Welp, that was fast. The year 2018 is days away from coming to a close. So, as is our tradition, it’s time to take a look back with the OK WASSUP! Top 10 Stories of 2018.
Top News Today
Let’s start with the honorable mentions. Among the big stories of the year that didn’t quite make the Top 10 Stories of 2018 list are: the Cambridge Analytica scandal; the Hawaii emergency alert; Roseanne Barr show canceled; Trump cabinet turnover (Jeff Sessions, Rex Tillerson, John Kelly, Nikki Haley, James Mattis); Kim Jong Un-Donald Trump summit; Banksy painting self destructs.
Yes, those were all top stories, however here are the true TOP 10 STORIES OF 2018:
.
10.) MEGHAN MARKLE – PRINCE HARRY WEDDING
Royal bachelor, Prince Harry of Great Britain, was taken off the market this summer by American actress Meghan Markle, who happens to be biracial. In what was truly a first for the British monarchy, the royal nuptials saw the mother of the bride, a black woman, sitting across from Queen Elizabeth. as well as a “fire and brimstone” black preacher delivering the homily.
The new Duke and Duchess of Sussex are currently expecting a royal addition to the family in 2019.
.
9.) KHASHOGGI MURDER BY SAUDI CROWN PRINCE
On October 2nd, Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and never exited.
Initially, the Saudi Arabian government denied any knowledge of Khashoggi entering their consulate. Later, when security footage proved otherwise, they admitted he was dead but denied any involvement in his death. Eventually, the Saudi’s admitted Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate, claiming he had been strangled to death following a fight. This was contradicted on October 25th when Saudi Arabia’s attorney general admitted that not only was Khashoggi murdered and dismembered, but his murder was also premeditated.
The Saudi Crown Prince has since been implicated in ordering the execution. Interestingly, Donald Trump and his administration have turned a blind eye to the death of the American journalist and have all but excused the Saudi royal.
.
8.) CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES
The 2018 wildfire season is the most destructive and deadly wildfire season on record in California, with a total of 8,527 fires burning an area of 1,893,913 acres, the largest amount of burned acreage recorded in a fire season, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) and the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), as of December 21. The fires have caused more than $3.5 billion dollars in damages, including $1.792 billion in fire suppression costs. Through the end of August 2018, Cal Fire alone spent $432 million on operations. The Mendocino Complex Fire burned more than 459,000 acres, becoming the largest complex fire in the state’s history, with the complex’s Ranch Fire surpassing the Thomas Fire and the Santiago Canyon Fire of 1889 to become California’s single-largest recorded wildfire.
.
7.) CHILD SEPARATION AT BORDER
In 2018, the Trump administration began separating undocumented immigrants from their children after they had crossed the border. More than 2,000 children were separated from their parents at the border from April 19 to May 31 alone. An additional 81 children and 76 adults were separated from their family members during a period from June 21 through November 30.
Sadly, multiple children have died while in US custody, including an 8-year-old Guatemalan boy who died on Christmas morning while in US Customs and Border Protection custody.
.
6.) CHRISTINE BLASEY FORD/BRETT KAVANAUGH
The confirmation hearings for Judge Brett Kavanaugh to become a US Supreme Court Justice took an alarming turn when Christine Blasey Ford, a psychology professor, came forward with claims that Judge Kavanaugh assaulted her while they were teens.
Her dramatic testimony before a Senate committee provided prominence to the #MeToo movement. However, despite the assault testimony, Brett Kavanagh was still able to acquire the necessary votes to become a Supreme Court Justice.
.
5.) THAI CAVE BOYS
On June 23, 2018, 12 young soccer players went spelunking inside the Tham Luang Nang Non cave in Chiang Rai Province, Thailand and became trapped. For days, they went missing, until British cave divers discovered the boys alive on July 2nd and initiated a plan to rescue them.
Between July 8th and 10th, the world watched as divers risked their lives to remove each boy and their soccer coach 1 by 1. Although deeply malnutritioned, each of the boys and their coach survived the ordeal.
Sadly, Saman Kunan, a 37-year-old former Thai Navy SEAL died during the recuse mission after running out of oxygen.
.
4.) PARKLAND SCHOOL SHOOTING
On February 14, 2018, a gunman opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, killing 17 students and staff members and injuring 17 others.
The shooting gave birth to a new generation of activists who continue to call for stricter gun laws in the US so as to avoid any further school shootings.
.
3.) PASSAGES
The world lost a number of prominent personalities in 2018. Here they are in order of their passage:
Jerry Van Dyke, Edwin Hawkins (“Oh Happy Day”), Dennis Edwards (Temptations), John Mahoney (Martin Crane “Fraiser”), Mark Salling (Glee), Hugh Masekela (musician), Rev. Wyatt Tee Walker (advisor to Martin Luther King), Marty Allen (comedian),Vic Damone (crooner), Rev. Billy Graham, Nanette Fabray (actress), Stephen Hawking;
Charles Lazarus (ToysRUs founder), Hubert de Givenchy (designer), Linda Brown (Brown vs Board of Ed), Steven Bochco (TV producer), Winnie Mandela, Barbara Bush, Harry Anderson (NIGHT COURT actor), Verne Troyer (“Mini Me” actor AUSTIN POWERS), Margot Kidder (Lois Lane in SUPERMAN), Kate Spade (designer), Anthony Bourdain (chef CNN), Charles Krauthammer (Conservative commentator), Joe Jackson, Tab Hunter (1950’s actor and gay icon), Charlotte Rae (FACTS OF LIFE actor);
Aretha Franklin, Kofi Annan (former UN Secretary General), Robin Leach (Lifestyle of the Rich & Famous), Meadowlark Lemon (Harlem Globetrotters), Sen. John McCain, Neil Simon (playwright), Burt Reynolds, Bill Daily (I DREAM OF JEANNIE actor), Mac Miller (rapper), Arthur Mitchell (Dance Theatre of Harlem founder), Stan Lee (Marvel Comics), Tex Winter (“triangle” basketball coach), President George H.W. Bush, Nancy Wilson (singer), Penny Marshall (actor, director).
.
2.) ELECTION 2018
The midterm election of 2018 was a huge wake-up call for America and by far one of the Top 10 stories of 2018. Not only did Democrats regain control of the US House of Representatives in a clear rebuke of Donald Trump and his policies, but a series of election illegalities were uncovered.
Both the Florida and Georgia governor races warranted a recount, while a congressional race in North Carolina still remains undecided due to election fraud.
Perhaps the biggest positive out of the 2018 election is Beto O’Rourke, the US Senate candidate from Texas who came close to unseating conservative stalwart Ted Cruz. Fortunately, O’Rourke is currently considering a run for The White House in 2020.
.
And… the NUMBER 1
Top 10 Stories of 2018 is:
1.) THE MUELLER INVESTIGATION
After spending over a year playing his cards close to his vest, Special Investigator Robert Mueller began to show glimpses of his collusion case against Donald Trump.
Mueller gained valuable testimony from Trump’s former national security advisor, Michael Flynn, as well as Trump’s former attorney and fixer Michael Cohen. Both men cooperated with the government and provided a plethora of valuable information against ‘The Donald’ regarding his ties to Russia.
In 2018, Donald Trump was forced to shut down the Trump Foundation due to widespread fraud. This means neither Trump nor his adult children will be allowed to serve on the board of a nonprofit ever again. Additionally, Mueller is said to have information connecting Donald Trump to the infamous Trump Tower meeting with the Russians, as well as info on a proposed Trump Tower Moscow AND a criminal case that was redacted from publicly released files. Both of these are certain to spell trouble for the orange man in The White House in 2019.
.
So, did we get it right? What was your #1 Top 10 Stories of 2018?
