With 2022 quickly drawing to a close, The National's Washington bureau takes a look back at an unscientific selection of some of the biggest winners and losers from this year's US headlines.
Winner: Ron DeSantis
The man who in 2018 ran a campaign advertisement pledging fealty to Donald Trump as a “pitbull Trump defender” found his own teeth in 2022 and appears well positioned for a presidential run in 2024, as the political star dims for his one-time role model.
Mr DeSantis, 44, won his re-election to the Florida governorship in a landslide, securing 59.4 per cent of the vote compared to 40 per cent for his Democratic challenger.
It was one of the few examples of the much-predicted Republican “red wave” materialising.
The conservative US press soon feted Florida’s leader as the future of the Republican Party, much to the fury of former president Trump.
Loser: Donald Trump
The former president and his hardcore followers were thrust into the spotlight this year as a special House of Representatives committee investigated the January 6, 2021 insurrection.
Calling events of that day a brazen coup attempt, the panel wasted no time in highlighting Mr Trump’s pivotal role in the lead-up to the riots and on the day itself, when he waited hours before telling his rampaging supporters to “Go home, we love you.”
The panel has recommended four criminal charges against Mr Trump and other investigators have opened several cases that could derail his hopes to become the Republican nominee for president in 2024.
Surprise winner: Joe Biden
To steal a phrase from Mr Trump, President Joe Biden was a “winner” in 2022. The Democratic leader turned 80, becoming the first octogenarian to sit behind the Resolute desk in the Oval Office.
Despite battling low approval ratings all year, he pushed through much of his legislative agenda including the Inflation Reduction Act that aims to tackle climate change and reduce the country’s deficit.
On top of that, his Democratic colleagues performed surprisingly well in November’s midterm elections.
The Democrats gained a seat in the Senate and only narrowly lost control of Congress, meaning the President will have a better chance to continue carrying out his agenda in the last two years of his term than many expected.
Courtroom loser: Amber Heard
Aquaman actress Amber Heard’s court battle with former husband Johnny Depp captivated millions around the world, but the trial left him feeling vindicated.
The six-week trial showed two celebrities at their worst, but it was Depp who emerged the victor.
A Virginia jury ordered Heard to pay him $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages — the punitive amount was knocked down to $350,000 — after a defamation case the Pirates of the Caribbean star brought against her.
Supporters saw her defeat as a setback for the #MeToo movement. Heard settled with Depp this week.
Depp v Heard, closing arguments - in pictures
Loser: Kanye West
Has any celebrity's star diminished this year quite like that of Kanye West, now known as Ye?
The US rapper finalised his separation from Kim Kardashian after the reality-TV star filed for divorce last year, claiming irreconcilable differences.
Ye’s downward spiral lasted for much of the past six months as he made anti-Semitic remarks on social media and elsewhere, resulting in him losing his social media accounts and coveted business partnerships.
Such is the antipathy towards Ye that even his appearance with Mr Trump (along with a Holocaust denier) at Mar-A-Lago resulted in Republicans calling on the former president to denounce the meeting.
Multibillion-dollar loser: Elon Musk
Where once the Tesla co-founder could do no wrong in the eyes of investors, the opposite seemed to be true in 2022.
At the start of the year, Tesla stock was at $400. Less than 12 months later, that value has plummeted about 65 per cent to $137 and there is no end in sight for the sell-off.
The reason in one word? Twitter.
At $44 billion, Mr Musk paid far more for the social media company than analysts said it was worth. He tried to renege on the deal but paid up as the matter was being litigated.
Ever since, he has tweeted insights into his combative management style and whimsical decision making, and pushed right-wing political views that alienated the liberal customers whose former loyalty saw him rise to become the world’s richest man, a crown he no longer holds.
Elon Musk over the years - in pictures
Loser: Cryptocurrency
With glitzy advertisements dancing across hundreds of millions of screens around the US during Super Bowl LVI in February, the cryptocurrency craze appeared unstoppable.
Instead, Bitcoin is set to close the year with its value down 64 per cent after peaking at $64,000 in 2021. Ethereum experienced a similar tumble at more than 68 per cent of value lost.
Perhaps nothing signifies cryptocurrency's turbulent year like the arrest of Sam Bankman-Fried and collapse of FTX, a crypto company he founded.
And now US politicians have cryptocurrency in their sights. After Mr Bankman-Fried’s arrest, some Congress members are calling for digital currencies to be supervised.
Cryptocurrencies - in pictures
Winner for now: US democracy
At critical midterm elections in November, Republicans narrowly took back control of the House, but the party underperformed on expectations of a “red wave.”
Along the campaign trail, Mr Trump and other Republicans pushed baseless 2020 election fraud conspiracies and supported election-denying candidates, leading to a perception that anti-democracy attitudes were a strong force in the Republican Party.
But voters largely rejected Trump-affiliated candidates.
“Threats to democracy also operate outside of the electoral system or election cycle,” Amanda Klasing, director of the US democracy initiative for Human Rights Watch, told The National.
"But a big takeaway from the midterms is that, despite unprecedented threats against election workers in the past two years, elections were administered freely and fairly, and the election results widely accepted."
Loser: Women’s rights
The conservative-majority Supreme Court in June overturned the federal right to an abortion, ending a half-century of legal protection for the procedure.
This turned abortion protection over to the US states. Some had “trigger-laws” in place that almost immediately banned all abortion access.
Almost half of the states are likely to enact new laws as restrictive as possible or seek to enforce current, unconstitutional laws prohibiting abortion.
“We are seeing states divide into abortion deserts, where it is illegal to access care, and abortion havens, where care continues to be available,” said the US-based Centre for Reproductive Rights, which tracks reproductive health access across the US and abroad.
Millions of women no longer have the right to an abortion, mainly in the country’s southern and mid-western regions, and are forced to travel for legal care.
But there were some state-level moves to protect access to abortion.
In August, Kansas voters overwhelmingly rejected a proposed constitutional amendment that would have said there was no right to the procedure.
Winner: Ketanji Brown Jackson
American history was made this year when Ketanji Brown Jackson took her place as the first black woman to sit on the US Supreme Court.
Ms Jackson, 52, was nominated by Mr Biden in February and subsequently confirmed by the Senate. Her confirmation fulfilled a campaign promise made by Mr Biden to appoint a black woman to the nation's top court.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
THE SPECS
Touareg Highline
Engine: 3.0-litre, V6
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 340hp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh239,312
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20Kaoutar%20Harchi%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPublisher%3A%20Other%20Press%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPages%3A%20176%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAvailable%3A%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Eyasses squad
Charlie Preston (captain) – goal shooter/ goalkeeper (Dubai College)
Arushi Holt (vice-captain) – wing defence / centre (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Olivia Petricola (vice-captain) – centre / wing attack (Dubai English Speaking College)
Isabel Affley – goalkeeper / goal defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Jemma Eley – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Alana Farrell-Morton – centre / wing / defence / wing attack (Nord Anglia International School)
Molly Fuller – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Caitlin Gowdy – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Noorulain Hussain – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai College)
Zahra Hussain-Gillani – goal defence / goalkeeper (British School Al Khubairat)
Claire Janssen – goal shooter / goal attack (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Eliza Petricola – wing attack / centre (Dubai English Speaking College)
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.3-litre%204cyl%20turbo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E299hp%20at%205%2C500rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E420Nm%20at%202%2C750rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E10-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E12.4L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh157%2C395%20(XLS)%3B%20Dh199%2C395%20(Limited)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Year Earth Changed
Directed by:Tom Beard
Narrated by: Sir David Attenborough
Stars: 4
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
'Avengers: Infinity War'
Dir: The Russo Brothers
Starring: Chris Evans, Chris Pratt, Tom Holland, Robert Downey Junior, Scarlett Johansson, Elizabeth Olsen
Four stars
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
How Alia's experiment will help humans get to Mars
Alia’s winning experiment examined how genes might change under the stresses caused by being in space, such as cosmic radiation and microgravity.
Her samples were placed in a machine on board the International Space Station. called a miniPCR thermal cycler, which can copy DNA multiple times.
After the samples were examined on return to Earth, scientists were able to successfully detect changes caused by being in space in the way DNA transmits instructions through proteins and other molecules in living organisms.
Although Alia’s samples were taken from nematode worms, the results have much bigger long term applications, especially for human space flight and long term missions, such as to Mars.
It also means that the first DNA experiments using human genomes can now be carried out on the ISS.
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THE TWIN BIO
Their favourite city: Dubai
Their favourite food: Khaleeji
Their favourite past-time : walking on the beach
Their favorite quote: ‘we rise by lifting others’ by Robert Ingersoll
RESULT
Copa del Rey, semi-final second leg
Real Madrid 0
Barcelona 3 (Suarez (50', 73' pen), Varane (69' OG)
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The biog
Place of birth: Kalba
Family: Mother of eight children and has 10 grandchildren
Favourite traditional dish: Al Harees, a slow cooked porridge-like dish made from boiled cracked or coarsely ground wheat mixed with meat or chicken
Favourite book: My early life by Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, the Ruler of Sharjah
Favourite quote: By Sheikh Zayed, the UAE's Founding Father, “Those who have no past will have no present or future.”
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Brief scoreline:
Al Wahda 2
Al Menhali 27', Tagliabue 79'
Al Nassr 3
Hamdallah 41', Giuliano 45 1', 62'
Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
The five pillars of Islam
Company: Instabug
Founded: 2013
Based: Egypt, Cairo
Sector: IT
Employees: 100
Stage: Series A
Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors
PROFILE BOX
Company name: Overwrite.ai
Founder: Ayman Alashkar
Started: Established in 2020
Based: Dubai International Financial Centre, Dubai
Sector: PropTech
Initial investment: Self-funded by founder
Funding stage: Seed funding, in talks with angel investors
Abu Dhabi traffic facts
Drivers in Abu Dhabi spend 10 per cent longer in congested conditions than they would on a free-flowing road
The highest volume of traffic on the roads is found between 7am and 8am on a Sunday.
Travelling before 7am on a Sunday could save up to four hours per year on a 30-minute commute.
The day was the least congestion in Abu Dhabi in 2019 was Tuesday, August 13.
The highest levels of traffic were found on Sunday, November 10.
Drivers in Abu Dhabi lost 41 hours spent in traffic jams in rush hour during 2019
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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The years Ramadan fell in May
