Japan's Abe killed, Biden's abortion order, Cipollone testimony: 5 things to know Friday

Ex-Japanese leader Abe dies after being shot during a campaign speech

Shinzo Abe, Japan's former leader, died at the age of 67 Friday after being shot during a campaign speech in western Japan, hospital officials confirmed. Japan's NHK Television earlier reported Abe's death. It was a shocking attack in a country that has some of the strictest gun control laws anywhere. Abe was shot from behind minutes after he started his speech Friday in Nara. Local fire department official Makoto Morimoto said Abe was in cardio and pulmonary arrest after being shot. His heart stopped while he was being airlifted to a hospital, Morimoto said. He was pronounced dead later at the hospital. Police arrested a 41-year-old man at the scene of the shooting, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters. Abe came into office as Japan's prime minister for a second time in December 2012. He was Japan's longest-serving leader before stepping down due to health issues in 2020.

• Earlier coverage: Japanese Prime Minister Abe resigns due to chronic illness

• What is the 'Quad' and why does it matter? Shinzo Abe suggested a more formal meeting between four large nations in 2007

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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. Biden is expected to formalize instructions to the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services to push back on efforts to limit the ability of women to access federally approved abortion medication or to travel across state lines to access abortion services. . 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.

• 'Disastrous consequences': Anti-abortion laws could make undocumented women more vulnerable

• 'It's been plenty of time': Kentucky governor urges Biden to rescind anti-abortion GOP judge pick

• Rule change support: Biden backs altering the filibuster to codify abortion and privacy rights into law | What 'codify' means

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. He also threatened to resign when Trump threatened to replace acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen with Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Clark, who was more willing to pursue claims of election fraud.

• Looking for answers: House Jan. 6 committee subpoenas former Trump White House counsel Pat Cipollone

• 'Combustible' testimony: Surprise Jan. 6 witness Cassidy Hutchinson quietly drops bombshells

• Investigation details: Who else has been subpoenaed so far by the Jan. 6 committee?

First funerals for Highland Park victims begin

The funerals and memorial services for three out of seven people killed in the Highland Park parade shooting are set for Friday. A memorial service for Jacquelyn "Jacki" Sundheim, 63, will be held in the morning followed by a shiva at North Shore Congregation Israel where she was a dedicated congregant and staff member, according to her obituary. Chicago financial adviser Stephen Strauss, 88, will also be laid to rest at Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation on Friday afternoon, according to an online obituary. Relatives of Eduardo Uvaldo will travel from Texas and Mexico to attend his burial Friday on what would have been his 70th birthday, the New York Times reported.

• Red flags and firearms checks: How the Highland Park suspect slipped through the cracks

• Lost parents: Billionaire donates $18,000 as top funder for 2-year-old who lost parents in Highland Park shooting

• How to help: Here's how you can help those affected by the Highland Park July 4th mass shooting

June jobs report may show pace of hiring may be easing

After going on a hiring spree to meet shopper demand, U.S. retailers are starting to temper their recruiting. The nation's top employer, Walmart, said it recently over-hired because of a COVID-related staffing shortage. In April, Amazon said it, too, had decided it had an excess of warehouse workers. The pullback in retail hiring comes against the backdrop of a still-robust national job market. The Associated Press reports economists surveyed by data provider FactSet expect the Labor Department's June jobs report out Friday morning to show employers added 275,000 jobs. That would suggest the pace of hiring may be easing — something the Federal Reserve has been hoping for as it looks to slow the economy and curb high inflation. U.S. employers added 390,000 jobs in May. The unemployment rate for June is expected to have remained 3.6%, just above the half-century low that preceded the pandemic. It has been at that mark since the March report showed it fell from 3.8% to 3.6%.

• What slowdown? Job seekers juggle multiple offers, snag higher pay

• College grads are snaring high-paying jobs: How the labor shortage made way for better benefits

• Did you keep up with the news this week? Test your knowledge with our quiz

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Japan's Abe killed, Biden's abortion order: 5 things to know Friday