The Full Belmonte, 7/8/2022
Shinzo Abe today in Nara, Japan, just before he was fatally shot.Toshiharu Otani/Agence France-Presse, via Jiji Press/Afp Via Getty Images
“Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has died at age 67 after being shot during a speech today in Nara, Japan, doctors who were treating him have confirmed. The shocking act of violence has rattled the country with one of the world's lowest rates of gun violence. Abe died from excessive bleeding and was pronounced dead at 5:03 p.m. local time, doctors at the Nara Medical University hospital said during a press conference. The doctors said the bullet that killed the former Japanese leader was "deep enough to reach his heart" and a team of 20 medical professionals was unable to stop the bleeding. Police have arrested a Nara resident in his 40s in relation to the shooting, public broadcaster NHK reported. Messages from world leaders, past and present, have flooded in, expressing condemnation of the shooting. Abe was the longest-serving Japanese Prime Minister in history.” Read more at CNN
“It’s hard to overstate the shock in Japan at the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Of the many questions, one is how this will change life for everyday citizens.
Unlike the US, where mass shootings are commonplace, Japan already has some of the toughest gun laws in the world. While civilians are able to obtain weapons following extensive background checks and licensing requirements, reports said the shooter — a former military man whose motives remain unclear — used a homemade shotgun.
Tetsuya Yamagami, bottom, is detained near the site of gunshots in Nara Prefecture, western Japan, Friday, July 8, 2022.Katsuhiko Hirano, AP
Key reading:
Shinzo Abe, Japan’s Longest-Serving Prime Minister, Dies at 67
Shooting of Japan’s Ex-Leader Shocks Nation Where Guns Are Rare
World Leaders React to Shooting of Japan’s Ex Leader Shinzo Abe
It’s likely that Japan will see more security at political events like the one Abe was speaking at when he was shot, a shift in a nation known as one of the safest in the world. Still, the rarity of incidents like today’s show the extent to which Japan’s laws are largely working.
The murder will almost certainly help Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party sweep the upper house in Sunday’s voting. Ruling party officials have vowed to press ahead with the election with stepped-up security, calling the shooting an attack on democracy.
That will likely consolidate the position of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who took power last October and has backed ‘Abenomics’ policies, including monetary easing by the central bank.
Even after leaving office, Abe remained an advocate of boosting defense spending and changing Japan’s pacifist constitution in light of new threats from China, North Korea and Russia. He had also warned against the dangers of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, an issue that has gained traction among the public.
It’s unclear if Kishida will do much on that front, even as he has taken a bolder stance against China in recent months.
Yet as geopolitical tensions rise in Asia, Abe’s views on the military will have a lasting impact on Japan’s political discourse for years to come.” Read more at Bloomberg
— Daniel Ten Kate
Abe inspects an honor guard at the Ministry of Defense in 2019. Photographer: Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images
“New details have emerged describing the scene as a gunman opened fire during a Fourth of July parade in a Chicago suburb, where seven people were killed and dozens of others were wounded. Concealed on a rooftop, the gunman shot at paradegoers with a semiautomatic rifle, authorities said. His position made it difficult for officers to quickly find him when the parade turned to chaos, officials said. Separately, an 8-year-old boy who was attending the parade with his parents and twin brother was shot and is now paralyzed from the waist down, a family spokesperson told CNN. In a voluntary statement, the gunman admitted to authorities that he emptied two 30-round magazines before loading his weapon with a third and firing again. If convicted, he faces a life sentence in prison.” Read more at CNN
“Two-time US Olympic basketball gold medalist Brittney Griner has pleaded guilty to drug charges in a Russian court near Moscow, her lawyers confirmed to CNN on Thursday. Griner, whom the US State Department has classified as wrongfully detained, faces up to 10 years in prison under the charge. Supporters of the Phoenix Mercury player have called for her release over fears she is being used as a political pawn amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Griner's lawyers said they expect the court to take into account the 31-year-old athlete's guilty plea and hope for leniency. Griner was arrested on February 17 at a Moscow airport. Russian authorities claimed she had cannabis oil in her luggage. Her next hearing is set for July 14.” Read more at CNN
WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner is escorted to a courtroom for a hearing, in Khimki just outside Moscow, Russia, Thursday, July 7, 2022.Alexander Zemlianichenko, AP
Facing pressure, Biden set to sign executive order on abortion access
“President Joe Biden will take executive action Friday to protect access to abortion, according to three Associated Press sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Biden will speak Friday morning ‘on protecting access to reproductive health care services,’ the sources said. The actions are intended to try to mitigate some potential penalties women seeking abortion may face, but are limited in their ability to safeguard access to abortion nationwide. The order, coming two weeks after the Supreme Court's ruling that ended the nationwide right to abortion and overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, comes as Biden has faced criticism from his own party for not acting with more urgency to protect access to abortion. Read more at USA Today
Kentucky governor Andy Beshear said it's past time for Biden to rescind his anti-abortion GOP judge pick.
Rule change support: Biden backs altering the filibuster to codify abortion and privacy rights into law.
Hearing to take place on Louisiana abortion 'trigger law'
“Abortions are still legal in Louisiana – for now. In a Friday morning hearing in New Orleans Civil District Court, Judge Ethel Julien will hear arguments for and against enforcing the state’s abortion ban trigger law. Julien will decide whether to extend New Orleans Civil District Court Judge Robin Giarrusso's ruling that blocked the abortion ban from taking effect. If she puts a more permanent restraining order in place, the Louisiana Supreme Court will almost certainly hear the case.” Read more at USA Today
Key Trump aide Cipollone to testify to Jan. 6 panel
“Former White House counsel Pat Cipollone on Friday will give sworn testimony to the House committee investigating the Capitol attack Jan. 6, 2021, the Associated Press reported. Committee members, such as Vice Chair Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., had repeatedly called for Cipollone’s testimony to clarify what former President Donald Trump was doing before and during the Capitol attack. Cipollone urged Trump not to join the mob marching to the Capitol after his speech on Jan. 6 because of the risk he could be charged with ‘every crime imaginable,’ according to former Trump aide Cassidy Hutchinson, who testified June 28.” Read more at USA Today
Image caption, Balwani's company was once worth $9bn (£7.5bn), but was based on blood testing technology that did not work
“Silicon Valley executive Ramesh ‘Sunny’ Balwani has been found guilty of deceiving investors as part of a plot with ex-girlfriend Elizabeth Holmes.
He falsely and repeatedly claimed that their company, Theranos, had a device that could detect hundreds of diseases with a few drops of blood.
Holmes was found guilty at a separate trial in January where she accused Balwani of abuse - which he denies.
Both Holmes, 38, and Balwani, 57, will be sentenced by a judge in the autumn.
Holmes is facing around 20 years in prison and is currently free on bail. Balwani also faces up to 20 years in prison as well as millions of dollars in restitution payments to his victims.
Theranos was once worth $9bn (£7.5bn), but was based on blood testing technology that did not work.” Read more at BBC
Image caption, The former police officer pleaded guilty to the separate federal civil rights charges in December
“Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been sentenced to more than 20 years in prison for violating George Floyd's civil rights.
Chauvin, 46, pleaded guilty to the separate federal civil rights charges in December.
He is already serving a 22-year state prison sentence for the on-duty murder of Mr Floyd, a 46-year-old black man.
The two sentences will run concurrently and Chauvin will now be moved to a federal prison.
But he will almost certainly spend more time behind bars following the sentencing. His sentence is due to be followed by five years of supervised release.
‘George's life matters,’ Mr Floyd's brother, Philonese, said in court on Thursday as he asked the judge to impose the maximum sentence of 25 years.” Read more at BBC
“Yesterday we showed you the IRS letter to James Comey. Here's the notice to Andrew McCabe. Via The New York Times
After the N.Y. Times scooped that two enemies of former President Trump — fired FBI director James Comey and his deputy, Andrew McCabe — had been selected for a rare, brutal form of IRS audit, you might have wondered: What are the odds?
So did N.Y. Times Upshot, which has the exact answer(subscription):
The chances that both people in a group of two would be given a rare audit over three years are ...
1 in 82,072,872 ... or 0.00000121843%.
What's next: Calls for a federal probe brought Rs and Ds together.
The Washington Post reports on today's front page that members of Congress in both parties seethe ‘that the IRS may have targeted ... Trump's political enemies.’
The IRS says the matter has been referred to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA).” Read more at Axios
“About 300,000 children under the age of five in the US have received at least one shot of the Covid-19 vaccine since it was recommended by the CDC last month, a senior White House official told CNN on Thursday. This makes up about 2% of that age group -- a number the official says aligns with the Biden administration's expectations, though the number is lower than other age groups. ‘We expected this to be a little bit slower even than 5 to 11, which was slower than 12 to 17, which was slower than adults. It's just kind of what we anticipated, and what we prepared for,’ the official said. Conversations with medical providers, according to the official, have been key to parents' decision-making more than any other effort by the White House to encourage vaccinations among this group.” Read more at CNN
Unaccompanied children from Guatemala, in Roma, Texas.Kirsten Luce for The New York Times
“Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the authorities to apprehend migrants and return them to the border, setting up a clash with the federal government.” Read more at New York Times
“The third heat wave of the still-early summer is scorching the US South, and "it will get worse… before it gets better," the National Weather Service said. Millions of people across more than a dozen states remain under heat alerts. Paired with uncomfortable high humidity, it will feel like 110 to 115 degrees in some places, forecasts show. Above-normal temperatures are expected well into next week as well -- exceeding the average of four days. Dallas has already seen several days above 100 degrees and will likely continue the trend through at least midweek, putting this stretch in the running for the city's longest consecutive 100-degree streak since 2011.” Read more at CNN
NUSA DUA, Indonesia (AP) — Deeply divided top diplomats from the world’s richest and largest developing nations struggled to find common ground Friday over Russia’s war in Ukraine and how to deal with its global impacts.
At talks that were were knocked off balance by two unrelated and unexpected political developments far from the Indonesian resort of Bali where they were meeting, Group of 20 foreign ministers heard an emotional plea for unity and an end to the war from their Indonesian host.
Yet, consensus appeared to remain elusive amid deepening East-West splits driven by China and Russia on one side and the United States and Europe on the other. All the main players were there, marking the first time since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov have been in the same room at the same time.
Lavrov walked out of the proceedings at least twice: once when his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock spoke at the opening session and again just before Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba was to speak by video at the second session, according to a western diplomat present.” Read more at AP News
“Now that Boris Johnson has announced his intention to resign following a scandal-filled tenure as prime minister, attention is turning to who will replace the British leader.
Predicting who will be the next occupant of 10 Downing Street following a resignation is a fickle business. After David Cameron resigned in 2016 following Britain’s Brexit vote, Johnson was the favorite to succeed him. He ultimately ruled himself out of the running then, thus paving the way for Theresa May’s tumultuous premiership.
Today there is no one of Johnson’s public stature waiting in the wings, but outside forces—particularly the war in Ukraine—have helped set the tone of the race.
Although Johnson helped shield himself from domestic criticism through his full-throated support of Ukraine, the main beneficiary of that policy may be his Defense Secretary Ben Wallace.
Wallace is ranked as the current favorite by British betting companies and presents a more reserved personality after the bombast of Johnson. That seems to go down fine with the Conservative Party’s membership: A recent poll of those members shows Wallace topping the list of contenders, albeit with just 13 percent support.
Crucially, considering Conservative Party rules which make the final decision a two-horse race, Wallace is the clear choice of party members in head-to-head contests, according to the poll.
If selected he would become the first prime minister to have served in the military since 1976, when Labour’s James Callaghan took office. His elevation would likely mean more of the same on Ukraine, given that Wallace was the architect of Britain’s Ukraine strategy, as Elizabeth Braw wrote in Foreign Policy on Wednesday.
As Braw writes, minister for trade policy Penny Mordaunt (second place in the Conservative membership poll) and Tom Tugendhat (considered an outside bet) fill out a roster of candidates with military experience who can offer the country serious policy expertise in the wake of Johnson’s scandal-plagued government. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss still considers herself an option, judging by her early departure from the G-20 ministerial meeting in Bali to make her case at home.
Following behind Wallace is Rishi Sunak, the former finance minister who, along with outgoing health minister Sajid Javid, helped secure Johnson’s downfall with their resignations earlier this week.
Sunak has swung from internet meme status to frontrunner to his position today as a serious, but bruised, contender for the top job. (Sunak’s image was badly damaged earlier this year over a scandal involving his wealthy wife’s non-domiciled tax status.)
Sunak does have one ace up his sleeve if he does go against Wallace: His support for the 2016 Brexit referendum. Wallace’s position back then in the Remain camp could damage him in a Conservative Party increasingly at the whims of its Euroskeptic faction.
That won’t keep Sunak free from the sniping of different factions, however. Johnson loyalist Jacob Rees-Mogg took a chance yesterday to land a blow against him, describing Sunak as ‘not a successful chancellor’ who was ‘not alert to the inflationary problem.’
While his positions on Brexit mean those in Dublin, Brussels, and perhaps Washington may not lament Johnson’s departure, one European leader is sad to see the prime minister head to the exit. Johnson reportedly called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after his public announcement to assure him that military aid to Kyiv would not stop.
Like a latter-day David Hasselhoff, Johnson has earned hero status with Ukrainians while becoming a punchline almost everywhere else. ‘We all heard this news with sadness. Not only me, but also the entire Ukrainian society, which is very sympathetic to you,’ Zelensky said in a statement. Though Johnson may not get memorialized so quickly in his home country, the town of Fontanka, near Odesa, has already named a street after him.” Read more at Foreign Policy
“Blinken meets Wang. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi today on the margins of the G-20 ministerial meeting in Bali. The two men last met in October at a G-20 meeting in Italy. Blinken continues his Asia travels through the weekend with a visit to Thailand where he’s expected to meet with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai.” Read more at Foreign Policy
Russia’s Ukraine warning. Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the West against further escalation in Ukraine on Thursday, while keeping the door open for negotiations in a speech to lawmakers. ‘Everyone should know that, by and large, we haven’t started anything yet in earnest,’ he added. ‘At the same time, we don’t reject peace talks. But those who reject them should know that the further it goes, the harder it will be for them to negotiate with us.’” Read more at Foreign Policy
“Qatar’s soccer stadiums will be alcohol-free during the 2022 World Cup, Reuters reports, as the majority-Muslim country attempts to thread the needle for international supporters headed to the country this winter.
Unlike other Gulf states, Qatar does permit alcohol consumption in some hotels and bars but is hoping to avoid the alcohol-fueled free-for-alls that have defined recent FIFA tournaments. Whether the stadium VIP suites will be allowed to skirt the ban is not yet clear.” Read more at Foreign Policy
FILE - This Nov. 4, 2013, file photo shows the icon for the Twitter app on an iPhone in San Jose, Calif. Twitter, in a call with executives Thursday, July 7, 2022, said it removes 1 million spam accounts each day. The briefing aimed to shed more light on the company's fake and bot accounts as it tussles with Elon Musk over ‘spam bots.’ (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)
Twitter said it removes 1 million spam accounts each day in a call with executives Thursday during a briefing that aimed to shed more light on the company’s fake and bot accounts as it tussles with Elon Musk over ‘spam bots.’
The Tesla CEO, who has offered to buy Twitter for $44 billion, has threatened to walk away from the deal if the company can’t show that less than 5% of its daily active users are automated spam accounts.
Musk has argued, without presenting evidence, that Twitter has significantly underestimated the number of these ‘spam bots’ -- automated accounts that typically promote scams and misinformation — on its service.
Twitter said on the call that the spam accounts represent well below 5% of its active user base each quarter. To calculate how many accounts are malicious spam, Twitter said it reviews ‘thousands of accounts’ sampled at random, using both public and private data such as IP addresses, phone numbers, geolocation and how the account behaves when it is active, to determine whether an account is real.” Read more at AP News
The known total of Elon Musk's kids rose to nine when Insider reported he had twins in November with Shivon Zilis, a director at Neuralink, the brain-interface company where Musk is a founder and co-CEO.
Neither has spoken publicly about the twins. Insider obtained Austin court documents approving a name change for the babies.
‘Zilis lived in San Francisco before buying a home in a gated community in Austin in August, about three months before the twins were born,’ Insider reported.
Why it matters: The ‘inherent power dynamic between the two raises questions about workplace ethics, including whether any company policies were violated,’ the N.Y. Times writes (subscription).
Doing the math: The twins were born weeks before Musk's second child with the musician Grimes, born in December.
She, too, ‘relocated full time to Austin,’ Vanity Fair reported in March.
Grimes tweeted about the Vanity Fair piece: ‘Me and E have broken up *again* since the writing of this article haha, but he's my best friend and the love of my life.’
Musk has five kids — twins and a set of triplets — with his first wife, writer Justine Musk, who has called herself his ‘Starter Wife.’” Read more at Axios
“SAN DIEGO (AP) — One note submitted to the federal judge sentencing a 38-year-old California woman for embezzlement claimed that a biopsy had revealed ‘cancerous cells’ in her uterus. Another indicated that she was undergoing a surgical procedure, and her cancer had spread to the cervix. Yet another letter warned she ‘cannot be exposed to COVID-19’ because of her fragile state.
But federal officials say the notes and cancer were all fake, and now Ashleigh Lynn Chavez is headed to prison for three times as long. The court this week added an additional two years to her initial, one-year prison sentence.
The fake claim of having cancer kept Chavez out on bond from the time of her guilty plea in 2019 to embezzling more than $160,000 from her former employer through her sentencing hearing on March 31, 2021. The notes then bought her an additional three months of freedom by the judge who believed she was getting medical treatment, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Southern District of California.” Read more at AP News
Data: Axios/Ipsos poll. Chart: Thomas Oide/Axios
“Divisions in America worsened significantly after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, managing editor Margaret Talev writes from the Axios-Ipsos Two Americas Index.
Why it matters: From December through May, our national survey found a small window in which Americans were feeling more in common with one another — perhaps because of shared opposition to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. These findings slam that window shut.
In the survey, conducted within days of the ruling ending federal abortion protections, Democrats led the intensifying sense of separation:
85% of Democrats said they had little to nothing in common with Republicans, up from 74% in May.
The Republicans figure increased less, to 79% from 75%.
A growing share of independents signaled they can't relate to people in either major party.
65% now say they have little or nothing in common with either Democrats or Republicans — a big jump from 52% in May.
The poll included 1,003 U.S. adults, with a margin of error of ±3.8 points.” Read more at Axios
Data: Gallup. Chart: Nicki Camberg/Axios
“Americans' confidence in newspapers and TV news hit a new low, Axios' Sara Fischer writes from Gallup's annual survey of trust in U.S. institutions.
Why it matters: The erosion of trust in media is one of the most significant signs of deepening polarization in America.
TV news ranks 15th in trustworthiness among 16 institutions in the poll — only ahead of Congress, which is dead last.
Newspapers ranked 12th — just after the presidency (11th), but ahead of a tie between the criminal justice system and big business.
Reproduced from Gallup. Chart: Axios Visuals
The news media's trust fall is driven mostly by Republicans, Gallup found:
Just 5% of Republicans said they had ‘a great deal or quite a lot of confidence’ in newspapers, compared to 35% of Democrats.
Only 8% of Republicans said they had ‘a great deal or quite a lot of confidence’ in TV news, compared to 20% of Democrats.” Read more at Axios
Photo: Susan Walsh/AP
Simone Biles, 25, became the youngest recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, during an East Room ceremony yesterday.
‘Biles is the most decorated American gymnast in history,’ the White House citation says. ‘Biles is also a prominent advocate for athletes’ mental health and safety, children in the foster care system, and victims of sexual assault.’
Photo: Susan Walsh/AP
Megan Rapinoe, 37, Olympic gold medalist and two-time Women's World Cup champion with the U.S. Women's National Team, was cited for her advocacy for gender pay equality, racial justice and LGBTQI+ rights.
See the full list ... Read the citations.” Read more at Axios
“Lives Lived: James Caan’s Oscar-nominated performance as Sonny Corleone in ‘The Godfather’ was so convincing that some people thought he was a real mobster. ‘I’ve been accused so many times,’ Caan once said. He died at 82.” Read more at New York Times
“Rafael Nadal withdrew from Wimbledon semifinals because of an abdominal tear.” Read more at USA Today
Spain's Rafael Nadal sports tape on his stomach following a medical timeout as he plays Taylor Fritz of the US in a men's singles quarterfinal match on day ten of the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Wednesday, July 6, 2022.Kirsty Wigglesworth, AP