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DAILY BRIEF

Now It's Iran vs. Britain in Tanker Seizures

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said Friday that it impounded a British oil tanker, the Stena Impero, after it collided with a fishing vessel in the Persian Gulf’s narrow entrance. British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt warned of “serious consequences” if “the situation is not resolved quickly.” A second vessel was also reported seized, but Tehran said it was only briefly stopped. The incidents came two weeks after Royal Marines captured an Iranian tanker for allegedly shipping oil to Syria, violating an embargo. 

Could this mean war? That’s “not what (Iran’s) looking for,” the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency’s director said Friday, while U.K. officials also downplayed any risk of military involvement.

Death Valley Comes to the East Coast

Temperatures as high as 100 degrees Fahrenheit are forecast to broil much of the U.S. this weekend, with heat and humidity feeling comparable to Death Valley hitting Washington, D.C. From New Mexico to Maine, some 195 million U.S. residents will swelter in potentially deadly heat that’s expected to break records across the nation. In New York, city authorities cancelled OZY Fest.

How bad is it? It’s not just North America. As U.S. temperatures are forecast to ease early next week, temperatures in Europe will soar. It’s projected to be the hottest July ever recorded, while 2019 broke records months ago during the Southern Hemisphere’s summer.

OZY explains why corporate lawyers fear climate change.

Why This Bank Is a Political Barometer for Ukraine

One of Ukraine’s key achievements after its 2014 revolution was cleaning up its notoriously corrupt banking sector — particularly the nationalization of PrivatBank, owned by shadowy oligarch Igor Kolomoisky and featuring a balance sheet missing $5.5 million. Now that comic Volodymyr Zelensky, first vaulted to fame by Kolomoisky’s network, is president, some are wondering whether he’ll help his alleged patron by creating a political climate enabling Kolomoisky to claw back his fortunes and influence.

How will Zelensky act? He says he won’t interfere in Kolomoisky’s favor, but the real indicator will be the Cabinet he appoints following this weekend’s parliamentary elections, in which Zelensky’s party is expected to win big.

Cross in Hand, They Oppose Duterte's Deadly Crusade

The drug war in the Philippines has claimed an estimated 20,000 lives, compelling some members of the Catholic Church to rebel against nightly killings of unarmed men. Jun Santiago — a missionary, journalist and activist — is leading the charge by supporting survivors, aiding protests and documenting extrajudicial executions. The work is so dangerous that Santiago’s friends say, half in jest, that he’s destined for sainthood.

Is the Church supporting activists? Not enough, according to rights groups. President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened and smeared bishops and priests, intimidating the church’s most senior leaders to keep silent.

OZY reveals which country loves Trump the most.

Also Important...

Saying he had an “uncontrollable” attraction to minors, a federal judge in New York on Friday denied bail to financier and accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, who had offered to post bond of more than $500 million. Three members of a White supremacist group were sentenced yesterday to two years in federal prison for conspiracy to riot at events in Virginia and California. And Benjamin Netanyahu, despite facing corruption charges, has become Israel’s longest-serving prime minister.

In the week ahead: On Monday, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan visits the White House. Britain’s Conservative Party plans to announce on Tuesday its leadership election results, expected to make Boris Johnson prime minister. And former special counsel Robert Mueller is to testify before House committees Wednesday.

OZY is hiring! We’re looking for an experienced podcast producer to guide ambitious storytelling. Check out our jobs page and read the description here. 

Florida Man Reads About Himself, and Weeps

“The biggest question I get is: What were you thinking?” The answer from one of memedom’s most prominent citizens is always, “I wasn’t.” Thus spake “Florida Man” — he who graces headlines describing meme-worthy antics. That includes “Florida Man Wearing Crocs Gets Bitten After Jumping Into Crocodile Exhibit,” which inspired a Washington Post reporter to visit Brandon Hatfield, 24, who was serving time for his drug-fueled reptilian rampage.

Isn’t it funny? Of course, but Hatfield and other “Florida Men’s” misadventures often have a tragic backdrop: an inescapable cycle of poverty, addiction and jail that is hardly laughable.

Flashback with OZY to discover 1930s memes lampooning Hitler.

'That's One Small Step' That Few Could Have Authored

A half-century ago this weekend, Neil Armstrong needed to convey the gravity, if you will, of the feat he was performing while millions around the world listened: “That’s one small step for a man — and one giant leap for mankind.” It’s a poetic line humanity has committed to memory, with or without the “a” that journalists omitted.

Could others have done better? They tried. A pre-flight Esquire piece, which mocked astronauts’ workaday chatter, elicited suggestions from celebrities, including sci-fi author Isaac Asimov: “[Rocket pioneer Robert] Goddard, we are here.” None, however, outdid the actual lunar utterance.

OZY retraces where Armstrong’s voice was first transmitted.

Germans Want to Save the Planet, but How?

Almost three-quarters of Germans are worried about the impact of climate change on the planet’s future, surveys show. That fear is prompting changes in households across the country moving sustainability very much into the mainstream. Business is noticing the change too, with sales for bikes and e-bikes soaring and carbon offsets increasingly popular. But it’s not enough when individuals are far ahead of public policy. 

What options are out there? Elected officials are noticing, even to the point that Bavaria’s prevailing conservative party, the CSU, adopted the green manifesto of the fringe Ecological Democratic Party.

OZY looks at a radical energy-saving solution.

When an Indie Darling Fails to Produce

As American songwriter Sufjan Stevens began rising to fame in the mid-2000s with two celebrated albums focused on Michigan and Illinois, his promoter had an idea: Do the other 48 too. That gave way to a widely publicized effort that got indie fans excited — but never materialized. Stevens himself acknowledged that it was a marketing gimmick, but the myth kept growing.

He could still decide to do it, right? While it seems unlikely, his former publicist points to the artist’s two box sets of Christmas tunes and says, “You never say never with Sufjan.”

Check out OZY’s profile of India’s queen of the blues.

MMA Is Fighting for a Place In India

Mumbai is famous for many things, but mixed martial arts isn’t one of them. A fast-growing and dedicated fan base is changing that. Fight nights in the city and across India are popping up and the world is taking notice. British and Singaporean promoters are dipping their toes in the potentially giant market, with local television backing the bets. Governing body All India MMA Federation says 18- to 35-year-old Indians are leading the charge.

Will India back a champion? With the wider community equating the sport with “human cockfighting,” acceptance is hard-won, but enterprising promoters are devoting years of training to develop young competitors.