Opinion

Michelle Obama opened up to us. Black storytelling transformed screen and page. "Justice," "misinformation" and "toxic" were words of the year. Here's a look at 2018 through the lens of social and cultural commentary.

In a year dominated by the Trump presidency and the run-up to the midterm elections, readers came to CNN Opinion looking for insight into the ongoing battles raging in Washington and across America. But politicians and policy divides weren't the only headline makers. Stories of gun violence, celebrity deaths, a royal wedding and a series of horrific natural disasters attracted your attention, too.

I could tell that the walls of the room were originally white, but years of dirty hands, sun and time had made them dull. The yellowish hue from the fluorescent lights hanging above didn't help. Thankfully, the generic floral pictures hanging near the man sitting on the edge of the bed provided some semblance of joy. Nothing else in the room did -- especially me.

2017 was a year when discussions of press freedom and the media's choices reached a new level of intensity.

I was Anthony Bourdain's "censor" at CNN.

President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Rick Scott, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, and others who oppose action to address human-induced climate change should be held accountable for climate crimes against humanity. They are the authors and agents of systematic policies that deny basic human rights to their own citizens and people around the world, including the rights to life, health, and property. These politicians have blood on their hands, and the death toll continues to rise.

People love to ask: "What's your secret?" Sometimes they want to know how I defy gravity on the mat. Other times they want to know how I went from foster care to the Olympics.

According to a recent paper, the Earth is caught directly in the crosshairs of a cosmic hurricane. A swarm of nearly 100 stars, accompanied by an even greater amount of dark matter, is aimed directly at our stellar neighborhood and there's nothing we can do to stop it; in fact, the vanguard is already upon us. This sounds like a perfect summer blockbuster movie, starring The Rock and Chris Pratt, or maybe Scarlett Johansson and Charlize Theron.

There's a line in the hit 1988 film "Heathers" -- now running as a musical in London's West End -- when the clique of popular girls takes an inane straw poll of their high school cafeteria. "You inherit $5 million the same day aliens land on the Earth and say they're going to blow it up in two days. What do you do?" The answers are as diffuse as they are wild: vows of selfless charity, fantasies of luring Madonna into prostitution, designs for suicide-bombing zoos "so you and the lion die like one."

Anyone who needs confirmation of the secret of a strongman -- that he's a weak man, in constant need of ego affirmation -- need only look at images of the Helsinki "summit" between American President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which revealed the insecurities of both men underneath the façade of power, and Trump's submissiveness to Putin in particular.

Someday, Donald Trump will become ex-President Trump. After a guilty plea from his longtime "fixer," Michael Cohen, alleging that Trump directed the commission of federal crimes, perhaps that day will arrive sooner rather than later. But whether it's a week, 18 months or more than six years away, we need to start preparing now. That's because, for all of the threat to our democracy Trump poses as president, he may pose an even bigger one as an ex-president.

After the two had had their say, the millions had theirs. A wrenching day of testimony by Christine Blasey Ford and Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh over her claim that he had once sexually assaulted her (which he denies) set off a global torrent of reaction. It would continue even after a stunning twist Friday stalled what had seemed a march to confirmation.

In a year dominated by the beginning of the Trump presidency, readers came to CNN Opinion looking for insight into the man occupying the highest office in the land. But Donald Trump's many actions and tweets weren't the only subjects of interest. Stories of racism and white supremacist groups, workplace sexual harassment, freedom of the press and a series of horrific natural disasters attracted your attention, too.

Widespread human rights violations are a warning sign -- a loud, blaring siren -- that a breakdown in peace and security is coming, writes Nikki Haley.

The US has become the most powerful nation on Earth and among the greatest in history, because it has long respected and promoted science. Science is being actively undermined by ideological forces motivated to maintain the status quo rather than advance the nation's long-term interest, says Bill Nye.

On the 75th anniversary of the order that led to the internment of 120,000 Japanese-Americans, George Takei warns that Trump policies targeting Muslims and immigrants risk ignoring a painful lesson from America's past.

Contrary to what Sean Spicer said, former Obama adviser says he and Robert Gibbs did not regularly attend the most sensitive National Security Council meetings. Including adviser Steve Bannon in those meetings is unprecedented.

Guest commentators from around the world give their take on what they are hoping for from a Donald Trump presidency.

Obama's former senior advisor says he's grateful to have been along for some of his friend's amazing journey--and whatever happens next, Obama's accomplishments won't be forgotten.

It's been quite a year -- here's a look back on 2016 with twenty of CNN Opinion's most popular articles.

The 2016 election has been a wild ride, a presidential campaign unlike anything the nation has seen before.

One of my earliest memories is sitting on my grandfather's shoulders, waving a flag as our astronauts returned to Hawaii. This was years before we'd set foot on the moon. Decades before we'd land a rover on Mars. A generation before photos from the International Space Station would show up in our social media feeds.

For me, education has never been simply a policy issue -- it's personal.

Global health expert Laurie Garrett evaluates the very real risk that Zika, like HIV or Ebola, will become widespread as a sexually transmitted disease

Before I launch into the argument for making all restrooms in the United States gender neutral -- that is, removing "men's" and "women's" labels -- I want to show you a photo.

Now that he's likely GOP candidate, voters must scrutinize Trump's claims of success, his political beliefs, temperament and character, says Michael D'Antonio.

It wasn't an accident that the billionaire claimed that he didn't know about David Duke, writes Michael D'Antonio

With the recent NASA announcement of liquid water flowing on Mars and the movie "The Martian" making a splash at the box office, we might well ask whether humans should go to Mars.

Social media may have made it worse, but bullying is something almost every 13-year-old will encounter, and parents need to help

Readers: you came, you clicked, you stayed. Here are your pick for the 15 most popular opinion pieces.

Imagine being able to travel from New York to Los Angeles without having to step on a plane, yet be able to do so in a fraction of the time it would take to drive. On the surface, that tantalizing prospect took a step closer with the news last month that a Japanese maglev train had reached a top speed of close to 400 mph, breaking its own world record in the process.

The marriage apocalypse may be coming. Talk to any millennial and you can envision an America virtually marriage-free, with everyone happily single.

Atheists are accused of having no source of meaning in their lives, but it is popular Christian theology that saps the meaning from our daily experiences.

It's getting harder to be outrageous.

Some revolutions happen in a single day; others over decades. The rise of the voluntarily single woman has been happening in Western societies slowly, over time, concomitant with well-paying jobs, legal protection from economic or physical abuse, reliable birth control and the possibility of fulfilling careers and adventures.