On today's podcast:  
1) President Trump sends out a wave of tariff letters, while suggesting he's open to negotiations. President Trump released letters threatening higher tariffs, but he extended the deadline for talks to Aug. 1, the day that the new levies will take effect. The letters were released two days before agreements were due from trading partners facing Trump’s so-called reciprocal levies.
2) The death toll rises in Texas as questions remain about preparedness for the disaster. More than 100 people have been confirmed dead in floods that tore through central Texas over the weekend. The disaster has sparked debate about whether anything more could have been done to prevent it, with questions raised about warning systems, forecasts, and notification of people in the affected areas.
3) A setback for Apple as a top AI executive leaves to join Meta. Ruoming Pang, a distinguished engineer and manager in charge of Apple's foundation models team, is leaving for Meta Platforms Inc. Meta offered Pang a package worth tens of millions of dollars per year, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Pang's departure could be the start of a string of exits from the AFM group, with several engineers telling colleagues they are planning to leave in the near future to Meta or elsewhere, the people said.

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