Between the government shutdowns that bookended the year, there were furious standoffs over a border wall; shootings at a high school, a bar, a grocery store, a synagogue; devastating wildfires in California. Handshakes and promises shared with autocrats in North Korea and Russia. Powerful men brought down by #MeToo or trying to make a comeback, and a Supreme Court nominee accused, then elevated to the bench. Questions about a murdered journalist, about election interference, about how much Facebook knew. A midterm vote that delivered one of the most diverse — and divided — governments in American history. Here’s what 2018 sounded like.

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