What Happened Was...

A lightning fast comprehensive recap of the week's biggest events for November 6th-12th, 2023

Ivanka Trump, daughter of former US President Donald Trump, leaves for the lunch break in the Trump Organization civil fraud trial, at the New York State Supreme Court in New York City on November 8, 2023. (Photo by Adam Gray/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 eight separate mass shooting incidents in the United States this past week, where five people were killed and 39 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, November 5, 2023: Atlanta, Georgia

2. Sunday, November 5, 2023: Tacoma, Washington

3. Sunday, November 5, 2023: Hempstead, Texas

4. Sunday, November 5, 2023: Denver, Colorado

5. Sunday, November 5, 2023: Indianapolis, Indiana

6. Sunday, November 5, 2023: Phoenix, Arizona

7. Friday, November 10, 2023: Independence, Missouri

8. Friday, November 10, 2023: Birmingham, Alabama

• The planet has capped off its hottest 12-month span on record, now that temperatures in the month of October have surpassed previous records throughout history. Global temperatures have exceeded 1.3 degrees Celsius of warming since pre-industrial revolution levels, getting dangerously close to the limit of 1.5 degrees Celsius, a critical milestone set forth by the 2015 Paris Agreement, according to a new report by nonprofit Climate Central, which analyzes international climate data.

• House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said Democrats will not pay a “ransom” to Republican demands to keep the government open as Congress works to meet a November 17, 2023, government funding deadline.

• Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has personally and repeatedly thwarted initiatives meant to improve the well-being of teens on Facebook and Instagram, at times directly overruling some of his most senior lieutenants, according to internal communications made public as part of an ongoing lawsuit against the company.