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


  • Getty Images highlighted the 100 most powerful news photos taken by its photographers in 2025.
  • The photos captured political unrest, natural disasters, travel nightmares, and major news events.
  • Donald Trump’s presidency and administration also featured heavily in the collection.

Sandy Ciric, senior director of news photography at Getty Images, told Business Insider that the 2025 news cycle was “unrelenting.”

“From the first days of the new year when devastating wildfires swept through Los Angeles, every week brought a barrage of breaking stories — including the death of a US president, a newly elected Pope, tariff wars, terror attacks, migration, starvation, hostages, plane crashes, floods, heat waves and in addition to all that, political turmoil and upheaval from the US to Nepal and beyond,” Ciric said.

As the year comes to a close, the team at Getty Images curated 100 of the most powerful news photos of the year taken by its photojournalists around the world, highlighting the defining moments of 2025.

“Through it all, Getty Images photojournalists faithfully covered all of these stories and indelible moments with expertise, empathy, and creativity,” Ciric said.

Here are 30 images from the collection of the best news photos of the year.

On January 8, the casket of former President Jimmy Carter lay in state in the Capitol Rotunda the day before his funeral.


The flag-draped casket of former President Jimmy Carter in the Capitol Rotunda.

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

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

An aerial photo taken on January 15 showed beachfront homes in Malibu, California, destroyed by the Palisades Fire.


An aerial view of homes destroyed by the Palisades Fire.

Beachfront homes destroyed by the Palisades Fire in Malibu, California.

Mario Tama/Getty Images

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

Firefighters worked to contain the Hughes Fire on January 22 in Castaic, California.


Firefighters in California.

Firefighters battled the Hughes Fire in Castaic, California.

Brandon Bell/Getty Images

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

On January 30, an American Airlines flight collided with a military helicopter over the Potomac River in Washington, DC.


Wreckage of an airplane crash over the Potomac River in Washington, DC.

Emergency response units assessed airplane wreckage in the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington Airport.

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

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

A worker removed signage on the headquarters of the US Agency for International Development on February 7 after it was shut down by the Department of Government Efficiency.


A worker removes the signage for US AID.

The headquarters of the US Agency for International Development in Washington, DC.

Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

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

Elon Musk and his son, X, joined President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on February 11.


Elon Musk and Donald Trump in the Oval Office.

Elon Musk and his son, X Musk, with Donald Trump in the Oval Office.

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

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

Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a heated exchange during a White House meeting on February 28.


Donald Trump appears to scold Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office.

President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office.

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

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

As Trump arrived for his speech to a joint session of Congress on March 4, Democratic Rep. Melanie Stansbury held a sign reading “This is not normal.”


Rep. Melanie Stansbury holds a sign reading

Donald Trump arrived for his speech to a joint session of Congress.

Win McNamee/Getty Images

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

On March 31, SpaceX launched the Falcon 9 Fram2 Mission from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.


A SpaceX launch.

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Fram2 Mission launch.

Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/Getty Images

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

An airline employee at Newark Liberty Airport in New Jersey was photographed looking fatigued amid delays and cancellations on May 6.


A tired-looking employee at a United Airlines check-in area at Newark Airport.

An employee at the United Airlines check-in area at Terminal C of Newark Liberty International Airport.

Andres Kudacki/Getty Images

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

After the death of Pope Francis, Pope Leo XIV was elected to the papacy in Vatican City on May 11.


Pope Leo XIV waves from the Vatican.

Pope Leo XIV in Vatican City.

Franco Origlia/Getty Images

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

A woman was photographed in the ruins of her home on May 18, the day after a tornado hit in London, Kentucky.


A woman stands in the debris of her house in Kentucky.

A home destroyed by a tornado in London, Kentucky.

Michael Swensen/Getty Images

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

Protesters in Paramount, California, clashed with US Border Patrol officers on June 7 amid immigration raids.


Protesters and police officers clash in protests in California.

A firework sent by protesters exploded near Los Angeles Sheriff Department officers during an immigration protest in Paramount, California.

Apu Gomes/Getty Images

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.

On June 14, the US Army celebrated its 250th anniversary with a military parade in Washington, DC.


Trump's military parade in Washington, DC.

The US Army’s 250th birthday parade in Washington, DC.

Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

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 deployed to Europe on June 24 amid conflict in the Middle East between Israel and Iran.


The USS Gerald R. Ford.

The USS Gerald R. Ford.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

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

A woman was photographed pouring water over her head in Berlin during a record-high heat wave on July 2.


A girl pours water on her head on a hot day in Germany.

A sweltering summer day in Berlin.

Maryam Majd/Getty Images

Temperatures exceeded 40 degrees Celsius, or 104 degrees Fahrenheit.

On July 6, a girl stood in her aunt’s home in Center Point, Texas, after torrential rains caused the Guadalupe River to overflow.


A flooded home in Texas.

A flooded home in Center Point, Texas.

Brandon Bell/Getty Images

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.

Ukrainian troops conducted a medical evacuation with an armored infantry fighting vehicle on the border between the Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions of Ukraine on July 21.


A soldier is rescued with an IFV in Ukraine.

Ukrainian troops on the border between Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk.

Kostiantyn Liberov/Libkos/Getty Images

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

On July 24, members of ICE dragged a man away after his immigration court hearing in New York City.


ICE drags a man away at immigration court.

The Jacob K. Javits Federal Building in New York City.

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

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.

The Royal Jordanian Air Force performed an air drop of humanitarian aid over Gaza on August 6, providing a sweeping view of the devastation.


An aerial view of Gaza.

An aerial view of Gaza.

Salah Malkawi/Getty Images

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 was photographed at a press conference on August 7, a few months before his election as the next mayor of New York City.


Zohran Mamdani.

Zohran Mamdani in New York City.

Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

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 and Putin met in Alaska on August 15 to discuss the war in Ukraine.


Donald Trump and Vladimir Purin meet in Alaska.

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska.

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

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

A fishing boat was photographed on August 13 in Kochi, India, amid the Trump administration’s 50% tariff on products from the country.


A fishing boat in India.

A fishing boat in Kochi, India.

Elke Scholiers/Getty Images

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.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth joined Trump in the Oval Office for the signing of several executive orders on August 25.


Pete Hegseth stands behind Donald Trump.

Pete Hegseth stood behind Donald Trump in the Oval Office.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

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.

A billboard in Orem, Utah, displayed on September 13 commemorated Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed on September 10.


A billboard commemorating Charlie Kirk.

A billboard commemorating Charlie Kirk in Orem, Utah.

Chet Strange/Getty Images

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.”

Anti-corruption protests left burned debris in place of what was once the Department of Roads building in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 15.


A burned building in Nepal.

The Department of Roads of Nepal, which was burned during anti-corruption protests.

Ritesh Shukla/Getty Images

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

Senior military leaders were summoned to Washington, DC, on September 30 for a speech by Hegseth in which he berated “fat troops” and “woke” policies.


Senior military leaders listen to Pete Hegseth speak.

Senior military leaders listened as Pete Hegseth spoke at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Quantico, Virginia.

Alex Wong/Getty Images

“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.”

On October 13, Israeli hostages were released from Gaza as part of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.


Freed hostage Ziv Berman celebrates from a helicopter.

Former Gaza hostage Ziv Berman returned to Israel.

Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images

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.

On October 19, thieves broke into the Louvre Museum in Paris and stole pieces of jewelry that belonged to Napoleon and Empress Eugénie.


A French forensics officer works at the Louvre.

A French forensics officer examined the Louvre Museum in Paris.

Kiran Ridley/Getty Images

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.





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