Texas Senate to debate school voucher program
Senate Bill 2 would create state-managed education savings accounts that let families use public funds to subsidize private school tuition. Opponents question whether the bill would help low-income families.
Dems’ ‘delay tactic’ to ‘malign’ Patel and stall FBI confirmation dismissed as ‘baseless’ by top Senate leader
The head of the Senate Judiciary Committee slammed Democrats on the panel this week for their attempts to schedule a second confirmation hearing for President Donald Trump‘s FBI director nominee, Kash Patel, describing the effort Tuesday night as a “delay tactic” designed to stall Patel from taking the reins of the sprawling law enforcement agency. In a letter Tuesday night, Grassley criticized what he described as the “baseless” attempt by Sen. Dick Durbin and other Democrats on the panel to push for a second hearing, noting that Patel testified for more than five hours before the committee and disclosed to the panel “thousands of pages” of records, as well as nearly 150 pages of responses to lawmakers’ written questions. “No one was convinced by the minority’s baseless efforts to mischaracterize and malign Kash Patel,” Grassley said. “It’s additionally outrageous to assert that a nominee should come before the Senate to answer for government actions that occurred prior to their time at an agency.” FBI AGENTS GROUP TELLS CONGRESS TO TAKE URGENT ACTION TO PROTECT AGAINST POLITICIZATION “Further hearings on his nomination are unnecessary,” Grassley concluded. He said the committee still intends to vote on Patel’s confirmation as FBI director as early as next week. Grassley’s remarks – and his unrelenting support for Trump’s FBI director nominee – come after the Senate Judiciary Committee’s ranking Democrat, Dick Durbin of Illinois, urged Grassley to delay Patel’s confirmation vote Tuesday, citing what he described as “apparent falsehoods” in Patel’s testimony last week, as well as the “recent removals and reassignments of FBI career civil servants.” The letter, signed by all 10 Democrats on the panel, urged Grassley to delay Patel’s confirmation vote until Patel agreed to testify for a second time under oath about the recent removals and reassignments of FBI civil servants; and until DOJ agrees to provide the panel with volume two of former special counsel Jack Smith’s final report that refers or pertains to Patel’s testimony or actions, among other things. SENATE CONFIRMS PAM BONDI AS US ATTORNEY GENERAL “Given the gravity of these matters, which bear directly on Mr. Patel’s integrity, his suitability to lead the nation’s premier law enforcement agency, and his regard for safeguarding classified information, we ask that the Chairman schedule an additional hearing for Mr. Patel to explain these matters in person,” the Democrats said. FBI AGENTS SUE TRUMP DOJ TO BLOCK ANY PUBLIC IDENTIFICATION OF EMPLOYEES WHO WORKED ON JAN. 6 INVESTIGATIONS The letter – and Grassley’s swift dismissal of the effort – comes amid two new lawsuits from anonymous FBI agents that were filed separately this week. Both lawsuits sought to block any public identification of FBI employees who were involved in the Jan. 6 investigations into the U.S. Capitol riots after a list of agents involved and their roles was shared with DOJ leadership Tuesday afternoon in keeping with an earlier request from acting U.S. deputy attorney general, Emil Bove. Both groups of FBI agents asked the court for emergency injunctive relief to block the names or identities of FBI agents involved in the Jan. 6 investigations from being shared, citing concerns that the probe or any retaliatory measures carried out as a result could have a chilling effect on the work of the FBI or spark retaliatory efforts inside the bureau. Lawyers for the Federal Bureau of Investigation Agent’s Association, a voluntary professional association representing more than 14,000 active and retired FBI special agents, told reporters Tuesday night that they see the Jan. 6 request as a “prelude” to potential adverse action or mass layoffs in the bureau, citing fears that agents name could be subject to threats, harassment or targeting either by the public or inside the bureau. To date, there are no known plans to conduct sweeping removals or take punitive action against the agents involved. One retired FBI agent also urged calm, noting to Fox News in an interview that the acting director and deputy director of the FBI still remain in place. This person also stressed that the Jan. 6 investigation and the FBI personnel involved in investigating each case “fully followed Bureau and DOJ guidelines,” and that violations of federal statutes were “proven beyond a reasonable doubt in federal courts of law.”
JD Vance’s half-brother announces Cincinnati mayoral campaign
Vice President JD Vance’s half-brother, Cory Bowman, announced that he is running for mayor of Cincinnati. Bowman, a pastor, coffee shop owner and registered Republican, revealed his candidacy in an interview published Tuesday by The Cincinnati Enquirer. The last Republican to run for mayor of Cincinnati was Brad Wenstrup in 2009. Wenstrup later successfully ran for a U.S. House seat. Cincinnati has been run by an all-Democrat, nine-member council since Republican Liz Keating was voted out in 2023. VP VANCE DOUBLES DOWN ON WH’S ‘AMBITIOUS’ GOAL TO GET CRIMINAL MIGRANTS OFF THE STREETS: ‘POLICY MATTERS’ Eight people have filed petitions to run for mayor of Cincinnati, the newspaper reported. The deadline to submit the required 500 signatures to be on the ballot is Feb. 20. None of the petitioners have met that requirement yet, including the current, first-term Mayor Aftab Pureval, a Democrat. Pureval told the newspaper he is running for re-election and has started hosting fundraisers. As the Trump administration continues its crackdown on criminal illegal immigrants, Pureval notably said Cincinnati would not cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, WXIX reported. The mayoral contest is a non-partisan field race. The two top voter recipients advance to a general election. There is no primary if fewer than three candidates qualify to run. Bowman said he spoke to Vance in the “initial stages” of considering running for mayor, describing Vance as his inspiration and adding that the two have a friendly sibling rivalry. “I don’t necessarily speak for my brother because he speaks pretty well for himself. And he’s doing well,” Bowman told The Enquirer. “I will say that he’s an incredible role model of mine.” Bowman grew up in Butler and Preble counties, and he and his wife moved back to Cincinnati in 2020, when they founded The River Church in the West End neighborhood. JD VANCE CONDEMNS FEMA’S RESPONSE TO HELENE DEVASTATION IN 1ST TRIP AS VICE PRESIDENT Having been pastor of a nondenominational Christian church for four years, Bowman told the Enquirer he considered running for local office as a way of giving back, an interest that was further ignited by attending President Donald Trump and Vance’s inauguration in Washington, D.C., last month. “There’s nobody that cheered louder when he was getting sworn in than me, because he’s my brother,” Bowman said of Vance. Vance and Bowman share the same father, Donald Bowman, who died in 2023. He was the second husband of Vance’s mother, Beverly Aikins. Donald Bowman put Vance up for adoption when the now vice president was in kindergarten. In his memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy,” Vance describes reconnecting with his father and his half siblings, including Cory, as a teenager. Vance also describes living with his father at their family farm house in Preble County, contrasting that experience to growing up with his mother, who had battled addiction. “It was a great childhood,” Cory Bowman told The Enquirer of his life on the farm. “We learned those foundations as kids. But there was always something about the city that enticed me.” Vance’s mother changed his name from James Donald Bowman to James David Hamel when she remarried. He later took his grandfather’s last name, Vance. Bowman also owns the Kings Arms Coffee in the West End of Cincinnati. “My heart fell in love with it,” he said of the neighborhood. He resides in the College Hill neighborhood of Cincinnati. Vance has not yet weighed in on his half-brother’s campaign announcement. Bowman attended the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee in July, when Vance was announced as Trump’s running mate. He said he observed many new Republicans, though he was not one of them. “Half of those people [who were in attendance] wouldn’t have been caught dead in that room eight years ago,” Bowman said. “It wasn’t just established Republicans, it was more so people wanting a change.”
Top DOJ official says FBI employees who ‘simply followed orders’ on Jan 6 investigations won’t be fired
FBI employees who “simply followed orders” with respect to their investigations into Jan. 6 defendants will not be fired or face any other penalties, Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove confirmed in an internal memo. Bove’s memo this week accused Acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll of refusing to reply to requests from President Donald Trump’s administration to identify “the core team in Washington, D.C. responsible for the investigation relating to events on January 6, 2021.” “That insubordination necessitated, among other things, the directive in my January 31, 2025 memo to identify all agents assigned to investigations relating to January 6, 2021. In light of acting leadership’s refusal to comply with the narrower request, the written directive was intended to obtain a complete data set that the Justice Department can reliably pare down to the core team that will be the focus of the weaponization review pursuant to the Executive Order,” Bove wrote. “Let me be clear: No FBI employee who simply followed orders and carried out their duties in an ethical manner with respect to January 6 investigations is at risk of termination or other penalties,” Bove continued. “The only individuals who should be concerned about the process initiated by my January 31, 2025 memo are those who acted with corrupt or partisan intent, who blatantly defied orders from Department leadership, or who exercised discretion in weaponizing the FBI.” FBI AGENTS GROUP TELLS CONGRESS TO TAKE URGENT ACTION TO PROTECT AGAINST POLITICIZATION “There is no honor in the ongoing efforts to distort that simple truth or protect culpable actors from scrutiny on these issues, which have politicized the Bureau, harmed its credibility, and distracted the public from the excellent work being done every day. If you have witnessed such behavior, I encourage you to report it through appropriate channels,” he added. Bove’s latest memo comes after a group of nine FBI agents filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to block the public identification of any FBI employees who worked on the Jan. 6 investigations. FBI AGENTS GROUP TELLS CONGRESS TO TAKE URGENT ACTION TO PROTECT AGAINST POLITICIZATION The plaintiffs, who filed the lawsuit anonymously in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, said that any effort to review or discriminate against FBI employees involved in the Jan. 6 investigations would be “unlawful and retaliatory,” and a violation of civil service protections under federal law. The lawsuit cited the questionnaire employees were required to fill out detailing their specific role in the Jan. 6 investigation and Mar-a-Lago investigation led by former Special Counsel Jack Smith. AFTER STINGING ELECTION DEFEATS, DNC EYES RURAL VOTERS AS KEY TO 2026 MIDTERM SUCCESS President Donald Trump declined to answer questions on Monday over whether his administration would remove FBI employees involved in the investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot, telling reporters only that he believes the bureau is “corrupt” and that his nominee for FBI director, Kash Patel, will “straighten it out.” Fox News’ Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report
Baltimore mayor doubling down on DEI with ‘Definitely Earned It’ campaign
“Didn’t Earn It,” or “Definitely Earned It?” Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott is standing firm on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies, despite mounting pushback against the controversial programs and initiatives. Some online commentators labeled Scott as a “DEI mayor” in the wake of the Baltimore Bridge collapse last year when a container ship struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge, resulting in six people losing their lives. Scott, in an interview with The Associated Press, said he saw the attacks on him as part of a broader backlash against Black Americans and other historically disenfranchised groups in leadership. He said he rejects the premise and insists he was duly elected to lead the Charm City. He was reelected to office in November after defeating Republican challenger Shannon Wright. AFRICAN AMERICAN GROUPS CALL FOR DITCHING ‘RACIST’ FRANCIS SCOTT KEY, NAMING NEW BRIDGE AFTER LATE CONGRESSMAN Scott is now doubling down on DEI and said he is launching a “Definitely Earned It” campaign for Black History Month, which is taking place throughout February. The term is a play on the words “Didn’t Earn It,” which opponents of DEI use to highlight what they say is its lack of meritocracy baked into DEI. He said he wants to set the record straight on DEI policies, which he views as enacting American values. “Because we have to be bigger and Blacker and louder than ever,” Scott told The Associated Press in an interview addressing why he is launching the campaign. “We cannot allow that darkness to try to come and overtake our light, because darkness can’t overtake light, only light can overcome darkness. Don’t run away, don’t hide, don’t shrink in the moment, be who you are and push back in every single way that you can.” Scott said that his “Definitely Earned It” campaign will be an expansion of Black History Month, highlighting the impact Black people have had on the country. MARYLAND’S RISING STAR DEM GOVERNOR FACES FIRST NATIONAL TEST AFTER BALTIMORE BRIDGE COLLAPSE “We’ll be noting that these people weren’t DEI — well, that they were DEI, but DEI in the sense that they definitely earned it,” Scott told The AP. “They earned every single thing that they accomplished because it wasn’t given to them. We can show people what it truly means when you have to work 10 times as hard, when you have to work through systems that were built up for you to fail, when you have to make sure that you leave the door open for other folks coming behind you. And in my case, DEI means duly elected incumbent, but I also definitely earned it.” The Trump administration is on a mission to gut all programs and initiatives associated with DEI within the federal government, arguing it has lowered standards and promoted a woke agenda. In his first week back in office, Trump signed an executive order ending DEI offices and initiatives across the federal workforce. Last week, Trump signed two executive orders banning “radical gender ideology” and DEI initiatives from all branches of the U.S. military. TRUMP DOD CREATES TASK FORCE TO ABOLISH DEI OFFICES THAT ‘PROMOTE SYSTEMIC RACISM’ Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth zeroed in on the controversial programs too, releasing a memorandum last week stating that DEI is incompatible with Department of Defense (DoD) values, and created a task force to address the abolition of the program. Significant brands such as Walmart, McDonald’s, Amazon, Ford and Lowe’s have all begun rolling back DEI initiatives in response to a cultural shift that included customer backlash, pressure from conservative-leaning groups and activists, and possible legal ramifications. DEI came into sharp focus again last week when President Donald Trump said the DC plane crash disaster — between a Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines jet colliding midair near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport — was caused by DEI, though he acknowledged that the cause of the crash has yet to be determined. Trump highlighted efforts by the Biden administration to lower aviation standards and said he believed DEI played a factor because he has “common sense.” Scott said he faced backlash over the Baltimore Bridge collapse without any justification. He noted that the bridge was built before he was born, built by very few minorities and the ship was not piloted by a Black person. “What these folks who unfortunately think that way think is that unless you are a straight white male from a certain background — because I want my poor white brothers and sisters to understand that they’re not talking about them either, right — unless you are from a certain background, wealthy historic families with straight white Christian men, then you should never be in a position of power and that your thoughts and opinions don’t matter,” Scott said. “And that is the saddest part of it all.” Fox News’ Alexandra Koch and Breck Dumas contributed to this report.
Rand Paul recoils at Trump’s Gaza takeover plans: ‘I thought we voted for America First’
After President Donald Trump announced that America “will take over the Gaza strip,” Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., pushed back against the idea, suggesting that the move would betray the “America First” principle Trump voters expected. During his inauguration speech last month, Trump unequivocally declared that throughout his administration he will “put America first,” echoing a longstanding pillar of his political philosophy, which he also expressed during his 2017 inaugural address. But Paul is throwing a red flag in response to Trump’s newly unveiled Gaza plans. “The pursuit for peace should be that of the Israelis and the Palestinians. I thought we voted for America First. We have no business contemplating yet another occupation to doom our treasure and spill our soldiers blood,” Paul declared in a Wednesday post on X. The senator made the comment in response to a post in which Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared on Tuesday, “Gaza MUST BE FREE from Hamas. As @POTUS shared today, the United States stands ready to lead and Make Gaza Beautiful Again. Our pursuit is one of lasting peace in the region for all people.” ‘LEVEL IT’: TRUMP SAYS US WILL ‘TAKE OVER’ GAZA STRIP, REBUILD IT TO STABILIZE MIDDLE EAST While delivering remarks alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanhyahu on Tuesday, Trump said that Palestinians should be settled outside the Gaza Strip, and that the U.S. will transform the region, which he described as a “demolition site.” “The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip,” Trump declared, saying, “we’ll own it, and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site … level it out, create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area.” “I do see a long term ownership position,” Trump said of the region. THE HISTORY OF GAZA AMID TRUMP’S PLAN TO REBUILD ENCLAVE Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., called Trump’s proposal “ethnic cleansing.” “This president is openly calling for ethnic cleansing while sitting next to a genocidal war criminal. He’s perfectly fine cutting off working Americans from federal funds while the funding to the Israeli government continues flowing,” she declared in a post on X. In a post on another X account she declared, “Palestinians aren’t going anywhere. This president can only spew this fanatical bulls— because of bipartisan support in Congress for funding genocide and ethnic cleansing. It’s time for my two-state solution colleagues to speak up.” TRUMP’S MIDDLE EAST ENVOY EXPLAINS GAZA TAKEOVER PROPOSAL: ‘MORE HOPE’ FOR PALESTINIANS’ FUTURES CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Rep. Diana Harshbarger, R-Tenn., welcomed the president’s remarks. “This is what the leader of the free world looks like, folks. President Trump campaigned on securing peace in Gaza, and he’s doing just that. Promises made, promises kept — it’ll never get old,” she said in a tweet.
Dem senator says Trump ‘seizures of power’ have sparked ‘constitutional crisis’, calls to block all nominees
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., is arguing that President Donald Trump and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) leader Elon Musk’s actions constitute “illegal seizures of power,” sparking a “constitutional crisis.” In an interview with National Public Radio, Murphy condemned efforts by the White House Office of Management and Budget to freeze funding already approved by Congress, as well as the Trump administration moving to review, restructure and potentially abolish parts of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), as thousands of federal employees face lay-offs, and U.S. taxpayer-funded programs are suspended around the globe. Murphy said Democrats should not support “a single nominee” appointed by Trump and “should not grant expedited process to any nominees until this crisis passes.” “I worry that the American public is not going to rise up against this seizure of power if they see Democrats collaborating with Republicans on the floor of the Senate on a regular basis to pass legislation or support nominees,” Murphy said. “That’s the essential thing that has to happen here. The people of this country need to start showing up. And we saw that happening this weekend. I saw town halls for my colleagues packed to the gills. Yesterday, we did a press conference outside of USAID that must have had 500 people at it. But I think you’re going to start to see people drawing a line here that will put pressure on Republicans.” SECRETARY OF STATE RUBIO CONFIRMS BECOMING ACTING USAID CHIEF The senator said his Republican colleagues should also feel pressure to speak out against the administration. “The focus has to be on Republicans right now and why they have been completely and utterly silenced,” Murphy said. “I do not want all of the pressure to be on Democrats to figure this out when Republicans should care just as much about democracy as Democrats do.” “The president of the United States does not have the power unilaterally to suspend all federal programs,” Murphy said. “He certainly does not have the power to suspend those programs and then decide on his own which entities get money and which don’t. The president doesn’t have the power to do that because that’s an extraordinary power to be invested in one person. The president could use that power to send money to his friends, to deny money to his enemies, to send money only to Republican states and not to Democratic states. The founders thought that that was a corrupting power that one person should not have.” Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment, but they did not immediately respond. USAID MISSIONS OVERSEAS ORDERED TO SHUT DOWN, STAFF BEING RECALLED: REPORT Murphy also accused Trump of being in violation of court orders by refusing to turn the spending back on. As for USAID, the senator said Trump “has gone as far to essentially shutter the entire agency, laying off 60% of the people in many bureaus, telling employees yesterday that none of them should show up for work.” “That is unconstitutional” the senator said, speculating that Trump “may be making a guess” that the U.S. Supreme Court will give him the power to shutter agencies. “I don’t think that we should just let the hyperbole sit on the side, because when people hear the President of the United States say that there’s corruption at USAID. When they hear Elon Musk say it’s a criminal enterprise, and it goes uncontested by either the media or Democrats, they believe it. I mean, that’s just an outright lie,” Murphy said. “So the president and his billionaire advisers are literally making things up out of thin air because they want to seize control of federal government spending so that they can reward their friends and Elon Musk’s friends and punish their enemies so as to suppress political dissent and destroy democracy in this country. That’s why this is a constitutional crisis.” “Right now our highest priority is making sure that democracy survives this assault on the Constitution,” Murphy said. “I can only speak for myself. I can’t tell you what every single Democrat is willing to do. I’m not going to vote for any more nominees. We are also vigorously pursuing court actions to try to shut down many of these illegal seizures of power. And I do think so far, Republicans have not joined us. But if we are able to muster real public sentiment against these seizures of power, I think that that may be enough to get Republicans to join us and on many of these nominations and pieces of legislation we ultimately don’t need. 20 Republicans remain and just a handful.”
Trump announces plan for US takeover of Gaza
[unable to retrieve full-text content] President Donald Trump says he wants the US to ‘take over’ and ‘own’ Gaza to redevelop the territory.
Palestinians in Gaza react to Trump’s takeover plan
[unable to retrieve full-text content] We asked Palestinians in Gaza for their response to US President Donald Trump’s controversial plan.
Sweden school shooting: What we know about the victims and attacker
A shooting on Tuesday at an adult education campus in central Sweden killed at least 11 people, including the attacker, the police said on Wednesday. Here is what we know so far: What happened and when? A shooting took place in an adult school in the city of Orebro at 12:33pm local time (11:33 GMT) on Tuesday and the police initially reported that five people were killed. Shots were fired in quick succession, witnesses say and videos show. Teachers inside the school said that when they heard the gunshots, they fled classrooms or barricaded themselves inside. Maria Pegado, 54, a teacher at the school, told Reuters: “I took all my 15 students out into the hallway and we started running. Then I heard two shots but we made it out. We were close to the school entrance. I saw people dragging injured out, first one, then another. I realised it was very serious.” Where was the shooting? The shooting took place at Campus Risbergska in Orebro city, 200km (124 miles) west of the Swedish capital Stockholm. (Al Jazeera) What is Risbergska School for adults? The school is for people over 20 years of age who were unable to complete their formal education or who did not receive the grades they needed for higher education. Schools such as Risbergska are known as “Komvux” in Swedish. Advertisement The school caters for about 2,000 students and also offers vocational training and Swedish language classes. What do we know about the attacker? Swedish police say the suspected attacker – a man – was dead when they found him. Orebro police chief Roberto Eid Forest told a news conference on Wednesday that “there is a lot to indicate that” the suspect had turned the gun on himself. The police said the motive for the shooting is as yet unclear and under investigation, but they believe he was acting alone. The attacker was unknown to police before the shooting, and the police said they did not find links between him and any gangs or groups. It is unclear if this means that any link to terrorism has been ruled out. Swedish public service television company Sveriges Television (SVT) said, without citing sources, that the man lived in Orebro and had a hunting licence. The broadcaster added that he was using a hunting weapon. Swedish daily tabloid Aftonbladet reported that the man was 35 years old. The outlet reported that relatives said he was a recluse who had withdrawn from family and friends. What do we know about the victims? Authorities confirmed on Wednesday that 11 people, including the attacker, were killed. Authorities have not confirmed the number of people injured yet, and the police have warned that the death toll could rise, according to SVT. The police told the Wednesday news conference that six people had been taken to the local university hospital, five of whom had gunshot wounds. Two people remain in intensive care. Advertisement “We do not have a complete picture at this time regarding the number of injured,” police spokesperson Fredrik Svedemyr was quoted by Anadolu news agency as saying. “Since we also do not have any information about the injury situation for those being treated in hospital, there is unfortunately a risk that the number will not stop at 11,” said Svedemyr. What are the reactions? Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf said in a statement on Tuesday that he had received the news of the shooting with “sadness and dismay”. All flags of government buildings and royal palaces were flying at half-staff on Wednesday. This was announced in media releases from the government, royal family and parliament speaker. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson wrote on X on Tuesday: “It is a very painful day for all of Sweden. Being locked in a classroom, fearing for your life, is a nightmare that no one should have to experience.” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote in an X post: “Such violence and terror have no place in our societies – least of all in schools. In this dark hour, we stand with the people of Sweden.” What happened today in Örebro is truly horrifying. Such violence and terror have no place in our societies—least of all in schools. In this dark hour, we stand with the people of Sweden. Our thoughts are with the victims, and we wish them strength and a swift recovery. https://t.co/Z8XaHDfZBy — Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) February 4, 2025 16-year-old Linn, a pupil who attends school near the site of the shooting told AFP: “I was standing there, watching what was happening, and I was just around here when I saw some bodies lying on the ground. I don’t know if they were dead or injured.” Liv Demir, 36, whose son attends a school nearby, and also takes gym classes at Campus Risbergska, told AFP: “I became numb, speechless. I didn’t really know where to go.” Advertisement How rare are shootings in Sweden? Shootings in Sweden used to be rare. PM Kristersson told reporters that the attack was “the worst mass shooting in Swedish history”. However, Sweden has seen a rise in shootings and bombings associated with gang violence. There were 296 shootings in Sweden in 2024, which resulted in the deaths of 44 people and injuries to 66 people, police data shows. The record for the highest number of shootings was in 2022 when 391 shootings took place across Sweden. Some 62 people died and 107 were injured during that year. There have also been some recent incidents of violence at schools in Sweden. In March 2022, a student, 18, stabbed and killed two teachers in Sweden’s city of Malmo. In October 2015, a man stabbed a teacher and student to death in a school with a high number of immigrants in the industrial city of Trollhattan. The man, identified by Swedish media as 21-year-old Anton Lundin Pettersson, was reported to have far-right sympathies and was shot dead by police. Adblock test (Why?)