Several photographers spoke with Axios to reflect on a year full of stunning photos.
Why it matters: News photographers capture key moments and emotions that enhance the storytelling and provide insight into the larger context of an event.
A Pentagon appeals court on Monday ruled that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin overstepped when he revoked a plea deal that prosecutors reached with 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.
Why it matters: After months of back and forth over the plea agreement, the ruling puts the proceedings back on track for a potential guilty plea hearing next week, the New York Times reported.
U.S. immigration courts are on pace to decide record numbers of deportation cases— and order the most removals in five years — under President Biden's push to fast-track asylum decisions.
Why it matters: The increases in the first two months of fiscal 2025, if they continue, will help reduce a backlog of 3.7 million immigration cases that could take four years to resolve.
This year's epic, relentless news cycles were driven by months of near-unprecedented political violence and uncertainty — plus the Olympics, according to Axios' annual analysis of Google Trends data.
Why it matters: Even in a wild election year, America's short attention span for news led to dramatic ups and downs in search trends as the media pivoted from one major story to the next.
Hackers connected to China's government successfully breached several Treasury Department workstations and accessed unclassified documents, according to a letter to Congress on Monday.
Why it matters: The U.S. government is already scrambling to respond to an ongoing China-backed hack of American telecom networks that targeted several high-profile officials.
The U.S. is sending Ukraine $5.9 billion in military aid and budget support, the Biden administration announced on Monday.
Why it matters: It's part of President Biden's pledge for a "surge" in aid for Kyiv before he's succeeded by President-elect Trump, who's criticized the U.S. givingUkraine military assistance.
A South Korean court approved an arrest warrant for impeached President Yoon Suk-Yeol on Tuesday morning local time, Yonhap News Agency first reported.
Why it matters: The warrant related to Yoon's brief martial law declaration this month that sparked widespread protests and shocked allies would mark the first time one has been issued for an incumbent president in South Korea, per local media.
A state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter will take place on Jan. 9 at Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., the White House announced.
The big picture: President Biden has called for a national day of mourning that same day for his longtime "dear friend," who died at his home in Plains, Georgia, on Sunday at age 100, per a White House statement.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is not out of the woods in his fight to retain his gavel, even after receiving a crucial endorsement from President-elect Trump.
Why it matters: The Jan. 3 speaker election will now be an early test not only of Johnson's ability to lead his conference into the coming legislative battles — but of Trump's as well.
A U.S. appeals court on Monday upheld the verdict against President-elect Trump in the civil suit for sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll.
Why it matters: The ruling meansTrump must pay Carroll $5 million in compensatory and punitive damages for his alleged defamatory statements after she accused him of sexually assaulting her in the 1990s.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is staring down a potential repeat of what his predecessor had to go through two years earlier: A multi-ballot slog to attain the speaker's gavel.
Why it matters: Like former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Johnson could be forced to swallow unsavory demands from his right flank in exchange for their acquiescence.
A German government spokesperson on Monday accused Elon Musk of attempting to influence the results of the country's upcoming election by publicly backing its far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
Why it matters: Musk has become deeply involved in U.S. politics as one of President-elect Trump's most influential backers and is poised to take on a role in the next Trump administration.
Almost half of Republican voters believe the U.S. military should round up undocumented immigrants and put them into detention camps until they can be deported, a new survey finds.
Why it matters:President-elect Trump has suggested that he'll use the military in immigration raids and turn to a 1798 law to put immigrants in camps.
His base appears to support those plans despite the likely fierce opposition from most Americans.
If measured by the number of bills signed into law, the 118th Congress was by far the most unproductive since at least the 1980s, according to data from public affairs firm Quorum.
Why it matters: That is not the only metric of success, but the stunning stat is a marker of how difficult the chaos of the last two years made actual legislating.
The fatal beating of a Black man by white corrections officers at an upstate New York prison that was caught on body cam video has sparked anger, investigations and planned protests.
The big picture: New York State Attorney General Letitia James on Friday released body cam footage showing correction officers attacking, punching and choking inmate Robert Brooks as he lies in a semi-conscious state.
Panama's President José Raúl Mulino remembered former President Jimmy Carter, who died on Sunday at age 100, for his "crucial" role in ensuring the Panama Canal was returned to Panamanian control.
The big picture: Carter signed treaties with Panama's leader in 1977 for the U.S. to gradually cede control of one of the world's most significant pieces of infrastructure — a move that came into effect on Dec. 31, 1999.
President Biden, President-elect Trump and former Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush were among those leaving tributes on Sunday to former President Jimmy Carter, who died at age 100.
The big picture: Biden and first lady Jill Biden said they had the honor of calling Carter a "dear friend" for over six decades and remembered him as "a man of great character and courage, hope and optimism."
Former Democratic President Jimmy Carter died at age 100 on Sunday afternoon,the Carter Center said.
The big picture: President Joe Biden appointed Jan. 9 as a national day of mourning for Carter and U.S. flags will fly at half-staff on all federal buildings, grounds and naval vessels for 30 days as per federal protocols, according to a Sunday night White House statement.
Azerbaijan has demanded that Russia admit its guilt over a Christmas Day plane crash that killed 38 people, the country's President Ilham Aliyev said on Sunday.
The big picture: Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized to Aliyev for the Azerbaijan Airlines crash occurring in Russian airspace, but a Kremlin statement made clear he wasn't accepting responsibility for the incident.
President Joe Biden said former President Jimmy Carter, who died on Sunday at age 100, represented "what it means to live a life" with "meaning and purpose, a life of principle, faith and humility."
The big picture: The two Democrats' enduring friendship began after then-Sen. Biden endorsed Carter for president in 1976. On Sunday, the president shared how the former president and his wife, the late former first lady Rosalynn Carter, were there for him when his son Beau Biden died of brain cancer in 2015.
