For the past four years, the news cycle has been crazy and almost impossible to keep up with. There's something new happening every day. The hardest part is that those who choose to keep up with the news have to remember every little detail. Nothing is insignificant in today’s news. The news gods always keep us on our toes. It’s not just those in the US, it’s everywhere in the world. The UK is probably the most notable parallel.

If someone misses one news day, they’ll end up completely lost.

It might seem aggravating for viewers but it adds extra scrutiny to politicians. Old scandals don’t exist anymore, everything is in the public light. Remember the Lucy Flores-Joe Biden scandal? That will come back to haunt him. What about Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s supposed ignorance of a sexual harassment complaint against a trusted aide of hers?  That’s more damaging than what pundits give it credit. Let’s not forget Senator Amy Klobuchar apparently yelling at her staff during her Senate campaign? What about Beto O’Rourke’s documentary?

It’s become so bad that we need to keep tabs of every little scandal that comes up on our TV screens. Our hands and brains cramp just at the sight of the barrage of headlines. We feel like our brains are fried because of everything we have to process while going about our normal lives.

Even though watching the news can be mentally draining at times, every story matters or will matter at some point.

It’s happened before.

Recently on MSNBC, Rachel Maddow presented a Palm Beach Post story talking about Cindy Yang, a Chinese lady who owns a massage spa in Florida who had recently been arrested in connection to her ties in the political world. She was particularly close with President Trump and his family, frequently visiting his Mar-A-Lago estate in Florida and having lobbyists on their knees as she told them that she could arrange meetings with President Trump and his family. She advertised a variety of locations for these meetings including the White House, Mar-A-Lago and Capitol Hill. She raised money during the President’s inauguration but had never reported the money her organization raised to the FEC (Federal Elections Commission), a direct violation of the law. Because of this, she has found herself in handcuffs. There have been previous reports about her which have all added up to her arrest.

I wasn't alive when this happened, but most American voters do remember this. In 1991, Clarence Thomas was nominated to the Supreme Court. During the confirmation process, a woman named Anita Hill came forward with sexual assault allegations against Thomas. There was a hearing on the case and at the time, Joe Biden was a Senator. He questioned her during the hearing and his behaviour during this whole ideal is being seen as inappropriate and wrong, especially in the age of the Me Too movement. Now, lots of people have looked back on the whole situation and attacked Joe Biden for his response. It has gotten so bad that Anita Hill herself has publicly said that she has moved on from the hearing and that she could see herself voting for him. Even stories from 1991 are crawling back to harm Joe Biden, which further proves that every news story we see today will have further consequences.

Do you remember the migrant separation crisis? It was the biggest news story for quite a long time, actually. Immigration was considered to be one of the biggest issues during the 2016 campaign and Trump’s stance on it is notoriously harsh. In response to the arrival of migrants from all across Latin America at the US border, ICE officials would quarantine families but there was a horrible twist. Children were separated from their families as soon as they got to the border, most of the time without their parents’s knowledge or consent.

Age wasn't considered a factor as babies were torn apart from their parents and placed in "tender age shelters” which caused outrage. It was the revelation of these tender age shelters that caused Rachel Maddow to tear up on the air. Even all this time after the first initial reports of this policy, there are still migrant children who have not been reunited with their parents as there seems to be no system to reunite them. Occasionally, even now, stories will be revealed about how this is still an issue to the anger of many politicians on both sides of the aisle (predominantly Democrats).

In conclusion, lots of stories we see in the news today will have further consequences. The concept of "yesterday's news” doesn't exist anymore. There are several examples of stories that have had long lasting effects including the arrest of Cindy Yang, the Clarence Thomas-Anita Hill situation back in 1991 that still haunts Joe Biden and the migrant separation policy that still continues to shock the country. So next time you watch the news, it might be an idea to take notes. There’s a lot to take in.