The Biggest News Stories Of 2025

Source: Douglas Rissing / Getty

Updated Aug. 28, 2025, 11:45 A.M.

Illinois has become the center of a national debate on bail reform following new White House executive orders aimed at rolling back policies that eliminate cash bail. On August 25, President Donald Trump signed orders directing the federal government to withhold funding from jurisdictions that release suspects without requiring bond. Trump argues that cash bail is necessary to keep communities safe and prevent released suspects from committing new crimes.

Illinois, which fully eliminated cash bail through the 2022 Pretrial Fairness Act, has not seen the surge in crime critics predicted. Researchers report that crime rates have remained stable or even declined. University of Chicago researcher Alison Siegler said, “All the evidence I’ve seen points to positive outcomes since Illinois eliminated cash bail. It’s really clear from the data that things have gotten better, not worse.”

Under Illinois’ system, judges may still hold defendants charged with serious crimes if they are deemed dangerous or a flight risk. Most others are released on the promise to appear in court rather than paying a cash bond. Loyola University Chicago data shows the rate of defendants failing to appear has slightly decreased from 25% to 23%.

Experts say the law has created a more deliberate detention process. Bond hearings now require substantive arguments from prosecutors, sometimes lasting up to an hour, compared with the minutes they used to take. Loyola researcher Don Stemen noted that before reform, roughly 60% of defendants charged with serious crimes were released on bond; now only about 50% are.

Critics argue that higher standards for detention limit prosecutorial discretion, while defenders say the system ensures that only those who truly pose a risk are jailed pretrial. Stemen added, “It benefits that system in that we are only spending our dollars on detention for people who need it. Not all people charged with a crime are risks to public safety or a risk of flight.”

Illinois’ experience suggests that eliminating cash bail does not automatically endanger public safety, challenging claims driving the new federal crackdown.

From politics to weather, keep scrolling for some of the major news stories we have witnessed in 2025.

The Biggest News Stories Of 2025 was originally published on 92q.com

1. What is cashless bail and why is Trump eliminating it?

2. Navy loses another fighter jet during training exercise

3. Trump calls for resignation of Federal Reserve governor

4. Six Republican-led states now sending National Guard troops to D.C.

5. D.C. sues Trump administration over federal takeover of district’s police

6. Trump demands homeless leave Washington, D.C., advocate responds

7. Ozempic Reportedly Faces $2B Lawsuit; 1,800+ Consumers Sue over Side Effects

8. Fact-checking Trump’s D.C. crime claims ahead of news conference

9. OpenAI releases ChatGPT-5 to the public

10. 5 soldiers shot in Fort Stewart military base incident, officials say

11. Student loan interest resumes for millions enrolled in SAVE repayment plan

12. Trump says he’s ordered the firing of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner

13. Trump raising tariffs on Canadian imports to 35%

14. Magnitude updated to 8.7 for earthquake off Russian coast

15. Trump says he stopped talking to Epstein after he “stole people that work for me”

16. New details on NYC shooting rampage suspect

17. NYPD officer among 4 dead after deadly NYC shooting rampage, officials confirm

18. Bryan Kohberger sentenced to life in prison for murders of Idaho students

19. Ex-officer convicted in Breonna Taylor case sentenced to 33 months in prison

20. White House shuts down LGBTQ+ youth suicide and crisis hotline

21. TSA dropping shoe-removal requirement at U.S. airports

22. Camp Mystic confirms 27 children and counselors were killed in Texas flash floods

23. Sean “Diddy” Combs denied bail, will remain detained before October sentencing

24. Trump announces U.S. trade deal with Vietnam

25. Split verdict in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex trafficking and racketeering trial

26. Everything we know about the Senate “vote-a-rama” on Trump’s “big, beautiful bill”

27. Trump says he’s not planning to extend July 9 global tariff deadline

28. Iran says it launched retaliatory strikes on U.S. bases in the Middle East

29. Oklahoma City Thunder Win 2025 NBA Championship

30. U.S. bombs 3 Iranian nuclear targets, Trump announces

31. Social Security on track to run out of money for full payouts by 2034, report finds

32. Trump orders ICE to expand deportations in Democratic-run cities

33. Trump administration revokes legal status from over 500,000 migrants

34. RFK Jr. removes all 17 members of CDC vaccine panel

35. Immigration raids spark outrage in Los Angeles

36. Kilmar Abrego Garcia brought back to U.S. to face criminal charges

37. Trump Reinstates Travel Ban Targeting Over a Dozen Nations

38. Meta signs 20-year nuclear power deal to meet AI demands

39. Boulder mall attack suspect faces federal hate crimes charge

40. Elon Musk bids farewell to DOGE

41. Trump to pardon Chrisleys, reality TV stars convicted of fraud, tax evasion

42. Trump seeks to end all federal contracts with Harvard

43. Trump bans Harvard from enrolling international students, Noem calls it a warning to other schools

44. Budget bill includes $1,000 for newborns that would be deposited in “Trump Accounts”

45. Small plane crashes into San Diego neighborhood

46. “Tush Push” survives potential NFL ban

47. FDA makes controversial changes to COVID-19 vaccine framework

48. Joe Biden Diagnosed with Aggressive Prostate Cancer

49. President Trump announces new drug pricing plan

50. Trump makes trade deal with China

51. Cardinal Robert Prevost of U.S. announced as new pope, takes name Leo XIV

52. Don’t have a Real ID? Here’s what you need to prepare for before flying

53. Millions of Americans brace for federal student loan collections to resume

54. DHS to pay immigrants in US illegally $1K to self deport

55. Skype is shutting down after launching in 2003

56. Trump’s First 100 Days: A Climate and Governance Crisis

57. Elon Musk to step back from work in Trump administration

58. Trump considers ‘baby bonus’ to boost birth rate

59. Pope Francis dies at age 88

60. Active Shooter Reported on FSU Campus in Tallahassee; Suspect in Custody, Multiple People Hospitalized

61. Active Shooter Reported on FSU Campus in Tallahassee; Suspect in Custody, Multiple People Hospitalized

62. Blue Origin’s first all-female flight launches with Gayle King

63. Six Killed in Hudson River Helicopter Crash Near Jersey City

64. Trump Raises China Tariffs to 125%, Announces 90-Day Pause for Other Nations

65. “Hands off!” rallies across U.S. protest Trump administration policies

66. Stock market losses intensify after China matches Trump tariffs

67. Watch: Cory Booker breaks record for longest Senate floor speech with 24-hour Trump protest

68. White House confirms recent firings of 50 U.S. attorneys and deputies

69. Trump says he’s considering ways to serve a third term as president

70. More than 1,000 dead in severe earthquake

71. FBI creates task force to investigate Tesla threats

72. DOJ defends deportations to El Salvador, Elon Musk meets with Pentagon officials

73. Could DoorDash’s Klarna payment plan move signal recession fears?

74. Boston Celtics Sold for North American Sports Record $6.1B

75. Trump considers four bids to buy TikTok as deadline for deal looms

76. Johns Hopkins University says it’s laying off 2,200 due to USAID funding cuts

77. Senate passes short-term funding bill, averting a government shutdown

78. USDA cuts funding for school, food bank programs

79. Social Security Administration plans to take back overpayments to Americans

80. Trump administration to roll back Biden-era environmental protections

81. Department of Education slashing nearly 50% of workforce

82. Inflation rises by 2.8% in February

83. 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports to U.S. take effect

84. 5 years since WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic

85. Southwest Airlines To Start Charging For Checked Bags

86. DC removes Black Lives Matter plaza

87. X Down, Elon Musk says its a massive cyberattack

88. South Carolina man executed via firing squad, first in 15 years

89. Experts warn of lasting immune effects as measles outbreak spreads

90. Trump expected to issue executive order to eliminate Education Department

91. Trump’s tariffs on Mexico, Canada take effect

92. Trump signs executive order making English the official language of the US

93. Inflation rises by 2.8% in February

94. 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports to U.S. take effect

95. 5 years since WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic

96. Southwest Airlines To Start Charging For Checked Bags

97. DC removes Black Lives Matter plaza

98. X Down, Elon Musk says its a massive cyberattack

99. South Carolina man executed via firing squad, first in 15 years

100. Experts warn of lasting immune effects as measles outbreak spreads

101. Trump expected to issue executive order to eliminate Education Department

102. Trump’s tariffs on Mexico, Canada take effect

103. Pope Francis remains in critical condition with early kidney failure, Vatican says

104. Trump declares Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations

105. Delta offers $30,000 to passengers who survived Toronto plane crash

106. Two people dead after mid-air plane crash at southern Arizona airport

107. Trump administration gives schools a deadline to end DEI programs or risk losing federal money

108. Delta plane crash landed and flipped at Toronto airport caught on camera

109. Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (D.O.G.E.) is makes a push to gain access to an IRS system

110. 15,000 IRS workers facing potential layoffs in the middle of tax season

111. Two killed in small plane crash in Atlanta

112. Army bans transgender people from enlisting, halts gender transition procedures

113. Tony Buzbee drops civil lawsuit alleging rape against Jay-Z and Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs

114. Andrew Lester enters guilty plea to lesser charge in shooting of Ralph Yarl

115. TikTok Is Back on U.S. App Stores—For Now

116. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. confirmed as HHS secretary in 52-48 vote

117. Navy investigating fighter jet crash off San Diego

118. Private Jet Collides At Arizona Airport

119. ‘Gulf Of America’ Arrives on Google Maps

120. The Philadelphia Eagles win the Super Bowl

121. Judge blocks DOGE from accessing Treasury data after lawsuit against Trump administration

122. Trump appoints controversial NOAA head

123. Judge temporarily blocks 2,200 USAID workers from being put on leave

124. Trump says he’s revoking Biden’s security clearance

125. Shoppers report paying fees to receive their international packages

126. Small plane crashes in Alaska, all 10 dead

127. President Trump signs executive order banning transgender athletes in sports

128. Rep. Al Green is filing new impeachment articles against Trump

129. USPS now says it will accept international mail from China and Hong Kong

130. President Trump considering dismantling Department of Education

131. Trump imposes Tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China; Canada retaliates

132. Plane crashes in Northeast Philadelphia neighborhood

133. American Airlines flight collides with helicopter in Washington, D.C.

134. White House rescinds federal aid freeze

135. Federal judge blocks Trump administration freeze on federal grants

136. White House orders freeze on all federal financial assistance

137. Target Scales Back Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Efforts

138. Judge blocks Donald Trump’s plan to end US birthright citizenship

139. Trump administration directs all federal DEI staff be put on leave

140. Trump pardons Capitol rioter and signs a series of executive actions

141. Biden pardons family members minutes before Trump sworn in

142. Donald Trump Is Sworn in as 47th U.S. President

143. Biden issues preemptive pardons for Milley, Fauci and Jan. 6 committee members

144. TikTok begins restoring after Trump comments less than 24 hours after going dark in U.S.

145. TikTok goes dark as U.S. ban takes effect

146. Supreme Court upholds TikTok ban

147. President Joe Biden’s farewell address to the nation warns of an oligarchy

148. Israel & Hamas agree to ceasefire deal

149. Texas man charged with stalking Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark

150. Supreme Court hears arguments on TikTok ban

151. Judge Juan Merchan has sentenced Donald Trump to unconditional discharge in hush money cas

152. Former President Jimmy Carter honored in Washington, D.C.

153. Fast-moving Pacific Palisades fire grows to more than 2,900 acres

154. Trump says he plans to change Gulf of Mexico’s name to “Gulf of America”

155. First bird flu-related human death reported in Louisiana

156. Canada’s PM Justin Trudeau announces resignation

157. Apple to pay $95M to settle lawsuit accusing Siri of eavesdropping

158. Georgia judges takes his own life in courtroom

159. 10 hurt in shooting in Queens, NY

160. 10 dead, dozens injured in New Orleans truck ‘terrorist attack’