December 7th, 2001: Though Gore's success in Afghanistan has effectively weeded out foreign threats to the United States, his decision to hand over some of the country's precious oil fields to Pakistan has lead to an increase in fuel prices across the country. Gasoline rises from $1.42 per gallon to $2.02. This does not help the unemployment rate, which rises to 5.9%. Fiscal conservatives are angered by the President's "gutless sacrifice", leading to Gore making a boneheaded push to "increase research on alternative fuels, as this incident has shown us how costly destroying the planet is!". While liberals and moderate are impressed by the President's quick-thinking, conservatives remain skeptical.
December 10th, 2001: Inspired by the success in Afghanistan, amateur film-maker Darren Aronofsky announces that he will be re-booting the Batman film series. According to Aronofsky, his vision of the Caped Crusader's adventures "takes an approach that is less campy then Joel Schumacher's silly version, while keeping the grit and charm of Burton's version." However, he stresses that his vision of the character is somewhat more realistic, though "with all the same Batman fun, just not to excess". Actor Joaquin Phoenix expresses interest in playing the lead role, while Aronofsky eyes Phillip Seymour Hoffman to play the dastardly Penguin.
December 20th, 2001: While the Taliban regime continues to disintegrate in Afghanistan, many of the aggressively devoted supporters begin rioting. The troops present mostly suppress the miscreant behavior, though it is so aggressive that an anonymous troop comments: "This is just like Nazi Germany all over again!" A bizarre political cartoon in which Afghanistan is depicted as a young child eyeing the severed "head" of Nazi Germany is released nation-wide, much to the consternation of the country. Many web contributors to the website Newgrounds begin depicting anthropomorphic versions of the countries, which one user entitles: "Afghan-head".
December 28th, 2001: (Disregarding the posts about Reagan) Former President Ronald Reagan is found dead in his California home at the age of 90. Strangely, the wounds on Reagan's neck and arms found by coroners appear to be self-inflicted, leading to speculation that Reagan committed suicide due to the horrible suffering from Alzheimer's he was enduring.
January 4th, 2002: The coroner's report is released, confirming Reagan in fact committed suicide, via hanging. The death of the beloved President leads to an outcry of support from conservatives across the country, leading to one emotional fan declaring: "He didn't deserve to suffer that much! Anyone who's enduring a horrible disease like that shouldn't be suffering!" Reagan's suicide sparks widespread debate over the legalization of euthanasia, with former detractors coming out in support of the procedure, after witnessing their hero commit such a grisly suicide.
January 5th, 2002: The funeral for Ronald Reagan is held. Over 5,000 people are in attendance, including President Gore and former Presidents Bill Clinton, George H.W Bush, Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford. President Gore delivers an eulogy stating: "We have lost a selfless, courageous hero and an ally. However, he lives on in all of us and will continue to be a part of us for eternity. No one can take away the impact this one man had and no one ever will."