1. Final State of the Union address
President Barack Obama delivered his final State of the Union Address Jan. 12. Obama recapped the major topics addressed by his administration during his 8-year tenure in office, including new healthcare legislation, marriage equality and economic stimulation. Expressing confidence in the lasting legacy of his presidency, Obama called the State of the Union “strong” and advised democrats and republicans to better the relationship between one another. Obama also urged Americans to refrain from any discrimination on the basis of race or religion.
2. Obama’s Executive Order
Obama announced his plans to take executive action on gun control on Jan. 4. In the days following, Obama discussed his intentions to require anyone selling firearms to obtain a license, increase the amount of background checks required for gun show purchases and designate more federal agents to enforce existing laws. Plans were also announced to increase federal spending on mental health issues related to gun violence. The President hosted a town-hall event and discussed these plans while answering questions from both supporters and opponents of increased gun control. Obama said the legislation is “entirely consistent with the second amendment” and, “will potentially save lives.”
3. Open carry law in Texas
The new year marked the first day for Texas’ new open carry gun law. The law allows anyone with a valid handgun license to carry handguns in visible holsters on the hip or shoulder in most public areas, as opposed to the previous law which required handguns to be concealed and out of sight. Businesses and other private parties are required by law to display visible signs if they want to restrict open carry within their establishments.
4. El Chapo’s capture
Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was once again arrested by Mexican authorities on Jan. 8. A team of Mexican marines found the well-known drug lord in a neighborhood in Los Mochis. After a shootout and chase that resulted in five dead, Guzman was taken into custody on a highway by Mexican authorities. Guzman, who has escaped Mexican authorities twice in the past, was detained in a maximum security prison in Mexico. A Mexican official later said authorities were able to locate Guzman using a secret interview conducted between him and Sean Penn in late 2015. Penn has since denied this claim.
5. Bill Cosby’s court appearance
Comedian Bill Cosby appeared in a Pennsylvania courtroom on Dec. 30 on charges of sexual assault. The charges came as a result of accusations surrounding a 2004 case in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Cosby faces three felony charges of aggravated indecent assault and was booked at a police station following court proceedings. He left the police station after posting $1 million bail.
6. Affluenza teen Ethan Couch
Texas teen Ethan Couch was detained in Mexico along with his mother several weeks after allegedly violating his probation. Couch gained attention two years ago when he was sentenced to a 10-year long probation for a drunk driving incident that left four dead. Couch claimed he suffered from “affluenza” due to being extensively coddled by his parents. Couch is wanted in Tarrant County, Texas for violating his probation after disappearing in early December, according to authorities. His mother, Tonya Couch, posted bail and was released from Tarrant County jail last week. Ethan Couch is still in the custody of Mexican authorities. A hearing is expected to be held Tuesday, even though Ethan will not be present for it.
7. North Korea’s bomb
North Korea took the international community by surprise when the nation claimed to have successfully detonated a hydrogen bomb in early January. This marked the first nuclear-weapons test by the nation since early 2013. The North Koreans’ claim has since been repeatedly disputed on the basis that the detonation was not powerful enough to be a hydrogen bomb. A spokesman for the National Security Council said the U.S., “will not accept [North Korea] as a nuclear state.”
8. Iranian prisoners
Ten American sailors were detained in early January after a patrol strayed into Iranian waters. While some republicans expressed outrage after photos were released of the Americans being held at gunpoint, Secretary of State John Kerry publicly apologized to the Iranians and thanked them following the release of the sailors on the following day. Later the same month, Iran released five more Americans, some of whom had been detained for over a year, in a prisoner exchange between the two countries.