SHERO on Sunday

A lightning-fast recap of the week's most significant political and legal events for February 22nd - March 1st, 2026, before we are on to the next!

Anti riot police stand in front of state building that is covered with a giant anti-U.S. billboard depicting the destruction of a US aircraft carrier in downtown Tehran on a main street in Tehran on February 21, 2026 in Tehran, Iran. In recent weeks, the United States has moved vast numbers of military vessels and aircraft to Europe and the Middle East, heightening speculation that it intended to strike Iran. (Photo via Getty Images)

Welcome to the Sunday Recap, where you can quickly check in to review the week with a minimal time commitment and ensure you do not miss a thing. Each snippet includes several links to credible and free sources, providing more details for those who want to delve deeper into any issue.

This kind of newsletter model, which provides free, reliable, independent journalism that connects the political and legal dots for everyone, works only if subscribers support our work with paid subscriptions. Consider upgrading your weekend by investing in SHERO today. There is a lot to cover for this week, so let’s get started!

Gun Violence This Week

At SHERO, we document all mass shooting incidents for the week every Sunday, so please take a moment to review them and remember to keep up the fight for sensible gun reform. There were eight separate mass shooting events in the United States this past week, where 10 people were killed, and 40 were injured.

1. Sunday, February 22, 2026: Jacksonville, Florida

2. Monday, February 23, 2026: Highlandville, Missouri

3. Wednesday, February 25, 2026: Chicago, Illinois

4. Friday, February, 27, 2026: Detroit, Michigan

5. Friday, February, 27, 2026: Detroit, Michigan

6. Saturday, February 28, 2026: Palm Springs, California

7. Sunday, March 1, 2026: Austin, Texas

8. Sunday, March 1, 2026: Cincinnati, Ohio

• The chief federal judge for Minnesota is threatening to hold federal prosecutors in criminal contempt if they continue to violate court orders following the flood of civil cases stemming from Operation Metro Surge.

• A new analysis reveals that the Justice Department withheld some Epstein files related to allegations that Donald Trump sexually abused a minor, and also removed some documents from the public database where accusations against Jeffrey Epstein mention Trump.

• Longevity guru Dr. Peter Attia is stepping aside as a contributor to CBS News this week, after correspondence between Jeffrey Epstein and the researcher and health media personality came to light in the release of the Epstein Files from the Department of Justice.

• Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump-appointee, permanently blocked the release of former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s report on his probe into President Donald Trump’s handling of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago home on Monday, granting a request from the president to keep the public from seeing the report which detailed his alleged mishandling of sensitive files taken from the White House after his first term.