The News Roundup for July 30, 2021 - a podcast by NPR

As the Delta variant continues its rapid spread in the U.S., the CDC released updated guidelines recommending that vaccinated citizens wear masks indoors in areas where Covid-19 transmission is high. Currently, about two-thirds of all U.S. counties qualify.

The House committee on the Jan. 6 insurrection met for the first time this week. It heard testimony from four Capitol police officers present the day of the attack. Committee members have signaled they are ready to begin issuing subpoenas for further witnesses and may meet again in August.

Meanwhile, the U.S. has pledged to remove its forces from Iraq by the end of the year — a goal that presents some huge challenges, logistical and otherwise.

The U.S. is also facilitating the return of some 17,000 Iraqi archaeological treasures, the oldest of which dates back 4,000 years.

The first person to be tried under Hong Kong's new, restrictive security law has been found guilty of secessionism and terrorism. Tong Ying-kit's conviction is being condemned by human rights groups.

We cover all this and more during the News Roundup.

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