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Journalism of Courage
Good morning!
As India faces a 50 per cent tariff on its goods in the United States, a lot rides on the so far elusive bilateral trade deal. Speaking publicly for the first time, without specifying the trade negotiations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that though he would “personally” have to “pay a very heavy price”, he would “never compromise on the interests of farmers, livestock rearers and fisherfolk”. Crucially, India has drawn red lines around sensitive sectors like agriculture and dairy in its talks with the US.
Zoom in: These high tariffs, set to take effect later this month, are a way for Trump to ‘punish’ India for its purchase of Russian oil. He is also motivated by his desire to eliminate the trade deficit with all US partners. So, how do these tariffs affect India? Since tariffs typically raise the cost of goods for consumers in the country imposing them, Indian consumers may not feel a direct price increase. However, the real damage will come in terms of loss of livelihoods and employment. If American companies shift their sourcing to countries facing lower tariffs, Indian exporters could lose significant business.
Way ahead: Our Managing Editor, P Vaidyanathan Iyer, reports that the government has adopted a wait-and-watch strategy. Sources have said that the government won’t compromise on India’s sovereign decisions, such as trading with Russia or being part of the BRICS coalition. The Indian side has also noted that the stance of the US negotiators keeps changing, and that the talks have been hindered by non-trade and diplomatic issues.
The government had also sought suggestions from industry executives for ways to sweeten the deal for the US. Some of these suggestions include allowing duty-free market access to US cotton and accepting agricultural items under limited quotas.
Watch out: Trump hopes that he can pressure his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, into agreeing to a ceasefire in Ukraine with secondary tariffs on its trading partners. However, Nandan Unnikrishnan, a Distinguished Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, opines that Putin is unlikely to succumb to economic pressure. As Trump and Putin prepare to meet next week, the hope is that they will agree on a roadmap for peace, which could bring relief for India.
🎧 For more on Trump’s tariffs, tune in to today’s ‘3 Things’ podcast episode.
On that note, let’s get to the rest of today’s edition.
In Part 2 of the Express Investigation into the ‘illegal surveillance’ under the BRS regime in Telangana, my colleague Nikhila Henry zeroes in on the “RR module” or the ‘Revanth Reddy’ module. According to investigators, an entire module was dedicated to illegally surveilling the Chief Minister, who was then the chief Opposition member as president of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee. Read our report for more details.
In case you missed Part 1 of the Investigation, read it here.
Misuse? In July, Maharashtra transport minister Pratap Sarnaik came down heavily on Rapido for operating bike taxis in Mumbai “without permission”. His department launched raids and confiscated 78 bike taxis operating for the ride-hailing platform. A month later, Rapido has emerged as the main sponsor of Pro-Govinda League 2025, a Dahi Handi competition in Mumbai organised by Sarnaik’s son. The Opposition has accused Sarnaik of misusing his power.
‘Vote chori’: Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi has accused the Election Commission and the BJP of perpetrating a “huge criminal fraud” in elections. Gandhi has alleged that votes were stolen from the Congress in Karnataka’s Mahadevpura Assembly seat through duplicate voters, fake and invalid addresses, and bulk voters in a single address, among others. The EC has asked Gandhi to submit a written declaration to the Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka.
“Who needs couples therapy when you can watch two fictional people break up and reunite every 47 minutes?”
Though recent romance OTT shows, like When Life Gives You Tangerines, Nobody Wants This and Too Much, may hit the right emotional chords, binge-watching them may not be the best idea. These stories serve heartbreak, lust, and the relief of reconciliations on loop, in algorithm-approved portions. The storylines may span years, but we watch them in mere hours. I leave you with the latest Fresh Take, which dives into the risks of binge-watching romance shows and how that may be skewing our sense of real relationships.
That’s all for today, folks! Happy weekend-ing!
Sonal Gupta
