January 20 – United States
The United States President Barack Obama gives his 2015 State of the Union Address in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives. In his speech, President Obama declares the end to the financial crisis, the worst recession since the Great Depression. He outlines his plan to help the middle class families by providing sick and maternity leave, affordable childcare, and free access to community college. He also pledges to increase taxes on financial institutions and capital gains tax of the richest earners.
February 3 – United States
Jordan carries out multiple air strikes on Islamic State (IS) targets in Syria after an online video appeared showing captured Jordanian pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh being burned alive. The focus of the Jordanian bombing is the city of Raqqa, the IS stronghold. The militants claim that during one of these air strikes, an American aid worker, Kayla Mueller, who was held by the IS since 2013, was killed. This claim, however, cannot be confirmed. (February 16): Egypt carries out air bombing on Islamic State targets in Libya after IS released a video showing beheadings of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians who were kidnapped in Libya where they worked. The killings have been widely condemned by the international community. Al-Azhar, the prestigious seat of Islamic learning in Cairo, says that these barbaric killings have nothing to do with any religion or human values. (February 17): Japan says it will contribute additional $15.5 million to fight terrorism in the Middle East following the release of the video by the Islamic State showing two Japanese hostages being beheaded. The money will fund such activities as improving border controls. (February 26): The masked Islamic State militant shown as the leader of the beheadings on the IS videos, is identified as a Kuwaiti-born British citizen Moahmmed Emwazi.
March 3 – United States
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses a joint session of U.S. Congress on the invitation of Republican leaders. The invitation is controversial because it was not consulted with the White House, further straining the relationship between the prime minister and U.S. President Barack Obama. Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech focuses on portraying Iran as a terrorist state and his opposition to the deal with Iran, currently in negotiations, aiming at preventing it from gaining nuclear weapons. Fifty-eight Senate and House Democrats — including Vice President Joe Biden— boycott the event.
March 31 – Canada
The Canadian parliament authorizes the government’s plan to expand air strikes into Syria against the Islamic State’s (IS) strongholds. The mission will be extended to the end of March 2016. Canadian air force already takes part in U.S.-led bombing attacks against Islamic State in Iraq.
April 11 – United State
U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro meet for formal talks during the Summit of the Americas, the first ones between the two countries in more than 50 years. Both leaders aim at normalizing the strained relations between the two countries. After the talks, President Obama announces he will officially remove Cuba from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism.
April 28 – United States
The U.S. city of Baltimore declares a state of emergency after peaceful rallies sparked by the death of Freddie Gray, a young black man in police custody turn violent and deadly. Six police officers involved in the case are suspended. The crowds of people protest racial inequalities and police brutality.
April 29 – United States
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe meets with U.S. President Barack Obama to discuss defense cooperation between the two countries and a trade deal called the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). He is also the first Japanese prime minister to address a joint session of the U.S. Congress. During his speech, Abe expresses his deep regrets and condolences for US soldiers who died during the World War II conflict. 2015 marks 70th anniversary of the end of WWII.
May 6 – United States
The United States approves passenger ferry services to Cuba, 55 years after it was stopped as a result of a trade embargo imposed on Cuba in 1960.
May 12 – United States
According to Pew Research Center, the percentage of adults in the United States who identify themselves as Christians declined by 8 percent between 2007 and 2014 and stands at 70.6 percent. At the same time, the percentage of those who do not identify with any religion rose by over six points to 22.8 percent. The percentage of people who identify with non-Christian religions, such as Judaism, Islam, and Hinduism, went up slightly (1.2 percent) and stands at 5.9 percent.
June 3 – United States
The United States Senate votes to replace the Patriot Act that has been in place since the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and increasingly unpopular with the public with the USA Freedom Act. The new Freedom Act ends the bulk collection of American’s personal phone and internet data and requires the National Security Agency (NSA) to request this data through a court order. Also, under the new law, records must be stored by telecommunications companies rather than on government servers.
June 17 – United States
A 21-year-old supporter of white supremacy and racial segregation, Dylann Roof, attends a Bible study at the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in downtown Charleston, South Carolina and after an hour pulls out his handgun and starts shooting at the attendees. He kills six women and three men, all African Americans, including the church’s pastor and a South Carolina state senator Clementa C. Pinckney. He is later caught and apprehended by the law enforcement. (June 18): New images of Dylann Roof that emerged on the internet show him posing with a gun and Confederate flag. The picture renews debates about a symbolic meaning of the Confederate flag and calls to remove it from statehouse grounds in South Carolina.
June 25 – United States
The United States Supreme Court rules that federal subsidies for health insurance premiums for low-income people buying health insurance on exchanges can continue in the 34 states which did not set up their own insurance exchanges. The Affordable Care Act of 2010, known as Obamacare, obligates every American to buy private health insurance policy. Without these subsidies, several millions of eligible people would have dropped their coverage, which would then threaten the entire health care reform. The court’s ruling is a big legislative victory for President Barack Obama, but Republicans vow to continue challenging the law and have it repealed.
June 27 – United States
The United States Supreme Court rules that same-sex marriage is a constitutional right and is legal across the United States, ending a decade of legal battles. In recent years, the support for equal guy rights has been growing; however, some conservatives condemn the decision and accuse the Supreme Court of violating states’ rights.
July 10 – United States
After days of fractious debate in the state’s legislature, South Carolina removes the Confederate flag from South Carolina capitol grounds. For many, the flag is a symbol of slavery and racism, and associated with the man who killed nine Blacks in a church in South Carolina last month. Supporters of the flag say it is an important part of the southern history and heritage.
July 14 – United States
After 20 months of negotiations, world powers (the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China, Russia, and Germany) reach a long-term agreement with Iran that limits its nuclear activity in return for lifting economic sanctions by the international community. The deal allows the United Nations (UN) nuclear inspectors monitor and inspect Iranian nuclear sites and puts other checks in place to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. In exchange, Iran will regain its frozen assets oversees and will resume selling its oil on international markets. In the U.S the agreement has to be approved by Congress, where it faces strong opposition from the Republican legislatures.
August 4 – United States / Puerto Rico
The self-governing United States territory of Puerto Rico defaults on its debt payment as it is going through an economic crisis. Puerto Rico has a $70 billion public debt and an unemployment rate of more than 14 percent. According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s report “Puerto Rico Economic Analysis Report 2013-2014,” approximately 75,000 Puerto Ricans migrated to the United States in 2012, of whom 45,707 were under 35. The report also estimates that the population of Puerto Rico will gradually decrease over the next forty years to 2.3 million in 2050.
August 31 – United States
Ahead of his visit to the state of Alaska, U.S. President Barack Obama announces that the tallest mountain in North America has been renamed from Mount McKinley to its original native Alaskan name, Denali. Alaska has been campaigning for decades to make this change, which was opposed by the state of Ohio, home state of President William McKinley.
September 22 – United States
Pope Francis arrives in the United States for an official visit, where he is greeted by millions of American Catholics. He meets with President Barack Obama and is the first Pope to address a joint meeting of Congress. In his speech to Congress, the Pope speaks against death penalty and calls for action to stop environmental deterioration caused by human activity. He also encourages the U.S. to embrace migrants as the world faces the worst refugee crisis since WWII.
October 15 – United States
The United States extends its military presence in Afghanistan by keeping 5,500 troops beyond 2016. Currently, there are 9,800 US troops in Afghanistan. The troops will continue to train Afghan soldiers and to prepare them to counter the growing threat of the resurgent Taliban. The troops will be stationed in Kabul, Bagram, Kandahar, and Jalalabad. The U.S. also wants to maintain a small number of military bases in Afghanistan for counter-terrorism operations.
October 20 – Canada
Canada’s Liberal Party led by Justin Trudeau wins parliamentary elections ending a decade-long rule by the Conservatives and ousting Prime Minister Stephen Harper who stayed in power for three terms. Out of 338 seats in the parliament, the Liberals win 184, increasing their number of seats by 150. The Conservatives come second with 99 seats, and New Democrats (NDP) third, winning 44 seats. The Bloc Quebecois gets 10 seats, and the Greens one. The Liberals promised to boost the economic growth by investing in public works, to help the middle class by cutting their taxes at the cost of increased taxes on the wealthiest Canadians, and to address the environmental problems.
October 27 – United States
A US warship passes by the contested islands in the South China Sea within the area claimed by China. China issues a protest, saying that such incidents might lead to a war. The United States, however, says it was conducting a routine operation according to international law.
October 30 – United States
The European Union (EU) and the United States temporarily suspend most of their sanctions against Belarus after President Alexander Lukashenko has freed six of his political opponents and made overtures to the West to improve relations between both sides. The lifted sanctions include the asset freeze and travel ban applying to Lukashenko and 170 individuals from his circles. An arms embargo remains in force. At the same time, the EU and the U.S. encourage Belarus to improve its human rights record and democracy. The sanctions will be evaluated again in four months.
December 2 – United States
A married couple living in the city of Redlands, CA, both radicalized Muslims, opens fire at employees of the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health attending a Christmas party, killing 14 people and injuring 22. The couple is killed by police a few hours later in a shootout. Investigators find a large stockpile of weapons, ammunition, and bomb-making equipment in the couple’s home. This mass shooting is described as homegrown violent extremism, where the perpetrators were inspired by foreign terrorist groups, but they did not act as part of any of these groups. It also renews the discussion about gun violence in the United States. President Barack Obama calls for “common-sense” gun safety laws and stronger background checks to reduce such mass killings.