Welcome to 2020, two headlines highlights, and history. We are coming to from times square in the heart of new yor city, home to the famous bal drop that marks the beginning, and and of every year. I am and im Savannah Sellers but the next hour, we ar taking a look back at th biggest stories of 2022. It started with the war i ukraine,s Supreme Court retirement, and the oscar slap the shook hollywood. And it is ending with a tripledemic, looming recession fears and a world uniting on the soccer field along the way there were celebrations, loss, an hopefully some lessons to take until 2023 first, lets remember the headlines that fine 202 were seismic, and historic europes Largest Armed conflic since world war ii, a suprem Court Decision that overturned more than four decades o precedent. The death of a monarch who had rainforest 70 years. Yet, in its earliest days, 202 seemed more like a copycat wit the worst qualities of the two previous years staggering new covid numbers, deadly cases surpassing million. Thats the new year, bega our fight with Covid Stubbornl raged on with the rapidly spreadin omicron variant killing 60,000 americans in january, Transportation Security Administration will no longe enforce a federal mandat requiring masks on all u. S airports and aircraft. As mask mandates vanished we were so happy but new threats emerged there is growing concer about another virus, calle monkey pox flu, and rsv. It is a serious illness, yo know, [sound of artillery] [crying] oversees it was different battle that rattle the world. In february, Russia Storme into ukraine with high expectations, only to be met with a resilient faux. [sound of artillery] its inspiring leader president s a landscape, refuse to flee. The strikes pushed ukrainian to bomb shelters, to the countrys swollen borders. Families have come with all their belongings, and people are hugging, and saying goodbye, and not sure if they will ever come back. Millions of ukrainians, suddenly became refugees but as the year progressed ukraines military took back land that had been lost just months earlier steady progress in a long wa now entering the dark days o winter in america, winter storm jim early. We have seen over 50 inches of snow in under 24 hours. Record breaking snow storms nearly seven feet of snow on the while in florida, hurricane ia pummeled the coast with wind that reached 155 Miles Per Hour you have to understand this kind of stuff. Just shy in a category five these guys were all nicely par and they are now all floatin freely it would be flows deadliest hurricane since 1935 gun violence continue t devastate communities across the nation with hundreds o Mass Shootings we ran into the back, He Wa Shooting Ten were killed at supermarket in buffalo, seve and a Fourth Of July Parade in highland park, illinois. Five were murdered in an Lgbtq Nightclub in colorado springs. And an Elementary School i uvalde, texas, i have already told him t go to the other, room we are trying to get someone who you. 19 Young Children and two teachers lost their lives. A teenage gunman ravaged their campus [crying] how did he get i there . Adding to their grief questions over law enforcements delayed response hands up. Hands up emotions were high across the country when in june, th Supreme Court overturned roe v wade i feel like i got punched i the stomach this morning for some, there was anger and fear, youre not going t be treated a secondclas citizens for others, it was celebratory moment decades i the making my heart is really full absolutely thrilled that Supreme Court justices hav overturned roe v. Wade abortion was one of man issues dominating politics i 2022, so was inflation, whic reached a 40 year high in every aspect, it i higher you know, but you are we jus dont go up. In the spring and summer, months the National Average fo gas soared 5 a gallon is crazy. President bidens Approva Rating dropped, despite that democrats were able to fend of a red wave during the midterms and we see news is no projecting that democrats will maintain control of the Senate Holding the senate, nearl losing the house the election nancy pelos announced she was stepping dow from leadership, just week after her husband was attacked in their home. For me, the hour has come for a new generation to lead the Democratic Caucus that are so deeply respect. The dust from the midterm was still lingering in the air in 2024 campaign began, in order to make America Great an glorious again, i am tonight announcing my candidacy fo president of the United States former President Donald Trump declared his candidacy running again amid a laundry list of investigations, that include the raid of hi maralago estate, the fbi seized thousands of documents, some are classified. While back in washington, th House Committee investigatin the january 6th insurrection held televised hearings, one o the star witnesses, 25yearold former Trump White House aide, Named Cassid Hutchinson he did not look at from his phone, said something to theres a lot going on kass, but i dont know, things might get real that on january 6th in london, Queen Elizabet celebrated her platinum jubile marking 70 years on the throne the appearances on the Buckingham Palace balcon flanked by family including he seen stealing Great Grandson prince louis, and times on that story. Some sad breaking news, Queen Elizabeth the second britains longest reigning monarch has died in september, the queen died, at the age of 96 Prince Charles immediately ascendant to the front as i stand before you today i cannot help but feel the weight of history. For the uk, it was a year o transition, with one Prime Minister resigning i want you to know how sad am to be giving up the best jo in the world and just weeks later, another i am resigning as leader of the Conservative Party three leaders in a single year i will unite our country. Change was on the Minds O Protesters in iran, they too to the streets, angered by the death of a young woman who die after she was arrested for allegedly violating th countrys strict dress code. While in russia, America Basketball Player Britne Griner spent most of 202 behind barrs, Convicted O Drug charges this is a very traumati experience before she was released i december in a prisoner swap. The world gathered in beijing for the winter olympics, where snowboarding captured gold again. All right, Opening Ceremony as the Flying Tomato came i for a final landing, shaun white retired after barely missing the podium this is i think, my las run. No matter what . I think so, yeah. And Serena Williams after an emotional run at th u. S. Open. Later, she proclaimed, i am no retiring Serena Williams, who is you best friend . Williams childhood story wa featured in the movie king richard with Will Smith Whos Oscar Win is overshadowed by this the slap heard around th world. Smith later apologized for the moment, which stole th spotlight from other winners including best picture coda, and in the drama about a dea Family Big Screen Blockbusters came roaring under the dangerous su with tom cruise top gu maverick topping A Billion Dollars at the Worldwide Box Office just to manage expectations twitter got a controversial new owner in on musk while the Supreme Court got a histor making Justice Ketanji brown jackson. She replace retiring becoming the first black woman to sit on the high court in my family, it took jus one generation to go fro segregation, to the suprem court of the United States and lift off of artemis one nasas Artemis One Finally Wen from earth to space. After the launch was called of a few times, the rocket Unmanned Mission is paving the way for astronauts to someda return to the moon the dawn of a new era as the world looks forward to a new year this fall, Hurricane Ian fumbled Southwest Florida an devastated communities along the coast. Climate experts are warning these catastrophic storms ar becoming the norm as Warming Temperatures force more extrem and destructive weather events here is nbc news meteorologist dylan drier. 2022, a violent era o climate and weather extremes from heat waves, and droughts, to catastrophic flooding, an hurricanes the impacts reverberatin around the world so far this, year 15 Billion DollarWeather Disasters hit the u. S. According to th National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration the final count, yet to be tallied. The first billion Dollar Disaster came in the spring, when warmer temperatures fuele three deadly Tornado Outbreaks in as many weeks spawning more than 200 reporte tornadoes across more than a dozen states it is very devastating, i is all you hard work just gone up in the air. In the west, sections o Yellowstone National park were devastated by Destructive Flas Floods Roads were washed away, and th park closed to the public fo the first time in thre decades. Climate change causing the atmosphere to be warmer, and weather, making conditions rip for these types of events. It was very surprising ho quickly it came. This summer was a Story O Extremes your pets most intense heat wave in recorded history london set a historic alltime high of 104 degrees. Back in the u. S. , six 1000 you floods in the span of five weeks in july and august places like st. Louis, dallas, eastern kentucky, the illusion with 18 to 15 inches of rain i just 24 hours. That valley received its entir u. S. Worth of rain in just three hours. The footprint of climate chang leaving its mark across nearly the entire u. S. Parts of the west baked in the most severe heat ever reported in the month of september. I have never dealt with something this hot before. Nearly 300 Weather Stations hitting their hardes temperatures, in places like salt lake city, sacramento meanwhile, already extreme Drought Conditions in th region worsen. Lake meads water levels plunged to its lowest yet. The bureau of reclamatio declaring a tear to wate shortage for the first tim ever, hoping to overturn a water crisis after a slow start to th hurricane season, category fou Ian Ford Ashore Southwes florida, with the winds toppin 150 Miles Per Hour tying for the Fifth Stronges Hurricane ever to strike the United States. Neighborhoods in fort myers, Naples Lieutenant ruin warmer waters are acting causing the storms to rapidl intensify. Just as the season was comin to a close, capital one hurricane to make landfall i nearly 40 years. Warmer cesar vista arroyos in the atlantic ocean, this Yea Running Into Three and a hal degrees above average. And it came in, and it all thi damage, and now nicole is just in Upstate New York when he arrived early on in Massiv Storm Regrowth Eastern Books burying the stadium under 80 inches of snow there is nothing in this. You cant get a loaf of brea or anything. Finally, with Yur Similarity to last, year a series of deadly cool season tornadoes ripped through the south. More than 100 were reporte over two weeks across seve states between thanksgiving, and christmas. The December Twister is part o a massive week long four feet of snow in the west, Lining Blizzard Conditions t the upper midwest, and dozen of tornadoes to the south. Dylan, nbc news. For the third consecutive year, the u. S. Passed a tragic milestone, with more than 60 Mass Shootings heres nbc news Senior Correspondent in may, two shootings in th span of ten days shocked the nation in buffalo new york, a domesti terrorist motivated by hat killed ten people at a supermarket in a predominantly black neighborhood he came into my community with hate, he drove hours to come here. And do what he did days later, uvalde texas, a Shooting Rampage At RobbElementary School of 1 children and two teachers dead a community shattered. More than 300 officers responded to the scene, th video showed armed polic officers waiting for more than an hour to enter the classrooms i was there in uvalde, pushing the police for answers was there a School Office on campus, and was that School Officer armed, because that is what we have been told no, there was no office readily available unarmed. No was there an officer . No. Why two grieving officers whose children died that day agree more has to be done. You think that this does no happen to me, or does not have been here, until it does and it will. Then, on july 4th, in the chicago suburb of highland park, a new at a parade. I spoke to a who was there, all with hi family, and who nearly misse being shot just steps, right crazy it is random. You never dug just by random this fall in colorado springs, a drag show interrupted with bullets gunman killing Lgbtq Nightclub a survivor describing th moments the gunfire broke out. What is on the, ground blood, shuttered glass, people that it was said. An army veteran risked hi life to save others. I just know i got into mode and i just needed to save my family that family was at that time everybody in the room. Three days later, chesapeak virginia, a Walmart Employee Opened Fire in the stores break room, killing six people as another deadly year comes t a close this december, w marked ten years since the sandy hook massacre. 21st graders were sheltered in the classroom. At the time, i was only seven years old, i heard and saw things no child, no person should ever have to see. A decade since the tragedy, hundreds more Mass ShootingsPresident Biden signed safet gun legislation. It is intended to expand background checks, menta health care, but it Stoppe Short Banning assault weapons. I dont know where we g from here. Except, ive been asked th question, what would i, sa there is nothing to say. It depends, and we have societ and we see news one year ago at this time life was normal throughout muc of ukraine, but Russias Vladimir Putin change that wit the launch of the massiv invasion of his neighbor as he saw moment ago, Ukrainian Forces defy the odds that are not on the offense, but the future is still unclear, and we see chief Foreign Correspondent richard has more we want to warn, you some of the images you are about to se are graphic. In the twilight hours o february 24th, president Vladimir Putin took to Russian State Television to announce a special Military Operation A Demilitarized and th nazifyd ukraine minutes later, explosions rocked ukraines capital kyiv, missiles rained down across th country and russias massive military moved across th border putins special operation wa clear. Although putin Headlong Tonigh has intentions to invade his neighbor, he had op