What Happened Was...

A lightning fast comprehensive recap of the week's biggest events for September 25th - Oct. 1st, 2023

Reporters interview members of Congress after a failed effort to break the impasse on spending in the House on Friday on Capitol Hill. Congress was able to finally pass a temporary spending bill on Saturday that will expire in 45 days. (Photo by Haiyun Jiang/via Getty Images)

Below is a catch-up of the significant events of this past week. You can check in with a minimal time commitment, read about the big stuff, and stay in the know before we’re on to the next. If you want more information on the past week's events, you can scroll through my Twitter; Bluesky; Spoutible; and Post News feeds for more detail on other topics that I don’t mention below.

Elon Musk has announced that his X platform, formerly called Twitter, will launch paid subscriptions for all users in the future to combat social media bots. While this has yet to happen, I would like to remind you that I am currently cross-posting content under the handle @girlsreallyrule across all competing social medial platforms that remain free including Bluesky; Spoutible; and Post News.

Gun Violence This Week

There were 10 separate mass shooting incidents in the United States this past week, where 12 people were killed and 33 were injured. My Sunday recap covers this, as well as the week's most critical news. Here 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. 

1. Saturday, September 23 , 2023: Washington, DC

2. Saturday, September 23, 2023: Downey, California

3. Saturday, September 23, 2023: Covington, Tennessee

4. Saturday, September 23 , 2023: Chesapeake, Georgia

5. Saturday, September 23, 2023: Jacksonville, Florida

6. Sunday, September 24, 2023: Columbia, South Carolina

7. Monday, September 24: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

8. Monday, September 25, 2023: Jacksonville, Florida

9. Monday, September 25, 2023: Dallas, Texas

10. Wednesday, September 27, 2023: Washington, DC

• The government's unprecedented three-year pause on federal student loan payments officially ends this Sunday, Oct. 1, when roughly 28 million borrowers will once again be required to resume payments on their loans. Here's what borrowers need to know.

• The Supreme Court has teed up two big opportunities next week, as the new term begins, to significantly curtail the government's regulatory power and undercut core Democratic priorities. Note: this Court has already blocked every major attempt by the Biden administration to exert executive power, including: an eviction moratorium; vaccine mandates; student-loan forgiveness; and limits on greenhouse gas emissions.

  

• After 148 days of striking, TV and film writers reached an agreement last Sunday with studios and streamers regarding their work contracts.

• Starting on Monday, Americans were able to order four more free COVID-19 rapid tests and have them delivered directly their homes. Before throwing out any old tests, check this website to see if your tests' expiration dates are extended.