Family member Sebastian Taylor Thomaz

Events in 2013 and 21-2

Events in US in the birth year of Sebastian Taylor Thomaz

• Jan. 1: The Senate approve a last minute deal to raise tax rates from 35 to 39.9 percent for those earning more than $400,000. The deal also temporarily suspends across-the-board spending cuts. Later that night, the House also passes the legislation. The House vote ends the long dramatic showdown over the fiscal cliff with only a few hours left of the 112th Congress.
• Jan. 16: In response to recent massacres, including the killing of 20 first graders in Newtown, Conn., and 12 moviegoers in Aurora, Colo., President Barack Obama introduces proposals to tighten gun-control laws. His plan includes universal background checks for gun sales, the reinstatement and strengthening of the assault weapons ban, limiting ammunition magazines to a 10-round capacity, and other measures.
• Jan. 21: On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, President Obama is sworn in for a second term. He becomes the first president to say the word gay in an Inaugural Address when he compares the battle for same-sex marriage to past battles over gender and racial equality.
• Feb. 12: In the first State of the Union Address of his second term, President Obama focuses on the role government should play in growing the economy and stabilizing the middle class. He veers away from any ambitious proposals such as a new stimulus plan in the speech.
• March 1: Congress and President Obama do not reach an agreement in time to stop the large budget cuts to federal spending. As the cuts go into effect, Congressional leaders pledge to end the disagreements over the federal budget that have threatened to shut down the government for the last two years.
• March 26: The Supreme Court begins two days of historical debate over gay marriage. During the debate, the Supreme Court will consider overturning Proposition 8, the California initiative banning same-sex marriage, and the Defense of Marriage Act, a federal law passed during the presidency of Bill Clinton, which defines marriage as between a man and a woman. The Supreme Court decision will be announced in June 2013.
• April 15: Multiple bombs explode near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. At least three people are killed. One is an eight year old boy. More than 170 people are injured. Apr. 18: The FBI releases photos and video of two suspects in the hope that the public can help identify them. Just hours after the FBI releases the images, the two suspects rob a gas station in Central Square then shoot and kill a MIT police officer in his car. Afterwards, the two men carjack a SUV and tell the driver that they had set off the explosions at the marathon. Police pursue the vehicle into Watertown. During the shootout, a MBTA officer is shot and one of the suspects, identified as Tamerlan Tsarnaev, age 26, is killed. Apr. 19: The other suspect, Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev, age 19, remains at large for several hours, causing a massive manhunt and lockdown for all of Boston, Cambridge, and many other surrounding communities. The manhunt ends that evening when he is found alive, but seriously injured, hiding in a boat behind a house in Watertown.
• May 2: After same-sex marriage legislation passes in both houses of the state legislature, Governor Lincoln Chafee signs it into law. The new law, legalizing same-sex marriage, goes into effect in Rhode Island on August 1, 2013.
• May 7: Governor Jack Markell signs the Civil Marriage Equality and Religious Freedom act, legalizing same-sex marriage for the state of Delaware. The new law goes into effect on July 1, 2013.
• May 13: In Minnesota, the State Senate votes 37 to 30 in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage. The vote comes a week after it passes in the House. Governor Mark Dayton, a supporter of same-sex marriage, says he will sign the bill the following afternoon. Gay couples will be able to marry in Minnesota in August 2013.
• June 6: The Guardian receives information that reveals that the National Security Agency (NSA) is using PRISM to spy on the web activities, including email, of U.S. citizens. Through PRISM, a clandestine national security surveillance program, the NSA has direct access to Facebook, YouTube, Skype, Google, Apple, Yahoo and other websites. June 7: The Wall Street Journal reports that the NSA also monitors the credit card transactions and customer records of three major phone service providers. June 8: The Guardian publishes a report on another NSA tool called Boundless Informant, used by the U.S. government to watch activity in every country in the world. President Obama confirms the existence of PRISM and its use to spy on the online activity of U.S. citizens. June 9: Edward Snowden, a former CIA employee, comes forward and admits that he is the source of the recent NSA leaks.
• June 24: In Fisher v. University of Texas, the Supreme Court allows universities to continue considering race as a factor in admissions to achieve diversity, but it does tell them that they must prove that "available, workable race-neutral alternatives do not suffice" before considering race. The ruling is considered a compromise between conservative and liberal factions of the court.
• June 25: In Shelby County v. Holder, the Supreme Court strikes down Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act, which established a formula for Congress to use when determining if a state or voting jurisdiction requires prior approval before changing its voting laws. Currently under Section 5 of the act nine-mostly Southern-states with a history of discrimination must get clearance from Congress before changing voting rules to make sure racial minorities are not negatively affected. While the 5-4 decision does not invalidate Section 5, it makes it toothless.
• June 26: The Supreme Court rules that the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional. In a 5 to 4 vote, the court rules that DOMA violates the rights of gays and lesbians. The court also rules that the law interferes with the rights of each state to define marriage. It is the first case ever on the issue of gay marriage for the Supreme Court. June 26: The Supreme Court rules that same-sex marriage opponents in California did not have standing to appeal the lower court ruling that overturned the ban, known as Proposition 8. This ruling will most likely remove legal battles for same-sex couples wishing to marry in California. However, the ruling does not directly affect other states.
• July 13: A jury in Florida finds George Zimmerman not guilty of murdering Trayvon Martin. The verdict sparks outrage on the internet and protests in cities throughout the U.S., but no riots or extreme violence are reported.
• Aug. 12: Notorious Boston gangster James (Whitey) Bulger is found guilty of 31 of the 32 charges he faced, including murder, extortion, money laundering, drug dealing and possession of weapons. Nov. 14: Bulger, age 84, receives two consecutive life sentences, plus five years.
• Aug. 21: Private Bradley Manning, age 25, is sentenced to 35 years in prison for leaking over 700,000 U.S. government files to WikiLeaks, files that contained classified U.S. military activities. It is the longest sentence ever given in the U.S. involving leaked government data to the public. Private Manning can be up for parole in seven years, according to his attorney. Aug. 22: The day after his sentencing, Manning announces that he is female and wants to be referred to from now on as Chelsea. In his statement, Manning writes: "As I transition into this next phase of my life, I want everyone to know the real me. I am Chelsea Manning. I am a female. Given the way that I feel, and have felt since childhood, I want to begin hormone therapy as soon as possible. I hope that you will support me in this transition. I also request that, starting today, you refer to me by my new name and use the feminine pronoun."
• Sept. 10: Voters in Colorado throw out of office Democrats John Morse and Angela Giron for their support of recently enacted gun-control laws that mandate background checks on private gun sales and limit magazine clips to 15 rounds. The election draws national attention not only for the ouster of the officials but also for the influx of money on both sides, from the National Rifle Association and New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, a gun-control advocate.
• Sept. 16: Former Navy reservist Aaron Alexis, 34, kills 12 people at the Washington Navy Yard, near the U.S. Capitol. Alexis, who had been employed at the base by a military subcontractor, is killed in a shootout with police.
• Sept. 30: The Senate rejects a Republican bill that will fund the government but delay the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. The rejection increases the chance of a government shutdown at midnight because the spending bill must pass to fund the government. With just hours left before the deadline, the Senate votes against the spending bill, which the House approved over the weekend. The rejection by the Senate sends the bill back to the House. Oct. 1: Congress fails to agree on a budget and pass a spending bill, causing the government to shut down. Republicans show no signs of backing down, passing a new bill of their own in the House. Their bill will fund the government but delay the Affordable Care Act and eliminate a tax on medical devices that would cover some costs of the new health care program. The government shutdown forces about 800,000 federal workers off the job. Oct. 10: In an effort to end the shutdown they began, Republicans in the House offer President Obama a plan to increase the debt limit through Nov. 22 if he promises to negotiate with them on a tax overhaul and long-term deficit reduction deal. Oct. 16: The night before the debt ceiling deadline, both the House and Senate approve a bill to fund the government until January 15, 2014, and raise the debt limit through February 7, 2014. The bill ends the 16-day government shutdown. It also ends the Republican standoff with President Obama over the Affordable Care Act.
• Oct. 21: In an unanimous vote, the New Jersey Supreme Court rejects a request by Gov. Chris Christie to delay the implementation date of same-sex weddings. Immediately same-sex couples begin to marry, making New Jersey the 14th state to recognize same-sex marriages.
• Nov. 5: In November general elections, the Democrats get a key victory in Virginia when Terry McAuliffe is elected governor in a tight race. In New Jersey, Republican Chris Christie easily wins a second term as governor. The decisive win cements him as a frontrunner for the Republican presidential contender in 2016. In New York City, Democrat Bill de Blasio is elected mayor in a landslide. He defeats Joseph J. Lhota, former Metropolitan Transportation Authority chairman, by 49 percent. It is the biggest victory for a New York City mayor since Edward Koch won by 68 percent in 1985. Boston elects a new mayor for the first time in twenty years in a nonpartisan election. Democrat Martin J. Walsh narrowly beats Democrat City Councilman John R. Connolly, 52 to 48 percent.
• Nov. 5: Illinois becomes the 15th state to recognize same-sex marriages when the House of Representatives approves the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act, which passed the state Senate in February 2013. The new law will be implemented on June 1, 2014.
• Nov. 12: Hawaii becomes the 16th state to recognize same-sex marriages when the Senate passes a gay marriage bill, which had already passed in the House. Beginning December 2, gay couples who are residents of Hawaii as well as tourists can marry in the state.
• Nov. 21: The Senate deploys the "nuclear option," voting 52-48 to end the right of the minority to filibuster executive and judicial branch nominees. Under the new rules, a simple majority is required to end debate and move forward with a vote on nominees. The vote is called a monumental, once in a generation change to Senate procedure.
• Dec. 16: The first ruling against the NSA surveillance program is handed down by Judge Richard Leon of Federal District Court for the District of Columbia. He says the program is "significantly likely" to violate the Fourth Amendment which addresses protection against unreasonable searches. Dec. 18: Just days after the ruling, an advisory panel commissioned by President Obama releases a 300-page report that recommends 46 changes to the NSA surveillance program.

Birthday Sebastian Taylor Thomaz (21-2) in history

• Day 21-2 year 1613: Michael Romanov was elected Tsar of Russia, marking the beginning of the Romanov Empire
• Day 21-2 year 1878: The first telephone book was issued (New Haven, Conn.).
• Day 21-2 year 1916: Battle of Verdun, the longest and one of the bloodiest engagements of World War I, began.
• Day 21-2 year 1965: Black nationalist leader Malcolm X was assassinated.
• Day 21-2 year 1972: President Nixon became the first U.S. president to visit China.
• Day 21-2 year 1995: Steve Fossett became the first person to cross the Pacific Ocean solo in a balloon.
• Day 21-2 year 2002: It was confirmed that Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl was dead, allegedly murdered by Islamic militants.
• Day 21-2 year 2012: Eurozone finance ministers reached an agreement on a second, 130-billion bailout for Greece to help with the country's debt crisis.