Recapping the Most Notable News Headlines of 2025
Editor Zach Myers writes “2025 has been a very long year full of crazy news headlines” (Jadyn Jacobs).
Image: Gennady Zakharin on https://unsplash.com/
1/1/2026
Zachary Myers, Editor
2025 has been a very long year full of crazy news headlines. To cap off the year of my news coverage, I will recap the biggest news headlines each month, which will include at least one from December. To give you an insight as to how this portion will be written, I will only give my opinion with some recap sprinkled in. I am not going to go all in on a topic again, and if you want to read more about the topics I discuss, read the first 11 monthly news articles.
January:
January gave us an interesting start to the year. While the inauguration of Donald Trump has changed the course of the country (for better or worse depending on who you ask), the biggest story at the time had to be the Palisades fire. At the time, it destroyed over 1,000 structures, making it one of the most impactful wildfires in California history. What made it a bigger deal was the impact it had on pop culture. Many sporting events were impacted, headlined by the NFL moving the Vikings and Rams wild card game to Arizona. There was also a plethora of Hollywood actors whose homes were destroyed by the fire, including Anthony Hopkins, Billy Crystal, Anna Farris, etc. It was incredibly shocking to see a wildfire of this magnitude in January, as well as the wide reaching effect it had on all walks of life.
February:
In a rare case from Maine, we became involved in national news when governor Janet Mills took a surprising stand against President Trump. At the time, he signed an executive order banning transgender women from competing in women's sports in the spirit of “fairness.” In a heated meeting between the two, Mills told him that she would “see him in court.” Mills defiance to the president was inspiring to all across the state. Around the same time, Maine representative Laurel Libby caught flack for sharing a picture of a male transgender athlete sharing a podium with two female athletes at a high school sporting event, with the representative sharing the child's name and remarking their setbacks in men’s sports. This was a major story because it is rare for Maine to get involved in national politics at the level this case raised.
March:
Shifting away from more notable cases, this one involved one of the most despicable acts I heard of all year. A US airman from Anchorage Alaska named David Ibarra was arrested for posing as a thirteen year old boy on the popular gaming platform Roblox to coerce explicit images from a nine year old girl. The two exchanged some messages and Ibarra sent her over $200 via Apple Pay. When the girl’s mother found out about their exchanges, she posed as the girl's older sister and managed to get Ibarra’s face. The police traced him through his iCloud account and he was arrested and placed on leave by the military. I truly hope this man rots in prison for what he did and what he was likely going to do to this girl.
April + May
Ever since he became the Pope in 2013, Pope Francis became one of the most recognized popes in modern history due to his charitable actions and many public appearances. The highlights of his career include expanding the Catholic church to give women more roles, his support of the LGBTQ community and his controversial handling of multiple clergy abuse scandals. Sadly, Francis died on April 21 after suffering a stroke, which caused fatal heart failure. After standard meetings were held at the conclave, it was announced that Robert Prevost from Chicago, Illinois would be the new pope under the name Leo XIV. He is the first pope from America in the history of the Catholic church. While I am sad that Pope Francis is no longer with us, I am glad he is in a better place, and that Pope Leo will serve well and bring peace to the world.
June:
While 2025 was known for the seemingly endless reports of plane crashes, the Air India flight crash in June was the deadliest. The flight, which was headed to London, England, crashed into a medical college. The crash killed all but one on the plane and nineteen more on the ground, totalling 241 casualties and sixty-eight serious injuries. After investigations, the cause of the crash was linked to both engines losing thrust due to the fuel control switches moving to the cutoff position. There is nothing more to say about this other than I pray for the victims of the crash and that people can become more comfortable in planes in 2026.
July:
In July, two iconic 20th century celebrities passed away: Hulk Hogan and Ozzy Osbourne, with Osbourne arguably being the more notable one. He was the frontman of the famous rock group Black Sabbath and had a great individual career, with his most notable hits including “Crazy Train” and “Changes”. The rock star died from a combination of Parkinson's, cardiac arrest and other illnesses. I never listened to much of Osbourne’s music other than “Changes”, but I understand the cultural impact he had on music. I wish him and his family well.
Ozzy Osbourne's cause of death revealed at age 76 | New York Post
August:
Turning to positive celebrity news, the most popular couple in the world that is not in the Royal Family announced a major step in their relationship. Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce and global pop icon Taylor Swift announced their engagement via Instagram. Rumors of their relationship sparked after Kelce attended one of Swift's Eras tour shows, and it was confirmed after she attended a Chiefs game. Their wedding is set for June 13, 2026. I honestly couldn’t care less about this couple, but I am happy for them and wish them well.
September:
Arguably the most famous assassination in the post JFK era took place this year. Charlie Kirk, the founder of the conservative organization Turning Point USA, was killed by a sniper on September 10th at Utah Valley University. He was speaking at the university as he usually did with the organization. A manhunt ensued for the shooter, who was eventually arrested and ID’d as Tyler Robinson. An outpouring of support and an end to political violence was shown from politicians from both sides of the aisle, and Erika Kirk, Charlie’s wife, pledged to continue the mission of Turning Point in his honor. Charlie is someone I looked up to as a voice of reason in this world of distrust, so I hope he can rest in peace and that we can all learn from his honesty of life.
October:
This was arguably the lowest point of the year for the US (and that says a lot). On the first day of October, the government entered what would become the longest government shutdown in history, lasting forty-one days. The disagreement came down to funding disagreements between Republicans and Democrats, with Democrats wanting to reverse Medicaid cuts while Republicans were resistant to the bill giving free healthcare to illegal immigrants. While the bill was eventually signed, this period of seemingly pointless negotiation does not bode well for these politicians’ upcoming elections. I believe we need new blood in office on both sides that has common sense for the American people and can find a way to agree on issues.
November:
This election season was arguably the most notable non presidential election in history, especially in New York City. Zohran Mamdani set many historical firsts when he was elected mayor, becoming the first Muslim and South Asian elected as well as the youngest mayor. The main draw of his campaign was lowering childcare and living costs for residents by raising taxes on the wealthy. He also backtracked previous statements calling for the defunding of the NYPD in the wake of numerous police brutality accusations across the US. While he has gotten serious flack from conservatives and he is in no way perfect, he seems like a very reasonable man who wants the best for a city that can be very judgemental. I hope he can do great things.
December:
The year ended with two heavy hitters as headlines: the release of the Epstein files and the shootings at Brown University. While the Epstein files seem like the bigger deal, there have been some serious delays, so there isn’t much to talk about. The shootings being connected and happening on the same day make it more worth discussing. The shooter, identified as Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, shot and killed two students as they were studying in a room on campus. He later killed an MIT professor named Nuno Loureiro, and after a multiple day manhunt, he was found dead by suicide in Salem, New Hampshire. Valente previously attended Brown University from 2000-2001, and attended a university in Europe with Loureiro. The motive for the attack remains unknown, but hopefully it will be revealed. I feel like despite the connection between the shooter, the professor and the university, the motive goes beyond. The guy was obviously mentally ill and there was some catalyst for his actions, but that is currently unknown. Hopefully this can be found out and the families can get answers for their fallen.
