This week on Hafta, Newslaundry’s Abhinandan Sekhri, Raman Kirpal, Manisha Pande, and Shardool Katyayan are joined by Semafor’s business reporter Rohan Goswami and political consultant and federalism expert Tara Krishnaswamy. 

On Trump’s flip-flop on tariffs and the escalating trade war with China, Rohan says: “Trump created tremendous panic. He got what he wanted. World leaders are calling and begging him... but a 90-day pause is not enough.” He highlights that, unlike the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2008 financial crisis, America’s current market chaos is a “self-inflicted situation”.

Manisha analyses the common threads between Narendra Modi’s demonetisation policy and Trump’s tariffs. Shardool adds, “Trump is famous because he is funny. He should be made the TV-President because he understands TV best.”

The panel also discusses the Supreme Court’s scathing remarks about the Tamil Nadu Governor earlier this week. Tara remarks,“The time has come to either define the Governor’s role – starting from appointment to powers – in a bilateral manner, or abolish the position and assign its duties to the appropriate authorities.”

Raman adds, “The battle between chief ministers and governors has increased tremendously since 2014.”

This and a lot more. Tune in!

Hafta letters: India’s litterbugs, Mumbai woes, counting cricket viewers

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Song: Money, money, money - ABBA

Timecodes

00:00:00 – Introductions and announcements

00:04:48 – Headlines 

00:15:34 – Trump’s tariff flip-flops

01:05:29 – Supreme Court on TN Governor

01:32:12 – Letters

01:48:08 – Recommendations

References 

NL Sena - The impunity of India’s police

Subscribe to NL-TNM

Locked up without trial: The story of Delhi riots FIR #59

Semafor’s World Economy Summit

President Trump’s cabinet meeting

The Apprentice

Recommendations

Rohan

Empire of Pain

Tara

Truth, Love & a Little Malice

Raman

NL Documentary: The Price of Dissent?

Close

Manisha

Piyush Goyal is right and wrong: Why Indian startups aren’t building the future

Johari Window and Donald Trump: The tariff tantrums of a man who thinks he knows

NL Documentary:The Price of Dissent?

Shardool

NATO Expansion: What Gorbachev Heard

Khoresh Bademjan

Abhinandan

How the War on Drugs got us….blueberrie

Loosetalk Ep 49

Loosetalk | Lucknow ki Tehzeeb Dikhaun

Check out previous Hafta recommendations, references, songs and letters 

Produced and recorded by Priyali Dhingra and Ashish Anand.
Production assistance by intern Pragya Chakroborty.

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