single food item. While it was rumored that the federal government was attempting to centralize its supply depots into safe areas, the fact that no one had actually seen these led many to think that the government was only prepared to feed its military and essential assets. This led to civil unrest in many areas, and oftentimes convoys were attacked by mobs of starving survivors. By the 2020's, when larger groups emerged with incredible military power, most survivors had little understanding of or any trust of the federal government.

The Local Government:
These townships and small cities were soon in the crosshairs of thousands of survivors, both from larger urban centers and other regions affected by nuclear blasts. Those that had not allied themselves with a larger coalition, or did not have a large enough resource to trade were quickly overwhelmed by the mass of people. Lack of supplies, coupled with a restless populace and an overworked police force meant that many towns simply devolved into lawlessness and chaos.

The complete lack of an official Federal response to these dangers suggested to many that the entire government had been neutralized on the East Coast, and that there would be no government help for quite some time. Rural and county authorities simply created their own coalitions as they awaited further orders from the Federal Government, if and when they came. Pooling their remaining resources together, these new organizations were able to survive longer and adapt to larger numbers of refugees. These "County-States" eventually would develop a wide-range of political systems, ranging from neo-democracies to even self-proclaimed monarchies and draconian dictatorships. Rumors abounded of Mormon enclaves in Utah, and Cannibal towns in the Deep South where "This is my body" became a very literal concept.

As time continued, and the government remained silent, many claimed to be the official continuation of the United States of America. In Wyoming and Ohio, The Allied States of America and The Republic of Columbus controlled much of their respective states, but the emergence of technologically advanced remnants of the US military in the 2010's quickly eliminated many of these powers above the former county level.

Life after the Bomb:
For most people after the nuclear apocalypse, survival represents their chief interest. Access to food is variable, with access to adequate clothing and shelter becoming even less so. With almost all industrial capacity destroyed, many clothes were scavenged or made by hand with whatever materials were on hand. Societies had reverted to those of the pre-industrial era. In more rural areas, people existed in small farming hamlets controlled by the county governments in a neo-feudal system. Other groups existed as nomads and caravans, traveling and trading between multiple areas along the former highways. The dangers, as such varied wildly. Nomadic groups and more isolated hamlets were often in danger of attack from motorized raiders and renegade military units, who would frequently rape and pillage communities with supplies.

The NORAD Remnant:
While little is known about the NORAD Remnant, they possess an incredibly high amount of military equipment and manpower: Some people even speculate that it is the legitimate, genuine surviving US military, due to its capacity to fuel even helicopters and armored vehicles. The Remnant also styles itself as such, and churns out a large amount of radio broadcasts that urge survivors to consolidate to its territory and enter its Federal Reconstruction Camps.