Briefly with OZY

America’s top gymnast, Simone Biles, withdrew Friday from two more events, the vault and uneven bars, as Team USA and China are neck-and-neck in the overall medal tally. Caeleb Dressel won another U.S. gold today with a world record-setting 100-meter butterfly while teammate Katie Ledecky captured her third consecutive 800-meter freestyle win. Meanwhile, “zombie urchins” are deforesting Pacific waters.

New data from the CDC indicates that the COVID-19 delta variant is more communicable than chickenpox or the 1918 flu, and also causes more serious illness. And an American Olympic swimmer has hurled doping charges against the Russian who beat him.

In a rare show of bipartisanship, President Joe Biden's $1 billion infrastructure bill has advanced in the Senate. A Chinese pig farming magnate has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for criticizing the state. And the best place on Earth to survive a "societal collapse"? New Zealand!

There was startling and emotional testimony yesterday during the first hearing on the January 6th Capitol Riots, as four police officers described how they were injured and abused by pro-Trump rioters. The CDC has reversed recent guidelines and advised Americans in some parts of country to start wearing masks again. And the U.S. government has sold a highly valuable, one-of-kind, Wu-Tang Clan album seized from "pharma bro" Martin Shkreli.

In a chilling blow to dissent in Hong Kong, a court today found a 24-year-old pro-democracy protester guilty of 'terrorism" and "insurrection," which could carry a life sentence. U.S. President Joe Biden says he'll pull combat troops out of Iraq by the end of the year. And a big blow for Japanese tennis champ Naomi Osaka as she crashes out of the Tokyo Olympics.

Huge protests in Tunisia over the weekend saw the president fire the prime minister and suspend parliament, leading some to accuse him of a 'coup.' A senior Chinese diplomat has lashed out at the U.S. amid frosty talks with visiting Deputy Secretary of State Wendy R. Sherman. And two Japanese skateboarders won gold in the men's and women's competitions at the sports' Olympic debut.

The delayed 2020 Olympics are finally happening, beginning yesterday with opening ceremonies amid a wave of contagion. And Britain’s “freedom” from pandemic restrictions has been marred by the incessant pinging of COVID-19 apps indicating exposure and advising isolation.

The spectator-less Tokyo Olympic Games start today in a city under state of emergency regulations. The CDC head has warned that the U.S. is facing a "pivotal moment" in the pandemic as delta-variant cases surge. And, this parrot's not pushing up the daisies, he's pushing up the garbage can lid.

The death toll from flash flooding in Henan, China, has exceeded 33 while displacing 200,000 people, while a typhoon brings more rain to the devastated area. And the Tokyo Olympics are still wracked with uncertainty as its opening ceremonies director is sacked over a Holocaust joke and its CEO won’t rule out a last-minute pandemic cancelation.

Twelve people have died after subway cars in flood-hit Central China filled with water and they were unable to escape. More revelations from the Pegasus Project show the phone numbers of world leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, were among those potentially targeted. And questions are being asked about the shape of Jeff Bezos' rocket.