Top 10 national stories of 2010
An explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil well in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20 killed 11 men and began what became the worst oil spill in American history, pouring more than 205 million gallons of crude into the sea. By mid-September, when the gushing well was finally killed, close to 6,000 dead birds had been recovered, along with 584 dead sea turtles. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
The “tea party” movement got an early push in 2010 with the National Tea Party Convention, a February meeting in Nashville billed as the first major conference for the conservative movement which went on to reshape America’s political landscape. “This movement is the future of politics in America,” Sarah Palin told the convention. (Ed Reinke / Associated Press)
In April, Arizona enacted the nation’s toughest law against illegal immigration, unleashing a wave of protests. A federal judge temporarily halted key provisions of the law, SB 1070. The state appealed and is awaiting a ruling from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
The role of race in America once again took center stage when Shirley Sherrod, a Department of Agriculture official, was ousted from her job after a racial remark she made during a speech was taken out of context. Critics suggested the comment demonstrated prejudice; in reality, she had called for tolerance. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack apologized to Sherrod and hugged her at a news conference in August. (Manuel Balce Ceneta / Associated Press)
They called it “Snowmaggedon,” the snowiest winter since records were first kept in the 1880s. An intense snowfall in February blanketed the nation’s capital and much of the mid-Atlantic region. In Washington, normally busy Wisconsin Avenue, like streets throughout the region, was turned into a pedestrian route. (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press)
For months, critics and supporters squared off, often angrily, over what was sometimes called, inaccurately, the “ground zero mosque.” In reality, the proposed Islamic center in southern Manhattan would be built a few blocks from the site of the Twin Towers destroyed in the Sept. 11 attacks. Critics called the center un-American. Defenders said it would demonstrate the American tradition of religious tolerance. (Seth Wenig / Associated Press)
President Obama hailed Solicitor Gen. Elena Kagan as “one of the nation’s foremost legal minds” when he nominated her for the Supreme Court in May. By a 63-37 vote, the Senate confirmed Kagan as the 112th justice of the Supreme Court in August, creating a historic bloc of three liberal women likely to vote together much of the time. (Jim Watson / AFP / Getty Images)
The Republicans routed Democratic candidates in the November election, gaining seats in the Senate and retaking control of the House. By December, as representatives and senators slogged through a lame-duck session, some ousted members were preparing to vacate their offices for the newcomers set to take office in January. (Alex Brandon / Associated Press)