December 11

States complete elector appointments for the 2024 presidential election

State executives faced the federal deadline to sign Certificates of Ascertainment appointing presidential electors chosen in the general election. The step converted state election results into the formal Electoral College process before electors met on December 17.

Pew reports a global election year of anti-incumbent disruption

Pew Research Center published an analysis of the 2024 global election year, finding a broad pattern of voter frustration with incumbents and traditional parties. The report helped frame the year’s civic context: more than 60 countries voted, and many electorates punished governments over prices, culture, and distrust.

CDC Reports U.S. Overdose Deaths Fell Nearly 27 Percent in 2024

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that drug overdose deaths in the United States declined by approximately 27 percent in 2024 — the largest single-year drop ever recorded. An estimated 80,000 people died from overdoses, down from a peak of over 112,000 in 2023. Public health officials credited expanded naloxone access, harm reduction programs, and fentanyl test strips.

Biden announces first CHIPS Act funding awards for semiconductor manufacturing

President Biden announces the first funding awards under the CHIPS and Science Act, providing $35 million to BAE Systems for semiconductor manufacturing in New Hampshire and additional funding for Microchip Technology in Colorado. The awards represent the initial phase of $52.7 billion in semiconductor manufacturing subsidies authorized by the 2022 law. The administration emphasizes that the funding will create jobs, strengthen national security, and reduce dependence on foreign chip manufacturing, particularly in China. The awards are part of a broader strategy to revitalize American semiconductor manufacturing.

The Supreme Court rejects Texas's bid to overturn four states' election results

The Supreme Court denied Texas's motion to sue Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, and Wisconsin over their 2020 presidential election results. Texas asked the Court to block those states' certified electors, but the order said Texas lacked Article III standing and had no judicially cognizable interest in how another state runs its elections. The ruling kept certified state results in place and left election administration power with the states whose voters had cast the ballots.

FDA grants Emergency Use Authorization for Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine first US COVID vaccine

The Food and Drug Administration grants Emergency Use Authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, the first COVID-19 vaccine authorized in the United States. The authorization comes 11 months after the pandemic began, enabled by Operation Warp Speed, a $10 billion public-private partnership Trump launched in May 2020 that invested in vaccine development while manufacturing began before clinical trial completion. The Moderna vaccine receives EUA one week later. The U.S. begins mass vaccination on December 14, starting with healthcare workers and nursing home residents.

Trump signs EO 13899 directing agencies to consider the IHRA antisemitism definition in Title VI enforcement

President Trump signed Executive Order 13899, directing all federal agencies enforcing Title VI to consider the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism when evaluating complaints. The order was the first time a president explicitly linked antisemitism to Title VI enforcement by executive order, requiring agencies to treat anti-Jewish discrimination as vigorously as other Title VI violations. Biden continued the policy; Trump expanded it in his second term.

UNRWA established to assist Palestinian refugees

The United Nations established UNRWA to provide relief and works programs for Palestinian refugees displaced in the 1948 war. The agency has continued operating for decades, serving millions of refugees and their descendants.

UN General Assembly adopts Resolution 194 on Palestinian refugees

The U.N. General Assembly adopted Resolution 194, which became central to debates over Palestinian refugees, return, compensation, and permanent status. The resolution remains a key legal and diplomatic reference point in negotiations and refugee rights claims.