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CNN
17 minutes ago
- CNN
5 things to know for August 1: Extreme weather, Tariffs, Counterterrorism, Drug prices, Air marshals
The Trump administration issued a memo this week declaring that federal agencies will allow workers to promote their religious beliefs to colleagues, display religious items and pray at work. According to the guidance, a federal worker 'may engage another in polite discussion of why his faith is correct and why the non-adherent should re-think his religious beliefs.' But there is one caveat: 'provided that such efforts are not harassing in nature.'y. Here's what else you need to know to get up to speed and on with your day. Heavy storms that developed on Thursday afternoon and lasted through the evening dumped torrential rain on millions in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions. All that water wreaked havoc along the Interstate 95 corridor, flooding roads and stranding vehicles in several states. In New York City, videos from inside Grand Central Terminal showed a Metro-North train drenched in water; one passenger told CNN that being inside the train car felt like being in a car wash. Intense rains caused leaks at SEPTA stations in Philadelphia as well. The storms also disrupted air travel, with ground stops reported at major airports in New York and Washington, DC, and thousands of flights were cancelled or delayed. It's August 1st and President Donald Trump has just set new tariffs for every country around the world. Even the nations that negotiated trade deals will see tariffs rise on the vast majority of goods America imports. While the 'universal' tariff for goods coming into the US will remain at 10% — the same level that was implemented on April 2 — that rate will apply only to countries with which the US has a trade surplus. A 15% rate will serve as the new tariff floor for about 40 countries with which the US has a trade deficit. More than a dozen countries will have tariff rates that are higher than 15%, either because they agreed to a trade framework with the US or because Trump sent their leaders a letter dictating a higher tariff. The new trade policy will go into effect for Canada today. However, virtually every other country will see the tariffs implemented on August 7, in order to give Customs and Border Protection enough time to make the necessary changes to collect the new a short blurb with link to story. The GOP-controlled Senate voted 52-44 on Wednesday to confirm Joe Kent to lead the National Counterterrorism Center, which is tasked with analyzing terrorism-related intelligence and maintains a database of known and suspected terrorists. The retired Army Green Beret served 11 combat tours over a 20-year career, and most recently worked as a top aide to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. CNN previously reported that when Kent mounted two unsuccessful bids for Congress in Washington state, he repeatedly had to disavow past interactions with far-right figures, including Nazi sympathizer Greyson Arnold and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes. Kent said at the time he was unfamiliar with Fuentes and later said he did not want Fuentes' endorsement. During his confirmation hearing, Kent defended his promotion of the conspiracy theory that members of the intelligence community were involved in the January 6, 2021, riot at the US Capitol. President Trump sent letters to the CEOs of 17 major pharmaceutical companies on Thursday, demanding that they bring US drug prices in line with the far lower ones available to patients in other countries. Trump also wants the companies to guarantee that Medicaid, Medicare and commercial-market insurers pay such prices for all new drugs. He gave the companies 60 days to comply. 'But if you refuse to step up, we will deploy every tool in our arsenal to protect American families from continued abusive drug pricing practices,' Trump wrote. 'Americans are demanding lower drug prices, and they need them today.' Representatives of the pharmaceutical industry said Trump's demands could harm research and development — and industry analysts don't expect the drugmakers to acquiesce To carry out the largest deportation operation in American history, the Trump administration has been tapping employees from other parts of the federal government, including the US Marshals Service, the FBI and, now, the TSA's Federal Air Marshals division. According to two sources familiar with the matter and documents seen by CNN, these highly trained agents are taking ICE assignments — some, willingly, others, under intense pressure from supervisors — where they are serving sandwiches and acting as flight security guards. In response, the Air Marshal National Council sent a cease-and-desist letter to Homeland Security and the TSA that accused the Trump administration of undermining security on commercial aircraft. GET '5 THINGS' IN YOUR INBOX If your day doesn't start until you're up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to your new favorite morning fix. Sign up here for the '5 Things' newsletter. Write a short blurb with link to story. Various threats could cause the remains of the English warship Northumberland to become a short blurb with link to story. The Hollywood couple will be honored for something other than their top-notch acting talents. Prepare to pay for the right to take the shot. The restaurant has created its most expensive stack of pancakes to woo fans who enjoy eating luxurious chocolate — and being on trend. Which politician has decided against running for governor of California in 2026?A. Rep. Nancy PelosiB. Former Rep. Katie PorterC. Lt. Gov. Eleni KounalakisD. Former Vice President Kamala Harris Click here to take the complete quiz! $200 millionThat's how much it'll cost for President Trump to build a 90,000-square-foot ballroom on the White House grounds. Construction starts in September. 'His watch may be over, but his impact will never be.' — NYPD Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, at the funeral service for Officer Didarul Islam, who was one of four people killed during a mass shooting in a midtown Manhattan skyscraper on Monday. 🌤️ Check your local forecast to see what you can expect. Thirty years after its original release, the blockbuster film 'Apollo 13' is returning to movie theaters in a big way. Today's edition of 5 Things AM was edited and produced by CNN's Andrew Torgan.
Wall Street Journal
17 minutes ago
- Wall Street Journal
Climate Skeptics Are Tapped by Trump Administration to Justify Regulatory Rollback
WASHINGTON—To make its case that climate regulations should be tossed out, the Trump administration asked a group of five researchers who are skeptical of established climate science to write a report for the Energy Department. The report challenges decades of scientific findings that emissions from cars, power plants and factories are warming the planet and posing risks to human health. The Environmental Protection Agency is using the report as the scientific basis to roll back its so-called endangerment finding, a legal tool that allows the agency to regulate industries and automakers under the Clean Air Act.
New York Times
17 minutes ago
- New York Times
Trump Administration Cuts Funds to U.C.L.A., Chancellor Says
The federal government is cutting research funds for the University of California, Los Angeles, over claims of antisemitism and bias at the institution, according to its chancellor. In a statement late Thursday, the chancellor, Julio Frenk, said that the federal government was cutting 'hundreds of grants' to the university made through the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health. He did not specify which funds were being cut or by how much. The move makes U.C.L.A. the latest university to be targeted by the Trump administration, whose officials allege that administrators have not done enough to combat antisemitism on their campuses. It comes amid a broader pushback by the administration against what it sees as 'woke' ideologies. In recent weeks, Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard, Brown and others have had federal funding reduced or threatened based on broad accusations from the Trump administration that range from antisemitism to improper support for diversity, equity and inclusion programs. In many cases, the government has used the threat of funding cuts to extract concessions and hundreds of millions of dollars in fines from universities. The National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Last year, U.C.L.A. was the site of one of the nation's biggest protests against the Israeli military offensive in Gaza. The demonstrations prompted claims from across the political spectrum that the university didn't do enough to protect Jewish students or pro-Palestinian demonstrators. On Wednesday, the university agreed to pay more than $6 million to settle a lawsuit from Jewish students and a professor who said that the university had allowed a hostile protest on campus. After the settlement was announced, the Department of Justice separately said that it had found the university violated civil rights laws by failing to respond to students' complaints of antisemitism. Mr. Frenk said in his statement that U.C.L.A. had taken 'concrete action' to address antisemitism and discrimination, including creating a new office of campus safety. 'This far-reaching penalty of defunding lifesaving research does nothing to address any alleged discrimination,' he wrote. He called the cuts a 'loss for Americans across the nation' whose work and health rely on the university's research.
