2025 Year in Review: Most Powerful News Photos of the Year

Carter died at the age of 100 at his home in Plains, Georgia. He served as president from 1977 to 1981.

Multiple wildfires across Los Angeles County, propelled by high winds, caused widespread damage in January.

The California wildfires burned over 40,000 acres and killed at least 29 people.

All 67 people on board both aircraft died in the crash, which occurred near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency targeted numerous federal agencies with layoffs and cuts to decrease government spending.

Musk and his son watched as Trump signed an executive order to implement DOGE’s “Workforce Optimization Initiative.”

Zelenskyy left the White House after the Oval Office shouting match without signing a proposed minerals agreement between the US and Ukraine.

Other Democratic lawmakers held up signs reading “False,” “Musk steals,” “Protect veterans,” and “Save Medicaid,” as Trump outlined his policy agenda.

The mission carried four space tourists in a low-orbit flight.

Newark Airport experienced days of snarled travel due to air traffic control staffing shortages and radar outages.

Pope Leo XIV, who hails from Chicago, is the first US-born pope in history.

At least 25 people died as a result of the storm, CNN reported.

Protests broke out following immigration raids across Southern California conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Trump ordered 2,000 National Guard members to the Los Angeles area to quell protests, circumventing California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s authority.

The military parade, which coincided with Trump’s 79th birthday, featured 150 vehicles, 50 aircraft, and about 6,600 troops.

The USS Gerald R. Ford is the world’s largest aircraft carrier.

Temperatures exceeded 40 degrees Celsius, or 104 degrees Fahrenheit.

At least 78 people died in central Texas, including 11 people at the Christian girls’ summer camp Camp Mystic, when the Guadalupe River rose 26 feet in 45 minutes and caused severe flooding.

The photo of the 505th Separate Marine Battalion was taken with an infrared camera.

In an interview with Fox News, border czar Tom Homan said that ICE planned to “flood the zone” in sanctuary cities such as New York City amid Trump’s immigration crackdown.

An assessment by the United Nations conducted in October found that 81% of all structures in Gaza were damaged in Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip following the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023.

Zohran Mamdani, who served as a member of the New York State Assembly, defeated former New York City Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa in the mayoral election in November.

Trump gave Putin a ride in the presidential limousine known as “The Beast.”

India is one of the top suppliers of frozen shrimp to the US, where 80% of seafood is imported. The Trump administration’s 50% tariffs on imports from India are expected to raise seafood prices.

Trump signed executive orders to end cashless bail in Washington, DC, and criminalize burning the American flag despite a 1989 Supreme Court decision that protects flag burning under the First Amendment.

Kirk, a right-wing political activist who cofounded Turning Point USA, was killed while speaking at Utah Valley University on the first stop of his “American Comeback Tour.”

The protests in Nepal opposing government corruption, nepotism, and social media bans were largely led by members of Gen Z.

“It’s tiring to look out at combat formations, or really any formation, and see fat troops,” Hegseth said in his speech about “warrior ethos.” “Likewise, it’s completely unacceptable to see fat generals in the Pentagon and leading commands around the country and the world.”

Ziv Berman was released after being held hostage for 737 days in Gaza. He was photographed raising his fist in the air while riding a helicopter to Chaim Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Israel.

The thieves broke into the Louvre’s Galerie d’Apollon using a lift and an angle grinder before escaping on motorized scooters. Four people have been charged in connection with the robbery.