Refugees, migration a front-burner topic throughout 2016

The United States, cognizant of the swelling number of refugees, accepted roughly 100,000 from around the world for fiscal 2016, which ran Oct. 1, 2015, through Sept. 30, and announced its intent to accept 110,000 in fiscal 2017.

Supreme Court tackles major issues this year, loses key member of bench

The U.S. Supreme Court not only tackled a number of issues this year including immigration, abortion, the contraceptive mandate of the Affordable Care Act and the death penalty, but the justices weighed in on those cases with one less vote after Justice Antonin Scalia’s death in February.

2016: The year racism and fear make a comeback

It began with the fatal shootings of unarmed black men and women by police. It was exacerbated in the summer when, on July 7, a gunman in Dallas opened fire on police during a march, killing five officers in a presumed act of retaliation.