Shinzo Abe assassinated: Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated this morning while campaigning for one of the candidates in Sunday”™s Japanese elections. A lone gunman shot him twice from behind using a homemade handgun. Abe had served as prime minister twice, the second time from 2012 to 2020, becoming the longest-serving prime minister in Japan”™s history. The motive for the assassination was not immediately known. Gun crimes are rare in Japan, with approximately 10 shooting incidents and one fatality reported annually.
U.S. Monkeypox cases: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this morning reports a total of 700 confirmed Monkeypox cases nationwide as of Wednesday, with 131 in New York and only one in Connecticut. California leads the nation with 136 confirmed cases.
Chauvin sentenced to 21 years: Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been sentenced to 21 years in federal prison in the George Floyd case. Floyd died after Chauvin kept his knee pressed on Floyd”™s neck for nine minutes as Floyd struggled to breathe. The sentence was imposed by Federal Judge Paul Magnuson in St. Paul.
$1B to upgrade airports: The federal government is distributing $1 billion to upgrade terminals and other facilities at 85 airports nationwide. Hartford”™s Bradley International Airport in Connecticut is due to receive $20 million. In New York, Long Island MacArthur Airport is due to receive more than $14 million and Greater Rochester International Airport just over $5 million.
Unemployment remains steady: Total nonfarm payroll employment in the U.S. rose by 372,000 in June, and the unemployment rate remained at 3.6% for the fourth month in a row, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Notable job gains occurred in professional and business services, leisure and hospitality and health care.
Penguin dies at age 40: The San Francisco Zoo & Gardens reports that a Magellanic penguin has died at age 40, having lived well beyond the typical lifespan of 20 to 30 years. The penguin was named Captain Eo and had been brought to the zoo in 1984.
