STORY OF THE YEAR: The 2024 presidential election took an unprecedented turn. Inner-party power plays ejected Pres. Joe Biden from the campaign trail.  On July 21 in a surprise tweet the 46th president surrendered his bid for re-election after fighting in the press to gain the confidence of voters  for weeks following a poor debate performance against his then opponent Donald J. Trump. Although a benign breach was revealed within the Democratic party, the fractured group quickly rallied around Vice President Kamala Harris. Biden said he stepped down to save his party -- the very group that betrayed him.   READ MORE.