What events occurred over the previous few months that students might have missed?
While seniors went off to an extended summer break—with the rest of Northern following them in the middle of June–the world around them did not stop moving. The summer of 2025 was a tumultuous one, with global events and national politics rapidly changing and shifting. Here is a recap of some of the major developments during the summer:
- The Israel-Hamas War
The war in Gaza escalated dramatically over the course of the summer, reaching a fever pitch that reached a shocking conclusion. As of October 27, a tenuous ceasefire deal has been reached through United States and Middle Eastern mediation after Trump released a ten-point peace plan, but the brutal war still brutally continued during the interim. According to CNN, more than 40 were killed in a strike on an internet cafe at the end of June; forces then advanced into the city of Deir al-Belah within central Gaza throughout late July and August, immediately followed by a siege on Gaza City.
Throughout the month of August and onwards, the Israeli cabinet approved a plan to occupy Gaza City—a plan that has been controversial for displacing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians (per the Israeli Defense Forces and Palestinian sources), as well as killing an unknown number of civilians. An enormous number of civilians were also displaced—according to IDF reports, potentially as many as 870,000 people were forced to evacuate as of October 3.
The current ceasefire and peace plan has surprised many, marking a potential end (or at least temporary pause) to the conflict. According to the United Nations OCHA, over 67,000 Palestinians have been killed during the divisive war as of October 7 of this year; it is difficult to discern between combatants and civilians, but a prior estimate by “Action on Armed Violence” from late 2024 discerned that roughly 80% were civilians. The first stage of the ceasefire plan is presently holding, but there are many specifics yet to be worked out for a long term peace agreement to end a war accused to be a genocide of Palestinians by many human rights organizations.
- The Russo-Ukrainian War
Since Putin’s full incursion into Ukraine in 2022, the war has largely hit a standstill. Throughout the summer, there were no significant changes in territory gained; Russia still only controls roughly a fifth of the country, as the Atlantic Council noted that they gained 0.3% territory during the summer months. Russian casualties have been major for very little gain, and there is no real end in sight for the conflict. President Trump has been pushing hard for peace talks, but little substantive has been achieved: There were attempts made to pressure Putin through tariff and sanction threats, but little materialized. Trump and Putin met in Alaska on August 15 to discuss a ceasefire, a meeting that yielded little due to the enormous gulf between Russia and Ukraine (the latter of which is uninterested in ceding territory). A multilateral meeting between European nations and Trump a few days later yielded no major breakthroughs either, and little is expected until the two sides are able to come to some sort of agreement or the war ends conclusively.
- One Big Beautiful Bill Act
The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” was the enormous spending bill enacted by Congress this past July, one which led to mass debate over its provisions. USAFacts detailed how the legislation contained cuts to Medicaid that Republicans claim will prevent illegal immigrants from receiving healthcare. The Congressional Budget Office, however, estimates that the number of uninsured people will rise by 16 million in 2034. Tax changes from the 2017 spending bill were codified as well, with further CBO analysis finding that the highest 10% of earners would see their incomes rise 2.7% by 2034 due to these tax cuts, and the lowest 10% would see a drop of 3.1%.
Many other provisions were found in this bill. There were stricter requirements placed upon who could receive SNAP (food assistance) funding; hugely expanded funding to ICE and CBP; increased defense spending; a redoubling away from renewable energy; and an increase in the debt ceiling. In totality, the law is expected to increase the deficit by $2.8 trillion by 2034, and 53% of registered voters opposed the law in a Quinnipiac poll.
- Polarization, Protests, and Military Deployments
Polarization and tensions in the United States continued to approach a fever pitch, as Donald Trump’s controversial policies and increasingly radical rhetoric inflamed the country. The summer began with a bang, as the government deployed 4000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles in response to primarily peaceful anti-ICE protests (according to Reuters). Protestors clashed with police and the deployed troops, and Mayor Karen Bass and Governor Gavin Newsom were in strong opposition to the deployment. Violence intensified while the troops were deployed in the city; troops eventually left as the protests died down, particularly after a judge ruled the military deployment illegal.
There has also been controversy over a similar deployment in Washington D.C., as Trump invoked the Home Rule Act in order to take federal control of the Metropolitan Police Department in conjunction with deploying the DC National Guard and federal law enforcement to the city. This was done in an attempt to address what the administration views as rampant crime in the city, despite crime reaching a 30-year low in 2024. Results have been mixed, with a preliminary MPD report finding certain types of crime (robberies, automobile break-ins) down, but others up (burglary, assault with a dangerous weapon). Trump has additionally threatened deployments to multiple other cities, having already made threats and attempted to initiate deployments in Chicago and Portland.
The “No Kings” protests were very visible throughout this summer as well, with two main events occurring (one in June and one in July). The former was particularly enormous, as protests took place in roughly 2,100 cities and locations that stood against the policies of the Trump administration, perceived to be authoritarian and corrupt. Protests took place within the state of Maryland as well, with some even occurring near Calvert County.
As a whole, many feel as if America is not going down the right path, with 58% of respondents to a New York Times/Siena College poll feeling that it is going in the wrong direction, and 64% of Americans feel that the country is too divided to solve its problems.
- Political Violence
Political violence reached a fever pitch over the summer and into the new school year. Following the arson and attempted assassination of Governor Shapiro in April, there was an attempted assassination against two Minnesotan state legislators affiliated with the Democratic Party and their partners. One couple (the Hortmans) died, but the other did survive despite taking numerous shots; NPR noted that Vance Boelter, the suspect accused in this case, had a “hit list” of 45 Democratic officials which he planned to take out. The criminal investigation is currently ongoing, but the shocking murder sent waves through the country.
The September assassination of Charlie Kirk followed, an event which too reverberated through the nation. This has coincided with a shocking poll from NPR/PBS News/Marist, stating that as of September of this year, 30% of Americans overall agree with political violence being necessary to “get this country back on track.”
This was certainly an eventful summer, with many more events occurring (global elections, developments in climate change, shifts in the economy, etc.). The world will have to watch and see how things develop and change over the next months.