What Happened Was...

A lightning fast comprehensive recap of the week's biggest events for October 16th - 22nd, 2023

House Judiciary Chairman and staunch ally of Donald Trump, Jim Jordan meets with reporters about his struggle to become speaker of the House, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Oct. 20, 2023. (Photo by J. Scott Applewhite/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.

Gun Violence This Week

There were 11 separate mass shooting incidents in the United States this past week, where eight people were killed and 38 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. Sunday, October 15, 2023: Minneapolis, Minnesota

2. Sunday, October 15, 2023: Barnwell, South Carolina

3. Monday, October 16, 2023: Los Angeles, California

4. Monday, October 16, 2023: Severn, Maryland

5. Tuesday, October 17, 2023: Augusta, Georgia

6. Wednesday, October 18, 2023: Columbus, Ohio

7. Thursday, October 19, 2023: Toppenish, Washington

8. Friday, October 20, 2023: Lincoln, Nebraska

9. Saturday, October 21, 2023: College Station, Texas

10. Sunday, October 21, 2023: Pine Bluff, Arkansas

11. Sunday, October 21, 2023: Albuquerque, New Mexico

• At least 15 journalists have been killed in the first 10 days of the Hamas-Israel war, according to the latest tally from the Committee to Protect Journalists, and many others have been reported missing or injured.

• On Monday night, a Tunisian gunman who was in Belgium illegally after his asylum application was rejected in 2020, after previously making posts saying he had killed people in the name of God, shot and killed two Swedes, wounded a third and forced the lockdown of more than 35,000 people in a soccer stadium.

• Rep. Jim Jordan failed to win the House speakership on his first bid on Tuesday, leaving the House of Representatives in paralysis after 20 Republicans opposed the Ohio Republican.