2025 News of the Year

Trump begins second term

On Jan. 20, 2025, President Donald J. Trump became the second president in U.S. history inaugurated to serve two nonconsecutive terms, following Grover Cleveland, and the oldest person to take the oath of office at 78. A cold snap forced the scheduled open-air ceremony into the Capitol Rotunda, where Trump declared that “the golden age of America begins right now.”

On his first day in office, Trump signed a slew of executive orders—26 in total—including one undoing 80 of former President Joe Biden’s executive orders and another aimed at curtailing what he described as the “weaponization of the federal government” under his predecessor. Several of Trump’s first-day orders were aimed at stanching record-breaking illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump declared a national emergency, effectively shut down the asylum system, and paused the refugee resettlement program. His immigration orders also designated drug cartels as foreign terrorists, and he later ordered military strikes on boats reportedly bringing drugs into the country. One of his most controversial orders excluded children born to some immigrant mothers from birthright citizenship. Opponents filed legal challenges to nearly every order, and many are still mired in the courts.

The president roiled government workers at home and abroad when he established the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, led by billionaire Elon Musk. Trump paused foreign aid for 90 days on his first day in office, and DOGE eventually shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development. Other early executive orders aimed to curtail pro-transgender policies and directed the federal government to cut funding from educational programs that allow men to compete in women’s sports programs. Another order ended federal diversity, equity, and inclusion policies and programs.

In late summer, Trump turned his attention to fighting crime and public disorder, drug use, and homelessness in America’s cities. Federal law enforcement temporarily assumed control of Washington, D.C.’s police department, and the president sent the National Guard to other major cities, though Democratic mayors have challenged those efforts in court. In September, Trump authorized the sale of TikTok’s U.S. assets to a consortium of U.S.-based investors that will enable the app to remain active for U.S. users.

From the earliest days of his second term, Trump threatened to impose a slew of tariffs against U.S. trading partners, though the president has amended or delayed several of them. Others encountered legal challenges. Trump argued that for too long the United States has endured unfair trading practices, and used the threat of tariffs against Mexico, Canada, and China to force them to crack down on the illicit fentanyl trade. In November, the Supreme Court considered a challenge to the legality of Trump’s tariffs. Experts say the legal uncertainty and various pauses and delays have made it difficult to fully gauge their economic effects.

Immigration crackdown

Throughout his campaign, Trump pledged to deport immigrants living in the United States illegally who have been convicted of other crimes. But the president, and his border czar, Tom Homan, warned the entire illegal immigrant population that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents would not hesitate to apprehend anyone they encountered during patrols and raids who was living in the country unlawfully. The Trump administration also canceled several programs providing temporary legal status for hundreds of thousands of immigrants, sparking panic among business leaders who worried increased enforcement would cripple construction and agriculture.

On his first full day in office, Trump rolled back guidance barring ICE from making arrests at churches, schools, and other sensitive locations. The agency announced it would hire 10,000 more agents, and said it received roughly 175,000 new job applications as of Oct. 15. Other federal law enforcement agencies have directed nearly 33,000 of their employees to assist with the crackdown. The administration began expanding detention space through a network of new facilities, including at the so-called Alligator Alcatraz in the Florida Everglades. The Department of Homeland Security said more than 2 million illegal immigrants had left the country, either through removals or voluntarily, as of Sept. 23.

Increasing ICE raids and arrests sparked massive protests in Los Angeles and other cities. One protest in Chicago turned violent, and DHS claimed assaults against ICE agents have risen 1,000% since Trump took office.

Government shutdown

The nation’s longest-ever government shutdown ended on Nov. 12 after 43 days.

The impasse began in October when the House of Representatives passed a short-term Continuing Resolution bill to keep the government funded through Nov. 21. But Senate Democrats refused to vote for the measure unless Republicans agreed to extend enhanced Obamacare subsidies added during the COVID-19 pandemic that are set to expire at the end of the year. The tax credits lowered premiums and allowed more people to enroll in the program. Democrats claimed millions of Americans would be unable to afford coverage if the subsidies expired. Renewing the credits could add an estimated $350 million to the federal deficit over the next 10 years.

Republican leaders said they would debate renewing the subsidies but demanded Senate Democrats first pass the House’s continuing resolution while lawmakers debated long-term appro­priations bills. Pressure mounted when, on Oct. 26, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it no longer had enough funding to pay SNAP benefits, the program formerly known as food stamps. About 42 million Americans rely on SNAP to help pay for groceries. Amid the infighting, a federal court ordered the administration to use a contingency fund to keep SNAP going. The Federal Aviation Administration also reduced flight traffic at major airports as air traffic controllers called in sick. The delays and flight cancellations added pressure as they threatened to interrupt holiday travel.

On Nov. 9—almost a week after Democrats swept to victory in several gubernatorial and local races—a group of seven Senate Democrats and one Independent broke ranks and voted to fund the government through Jan. 30. In exchange, Republicans agreed to vote on extending the Obamacare subsidies by mid-December.

Charlie Kirk assassination

The United States witnessed an uptick in political violence this year, including the fatal shootings of Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband in June. But the most shocking attack happened on Sept. 10, when a gunman assassinated 31-year-old conservative activist Charlie Kirk during one of his iconic “Prove Me Wrong” campus debates at Utah Valley University. Kirk cofounded Turning Point USA, a conservative student movement with chapters on more than 3,500 high school and college campuses across the country. Trump posthumously awarded Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Oct. 14.

TPUSA said it received more than 62,000 requests from high school and college students interested in starting a TPUSA chapter or getting involved with an existing chapter within eight days of Kirk’s death. The assassination also ignited a surge in religious activity. Churches reported increased attendance, especially among young people, and Bible sales climbed 36% in September, compared to the same month in 2024. But reactions to Kirk's death were sharply divided across social media, with some who opposed his conservative views mocking his death. ABC briefly took comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s talk show off the air after he made light of Kirk’s murder.

New Orleans terror attack

On Jan. 1, a driver plowed into a crowd of New Year’s partygoers on the streets of New Orleans, killing 14 and injuring more than 30 others. After jumping out of his vehicle, the attacker opened fire, injuring two police officers. Law enforcement officials found an Islamic State flag, explosive devices, and other weapons in the vehicle of the 42-year-old Texas resident and U.S. Army veteran. The attacker rented a white pickup truck in Houston and made several videos during his drive that expressed support for the Islamic State terror group.

School shooting

In August, thousands of Minneapolis residents held prayer vigils to mourn the victims of a deadly attack targeting students gathered for morning Mass at Annunciation Catholic Church. The shooter fired a shotgun and a pistol through a church window, instantly killing an 8-year-old and a 10-year-old as they sat in the pews and injuring 18 others, including 15 more children. The perpetrator, a 23-year-old male who identified as transgender, expressed hatred in his writings toward Christians, Jews, black people, Mexican people, and other groups. His attack bore the hallmarks of a Nihilistic Violent Extremist, a term the FBI adopted in early 2025 to describe individuals who commit crimes out of a hatred for society at large and a desire to sow chaos.

The first American pope

White smoke curled up from the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel on May 8, signaling the sequestered conclave of 133 cardinals had chosen a successor for Pope Francis, who died April 21. The group selected Cardinal Robert Prevost, a 69-year-old Chicago native who had served in several church offices in Peru for more than a decade. Prevost became the first-ever American pontiff and the Catholic Church’s 267th pope, taking the name Leo XIV. President Trump called Prevost’s appointment a “great honor for our country.”

As a cardinal, Leo did not take positions on many controversial political issues. So far, the new pontiff has presented himself as closely aligned with his predecessor, including his positions on protecting the environment, caring for the poor, and welcoming migrants. Leo supported Francis’ decision to allow divorced and civilly remarried Catholics to participate in Communion.

But Leo has leaned more into some traditional elements of the papacy than Francis did. The College of Cardinals reported that he seems less interested in “currying favor” with the LGBTQ community. The new pope urged bishops to remain celibate and take decisive action in situations that could cause scandal. Leo affirmed the importance of upholding family values and protecting the human dignity of vulnerable populations, including the unborn, in an address to government leaders. Frank Pavone, the national director of Priests for Life, said he’s encouraged by Leo’s pro-life views. But critics argued the pope trivialized abortion in October comments equating it with the death penalty and what he described as the “inhumane treatment of migrants in the United States.”

New Yorkers embrace socialism

Self-proclaimed socialist Zohran Mamdani won support from 50.4% of New Yorkers in November to become the city’s 111th mayor and its first Muslim leader. Mamdani’s Democrat-turned-independent challenger, Andrew Cuomo, received 41.6% of the vote, and Republican Curtis Sliwa trailed with 7.1%. Mamdani’s socialist vision garnered nationwide attention during his campaign, with some latching onto the 34-year-old as a leader for a Democratic Party struggling to create a fresh vision for a younger generation of voters.

The former state assemblyman pledged to lower living costs for working-class New Yorkers, including imposing a rent freeze on apartments already classified as rent-stabilized—almost half of all rental apartments in the city. Mamdani promised to eliminate the fare on city buses and provide free child care for children from 6 weeks to 5 years old. He also said he would tackle rising food costs by creating a network of city-owned grocery stores focused on keeping prices low instead of making a profit. To pay for his bold proposals, Mamdani laid out a plan to hike the corporate tax rate and implement an additional 2% flat tax on New Yorkers who make more than $1 million per year.

Critics noted Mamdani’s policy proposals could drive prices even higher and shrink the housing supply as landlords and businesses abandon new development projects and leave the city. “You would see New Yorkers on I-95 fleeing to Florida,” Cuomo warned during an October debate between the three candidates. As mayor, Mamdani must convince state lawmakers to pass the tax schemes intended to pay for his proposals. Though New York Gov. Kathy Hochul endorsed Mamdani’s campaign, she has also raised concerns that tax increases might drive wealthy residents out of the state.

L.A. neighborhoods burn

During the first week of January, a series of wildfires broke out in Los Angeles County. Extremely dry vegetation and powerful Santa Ana winds created extreme fire conditions. The blazes collectively destroyed more than 16,000 structures and killed 30 people. It took firefighters 24 days to fully contain the Palisades and Eaton fires, the two deadliest.

The out-of-control infernos overtaxed water tanks and fire hydrants, and President Trump criticized California Gov. Gavin Newsom for mismanaging the state’s forests and water policies. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also faced criticism for traveling in the African nation of Ghana during the disaster.

Rebuilding has dragged. In August, a group of homeowners sued 25 major insurance providers. The plaintiffs accused the companies of colluding to drop coverage and refusing to write new policies in fire-prone areas—including in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood—leaving homeowners with no other option than a fallback state-subsidized insurance plan with insufficient coverage and high premiums. As of late October, the city and county had issued building permits for fewer than 10% of the homes and other structures destroyed by the fires. In the nearby city of Malibu, where the fires obliterated 720 structures, officials had only approved four building permits.

In October, federal officials charged a Florida man with intentionally starting what became the Palisades fire with a lighter on a hiking trail. Though firefighters believed they had extinguished the blaze, strong winds rekindled embers smoldering underground nearly a week later. On Oct. 31, Bass’ office called for a thorough investigation in response to an L.A. Times report showing a battalion chief ignored warnings that the original fire was not fully out.

Midair crash

In late January, nearly 70 people perished when a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with a passenger plane in midair near the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. An investigation determined the Black Hawk believed it was flying lower than its actual altitude, and a key air traffic tracking feature on the helicopter had malfunctioned. Cockpit recordings indicated the ­helicopter’s crew struggled to hear air traffic controller warnings about the approaching jet, and witnesses said the air traffic controllers on duty that day were overworked due to understaffing. The crash sparked a national outcry about the U.S. air traffic control ­system’s broader failures.

Hurricane Melissa

Hurricane Melissa, the largest tropical storm of the year, engulfed Jamaica on Oct. 28, making landfall as a Category 5 storm. It was the strongest hurricane to bash the Caribbean nation since authorities began keeping track 174 years ago. Violent winds tore the roofs off thousands of structures and scattered debris, wrecking much of the nation’s healthcare system, officials said. The Jamaican government confirmed 28 deaths as of Nov. 1, but the death toll across the Caribbean surpassed 60. The hurricane also wreaked havoc in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti, where flooding from the storm killed at least 31 people.

Texas flood tragedy

Texas cities and towns nestled along twisting rivers in the state’s central region, known as the Hill Country, woke up to devastating damage on the morning of July 4. Heavy rains coursed through the limestone-covered hills and converged in river beds, causing severe flash flooding that engulfed normally calm waterways within minutes. In Kerr County, the Guadalupe River rose almost 30 feet before dawn. The torrent of water swept away parts of an all-girls summer camp, Camp Mystic, killing 27 children, many of them as young as 7 years old, as well as the camp’s owner. In Kerr County, 119 people perished, and at least two dozen more died throughout central Texas.

The catastrophe forced state and local leaders to confront difficult questions about how to prevent future flooding disasters and improve weather forecasts and alert systems. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed the Heaven’s 27 Camp Safety Act in early September. It forbids anyone from sleeping in camp cabins within 100-year flood plains and requires camps to implement additional flooding safety measures. Camp Mystic leaders confirmed plans to reopen a nearby location next summer and said they were discussing plans to rebuild the camp along the Guadalupe River. Parents of campers swept away in the flooding criticized the rebuilding plans and urged the camp to take more responsibility for their children’ s deaths. On Nov. 10, the parents of five campers and two counselors who perished in the flooding filed a lawsuit against camp leaders, claiming gross negligence led to a “self-created disaster” that took the lives of their children.

No prospects for peace in Ukraine

After taking office, Trump said he would reevaluate U.S. aid for Ukraine and vowed to bring a swift end to the Russian invasion. But a year later, the conflict drags on. In February, Trump met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office to discuss a deal that would allow U.S. access to Ukraine’s natural mineral supply as reimbursement for military funding. But the televised meeting ended in a public shouting match after Zelenskyy pushed Trump for more aid. Trump accused Zelenskyy of “not being ready for peace” and failing to adequately appreciate U.S. support. The president briefly paused military and intelligence aid after the clash and began separate peace negotiations with Russia. Shortly after, Zelenskyy said he would be open to a ceasefire, and the United States resumed military aid and intelligence sharing.

In March, Russia and Ukraine reached separate peace agreements with Washington to end attacks on ships in the Black Sea, but broader talks to end the war repeatedly fell apart. Ukraine signed the second iteration of a U.S. ­precious minerals deal in May, earning renewed goodwill from Washington. In June, Ukraine launched a coordinated drone attack, 18 months in the making, on fighter jets deep in the heart of Russian territory. In July, Trump increased pressure on Russia, threatening more tariffs if the country didn’t make peace within a specified window. He also moved two nuclear submarines to the region after Russian officials dismissed his ultimatum. Still, multiple rounds of negotiations in Turkey between the warring nations failed. In August, Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, but failed to make a deal. In October, Trump told Zelenskyy he would consider trading long-range Tomahawk missiles for Ukrainian drones. The United States and the EU announced a new round of tariffs against Russia later that month.

Conflict in the Middle East

Hostilities between Israel and Hamas resumed in March after a January ceasefire collapsed. During the first phase of the short-lived ceasefire, Hamas released 25 living hostages and the bodies of eight in exchange for roughly 1,800 Palestinian prisoners. But they did not successfully implement the second stage of the truce, which would have involved the release of all remaining hostages and a permanent ceasefire. Hamas rejected this proposal, and in response, Israel blocked aid into the region. The Israeli government claimed the terrorist group was rearming and resumed strikes on Gaza.

Israel eased restrictions on aid distribution in May, and the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a U.S. and Israeli–backed group, began distributing critical supplies. But chaos unfolded at one aid distribution site as desperate Palestinians stormed a United Nations food warehouse in southern Gaza.

In June the focus of the conflict in the Middle East moved to Iran when Israel launched a series of strikes against the country’s nuclear facilities, killing top nuclear scientists and other officials. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strikes would continue until Israel successfully neutralized the threat of Iran’s rapidly developing nuclear program. Israeli forces also targeted the country’s ballistic missile program.

In a statement following the strikes, Netanyahu warned Iran had been merely months away from producing its first nuclear bomb. He noted that for decades, Iranian officials had publicly declared their plan to wipe Israel off the map. In addition to posing its own threat, Iran helped fund and arm terror groups like Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

In response to the Israeli strikes, Iran fired a barrage of missiles across Israel, hitting a large hospital in the south.

About a week after Israel’s initial attacks, the United States launched its own airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear sites. U.S. “bunker-buster” bombs damaged, but most likely did not destroy, the heavily fortified Fordow Uranium Enrichment Plant built deep within a mountain. In an address following the bombings, Trump called Iran the “bully of the Middle East” and urged the country to make peace or endure more American strikes. Iran agreed to a ceasefire in late June.

In early October—a little over two years after Hamas militants stormed across the Israeli border and slaughtered or captured more than 1,200 civilians—Israel and Hamas agreed to a peace plan spearheaded by the Trump administration and backed by several Arab nations. The ceasefire required Hamas to release the 48 remaining hostages, both living and dead, in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Clashes between Hamas and Palestinian clans, as well as isolated skirmishes with Israel Defense Forces, have strained the peace deal. It’s unclear whether the region will enter Phase 2 of the ceasefire, which would involve an international stabilization force governing Gaza.