2023 in review: UFOs, war, border crisis, Taylor Swift and more

(NewsNation) — As 2023 comes to a close, it is a chance to reflect on the biggest headlines of the year, from global conflict to entertainment. Here’s what captured the world’s attention in 2023.

War in Israel

Family and friends mourn during the funeral of Eden Zachariya, who was abducted from the Tribe of Nova music festival on October 7, in Kibbutz Palmachim, on December 15, 2023, after Israeli army recovered her body during an operation in Gaza. The Israeli army said on December 12 that it had recovered in Gaza the bodies of two hostages taken by Hamas in its October 7 attack. (Photo by Oren ZIV / AFP) (Photo by OREN ZIV/AFP via Getty Images)

An unprecedented attack by Hamas on Oct. 7 sparked war in the Gaza Strip. The U.S. vowed to stand behind Israel in the conflict but has started to urge restraint as President Joe Biden faces backlash from Democrats over the growing number of civilian casualties. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed the war will continue until Hamas is destroyed.

War in Ukraine

Chaplain Ivan of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine reads a prayer for Ukrainian servicemen of the 72nd mechanized brigade during the sacred liturgy before the upcoming Christmas at the frontline near Vuhledar, Ukraine, Friday, Dec. 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Valentyn Kuzan)

The war between Russia and Ukraine continued, with Russian President Vladimir Putin facing a coup attempt from the Wagner Group led by its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, who later died in a plane crash. Republican support for aid to Ukraine began to drop, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appearing in Washington, D.C., to plead his case. As the year closes out, aid to both Ukraine and Israel remains in limbo as Congress haggles over a deal that includes changes to border policy.

China Concerns

FILE – A high altitude balloon floats over Billings, Mont., Feb. 1, 2023. (Larry Mayer/The Billings Gazette via AP, File)

A Chinese spy balloon floated over the U.S., potentially gathering intelligence. Lawmakers continued to raise concerns about China’s ambitions and ways the country attempts to gain a foothold in America, be it through social media or buying up land. Biden and Xi vowed to improve relations, but fears over China continue in Congress.

England’s Got a New King

Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla wave to the crowds from the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the coronation ceremony in London, Saturday, May 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein) — Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla wave to the crowds from the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the coronation ceremony in London, Saturday, May 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

King Charles III officially took the throne following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022. A notable absence in the royal family? Prince Harry attended the coronation alone and wasn’t present on the royal balcony while his wife, Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle, remained in the U.S. The Sussexes also made headlines after a reported car chase with paparazzi recalled images of the death of Princess Diana.

On the Picket Lines

FILE - United Auto Workers members join the picket line, in Detroit, Friday, Sept. 15, 2023. General Motors says pretax earnings took a $1.1 billion hit this year from a six-week strike by autoworkers, but the company expects to absorb the costs of a new contract and is even raising its dividend. The Detroit automaker on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023 reinstated its full-year earnings forecast that was withdrawn after the United Auto Workers began targeting the factories of Detroit automakers with strikes on Sept. 15. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File) — FILE – United Auto Workers members join the picket line, in Detroit, Friday, Sept. 15, 2023. General Motors says pretax earnings took a $1.1 billion hit this year from a six-week strike by autoworkers, but the company expects to absorb the costs of a new contract and is even raising its dividend. The Detroit automaker on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023 reinstated its full-year earnings forecast that was withdrawn after the United Auto Workers began targeting the factories of Detroit automakers with strikes on Sept. 15. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

Workers took to the picket lines and led strikes to demand changes to contracts. Hollywood writers and actors went on strike, as did autoworkers, nurses and pilots. Other strikes, including one from UPS that could have upended package delivery, were narrowly averted.

Financial Upheaval

FILE – A law enforcement official, behind, stands in an entryway to a Silicon Valley Bank branch location, March 13, 2023, as customers and bystanders line up outside the bank, in Wellesley, Mass. A new poll finds that only 10% of U.S. adults say they have high confidence in the nation’s banks and other financial institutions. That’s down from the 22% who said they had high confidence in banks in 2020. Following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank this month, the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research also finds that a majority say the government is not doing enough to regulate the industry. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)

The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank caused concern about further banking woes. The Fed saw successes in reducing inflation, but many Americans continue to report feeling stretched by high prices.

Tech Turmoil

Elon Musk wears a necklace in honor of Israeli hostages onstage during The New York Times Dealbook Summit 2023 at Jazz at Lincoln Center on Nov. 29, 2023 in New York City. (Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for The New York Times)

Twitter became X,and Instagram launched Threads in an effort to lure users who have become dissatisfied with X since Elon Musks’s takeover. AI continued to make headlines, with debates over regulation and fears the U.S. could fall behind foreign adversaries.

Gilgo Beach Killings

This combination of undated images provided by the Suffolk County Police Department shows Melissa Barthelemy, top left, Amber Costello, top right, Megan Waterman, bottom left, and Maureen Brainard-Barnes. Authorities on Long Island are vowing to continue investigating a string of killings known as the Gilgo Beach murders after charging an architect in the deaths of three of the 11 victims. Rex Heuermann, 59, is accused of killing Barthelemy, Costello and Waterman over a decade ago. He is also considered the prime suspect in the death of Brainard-Barnes. (Suffolk County Police Department via AP)

The Gilgo Four — Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Lynn Costello — could finally see justice. Police arrested suspect Rex Heuermann in the Gilgo Beach killings, charging him with the murder of three women found at Gilgo Beach between 2010. He has also been named as the main suspect in the murder of a fourth woman.

Murdaugh Convicted

Alex Murdaugh reacts as he addresses the court during his sentencing for stealing from 18 clients, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023, at the Beaufort County Courthouse in Beaufort, S.C. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier via AP, Pool)

Former South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh was convicted of the murders of his wife and son, Maggie and Paul Murdaugh. He also pleaded guilty to numerous financial crimes. The Murdaugh case captured the attention with dramatic twists and turns and the family’s connection to multiple suspicious deaths.

Titan Submersible Disappears

This photo provided by OceanGate Expeditions shows a submersible vessel named Titan used to visit the wreckage site of the Titanic. In a race against the clock on the high seas, an expanding international armada of ships and airplanes searched Tuesday, June 20, 2023, for the submersible that vanished in the North Atlantic while taking five people down to the wreck of the Titanic. (OceanGate Expeditions via AP)

The world watched as rescuers searched for the missing Titan submersible, which vanished on a dive to see the wreck of the Titanic. The five passengers and crew on board had a limited amount of air, and the depth of the dive made the possibility of rescue extremely difficult. Evidence later suggested the submersible had imploded shortly after it began to dive.

UFO Whistleblower

WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 26: David Grusch, former National Reconnaissance Officer Representative of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Task Force at the U.S. Department of Defense, is sworn-in during a House Oversight Committee hearing titled “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Implications on National Security, Public Safety, and Government Transparency” on Capitol Hill, July 26, 2023 in Washington, DC. Several witnesses are testifying about their experience with possible UFO encounters and discussion about a potential covert government program concerning debris from crashed, non-human origin spacecraft. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Whistleblower David Grusch claimed the Pentagon has been operating a secret UFO retrieval program unknown even to Congress. Grusch’s claims sparked a congressional hearing and additional closed-door sessions between lawmakers and Defense Department officials. The government continues to deny the existence of aliens, but other former government employees have come forward to support Grusch, and NASA wants to remove the stigma of searching for extraterrestrial life, though it says there has been no evidence of alien contact so far.

Wildfire Devastation

FILE - The hall of historic Waiola Church in Lahaina and nearby Lahaina Hongwanji Mission are engulfed in flames along Wainee Street on Aug. 8, 2023, in Lahaina, Hawaii. Communities still reeling from climate-fueled storms and other natural disasters, from the wildfires in Maui to severe flooding in New England, fear a federal government shutdown will delay needed disaster relief.(Matthew Thayer/The Maui News via AP, File) — FILE – The hall of historic Waiola Church in Lahaina and nearby Lahaina Hongwanji Mission are engulfed in flames along Wainee Street on Aug. 8, 2023, in Lahaina, Hawaii. Communities still reeling from climate-fueled storms and other natural disasters, from the wildfires in Maui to severe flooding in New England, fear a federal government shutdown will delay needed disaster relief.(Matthew Thayer/The Maui News via AP, File)

Smoke from Canadian wildfires led to poor air quality in various parts of the U.S., and deadly fires swept through Maui, Hawaii. Residents from Lahaina fled into the ocean, and many continue to remain displaced even as developers have attempted to buy up land in the area hit by the fires.

East Palestine Derailment

FILE - Portions of a Norfolk Southern freight train that derailed the night before burn in East Palestine, Ohio, Feb. 4, 2023. Norfolk Southern railroad announced on Tuesday, Dec. 4, plans to stop paying relocation aid to people displaced by the derailment right after the one-year anniversary of the crash. Railroad officials reiterated their long-term commitment to helping the town of East Palestine and the surrounding area recover. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File) — FILE – Portions of a Norfolk Southern freight train that derailed the night before burn in East Palestine, Ohio, Feb. 4, 2023. Norfolk Southern railroad announced on Tuesday, Dec. 4, plans to stop paying relocation aid to people displaced by the derailment right after the one-year anniversary of the crash. Railroad officials reiterated their long-term commitment to helping the town of East Palestine and the surrounding area recover. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

A train carrying tanker cars full of toxic chemicals derailed outside of East Palestine, Ohio. First responders conducted a controlled burn, evacuating residents for a brief period of time. While officials have declared it is safe for residents to return, many in East Palestine fear continued contamination of the soil, air and water around their homes. Congress also grilled rail company Norfolk Southern over safety procedures leading up to the derailment.

Gun Violence

People gather at a vigil for the victims of Wednesday's mass shootings, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, outside the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) — People gather at a vigil for the victims of Wednesday’s mass shootings, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, outside the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Gun violence continued to in the U.S. A shooter in Monterey Park, California, killed 11 people and injured nine in a shooting during Lunar New Year celebrations. Days later, seven people were killed in a shooting in Half Moon Bay, California. In February, three students were killed and five injured in a shooting at Michigan State University. Six people, including three children, were killed at a shooting at the Coventry School in Nashville, Tennessee, in March.

In April, five people were killed and eight injured in a shooting at the Old National Bank in Louisville, Kentucky. Another shooting in May killed eight at an outlet mall in Allen, Texas. In October, eighteen people were killed in a shooting in Lewiston, Maine, that led to a two-day manhunt for the shooter. A December shooting at the University of Las Vegas left three dead.

Border Crisis

EAGLE PASS, TEXAS – DECEMBER 18: As seen from an aerial view Texas National Guard troops watch over some of more than 1,000 immigrants who had crossed the Rio Grande overnight from Mexico on December 18, 2023 in Eagle Pass, Texas. A surge as many as 12,000 immigrants per day crossing the U.S. southern border has overwhelmed U.S. immigration authorities in recent weeks. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

The border crisis continued to be a topic of contention on Capitol Hill. The flow of fentanyl across the border and an overdose crisis was one area of concern. The expiration of Title 42 in May did not lead to the predicted flood of migrants, but numbers of illegal crossings began rising later in the year.

Leaders in border states continued to bus or fly migrants to sanctuary cities like New York and Chicago, leaving leaders asking for help to feed and house those in need. Some areas began cracking down on buses carrying migrants to their cities.

House Speaker Woes

Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) holds a press conference after being vacated from the Speakership on Tuesday, October 3, 2023.

It took House Republicans 15 rounds of voting to elect Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., as speaker of the House in January only to see him ousted in October. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fl., forced the vote, with just eight Republicans moving to remove McCarthy after the then-speaker struck a deal with Democrats to keep the government open.

Three candidates to replace McCarthy dropped out for lack of support, finally leading to the election of Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., a little-known lawmaker with a conservative Christian background.

Trump-Biden Rematch

Former President Trump and President Biden. (AP Photo/John Locher/Susan Walsh)

The GOP field began to narrow as former President Donald Trump continued to hold a commanding lead despite his legal troubles. The main challengers to emerge were Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie ,who debated each other in sometimes contentious exchanges.

Biden officially announced his intention to seek reelection despite concerns about his age, setting the stage for a possible Trump-Biden rematch. Voters were less than enthused by the prospect.

Trump Indictments

This image, contained in the indictment against former President Donald Trump, shows boxes of records stored in a bathroom and shower in the Lake Room at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla. (Justice Department via AP)

Trump became the first former president to be indicted, facing a long list of charges in four cases. Two federal cases focus on his retaining and storing classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago home and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

In New York, he faces a state case regarding falsifying business records, and in Georgia, he faces a RICO case regarding his actions around the 2020 election results.

In Memorium

File - Matthew Perry poses for a portrait on Feb. 17, 2015, in New York. Perry, 54. The Emmy-nominated “Friends” actor whose sarcastic, but lovable Chandler Bing was among television’s most famous and quotable characters died Oct. 28, 2023. (Photo by Brian Ach/Invision/AP) — File – Matthew Perry poses for a portrait on Feb. 17, 2015, in New York. Perry, 54. The Emmy-nominated “Friends” actor whose sarcastic, but lovable Chandler Bing was among television’s most famous and quotable characters died Oct. 28, 2023. (Photo by Brian Ach/Invision/AP)

Those lost in 2023 included Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Friends star Matthew Perry, former first lady Rosalynn Carter, singer Tina Turner, actor Michael Gambon, Margaritaville singer Jimmy Buffett, TV host Bob Barker, comedian Paul Reubens, singers Sinead O’Connor and Tony Bennett, Pentagon Papers leaker Daniel Ellsberg, evangelist Pat Robertson, talk show host Jerry Springer and Law and Order actor Richard Belzer.

Tom Brady Retires

FILE - Then-New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady holds a Super Bowl trophy, between others the team previously had won, during a rally in Boston to celebrate the team's 34-28 win over the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL Super Bowl 51 football game in Houston, Feb. 7, 2017. The seven-time Super Bowl champion is enjoying retirement while staying busy. He’s preparing for his new 2024 broadcasting gig at Fox Sports, is set to become a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, and is focusing on his apparel and wellness brands. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File) — FILE – Then-New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady holds a Super Bowl trophy, between others the team previously had won, during a rally in Boston to celebrate the team’s 34-28 win over the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL Super Bowl 51 football game in Houston, Feb. 7, 2017. The seven-time Super Bowl champion is enjoying retirement while staying busy. He’s preparing for his new 2024 broadcasting gig at Fox Sports, is set to become a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, and is focusing on his apparel and wellness brands. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)

NFL star Tom Brady retired (again), and soccer star Lionel Messi signed with the Inter Miami soccer club. Other athletes faced major setbacks, with Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin suffering a cardiac incident on the field and Bronny James, son of Lebron James, experiencing cardiac arrest during practice at the University of Southern California.

Simone Biles continued to break gymnastic records, Florida State University got snubbed in the playoffs, and Taylor Swift gave the NFL a boost with a new group of fans when she began dating Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce.

Taylor Swift’s Era

Taylor Swift performs during “The Eras Tour,” Monday, Aug. 7, 2023, at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

The singer launched her “Eras Tour,” taking the U.S. and then the world by storm. Her tour led to a cinematic release as well as a congressional hearing after ticket site LiveNation had a meltdown during early sales. Swifties also brought an economic boost to cities hosting concerts.

Barbenheimer

This combination of images shows Margot Robbie in a scene from “Barbie,” left, and Cillian Murphy in a scene from “Oppenheimer.” (Warner Bros Pictures/Universal Pictures via AP)

The dueling release of Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” led to a pop culture phenomenon known as “Barbenheimer.” The main focus of debate? Which order to see films and which one would come out on top. Barbie took the crown and launched the “Barbiecore” style trend.