Hi there, from CNN, I'm Aaron Mathewson, with the five things you need to know for Friday, August 1st. Key government officials are currently in Gaza to obtain a, quote, clear understanding of the humanitarian situation as the starvation crisis in the enclave deepens. That's according to an ex-post by U.S. Special Envoy Steve Whitcoff, who, along with the U.S.
Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, have visited and praised the controversial aid distribution sites organized by the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. The U.N. says hundreds of Palestinians have been killed trying to access aid near GHF sites, which is disputed by the GHF. Here's CNN's Jeremy Diamond.
The bottom line is that this is a controversial distribution mechanism and one that the United States clearly wants to continue and wants to see expanded in some way. We expect that Whitcoff is going to be speaking with President Trump today and that following that, the United States is expected to release some kind of new plan for aid distribution in Gaza. We don't know what that entails, but the United Nations and other humanitarian aid officials say what's most needed right now is for Israel to fully open the crossings into Gaza to get hundreds more trucks of aid per day into the Gaza Strip to even begin to alleviate the starvation crisis there. The White House has set a new trade policy that's set to go into effect August 7th, and it will impact virtually every nation.
Syria and both last in Myanmar are facing the highest adjusted tariffs at 41 and 40 percent respectively, and no African nations have reached a trade deal yet. CNN's Larry Madowo says the situation might move the continent to make more deals with China. The U.S. has raised tariffs on African countries.
China has announced that it intends to drop all tariffs for all African countries except S-14, which recognizes Taiwan, and China's already Africa's largest trading partner, so you can see where that's an easy decision for any African leader. The U.S. is making it harder to export to that market. Meanwhile, the stock market tumbled in response to the tariffs, and the cost of U.S.
imports is expected to continue raising prices for American consumers. President Donald Trump's super PAC, MAGA Inc., raised $177 million during the first half of the year, and nearly $200 million in cash is available to help shape the 2026 midterm elections. This is an unprecedented amount for a president who can't seek another term in office and reflects the aggressive fundraising by Trump and his team since his return to office. Donors include a Wall Street billionaire, a Silicon Valley investor, and even Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who also contributed a total of 10 million to two super PACs geared to help Republicans retain their House and Senate majorities.
MAGA Inc.'s filings late Thursday with the Federal Election Commission also show corporate interests writing big checks to back Trump's political ambitions. Construction on President Trump's $200 million White House ballroom is set to begin next month. White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt made the announcement yesterday. The 90,000-square-foot ballroom on White House rounds will fulfill a 15-year ambition by Trump, who told reporters yesterday, quote, it'll be a great legacy project.
They've wanted a ballroom at the White House for more than 150 years, but there's never been a president that was going to ballroom really good. Renderings given by the Trump administration depict a huge space with gold and crystal chandeliers, gilded tracing columns, gold floor lamps, and a checkered marble floor. Have you heard about cortisol cocktails? Never been viral online, but are they good?
That's next. Let's make the trending cortisol cocktail. Next, TikToker is a salty cooker, sharing her recipe for a so-called cortisol cocktail. If you've spent some time on TikTok or Instagram lately, chances are you've seen these strange trending as the latest bonus hack.
The colorful, non-alcoholic drink usually contains a mix of coconut water, citrus juice, and certain salts, also known as a, quote, adrenal cocktail. Influences are claiming that they can lower stress hormones, boost energy, and bounce your body's adrenal function. But CNN wellness expert Dr. Liana Wynn says there's no scientific evidence to prove that.
And as for those reporting its benefits, Dr. Wynn says it might just be that those people were not getting enough fluids or electrolytes beforehand, or it could simply be a placebo effect. That's all for now. Tune in at 3 p.m.
Eastern for our next episode.