The Year in Review

❄️ Q1 (January-March): In the first three months of last year, there was a riot at the US Capitol on January 6, Texas experienced mass power outages due to freezing temperatures, and Dr. Seuss Enterprises suspended the printing of six novels by the deceased author.

🌷 Q2 (April-June): In the second quarter, the movement to legalize marijuana gained even more momentum after four states did so in March/April, Facebook announced – and later canceled – Instagram for Kids in the face of public backlash, and the NCAA finally let student-athletes profit off their name, image, and likeness (NIL).

☀️ Q3 (July-September): Over the next three months, journalists exposed a piece of Israeli spyware called Pegasus that can hack a target's smartphone at will, many public and private institutions across the US began mandating Covid vaccines (which inspired ongoing legal challenges), and we explored why there isn't a relevant third political party in America.

🍁 Q4 (October-December): In the final quarter, we examined what it would take for Covid to be considered an endemic disease, the price of gas at the pump continued to rise, and President Biden signed an executive order to achieve several climate-related goals, including making the federal government carbon-neutral by 2050.

👁️ Looking ahead... There are several major events to look out for in 2022 – but if we've learned anything from the past two years, it's that plans can change at any minute.

• Sports: The Winter Olympics will begin next month in Beijing sans diplomats from the US and other allies, who are protesting China's human rights abuses; The FIFA World Cup is scheduled to kick off in Qatar this November instead of its usual summer date due to sweltering temperatures.
• Economy: At its last meeting in December, the Fed indicated it would raise interest rates at least three times this coming year, but only after pandemic-era stimulus measures wind down in March.
• Politics: Presidential elections are scheduled in France, Brazil, South Korea, Colombia, the Philippines, and Kenya – all before Americans go to the polls for midterms. Come November, the entire House and 34 Senate seats will be up for grabs.