responding with a series of mandates including requirement for federal workers and contractors to roll up their sleeves or lose their jobs. a nationwide vaccine mandate for all private businesses with more than 100 employees. 2021 also saw its share of racially charged murder trials, starting with chauvin, the police officer kneeling on george floyd s neck for more than nine minutes. he was convicted and sentenced to more than 22 years behind bars. in surfside, florida, a 12d story apartment building collapses in the middle of the night with no warning leaving at least 98 residents dead. afghanistan was changing rapidly. president biden sticks to an august 31 deadline to withdraw u.s. troops. but the taliban were on the march. they made a lightening blitz across the country eventually