The top 5 trending news stories of 2017, according to Google

1. DACA
   DACA supporters protest at the White House.
   On September 5, President Donald Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced plans to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, an Obama-era policy that shields from deportation nearly 800,000 young immigrants living in the country illegally after being brought to the US as minors.

The move drew backlash from Democrats and immigration activists but lauded by many Republicans and those who believe US immigration laws are too lax.

DACA recipients are still in limbo, as Congress has not yet agreed on a permanent legislative solution. Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin and Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham reintroduced the bipartisan Dream Act in September, but it hasn't gained much traction.

The young immigrants are likely to lose their protected status by March if nothing is done.

1. April the Giraffe
2. April the Giraffe
   April and her young male calf.
   The 40-minute video of a giraffe giving birth at Animal Adventure Park in New York went viral in April.

At least 1.2 million people watched the Adventure Park's YouTube streaming of the event. The newborn was Animal Adventure Park's first giraffe calf.

1. Hurricane Maria
2. Hurricane Maria
   Marta Sostre Vazquez in the San Lorenzo Morovis river with her family after the bridge was swept away by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico on September 27.
   Of all the terrible storms this year, Hurricane Maria was the deadliest to strike the Caribbean, with estimates that as many as 1,000 people died in Puerto Rico, a US commonwealth inhabited by roughly 3.5 million American citizens. (The island's official death toll is just 64.)

Much of Puerto Rico is still without power as officials try to rebuild the island's electric grid, which was nearly destroyed, back up again from scratch.

1. Hurricane Jose
2. Hurricane Jose
   Hurricane Jose forms in the Atlantic.
   Amid the deluge of hurricanes that devastated parts of the US South and various islands in the Caribbean, Hurricane Jose, which formed in early September, threatened to cause even more damage.

Luckily, it drifted far enough offshore to avoid causing much harm, but it still forced evacuations and brought strong winds and heavy rains to the Bahamas, Bermuda, and parts of the eastern US and Canada.

1. North Korea
2. North Korea
   North Korean launches a missile.
   Trump's war of words with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been one of the biggest stories of the year.

The rising tensions between the two foes, their threatening Cold War-esque rhetoric, and North Korea's continued development of its nuclear weapons program has many people on both sides of the Pacific fearing a nuclear war.

1. Bitcoin Price
2. Bitcoin Price
   Bitcoin is one of the hottest items this year.
   Bitcoin's popularity has surged this year as its value continues to rise and the promise of cryptocurrency continues to inspire millions around the world to join the exciting, yet risky venture.

The excitement continued Sunday night as bitcoin futures went live on Cboe Global Markets, the Chicago-based exchange group. The virtual currency shot up more than $1,000 within the first 10 minutes of the new market to a price over $17,000.