2023. Tonight, were coming to you from times square in the heart of new york city. For so many, this is the place where new years begins and ends. Im tom yum. We fake you for joining us tonight. Were covering the top ten stories from this eventful year. Plus, look at the people in trends which to find the last 12 months. As we look to close the chapter in 2023, we take a look back at the air that was. Heres nbcs joe fryer. How do you define a year like 2023 . Was that the year of the strike . [crowd chanting] or year of the swift . Didnt offer a glimpse of the future with the rapid rise of Artificial Intelligence and the Weight Loss Drug ozempic . Or a Blast From The Past . Hi barbie i can with the pink coated resurgence of a classic doll. Was it the year a speaker was booted, or simply a prelude to 2024 . The Campaign Trail lined with pit stops in the courtroom. 2024 you can be defined in so many ways. So much of the world, it was a year headlined by war in the middle east. Major Breaking News tonight. Why arrests in the middle east. The stunning Surprise Attack by palestinian militants. It started on october 7th. A day many now call israels 9 11. The Surprise Attack hamas militants stormed into israeli towns and military bases. They were all just all around me. They were going tree by tree and shooting, we pow, pow, pow. Israels Foreign Ministry says more than 200 taken hostage, including young children. Its something that no parent can ever imagine, to see a child in the hands of terrorists. Israels response was swift and relentless, but with thousands of palestinians killed and a humanitarian crisis growing, israel faced mounting criticism. Those tensions seen on american streets and college campuses, with reports of both antisemitism and islamophobia spiking across the country. Is the middle east war raged on, the one between crane and russia trudged on. Ukraines long awaited Counteroffensive Stalling And American support waning. Just one of many issues highlighting americas stark division. In january, it took 15 ballots a speaker has not been elected. Has not been elected. Has not been elected. To elect Kevin Mccarthy as speaker, a position he held just nine months before he was ousted. I fought for what i believe in, and i believe in this country of america. Like a reality tv show, new can defenders came and went. Or a ship without a writer right now. Before louisianas might johnson got the gavel. The house will be in order. And election followed by an expulsion. Scandal plagued representative George Santos became only the third congressman since the civil war to be ejected from the chamber. But no controversy, it seemed, could shake the gops support for former president donald trump, who in april made history to. It was a legal spectacle never seen before in america. The former president being fingerprinted and being charged with 34 felony is. Mr. Trumps appearance in a new york courtroom created a media circus that was repeated with indictments and florida, then washington, then georgia, where he mugged for this shot. We did often wrong. I did nothing wrong. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges while preventing a vast lead fors parties president ial nomination, skipping debates Donald Trumps a lot different guy than he was in 2016. He owes it to you to be on the stage. Leaving the rest of the field to squabble four seconds. Do you want to leader from a different generation whos gonna put this Country First . Or do you want dick cheney in three inch heels . Theyre five and feels, and i dont wear them unless you can run in them. But the democratic side, President Joe Biden announced his Reelection Bid in april. Are you saying that you would be taking part in our upcoming election . Im planning on running. Well, inflation dropped in 2023, so did the president s Approval Rating. Hitting an alltime low. Now, voters are bracing for a potential 2023 rematch thats leading many disenchanted. We [crowd chanting] have a future a wave of Labor Discontent pushing unions to the picket line. The United Auto Workers went on strike against detroits big three, eventually winning record pay hikes. Hollywood was effectively shut down with rioters striking, than actors, before reaching deals with studios. Its the best day ever. It is the best day ever. Amid the strikes, the box office got a boost from an unlikely couple. Barbie, and oppenheimer. Were in a race against the not cease. Both movies barbenheimer. The Double Feature is really legendary. Now, the films are hoping to follow in the footsteps of this years big oscar winning, Everything Everywhere all at once. Scifi flick won best picture, and stormy shell you became the first asian woman to win the Academy Award for best actress. There were three firsts that were far less desirable in 2023. The United Nations declined in late november this was virtually certain to be the planets warmest year on record. Here with the most billion Dollar Disasters in u. S. History, including hurricane adalja. Theres some wind gusts that are starting to pound us. We actually just lost power here right now. And a fire storm that ravaged the island of maui. Local people have lost everything. They lost the house, theyve lost their animals, and its devastating. Was the deadliest u. S. Wildfire in more than a century with more than 100 people killed. Gun violence plagued the country again with cities like lewiston, maine, joining the long list of communities linked to mass shootings. Why would he do this . Why in lewiston, maine . 18 people were killed there. Six were gunned down at a private Elementary School in nashville. Three of them were children. How are our children still dying . And why are we failing them . Tragedy also reached the depths of the ocean. Lets get right to the story the whole world is watching. The urgent search for a missing submersible. In june, ocean gates Titan Summer Civil vanished on a Sightseeing Tour of the titanic wreckage. A desperate search offered hope that five people on board could be rescued. But crews eventually determined a catastrophic explosion killed everyone on the illfated voyage. In the sky, the u. S. Military shot down a chinese Spy Balloon Flying over american airspace, heightening tensions between the two countries. The crisis at the border widened in 2023, with places like new york and chicago running out of room to house migrants who were bussed to their cities. Sent to jail. And january tyre nichols. The 29yearold black man was killed and plunged dying three days later. Five Police Officers were fired and charged with state and federal crimes. One has since pleaded guilty. The others, not guilty. In the courts, the Supreme Court handed down a historic decision in june. Effectively ending race Conscious College admissions. This is a really disappointing decision. Perhaps no court case generated more attention in 2023 than the trial of alec murdaugh, the disgraced attorney from South Carolina accused of killing his wife and son took the stand and his own defense. You take this gun, or any gun like it, blow your sons brains that . No, i did not. The jury deliberated only three hours before finding murdaugh guilty. King charles iii was officially coronated in may. Prince harry was there for the event. His wife, meghan markle, was notably not in the year when the royal rift between the come fall and palace spared no one, with harrys memoir, and a south park parity. Thanks for having us on the show. It was a huge here for women and entertainment. Stadiums were ruled by queen bee, beyonce, who also won a 32nd grammy, by taylor swift, who became a billionaire and times person of the year. The artist even crossed over into football, showing up at chiefs games to support her new beau, travis kelce. Speaking of sports, simone gymnastics, bolting to her sixth world title. Her come back on them at matched by one on the field. Buffalo bills safety damar hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest, and medics restated his height. This was lifechanging, but its not the end of my story. Hamlin didnt just recover. He returned to the game he lives. A symbol of resilience and strength. That just might be the best way to define 2023. Were gonna now dig into some of those headlines as we talk about the top ten stories of 2023. We begin with one event that grabbed the worlds attention for five days in june. The tragedy of the titan submersible. The vessel was on its way to explore the titanic wreckage when it lost contact. Ships and planes scoured the ocean for days, but then came news that a catastrophic implosion likely killed the five people aboard instantly. Despite the dangers of exploration, we continue to see humanity driven by the desire to explain the unknown. Both here on earth, and beyond. Tom costello now on why this was a significant year for the future of space travel. We have lift off. That hearing coming from south texas in november. It was very much improved second test of elon musks starship after the first start ship exploded shortly after lift off. This time, all 33 engines fired in perfect unison. Nasa in america have strapped their dreams to that Spacex Rocket. That next flight will be early next year. Then, late in the, airness is artemis extra knots will loop around the moon. In 2022, and Artemis Test Flight Orbited the moon with no crew. That is the spaceship that will take the artemis two crew to an orbit around the moon for the first time in more than 50 years. This is a nineday mission, a quarter of 1 million miles just to get there. And this ship is nothing like Neil Armstrong and buzz aldrin. It is much more advanced, much more elevated. Already, the training at nasa Johnson Space center. Victor glover, Mission Specialist christina cook, and canadian Fighter Pilot jeremy hansen. Im most looking forward to paving the way for the future. Back to the moon, until my eyes. The fact that we get to contribute to that, absolutely an honor. The honor of my life. Later this decade, nasa hopes artemis and elon musks Starship Well Rendezvous in lunar orbit, and land on the moons south pole and begin building a lunar base. China wants to land its own and stream knots there by 2030. Were going back to the moon. Its actually a different moon. Were going to the south pole. The south pole, which may hold frozen ice water, critical for a future moon base, and a potential source of rocket fuel from missions on to mars. Its why india landed the probe there in 2023. And its the same region that china is Targeting Fracking men landing. The new space race seems likely to pick up speed in 2024. Tom, i think the space race israeli between us and china. And we need to protect the interest of the international community. Also in 2024, boeing is hoping to finally launch its Starliner Spaceship with astronauts to the space station. Many years delayed and while behind archrival spacex. And Billionaire Entrepreneur Jarred command polaris don, another private mission with three others in the Spacex Rocket set to reach the highest earth orbit ever flown. Tom costello, nbc news. Our next top story is climate extremes. When 2023 is over, Scientists Say it will be the hottest year on record. States were shrouded in smoke as canada saw the worst Wildfire Season ever, and california got hit with a Tropical Storm for the first time in more than 25 years. Our roker has more in the wild weather events of this past year. 2023, the hottest year ever on earth. Oh my god. Reporter a year of climate and weather extremes. In the u. S. , the number of billion Dollar Disasters tallied 25, more than any other year. New years ring in thousands of records, shattering across europe. At least eight countries had their warmest january day ever. Back home, things were no better. A siege of atmospheric rivers clashed on the west coast through march, disruptive flash floods sweeping through parts of california. Burying the sierra under 60 feet of snow. A historically dry lake, back from the dead. When spring arrived, started the tornadoes. The strongest and most devastating twister of the year was a ferocious ef4. Rolling through rolling fork mississippi, covering up 55 mile paths across the state, packing winds as high as 195 miles an hour. Just days later, a twoday Tornado Break spawned the Third Largest outbreak in u. S. History. A shift to the east in what is known as the traditional Tornado Alley is making higher density and more vulnerable populations a target for these types of disasters. In june, Wildfire Smoke was choking the big apple, making it seem like a marge mars landscape. Shrouding iconic landmarks like the statue of liberty, and empire state building. Both chicago and new york had the dubious distinction of worst air quality in the world during that hazy week. Climate change, making Wildfire Smoke outbreaks more frequent as northern cities suffocated. Southern cities broiled under relentless days of dangerous heat at the end of july. Phoenix, hitting a record of 31 Straight Days of 100 degrees or hotter. The previous record, just 18 days. Miamis extreme heat and tropical humidity resulted in 46 days registering a heat index of over 100 degrees. More than one dozen u. S. Cities, recording their hottest city on record. The tropics lit up in late august, when Hurricane Idalia rapidly intensified over the gulf of mexico, striking North Florida as a high end category three with winds of 125 miles an hour. Fueled by record warm sea surface temperatures, the fourth most active in history by november. The brutal heat, plaguing the u. S. , now boiling the southern hemisphere. The heat index in Rio De Janeiro hitting an astonishing 138 degrees. The highest ever recorded. For the third year in a row, deadly tornadoes ripped through the south, just days before christmas. Oh my god 2023, experiencing so many extreme weather events, we could not include them all here. Climate change driven weather, leaving its mark all around the globe. Here in times square, we are at the center of culture and commerce. This year, how much we spend, and what we cemented on was top of mind for those deciding economic policy. Inflation began to ease, but Interest Rates rose, and Major Industries were hit with strikes. Heres nbcs brian chung with our next top Story Of The Year. It was the year of picket lines, bank blowups, and barbie. The economy steered clear of a recession, but the biggest theme of all, worker power. Across the country, over half 1 million teachers, and more went on strike. The biggest ones, targeting hollywood and the motor city. Tv and movie production halted when the rioters killed first walked out in may, with actors and performers joining two months later. In the fall, members of the United Auto Workers forced stoppages at detroits big three automakers, further empowered by President Bidens unprecedented visit to the picket line. Phil, high inflation showed signs of improving, dropping from 6 to about 3 by years end. Some things got cheaper compared to one year ago. Gas was down 34 cents a gallon. Prices cracked on eggs as well, over 1 deep partisan. Inflation readings high but with medium blends down 2 . We hope the enforceability will improve next year. A light at the end of the tunnel for main street, but for 2023 it was hydro on wall street. Silicon valley bank collapsed in march, beginning the biggest collapse since the 2008 financial crisis. Overshadowed weeks later when First Republic also failed, exposing bad bets made by poor managers. In the crypto world, sam bankmanfried, founder of the now Defunct Crypto Exchange ftx was found guilty on charges of fraud and money laundering, and now facing up to 110 years in prison,. That is all part of an eventful 2023 in the world of business. Still ahead, a breakout year for a. I. As the technology moved into the mainstream. For barbenheimer to beyonce, the movies that brought us together. Youre watching top stories of 2023. Ories of 2023 it smells like food, its what dogs are supposed to be eating. No living being should ever eat processed food for every single meal of their life. Its amazing to me how many people write in about their dogs changing for the better. The farmers dog is just our way to help people take care of them. Were traveling all across america talking to people about their h