2023. tonight, we're coming to you from times square in the heart of new york city. for so many, this is the place where new year's begins and ends. i'm tom yum. we fake you for joining us tonight. we're covering the top ten stories from this eventful year. plus, look at the people in trends which to find the last 12 months. as we look to close the chapter in 2023, we take a look back at the air that was. here's nbc's joe fryer. >> how do you define a year like 2023? was that the year of the strike? [crowd chanting] or year of the swift? ♪ ♪ ♪ didn't offer a glimpse of the future with the rapid rise of artificial intelligence and the weight loss drug ozempic? or a blast from the past? >> hi barbie! >> i can! >> with the pink coated resurgence of a classic doll. was it the year a speaker was booted, or simply a prelude to 2024? the campaign trail lined with pit stops in the courtroom. 2024 you can be defined in so many ways. so much of the world, it was a year headlined by war in the middle east. >> major breaking news tonight. why arrests in the middle east. the stunning surprise attack by palestinian militants. >> it started on october 7th. a day many now call israel's 9/11. the surprise attack hamas militants stormed into israeli towns and military bases. >> they were all just all around me. they were going tree by tree and shooting, we pow, pow, pow. >> israel's foreign ministry says -- more than 200 taken hostage, including young children. >> it's something that no parent can ever imagine, to see a child in the hands of terrorists. >> israel's response was swift and relentless, but with thousands of palestinians killed and a humanitarian crisis growing, israel faced mounting criticism. those tensions seen on american streets and college campuses, with reports of both antisemitism and islamophobia spiking across the country. is the middle east war raged on, the one between crane and russia trudged on. ukraine's long awaited counteroffensive stalling and american support waning. just one of many issues highlighting america's stark division. ♪ ♪ ♪ in january, it took 15 ballots -- >> a speaker has not been elected. has not been elected. has not been elected. >> to elect kevin mccarthy as speaker, a position he held just nine months before he was ousted. >> i fought for what i believe in, and i believe in this country of america. >> like a reality tv show, new can defenders came and went. >> or a ship without a writer right now. >> before louisiana's might johnson got the gavel. >> the house will be in order. >> and election followed by an expulsion. scandal plagued representative george santos became only the third congressman since the civil war to be ejected from the chamber. but no controversy, it seemed, could shake the gop's support for former president donald trump, who in april made history to. >> it was a legal spectacle never seen before in america. the former president being fingerprinted and being charged with 34 felony is. >> mr. trump's appearance in a new york courtroom created a media circus that was repeated with indictments and florida, then washington, then georgia, where he mugged for this shot. >> we did often wrong. i did nothing wrong. >> he has pleaded not guilty to all charges while preventing a vast lead for's parties presidential nomination, skipping debates -- >> donald trump's a lot different guy than he was in 2016. he owes it to you to be on the stage. >> leaving the rest of the field to squabble four seconds. >> do you want to leader from a different generation who's gonna put this country first? or do you want dick cheney in three inch heels? >> they're five and feels, and i don't wear them unless you can run in them. >> but the democratic side, president joe biden announced his reelection bid in april. >> are you saying that you would be taking part in our upcoming election? >> i'm planning on running. >> well, inflation dropped in 2023, so did the president's approval rating. hitting an all-time low. now, voters are bracing for a potential 2023 rematch that's leading many disenchanted. we [crowd chanting] have a future! >> a wave of labor discontent -- pushing unions to the picket line. the united auto workers went on strike against detroit's big three, eventually winning record pay hikes. hollywood was effectively shut down with rioters striking, than actors, before reaching deals with studios. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> it's the best day ever. >> it is the best day ever. >> amid the strikes, the box office got a boost from an unlikely couple. barbie, and oppenheimer. >> we're in a race against the not cease. >> both movies -- barbenheimer. >> the double feature is really legendary. >> now, the films are hoping to follow in the footsteps of this year's big oscar winning, everything everywhere all at once. sci-fi flick won best picture, and stormy shell you became the first asian woman to win the academy award for best actress. there were three firsts that were far less desirable in 2023. the united nations declined in late november this was virtually certain to be the planets warmest year on record. here with the most billion dollar disasters in u.s. history, including hurricane adalja. >> there's some wind gusts that are starting to pound us. we actually just lost power here right now. >> and a fire storm that ravaged the island of maui. >> local people have lost everything. they lost the house, they've lost their animals, and it's devastating. >> was the deadliest u.s. wildfire in more than a century with more than 100 people killed. gun violence plagued the country again with cities like lewiston, maine, joining the long list of communities linked to mass shootings. >> why would he do this? why in lewiston, maine? >> 18 people were killed there. six were gunned down at a private elementary school in nashville. three of them were children. >> how are our children still dying? and why are we failing them? >> tragedy also reached the depths of the ocean. >> let's get right to the story the whole world is watching. the urgent search for a missing submersible. >> in june, ocean gate's titan summer civil vanished on a sightseeing tour of the titanic wreckage. a desperate search offered hope that five people on board could be rescued. but crews eventually determined a catastrophic explosion killed everyone on the ill-fated voyage. in the sky, the u.s. military shot down a chinese spy balloon flying over american airspace, heightening tensions between the two countries. the crisis at the border widened in 2023, with places like new york and chicago running out of room to house migrants who were bussed to their cities. >> sent -- to jail. >> and january -- tyre nichols. the 29-year-old black man was killed and plunged -- dying three days later. five police officers were fired and charged with state and federal crimes. one has since pleaded guilty. the others, not guilty. in the courts, the supreme court handed down a historic decision in june. -- effectively ending race conscious college admissions. >> this is a really disappointing decision. >> perhaps no court case generated more attention in 2023 than the trial of alec murdaugh, the disgraced attorney from south carolina accused of killing his wife and son took the stand and his own defense. >> you take this gun, or any gun like it, blow your son's brains that? >> no, i did not. >> the jury deliberated only three hours before finding murdaugh guilty. king charles iii was officially coronated in may. prince harry was there for the event. his wife, meghan markle, was notably not in the year when the royal rift between the come fall and palace spared no one, with harry's memoir, and a south park parity. >> thanks for having us on the show. it was a huge here for women and entertainment. stadiums were ruled by queen bee, beyoncé, who also won a 32nd grammy, by taylor swift, who became a billionaire and times person of the year. the artist even crossed over into football, showing up at chiefs games to support her new beau, travis kelce. speaking of sports, simone -- gymnastics, bolting to her sixth world title. her come back on them at matched by one on the field. buffalo bills safety damar hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest, and medics restated his height. >> this was life-changing, but it's not the end of my story. >> hamlin didn't just recover. he returned to the game he lives. a symbol of resilience and strength. that just might be the best way to define 2023. we're gonna now dig into some of those headlines as we talk about the top ten stories of 2023. we begin with one event that grabbed the world's attention for five days in june. the tragedy of the titan submersible. the vessel was on its way to explore the titanic wreckage when it lost contact. ships and planes scoured the ocean for days, but then came news that a catastrophic implosion likely killed the five people aboard instantly. despite the dangers of exploration, we continue to see humanity driven by the desire to explain the unknown. both here on earth, and beyond. tom costello now on why this was a significant year for the future of space travel. we have lift off. >> that hearing coming from south texas in november. it was very much improved second test of elon musk's starship after the first start ship exploded shortly after lift off. this time, all 33 engines fired in perfect unison. nasa in america have strapped their dreams to that spacex rocket. that next flight will be early next year. then, late in the, air-ness is artemis extra knots will loop around the moon. in 2022, and artemis test flight orbited the moon with no crew. >> that is the spaceship that will take the artemis two crew to an orbit around the moon for the first time in more than 50 years. this is a nine-day mission, a quarter of 1 million miles just to get there. and this ship is nothing like -- neil armstrong and buzz aldrin. it is much more advanced, much more elevated. >> already, the training at nasa johnson space center. -- victor glover, mission specialist christina cook, and canadian fighter pilot jeremy hansen. >> i'm most looking forward to paving the way for the future. back to the moon, until my eyes. the fact that we get to contribute to that, absolutely an honor. the honor of my life. >> later this decade, nasa hopes artemis and elon musk's starship well rendezvous in lunar orbit, and land on the moon's south pole and begin building a lunar base. china wants to land its own and stream knots there by 2030. >> we're going back to the moon. it's actually a different moon. we're going to the south pole. >> the south pole, which may hold frozen ice water, critical for a future moon base, and a potential source of rocket fuel from missions on to mars. it's why india landed the probe there in 2023. and it's the same region that china is targeting fracking men landing. the new space race seems likely to pick up speed in 2024. >> tom, i think the space race israeli between us and china. and we need to protect the interest of the international community. >> also in 2024, boeing is hoping to finally launch its starliner spaceship with astronauts to the space station. many years delayed and while behind archrival spacex. and billionaire entrepreneur jarred -- command polaris don, another private mission with three others in the spacex rocket set to reach the highest earth orbit ever flown. >> tom costello, nbc news. >> our next top story is climate extremes. when 2023 is over, scientists say it will be the hottest year on record. states were shrouded in smoke as canada saw the worst wildfire season ever, and california got hit with a tropical storm for the first time in more than 25 years. our roker has more in the wild weather events of this past year. >> 2023, the hottest year ever on earth. >> oh my god. >> reporter: a year of climate and weather extremes. in the u.s., the number of billion dollar disasters tallied 25, more than any other year. new years ring in thousands of records, shattering across europe. at least eight countries had their warmest january day ever. ♪ ♪ ♪ back home, things were no better. a siege of atmospheric rivers clashed on the west coast through march, disruptive flash floods sweeping through parts of california. burying the sierra under 60 feet of snow. a historically dry lake, back from the dead. when spring arrived, started the tornadoes. the strongest and most devastating twister of the year was a ferocious ef4. rolling through rolling fork mississippi, covering up 55 mile paths across the state, packing winds as high as 195 miles an hour. just days later, a two-day tornado break spawned the third largest outbreak in u.s. history. a shift to the east in what is known as the traditional tornado alley is making higher density and more vulnerable populations a target for these types of disasters. in june, wildfire smoke was choking the big apple, making it seem like a marge -- mars landscape. shrouding iconic landmarks like the statue of liberty, and empire state building. both chicago and new york had the dubious distinction of worst air quality in the world during that hazy week. climate change, making wildfire smoke outbreaks more frequent as northern cities suffocated. southern cities broiled under relentless days of dangerous heat at the end of july. phoenix, hitting a record of 31 straight days of 100 degrees or hotter. the previous record, just 18 days. miami's extreme heat and tropical humidity resulted in 46 days registering a heat index of over 100 degrees. more than one dozen u.s. cities, recording their hottest city on record. the tropics lit up in late august, when hurricane idalia rapidly intensified over the gulf of mexico, striking north florida as a high end category three with winds of 125 miles an hour. fueled by record warm sea surface temperatures, the fourth most active in history by november. the brutal heat, plaguing the u.s., now boiling the southern hemisphere. the heat index in rio de janeiro hitting an astonishing 138 degrees. the highest ever recorded. for the third year in a row, deadly tornadoes ripped through the south, just days before christmas. >> oh my god! >> 2023, experiencing so many extreme weather events, we could not include them all here. climate change driven weather, leaving its mark all around the globe. here in times square, we are at the center of culture and commerce. this year, how much we spend, and what we cemented on was top of mind for those deciding economic policy. inflation began to ease, but interest rates rose, and major industries were hit with strikes. here's nbc's brian chung with our next top story of the year. it was the year of picket lines, bank blowups, and barbie. the economy steered clear of a recession, but the biggest theme of all, worker power. across the country, over half 1 million teachers, and more went on strike. the biggest ones, targeting hollywood and the motor city. tv and movie production halted when the rioters killed first walked out in may, with actors and performers joining two months later. in the fall, members of the united auto workers forced stoppages at detroit's big three automakers, further empowered by president biden's unprecedented visit to the picket line. phil, high inflation showed signs of improving, dropping from 6% to about 3% by years end. some things got cheaper compared to one year ago. gas was down 34 cents a gallon. prices cracked on eggs as well, over $1 deep partisan. inflation readings high but with medium blends down 2%. we hope the enforceability will improve next year. a light at the end of the tunnel for main street, but for 2023 it was hydro on wall street. silicon valley bank collapsed in march, beginning the biggest collapse since the 2008 financial crisis. overshadowed weeks later when first republic also failed, exposing bad bets made by poor managers. in the crypto world, sam bankman-fried, founder of the now defunct crypto exchange ftx was found guilty on charges of fraud and money laundering, and now facing up to 110 years in prison,. that is all part of an eventful 2023 in the world of business. >> still ahead, a breakout year for a.i. as the technology moved into the mainstream. for barbenheimer to beyoncé, the movies that brought us together. you're watching top stories of 2023. ories of 2023 it smells like food, it's what dogs are supposed to be eating. no living being should ever eat processed food for every single meal of their life. it's amazing to me how many people write in about their dogs changing for the better. the farmer's dog is just our way to help people take care of them. ♪ we're traveling all across america talking to people about their hearts. - how's the heart? - good. - you sure? - i think so. how do you know? let me show you something. put two fingers right on those pads. look at that. that's your heart. that is pretty awesome. with kardiamobile, you can take a medical grade ekg in just 30 seconds from anywhere. kardiamobile is proven to detect atrial fibrillation, one of the leading causes of stroke. for a limited time, kardiamobile is available for just $74. hurry, these prices won't last. get kardiamobile today at kardia.com or amazon. hi, i'm tali hurry, these prices won't last. and i lost 85 pounds on golo. (upbeat music) i started golo because i was unhealthy due to my weight. the minute i started taking the golo release, i knew it was working. i was not hungry, and i did not have any cravings. since losing weight with golo, i'm healthier now than i've ever been, and my doctor is thrilled. golo is so much more than weight loss, it's gonna give you your life back. the power goes out and we still have wifi to do our homework. and that's a good thing? great in my book! who are you? no power? no problem. introducing storm-ready wifi. now you can stay reliably connected through power outages with unlimited cellular data and up to 4 hours of battery back-up to keep you online. only from xfinity. >> as 2023 saw breakthroughs to home of the xfinity 10g network. long-standing high criminal cases, so we are victims families, justice finally insight after years of waiting. here's dateline's keith morrison with a look back at the year in true crime. >> disturbing new details coming with the alex murdaugh trial, the killing of four university of iowa. rescue, man accused of being the beach killer. >> every year across this great land, there are crimes that draw our attention. stories in which we simply cannot look away. this, year it was no exception. in january, all eyes turned to the south carolina court for one of the biggest trials in decades. once powerful attorney alex murdaugh stood accused of killing his wife and son. >> we are going to reach the inescapable conclusion that alex murdered maggie, that she was in the store. >> he did not do it. >> the case hinged on one key piece of evidence, the sofa and video proving that alec lied about where he was when the murders took place. he himself took the stand for two days of riveting testimony, and admitted that he had not told the truth about that night. >> what a tangled web we weave. >> he said that he was not a killer. >> are you a family annihilator? >> a family annihilator? like did i shoot my wife and son? no. >> do you think putting him on the stand hurt their case? >> i don't think it helped. >> it took just three hours for the jury to convict him. >> i sentence you for the term of the rest of your natural life. >> did you do it? >> this year also brought us face to face with him in the police say committed acts of unspeakable horror in idaho. brian kohberger has been charged with the stabbing to death of four college students in the night. >> the maximum penalty for this offense is deaf and or imprisonment for life. do you understand? >> yes. >> victim katie gonzalez heartbroken parents were there in court to watch him. >> if he is indeed the person, i don't think any mercy should be given to him. >> police say the dna ties kohberger to the motor murders. >> as does a car that kohberger was seen driving here, which was also captured on security video near the crime scene. -- >> all rise. >> the judge entered and not guilty plea on kohberger's behalf. the victims families and friends now wait for a jury to decide his fate. >> it hurts. they should still be here, you know? >> we wake up knowing that we have reached justice for that family. >> 2023 also saw the end of a near 20-year mystery. the disappearance of alabama teen natalee holloway in aruba. the source of so much pain for her mother beth, who spoke to dateline in 2015. >> not knowing, that's the daily torture. >> your on van der sloot, long suspected of killing natalie, expedited to the u.s. this year, charged with trying to extort natalee's family, and as part of a plea deal he agreed to confess. >> i am actually with natalie walking along the beach. >> van der sloot said that when natalie rejected his sexual advances, he hit in the head with a cinder block. >> i woke up to about my knees in the ocean, i pushed her out to sea. >> it's been a long and painful journey, but we finally got the answers we have been searching for for all of these years. >> rex, did you do it? >> another years-long saga took a stunning turn in the summer, when police announced they discovered the identity of a long island serial killer. >> rex sherman, an architect, an architectural consultant. >> they arrested rex huber min, outside of his manhattan office. nobody could believe it. >> completely bone-chilling. >> if this is true, he has lied to us. >> he was just a normal guy. >> in july, he was charged with murdering three women along the beach, and police said he could be cistron clique suspected of killing a fourth. he pleaded not guilty. >> a trial is still a -- long way off. >> if you ask me, i don't think you'll see the light of day again. >> keith morrison, dateline nbc. one of the most devastating stories that i covered this year was the wild fire on maui, which destroyed the historic town of lahaina. it was the deadliest blaze in modern u.s. history. i was on the ground to see the aftermath, speaking with survivors. >> this was the frantic scene as the flower tore through lahaina. they fled for safety. the flames consumed much of the town. many of those that could not escape sought refuge in the water. >> both sides to the left and right on fire. >> 19-year-old noah tonkin jumped into the ocean with his mother and younger brother. >> you'll be okay, milo. >> i was trying to survive, i was in survival mode. >> now that you look back on, it what was going through your head? >> i don't think it's really hit me yet, what happened. especially considering that so many people out there in the water did not make it. >> the fire tore through more than 2000 buildings, mostly homes. now officials confirmed at least 100 people died on that day. thousands were displaced. for days, dozens of families desperately tried to find their loved ones. >> hello, brother. >> 74-year-old elizabeth ghani managed to escape the inferno, rescued by firefighters. her brother, he also lived in lahaina. days later, he was still missing. >> hopefully he is still alive. >> she later learned that her brother had died. lahaina residents had a little warning that a major fire was headed their way. no emergency fire ever sounded in the town. >> where were the sirens on a day of? that is the question that needs to be had. >> cars are a lawrence hosted 3 to 4 families at her home, one of the few that survived the inferno. >> you guys have lost everything, and yet everyone's living together. i saw people smiling at your house, what's the sentiment right now going on in your family? >> all we can do is just be there and let each other, just bring peace and unity, and compassion. >> another lahaina resident but to save his children, along with his friends children as the fire reached their homes. >> do you think of yourself as a hero, were you just doing what you had to do? >> i just turned into daddy mode, i knew what i had to do. i knew what i had to do to get everybody out. i wasn't going to let anybody go. that is my mission right there. >> months later, questions still remained in the state investigation that is underway, finding out how the fire unfolded, along with the local response. >> where were you guys? you know? where were you guys to try and get us out. we are mad. we are mad. we did just lose our homes, and we lost our town. we lost history. our next top story of the year is a i. the breakthrough technology has become part of the everyday lives in changing businesses. the emerging industry isn't without drama. in november, we saw the board of openai makers of chatgpt, firing its ceo oh sam altman. less than 72 hours later, he was back in power, and board members were ousted. >> the future of artificial intelligence is a concern for many unofficial. as the date rages on, the tech gets better and stronger. here's nbc's jake warren. >> reporter: artificial intelligence, artificial intelligence. >> it could soon transform hollywood. >> the harm that this software could cause. >> 23 was when i i went from nerdy jargon to a daily part of politics, entertainment. >> chatgpt did. >> even school work. >> how many of you used the eye like chatgpt or barred in this discussion? >> it's come at us very fast. chatgpt from industry leader openai now has 100 million weekly users just since its launch last year. 92% of fortune 500 companies are using that technology, according to the company. beyond chatgpt, the stuff today i did this year is amazing. we caught a glimpse of our thoughts. >> as long as i have seen it, and you know the patterns of my brain. the i will read that out of my brain. >> exactly. >> spotted mental health risks in children, the patients of high-risk. this is a patient of low risk. >> tons and tons of weird art. >> the god like power to create any art in history. >> that's the fun part. as 2024 approaches, the ability to trick anyone's eyes could be the end of trust. >> deepfake, face, unbelievable. >> in just the time that it took us to set up our cameras, uc berkeley professor hany farid made me look like i had started in dr. strange. >> this is on my laptop. >> just half an hour, at one hour. >> ten minutes. >> that same tactic in our politics could be dangerous. the republican national committee already air one a.i. generated a full of big injury. >> go to slovakia right now where they -- go to saddam, we were trying to see vague audio bust a civil unrest. >> former google ceo eric schmidt, says companies leader should regulate themselves. >> there's no one in the government that can get it right. the industry can roughly get it right. the government can put a regulatory structure around them. >> that argument has mostly one out. europe and china have both moved forward on broadway i regulations this year, but as 2023 winds down, the u.s. remains the wild west for a.i.. >> the rural -- road world changing technology moving so fast, and with little sign of slowing down. jake ward, nbc news. every year, we see trends taking off, and moments become movements. 2023 was no different, with a super bowl stunner. a double feature like no other. savannah sellers looks back at the moments they dominated pop culture, bringing us together. >> it was a year full of unforgettable trends. >> i don't have anything big planned. things we loved, things we love to hate. viral moments filling our feeds, one star stood out all year. >> welcome to the renaissance. >> queen bees chrome colored tour grabs dominated social media. when her daughter, blue iv joined her on stage, we all cheered. beyoncé and the year on a high. her concert, the renaissance topped the box office on opening weekend, earning $21 million. earlier this year, our group chats blew up during the super bowl, and not because of the game. rihanna rocked the halftime show with a 13 minute performance, revealing her second pregnancy on sport's biggest night. months later, country legend dolly parton had her moment on social media. the 77 year old studded walked on a dallas cowboys cheerleader uniform, bedazzling from head to toe. speaking of fashion, these red boots prompted a flood of memes. while boots are made for walking, we were also captivated by creepy dolls dancing. before the movie megan was even available in theaters, the hashtag meghan dance blew up on tiktok. from the futuristic to the ancient, how often did you think about the roman empire? social media spoiled travelers an's biggest shocker, the death of logan roy. there was one cultural moment -- the long awaited barbenheimer double feature did not disappoint at the box office. earning over $200 million in just one weekend. the stars of the films joined in on the fun. margot robbie and greta gerwig supported of heimer and the star of the biopic expressed his excitement. >> i'm going to see barbie 100%. >> with all the barbie buzz on social, it was like living in barbie's dream house this year. think outfits and some can enough sweatshirts popped up on the streets and on our phones. the blockbuster made greta gerwig the first female director with a billion dollar film. >> this is the best day ever. >> this is the best day ever. >> 2023 might be the best year ever. when it comes to girl power. still to come, the headliner with an era defining reputation. stick with us as we count down the top stories of the year. top stories of the year. wo times faster. hellooo clean and comfortable. always. fear no gush. my name's dan and i live here in san antonio, texas. i ran my own hvac business and now i'm retired. i'm not good being retired. i'm a pain in the neck. i like to be able to have a purpose. about three or four years ago, i wasn't feeling as if i was as sharp as i used to be. i saw the prevagen commercials. after a short amount of time taking prevagen, i started noticing a difference-- that i'm remembering this, i'm remembering that. i stopped taking prevagen and i found myself slacking back so i jumped right back on it. prevagen. at stores everywhere without a prescription. here's why you should switch fo to duckduckgo on all your devie duckduckgo comes with a built-n engine like google, but it's pi and doesn't spy on your searchs and duckduckgo lets you browse like chrome, but it blocks cooi and creepy ads that follow youa from google and other companie. and there's no catch. it's fre. we make money from ads, but they don't follow you aroud join the millions of people taking back their privacy by downloading duckduckgo on all your devices today. we saw the tempers flare of the house of january as kevin mccarthy fought to become speaker. it's a ton of chaos in the capital. that chaos some car thief that'll-ing with members of his own party, and lose when he was ousted as leader in the fall. he has since announced he will be leaving conference in 2024, finding mccarthy's replacement was a drawn out affair. republicans nominated three candidates to the position, but each failed to get the needed support. in the end, it took 21 days before mike johnson was finally elected. >> sticking with politics and the race for the white house, decision 2024 began in earnest in 2023. we have already seen four republicans presidential debates, and plenty of stomping on the trail with candidates jumping in and dropping out. steve kornacki has more in the political season ahead. >> reporter: obviously a big year ahead. the biggest type of year in politics, a presidential election year. let's take a look at how 2023 went, and what it sets up for 2024. the big question on the republican side all year has been, who will republicans nominate to impose presumably president biden? you can see as the year ends, these are all of the national polls. donald trump with a massive advantage over all of his rivals here. if it's one thing to single out here, just look at the start of the year. remember coming off of those 2022 midterms when republicans underperformed, and the trump aligned candidates lost key races. this is the trump line, this is the desantis line. they were not that far apart. here is where they separated big-time. what happened then? that is when the first indictment of trump came down from the manhattan district attorney. it seemed to trigger a rally around trump effect, only expanding his lead since then as the year ends. what about the democratic side? president biden, what kind of year his he had? he started the year, this is not too bad. a 46% approve, 50% disapprove. remember, the democrats were about very excited about how they had done in the 2022 midterms. over the course of this year, biden has taken on a lot of political water. and the year with just a 40% approval rating, and a 57% disapproval rating. let's put this into context. heading into their reelection year, how does biden's approval rating of 40% stack up against recent presidents? we will take a look here. you can see 40% there from biden. look, trump was actually higher heading into his reelection year. obviously, he lost in 2020. george bush senior, the only other modern incumbent to lose. he is actually at 52%. his number is dropping fast at the end of the year. you see all of these others on here, obviously biden with some careless water politically. potentially facing a rematch with trump. it is a rematch with trump, at the start of the year biden was a few points ahead of trump. now you take a look, trump is a few points ahead of biden in the average. clearly, it looks like we're going to have a close race if we get that rematch. >> a first lady of the united states, the queen of rock and roll, and the civil rights icon. here now are some of the legends that we said goodbye to this year. >> if i don't use the influence i have to help those people who need help, i think that's a terrible waste. >> he said, when did you become an activist? i said the day i was born. >> the luckiest man in the world, a national talk show, crazy, wild, silly, but i love doing it. >> i pretend to fall down and people laugh. something tingles in your brain, you want more of this. >> it's hard not to find the time when it is impossible to laugh. >> people weren't used to a black, famous athlete speaking out about those kinds of political and social issues. >> i just wanted to wash my hands over the past, to say that this is how it was, this is how it is. >> i love what i do. the fact they can still do it makes my wife wonderful. >> stay with us. we'll be back with the top story of 2023. story of 2023. listen, your deodorant just has to work. i use secret aluminum free. just swipe and it lasts all day. secret helps eliminate odor, instead of just masking it. and hours later, i still smell fresh. secret works! ohhh yesss. ♪♪ (son) dad. you ok? (dad) it's our phone bill! we pay for things that we don't need! bloated bundles, the reckless spending! no more... (mom) that's a bit dramatic... a better plan is verizon. it starts at 25 dollars a line. (dad) did you say 25 dollars a line? (sister) and save big on things we love, like netflix and max! (dad) oh, that's awesome (mom) spaghetti night -- dinner in 30 (dad) oh, happy day! (vo) a better plan to save is verizon. it starts at $25 per line guaranteed for 3 years and get both netflix and max for just $10/mo. only on verizon. we come from people we can be proud of. seeing all the places i come from, i know. if it's a serrano, it's something to be proud of. give the gift of family heritage with ancestry. we are down to the final stories in our top ten count. we know 2024 is going to be dominated by the presidential election. 2023 came with big legal challenges for current republican front runner donald trump. this year, he became the first former president ever indicted on criminal charges. lauren jarred now breaks down the multiple cases that he faced this year, and where the trial stand now. >> reporter: we are coming on the air with breaking news sent to rattle the 2024 presidential campaign, and our country's legal landscape. >> reporter: after years of investigations, -- >> they are not coming after me. they are coming after you. >> reporter: 2023 will go down as the year that it all came to a head. >> we have one set of laws in this country, and they apply to everybody. >> the 45th president is now a criminal defendant. donald trump indicted in multiple jurisdictions. >> an unprecedented moment in history. the fallout, far-reaching. >> this is a grave day in a serious one for our country. >> reporter: first charged in new york for what prosecutors say that he did to get into office originally. mr. trump stands accused of doctoring his company's books and records to cover up an embarrassing story ahead of the 2016 election. >> the manhattan grand jury, voting to indict former president donald trump. >> reporter: then, in washington and georgia, -- >> we look at the facts, we look at the law, and we bring charges. >> reporter: allegations of a sweeping conspiracy to stay in power, and steal the 2020 election. >> it's not about calling the election rigged. it's not about saying that he would actually win. it's not -- it's about the means he used to do that. >> reporter: the former president, charged with what the justice department says he did after he finally left the white house. >> the new photos released shows boxes of documents stashed in a ballroom. even a bathroom at the mar-a-lago home. >> the arrest and arraignment, playing out live. mr. trump creating his court appearances almost as campaign events. so mugshot, taking in fulton county, another surreal first along a steady steam -- stream of text. >> the attorney general of the state is a disgrace. the prosecutors, judges, witnesses against him. >> i didn't do anything wrong. everybody knows that. with each passing indictment, his poll numbers grow. and yet his legal woes have become increasingly complicated with several coconspirators pleading guilty in georgia, now corroborating with prosecutors. >> if i knew then what i know now, i would've declined to represent donald trump in these postelection challenges. >> 2024 could pose the greatest test yet, with the political calendar in mrs. -- trump's trial schedule, now on a collision course. the first criminal trial against the republican front runner, sent to begin next spring. laura jarrett, nbc news. now to the top story of 2023. we began this year with ukraine's hope for a successful counteroffensive against russia's aggression. we ended with the conflict still raging. with the middle east plunged into conflict, after the hamas attack on israel on october 7th. actually four correspondent richard engel on the war at -- the world at war. [sound of gunfire] >> ukraine's military this year faced a harsher reality check. russia fortified its grip on eastern ukraine. they are refusing to let it go. [sound of gunfire] some of the fiercest fighting, taking place in the city of bakhmut. >> russian forces have surrounded bakhmut on three sides. this is the only remaining route in and out of the city that ukrainian forces can use. >> reporter: civilians that remained were driven into underground bunkers without power or heat. ukraine, threw everything through russia, the long anticipated counteroffensive. the united states, backing president zelenskyy from weapons and money. volodymyr putin, turning to mercenaries from the wagner group led by his one-time caterer, the mercenaries fought or were shot. the caterer turned commando. yevgeny but grosjean grew so powerful that he turned against the kremlin, marching against moscow, before having second thoughts. he died when his plane exploded in midair. u.s. officials believe that putin had him killed. the war continued with ukraine and russia firing so much artillery, both sides nearly ran out. zelenskyy pleading to washington for more. putin turning to north korea's kim jong-un. so, for ukraine's counteroffensive has accomplished little more than a stalemate. political support in the united states is now in question. >> several republican presidential candidates are expressing concerns about support for ukraine. [speaking in a global language] [sound of artillery] >> and then israel had its 9/11. on october 7th, hamas led militants stormed israel from gaza, killing more than 1200 people, most civilians. and they took 240 hostages, including many women and children. the militants rain fire into israel. [sound of artillery] israel responded with a ferocious military assault in the gaza strip. rooting out hamas for gun, flattening entire neighborhoods. president biden has insisted that the u.s. can and must support two allies at once. >> they cannot and will not let terrorists like hamas, tyrants like putin win. >> the war in israel brought to the surface pain and anger. massive pro palestinian protests, calling for a cease-fire. pro israel demonstrators raising their voices against rising antisemitism. >> bring them home! >> reporter: a weeklong cease-fire between israel and hamas brought a brief moment of calm, seeing more than 100 hostages freed in exchange for palestinian prisoners. negotiations collapsed. each side, blaming the other. more than 18,000 people have died in gaza so far, about 70% of them are women and children according to the health ministry, run by hamas. aid agencies say that the 2.3 million people in gaza are suffering a humanitarian collapse. pressure is mounting on israel to bring the war to an end. there is no issues and gaza, if or when hamas is defeated. richard engel, nbc news. ♪ ♪ ♪ up next, revealing the top headliner of 2023. stay with us. stay with us and feeding their dogs dog food that's actually well, food. developed with vets. made from real meat and veggies. portioned for your dog. and delivered right to your door. it's smarter, healthier pet food. get 50% off your first box at thefarmersdog.com/realfood right now get a free footlong at subway. like the new deli heroes. buy one footlong in the app, get one free. it's a pretty big deal. kinda like me. order in the subway app today. liberty mutual customized my car insurance and i saved hundreds. with the money i saved, i started a dog walking business. oh. [dog barks] no it's just a bunny! only pay for what you need. ♪liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty.♪ to 50 years with my best friend and my soulmate. [clanking] [gasping] nooo... aya... quick, the quicker picker upper! only bounty absorbs spills like a sponge. and bounty is 2x more absorbent so you can use less and get the job done with one. you've got a bit of your face on your face. bounty, the quicker picker upper. and get four rolls in one with the bounty mega roll. our longest lastng roll. loving this pay bump in our allowance. wonder where mom and dade witgot the extra money?ll. maybe they won the lottery? maybe they inherited a fortune? maybe buried treasure? maybe it fell off a truck? maybe they heard that xfinity customers can save hundreds when they buy one unlimted line and get one free. now i can buy that electric scooter! i'm starting a private-equity fund that specializes in midcap. you do you. visit xfinitymobile.com today. welcome back. a few stars ever captured the zeitgeist like our top headline of 2023. she had the top selling tour of the year, set records for the most movie tickets sold in a single day, the most billboard albums at one time. along the way, she also became a billionaire. boosting television ratings for the nfl, and helped local economies thrive. it might have been a cruel summer for some, but for taylor swift in her fans, 2023 was a love story. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> reporter: the results are in. ♪ ♪ ♪ seemingly everybody agrees. this was taylor's year. she's time's person of 2023. people's most intriguing, and in the top five of ford's most powerful women. ♪ ♪ ♪ the world was enchanted to meet her. taylor is nothing new. in fact, nearly one decade ago, barbara walters said these favorite words. >> taylor swift is the music industry. >> reporter: the year of taylor swift has been a long time coming. >> welcome to the tour. >> reporter: it might have had something to do with how she made us all feel. >> we love you! >> let's start with the highest grossing tour in history, spanning generations of taylor's music and her fans. mothers and daughters, millennials and gen z. swapping friendship bracelets, and singing in the middle of parking lots for a three and a half hour odyssey. so big, her fans boosted local economies and caused seismic activity in seattle. we got to live it all over again in the film version of the show. >> i'm going to do this movie at least 13 times. >> reporter: joining movie screenings into dance parties and sing-alongs. 2023 saw the release of two of her pre-recorded albums. >> this album is incredible. >> reporter: part of her quest to own all of her music, meticulously creating the songs to give us the treat of new songs -- and bringing back all the feels. we were already for it. the taylors version albums had all charted for a second time. 1989, taylor's rage, and becoming the most successful release ever. one newspaper chain, deciding they needed a reporter focused solely on taylor. >> for this first time ever in the history of journalism, there is a dedicated reporter to cover the beat of an entertainment celebrity. >> do you think the hype around the tour, the movie, the re-recordings, the relationship has meant that taylor swift has found even more new fans this year? >> even with the nfl, we've seen her new relationship that she's pulling in those fans. she's bringing an audience members from all over. >> her new relationship brought a new legion of fans to the nfl, with swifties hoping to watch her love story play out live. female viewership for the games she attended skyrocketed. while we will remember this moment of total taylor dominance, you best believe that she still has plenty of both jeweled sleeve. the eras tour heading to asia and europe, with fans waiting on two more recorded albums. she's the mastermind, the man, the anti-hero that we did not know we needed. thank you, taylor for helping us all dance like it's 23. ♪ ♪ ♪ thank you so much for watching our special top stories of 2023. i'm tom llamas. from all of us here at nbc news, have a safe and happy holiday. we are wishing you the best of 2024. ♪ ♪ ♪ as we ring in the new year, all eyes turned to