Trump’s 100 Days, Planet Shifts, & a Star Wars-Derby-Cinco Weekend

THE WEEKLY STEEP

Why did the chai refuse to gossip?
It didn't want to spill the tea. ☕👀

(Got a better one? Reply to this email with your best chai-time joke!)

WHAT’S BREWING 🫖

Global:

• 🐉 China Responds: “We’ll Talk Trade, If You Drop the Tariffs”

  Beijing says it's open to talking trade but only if the U.S. walks back its latest round of tariffs. Meanwhile, China continues quietly pulling back from U.S. Treasury bonds, signaling long-term nerves about American debt. An all-out selloff isn’t likely, but trust? Definitely shaken. Read more

• ⚒️ U.S. & Ukraine Just Signed a Rare Earth Deal. Russia's Not Invited

  The U.S. and Ukraine just inked a landmark partnership to tap into Ukraine’s mineral goldmine, think lithium, titanium, and rare earths critical for defense and tech. The 50/50 fund skips debt, keeps Ukrainian ownership intact, and ties directly to future U.S. military aid. The kicker? Zero benefit for anyone tied to Russia. Read more

• 🍁 Mark Carney Wins It; Liberals Secure 4th Term in Canada

  Canada’s Liberals, led by Mark Carney, secured a fourth term with a 169-seat minority in the 343-seat Parliament. They’ll need partners to pass laws, and Carney’s economic focus will steer immigration, housing and Indo-Canadian trade. Read more

U.S.:

• 🇺🇸 100 Days of Trump 2.0: Fast, Fierce, and Legally Fraught

  142 executive orders. Border crossings down 95%. Gas prices dipped, but tariffs are rattling markets. Trump’s second term is off to a record-breaking and deeply polarizing start, with sweeping immigration crackdowns, federal job cuts, and court battles already underway. Approval rating? A bleak 41%. Read more 

• 💰U.S. GDP Dips 0.3%, Markets Shrug, Economists Side-Eye

  The U.S. economy contracted for the first time since 2022, down 0.3% in Q1. The culprit? A tariff panic rush on imports and tighter federal purse strings. Consumer spending stayed strong (hello, Taylor Swift economy), but business investment slowed and trade policy jitters are making Wall Street sweat, just a little (Analysis.) Despite the economic headwinds, the U.S. added a better than expected 177k jobs in April, beating forecasts of 133k. Read more 

South Asia:

• India-Pakistan Tensions Escalate; US and UN Call for Calm

  Cross-border fire and diplomatic sparring have intensified between India and Pakistan, prompting international appeals for restraint as both sides remain on high alert.

MONEY MOVES 💰

Markets Last Week:

Featured Articles:

✨The Dollar’s Extra Time: In 2025, the U.S. dollar’s iron grip is showing cracks as mounting debt, tariff tensions, and emerging rivals heat up the global arena. If you’re wiring remittances to family, juggling cross-border investments, or budgeting that Goa getaway, brace for wobblier exchange rates and surprise fees. Read Here

PLAY BY PLAY 🏏 

IPL: Mumbai Indians just flexed hard, top of the IPL table after steamrolling the Royals. Gujarat Titans are still stacking runs, and the playoff race is officially spicy. Keep your eyes on Sai Sudharsan and SKY with the bat, and Noor Ahmad + Ashwani Kumar with the ball.

• Player Spotlight: Priyansh Arya (PBKS): Just dropped a 42-ball 103, fastest ton by an uncapped player this IPL. Not bad for a debut headline. Ashwani Kumar (MI): Took 4 wickets on debut and struck with his very first ball. First Indian to ever do it. Mic. Drop.

• Our IPL 2025 guide has your back, clutch match picks, streaming hacks, and zero sketchy links. Tap in

Tennis: Madrid Open Finals: Gauff vs. Sabalenka lights up May 3, while the men’s title gets decided May 4; Draper or Musetti will take on the winner of Ruud vs. Cerundolo.

F1: the Miami Grand Prix hits the Miami Int’l Autodrome from May 2-4, with the main race revving up on Sunday, May 4.

NBA: NBA Conference Semifinals Start Next Week

RAISING ROOTS 🌱 

Parent-Kid Reboot: Talk Beyond "How Was School?"

Forget staring into the fridge for answers or orbiting your kids like bored satellites.
South Asian families are making connection hilarious, chaotic, and actually fun again, one dance battle, cook-off, and fake spy mission at a time.

💥 Parent-Kid Connect 2.0 =
✓ Scheduled silliness (dignity optional)
 ✓ Role reversal hour (kids rule)
 ✓ Embarrassment equality (bring it)
 ✓ No screens. Full chaos.
🎖️Bonus points for "The Embarrassing Dad" signature dance move.

Raising tiny humans? Laugh first, parent second. Ready to upgrade your family bonding without the guilt trip? ✨ Read the full playbook here

LIVING WELL 🍵

This Week’s Glow Debate: Glass Skin vs. Butter Skin

You're standing in Sephora. Your mom’s yelling about besan. Your cousin’s sending DIY turmeric masks. Your friend swears by K-beauty. And you? You're just trying to glow without breaking out or breaking the bank. 🧴✨

We’re settling the skincare debate, with nuance, melanin, and a little sarcasm:
💧 Glass Skin: Misty, poreless, high-drama hydration.
🧈 Butter Skin: Smooth, radiant, and made for South Asian glow.

Spoiler: Your skin isn’t a trend. It’s a legacy. Find out which glow works for your vibe (and why "poreless" is a scam anyway). 👉🏽 Read the full face-off here 

COSMIC CHAI 🔮

Your Weekly Horoscope (May 2 - May 9)

Mars is throwing gym selfies, retrogrades are finally ghosting, and your 5-year plan just triple-texted “u up?” This week’s vibe? Move with main character energy, flirt with reckless optimism, and rearrange your spice rack like it’s a TED Talk on chakras. Big wins (and bigger glow-ups) ahead. Read your full horoscope here

🌿 Earth signs: Rooted, radiant, and plotting quiet empires. You’re watering the right seeds and skipping every messy group chat.
🌊 Water signs: Your emotional GPS just rerouted, smoother roads, softer wins. Drift where it feels delicious, not just familiar.
🔥 Fire signs: You're kinetic. You're electric. But pace it, prodigy, not every green light means floor it.
🌬 Air signs: Your social currency is in bull market mode. Talk less, move sharper, let the orbiters come to you.

EDITOR'S PICK 📚

5 Types of Wealth By Sahil Bloom

This week’s pick is one of those rare finds you’ll want to screenshot, send to the family group chat, and rethink your 5-year plan, over chai. In The 5 Types of Wealth, Sahil Bloom reminds us that true wealth isn’t just financial, it’s time, community, health, mental clarity, and yes, money too. 👉🏽 Read more here 

UPCOMING WEEK (MAY 2 - MAY 9) 🗓️

From ponies to pani puri to the Power of the Force, May’s looking deliciously chaotic.

• May 3: Kentucky Derby: The 151st running at Churchill Downs. Journalism is the favorite. 🐎 Derby expertise in 2 minutes. here 

• May 4: Star Wars Day (“May the Fourth Be With You”): 💫 Celebrate Star Wars Day like a South Asian Jedi. here

• May 5: Cinco de Mayo: 🌮 Host the masala-fusion Cinco de Mayo party of everyone’s dreams. here 

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