The 12 months ahead are like a fresh notebook near the start of a school year. New topics will arise, surprises are assured and lessons will be learned. Though outcomes are uncertain, some big events will shape what this newspaper and other media cover in coming months. A new U.S. president, wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, and space missions will be among major front page subjects. Here's a brief roundup of topics sure to make headlines as the first quarter of the 21st century wraps up.

This Thursday (Jan. 9), an elaborate funeral service for former President Jimmy Carter takes place at Washington National Cathedral. President Joe Biden will deliver a tribute to his predecessor, a Democrat who led the country from 1977-81. In two weeks, the next president -- Donald Trump -- will be sworn in for a second time in a televised ceremony Jasn. 20. (The first was in 2017.) The Republican, who beat Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in November, counts on his party's House and Senate majorities to approve bold, sweeping policy changes. Goals include deporting undocumented immigrants, sharp cuts in government spending and reversing President Joe Biden's efforts to reduce fossil fuel use and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Instead, Trump wants to keep coal-fired power plants and boost production of oil and natural gas.

On Jan. 10, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments about whether Congress violated the First Amendment by requiring TikTok to be sold by its Chinese owner or shut by Jan. 19. The app has billions of users worldwide, including 170 million in the United States. Congressional members in both political parties fear that China's Communist government knows too much about Americans through the data TikTok collects. Trump’s legal team recently asked the nine justices the Supreme Court to delay the law from taking effect so he can try to "resolve the issues at hand through political means once he takes office."

Overseas, two armed conflicts will continue generating news. No cease-fire or peace talks seem near as a step toward pausing or ending Israel's bombardment of Palestinian communities in the adjacent Gaza Strip, a war against the Hamas terrorist group that invaded southwest Israel in October 2023, killing at least 1,300 people and taking at least 236 hostages. Israeli retaliation has brought mass destruction, a severe humanitarian crisis and killed over 43,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Warfare also is ongoing in Ukraine, invaded by neighboring Russia in February 2022. It's the largest and deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II, and has caused hundreds of thousands of military casualties and tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilian casualties. In recent months, Western officials have become more pessimistic about Ukraine's military situation. As the White House changes hands, the level of U.S. support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (pronounced ZELL-enn-skee) is uncertain.

On a brighter note, Syria is at peace after a 13-year civil war ended in early December when former President Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia as anti-government rebels took control of Damascus, the capital. Leaders of the new Syrian Salvation Government say they'll draft a new constitution within three years and hold elections by 2028.

The first big pro sports event of 2025 is the National Football League's Super Bowl on Feb. 9 in New Orleans, with hip-hop star Kendrick Lamar as the halftime entertainer. Major films coming to theaters include "Captain America: Brave New World" (Feb. 14), "A Minecraft Movie" (April 4), "Jurassic World Rebirth" (July 2), "Superman" (July 11), "Wicked: Part Two" (November) and "Avatar: Fire and Ash" (Dec. 19). Also on the calendar:

• Grammy Awards: The music industry honors performers and songwriters in a Feb. 2 show televised from Los Angeles. Among nominees are Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Charli XCX, Sabrina Carpenter and Kendrick Lamar.
• Academy Awards: Oscar nominations for 2024 films will be announced Jan. 17. The televised awards show is March 2, also in L.A. Three planned outer space events are below.

U.S. astronauts return: Space Station travelers Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore should fly home belatedly in March. They reached the orbiting platform last June 2024, expecting to stay just over a week, but helium leaks and thruster failures on their original ride — the Boeing Starliner — made it risky for them to return. They’ll ride a Space X Dragon vehicle this spring.

Unmanned moon trip: A Texas company's lunar lander goes to the moon for a NASA mission to study the environment there before humans return. Later this month, or perhaps next, the robotic Blue Ghost lander launches from Kennedy Space Center in Florida to deliver 10 science and technology payloads.

Mock Mars visit: Four volunteers this spring begin a year of living and working inside a 1,700-square-foot habitat at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston to simulate the challenges of a mission on Mars. They'll do simulated spacewalks, robotic operations, habitat maintenance and crop growth.