Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
AP’s top story of 2019, the impeachment of President Donald Trump, will continue in 2020.
House Democrats’ charges against Trump AP’s top story for ’19
THE DRIVE BY the Democratic-led House of Representatives to impeach President Donald Trump was the top news story of 2019, according to The Associated Press’ annual poll. The selections for Associated Press story of the year were made by a panel of editors and managers from newspaper, TV station and AP newsrooms around the globe.
A year ago, the mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida — which killed 17 students and staff and sparked nationwide student-led marches for gun control — was voted the top news story of 2018.
The first AP top-stories poll was conducted in 1936, when editors chose the abdication of Britain’s King Edward VIII.
Impeachment was also voted the top story of the year the last time it happened, in 1998 over the Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky scandal.
Here are 2019’s top 10 stories, in reverse order:
10. Hong Kong
Normally stable Hong Kong was wracked by months of massive and sometimes violent protests. The provocation was an extradition bill that many viewed as a sign of creeping Chinese control. But demands multiplied as residents sought to safeguard Hong Kong’s freedoms. During months of clashes, riot police fired 26,000 tear-gas and rubber-baton rounds and arrested more than 6,100 people.
9. Boeing jets grounded
Air safety regulators worldwide grounded the Boeing 737 Max jet after one of the planes crashed in Ethiopia, killing 157 people. That occurred five months after another 737 Max crashed off the coast of Indonesia, killing 189. In both crashes, investigators say, a faulty sensor caused a flight control system to push the nose of the plane down, and pilots were unable to regain control. The grounding of the Max has cost Boeing and other airlines billions of dollars. Boeing said it will temporarily stop producing the jet in January.
8. US-China trade war
The world’s two biggest economies skirmished throughout the year in a tit-for-tat trade war. Just ahead of December’s holiday season, the United States and China announced a limited deal, with the U.S. dropping plans to impose new tariffs and China agreeing to allow more U.S. agricultural imports. But the deal falls short of the demands that Trump issued when he launched the trade war. More talks will be needed.
7. Brexit
Throughout the year, Britain was divided over its pending departure from the European Union. Brexit supporter Boris Johnson became prime minister and soon lost key votes in Parliament and the Supreme Court. But he succeeded in calling national elections, and his Conservative Party won a resounding victory, seemingly assuring that the exit from the EU would take place.
6. Climate change
The Trump administration began the process of withdrawing the United States from the Paris agreement to curb emissions, and U.N. climate talks ended with no major breakthrough as largescale polluters balked at intensifying the fight against global warming. Across the world, Greta Thunberg and other young activists called for tougher action as weather data indicated 2019 probably would be the second-hottest year on record.
5. Opioids
State and local governments went to court seeking compensation from drug companies for the costs of the long-running opioid epidemic. One of the major companies, OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma, declared bankruptcy, seeking protection from its creditors as it sought to settle more than 2,700 lawsuits. The epidemic has killed more than 400,000 people in the U.S. since 2000.
4. Mass shootings
A Walmart store crowded with shoppers in El Paso, Texas, was targeted by a gunman who killed 22 people before his arrest. Police say the suspect posted anti-Hispanic writings online before the attack, and the massacre sent chills through Latino communities. It was one of several mass shootings in the U.S. Targets included a garlic festival in
Gilroy, California; the exterior of a bar in Dayton, Ohio, and a municipal building in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
3. Trump-Russia probe
After a two-year investigation, special counsel Robert Mueller told Congress he did not find sufficient evidence to charge a criminal conspiracy between the Trump presidential campaign and Russia. But Mueller testified that Trump was not cleared of obstructing justice. The investigation was opened by the FBI in July 2016 and taken over by Mueller in May 2017. He charged six Trump associates with various crimes and 25 Russians accused of interfering in the election. Mueller’s congressional testimony and long-awaited report outlining Russian interference in the 2016 election were among the biggest moments of the year.
2. Immigration
The Trump administration carried out new immigration enforcement measures in the face of a crisis that saw record numbers of migrant families arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border. Several immigrant children died after being held in U.S. custody, children were found living in squalid conditions at cramped border facilities, and global outrage peaked after the publication of a photograph showing a drowned father and his toddler daughter in the Rio Grande across from Texas. Trump also freed up billions of dollars in Pentagon money to build his border wall and imposed new rules that has forced tens of thousands of asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their immigration cases play out in the U.S.
1. Trump impeachment
Led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrats moved to impeach the president based on allegations that he abused the power of his office by enlisting a foreign government to investigate a political rival. The articles of impeachment also accused Trump of obstructing Congress’ oversight like “no president” in U.S. history. But Democrats failed in their bid for a bipartisan action: No Republicans in Congress broke with the president. Trump and Republicans mocked the process as a “sham” and insisted he did nothing wrong.