(The Hill) – Google’s top trending news story in 2025 was the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, the tech company announced in its “Year in Search 2025” on Thursday.
The violent shooting was captured on camera while Kirk spoke before an audience at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10. Google searches of the shooting were most popular in the United States and jumped between Sept. 7 and 13.
Kirk’s shooting drew outrage, with the Trump administration threatening a crackdown on left-wing groups over political rhetoric. Comedian Jimmy Kimmel was temporarily suspended over comments he made about the killer before ABC allowed his late-night show to return.
Polling after Kirk’s death showed that most Americans see political violence as being on the rise, while 4 in 10 young Americans say they are concerned about it.
The next most-searched trending news item was “Iran.” Searches leaped between June 8 and 14, when the 12-day war between Iran and Israel erupted. A ceasefire followed after the U.S. conducted airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Iranian media said more than 900 people were killed during the short conflict.
The government shutdown, the longest in modern American history after lawmakers clashed for 43 days over Affordable Care Act subsidies that expire at the end of the year, made the third spot.
The shutdown was followed by “New Pope chosen” following the ascension of Pope Leo XIV in May. Leo, the first U.S.-born pope, succeeded Pope Francis following his death weeks before in April.
Other trending topics included “LA Fires” in the fifth spot, which exploded online after massive wildfires devastated the California communities of Altadena and the Palisades, both near Los Angeles, in January.
Google also noted that “Zohran Mamdani elected” also made one of the top 10 trending news spots in eighth place, along with “USAID” in the ninth spot. The United States Agency for International Development made headlines after Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the agency ceased operations in July.