What Happened Was...

A lightning fast comprehensive recap of the week's biggest events for February 5th - 11th 2024.

US Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) leaves a House Republican caucus meeting at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, this week. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/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 six separate mass shooting incidents in the United States this past week, where 13 people were killed and 22 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, February 4, 2024: Denver, Colorado

2. Wednesday, February 7, 2024: Lansdowne, Pennsylvania

3. Friday, February 9, 2024: Dallas, Texas

4. Friday, February 9, 2024: Washington, DC

5. Saturday, February 10, 2024: Malvern, Arkansas

6. Sunday, February 11, 2024: Chicago, Illinois

• A new cybersecurity warning report details the extensive and stealthy hacks from China to infiltrate private and public US infrastructure systems and remain undetected for years. For more on this issue, read:

• Special Counsel Robert Hur — appointed last year by AG Garland to lead the Biden documents probe — has finished his investigation and determined that charges against President Biden for his handling of classified documents aren't warranted.

• Ronna McDaniel, the head of the Republican National Committee (RNC) is expected to step down as chair this spring. Her decision brings to an end a rare four-term tenure that was both historic and a vivid depiction of the Republican Party’s metamorphosis, thanks to Donald Trump.

• There have been at least 33 instances since 2020, when people or institutions singled out by Libs of TikTok later reported bomb threats or violent intimidation, where the threats targeted schools, hospitals, businesses and officials across 16 states.

• A jury on Tuesday found a Michigan mother guilty of involuntary manslaughter for failing to stop her son from carrying out a deadly school shooting, making her the first US parent to be convicted of manslaughter connected to a mass shooting carried out by her child.

• The three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for DC on Tuesday affirmed the ruling of the DC lower Court finding that Donald Trump is not immune from prosecution. This ruling will be stayed until Feb. 12, while the parties appeal to the US Supreme Court.