Welcome to 2024 - the year of the Unprecedented Headline. - Part 2
- Kari Thomas
- Dec 31, 2024
- 15 min read
Part One took us through a whirlwind of events : political firestorms, viral moments that set the internet ablaze, and headlines that left us questioning reality itself. But if you thought the first half of 2024 was wild, just wait…
Just when you thought 2024 couldn’t outdo itself, July came storming in like a plot twist no one saw coming. The second half of the year didn’t just raise the stakes - it flipped the script entirely. From shocking revelations to moments that had the world on the edge of its seat, the chaos didn’t let up for a second.
Ready or not, here comes Part Two.
July: A World on Fire—Literally and Figuratively
July erupted with intensity, both in nature and society. Record-breaking heatwaves scorched the United States, with Las Vegas reaching an unprecedented 120°F and Maricopa County investigating over 160 suspected heat-related deaths. Meanwhile, wildfires consumed over 4% of Brazil’s Pantanal, and California’s Park Fire became the largest wildfire of the year, devastating hundreds of thousands of acres.
The political arena was equally volatile. On July 1, the Supreme Court ruled that presidents have presumed immunity for official acts but none for unofficial ones, setting a new legal precedent. Rudy Giuliani was disbarred for his role in attempting to overturn the 2020 election, and Independence Day celebrations were marred by mass shootings and a deadly vehicle attack in Manhattan. Mid-month, the chaos crescendoed with the first assassination attempt on Donald Trump this year at a Pennsylvania rally, leading to the resignation of the Secret Service director just days later. Adding to the political shake-ups, President Biden paused his campaign due to COVID-19 and later announced he would not seek re-election, endorsing Kamala Harris, who launched her campaign the same day.
Technology and security also faced unprecedented challenges. A flawed CrowdStrike update triggered global IT outages, disrupting critical sectors like banking and transportation and grounding airlines worldwide. At the same time, a ransomware attack on Change Healthcare compromised sensitive data for over 100 million individuals, underscoring vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure.
Even global stages weren’t spared from scandal. The Paris Summer Olympics officially opened on July 26, but the ceremony ignited outrage worldwide. Critics called it "provocative" and "divisive," with symbolic displays that many interpreted as subtle critiques of global superpowers and the widening divide between nations. Conspiracy theories took hold, suggesting the ceremony hinted at hidden global agendas, from surveillance states to climate control experiments. Combined with the month's escalating cyberattacks and political turmoil, these theories gained traction, feeding into a growing sense of unease.
July captured a world stretched to its limits, with relentless extremes in weather, politics, and security laying bare society’s fragility—and the storms still brewing.
August: Power Struggles and Global Shifts
August didn’t just simmer - it boiled over. As temperatures soared 50°F above average in Antarctica, the world was reminded that climate change wasn’t waiting for permission to wreak havoc. Meanwhile, the U.S. found itself in the midst of a growing storm, with August 6 marking a pivotal moment as Harvard University was forced to face a lawsuit over its failure to protect Jewish students from pervasive antisemitic harassment. This legal battle was compounded by Kamala Harris's formal campaign launch, picking Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate. But the political drama didn’t end there.
By August 9, the U.S. had escalated its involvement in international conflicts, sending a $125 million military aid package to Ukraine as well as securing a $3.5 billion deal with Israel to fund weapons, deepening the geopolitical tensions that had been simmering for months. As the world burned in more ways than one, August 12 saw an unexpected alliance begin to take shape when Elon Musk and Donald Trump sat down for a two-hour interview on X (formerly Twitter), sending shockwaves through both the tech and political spheres as Musk threw all of his weight behind Trump’s re-election campaign.
Tragedy struck August 15 with the revelation that five individuals, including Perry’s doctors, were charged in connection to the death of actor Matthew Perry, a stark reminder of the complex web of power, influence, and negligence. Meanwhile, August 18 brought chaos to Lebanon with a nationwide blackout, while Yemen battled devastating floods, underscoring how fragile infrastructure had become in the face of global instability.
By August 23, the 2024 Republican National Convention kicked off in Milwaukee, giving rise to a more extreme brand of Trumpism “Dark Maga,” as coined by Trump’s new bestie, Elon Musk - and on the exact day as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. shocked the political world by endorsing Trump’s presidential bid as well. But the drama didn’t stop there - August 27 saw Trump’s federal classified documents trial pushed back, a delay that raised questions about the very nature of presidential power and immunity, especially with his re-election campaign now in full swing.
The month concluded with the eerie onset of an M-pox epidemic, a new health crisis that added yet another layer of chaos to an already tumultuous year. August was a boiling cauldron of political shifts, extreme weather, and global uncertainty—a stark reminder that the world in 2024 was anything but predictable.
September: A Month of Tragedy, Chaos, and Conspiracy
September hit like a freight train, with school shootings dominating headlines and leaving the nation on edge. While these tragic events had already been a disturbing trend in 2024, September saw a shocking uptick. On September 4, Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, was rocked when a 14-year-old student opened fire, killing two students and two teachers, and injuring nine others. Just two days later, on September 6, Joppatowne High School in Maryland became the site of another tragedy when a student was killed in a school bathroom. By September 10, Omaha Northwest High School in Nebraska was shaken by a shooting that left a 15-year-old dead. And the violence didn’t stop there - September 22 brought yet another senseless killing, this time at Pima Community College in Tucson, Arizona, where a student was shot on a volleyball court. The country found itself once again grappling with the devastating consequences of gun violence in schools.
But gun violence in a school wasn’t the only shocking shots September had in store. On September 15, Donald Trump faced a second attempted assassination in less than three months. At Trump International Golf Club in Florida, a Secret Service agent spotted a rifle barrel protruding from the bushes. Meanwhile, the U.S. was dealing with more than just gun violence - as a mounting health crisis was ramping up. On September 12, an E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald's Quarter Pounder hamburgers began spreading - leading to widespread illnesses across the country, with the outbreak not being officially declared over until December 3.
And just when it seemed like things couldn’t get crazier, September brought another bombshell: On September 27, music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs was arrested in New York City on charges of sex trafficking of minors by force, transportation for prostitution, and racketeering conspiracy. The shocking allegations shattered his carefully curated public image, adding another layer of scandal to an already explosive month. And as if that wasn’t enough - the seismic activity at Mount Adams in Washington state added a sense of foreboding to the month. Through the month of September, the dormant volcano experienced six small earthquakes, signaling something just beneath the surface, even though the alert level remained at “normal.”
But the real chaos came on September 26, when Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida as a Category 4 storm, packing 150 mph winds and leaving destruction major in its wake. As the storm wreaked havoc, the internet buzzed with AI-generated images that made it nearly impossible to distinguish reality from fabricated disaster porn, heightening the confusion and paranoia in the public. Helene wasn’t just one of the strongest storms ever to hit the U.S.; it ravaged everything it touched from Florida and Georgia - all the way to Tennessee and North Carolina, regions that had never experienced such intense hurricanes before.
This un-before-known intensity and overall impact range sparked several conspiracy theories surrounding Hurricane Helene. One involved the idea that the storm was part of a larger geoengineering project, specifically tied to HAARP (High-Frequency Active Auroral Research Program). People believed that the storm’s unexpected strength and unusual path were the result of electromagnetic manipulation of the atmosphere. Proponents of this theory claimed that HAARP, which has long been the subject of conspiracy theories involving weather control, could have been used to steer the storm or increase its intensity. The fact that the storm’s impact was concentrated in strategic areas, (like lithium-rich regions and environmental zones primed for future resource extraction,) led to speculation that this was a deliberate act - a kind of Weather Warfare to achieve geopolitical or economic goals under the guise of a natural disaster. In the aftermath, Helene became more than just a natural disaster - it raised serious questions about the hidden forces at play.
Another conspiracy surrounding Hurricane Helene revolved around the timing and manipulation of natural disasters to distract from political or societal events. Some theorists believed that the storm was deliberately triggered to divert attention from crucial global issues, like the ongoing political chaos in the U.S. with Trump’s second assassination attempt or the growing unrest due to social and economic inequality. The idea was that a massive, destructive hurricane could monopolize the media and public focus, preventing people from paying attention to scandals, protests, or other high-stakes developments. This theory ties into broader concerns about government or elite manipulation of public perception during critical moments, using catastrophes as tools for distraction or control.
While the theories about weather manipulation or political distraction may make for intriguing speculation, the larger takeaway is the alarming trend in how nature is reacting to human-driven environmental degradation. Whether or not Helene was artificially enhanced or not, the storm’s strength is a glaring reminder that the planet is facing unprecedented climate challenges. This should be sending clear warnings to governments and people everywhere to urgently address the climate crisis before such storms become the new normal, impacting not just coastal regions but inland areas previously considered safe.
September 2024 will be remembered as a month where the world seemed to teeter on the edge - with violence, conspiracy, and catastrophic events colliding in a maelstrom of chaos. And we’re still no where near the end.
October 2024: A Month of Chaos and Uncertainty
October 2024 roared with political unrest, climate catastrophes, and threats to global security, showcasing the intensifying crises shaking the world to its core. As the world continued to grapple with the aftermath of previous natural disasters, new storms and political shocks intensified the chaos.
The month began with a historic labor strike on October 1, as over 45,000 dockworkers across 36 U.S. ports - primarily along the East and Gulf Coasts - halted work due to failed negotiations over wages and automation. At the same time, Haiti was plunged deeper into crisis, with nearly half the population facing severe food insecurity and thousands in immediate danger of starvation. The global food crisis was mirrored by the middle of the month with growing desperation in Southern Africa, where 21 million children suffered from malnutrition as famine conditions worsened.
Hurricane Milton, which struck from October 9th to 10th, came on the heels of an unprecedented series of more than two dozen tornadoes that ripped through Southern regions already battered by Hurricane Helene. These tornadoes, which are far from typical for this time of year and especially in areas not prone to such violent storms, raised major concerns about the increasing severity and unpredictability of weather patterns. The sheer number and intensity of these twisters, along with the devastating power of Milton, highlighted just how unusual and catastrophic the weather events were, adding to the growing sense of chaos in the face of climate instability.
The storm was followed by a rare geomagnetic storm on October 10, triggering aurora displays as far south as Florida and Texas, casting the skies in an eerie glow. The stunning light show was a stark contrast to the destruction below, as communities in the U.S. and beyond continued to reel from relentless storms and floods. (It was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced—seeing it with my own eyes, not through a camera lens, made it all the more surreal. The sky was ablaze with an eerie red glow, so intense and bright that it almost felt unnatural, like the world was shifting. As I stood there, the air seemed charged, and there was this strange sense of unease that hung in the atmosphere. It was mesmerizing, yes, but also ominous in its brilliance, as if the universe was trying to tell us something we weren’t ready to hear.)
Meanwhile, Trump's legal battles escalated, with the Supreme Court ruling on October 2024 that former presidents are immune from certain prosecutions, effectively stalling key legal cases against the former president - and on October 11, a potential third assassination attempt on Donald Trump was foiled outside his rally in Coachella, California, as authorities arrested a man with firearms and a fake license plate.
Just as the political drama unfolded, October 20th saw Hurricane Oscar hit the Atlantic, causing widespread destruction. The storm's fury was compounded by multiple atmospheric rivers and bomb cyclones that battered the western U.S., Alaska, and parts of Spain with extreme flooding. These unpredictable and severe weather patterns raised more questions than answers, as these areas, not accustomed to such violence, saw devastation unlike anything in recent memory.
Finally, October closed with a series of mysterious drones buzzing over Langley, Virginia, for 17 days, raising questions about national security and the unexplained rise of aerial incursions. The U.S. military scrambled to protect its airspace from these unidentified threats, adding to the sense of rising tension and uncertainty in the air.
November 2024: A Month of Tension, Turmoil, and Unanswered Questions
As November unfolded, the chaos from the previous months continued to resonate, with politics, environmental disasters, and mysterious phenomena taking center stage.
The U.S. presidential election, (which was a political powder keg at best,) cast a long shadow over the month. With allegations and divisions intensifying, the election process - and the fallout from it - seemed to expose the deepening fractures in the American political system. The debate raged on, with the negative aspects of the election amplifying concerns about democracy, public trust, and the future direction of the country. (#FAFO, am I right?) This is a story that deserves its own deep dive, but for now, it was clear that November's political landscape was fraught with uncertainty.
Meanwhile, nature was still reeling from the aftershocks of past storms. On November 7-8, a minor geomagnetic storm once again lit up the skies, offering another opportunity to witness the aurora in the southern United States. While the displays weren't as striking as the previous month's event, the eerie glow of the Northern Lights still captured peoples attention, especially in places like Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina. In a year already marked by extreme weather events, this visual reminder of Earth's natural forces felt particularly poignant.
On the political front, former President Trump continued to face his legal battles. The Georgia Election Interference case, still looming from 2023, was set to proceed to trial. However, with Trump's re-election campaign heating up, many questioned how his status as a potential sitting president would impact the proceedings. Federal cases involving a president, especially in office, are bound by unique legal restrictions, adding yet another layer of complexity to the already turbulent situation.
The skies weren’t just filled with Northern Lights in November. A pair of major hearings on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs) ignited national curiosity and skepticism. On November 12 and 13, the Senate and House Committees hosted discussions aimed at uncovering the truth behind UAPs and their potential implications for national security. Witnesses such as Dr. Tim Gallaudet and Luis Elizondo lent their expertise, raising more questions than answers about the true nature of these phenomena, fueling growing speculation about government knowledge and the secrecy surrounding UAPs. And then, as if November skies weren’t strange enough - the air itself seemed to be brimming with mystery. On November 18, reports of large, unidentified drones flying over New Jersey added to the sense that something was afoot. This marked the latest in a series of drone, orb, and plasmoid sightings over restricted areas, feeding into the increasing sense of unease about surveillance and potential threats. (Find my drone blog here.)
The month also saw extreme weather events that stretched from coast to coast. In the Pacific Northwest, a powerful atmospheric river, driven by another bomb cyclone, brought torrential rains, flooding, and widespread power outages between November 19-21. The storms battered Washington, Oregon, and Northern California, further disrupting daily life and leaving hundreds of thousands without power. On the opposite coast, from November 20-21, another atmospheric river reached the East Coast, from Florida to Maine. The relentless downpour, coupled with melting snow, led to hazardous conditions, flooding, and significant travel disruptions.
November, with its political drama, environmental disasters, and unsettling phenomena, marked a month of intense upheaval, questioning, and uncertainty. The world seemed to be on the edge, as forces - both human and natural - collided in an unprecedented and unsettling way.
December 2024: A Month of Chaos, Change, and Portals to the Unknown
The final month of 2024 came in like a storm, delivering a cascade of dramatic events, political upheavals, and eerie moments that left the world grappling with uncertainty.
Food recalls dominated headlines as consumers scrambled to verify their pantries before the holidays. From Costco recalling 80,000 pounds of butter over allergen concerns to over 150,000 bottles of water contaminated with coliform bacteria, the recalls were widespread. Pork products and pet food were also affected, with Northwest Naturals recalling raw turkey pet food after an Oregon cat died of H5N1 bird flu.
The global political landscape shifted dramatically. On December 1, Russia launched its largest drone assault of the year on Ukraine, with 110 attack drones deployed overnight. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 52 of them, showcasing resilience amid escalating tensions. In South Korea, President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law on December 3 - a move that sparked mass protests and was rescinded within 24 hours. By December 27, Acting President Han Duck-soo faced impeachment, deepening South Korea's political instability.
Europe saw its own wave of upheaval. In France, the National Assembly ousted Prime Minister Michel Barnier on December 4, prompting President Emmanuel Macron to appoint François Bayrou as the new Prime Minister. In Germany, the collapse of Olaf Scholz's coalition government led President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to dissolve the Bundestag and schedule new elections for February 2025.
Syria also made headlines as opposition forces overthrew Bashar al-Assad's regime on December 8, uncovering an underground prison where people - including children and teenagers born in this captivity - were liberated. On the same day, the world witnessed a glimmer of hope as the restored Notre Dame Cathedral reopened its doors in Paris after years of reconstruction.
Back in the United States, violence continued to haunt schools, with a tragic shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, claiming three lives and injuring six others on December 16. The year ended with a grim tally of 83 school shootings, setting a devastating new record.
Meanwhile, the skies remain crowded with mystery. Reports of unidentified drones continue to surface nationwide, causing both concern and speculation. From incursions near critical military installations to sightings in densely populated urban areas, the persistent drone activity has left both officials and the public questioning their origins and purpose.
Congress faces chaos of its own. A funding resolution to prevent a government shutdown failed after Elon Musk unleashed over 100 misleading tweets on December 18, sparking backlash from Republicans. Former President Trump and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance joined the fray, calling the bill a "Democrat giveaway," leading to a temporary government shutdown on December 19. The turmoil has further widened a growing rift within the MAGA movement, with factions splintering over whether to support Trump’s hardline stance or embrace a more pragmatic approach to governance. The discord has fueled tensions heading into the new administration, raising questions about the movement's unity and direction in 2025.
As the year closed, the Vatican's Jubilee Year culminated in the ceremonial opening of its "holy portals" on December 24, an event steeped in tradition but shrouded in mystery. Adding to the month's eeriness, Azerbaijan Airlines Flight J2-8243 on Christmas Day became the focus of speculative intrigue.
In the week since Christmas the headlines continue getting more bizarre. Three "unrelated" plane crashes within a 24-hour period, all reportedly involving landing gear malfunctions, have raised concerns among aviation experts. Investigations are underway to determine if any underlying mechanical or systemic issues are connected. Former President Donald Trump lost his appeal in the Georgia election interference case. The court's decision means the case against him will move forward despite his re-election as president, raising unprecedented legal and constitutional questions. Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter passed away at the age of 100. Tributes honor his legacy as a champion of human rights, environmental conservation, and global peace, as well as his post-presidency humanitarian efforts through the Carter Center.
December 2024 embodied the year’s spirit—relentless, unpredictable, and marked by both turmoil and transformation.
From the collapse of long-standing systems - both governmental and social - to the rise of new challenges like food insecurity, mass recalls, and widespread unrest, it’s clear that we are living through a moment of profound disruption. Natural disasters, economic upheaval, and political instability have converged, underscoring how interconnected our world has become - and how fragile these systems are in the face of crisis. With major geopolitical struggles, the growing influence of technology, and challenges to old power structures, it's clear that the status quo is no longer sustainable.
The chaotic nature of 2024 speaks to deeper, systemic issues that have been simmering for years but are now coming to a head. As we stand at the threshold of 2025, one thing is certain: the decisions and responses we make in the coming years will determine the trajectory of future generations. We’ve entered a new era, and whether that leads to global cooperation, deeper divisions, or something in between, one thing is for sure - 2024 has set the stage for a new world order, and we’re just beginning to understand what it might look like. The only question left is how we will navigate the storm.
Cheers to better headlines in 2025!
Keep your eyes to the skies.
I think the truth may be coming...
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