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The big news stories you may have missed while you were off
Good morning,
It’s good to be back. I hope your break was what you needed. I’m sorry to say the news didn’t stop while we were away. Let’s catch up:
A tsunami in Indonesia. At least 429 people were killed and more than 1,400 people injured after a tsunami struck coastal areas of Java, the country’s most populous island. Officials said the waves were caused by underwater activity from a volcanic island.
The US government is still shut down. Now President Donald Trump says if the Democrats don’t agree to fund his border wall, he will order the closure of the border with Mexico — a highly dramatic move that would cost the US billions and potentially worsen the ongoing humanitarian crisis among Central Americans awaiting entry.
Meanwhile, for federal workers coping with the government shutdown, the consequences are serious. As the shutdown closed on its first week Friday, federal employees were looking at the real possibility of missing their next paycheck. That means maybe falling behind on car payments, mortgages, credit card bills, and day care fees.
Children’s deaths in custody. An 8-year-old boy from Guatemala who was held by US Customs and Border Protection died on Christmas Eve. Felipe Gomez Alonzo’s autopsy revealed he was sick with the flu when he died. The boy was the second child to die in CBP custody this month. The homeland security secretary called the deaths “deeply concerning.”
These stories got big reactions during the holiday week
Outrage over a wrestling referee. A ref is being investigated after he forced a black high school wrestler to cut off his dreadlocks. Student-athlete Andrew Johnson’s family is not upset with the school coaches, but rather primarily blaming the ref.
Finally, the Us trailer dropped. People think Jordan Peele’s follow-up to Get Out looks scary as hell. I’m going to have to agree.
Kevin Spacey’s odd move. After being charged with felony sexual assault, the actor released an utterly bizarre video in which he seems to reference the allegations in character as Frank Underwood, the role he played in House of Cards. [looks directly to camera]
New York is not good at calm. Blue lights flashed in the sky over New York and freaked everyone out. Authorities said it was the result of an explosion at a power plant in Queens.
Just being Miley. Miley Cyrus confirmed that she and actor Liam Hemsworth just got married.
Okay, 2018, one more time for bad times’ sake
You’re probably up to your ears in year-end lists, so I’ll keep this brief:
13 Stories That Aren’t About Trump That Explain 2018. From campus cops to the reactions to shocking crimes, these stories cover what it was like to live in the US in a tough year.
The Year’s Biggest Data Breaches — And What To Do About Them. The databases at Marriott, Facebook, and more were compromised this year. We tell you how to secure your account and protect yourself from identity theft.
15 Stories From Around The World That Show What Really Happened In 2018. From immigration unrest in Europe to India’s #MeToo moment, we run through the biggest world news stories of the year.
29 Hoaxes We Debunked In 2018. I hope you didn’t fall for any of these.
51 Notable And Influential People Who Died In 2018. Aretha Franklin. Stephen Hawking. Dolores O’Riordan. Anthony Bourdain. Kate Spade. So many icons died this year.
Bonus list: If you’re really into year-end lists, here are 78 of the biggest stories we published this year.
Two lovely stories to end the year on
My favorite thing about the season is getting to hear stories like these, of people caring for one another.
The first: A father spent Christmas Day flying so he could be with his flight attendant daughter. Hal Vaughan wanted to spend the holidays with his daughter Pierce, and he didn’t let her work schedule stop him: He joined her on all her scheduled flights on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day so they could celebrate together.
The second: A woman’s family published her book as a surprise for Christmas, and her reaction is just beautiful. Alice Mpofu-Coles, a 53-year-old activist and PhD research student, had been writing the book for 10 years. Her husband, who had been editing it, had it printed and bound for her. Her reaction to being handed her own book made me teary.