The year 2025 marked the long-awaited United States v. Combs trial. Sean Combs, aka Diddy, was charged with a series of felonies, including racketeering and trafficking, but was found not guilty of the aforementioned charges. He was, however, found guilty on two counts of transportation for the purposes of prostitution, a clear violation of the Mann Act of 1910.
Diddy was found guilty after just three days of deliberation. Although he’s not yet been sentenced, he faces a conviction with a maximum prison sentence of 20 years. While prosecutors are only seeking a mere 51 months for Diddy to do his time, we’ll just have to wait until October 3rd to see what happens on his day of sentencing.
Previously, one of the wealthiest and most powerful female artists in the country didn’t own the rights to her own masters; rather, they were owned by Scooter Braun, who acquired Swift’s label, Big Machine Records. Her music was sold again in 2020 to Shamrock Holdings, but Swift chose not to partner with them after learning that Braun would still profit from her music with the provided deal.
After years of fighting for artists' rights, and rerecording most of her music to sidestep Braun’s highway robbery, she finally got her masters back in 2025. Purchasing her first six albums from Shamrock after some delicately handled negotiations, she took to social media to share her victory with Swifties.
California, and more specifically the Los Angeles area, experienced one of its worst wildfires in history —a devastating fire that burned over 57,000 acres. It destroyed countless homes and businesses in the area, while claiming 29 human lives, leaving Los Angeles to pick up the pieces of its old life in its aftermath.
With billions of dollars lost, those remaining in these high-risk areas are now faced with higher homeowners' insurance costs and increased living expenses. Good times.
Following his swearing in, Donald Trump was handed over his second term, a devastating loss for immigrants, veterans, women, the elderly, the poor and middle-class families alike, whether they realized it or not. Unfortunately, the conman duped more than half the country into believing he would make all our lives easier when all he’s done is give more tax cuts to the wealthy, while we pay more for literally everything.
In just the first year of his election, he’s destroyed more families and arguably defied more laws than any president in history, all in service of himself, openly treating the Constitution as a mere obstacle to be overcome. And as the other branches of the government sits idly by as he crumbles the establishment, we slowly learn just how fragile our freedoms are.
2025 has seen an alarming increase in aviation-related incidents, including several mid-air mechanical failures and emergency landings. Airlines have faced scrutiny over maintenance practices and regulatory oversight, prompting renewed calls for increased safety measures and rigorous inspections within the aviation industry.
And if that were not enough, Season 2 of Nathan Fielder's HBO series The Rehearsal highlighted some serious aviation safety issues regarding communication breakdowns between pilots. Fielder collaborated with former National Transportation Safety Board member John Goglia to explore how interpersonal dynamics in the cockpit contribute to aviation accidents. Although this concern has been dismissed by the FAA, it has not been disproven.
The 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club resulted in J.J. Spaun's first major championship win. Spaun's victory was sealed with a jaw-dropping 64-foot putt on the 18th hole, a moment that will undoubtedly be etched in golf history. The tournament, a 72-hole stroke play event, saw Spaun finish 1-under par. Cameron Young also delivered a standout performance, with his spectacular shot over a false front at the third hole earning widespread praise.
The course's complex greens tested even the most seasoned players, with the final round featuring dramatic pin positions and high-stakes moments. By the end, watching golf's "elite" reminded us how well-dressed frustration can look with enough polo shirts and expensive khakis.
The United States government officially banned TikTok in 2025, citing national security concerns over the app's Chinese ownership and potential risks of data breaches. The app, however, was only removed from stores for a little over 12 hours before it was brought back by Trump who delayed enforcement of the ban for 75 days, and twice more since then.
Of course, the app has not been the same since, becoming just another tool for pro-Trump propaganda. But, as the next deadline approaches in September, we’re all left wondering whether TikTok will ever sell to an American owner and stop the ban or whether Trump will keep delaying the inevitable to look like a hero to Gen-Zers.
Holding tariffs over the heads of other countries to get what he wants, Trump has ignited trade wars around the world, leaving all of us to pay the cost of it all. China, Canada, Mexico, Vietnam, and Brazil were just some of the countries hit by the tariffs.
While the United States companies importing goods from these countries would get stuck with the bill, most of us were well-aware that these companies wouldn’t be eating the cost. Inevitably, the effects of the tariffs have passed on to consumers who are now paying the difference. While it may affect sales to some extent, is it really going to bring manufacturing back to the United States? Not for a long time.
The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, hosted by the United States from June 14 to July 13, marked a historic expansion of the tournament, featuring 32 teams competing across 12 venues nationwide. Chelsea FC emerged as champions, defeating Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in the final held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Drawing billions of viewers and millions of domestic and international fans, the event generated significant boosts to the local economies of host cities. Even with the USA’s early withdrawal from the tournament, economically, we won.
After a tremendous victory in 2024, the Kansas City Chiefs were projected by Chiefs fans (and Swifties) to win the Super Bowl in 2025, but alas, that did not happen. In fact, they didn’t even come close.
The Philadelphia Eagles annihilated the Chiefs in a 40-22 victory, marking a second win for the Super Bowl Champions. Jalen Hurts, the Eagles' quarterback, delivered an outstanding performance, earning him the Super Bowl MVP award.
It was a tremendous loss not only for Catholics, but the world, as one of the most (affectionately) wokest popes in recent memory died in 2025. Pope Francis was an advocate for the poor and disenfranchised, as well as migrants, refugees, LGBTQ+ individuals, and victims around the world.
His unprecedented compassion seemingly marked a turning point for the catholic church, but with the newly elected Pope Leo XIV, it seems the Catholic church plans to regress in its views on LGBTQ+ issues.
Despite his promises of transparency to his followers, it seems that Trump is now backpedaling on the release of the Epstein files, thus blocking the revelation of Epstein’s child trafficking ring. With Trump now claiming the files were entirely manufactured by the Democrats as a witch hunt, Trump’s denial has caused a great deal of disillusionment on the part of his voters, as both Democrats and Republicans were led to believe that the client list was, in fact, a very real thing - particularly when Bondi herself said it was “on her desk.”
Of course, this all reeks of a cover-up, particularly now, as the government blocks the release of the Epstein files to the public and Trump seemingly uses every trick he can to deflect attention from himself - and the more he does, the guiltier he looks in the public eye, potentially losing supporters in the process.
