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Devin Haney shares his prediction for the Ryan Garcia vs Mario Barrios world title fight
Devin Haney has offered his prediction for the fight between his former foe Ryan Garcia and WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios.
Garcia is expected to lock horns with Barrios on February 21, with ‘King Ry’ declaring on social media last week that he has signed on the dotted line.
The 27-year-old’s first outing at 147lbs did not exactly go according to plan, however, as a lacklustre performance ultimately saw him lose a unanimous decision to Rolando Romero.
That second professional defeat arrived in May, just over a year removed from Garcia’s controversial majority decision victory over Haney, which was later overturned to a no-contest.
This was because ‘King Ry’ had tested positive for ostarine, a performance-enhancing substance, which then prompted the New York State Athletic Commission to hand him a year-long ban. Despite that, and indeed his loss to Romero, Garcia is set for the chance to become world champion at 147lbs in 2026..
Since his first encounter with Garcia, meanwhile, Haney has bounced back with an uneventful win over Jose Ramirez, who he outpointed in May, and a far more impressive display against Brian Norman Jr.
After flooring his man in the second round of their fight last Saturday, Haney encountered minimal difficulty before claiming a unanimous decision victory over Norman and being crowned the new WBO welterweight champion.
With the 27-year-old having become a three-division world champion, it would seem that a rematch with Garcia remains at the top of his wish list.
Speaking with Fight Hub TV after his victory over Norman, Haney expressed his confidence that their potential showdown will materialise and that it will be a unification.
“Of course [I want the rematch with Garcia] – that’s redemption. The same way he was rooting for me [against Norman], I’ll be rooting for him [against Barrios].
“I want him to win, and I think that [the stars] will align. It’ll be a massive fight.”
If Garcia can defeat Barrios, a two-belt clash against Haney would certainly be one of the biggest fights of 2026.
Air Puffs Control Aircraft
DARPA’s X-65, that replaces conventional aircraft flight controls with puffs of air, is coming together at Boeing subsidiary Aurora’s Bridgeport, West Virginia facility. The fuselage is taking shape and awaits its radical wing design.
With its advanced diamond wing, the X-65 Control of Revolutionary Aircraft with Novel Effectors (CRANE) uncrewed demonstrator looks like it sneaked out of a science fiction movie. It’s already strange enough with its odd angles and unconventional flight services, but its purpose makes it even stranger as more details are released about its design.
The goal of the X-65 is to study how to do away with things like rudders, flaps, ailerons and other control surfaces. True, these are necessary for a small thing like making an aircraft able to fly, but they do have inherent drawbacks.
For one thing, they rely on complex mechanical systems to move, control systems to operate them, and structural elements to hold it all together, which means weight, complexity, and money. Another problem is that all the gaps, hinges, and deflecting surfaces for these control surfaces result in more drag, which reduces the aircraft’s efficiency.
About the size of a jet trainer, the X-65 aims at replacing all of this with a new Active Flow Control (AFC) system, where holes in the wings and the empennage shoot out carefully controlled jets of air from 14 nozzles to disrupt the airflow streaming over the aircraft, turning areas into virtual control surfaces.
By selectively activating these nozzles on one side of the aircraft or on sections of the wing, the AFC can instantly increase lift on one side by inducing roll, change the downwash at the rear to control pitch, or manipulate flow over the vertical surfaces to control yaw.
Aurora Flight Science
In addition, the system can increase lift by controlling airflow on the leading edge of the wing, and the lack of control surfaces makes the aircraft inherently more stealthy because there’s less chance of radar signals finding angles to bounce off of.
So why the weird diamond wing?
The diamond wing is a low-aspect-ratio, straight-edged appendage that was chosen because, according to the designers, it’s the optimum testbed for the CRANE program. The straight edges of the wing and the variety of acute sweep angles enable the X-65 to generate different types of airflow patterns across its surfaces. It’s also highly susceptible to flow separation or breakdown of smooth airflow. The AFC system is designed to counteract and manipulate this breakdown. In fact, it exploits it in order to create the virtual control surfaces.
Because this is a test aircraft, the X-65 incorporates conventional moving control surfaces. DARPA describes these as “training wheels” that provide an added margin of safety, and in the early flights will establish a performance baseline against which to measure later flights using the AFC system. During these flights, the aircraft will reach transonic speeds, yet the new system is also expected to improve the performance of the diamond wing at slower speeds and high angles of attack – a part of the flight envelope that it generally handles poorly.
The X-65 is a few years behind schedule due to technical difficulties, and the maiden flight is now set for late 2027. After the CRANE program is completed, its replaceable modular components will allow it to be used as a testbed for later projects. This modularity also gives engineers the ability to use different nozzle configurations during current testing.
“We’re excited to continue our longstanding partnership with DARPA to complete the build of the X-65 aircraft and demonstrate the capabilities of active flow control in flight,” said Larry Wirsing, VP of aircraft development at Aurora Flight Sciences. “The X-65 platform will be an enduring flight test asset, and we’re confident that future aircraft designs and research missions will be able to leverage the underlying technologies and flight test data.”
Source: Aurora Flight Science
Alvaro Uribe’s Brother Sentenced to 28 Years in Prison by Colombian Court | Latest Court Updates
Bogota, Colombia – Santiago Uribe, the brother of former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, has been sentenced to 28 years and three months in prison for aggravated homicide and conspiracy to commit a crime while leading a paramilitary group.
In Tuesday’s verdict, a three-judge panel in the northwestern province of Antioquia ruled that, in the early 1990s, Uribe “formed and led an illegal armed group”.
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Under Uribe’s leadership, the group allegedly “carried out a plan to systematically murder and exterminate people considered undesirable”.
Uribe has denied having any associations with paramilitary groups. His defence team plans to appeal.
The ruling reverses a lower court’s acquittal last year. The case will now pass to Colombia’s Supreme Court for a final verdict.
The conviction is the latest twist in a longstanding criminal investigation into the Uribe family and its alleged paramilitary ties.
Critics have accused Uribe and his brother, the former president, of maintaining ties to groups involved in grave human rights abuses during Colombia’s six-decade-long internal conflict.
Tuesday’s conviction relates to activities that took place on and around the Uribe family’s La Carolina cattle ranch, located in Antioquia.
In its 307-page ruling, the court detailed how the ranch was used as a base for The 12 Apostles, a far-right paramilitary group formed by ranchers in the early 1990s to combat leftist rebels, notably the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
The court described The 12 Apostles as a “death squad”, saying it performed “social cleansing” by killing “undesirables” including sex workers, drug users, people with mental illnesses and suspected leftist sympathisers.
Not only did the paramilitary group hold meetings at La Carolina, but training and weapons distribution were also carried out on site, according to the ruling.
Those were “acts with which crimes against humanity were committed”, the judges wrote.
Describing Uribe as the leader of The 12 Apostles, the court found him responsible for ordering the murder of Camilo Barrientos, a bus driver who was shot near La Carolina in 1994 for being a suspected rebel collaborator.
Tuesday’s ruling also highlighted collusion between paramilitaries and state security forces, saying the militia “enjoyed the cooperation, through action and inaction, of agents of the State”.
Uribe was first investigated for his involvement with The 12 Apostles in the late 1990s, but the investigation was dropped in 1999 due to a lack of evidence.
Colombian authorities resumed their investigation in 2010, detaining Uribe in 2016 on charges of homicide.
While the trial ended in 2020, the lower court announced its verdict years later, in November 2024. The judge overseeing the case at the time, Jaime Herrera Nino, ruled there was insufficient evidence and acquitted Uribe.
Tuesday’s decision overturns that verdict. Human rights advocates applauded the ruling as a step towards accountability, even at the highest levels of power.
“The sentence is extremely important,” said Laura Bonilla, a deputy director at Colombia’s Peace and Reconciliation Foundation (Pares). “It shows the level of penetration that paramilitarism had in Colombian society.”
Gerson Arias, a conflict and security investigator at the Ideas for Peace Foundation, a Colombian think tank, said the complexity of the case reflects the power structures involved.
“Paramilitarism was deeply rooted in the upper echelons of society, and therefore clarifying what happened takes years,” he said.
“It is therefore likely that many of the collective things we know about paramilitarism are still pending resolution and discovery.”
The defendant’s brother, former President Alvaro Uribe, led Colombia from 2002 to 2010.
The ex-president himself was found guilty earlier this year of bribing former paramilitary members not to testify to his involvement with them.
The ruling was overturned in October, after a court ruled the evidence was gathered through an unlawful wiretap. It also cited “structural deficiencies” in the prosecution’s arguments.
The former president remains a powerful figure in right-wing politics in Colombia, and he has pledged to form a coalition to oppose a left-wing government in the 2026 elections.
“I feel deep pain over the sentence against my brother. May God help him,” the ex-president wrote on the social media platform X following Tuesday’s ruling.
Quarterly Dividend of $0.36 Declared by TriCo Bancshares
TriCo Bancshares declares $0.36 quarterly dividend
Who is the key figure leading Ukraine peace talks for Trump’s administration?
PA MediaWhen talks to end the Russia-Ukraine war took an unexpected turn last week, with the leak of a peace plan said to come from the US, the Trump administration dispatched an unlikely figure to attend a flurry of overseas meetings.
The youngest-ever army secretary, 39-year-old Dan Driscoll, is often referred to as President Donald Trump’s “drone guy” for his embrace of emerging battlefield technologies. Until recently, he was mostly known for discussions of budgets, supplies and staff issues in the military’s largest branch.
Driscoll does not appear have a long history of dealing with Russian and Ukraine, or experience in international diplomacy, and has never held public office.
So, who is this increasingly prominent figure within the administration?
Close ally of Vice-President JD Vance
It is Driscoll’s relationship with the now-vice president, JD Vance, that brought him into Trump’s orbit.
Like his friend Vance, Driscoll attended a public university before joining the US Army, and then earned his law degree at the prestigious Yale University. Both men also worked in finance after graduating.
During his military career, Driscoll became an officer in 2007, led a cavalry platoon and deployed to Iraq for several months in 2009.
He has told the story of meeting Vance through a veterans’ student group at law school, during which Vance reassured new students that they would at first feel as if they did not belong, but would excel at classes after a few months. Soon, Vance became Driscoll’s friend and mentor.
Driscoll was on holiday with his family in Switzerland in the summer of 2024 when Vance called to tell him he was going to be Trump’s running mate and asked him to join the campaign.
The next day, Driscoll flew back to the US, bought a suit at an outlet mall, and took an Uber to the Republican National Convention, he told the alumni magazine for the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill – the institution where he was an undergraduate.
Once Trump returned to office, Driscoll was swiftly approved as army secretary in his Senate confirmation vote. His sphere of influence expanded after he became a key figure in Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to US cities. Afterwards, he also took over the role of acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Getty ImagesUnannounced visit to Ukraine
Driscoll has often spoken about the war in Ukraine – pointing to Ukrainian drones as a relatively cheap, mass-produced technology that is good for fighting.
But after being nominated for the army secretary job, he did not initially appear to be involved in negotiations to end the war. Trump was instead relying on his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, to work on a plan for a ceasefire.
When details of a 28-point plan drafted by the US and Russia were leaked last week, Ukraine immediately voiced concern at some of its key points – and its European allies followed suit.
Driscoll then made an unannounced visit to Ukraine along with other high-ranking Pentagon figures, the most senior military group to travel to Kyiv since Trump took office in January. The purpose, according to a US Army spokesman, was to meet Ukrainian officials and discuss efforts to end the war.
Driscoll met Zelensky and was then, according to Politico, feted at a reception at the US ambassador’s residence.
In subsequent days, Driscoll participated in more discussions with Ukrainian officials in Geneva alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and helped draw up an “updated and refined peace framework”.
He went on to hold talks with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi, according to the BBC’s US partner, CBS News.
In a social media post on Tuesday, Trump said in an effort to finalise the peace plan, he had directed his envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. He said Driscoll would meet with the Ukrainian side.
A future envoy… or defence secretary?
Getty ImagesIn nominating Driscoll as his army secretary, Trump wrote he had a “powerful combination of experiences to serve as a disruptor and change agent”.
Some in Washington are wondering if those qualities and his recent appearance on the world stage mean that Driscoll could one day replace Pete Hegseth, if Hegseth ever steps down as defence secretary.
While he has never held public office, Driscoll worked in Congress as an intern for the Senate’s veteran affairs committee, and in 2020 he made an unsuccessful bid for a House seat in North Carolina. A former professor has suggested Driscoll aimed “to serve in the military, go to law school and be in politics”.
There is also the possibility Driscoll could step officially into the role of negotiating with Ukraine when Trump’s special envoy to the country, Keith Kellogg, leaves in January.
Or he could stay as the head of hundreds of thousands of troops in the US Army. Driscoll has previously highlighted that his father and grandfather served in the military before him, and he often speaks about his vision of transforming the Army.
Days before heading to Ukraine, Driscoll described to The Conversation podcast how he imagined the near future, when “every infantryman…will carry a drone into battle” and soldiers would rely on artificial intelligence because human brains will not be able to “keep up” with the pace of action.
“Our window to change is right now,” he said in a speech in October. “And we will win with silicon and software, not our soldiers’ blood and bodies.”
‘Limited Spending Power: Gen Z and Lower-income Americans Struggle in Today’s Labor Market, Says JPMorgan’
The holiday season is on a budget this year. American households are entering the next festive few weeks with constrained spending power, a result of weak real income growth and a softened labor market that is disproportionately affecting younger and lower-income workers, according to a comprehensive financial health report from the JPMorgan Chase Institute.
The analysis, which leverages deidentified financial data from Chase customers, suggests that the period of relying on pandemic-era excess cash liquidity is now “in the rearview mirror,” and many consumers are facing a spending season where budgets are “tempered by tepid income growth.” For consumers who are “relatively disadvantaged by high housing costs and hold less stock market wealth”—a group that disproportionately includes younger and lower-income individuals—they may have “justenough to spend, but not enough to splurge” this year.
These findings come at the end of a year when voter anger about the cost of living unseated Democrats from the White House and installed President Donald Trump for a second, non-consecutive term, only to see voters back Democrats across the board in offyear elections. Many of the benefactors, including New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, stressed the “affordability” problem that many are facing, while Trump’s approval ratings on the economy have plummeted.
Gen Z has born the brunt of what Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell memorably called a “low-hire, low-fire” labor market, where it’s looking pretty frozen. “Kids coming out of college and younger people, minorities, are having a hard time finding jobs,” Powell told reporters in September. Several weeks later, Goldman Sachs economists warned that “jobless growth” might become a permanent feature of the economy. Many economists have embraced a term from the Biden years that aligns with what JPMorgan is finding: “the K-shaped economy,” with diverging paths for wealthier and lower-income Americans.
To be sure, while JPMorgan’s report does not touch on the political scene and the affordability politics of 2025, it paints a picture of a tenuously balanced economic environment, full of friction with low real income and insufficient wealth accumulation among key demographics.
Real income stagnation mirrors recessionary period
Median real income growth has sustained a weak trend for several months, with the October 2025 reading for prime-age individuals (aged 25–54) settling at only 1.6% in real terms. This low sustained pace is near the range observed during the weak labor market of the early 2010s, a period when the unemployment rate averaged 7%. This was, as the institute says, “when the unemployment rate was still elevated from the Great Recession,” although the current unemployment rate sits notably lower than that period, at 4.3%.
While nominal income growth remains roughly consistent with pre-pandemic levels, the higher pace of consumer price increases means real purchasing power gains are low.
This general stagnation is proving particularly challenging across demographics. Young people “continue to underperform the typical early career growth pattern” as income growth for individuals aged 25–29 is currently below historic trends for younger workers. Younger workers typically rely on job switching to rapidly advance their careers. However, the current slowdown in hiring is hindering this typical rapid pace of income advancement.
The downturn in overall income growth is also impacting older demographics. Workers aged 50-54 are now experiencing negative real year-over-year income growth. And since older workers generally face slower annual gains, a combination of weakening in the labor market and an uptick in inflation can more easily send their purchasing power into negative territory. Negative real growth for older workers can lead to challenging adjustments, particularly for lower-wealth individuals who have not benefited from years of strong gains in housing and stock prices.
Flat balances offer little cushion
Households’ median real cash balances have remained flat since early 2024, holding steady throughout most of 2025. This stability marks a deviation from pre-pandemic trends, where real balances typically grew steadily at an annual rate of just over 6% as households aged. If balances had grown at that historical rate since 2020, they would be up 40% in October relative to 2019; instead, they are only up 23%.
This flat growth indicates that households are not accumulating additional cash reserves in their checking and savings accounts.
Although high-income households have continued to see slight declines in their bank balances (only 2% negative in October 2025), potentially due to transfers to higher yield accounts or investment brokerage accounts, low-income households returned to positive year-over-year bank balance growth in September 2024. Despite these shifts in savings strategy, the approximation of total cash reserves—including investment transfers—shows that growth has been positive for all income groups for at least the last year.
Going into the end of the year, consumers with constrained budgets may look to stock market gains to augment spending. However, the report cautions that these stock market gains are “highly unequally distributed,” leaving younger and lower-income groups with less financial cushion as they navigate stagnant real purchasing power.
For this story, Fortune used generative AI to help with an initial draft. An editor verified the accuracy of the information before publishing.
Residents of Kyiv Question the Effectiveness of Peace Talks Following a Deadly Russian Attack
new video loaded: Kyiv Residents Doubt Peace Talks After Deadly Russian Barrage
A large-scale Russian aerial barrage on the Ukrainian capital killed several people on Tuesday. The attack came hours after a round of peace talks between U.S. and Ukrainian mediators that ended in Geneva.
By Nader Ibrahim
November 25, 2025
In a cultural moment that values vulnerability and rawness, my role is to facilitate creative connections.
MBW’s Inspiring Women series profiles female executives who have risen through the ranks of the business, highlighting their career journey – from their professional breakthrough to the senior responsibilities they now fulfill. Inspiring Women is supported by Virgin Music Group.
Jennifer Fierman’s career in the music industry has been driven by a deep love for live music. It has also been shaped by a fascination with the connection between artists and their audiences.
Since joining Disruptor Records in 2015 as Head of A&R and Publishing, Fierman has helped shape the company’s evolution from its EDM beginnings into a powerhouse of creative collaboration, management, and publishing.
“I was always drawn to the experience of live music,” Fierman says. “In college and high school, I loved going to shows and watching the connection between musicians and fans. I didn’t know exactly where I fit into that world yet, but I knew I wanted to be part of it.”
Her first job was at Jive Records, working in publicity. From there, she took on a few different roles before realizing that A&R was where she truly belonged.
Before joining Disruptor, Fierman worked across major labels including Universal, Warner, and Sony Music, gaining a deep understanding of what it takes to develop global artists and build creative partnerships.
She’s been instrumental in guiding artists and songwriters like Evan Blair — who wrote and produced Benson Boone’s latest single Mystical Magical (which peaked at No.4 on Top 40 Radio in the US) and worked on Boone’s global hit Beautiful Things, which reached No.2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the charts in 19 countries.
Fierman also manages songwriter Sarah “Solly” Solovay, known for her work on Teddy Swims’ hit single Bad Dreams (which peaked at No.7 on the UK Singles chart and No.8 on the US Pop Airplay chart), and Are You Even Real? featuring Giveon, which reached No.1 on the Adult R&B Airplay Chart and was co-written with Sean Kennedy.
She has helped develop producer-songwriter Pink Slip (Kyle Buckley), who co-wrote the Katseye viral hit Gnarly, and worked closely with Dove Cameron during her breakout year, including the release of her Top 40 single Boyfriend.
Fierman says that she aims to bridge the gap between artistic authenticity and commercial success — a balance she describes as “connecting human experience with global appeal.”
“It took me a long time to find the right home that allowed me to grow,” she says. “It’s not always just about your talent or instinct; sometimes it’s about the environment you’re in.”
Here, Fierman tells MBW about artist development, the importance of creative trust, the evolving role of women in music, and why finding the right partners has been key to her success.
What led you to join Disruptor Records?
I’d known Adam Alpert (Founder and CEO of Disruptor) for a long time. When The Chainsmokers started taking off, we reconnected. At the time, I was working in publishing, and Adam told me about what he was building at Disruptor, a company that would unite a label, publishing, and management arm under one roof.
What drew me in was that blend of major-label power and independent attention to detail. After years at major companies, I was craving a place that allowed for more personal care and creative freedom, and Disruptor offered exactly that.
What was your biggest challenge in developing the Disruptor Writer/Producer & Selector Songs roster?
Our biggest challenge for the Disruptor Records side was breaking out of our high-profile roots in EDM music. We really wanted to diversify by signing artists who felt cohesive and complementary to one another that could help us build beyond the genre of EDM.
Because we operate across label, publishing, and management, we needed creatives who understood that ecosystem; who saw the value of working as part of a connected creative network.
“We really wanted to diversify by signing artists who felt cohesive and complementary to one another that could help us build beyond the genre of EDM.”
On The Selector Publishing side I focused on identifying A&Rs and writers with like-minded tastes who could understand each other’s creative choices. We identified a few key partnerships early on and built from there.
What makes you think: ‘This person has something special?’ What’s your approach to helping them, and how do you know it’s an artist you should dedicate your time to?
It’s not just about finding people who have a really clear sense of who they are, but also a sense that I can add value to it. We never want to create a person’s entire persona. It really starts with them understanding their ideals, goals, and musical style. When I feel like we can add value, that’s when I know it’s the right fit.
You’ve worked closely with Dove Cameron and Evan Blair. What was that process like?
When we signed Dove Cameron, she was transitioning out of her Disney era and finding her new sound. It took time to align her with the right creatives that really helped build out a sonic landscape. Once she began working with Evan Blair (whom we publish), everything started to click.
Evan had always been a phenomenal writer. I was always his fan, and he had done this EP, Pretty Poison, with a Warner-signed artist named Nessa Barrett, which blew me away.
The world he built for her, so distinct and emotionally rich, was exactly what I’d been searching for with Dove. That collaboration led to Boyfriend, which became her biggest song to date. I love how special that song is, you could tell how unique it is in its perspective and the writing, and even just the way it sounds. It’s Jazz Pop production, in a very cool, unique way.
Sean Kennedy is one of my newest clients, and I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t his biggest fan. His music always spoke to me from afar, and more recently, we found ourselves in a place to work together. He recently collaborated with Solly on Are You Even Real, which came out with Teddy Swims and Giveon [at the] top of the year, and I am really proud of it.
“I love how it feels like a return to my ‘fan self’ when I find creatives whose music speaks to me so passionately.”
I love how it feels like a return to my “fan self” when I find creatives whose music speaks to me so passionately. Having the opportunity to help them figure out how to get that music heard and build the right strategies to take it to the next level has been such a joy of mine.
Speaking about Evan Blair… Benson Boone’s hit ‘Beautiful Things’ is exploding everywhere. How do you balance creative freedom with commercial appeal?
As much as I’d love to take credit for the perfect synergy of those worlds, it really comes down to the artists, the writers, and their teams.
I’ve always been drawn to music that combines authentic emotion with commercial potential, and throughout my career, I’ve worked to facilitate connections with those shared values.
Culturally, we’re in a moment that values vulnerability and rawness. That’s what allows songs like Beautiful Things and Bad Dreams written by Sarah “Solly” Solovay to connect with audiences everywhere. My role is to help make those creative connections possible.
How would you describe the role of A&R in 2025, at a time when music discovery is driven by data, TikTok, and AI?
I think it all depends on how we use it. Every time new technology enters the music industry, we’ve learned that fighting it isn’t always the best answer, especially if it’s going to keep pushing forward, as AI clearly will.
It’s about learning how to integrate it responsibly. AI can be helpful in small ways, like testing vocals or pitching demos, but at a larger scale, it’s still unclear. What’s crucial is that we don’t lose the human element of creation, because that’s what listeners connect with.
Being in a leadership role, what changes have you noticed for women in this field, and what still needs to evolve?
There have definitely been positive strides. More women are running departments and shaping executive teams, which is incredible, and I work with so many that I admire and that I call friends on a daily basis.
If I had to highlight one area where I’ve seen real change, it’s female artist managers — there are so many powerful women managing huge pop artists today, and I can’t remember ever noting this before.
That said, the fact we’re still asking the question means there’s work to do. One area I’d love to see more growth in is female producers. There’s still a real gender gap there.
What’s been the biggest challenge in your career so far?
Aligning the right partners. Adam [Alpert] has always given me the space to trust my instincts and fully realize my ideas, and that’s when I’ve done my best work.
So I encourage people to keep that in mind when faced with adversity. It took me a long time to find the right home that allowed me to grow. It’s not always just about your talent or instinct; sometimes it’s about the environment you’re in.
Who have been your mentors along the way?
I’ve learned from everyone — even the difficult people. Every experience taught me something valuable. I can’t point to one single mentor, but I’ve worked with incredible leaders and creatives who shaped how I think and lead. I’d like to believe I’ve absorbed a little of each of them.
What advice would you give to young executives starting out in music or A&R?
My advice is to trust your instincts and remember that achieving success doesn’t always mean hitting a huge home run out of the park. Wins show up in many ways along the way, whether it’s building a relationship that you carry throughout your career or a peer that you took an early meeting with.
“My advice is to trust your instincts and remember that achieving success doesn’t always mean hitting a huge home run out of the park.”
Early on, it’s easy to get discouraged and jaded when you’re not achieving the “end-all-be-all” version of success we often imagine. But it’s important to remember that everything has purpose. It just might take some time to see it come full circle.
I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t made strides along the way. I didn’t have any relationships in the music industry prior to joining it. I built every single contact I have. It’s really important to remember how valuable that is when you’re striving toward your goals.
Are there any global movements or sounds you’re most excited about right now?
I love the K-Pop movement. I work with Kyle Buckley (Pink Slip), who was traveling to Korea and collaborating with K-Pop artists long before the crossover exploded. I work with him on Katseye, on the song Gnarly, which is just so out of the box and wild. It was just such a fun experience.
“I’m fascinated by how K-Pop is reintroducing the energy of the millennial pop I grew up with, where it’s all about choreography, big production, and personality.”
I’m fascinated by how K-Pop is reintroducing the energy of the millennial pop I grew up with, where it’s all about choreography, big production, and personality. That’s probably one of the movements I really look out for and enjoy being part of it.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
I think the obvious answer is songwriter compensation. It’s the biggest issue we face. So many brilliant people can’t afford to pursue songwriting full-time, and we’re losing voices we don’t even know about yet. I hope we find a solution soon because the future of great music depends on it.
Virgin Music Group is the global independent music division of Universal Music Group, which brings together UMG’s label and artist service businesses including Virgin and Ingrooves.Music Business Worldwide
Timeline of Violence as US-backed GHF Aid Mission in Gaza Comes to an End | News on the Israel-Palestine Conflict
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), backed by the US and Israel to oversee the distribution of aid in Gaza, has announced it is ending its controversial “mission” and is closing aid distribution sites following a US-brokered ceasefire agreement.
Under increasing international pressure to allow aid into the besieged Gaza Strip earlier this year, Israel and the US backed the GHF as an independent agency to administer aid. Israel completely blocked aid to the Strip from March this year, claiming that Hamas was stealing aid provided by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA. Israel did not provide any evidence for this and also blocked UNRWA workers from entering the Strip from February.
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While the UNRWA network operated about 400 sites across the Strip before that, the GHF, guarded by armed US private security contractors, set up only four “mega-sites” – three in southern Gaza and one near Gaza City – to distribute food and other aid to Gaza’s population of about two million Palestinians.
Furthermore, since the organisation began operations in Gaza in May, Israeli forces and some US contractors have routinely opened fire on Palestinians arriving to receive aid. Disorganisation around the sites has caused large crowds to gather, and some people have suffocated or died in stampedes.
While GHF Executive Director John Acree said in a statement on Monday that the organisation delivered the “only aid operation that reliably and safely provided free meals directly to Palestinian people in Gaza”, more than 2,000 aid seekers have been crushed to death or killed by gunfire, according to UN figures.
Here is how the GHF “mission” to Gaza unfolded this year:
May 26 – GHF issues a statement announcing it will begin direct aid delivery inside the battered enclave, hours after its executive director, Jake Wood, resigned, citing concerns about the agency’s independence. The UN and other aid agencies refuse to work with GHF, warning that requiring Palestinians to gather at a few centralised aid points would put people at risk and undermine other aid efforts.
May 27 – GHF begins operating in Gaza. Israeli forces open fire on thousands of Palestinians attempting to receive food in southern Gaza’s Rafah area, killing at least 10 people and injuring dozens. Aid seekers are forced to clamber over fences and push through packed crowds to reach life-saving supplies. UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric says seeing thousands of Palestinians storming the aid site is “heartbreaking” as the chaos underscores the staggering level of hunger gripping Gaza. Gaza’s Government Media Office calls the incident a “deliberate massacre and a full-fledged war crime.”
May 29 – Israeli forces open fire at an aid point in southern Gaza, killing 10 people and injuring dozens. Shortly after, multiple explosions are reported near another aid centre on the Netzarim Corridor, which divides northern Gaza from the rest of the Strip. It is not clear what caused the blasts, and there are no reports of casualties.
May 30 – Israeli forces open fire on civilians waiting to collect food at a GHF distribution point on Salah al-Din Street in central Gaza, wounding at least 20 people.
June 1 – Israeli tanks kill at least 32 Palestinians waiting to get food at two aid distribution sites in Gaza, leaving more than 200 others injured.
June 3 – UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says the killing and injuring of Palestinian aid seekers is “unacceptable” and calls for an independent investigation after Israeli forces open fire close to an aid distribution site in Rafah. Gaza’s Health Ministry says at least 27 Palestinians have been killed in the incident and 90 injured.
June 8 – At least 13 Palestinians are killed, and more than 150 are injured when Israeli troops and US security contractors open fire on crowds waiting for food near two aid distribution sites in Gaza, one east of Rafah and another near the Wadi Gaza Bridge. Gaza’s Government Media Office accuses Israel of turning distribution sites into “human slaughterhouses”.
July 16 – At least 21 Palestinians are killed at a GHF aid distribution centre in southern Gaza. Witness accounts say Israeli forces opened fire on the crowd, causing a stampede. At least 15 people died of suffocation, while others were shot. Twenty-four-year-old Mohammed Abedin, who survived the incident, told Al Jazeera that they were “shot at like animals”.
July 22 – The United Nations says the number of Palestinians killed while trying to access food in Gaza from GHF distribution points has topped 1,000.
August 1 – A former contractor for GHF, Anthony Aguilar, tells Al Jazeera about what he describes as the deadly and unprofessional practices he witnessed firsthand at aid distribution sites in Gaza. This includes firing what the organisation described as “warning shots” on an unarmed population using heavy artillery. “They call that warning shots, I call it a war crime,” he said.
August 2 – At least 38 Palestinians seeking aid at distribution sites operated by GHF are killed, despite Israel announcing on July 27 it would begin implementing “tactical pauses” in fighting in some areas to allow Palestinians greater access to humanitarian aid.
August 5 – Twenty-eight UN experts call for GHF’s dismantlement, describing it as an “utterly disturbing example” of aid exploitation for military purposes.
August 9 – Israel allows some aid to be airdropped into Gaza by several countries, including Germany, Belgium and Jordan, amid global outrage, but a 15-year-old Palestinian boy is crushed to death by a falling pallet during an airdrop near the so-called Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza.
September 4 – The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) says it has recorded more than 2,146 deaths in the vicinity of sites run by GHF and along aid convoy routes.
October 12 – GHF confirms it has suspended operations following the announcement of a US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which came into effect on October 10.
November 10 – A documentary, Breaking Ranks: Inside Israel’s War, is aired on UK network ITV. It features testimony from Israeli soldiers deployed to Gaza, with some describing how GHF guards would “open fire, even if they don’t see a concrete threat”.
November 24 – GHF announces it is ending its “mission” in Gaza following the ceasefire. It claims to have distributed more than 3 million food boxes, equivalent to 187 million meals.