2007
January
•
U.S. mourns President Ford: On Jan. 2, declared a national day of mourning by President Bush, thousands mourned the loss of President Gerald Ford, our 38th president, at the Washington National Cathedral.
•
Nancy Pelosi takes over House: Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., became the first woman speaker of the house on Jan. 4. She was elected speaker of the 110th Congress as Democrats take control of both houses for the first time since 1994.
•
House's first 100 hours: The House passed all six priority bills within their self-imposed deadline of the first 100 legislative hours. The six bills the House Democrats passed were: Implement 9-11 commission recommendations (Jan. 9, 299-128); raise minimum wage to $7.25 hourly over two years (Jan. 10, 315-116); expand stem-cell research (Jan. 11, 253-174); negotiate lower drug prices for Medicare plans (Jan. 12, 255-170); cut college loan interest rates (Jan. 17, 356-71); end some energy-company subsidies (Jan. 18, 264-123).
•
Bush announces new Iraq strategy: On Feb. 10, President Bush announced in a nationally televised speech that nearly 22,000 additional troops would be deployed to Iraq. He also listed a number of other goals, including one that Iraqis would take lead responsibility for security throughout Iraq by November, with continued U.S. help after that.
•
Sen. Clinton makes election announcement: Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., announced Jan. 20 that she formed a presidential exploratory committee. Many consider this to signal her intent to run in 2008.
•
State of the Union address: President Bush focused his speech on domestic issues, including health insurance and a proposal to boost alternative fuels and reduce auto emissions. He defended Iraq and said, "This is not the fight we entered in Iraq, but it is the fight we are in."
February
•
Report confirms global warming: A three-year study by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports that global warming is very likely caused by human activity -- specifically the emission and buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The report also said we can stop the warming trend by acting quickly to end practices that cause the emissions.
•
Deadly tornadoes cross Florida: As many as 20 people died when tornadoes and severe thunderstorms swept across central Florida on Feb. 2.
•
President releases 2008 budget plan: Bush says the $2.9 trillion budget would eliminate the federal deficit by 2012 without increasing taxes.
•
Sen. Obama announces candidacy: Walking in Lincoln's footsteps, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., on Feb. 10, declared his candidacy for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.
March
•
Tornadoes hit several states: Storms hit Alabama, Minnesota, Missouri and Georgia on March 1, killing 20 people, including eight high school students in Alabama.
•
Army leaders at Walter Reed Medical Center dismissed: The dismissals of Maj. Gen. George Weightman and Army Secretary Francis Harvey on March 1 and 2 followed reports that patients received inadequate care, and conditions of the facilities themselves were awful. On March 6, President Bush appointed Bob Dole and Donna Shalala, former secretary of health and human services, to head a bipartisan committee to investigate the problems.
•
Libby convicted: Lewis "Scooter" Libby, former chief of staff for Vice President Dick Cheney, was found guilty March 6 of lying to FBI agents and to a grand jury during the investigation of who leaked the name of a CIA agent to the press.
•
Scandal intensifies over fired U.S. attorneys: In late 2006, eight U.S. attorneys were fired. In hearings before the House and Senate, the attorneys said they received inappropriate calls from officials regarding corruption cases they were investigating. The said they also felt pressured by the Justice Department to stay quiet about their dismissals. E-mails show confusion over why the U.S. attorneys were actually fired. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, backed repeatedly by President Bush, admitted the Justice Department made some mistakes in the firings.
•
Al Gore urges government to act on global warming: The former vice president spoke before House and Senate committees March 21, telling them that global warming has created a planetary emergency. He pushed for federal action to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
•
John and Elizabeth Edwards announce her cancer has returned: John Edwards said he will continue with his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, even though his wife has an incurable, but treatable, form of cancer.
April
•
Earthquake and tsunami hit Solomon Islands: Off the northeast coast of Australia, an underwater magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck and the tsumami that followed killed at least 52 in the Solomon Islands. About 5,000 people were displaced and remain homeless.
•
British sailors captured in Iran released: Iranians freed the 15 sailors and marines who were seized by Iranian troops while in disputed waters in March.
•
Rape case against Duke students dropped: North Carolina State Attorney General Roy Cooper said the lacrosse players who were accused of sexually assaulting a stripper in March 2006 are innocent and were falsely accused. He also criticized prosecutor Michael Nifong, calling him a "rogue prosecutor."
•
Student shoots 32 at Virginia Tech: On April 16, Cho Seung-Hui, a student at the school, shot and killed two students in a Virginia Tech dorm. Two hours later, he killed 30 more students and faculty in a classroom building before killing himself. Fifteen others were wounded.
•
Gonzales questioned on U.S. attorney dismissals: Attorney General Alberto Gonzales was questioned before the Senate Judiciary Committee on April 19. He said that although the process in which the eight U.S. attorneys were fired was flawed, the dismissals were justified. "You have answered 'I don't know' or 'I can't recall' to close to 100 questions. You are unfamiliar with inner workings of your department," Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., scolded. Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., the committee's top Republican, stopped short of calling for Gonzales' resignation, but questioned his credibility and his ability to oversee the Justice Department.
May
•
Tornado levels Kansas town: On May 4, Greensburg, Kansas, was turned to rubble by a devastating tornado that hit at night. Ten people were killed in the storm.
•
French presidential election held: Conservative candidate Nicolas Sarkozy beat Socialist candidate Segolene Royal in a presidential runoff election held May 6.
•
Muslims arrested in terror investigation: Six men from New Jersey and Pennsylvania were arrested May 8 and charged in federal court with plotting to attack Fort Dix, an army base in New Jersey.
•
Attorney General testifies before House committee: On May 10, Alberto Gonzales gave little more information on why the federal prosecutors were dismissed late last year. Four days later, Paul McNulty, the deputy attorney general, resigned. Despite citing financial reasons, many speculated the resignation was tied to the attorneys scandal.
June
•
Louisiana congressman indicted: A grand jury indicted Rep. William Jefferson, D-Louisiana, on 16 corruption-related counts. He was accused of accepting bribe money from companies that hoped to do business in Africa.
•
'Scooter' Libby is sentenced: Lewis "Scooter" Libby, former chief of staff for Vice President Dick Cheney was sentenced by federal judge Reggie Walton on June 5 to 30 months in jail. In March, Libby was convicted of lying to FBI agents and to a grand jury.
•
Nine firefighters die in S.C. blaze: Firefighters, responding to a fire in a furniture warehouse in Charleston, S.C., died June 19 when a roof collapsed. The Chicago Tribune reported that it was the worst loss of life on a single day for American firefighters since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
•
British leadership transition begins: Gordon Brown takes over as head of the Labor Party on June 24, suceeding British Prime Minister Tony Blair. On June 27, Brown replaces Blair as the prime minister of Britain.
July
•
Russia named as host for 2014 Olympics: The International Olympic Committee announced that Sochi, Russia, a Black Sea resort, will host the Winter Games in 2014. It will be the first time Russia or the former Soviet Union has hosted the Winter Games.
•
Final 'Harry Potter' book goes on sale: The seventh and final book in J.K. Rowling's series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" sold more than 8.3 million copies on its first day on store shelves, according to publisher Scholastic.
August
•
Bridge collapses into Mississippi River: An interstate bridge that spanned the Mississippi River collapsed during rush hour, sending dozens of cars plummeting into the water and crashing along the banks and roadways below. The death toll of the catastrophe reached 13.
•
Senator in scandal pleads guilty: The guilty plea, announced Aug. 8, follows Larry Craig's June arrest for making sexual advances to an undercover police officer in a Minneapolis airport. On Aug. 28, the Idaho senator stepped down from leadership positions on several Senate committees.
•
Karl Rove announces resignation: Karl Rove, a highly influential and controversial advisor to President Bush, announced on Aug. 13 his plans to leave his position as deputy chief of staff at the end of August.
•
Hurricane Dean slams the Caribbean: Hurricane Dean made landfall in Mexico as a Category 5 hurricane. The storm killed more than 20 people and wreaked havoc on Jamaica's produce harvest.
•
Attorney General Gonzales steps down: The White House announced that Alberto Gonzales, the embattled attorney general, submitted his resignation to President Bush. Gonzales had been under fire for the firing of nine federal prosecutors in 2006, and some say he perjured himself when testifying about the National Security Agency’s wiretapping program.
September
•
Sen. Craig resigns: Idaho's Larry Craig, under pressure from fellow Republicans over the scandal stemming from his guilty plea for allegedly making sexual advances to an undercover police officer in a Minneapolis airport, said he will resign on Sept. 30. Later, Craig said he would remain in the Senate until a judge ruled on his motion to rescind the guilty plea he entered in the airport sting.
•
United Auto Works go on strike: As many as 73,000 workers went to the picket lines when contract negotiations over wages and benefits reached a stalemate. Two days later,the UAW and GM reached a deal that has the auto maker creating a $55 million trust, called a voluntary employee benefit association (VEBA), intended to administer health benefits for retirees.
October
•
Government Iraq conractor Blackwater faces criticism: The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform finds that employees of Blackwater USA, the security firm involved in the deaths of 17 Iraqi civilians in September, have been involved in some 200 shootings in Iraq. The report says the company paid some families of victims and tried to cover up other incidents.
•
Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf wins re-election: The Pakistani president was easily re-elected to a third term.
•
Marion Jones admits to taking steroids: Marion Jones, who won five medals at the 2000 Olympics, three of them gold, plead guilty to making false statements to federal agents about her use of performance-enhancing drugs.
•
Wildfires devastate Southern California: Twenty-three wildfires were fanned by strong winds and burned over over 510,000 acres. Nearly 2,000 homes are destroyed and over 400 are damaged. Seven people died and at least 142 are injured, including 114 firefighters.
November
•
Pakistani president declares state of emergency: In early November, Pervez Musharraf suspended the country's constitution and fired judges on the country's supreme court. Some suggested that the president was trying to pre-empt a ruling by the court, which was expected to say that Musharraf could not run for president while simultaneously heading the military. Musharraf denied the charges, saying he acted to prevent a rising Islamist insurgency. Hundreds of lawyers were arrested while protesting the rule, and opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was placed under house arrest so she could not organize more protests. Eventually, a new court sympathetic to the president is put in place, which dismissed the constitutional case. Despite this, on Nov. 28, Musharraf stepped down as the head of the military. The following day he was sworn in as a civilian president.
•
Mukasey approved as attorney general:On Nov. 8, the Senate voted 53 to 40 to confirm Michael Mukasey as attorney general.
•
Trent Lott announces his retirement: On Nov. 26, Mississippi Sen. Trent Lott, the former Republican majority leader, announced that he would step down before the end of the year.
•
Bush hosts Mideast peace conference in Maryland: At the meeting held Nov. 27 in Annapolis, Md., Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas agreed to work together on a peace treaty by the end of 2008.
December
•
Gunman opens fire at Omaha, Neb. mall: On Dec. 5, during peak holiday shopping season, a 19-year-old man opened fire at the Von Maur department store in a mall in Omaha. He killed eight people and wounded five others before turning the gun on himself.
•
Steroid report rocks pro baseball: The report, the result of an investigation by former Sen. George Mitchell, accused 89 current and former Major Leaguers of using illegal performance-enhancing drugs. Big names included Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds and Andy Pettitte.
•
Former Pakistani prime minister Bhutto killed: On Dec. 27, Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan's opposition leader and former prime minister, was killed in a suicide attack at a rally, which also killed 23 other people. Three days later, the party selected Bhutto's oldest son and a college student, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, as her successor.
|
