| | | | | | | Presented By BlackRock® | | | | Axios AM | | By Mike Allen · Jul 08, 2022 | | Hello Friday. Smart Brevity™ count: 1,189 words ... 4½ mins. Edited by Noah Bressner. | | | | | | 1 big thing: Japan's former prime minister dies in rare shooting | | An extra edition of Yomiuri Shimbun is distributed in Tokyo after the shooting. Photo: Eugene Hoshiko/AP Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, 67 — one of Japan's most powerful and influential figures — died after being shot from behind while giving a speech for an election candidate. - He was shot with what appeared to be a homemade gun.
- Police arrested the suspected gunman at the scene — in Nara, in western Japan, AP reports.
Context: Japan is one of the world's safest countries, and has some of the most restrictive gun-control laws in the world. - It was the first assassination of a sitting or former Japanese premier since the days of prewar militarism in the 1930s, per Reuters.
Why he mattered: Abe, a divisive arch-conservative, was Japan's longest-serving leader before stepping down for health reasons in 2020. - He was known for bolstering the national defense.
- The end of his tenure saw strong ties with the U.S., particularly former President Trump.
"Abenomics" was his famed approach to getting Japan's economy out of deflationary doldrums. A suspect is detained near the shooting in Nara Prefecture, western Japan. Photo: Katsuhiko Hirano/The Yomiuri Shimbun via AP What happened: Abe was shot minutes after he started his speech outside a train station, on a drab traffic island. - He was airlifted to a hospital for emergency treatment, but wasn't breathing. His heart had stopped. He later was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Public broadcaster NHK aired dramatic video of Abe standing, dressed in a navy-blue suit, raising his fist, when two gunshots are heard. - The video shows Abe collapsed on the street, with guards running toward him. He holds his chest.
Rahm Emanuel, U.S. ambassador to Japan, salutes Abe. Via Twitter🧠 The big picture: Here's how rare gun crimes are in Japan. During today's breaking news coverage, a BBC World anchor read this stat: - In 2014, there were six gun deaths in Japan — compared to 33,599 in the U.S., according to an earlier BBC report.
|     | | | | | | 2. Two Americas Index: Roe's end drives U.S. further apart |  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. | | | | | | | | 3. Trust in media hits new low |  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.
Share this story ... Explore the poll. | | | | | | | | A message from BlackRock® | | Invested in the future of communities | | |  | | | | At BlackRock, we are serving the communities that help the country thrive. We are proud to invest in the projects that build our economy, with $20 billion in U.S. roads, bridges and transportation invested on behalf of our clients. Learn more. | | | | | | 4. 📷 1,000 words | | 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. | | | | | | | | 5. 🤔 Comey, McCabe audit chance: 1 in 82 million |  | | | 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). | | | | | | | | 6. 🇬🇧 Brexit cachet falls with BoJo |  | | | Photo: Henry Nicholls/Reuters | | | | Brexit helped propel Boris Johnson to prime minister. His resignation won't spare Britain the consequences of leaving the European Union. But Brexit as a force for reordering British society sank with Johnson, Reuters Breakingviews reports. Axios' Felix Salmon translates: There is no chance that Britain will rejoin the EU. But "Brexit" is no longer a way for politicians to get elected. | | | | | | | | 7. 🐦 Court filing reveals Musk has 9 known kids |  | | | Via Twitter | | | | 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." | | | | | | | | 8. 🇯🇵 Remembering Shinzo Abe | | Photo: Stoyan Nenov/Reuters Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the closing ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. | | | | | | | | A message from BlackRock® | | Invested in the future of first responders | | |  | | | | We're proud to manage the pensions of those who serve others. All across the country, we're helping Americans invest for their future. Meet Joshua, one of the hundreds of thousands of first responders whose retirement plan assets are managed by BlackRock. Learn more. | | | | 📬 Invite your friends to sign up here for their daily essentials — Axios AM, PM and Finish Line. |  | | Are you a fan of this email format? It's called Smart Brevity®. Over 300 orgs use it — in a tool called Axios HQ — to drive productivity with clearer workplace communications. | | | |
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