Henry Kissinger dead at 100
Divisive former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger died November 29 at the age of 100.
Kissinger, served as national security advisor and secretary of state under Presidents Nixon and Ford, and advised more than 10 others in a non-official capacity.
According to the New York Times, he was, perhaps, best known for his work in Asia, both for good and for bad; on the one hand, he negotiated the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Vietnam, and laid the foundations for U.S./China relations for years to come, but he was ruthless in his wartime tactics, authorizing and covering up bombings of Cambodia that are estimated to have killed more than 50,000 civilians.
Despite this, Kissinger was awarded the 1973 Nobel Peace prize, in conjunction with North Vietnamese diplomat Le Duc Tho for their work orchestrating the U.S.’ exit from Vietnam.
U.S. representative expelled from House
George Santos (R, N.Y.) became the first representative of the House of Representatives to be removed from office for non-criminal reasons since the Civil War on December 1.
Santos, who was elected in 2022, quickly faced questions about several aspects of his life prior to his entry into politics.
Santos claimed during his campaign to be, at various points, Jewish, descended from Holocaust survivors, the son of a 9/11 survivor, a double degree-holder from New York University and Baruch College, all claims since proven to be false.
This is another historic occurrence for a House session that has seen a somewhat chaotic term, including the first removal of a Speaker of the House.
The focus on Santos has also added to the House’s inefficiencies, as this session, the 118th, is on pace to pass the least bills since the early 2010s.
World leaders gather for COP 28
The world’s global superpowers met November 30-December 13 in Dubai as part of the 28th annual United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as the COP climate summit, in order to discuss the state of climate change and possible solutions.
The summit consists of two weeks of speeches by world leaders from almost 200 countries, including King Charles II of England and Pope Francis.
Topics up for discussion include the failure of many countries to meet their previously stated environmental goals, (e.g. green energy targets) and potential new solutions in order to prevent rapidly rising temperatures around the world.
Also being discussed is the rapidly approaching “point of no return,” or the point at which climate change will become irevesible.
This is widely agreed to be a global rise of 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Pioneering SCOTUS judge dies
Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman to serve as a justice to the Supreme Court of the United States, died on December 1 in Phoenix, Arizona at the age of 93. Often referred to as “the most powerful woman in America,” during her tenure, she spent much of her time on the bench (1984-2006) searching for ways to find middle grounds and promote public opinion.
Her decisions as a justice were characterized by a desire to maintain precedents established in prior decisions, as well as a clear idealism regarding the role of the Supreme Court as an impartial decision making tool only to be used absolutely when necessary.
O’Connor was involved in several notable cases during her service, including Casey v. Planned Parenthood, which upheld Roe v. Wade in 1992, and Grutter v. Bollinger in 2003, a case regarding affirmative action programs in universities.
