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US President Donald Trump said on Monday that India and the US have agreed to a trade deal under which Washington will bring down reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods to 18 per cent from the current 25 per cent.

On this Special Report, the focus is on the escalating trade tensions between India and the United States. White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro has sparked a fresh controversy by questioning the cost burden of artificial intelligence services. Navarro stated, 'Why are Americans paying for AI in India?' while highlighting that platforms like ChatGPT operate on US soil and consume American electricity to serve large user bases in India and China. The transcript explores whether access to global digital platforms should be viewed as a national cost burden rather than a business decision. This development comes at a critical juncture as India prepares to host the India AI Impact Summit in February. Experts suggest that India’s massive user base actually helps improve AI models through data sets, making the technology transfer mutually beneficial. The programme examines the potential impact of these remarks on the ongoing India-US trade deadlock and whether they represent a new pressure tactic by Washington.

In a major India Today impact, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has issued a strict notice to social media platform X regarding the misuse of its Grok AI tool. The government has flagged that Grok is being used to generate and circulate obscene, non-consensual deepfake images of women. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, who raised the issue with IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, stated, 'It is extremely scary that we are living in times where we, as a woman... live in the constant danger of our photographs being misused.' The Ministry has ordered X to conduct a comprehensive review and submit an action-taken report within 72 hours or face legal consequences.

In a significant move to curb digital abuse, the IT Ministry has issued a stern notice to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) regarding the misuse of its Grok AI service. India Today Journalist Aishwarya Paliwal reports that the ministry has flagged the creation and circulation of obscene, deepfake images of women using the AI tool. The government has set a strict 72-hour deadline for X to remove all such derogatory content and submit an action-taken report. The notice highlights that these activities violate the IT Act and undermine the modesty of women. The ministry has warned that failure to comply could result in the platform losing its legal immunity. This development follows complaints from several MPs about the misuse of their images on the platform.

In a special report on India Today's Five Live, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi discusses her urgent letter to IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw regarding the misuse of X's Grok AI. Chaturvedi highlights a disturbing trend where the AI is prompted to 'undress' women, generating non-consensual explicit images. She calls for strict guardrails and accountability from Big Tech firms like X (formerly Twitter), stating, 'Our country cannot be a bystander to women's dignity being violated publicly.' The MP emphasizes that while she opposes bans, platforms must be held responsible for criminal negligence and ensure digital safety.

In a significant endorsement from the Kannada film industry, actor Kichcha Sudeep has publicly praised Tamil superstar and TVK chief Vijay. During an 'Ask Me Anything' (AMA) session on Twitter, a fan asked Sudeep for his thoughts on Vijay's upcoming film 'Jananayakan', which is slated for release on the 9th of January. Sudeep replied by calling Vijay a 'visionary'. The report highlights the strong bond between the two actors and notes that this support follows a similar endorsement from Shiva Rajkumar. The segment discusses whether this 'star power' will bolster Vijay's political journey in Tamil Nadu.

In this breaking news report, India Today's Moshmi Singh details a fresh controversy involving Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. Tharoor has publicly endorsed a social media thread that offers a 'thoughtful criticism' of the Congress party, explicitly contrasting his own political class with the ideology represented by Rahul Gandhi. The report highlights the widening rift within the party, noting Tharoor's recent absence from key parliamentary meetings and his comments during the Kerala local body elections about not being asked to campaign. This latest move is seen as a reflection of the deepening ideological divide between Tharoor and the Congress leadership.

In this Special Report, an Unidentified speaker details the controversy surrounding a new feature on X (formerly Twitter) that reveals the geographical location of accounts. Launched by X's Head of Product Nikita Bier, the tool was designed to combat inauthentic engagement but has inadvertently exposed numerous politically active handles. The report highlights how accounts appearing to be local Indian users, such as '@chaturvedi_swat', are actually operated from countries like Pakistan. Similarly, in the United States, purported 'MAGA' supporters and a massive fan page for Ivanka Trump were traced to Nigeria and Eastern Europe. The speaker also notes technical limitations, citing a glitch where the BJP Gujarat handle was erroneously shown as based in Ireland due to proxy or VPN issues.

In a significant political development in Karnataka, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar are holding a crucial breakfast meeting today at the CM's residence in Bengaluru. The meeting follows an intervention by the Congress High Command, specifically K.C. Venugopal, who instructed both leaders to defuse the ongoing tension and 'war of words' between them. Speaking ahead of the meeting, Siddaramaiah reiterated his loyalty to the party, stating, 'There is no change in my stance. Senior party leaders called me... Will abide by whatever the high command says.' India Today reporter Akshita Nandagopal reports that while the meeting aims to project unity, the underlying power tussle for the Chief Minister's post continues. The High Command has stepped in to prevent further public discord as the government faces internal friction.

A major political controversy has erupted around Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra after she backed a Canadian vlogger's social media post that disparaged the festival of Diwali and called Indians 'brain dead'. Moitra stated her clarification was: 'just clarifying, my Twitter feed was showing a lot of videos and I meant to say I agree to a video just below the racist one by some Nate, my mistake, traveling and didn't check till now.' The incident drew sharp condemnation from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which accused the MP of displaying 'anti-India and anti-Hindu sentiment'. Faced with significant public and political backlash, Moitra later issued the apology, claiming she had reposted the offensive content by mistake while travelling and had not checked her feed properly. The TMC MP said she had intended to endorse a different video.

A truck carrying LPG cylinders caught fire following a collision on the Jaipur-Ajmer highway in the Dudhu region. The incident resulted in multiple cylinder blasts, causing an 18 to 20-kilometre-long traffic jam that left hundreds of vehicles stranded. Video from the scene captures the sound of the cylinders exploding. SDRF and Civil Defence teams have been dispatched to the location to carry out rescue work. Deputy Chief Minister Dr. Premchand Berwa and BJP MLA Kailash Verma arrived at the accident area. Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma also commented on the incident, stating on Twitter, "Fire brigade and disaster management teams are engaged in relief and rescue operations at the incident site. "

The Karnataka High Court has rejected a petition by social media platform X, formerly Twitter, which challenged takedown orders issued by the central government.

Historian Sam Dalrymple’s viral thread claims Vedic gods appeared in a 14th-century BCE Mitanni treaty.

Actor Vijay Sethupathi has found himself at the centre of controversy following tweets by a user on X, accusing him of sexual exploitation.

On News Today, the focus is on the imminent announcement of a limited trade deal between India and the United States. Sources indicate that agriculture and dairy products will not be included in this initial agreement. The programme also covers the escalating language war in Mumbai, with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and Shiv Sena UBT protesting against perceived injustices to Marathi speakers. The language debate in Maharashtra has intensified, with political parties clashing over Marathi pride and alleged Hindi imposition. The Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena have opposed recent government orders making Hindi mandatory in schools from class 1 to 5. Critics argue this is an attempt to diminish Marathi language and culture. The ruling Shiv Sena faction defends the government's stance, citing efforts to promote Marathi. The controversy has sparked wider discussions on language politics, cultural identity and the balance between regional languages and Hindi across India. Violence and intimidation tactics by some groups have been condemned. Additionally, the show addresses the ban on old cars in Delhi NCR to combat pollution, and the government's response to X's (formerly Twitter) claims of press censorship in India. Other top stories include the Air India plane crash probe and Bihar's election promises.

On 'To The Point', the focus is on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's announcement of 35% reservation for women in government jobs, aimed at empowering women and reshaping Bihar's workforce. This policy applies to all government positions at every level and department, but only for original residents of the state. The decision comes months before the Bihar Assembly elections, with women constituting nearly half of Bihar's 7.64 crore voters. In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, women outvoted men with a 59.4% turnout compared to 53% among men. The government has also approved the formation of a Bihar Youth Commission to address unemployment concerns. The announcement has sparked debate on whether it's a genuine push for empowerment or a well-timed political strategy, especially given that a similar 35% reservation policy has been in place since 2015. Additionally, the transcript covers a controversy between the Indian government and social media platform X (formerly Twitter) over the blocking of Reuters and over 2000 handles. X claims the government ordered blocking without justification, while the government denies issuing any fresh blocking orders, raising concerns about press freedom and censorship. The upcoming Kaavad Yatra is also discussed, with reports of shops and dhabas along the route being made to display 'I am Hindu' posters, sparking a debate on religious profiling and discrimination. The discussion touches on broader issues of religious identity, caste census, and economic discrimination, with opposing views from BJP and Samajwadi Party spokespersons.

A controversy has erupted between the Indian government and social media platform X over the blocking of Reuters and over 2000 handles.

Google paid an Indian-American businessman a mammoth $100 million a decade ago to keep him from joining Twitter, now known as X.

On May 26, 2025, the hashtag #FundKaveriEngine took over X as citizens, defence experts, and aviation enthusiasts united to urge the Indian government to invest in the indigenous jet engine project.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs drew attention after a public plea for international loans amid rising military tensions with India. However, the situation took a turn when the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting claimed that the Economic Affairs Division’s official X (formerly Twitter) account had been hacked.