Most Notable Newsworthy Events of November
Editor Zach Myers writes “This most recent election day might have been the most notable non-presidential election year in recent history” (Jadyn Jacobs).
December 8, 2025
Zachary Myers, Editor
I usually don’t get interested in following up on the news. I rarely watch it on TV anymore because nowadays it has become so untrustworthy and biased towards certain sides of the aisle (Republican or Democrat). I normally just skim articles until something interests me. That got me thinking: why not break down the most important/notable news headline of each week of each month? I’ll lay out the facts and then share my perspective.
Saturday the 1st-Saturday the 8th:
This most recent election day might have been the most notable non-presidential election year in recent history. The highlight of the day was the New York City mayoral race, where democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani beat out fellow democrat Andrew Cuomo. Previously a lawmaker in Queens, Mamdani set multiple historic moments when he was elected. He became the first Muslim mayor, first South Asian mayor and the youngest mayor of New York City in over thirty years. Lots of his campaign promises involved lowering living costs for residents, including lowering child care costs and freezing rent for those living in apartments, which will be funded by raising taxes on the wealthy. Mamdani has backtracked on previous statements he made in 2020 where he made calls to defund the NYPD and called them racist. Despite being part of the Democratic Socialists of America, he has said he does not align with all of their values and plans to run his own platform of ideas. Mamdani has also been a strong supporter of Palestine, accusing Israel of committing genocide and that the country should be a state of equal rights and not just a “Jewish state.”
Normally, I would not be that invested in political races from other states, since they will likely not affect me that much. This race is different as New York City is such an impactful place in the US when it comes to politics and income. It means that people not from New York should care more about Zohran Mamdani more than they would other mayors. While he has garnered hate from conservatives, especially Trump, for his supposed socialist policies, I like him. He seems more open to accommodating the poor and less fortunate then other politicians in the US and he is also young. There are too many people serving in major political roles who are above the retirement age and who are stubborn in their ideals. With Mamdani being only thirty four years old and seemingly open to new ideas, he looks to be a great mayor for the city of New York.
Who is Zohran Mamdani? Meet NYC’s next mayor | AP News
Sunday the 9th-Saturday the 15th:
After forty-three days, the longest government shutdown in history has finally ended. President Donald Trump signed legislation on Wednesday night that will reopen the federal government and give federal employees their jobs back. The bill was signed after the House of Representatives voted 222-209 on the main funding package, which will compensate federal employees who were laid off in the shutdown. Programs like Head Start and SNAP will also resume for those in need of those services. Trump continued to blame Democratic leaders for the shutdown while signing the bill. There was previous opposition in the Senate by Democrats who had concerns about ObamaCare and other healthcare costs but eight democrat leaning politicians, including leading New York senator Chuck Schumer who originally opposed the bill, switched sides and sided with the GOP.
Theoretically, everyone should be happy knowing that the government is finally open but that is probably not the case. Even after the government opens, there are still concerns with the Supreme Court potentially holding back SNAP benefits and the rollback of Obamacare benefits. I believe that the government should be open, as while nothing is totally fixed, it is a step on the right path in this country. The fact that both sides of the aisle seemed to agree that reopening the government was the right move is also a good sign that our politicians finally seem to be agreeing to common sense. Hopefully we can learn from this troubling period and can move forward as a nation.
Trump signs funding deal, ending government shutdown. Live updates
Sunday the 16th-Saturday the 22nd:
This will not be so much of a news story about the overall world so much as a world news story connecting to UMF. This will mostly be my opinion and own experience so it is a little different. On Thursday, I heard that ICE was spotted on UMF through a group chat with some friends. I did not pay it much attention since I am almost certain I heard ICE was seen in Farmington earlier this year, so it was not too surprising. What made it interesting was that UMF president Joseph McDonnell sent an email acknowledging the reports and that since nothing was confirmed; there was currently an active investigation. The email had a form where people could report any sightings of ICE, as well as the contact information of Laurie Gardner and Christine Wilson.
The only reason there is heightened anxiety around ICE is the way they have been weaponized by the Trump administration. In most aspects, they are doing their job by removing criminals from the country. When they start to barge into schools and churches, remove people and later not give them a trial, is where it starts to become a problem. While I support the removal of criminals from this country and giving them a fair shot, I do not support the actions of the Trump administration, who use ICE to sometimes remove legal citizens without a second thought.
Sunday the 23rd-Saturday the 29th:
A horrific act of violence recently struck our nation's capital. Two national guard members, named Sarah Beckstrom and Andrew Wolfe, were shot while serving as part of the West Virginia National Guard in Washington D.C. Beckstrom has died from her injuries while Wolfe is recovering in the hospital. Their involvement in D.C. was in part due to President Donald Trump’s recent enforcement on crime fighting in the city. The suspect was identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwall, who was approved for asylum recently after being brought into the country under former president Joe Biden’s Operation Allies Welcome, which brought 76,000 people into the country who worked closely with America’s troops. In the wake of the tragedy, Trump has ordered 500 more National Guard troops to D.C.
Based on what we know about the suspect, I do not think this attack was in response to Trump’s crackdown on crime and illegal immigration. While this man was approved to be in this country under Trump, he came into this country under a Biden program and based on the program, it can be assumed that he had cordial relations with the US before. Moving forward, the investigation should focus mainly on where his anti-American sentiments formed and how they came to fruition. People should not focus on the fact that he happens to be an immigrant and a Muslim man, both groups being often targeted by conservative groups. Hopefully this case is quickly solved and justice is served for the families involved.
What we do and don’t know about the shooting of 2 National Guard members in D.C. | PBS News
