MASS SHOOTINGS: Continued to Plague the U.S.
Another year, another series of senseless mass shootings across America. The most shocking and deadliest was in Uvalde, Texas on May 24th, where a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School.
Making that tragedy even more shocking was that police there completely botched the response, waiting more than an hour to finally take out the 18-year-old gunman identified as Salvador Ramos.
That happened just 10 days after 10 people were shot to death in a Buffalo, New York supermarket.
More recently, five people were killed in a shooting at a Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia on November 22nd, and just days earlier on November 19th, five people were killed at a nightclub in Colorado Springs that caters to the LGBTQ community.
The nonprofit research group the Gun Violence Archive tracked at least 609 mass shootings through mid-November in which at least four people were killed or injured. (The New York Times)
ROE V WADE: Overturned
The Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade on June 24th.
The ruling came as no surprise after the leak of Samuel Alito‘s draft decision in May. The decision was 6-3, with all the conservative justices concurring — even Chief Justice John Roberts, who’s previously called Roe “settled law.”
The ruling doesn’t make abortion illegal — it simply allows states to pass their own laws one way or the other. Many Republican-majority states already had “trigger laws” on the books that made abortion illegal as soon as the overturn happened.
The case in question was actually brought by the state of Mississippi, which had passed a law making abortion illegal but had it overturned in federal court. (USA Today)
COVID-19: It Ain’t Over Until It’s Over
Though President Biden declared the COVID-19 pandemic “over” during an interview with 60 Minutes in September, it appears that proclamation was a bit premature.
Moving into the holidays, cases were once again on the rise in some states, following Thanksgiving gatherings and cooler weather forcing people indoors.
Biden’s retiring infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, provided a reality check in late November, noting that between 300 and 400 people are still dying for COVID everyday, and less than 15% of the population had gotten the latest vaccine booster to protect against the latest variant.
Fauci said, “I think the idea that forget it, this is over – it isn’t.” (CNBC)
UKRAINE: Russia Invaded But Ukrainians Fought Back
On February 24th, Russia invaded Ukraine with Russian President Vladimir Putin planning to annex Ukrainian territory, but Putin’s ploy didn’t go as planned.
Despite setbacks, Ukrainians have taken back several regions that were seized by Russian troops, but it appears there are no winners in this conflict, as thousands have been killed, millions displaced and whole cities destroyed.
The U.S. and its allies responded to the invasion with financial and trade sanctions against Russia.
Since the beginning of the conflict, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has remained defiant. Early on, the U.S. offered to evacuate him. He responded, “The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride.”
The U.S. and other allies have continued to supply Ukraine with weapons, military intelligence and money, while walking a delicate line of not getting so involved it would provoke Russia into a larger conflict. (Al Jazeera)
IMMIGRATION: Civil Rights Group Files Suit Against DeSantis
There was backlash over Florida Governor Ron DeSantis‘s decision to fly 50 migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard in September.
A civil rights group representing at least three of the migrants filed a class-action lawsuit against DeSantis and other officials from Florida, saying it was a “political stunt” and the transported migrants were lured with false promises.
This comes after Sheriff Javier Salazar of Bexar Country, Texas announced an investigation into the matter, alleging the migrants were lured to make the trip under false pretenses.
Salazar said, “What infuriates me the most about this case is that here we have 48 people that are already on hard times, right? They are here legally, in our country. At that point, they have every right to be where they are. And I believe that they were preyed upon.”
DeSantis claimed that transporting the migrants was a protest of President Biden‘s immigration policy and that the migrants willingly took the trip. (ABC News)
DEMOCRATS: Retained Senate Majority
On November 13th, Democrats celebrated retaining control of the Senate as Senator Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada was projected to win her race for re-election.
This came as the race for control of the House was still to be determined, but Republicans eventually got the votes to take control. Still, Democrats fought back the so-called “red wave” that was predicted to give the GOP control of both branches of Congress.
In her victory speech, Cortez Masto said, “When far-right Republicans said they knew better, I knew we would prove them wrong. This election, Nevadans rejected the far-right politicians working to divide us. We rejected their conspiracies, their attacks on our workers, and their efforts to restrict our freedoms.” (Washington Post)
THE HOUSE: Republicans Won Control
It took more than a week, but Republicans finally secured the 218 seats needed for the majority of the House of Representatives on November 16th. This will make it easier for the GOP to slow President Biden‘s policies, though their victory is by no means is a mandate from the voting public.
Despite the poor economic conditions and a general uneasiness in the nation, the “red wave” Republicans were hoping for never developed in the midterm elections.
The Republicans’ victory in the House, however, means that Biden will now face a divided government for the final two years of his term, with Democrats retaining control of the Senate. (Los Angeles Times)
DONALD TRUMP: Announced 2024 Presidential Bid
Although many of the candidates he endorsed lost in a big way in the midterm elections, Donald Trump announced his candidacy for president for the third time on November 15th, once again promising to “make America great again.”
In a speech from his Mar-a-Lago resort, Trump said, “In order to make America great and glorious again, I am tonight announcing my candidacy for president. I am running because I believe the world has not yet seen the truth and glory of what this nation can be.”
Trump’s announcement comes after the so-called red wave of Republican candidates failed to win big in the midterms, with Democrats retaining control of the Senate. One Republican who did win by a healthy majority was Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who will likely be Trump’s major rival for the GOP nomination for president. (Los Angeles Times)
QUEEN ELIZABETH: Died at 96
The longest-reigning monarch in British history, Queen Elizabeth the Second, died on September 8th, 2022. She was 96.
- She was born on April 21st, 1926 to Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother) and George the Sixth.
- Elizabeth married Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh, in 1947.
- Their four children include Prince Charles, who is now King.
- She was the head of state for the majority of Britain’s transition from empire to commonwealth.
- Elizabeth was the first reigning monarch to visit Australia, New Zealand and Ireland. She was also the first to open a session of Canada’s Parliament and to attend a joint session of the United States Congress.
- In addition to her four children, she leaves behind eight grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
- Although she did come under scrutiny on numerous occasions, particularly following the death of Lady Diana Spencer, Elizabeth largely enjoyed enthusiastic popularity in Britain and abroad.
- Her life has been chronicled in the Netflix series The Crown.
SUPREME COURT: Ketanji Brown Jackson Confirmed
The Senate confirmed Ketanji Brown Jackson as the next Associate Justice of the Supreme Court on April 7th.
She prevailed by a vote of 53-47. Republicans Susan Collins, Mitt Romney and Lisa Murkowski joined all 50 Democrats in voting for her. She became the first Black female Justice upon Stephen Breyer‘s retirement this summer.
The makeup of the court remains 6-3 in favor of conservatives. (ABC News)
ELON MUSK: Took Over Twitter
Elon Musk officially took over Twitter on October 27th, after his much-delayed $44 billion deal to buy the company finally closed.
One of Musk’s first acts was to give several top executives the boot. Then he eliminated half the company’s workforce, letting thousands of employees know they were fired in an E-mail.
Among those fired were CEO Parag Agrawal, chief financial officer Ned Segal and Vijaya Gadde, head of legal policy, trust and safety — as well as Sean Edgett, the company’s general counsel, sources said.
Musk initially said, “Twitter obviously cannot become a free-for-all hellscape, where anything can be said with no consequences!” Yet the site remained chaotic in the following weeks. (Washington Post)
ALEX JONES: Ordered to Pay an Additional $1.5 Billion to Sandy Hook Families
On November 10th, Alex Jones was ordered to pay another $473 million to Sandy Hook families for spreading false conspiracy theories about the 2012 school shooting. He now owes a total of $1.5 billion in damages.
In October, Jones was ordered to pay nearly $1 billion after losing his defamation trial.
The InfoWars founder had claimed that the 2012 attack, in which 20 first graders and six educators were killed, was a hoax. (NBC News)
WORLD SERIES: Astros Were Champs Again
On November 5th, the Houston Astros became World Series champions once again, after beating the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 in Game 6.
Houston beat the Phillies four-games-to-two and won the title on their home field — Minute Maid Park.
It’s the second time the Astros have taken the title in six years, but 2017’s championship was tainted when it was discovered that they were using a camera to steal signs and relayed the information to batters by banging on a trash can.
They went on to appear in the World Series again in 2019 and in 2021, but lost both times on their home field to the Nationals and the Braves, respectively.
Yet on November 5th, they finally had their hometown celebration after Yordan Alvarez smashed a homer in the sixth inning to clinch the title. (MLB.com)
SUPER BOWL: Rams Were Champs!
The Los Angeles Rams won their first Super Bowl in Los Angeles on February 13th as they came back to beat the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 at SoFi Stadium.
The Rams were led by quarterback Matthew Stafford, who threw for three touchdowns. The Rams defense also came up big with Aaron Donald and Von Miller combining to sack Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow seven times.
With the win, Los Angeles became the second straight NFL team to win the Super Bowl on their home field. (The Tampa Bay Buccaneers did it last year).
The game was close throughout, but the Rams were able to pull ahead with just 1:25 remaining in the fourth quarter when Stafford hit Cooper Kupp on a one-yard touchdown pass. Kupp was named the game’s MVP. (Los Angeles Times)
WARRIORS CHAMPS: Golden State Defeated the Boston Celtics
The Golden State Warriors were NBA Champs once again. On June 16th, they beat the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of the NBA Finals 103-90 to take the series four games to two.
Making the victory even more painful for Boston was that it came on their home floor. The Warriors are only the second visiting team to clinch a championship on the Celtics home floor. The first was the Los Angeles Lakers in 1985.
The Warriors were led by Steph Curry, who blew through the Boston defense to score 34 points and was name Finals MVP. (Los Angeles Times)
BRITTNEY GRINER: Detained in Russia
On October 25th, a Russian judge denied Brittney Griner‘s appeal of her nine-year prison sentence and ordered her to be moved to a penal colony.
The 32-year-old WNBA star, who was detained in February and later convicted for possession of cannabis oil, was hoping to have her prison sentence reduced. Instead, the judge upheld the sentence and now Griner’s best hope for release lies with the U.S. government’s attempts to free her in a prisoner swap with Russia, which has been in the works for several months.
Griner read a statement at the October hearing saying she “did not intend” to bring the vape canisters into the country and was hoping the judge would reduce her sentence because she pleaded guilty to the charges and her time so far behind bars has been “stressful” and “traumatic.” U.S. officials and Brittney’s wife, Cherelle Griner, insist she is being wrongfully detained and used as a political pawn. (NBC News)