Top 10 U.S. News Stories
By TIME Staff
Dec. 04, 2013

10. The Moore, Okla. Tornado

Like most tornados, the storm that tore through Moore, Okla. on May 20 arrived with little advance notice. Though forecasters knew the conditions were present for a potentially dangerous twister, it wasn’t until 2:40 p.m. that the National Weather Service issued its most serious warning: a “tornado emergency.” 16 minutes later, the storm barrelled through the Oklahoma City suburb, flattening homes, whipping cars into the air and collapsing an elementary school to rubble. By the time it ended, 24 people were dead, including nine children. But as so often happens in moments of crisis, the storm brought out the best in people. Teachers threw their bodies over students as the elementary school caved in and residents and first-responders rushed to dig their neighbors out of the rubble. “You hear screams,” one of those residents, Brandon Moore, told TIME, “you go help.” —Ben Goldberger

9. The IRS Overreaches

Bernie Brunner, of Springfield, Pa., holds a flag during a tea party rally protesting extra IRS scrutiny of their groups, May 21, 2013, in Philadelphia.

Matt Slocum / AP

When a report surfaced in May that the IRS was targeting nonprofits with words like “Tea Party” in their name for increased scrutiny, it looked, momentarily, like President Obama was facing a major political scandal. Within days, the IRS’ acting commissioner resigned and Republicans were calling for Obama’s impeachment. But things didn’t unfold as expected. Obama maintained he had no knowledge of the policy, and it soon became clear that the IRS also targeted liberal groups seeking nonprofit status. Instead, the revelations served as a reminder of the bureaucracy’s potential to overstep its bounds and spurred an internal review that found ongoing malpractice within the agency. —Noah Rayman

8. Gun Control Loses Steam

Senate Votes On Proposed Gun Legislation That Expands Background Checks

Alex Wong / Getty Images

The horrific school shooting in Newtown, Conn. that left 20 children and six adults dead was supposed to have been a turning point for gun control advocates. Riding the collective dismay over the massacre, Democratic Congressional leaders sought to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and expand background checks on gun sales. Despite President Obama throwing the full weight of his bully pulpit behind the effort, the bill failed in the Senate in April, with 45 Senators — including four democrats — voting against it. A rough year for gun control advocates got even worse in September when gun rights supporters waged an effort to recall two Colorado state senators who supported state-wide measures expanding background checks. As the National Rifle Association and gun control activists like New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg poured money into the campaign, the vote became a proxy battle for the larger national fight. When the votes were counted in favor of the recall, TIME wrote, “any wind still left in the sails of gun control advocates likely died—at least for now.”—Noah Rayman

7. Detroit Files for Bankruptcy

Detroit Struggles To Re-Build A Bankrupt City Amidst Poverty And Blight

Andrew Burton / Getty Images

After years of population losses and mounting debt, Detroit filed for bankruptcy on July 18, becoming the largest city in U.S. history to hit the reset button. The move was an acknowledgement that the Motor City, once the richest in America, was incapable of digging itself out from an $18 billion hole. “The 2009 bailouts may have revived the carmakers,” TIME wrote after the filing, “but they haven’t saved the city.” To some residents, especially municipal workers and retirees who stand to have their pensions cut, declaring bankruptcy amounted to a particularly embarrassing surrender for a once-mighty city. But to supporters, settling with creditors and restructuring nearly $3.5 billion in unfunded pension obligations was seen as an essential step to restoring financial solvency and, as Michigan Governor Rick Snyder said the day of the filing, make a “fresh start” without “burdens of debt it cannot hope to repay.” The bankruptcy also served as a wake-up call to municipalities across the country struggling with their own shaky finances. They’ll be watching closely as Detroit attempts to turn its historic collapse into a model of urban recovery. —Noah Rayman

6. George Zimmerman Acquitted

Sonia Medina, of Suwanee, Ga., holds a sign while joining a protest the day after George Zimmerman was found not guilty in the 2012 shooting death of teenager Trayvon Martin, Sunday, July 14, 2013, in Atlanta.

David Goldman / AP

By the time George Zimmerman was charged with second-degree murder in April of 2012, the small-town altercation had already become a major national story. Only the basic facts were clear: Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, shot and killed Trayvon Martin, an unarmed 17-year-old African American, after a confrontation in the Florida neighborhood he patrolled. Zimmerman maintained he acted in self-defense, while Martin’s supporters saw it as an example of racial profiling played out to a deadly end. On July 13, after two days of deliberations, the jury delivered its verdict: not guilty on all charges. The decision settled the criminal charges, but it did little to address the larger issues about race and the justice system the case raised. The verdict, TIME noted, “may do little to satisfy a country at the intersection of demographic change that promises a new chapter and ancient divisions that refuse to heal.” —Noah Rayman.

Read the remaining five of the top 10 at Time