Good morning. Terrible news out of Japan overnight: Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, 67, has died after being shot. More below. —Neal Freyman, Max Knoblauch, Matty Merritt, Joe Abrams, Rohan Anthony | | | |  | Nasdaq | 11,621.35 | | | | | S&P | 3,902.62 | | | | | Dow | 31,384.55 | | | | | 10-Year | 3.002% | | | | | Bitcoin | $21,614.32 | | | | | Qualcomm | $134.40 | | | | *Stock data as of market close, cryptocurrency data as of 6:00am ET. Here's what these numbers mean. | - Markets: The S&P just climbed for its fourth-straight trading day, tying its best winning streak in 2022 (h/t chip and energy companies). While no news has been good news so far this week, that could change at 8:30am ET with the release of the June jobs report. Any sign of a recession will show up there.
| | | | David Mareuil/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Japan's influential former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has died after being shot while giving a campaign speech on Friday. It's a shocking event in a country where gun violence is extremely rare. What happened: Minutes into his speech in the western Japanese city of Nara, Abe was shot twice from about 10 feet away. The 67-year-old collapsed and showed no vital signs as he was airlifted to the hospital. Current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the shooting was "barbaric and malicious and cannot be tolerated." A suspect, Tetsuya Yamagami, was taken into custody at the scene. He appeared to be using a double-barreled gun that he made himself, Japan's public broadcaster NHK said. Gun violence is almost nonexistent in Japan Annual gun deaths in the country of 127 million people rarely get out of the single digits, and the majority of those are linked to organized crime. Why? Experts point to the fact that Japan has some of the strictest gun regulations in the world. To get a gun, you must… - Take a class, pass a written test, and submit paperwork with info about your work, family, education, and medical history.
- Then, you have to take a training course that lasts a full day where you learn to shoot at a target.
- Once you've finally gotten your permit, you must renew it every three years after taking a refresher course and passing another test.
Big picture: As Japan's longest-serving prime minister, Abe was a hugely consequential figure in the country, having led Japan from 2006–7 and 2012–2020. He's known for his economic reforms intended to kickstart Japan's deflationary economy, dubbed "Abenomics," and his attempts to reassert Japan's security capabilities after decades of pacificism. When he was assassinated, Abe was campaigning for a candidate running for the Upper House of Parliament ahead of elections on Sunday. All campaigns have been suspended following Abe's death, and it's unclear whether the elections will take place as planned this weekend.—NF | | Wpa Pool/Getty Images  Boris Johnson resigned. The British prime minister said, "Them's the breaks" as he announced he'll step down following the mass resignation of about half of his government this week. Johnson, who's been plagued by scandals and his misleading responses to them, will remain "caretaker" prime minister until the party (not the voters) selects a new boss. Potential contenders to replace Johnson include former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, and—NBA fans are going to love this—Defense Secretary Ben Wallace.
 Musk–Twitter deal in "serious jeopardy." Elon Musk could take drastic action to try and back out of his $44 billion agreement to buy Twitter, according to the Washington Post. Apparently Musk's team cannot verify the data on bots that was provided to them by Twitter, and therefore are looking to exit the agreement. That…is probably not legal, though, since Musk already signed on the dotted line.
 Brittney Griner pleads guilty to drug charges. The WNBA star said that she did not mean to commit a crime, and she was unintentionally carrying cannabis oil at the Moscow airport in February—a result of her being rushed while packing. If convicted, Griner could face up to 10 years in a Russian penal colony, but the Biden administration says it's desperately trying to ensure that doesn't happen. On Wednesday, both the president and VP Kamala Harris spoke with Griner's wife, Cherelle, on the phone.
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Don't let this offer get away. Apply today. | | BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images The IRS called for an investigation of itself following a report by the New York Times earlier this week that revealed the agency conducted intensive tax audits on both former FBI Director James Comey and former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe during the Trump administration. Given that both men were critical of (and severely criticized by) the former president, news of the supposedly random audits have many legal experts asking questions. That's because the type of audits both Comey and McCabe were subjected to are about as rare as an exciting story about accounting. The odds of any taxpayer being selected for such an audit in 2017, for example, were about 1-in-30,600. Investigators are also interested in the audits because it's illegal under federal law for a member of the executive branch to request that the IRS conduct an audit of an individual's taxes. Despite its call for a watchdog investigation, the IRS on Thursday denied any "politically motivated audits" and called such accusations "ludicrous and untrue." Meanwhile, some Democrats are calling for IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig—a Trump appointee who was kept on by the Biden administration—to be fired. Zoom out: In a statement to the Times made through a spokesperson, former President Trump denied having knowledge of the audits.—MK | | Georgia Guidestones before bombing. Explore Georgia Well, our summer vacation is officially ruined. The Georgia Guidestones, a controversial monument referred to as "America's Stonehenge," was heavily damaged after an explosion at 4am yesterday morning and had to be demolished for safety reasons shortly thereafter. Some big rock lore: In 1979, an anonymous man using the pseudonym Robert C. Christian commissioned the project from a local granite company on behalf of "a small group of loyal Americans." That kicked off the construction of five, 16-foot tall slabs of polished granite arranged in a starlike pattern—with a 25,000lb capstone. The slabs feature a 10-part message in eight different languages about how to live in an "age of reason." One note recommends keeping the world population under 500 million and only reproducing wisely. Big picture: Located 100 miles east of Atlanta, the Guidestones attracted thousands of visitors a year, according to Elberton Granite Association VP Chris Kubas. They've also gained attention from conspiracy theorists (weird, anonymously funded rocks tend to do that), John Oliver, and even Georgia 2022 gubernatorial candidate Kandiss Taylor, who said the Guidestones were satanic. No suspects have been identified in the bombing, but a Georgia district attorney said the perp(s) would face a minimum of 20 years in prison.—MM | | Timeanddate.com Stat: Want to feel a part of something…bigger? At 7:15am ET this morning, you'll likely be one of the 7.2 billion people, or 93% of the world's population, who are experiencing sunlight at that moment. As the sun has retreated south following the June solstice, it's starting to shine more on densely populated countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines. And 7:15am ET is the ideal moment to capture dawn on the US west coast as well as dusk in Eastern Asia. Quote: "California is going to make its own insulin." CA Gov. Gavin Newsom wants his state to become the first in the country to produce its own brand of generic insulin, a drug relied on by people who have diabetes. The goal is to make prices more affordable, which…they aren't right now. 14% of people who use insulin in the US say they spend a "catastrophic" amount on the lifesaving drug, according to a new study from Yale. Read: A fascinating profile of the Fields Medal winner we mentioned earlier this week, June Huh. (Quanta Magazine) | | | Time for a coffee break. Imagine loved ones reconnecting without distractions—no pings, dings, or rings. The Starbucks® Coffee Break-away brought together 3 pairs for a day of reconnection (plus a surprise reveal) at the American Museum of Natural History in NYC. Watch here.* | | The feeling of getting a 5/5 on the Brew's Weekly News Quiz has been compared to watching three TikToks in a row without a Stranger Things sound. It's that satisfying. Ace the quiz. | | - Mortgage rates posted their biggest weekly decline since 2008, from 5.7% to 5.3%.
- Former Theranos executive Sunny Balwani was convicted of defrauding investors and patients in his role as president and COO of the company.
- GameStop fired its CFO and is laying off staff across departments.
- Rafael Nadal withdrew from Wimbledon ahead of his semifinal match due to a torn abdominal muscle.
- James Caan, the actor best known for his Oscar-nominated performance as Sonny Corleone in The Godfather, died at 82.
- World Cup stadiums in Qatar won't serve alcohol this fall, according to Reuters. Qatar is the first Muslim nation with strict alcohol rules to host a World Cup.
| | Spam rice bowl: Jamie said this recipe was 🤌. Charted: 1) The most popular websites since 1993 and 2) what inflation's really looked like since 2020. Yield high returns: Next week we're dropping our latest newsletter, CFO Brew, and whether you're a recent biz school grad, a CFO, or anywhere in between, it'll keep you up to date on the latest industry news and trends. Check it out. | | Okay, for today's puzzle just read the question, don't think hard or do any mathematical calculations, and go with your gut instinct and see how close you get. How old are you if you're 1 million seconds old? | | Want to get into home ownership but don't know where to start? Morning Brew's Willy Appelman asked Bravo's Million Dollar Listing real estate agent Ryan Serhant all the questions you're too scared to ask. Watch now. Don't miss out on more from the Brew:  Nora chats with musician Tai Verdes, who rose to fame on TikTok in 2020, about songwriting, the importance of having a plan, and the myth of overnight success. Listen or watch here.
🛍 ATTN: NYC-based retail pros. This event is for you—breakfast, networking, and expert insights into growing your brand. Check it out. | | | Written by Neal Freyman, Matty Merritt, Max Knoblauch, Rohan Anthony, and Joseph Abrams Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here. WANT MORE BREW? Industry news, with a sense of humor → Tips for smarter living → - Money Scoop: your personal finance upgrade
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