2012 in Review: The Year in News

A Presidential election, a landmark decision from the Supreme Court, a Superstorm and terrible violence towards kids. ?Those are just some of the major stories of 2012.

FOX’s Shepard Smith looks back at the year in news:

2012 opened with the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses. ?Initial reports put former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney out in front, but the certified results showed former Sen. Rick Santorum actually won by a handful of votes.

Racial tensions spiked when George Zimmerman shot and killed the Florida teenager Trayvon Martin. ?The self-proclaimed neighborhood watchman says he shot the 17-year-old in self-defense.

Fighting in Syria intensified, but a defiant President Bashar al-Assad refused to step down. ?Activists estimate at least 40,000 people have died since the violence began last year.

Trouble in Colombia for the U.S. Secret Service when agents allegedly brought prostitutes back to their hotel. ?President Obama arrived in the country just a few days later.

After a bitter primary season, the GOP race for the White House took shape. ?Mitt Romney the party’s Presidential nominee.

Change in Egypt: ?Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood won the country’s first free Presidential election, but later sparked enormous protests when he gave himself broad powers.

As the summer heated up, so did the Supreme Court; The Justices ruled on the Affordable Care Act. ?The 5-4 opinion was a big win for the President’s healthcare insurance plan. ?The court decided the individual mandate, which requires nearly every American to have health insurance or pay a penalty, falls under the government’s taxation powers.

Massacre at the movies: Investigators say James Holmes opened fire at a midnight screening of the Batman film, “The Dark Knight Rises” – 12 people killed and 58 others hurt.

Athletes from all around the globe gathered for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London.

In August, a somber milestone for our armed forces, as the number of U.S. military deaths in Afghanistan reached 2,000.

Violence in a place of worship: A gunman opened fire in a Wisconsin Sikh temple, killing six people and wounding four others before he killed himself.

Mitt Romney completed the Republican ticket by selecting the Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan as his running mate. ?Hurricane Isaac cancelled the first day of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, where Gov. Romney and Congressman Ryan officially accepted the Republican party nominations.

(Romney) “I will work with all my energy and soul to restore that America, to lift our eyes to a better future.”

A week later, Democrats hosted their convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, and President Obama and Vice President Biden accepted their nominations for re-election.

On September the 11th, gunman kill the U.S. Ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens, and three other Americans at the American consulate in Benghazi.

(President Obama) “They knew the danger and they accepted it.”

President Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney squared off in three debates, while both Joe Biden and Paul Ryan came out swinging in their one-and-only Vice Presidential debate.

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency released a report accusing cyclist Lance Armstrong of using performance-enhancing drugs. ?He never admitted doping, but Armstrong’s fall from grace cost him his seven Tour de France titles.

A jury convicted the former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky on 45 counts of child sex abuse and a judge sentenced him to at least 30 years in prison.

Superstorm Sandy slammed into the coast. ?The storm caused the heaviest damage in parts of New York and New Jersey. ?It knocked out power to millions and caused a gas shortage that led to long lines and rationing.

President Obama won a second term in office.

(President Obama) “We remain more than a collection of red states and blue states. ?We are, and forever will be, the United States of America.

While Republicans retained control of the House and Democrats kept their majority in the Senate.

And just days after the election, a scandal hit Washington. ?The CIA Director, the Retired General David Petraeus, resigned after admitting he’d had an affair with his biographer.

A man murdered 20 children and six adults at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. ?Investigators say Adam Lanza killed his own mother before that shooting spree and later killed himself at the school.

(President Obama) “You’re not alone in your grief.”

A lot of uncertainties ahead, and we’ll be here covering all the news as it happens.

In New York, I’m Shepard Smith, FOX News.