by Nadia
2025 has been a year shaped by political changes, global dynamics, surprising movie successes, and the loss of influential, groundbreaking individuals who changed the world with their ideas. So, let’s take one last stroll down memory lane for 2025 before we begin creating memories for 2026. Without further delay, here are the stories that made us take a second look in 2025.
- California Wildfires – the wildfires started in January, and 29 people lost their lives as a result of the fires. The cause of the fires was severe drought conditions and strong winds that raged across Southern California.
2. It was the shouting match that reverberated around the nation’s capital. On 28 February, President Zelensky of Ukraine met with President Trump and Vice President Vance at the White House to discuss how to end the war with Russia and continue supporting his country. However, when these gentlemen first met, the discussion quickly escalated into Trump berating Zelensky, while Vance questioned whether Zelensky had demonstrated enough gratitude for U.S. support.
3. Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent advocate for a ceasefire in Gaza, played a significant role in leading the student protest movement at Columbia University on March 8, where they demanded a ceasefire. He was arrested by federal immigration authorities, who claimed they were acting on a State Department order to revoke his green card, as stated by his attorney. After missing the birth of his child and spending over three months in an ICE detention center in Louisiana, he was released on June 20.
4. The Trump administration announced that it invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which gives the president significant authority to target and remove undocumented immigrants. However, on September 2, a federal appeals court ruled that President Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act was unlawful and blocked its application in several southern states.
5. On 1 April, Senator Cory Booker broke the record for the longest Senate floor speech in modern history by speaking for 25 hours and 5 minutes. The previous record was held by the late Senator Strom Thurmond, who delivered a 24-hour and 18-minute speech in 1957. Booker stated that he spoke “in spite” of Thurmond’s remarks against the 1957 Civil Rights Act.
6. On May 1, President Trump signed an executive order directing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to eliminate federal funding for the two largest public broadcasters in America, NPR and PBS. On May 27, NPR filed a First Amendment lawsuit against the Trump administration, claiming that the effort to defund NPR constitutes a “clear violation of the Constitution.” On May 30, PBS and one of its member stations in northern Minnesota also filed a lawsuit against Trump and several cabinet officials.
7. On June 7, President Trump made the unprecedented decision to deploy 2,000 National Guard troops to address immigration protests in Los Angeles. This move effectively overrode objections from California Governor Gavin Newsom. In response, Governor Newsom filed a lawsuit against Trump and Defense Secretary Hegseth the following day. On September 2, a federal judge ruled that Trump and Hegseth had violated federal law by using the U.S. military to assist with law enforcement activities in and around Los Angeles during the summer.
That concludes the political discussion. Now, let us honor those we lost, as their presence made the world a better place.
- Gene Hackman was 95 years old when he passed away on February 18. The Oscar-winning actor was known for his diverse portrayals, which ranged from reluctant heroes to conniving villains, making him one of the most respected and honored performers in the industry. He was found deceased alongside his wife, Betsy Arakawa.
2.Roberta Flack, the famous singer known for songs like “Sweet Love,” passed away at the age of 88 on February 24. This Grammy-winning singer and pianist was celebrated for her intimate vocal and musical style, which made her one of the top recording artists of the 1970s and an influential performer long after that.
3. George Foreman was a fearsome heavyweight boxer lost the “Rumble in the Jungle” to Muhammad Ali before his inspiring second and third acts as a 45-year-old world champion and a successful business owner. he died on March 21 at the age of 76.
4. Charlie Kirk was assassinated at the age of 31. He rose from being a tennage conservative campus activist to becomming a top podcaster and ally of President Donald Trump, he was fatally shot during an appearance at a college in Utah. Sept. 10.
5. Renowned groundbreaking chimpanzee researcher and conservationist Jane Goodall died on October 1 at the age of 91.
And there you have it, folks: a review of 2025. I hope we have learned from the mistakes we made this year, grown as individuals, become less hard on ourselves, and learned to be kinder to one another. Let’s also remember to embrace and love life.
