A lot can happen over the course of three months, and whether you were backpacking in Antarctica with no WiFi or just took advantage of the prime summer relaxation time, it’s easy to miss some things if you’re not looking. A lot has happened this summer, from events that affect individuals to ones that change countries. If you slept through summer (it’s okay, you probably deserved a good rest), here’s all the major news you may have missed.
Politics
One of the main issues of moral controversy for the bulk of the summer was the deportation of illegal immigrants and family separation at the Mexican-American border. Multiple policies were put into place under the Trump administration in order to keep families together and meet deadlines; however, most did not follow through. Children were separated from their parents, and all were kept in prison-like detention centers until awaiting their hearings and possible deportation from the U.S. Mexican-American immigrants were targeted.
As well as this, Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement, leaving a spot in the Supreme Court open— one that President Trump would be permitted to fill with his own nomination.
Shortly after, Brett Kavanaugh was nominated by President Trump to fill the position. This left many Democrats worried, as Kavanaugh is known to be extremely conservative and could potentially reverse things like abortion rights and same-sex marriage.
International
Bermuda ruled same-sex marriage constitutional for the second time in June; after previously ruling this constitutional, the ruling was overturned in December 2017, the same year it had finally been legalized, on the grounds that “the majority” of Bermuda was against same-sex marriage and had been historically. Though there is still opposition to this, same-sex marriage is once again legal in Bermuda— the first and only country to ever revert it’s ruling on same-sex marriage.
Photo courtesy of Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash
In Thailand, a youth soccer team went on a team-bonding hike with their assistant coach into a cave, where they were trapped due to flooding of the narrow cave passageways. They were trapped for weeks before finally being rescued; all of the boys, including their coach, survived.
In Saudi Arabia, the driving ban on women has been lifted. This was the last country that prohibited women from driving, making it legal now worldwide. While there are still some restrictions, it is a major step towards equality in Saudi Arabia and for woman’s independence.
The Mexican government also elected a new president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador. He is a left-wing politician and former Mayor of Mexico City. He won over 50% of the vote, the most in Mexican political history by campaigning against political corruption, aiding the poor, and creating better opportunities in Mexico.
Weather/Natural Disaster
Worldwide and nationally alike, there have been a wide range of radical weather events this past summer. Japan saw historic rainfall and flooding, which killed more than 150 people and left many more missing. Just a month prior, a 6.1 magnitude earthquake hit Japan as well, leaving massive holes in the roads and left over 100,000 people without power and water. Though the quake only lasted about a minute, it had a substantial effect on Osaka and western Japan and killed four people.
In Colorado, the wildfire dubbed the “416 Fire” caused the evacuation of 2,000 people in the area. High winds and dry land made the fire extremely difficult to contain. Twelve days after it began, it had burned through 23,000 acres of land.
Photo courtesy of Iswanto Arif on Unsplash
An ongoing volcanic eruption in Hawaii starting in May released pressure and build up inside the volcano on the Big Island and continued to expel lava from the source every now and then. The volcano, Mount Kilauea, caused 2,000 people to evacuate and led to the devastation of nearly 700 acres of the island.
A report from the Puerto Rican government finally confirmed that the toll was falsified. Originally only listing 64 deaths, the new report admitted to over 1,400 dead due to the storm. These deaths were not properly acknowledged because, in a statement issued by the Secretary of Public Safety in Puerto Rico, it was not clearly defined what a “hurricane-related” death consisted of. The majority of deaths did not fit under the original umbrella of “hurricane-related” and were therefore not registered as such.
Celebrity
This past May, another British Royal Wedding captivated hearts worldwide. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were married in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on May 19th, starting summer off on the classiest, dreamiest note possible.
Photo courtesy of Tom The Photographer on Unsplash
Unfortunately many prominent and beloved figures were lost this summer. Kate Spade, fashion designer and businesswoman, committed suicide in her Manhattan apartment. Jackson Odell, an actor from The Goldbergs TV show and singer/songwriter, passed away at age 20. Richard Harrison, the “Old Man” of the hit History Channel Show, Pawn Stars, passed away at age 77 from a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease. Rapper, songwriter and producer Mac Miller also recently passed away due to a drug overdose; he was 26-years-old.
Sports
The FIFA World Cup in Russia swept the world’s soccer fans this summer, with shocking outcomes and the usual world cup antics by referees, players and fans. The French national team won, their second world cup win ever since their first win in 1998.
Photo courtesy of John Fornander on Unsplash
The Women’s U.S. Open was held this past weekend in Queens, New York. Serena Williams of the U.S., the reigning champion, was defeated by 20-year-old Naomi Osaka of Japan. The final was controversial for many reasons, and how Williams reacted to calls by the referee reopened discussions of sexism and sportsmanship in the tennis and sports world.
By no means are these the only things that happened over the the past new months; these are surely not all of the important things that happened, as in many cases, what is “important” varies from one individual to another. However, all of these events were important and meaningful in their own way and should not be forgotten.