Keith Boykin's Top News Stories of 2012
See what made Boykin's list … and what didn’t.
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The Top News Stories of 2012 - I've put together my list of the top 10 news stories of 2012. But before I unveil the list, here's a couple of observations. The "fiscal cliff" that Washington has been obsessed with in recent weeks is not one of the top stories of the year because it is a completely manufactured crisis designed to move public attention away from the urgent need to create jobs toward the far less urgent need to reduce the deficit.Second, I don't know how this happened, but New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie seems to be involved in several of my top 10 stories of the year. Read on to see what made the list ... and what didn't. — Keith Boykin
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10. The Re-election and Resignation of Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. - After disappearing from the public eye for weeks, Rep. Jackson told the world he was being treated at the Mayo Clinic for bipolar disorder. Nevertheless, the Illinois congressman went on to win re-election, only to resign from office a few weeks later. (Photo: Scott J. Ferrell/Congressional Quarterly/Getty Images)
Photo By Scott J. Ferrell/Congressional Quarterly/Getty Images
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9. Usain Bolt Makes History (Again) - The Jamaican sprinter became the first person in history to win gold medals in the 100-meter and 200-meter races in back-to-back Olympics.(Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
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8. Whitney Houston Dies at 48 - The legendary pop star died in a Beverly Hills hotel room the same weekend the Grammys were held in Los Angeles. Everyone from Rev. Al Sharpton to Mayor Cory Booker to Gov. Chris Christie appeared at her funeral service in Newark. (Photo: Sony Music)
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7. Superstorm Sandy Devastates the East Coast - One week before the presidential election, Superstorm Sandy slammed into the East Coast, killing at least 125 people and causing billions of dollars in damage, especially in New York and New Jersey. When New Jersey Gov. Christie praised President Obama for helping the battered Garden State, some Republicans cried foul, complaining that Christie's embrace might have helped Obama defeat Romney the following week. (Photo: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
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Republicans Exploit Benghazi, Libya, Attack - After a tragic attack on the U.S. embassy in Benghazi, Libya, left four Americans dead, GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney and other Republicans launched into an unseemly and misdirected attack against President Obama and his U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice. Unfortunately, Rice withdrew her name from consideration to succeed Hillary Clinton as secretary of state. Meanwhile, Gen. David Petraeus, caught up in a sex scandal that forced him to resign from the CIA, escaped culpability for the CIA's intelligence failure in Benghazi. (Photo: Reuters/Esam Al-Fetori)
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5. Mass Shootings Force Nation to Consider Gun Control - A gunman shoots up a movie theater in Aurora, Colo. Another attacks a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wis. And a professional football player commits suicide with a handgun after killing his girlfriend in Kansas City. But it was the shooting of 20 elementary school children in Newtown, Conn., that finally forced America to take a look at gun control. (Photos from left: AP Photo/Newtown Bee, Shannon Hicks, EPA/Bob Pearson/Landov, Kasandra Perkins via INSTAGRAM)
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4. Gay Marriage Gains Wider Acceptance - In a breaking news interview with ABC's Robin Roberts in May, President Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to announce his support for same-sex marriage. Although critics predicted he would lose African-American support for his position, polls instead showed Blacks became much more supportive of gay marriage than ever before, and Obama went on to win more than 90 percent of the Black vote in the election. (Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Photo By Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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3. The Trayvon Martin Saga - For nearly two months, African-Americans pulled out their hoodies and rallied in Florida and throughout the country to demand justice for an unarmed 17-year-old named Trayvon Martin who was gunned down by an overzealous neighborhood watch volunteer. After weeks of protest, George Zimmerman was finally arrested and charged. (Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images)
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2. Supreme Court Upholds Obamacare - Say what you want about the Affordable Care Act, but don't call it unconstitutional. By this time next year, President Obama's signature legislative achievement will be ready to provide health care coverage to millions of uninsured Americans and ban insurance companies from discriminating based on preexisting conditions. (Photo: AP Photo/David Goldman)