"And so we were told this is the golden age And gold is the reason for the wars we wage"
- U2, New Year's Day
Having finally settled into our newly adopted home state of Washington, my wife and I had the opportunity in November to venture out to our first concert at Seattle's Climate Pledge Arena. Appropriately, Heart, a band formed in Seattle, was the headlining act.
As the lights dimmed and the band prepared to take the stage, a video appeared on the front curtain. Celebrating Heart's long history, the video counted up from their formation in 1973, displaying a single image from each year, each framed as something "you never forget."
It began politically, with 1973 represented by Roe V. Wade. However, most of the years were represented by their cultural signposts, like Star Wars (1977) or the death of Kurt Cobain (1994). The image I found most provocative, though, was a shot of a solar eclipse representing 2024.
As only a passive fan of the band, I had not realized that Heart had played "Total Eclipse of the Heart" on the roof of Jimmy Fallon's studio as the moon moved in front of the sun. As I watched the video, I could not help but interpret it through the lens of the current political moment. To many, the election of Trump for a second stint in the White House felt like the sun had been blocked from view, or as I described at the beginning of the year, "impending doom."
Driving the point home, the image hovered longer than the other in the timeline, the eclipse staying on the screen even after the text had faded out. After it reached its totality, it too faded and was replaced with the text "And as for 2025--
With the year now completed, what image should be inserted to represent what has happened on that voyage around the sun? Trump's monopolization of 2025's headlines would make him an obvious candidate, but would it be the man himself or a representation of one of the many effects he has had on the people of this country, if not the world?
Trump's immigration policies dominated much of the year, and the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia represents how far those policies have tested the rule of law and respect for humanity. Concerns about democratic erosion could be represented by the ongoing manipulation of electoral maps. Tensions around dissent were evident when Trump took control of the National Guard in an attempt to end protests against his policies in Los Angeles. The record-breaking shutdown underscored Trump's willingness to target the vulnerable. Maybe Trump, pictured in the shade of Epstein's portrait, would best capture the instability beneath this administration.
Heart's video noted how the years in which Princess Diana, Robin Williams, and Heath Ledger hung heavily over the years they died. Last year, we lost the Godfather of metal music, Ozzy Osbourne. Gen-X music fans were shocked by the death of Limp Bizkit's bassist, Sam Rivers. The murder of Charlie Kirk, a polarizing political figure, hung heavy over the political landscape. Images of two unnamed men clinging to the wreckage of their civilian watercraft while under attack foreshadowed the administration's posture towards Venezuela.
With the legally questionable attack on Venezuela during the first days of the new year, we were reminded how quickly the narrative shifts in Trump's America. In such a fluid landscape, any attempt to identify a single defining moment of the year may be a lesson in futility. Perhaps the real answer will not be apparent until the considerable amount of airborne dust has settled.
What follows is a look back at what I wrote throughout 2025, a year of turmoil in the country and profound change in my personal life.
JanuaryAs he prepares for his second inauguration, Trump's actions in the wake of Carter's death provided a sharp contrast between the two leaders.
February
Can the Constitution survive if Co-Presidents Trump and Musk usurp the other branches of government and nobody has the guts to stand up?
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