Charlie Kirk: Youth Mobiliser

His campus debates influenced the return of a generation to US conservative politics 

The importance of Charlie Kirk (1993-2025), who was shot dead at Utah Valley University, Utah, in the political firmament of the US can be gauged in the country’s President Donald Trump giving a public address mourning him. He termed it a “dark moment for America.” Kirk was young at 31, and as a rightwing political influencer supporting the Republican Party, had carved a unique niche in mobilising youths into that fold of the political spectrum.  

His activism began in 2012 when he founded Turning Point USA. Within a few years, the organisation gained momentum. He was made for the social media era. Before Trump, when universities were strongholds of woke left liberals, Kirk’s modus operandi was to put up a table on a campus and invite debates filmed and put on YouTube. Books and podcasts followed, and soon, he had an enormous following making him a leading political voice. 

Youths were a constituency that had veered away from Republicans, and he was pulling them back. It made him very important to politicians running elections. Trump, during his campaigning phase, cosied up to Kirk in glowing terms. After winning, he was a regular presence at the White House. Those at the other end of the political spectrum reviled him for the issues he stood for—anti-abortion, opposition to gun control and transgender activism, etc. But no one expected an assassination. It has come as a shock to the system, and the anger unleashed is expected to have great repercussions.  (By  Madhavankutty Pillai) 

Noisemaker
Mehraj Malik: Serial Offender

In a dubious first, AAP MLA in Jammu & Kashmir Mehraj Malik was arrested under the Public Safety Act (PSA) for disturbing the public order in Doda. The case in point is Malik’s allegedly offensive remarks against Deputy Commissioner Harvinder Singh. Malik has earned a reputation for uncouth behaviour and his diatribe against the official resulted in strong protests by government employees who said the MLA was a habitual offender targetting government officials. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah protested that PSA was too strong a measure to be used against Malik, but sometimes nothing else seems to work.

Ideas
Succession

Two years back, the hit TV show Succession ended with something of an anticlimax, with none of the squabbling siblings managing to inherit their father’s media empire. A few days back, the real-life succession battle from which the show was inspired—the decades-long feud within the Rupert Murdoch family to control its media business—finally came to a conclusion. It gave Lachlan, Murdoch’s preferred choice, full control of the business. In exchange, Lachlan’s older siblings—Prudence, Elisabeth, and James—are to get payouts of around $1.1 billion each.

The deal brings to an end one of the most dramatic family feuds in modern corporate history. Unlike Murdoch and his chosen heir Lachlan who are known to be conservative, Prudence, Elisabeth, and James are seen to be politically less so. The concern over the political bent of the outlets wouldn’t have mattered till the time Murdoch was alive. But all bets were off once he died, since he had effectively given away his power to choose a successor long ago when he created a family trust that gave the four of his oldest children equal control of the business after his death. Succession can be a tricky issue in family-controlled corporations. And the Murdoch family saga showed just how difficult this can get.  In the show Succession, none of the siblings come to an agreement and the media group gets swallowed up by another firm. Art sometimes does imitate life. But by reaching a deal, at least for now, it appears, life won’t be imitating art. 

Money Mantra
The Real Returns
Trade headlines lift sentiment but fundamentals drive lasting value

The US is a crucial partner for Indian exporters across IT services, pharma, engineering, and select chemicals. So, friendlier terms can ease input costs, reduce friction over approvals, and improve order books. But remember that supply chains, contracts, and regulatory cycles don’t rewire overnight.

Even in sectors most exposed to the US, delivery, compliance, customer concentration, and utilisation are what show up in the EPS, not the press conference. If you cannot map a trade headline to a cash-flow line item—higher export volumes, duty relief on a specific input, lower working capital—don’t pay for it in the multiple you accept.

Where policy can change behaviour faster is inside India’s own internal dynamics. GST rationalisation, including the latest slab simplification effective from September 22, 2025, is the kind of structural change that helps compound in the long run. 

Why? Because it tightens formalisation, lowers friction, and, in some categories, trims end-prices enough to push demand. Early innings often look like a volume pop with stable or slightly better gross margins as companies pass through benefits to win share. 

It is only later that the more interesting, second-order effects show up in ecosystems. Every incremental vehicle or appliance sale impacts credit, insurance, logistics, and after-sales markets. Well-run lenders and organised suppliers can compound more steadily than the big brands that grab headlines.

The positioning, then, is straightforward. Underwrite earnings, not euphoria. Sort your exposure by dependency: Exporters where order books and regulatory status dominate; domestic demand engines such as banks, NBFCs, autos, building materials, consumer goods—where GST and real incomes do the heavy lifting; and input-price arbiters where global spreads matter more than any single bilateral outcome. 

Above all, prefer stronger balance sheets that turn policy spurts into share gains without resorting to leverage.  ( By Ramesh Singh)

Viral
Lemon Pop

Anyone who has been to a car dealership  will know that the sales manager will usually hand over a plate full of pooja items, sometimes even a coconut or a lemon, along with the keys to the car. Buyers of course do not expect any less. A few days ago, when a 29-year-old woman who had bought a Mahindra Thar Roxx from a dealership in Delhi was presented with a lemon along with the keys to the car, it appears she thought little about the risks associated with starting a vehicle inside a building. The vehicle was on the first floor of the showroom, and, according to reports, the woman intended to move the vehicle just a bit, as is the custom, to crush the lemon. She instead landed up accelerating the vehicle a lot more than expected, crashing through the glass wall, and landing on the footpath outside. Videos of the vehicle, turned upside down, and stunned individuals looking up at the gaping hole on the first floor, quickly went viral. There were no injuries, according to reports, but dealerships will perhaps now rethink this practice of squeezing lemons inside a showroom. 

Charlie KirkIndian politicsinvestmentMehraj Maliknewsmakersnoisemakersstock market