What Actually Mattered This Week: Shinzo Abe Assassinated, Another Mass Shooting Rocks the U.S.

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WHAT ACTUALLY MATTERED THIS WEEK

Some quick thoughts on this week’s biggest news stories:

Shinzo Abe, Japan's former prime minister, assassinated at a campaign stop

Today I woke up to the terrible news that Abe Shinzo has died.

His assassination is a JFK moment for Japan.

The most unified & stable of the G7 democracies losing one of their most popular (and longest serving) leaders this way is unthinkable.

He will be greatly missed.

One Scandal Too Many: British PM Boris Johnson Resigns

Shambolic (n) - chaotic, disorganized, mismanaged. Relating to Boris Johnson’s tenure.

He pulled off more scandals and lies before resigning than anyone else in British politics could.

And he’s been caught lying about so many of those scandals…his legacy is just a disaster, frankly.

7 dead, 30 hurt in shooting at Chicago-area July 4 parade

I’m so incredibly sick of the mass shootings.

None of the politicians that refuse to take action deserve your respect, your money, or your vote.

The lack of political will among those in power to fix the gun violence epidemic is a stain on the nation.

TRUTHS, DAMNED TRUTHS, AND STATISTICS

One of the most disturbing demographic data trends I’ve ever seen.

The United States—pre-pandemic, mind you—is vastly underperforming the G7 in life expectancy.

-Our World In Data

THE GZERO WORLD WE’RE JUST LIVING IN

GRAPHIC TRUTH

YOUR GZERO WORLD

The U.S. is now a much more divided country than it was almost 50 years ago, when the Supreme Court granted the constitutional right to abortion — recently overturned by the court.

Interestingly, most of the rest of the world is moving in the opposite direction, including in majority-Catholic countries. But striking down Roe v. Wade will surely have a bigger impact on U.S. politics.

On GZERO World, I speak to New York Times columnist Emily Bazelon, who knows a thing or two about this ultra-divisive issue because she's also a senior research fellow at Yale Law School.

Just hours after the bombshell ruling dropped on June 24, Bazelon reacted to it by analyzing what abortion rights will look like soon across different U.S. states; why SCOTUS upheld the constitutional right to carry guns but not to get an abortion; the next steps by the Biden administration and Congress; and why the battle over abortion pills is likely headed to the same court that got rid of Roe.

For a longer, wider-ranging version of my interview with Bazelon, check out the GZERO World podcast.?

WORLD IN 60 SECONDS

What’s next for Boris Johnson?

With Beijing rolling out China's first vaccine mandate, how soon will China ease its lockdowns?

Is the United States the only developed country struggling with mass shootings?

Find out in this week’s World in 60 Seconds!

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DIG DEEPER WITH MY BULLETIN

Where I make sense of global affairs with whatever I decide is honest & fair analysis.

Russia inches closer to taking the Donbas

Luhansk is now fully under Putin’s control. Donetsk is next.

Putin increasingly finds himself in an ever more comfortable position.

What does this mean for the trajectory of the war?

Are we entering a post-dollar world?

No. Not even close (sorry, pessimists & crypto bros).

Without a viable challenger, it will be difficult for the dollar to lose its special role.

Click here for more deep dives from me

BECAUSE THE INTERNET

Sometimes it doesn’t go according to the super villain’s plans.

WHAT TO READ THIS WEEK

America's Great Power Opportunity: Revitalizing U.S. Foreign Policy to Meet the Challenges of Strategic Competition by Ali Wyne

Ali Wyne’s “Great Power Opportunity” is equal parts realism, optimism, and common sense (full disclosure: Ali works for Eurasia Group, the political risk consulting firm I lead). His primary argument is that America can’t afford to be a status-quo power, reactively beating back challenges from China and Russia. It must have a positive vision for global change that it’s committed to advancing, while cooperating with rivals where possible and competing where necessary.

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DEEP THOUGHTS

"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude." - Maya Angelou

Thanks for reading!?Please subscribe to Signal?for daily coverage from GZERO Media and my?Bulletin?for weekly deep dives from yours truly. And make sure to read my new book?The Power of Crisis?for a roadmap of this decade's great crises and how they might help us build a better world.

I am president of Eurasia Group and GZERO Media and foreign affairs columnist at TIME. I currently teach at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs and previously was a professor at New York University. You can follow me on?Twitter,?Facebook, and?Instagram.