Ep 29 - Year-End Special: Revisiting Stories of 2025 (I)

Producer: Liu Chang

Hosts: Wang Zongnan & Aiwei

As 2025 draws to a close, World Beat looks back at the stories that shaped the year — and what happened after the headlines faded. In Part 1 of our year-end special, we revisit four defining themes, from U.S. politics to global diplomacy.

In this episode:

• The Epstein Files — Promised transparency, mass redactions, and a political firestorm as Congress forces the release of long-sealed documents.
• Zelensky, Trump, and Peace Talks — A year of summits, sidelined negotiations, and mounting doubts over whether diplomacy actually slowed the war in Ukraine.
• ICE and Immigration — Raids, arrests, and growing criticism as immigration enforcement surged to unprecedented levels across the U.S.
• Trump and Musk — From public fallout to reconciliation, and how volatile alliances reshaped space policy and Washington power dynamics.

This is Part 1 of our 2025 year-in-review.

Part 2 drops soon. Don’t miss it.

Happy holidays, and thanks for listening.

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