Today we look back at 2013. It was a historic year. Edward Snowden exposed how the National Security Agency had built a worldwide surveillance apparatus, while Chelsea Manning was sentenced to 35 years in jail for leaking U.S. secret documents to WikiLeaks. Pope Francis urged the world to address economic inequality, warning about the tyranny of unfettered capitalism. Tens of thousands were killed in Syria, with many more displaced. The Philippines was devastated by Typhoon Haiyan. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down part of the Voting Rights Act, while overturning the Defense of Marriage Act that barred federal recognition of same-sex marriages. George Zimmerman was acquitted in the killing of Trayvon Martin. The U.S. government was shut down for 16 days, while Congress failed to pass comprehensive immigration reform or any true gun-control measures. The U.S. war in Afghanistan entered its 13th year, while more than 8,000 civilians were killed in Iraq — in the deadliest year there since 2008. Meanwhile, Obama’s secret drone wars continued in Pakistan and Yemen. We spend the hour today looking back at the stories that shaped 2013.
© 2013 Democracy Now!