By Jade Walker

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.”

Here's what else you need to know to get up to speed and on with your day.

A car is submerged in floodwaters on Thursday in Joppatowne, Maryland. Casaundra Ayres

Extreme weather

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. 

Tariffs

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 duties. 

Counterterrorism

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.

Drug prices

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.

Air marshals

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. 

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Fairground ride snaps in mid-air
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Ted Danson, Mary Steenburgen to receive special award at Emmys
The Hollywood couple will be honored for something other than their top-notch acting talents.

Want a perfect picture of the Dolomites for Instagram?
Prepare to pay for the right to take the shot.

IHOP pines for TikTok’s attention
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 Pelosi

B. Former Rep. Katie Porter

C. Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis

D. Former Vice President Kamala Harris

$200 million

That’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.

‘Houston, we have a problem.’ 
Thirty years after its original release, the blockbuster film “Apollo 13” is returning to movie theaters in a big way.

5 Things AM is edited by CNN's Andrew Torgan.

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