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Sectionals finalist H. Malin Wolfson has verbally committed to NYU for the fall of 2026.
“I am so excited to announce my verbal commitment to continue my academic and athletic careers at New York University! Thank you so much to my family, close friends, coaches, and everyone else who’s supported me throughout this journey. Special thanks to Coach Miele for this amazing opportunity. Go Violets! ”
Wolfson swims club for the University of Denver Hilltopers, where she has earned three Futures qualifying times in the distance events.
At the March 2025 Speedo Sectionals in Austin, Wolfson qualified for finals in the 400 IM by placing 32nd in prelims. In the final, she dropped two seconds to touch in 26th at 4:28.62.
She also swam the 200 free (75th — 1:56.64), 500 free (62nd– 5:12.48), 1650 free (10th — 17:08.57), and the 200 breast (37th — 2:23.09).
Wolfson attends Denver School of the Arts where she is majoring in Creative Writing and serving as the Student Body President this year.
Best Times SCY
500 free: 5:00.90
1000 free: 10:12.19
1650 free: 17:08.57
400 IM: 4:28.62
NYU is a Division III school that competes in the UAA conference. At the 2025 UAA Championships, they finished 2nd overall, about 20 points behind Emory for the win. They also finished 2nd at the 2025 NCAA Championships behind MIT, missing the title by almost 30 points.
Wolfson’s times will likely qualify her for the NCAA Championships as a freshman, and will put her near scoring position. Her 500 free would have been 28th last year. Her 1650 would have been 13th, scoring 4 points for NYU, and her 400 IM would have finished 23rd overall.
If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to Recruits@swimswam.com.
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We didn’t expect Flextail to let Nitecore’s APO5C backcountry micro-inflator stand for too long without firing a counterstrike. And what a strike it is. The all-new Zero 2.0 takes Flextail’s already highly popular, benchmark-setting Zero pump to the next level with a lighter build that weighs an even ounce, increased output and a swappable extreme-weather battery system. It’s everything backcountry adventurers loved about the original Zero, just enhanced from end to end.
Flextail debuted the Zero pump in 2023 as the world’s “smallest and lightest” pump, and the little e-inflator reigned for close to two years as the lightest battery-integrated pump we’d ever looked at. Flextail has called it not only its flagship pump but its flagship innovation, period, saying it’s gotten Zero pumps into the hands of no less than 200,000 adventurers worldwide. Those folks rely on the pump’s combination of tiny, beyond-lightweight packability and fast, simple inflation/deflation to support them on everything from quick overnighters to extended many-day expeditions in environments entirely unfit for longterm human life.
Then, just like that, the Zero got bumped off the top of the ultralight electric pump pyramid earlier this summer by the APO5C from fellow Chinese brand Nitecore, a pump that weighs roughly 10 grams less than the Zero while offering comparable performance.
Flextail is currently hosting a Kickstarter to launch the Zero 2.0 micro pump
Flextail
No way could Flextail let the APO5C stand alone at the top for long – or even four full months, as it turns out. It launched the Zero 2.0 on Kickstarter this week, taking on Nitecore and other competitors with a tiny new battery inflator that boasts a fully revamped spec sheet.
We would have named this one the “Sub Zero,” both because it’s lighter than the original Zero and because it features an all-new cold-weather battery. Flextail, however, sticks with Zero 2.0, a name that still does a good job letting buyers know it’s just like original, only updated to be even better. Maybe it’s pocketed “Sub Zero” for a future evolution of ultra-lightweight inflator technology.
Regardless, Flextail shaves the pesky 0.2 clean off the 2.0’s bold graphics to bring its well-advertised weight down to an even 1.0 ounce (28 g). The recommended battery still weighs in at the same 0.6 oz (17 g) as the original, bringing total weight to 1.6 oz (45 g), also a round 0.2 oz (6 g) less than the original Zero’s 1.8-oz (51-g) weight with battery installed.
Flextail optimized the Zero 2.0’s aluminum alloy unibody to save weight
Flextail
Flextail’s anodized aluminum unibody construction does leave the Zero 2.0 about 0.2 oz heavier than Nitecore’s carbon fiber APO5C.
On the performance front, the Zero 2.0 increases pressure by 1 kPa over its predecessor, up to 3.5 kPa, a figure that’s also higher than the 2.7-kPa APO5C. It also raises fill rate from 180L/min to 200L/min, equalling the rate of the APO5C.
Flextail estimates that the Zero 2.0 will fill up a variety of popular sleeping pads from manufacturers like Big Agnes and Nemo in roughly 45 to 63 seconds, depending upon model. The inflator comes with six different nozzles to adapt quickly to different valve styles and can be secured to the valve, switched on with one push and left to fill the pad on its own, freeing users to complete other camp tasks simultaneously. Runtime comes in at around 24 to 30 pads’ worth of fill-ups, or 22 minutes per battery-charge.
Set it and forget it: The new Flextail Zero 2.0 pump is designed for hands-free fill-ups
Flextail
Flextail has also used the 2.0 update process to rethink the Zero’s battery system. In place of the basic (R)CR123A upon which the previous generation relied, the Zero 2.0 gets a dedicated dual-battery selection. The swappable 900-mAh orange-and-black Zero 900 CHT battery boosts capacity over the original Zero’s 650-mAh battery and works in a full temperature range between 14 and 122 °F (-10 to 50 °C) to perform seamlessly through three+ seasons of camping. It also features an integrated USB-C port for light, simple charging.
The icy-looking replaceable 900 ZHF battery, meanwhile, is formulated specifically for use in cold, sub-zero weather down to -40 °F (-40 °C), making it the choice for mid-winter, high-altitude and extreme-condition mountaineering and backcountry expeditions. Using nano electrode structures and anti-freeze electrolytes, the 900 ZHF is able to maintain 80 percent capacity in those -40 temperatures, ensuring uninterrupted operation in some of the world’s coldest conditions.
The batteries can be swapped not only in and out of the Zero 2.0 itself but also with compatible Flextail gear like the micro-sized 1,200-lumen Zero Flashlight and the Tiny Helio headlamp. The Zero 2.0 also works with other rechargeable and disposable CR123A batteries, as well as 16340 batteries.
Flextail is launching the Zero 2.0 with two dedicated batteries
Flextail
Like the original Zero, the Zero 2.0 is designed to double as a highly portable automatic fire bellows for blowing air to ignite tinder or smoldering embers into a full fire. It also works to deflate sleeping pads and other compact inflatable gear.
The Zero 2.0 is available at a Kickstarter super early bird pledge of US$43, right about the same price at which Nitecore sells the APO5C. That base level includes a single battery, and Kickstarters will also find pledge levels that package the pump with multiple batteries and additional small, ultra-portable Flextail gear items. Flextail plans to begin deliveries in November, assuming things keep going as smoothly as they did in reaching its $5,000 goal, which it has already surpassed 12 times over with nearly four weeks left to go.
BBC Verify examines Tyler Robinson’s social media accounts
The man accused of fatally shooting conservative activist Charlie Kirk has been identified as Tyler Robinson, 22, a Utah native who had been living with his parents “for a long time”, authorities said.
Robinson was taken into custody on 12 September after a family member recognised him in surveillance images, a development investigators described as pivotal in ending a nationwide manhunt.
That family member was apparently Robinson’s father, who encouraged him to turn himself in, the BBC’s US partner CBS News has reported, citing two law enforcement sources. The father then reportedly contacted a family friend who informed the sheriff’s office.
At a press briefing on Friday announcing the arrest, FBI officials declined to discuss Robinson’s background, political leanings, or possible motive, saying the investigation was ongoing.
“We are confident we have the right individual in custody,” an FBI spokesperson said, “but we are still working to establish the full picture of who he is and why he acted.”
Utah Governor Spencer Cox said a family member interviewed by investigators stated that Robinson had become “more political” in recent years.
The relative also said that during a dinner conversation before the attack, Robinson had stated Kirk “was full of hate and spreading hate” and mentioned Kirk’s upcoming event at Utah Valley University, according to Cox.
“They talked about why they didn’t like him and the viewpoints that he had,” Cox said referring to the conversation.
FBI
Public records reviewed by the BBC suggest Robinson had in the past registered as an unaffiliated, or nonpartisan, voter in Utah. Matthew Carl Robinson, the suspect’s father, and Amber Denise Robinson, the suspect’s mother, are registered Republicans, according to state records.
Robinson was not enrolled at UVU, the site of the shooting.
In a statement, the Utah Board of Higher Education said Tyler James Robinson was a third-year student in the electrical apprenticeship programme at Dixie Technical College.
“He previously spent one semester at Utah State University in 2021 and earned concurrent enrolment credits through Utah Tech University while in high school between 2019 and 2021,” it added.
Social media accounts indicate Robinson’s father runs a kitchen countertop and cabinet installation business, while his mother is a social worker. The family is Mormon and active in the local church.
Utah governor details how Charlie Kirk murder suspect apprehended
Investigators say Robinson was steeped in online culture, pointing to inscriptions on shell casings linked to the case.
Two casings displayed apparent references to online trolling humour. The inscription “notices bulges OwO what’s this?” on a fired shell casing may refer to a “copypasta” – a piece of text that is repeated over and over again, often to troll people online. Another casing, that was unfired, was inscribed with the words “If you read this, you are gay lmao” – again an apparent reference to a trolling joke.
Meanwhile, other casings could be interpreted as sympathetic to Antifa, or the anti-fascist movement, a loose collection of far-left activists who have been active in the US over the last decade and often demonstrate against Trump policies and far-right groups.
One unfired casing had the words “Hey fascist! Catch!” and an up, right and three down arrows.
The three down arrows alone could be a common symbol used for anti-fascism. As a whole, the arrows could reference a sequence of control inputs in a video game – although this remains unclear, and authorities have not yet released images of the casings.
A second casing was inscribed with lyrics to the song “Bella Ciao” that honours World War Two-era partisans of the Italian resistance who fought Nazi Germany.
Authorities said Robinson also appeared to have been active on Discord, the social media platform primarily used by gamers, but now also popular with other communities.
His roommate reportedly showed investigators a series of messages on Discord from a contact named “Tyler” referencing a rifle “drop point” and instructions about retrieving and hiding the weapon.
Discord later issued a statement saying his account had been suspended. “We have removed the suspect’s account for violating our off-platform behavior policy,” it said.
For now, Robinson remains in custody as prosecutors prepare formal charges.
The investigation into his background, motives, and potential affiliations continues in what officials are calling one of the most significant political killings in recent US history.
new video loaded: What We Know About Bolsonaro’s Conviction
By Ana Ionova, Katrin Bennhold, Christina Thornell, Leila Medina and Laura Salaberry•
Brazil’s top court convicted former President Jair Bolsonaro on charges of plotting a coup to remain in power after losing the 2022 presidential election. Ana Ionova, reporting from Brasília, explains the charges and what comes next.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has labeled herself a “staunch capitalist” while affirming her intent to collaborate with Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic Socialist mayoral candidate who has rapidly become the frontrunner for New York City’s top job. The political spotlight on Mamdani intensified throughout the week as he met with Mike Bloomberg, a former three-term mayor and a billionaire with deep ties to the city’s business class and philanthropic community. And in a Thursday interview with The New York Times, Mamdani signaled that he will apologize for his previous criticisms of the New York Police Department. The trio of developments reveal a moment when New York’s powers that be seem to be making peace with an incoming heavyweight player, while they clarify just how socialist they’re willing to be in their policies. Translation: not very.
Hochul’s declaration was delivered during an interview with Bloomberg TV, in which she underscored her opposition to tax increases and reinforced her pro-business values. Hochul said businesses need to know that “the city of New York, as powerful and mighty as it is, is still a subdivision of the state, so any tax increase has to come across my desk first.” Mamdani campaigned on tax increases including a new tax on millionaires and an increase in the state’s corporate tax rate.
The governor’s remarks were widely seen as both a pitch to reassure nervous business leaders and a marker of her intent to maintain a pragmatic working relationship with whoever occupies City Hall—even if it’s a Democratic Socialist like Mamdani. She said she’ll work “to help him understand that when we want to solve society’s problems, and there are many, we also need to make sure we have the resources to do it.” That involves, in Hochul’s opinion, being business-friendly in the sense of “letting people know” that building companies, creating wealth and hiring people is appreciated.
Mamdani and Bloomberg: An unexpected summit
While Hochul was affirming her capitalist bona fides, Mamdani took the extraordinary step of meeting with Mike Bloomberg, the billionaire businessman and former mayor known for his centrist politics. Bloomberg, who previously spent millions to oppose Mamdani’s primary bid, did not endorse the socialist but spent the session discussing transportation, policing, and the mechanics of City Hall staffing.
The encounter was described as friendly and “quite substantive,” according to Bloomberg’s advisor Howard Wolfson. Mamdani’s willingness to engage with establishment figures like Bloomberg signals his intent to build a broad coalition, despite marked differences on issues like taxation and policing. The Times reported that they had never before met each other.
The optics of this meeting present a balancing act for Mamdani as he seeks both progressive support and the confidence of business elites increasingly anxious about his economic platform. It represents a departure from the style of former Mayor Bill De Blasio, who was Bloomberg’s left-wing successor, widely known to keep a close counsel. Kathy Wylde, CEO of the Partnership for New York, said on Bloomberg’s Odd Lots podcast in July that De Blasio was not known for engaging with major business leaders in this fashion throughout his eight years in office. She also said business leaders were anxious, if not terrified, at the idea of Mamdani being elected, but also quite complimentary of his political skills.
One of those business leaders, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon, called Mamdani “more of a Marxist than a socialist” in July, while breaking with many of the “idiots” in the Democratic Party. Dimon, long thought to be sympathetic to the Democrats if not always a registered Democrat himself, said the party had “big hearts and little brains.” And yet Dimon got on the phone and had a friendly conversation with Mamdani soon afterward, Bloomberg reported, citing people briefed on the call. Bloomberg further reported that Wylde had been helping to facilitate meetings beween Mamdani and the business class, giving out his campaign contact information to roughly a dozen executives while also arranging connections with other candidates.
Mamdani’s changing tone
In another dramatic development, Mamdani issued an apology for remarks made during the 2020 George Floyd protests, when he called the NYPD “racist, anti-queer & a major threat to public safety.” Mamdani also repeated the slogan, trending at that time and later criticized by figures including James Carville as harmful to left-wing causes, advocating for the defunding of the police. In comments to the Times, he acknowledged that his previous words were delivered “at the height of frustration” and do not reflect his current outlook or campaign priorities.
Union leaders cautiously welcomed the apology, viewing it as a necessary step in establishing trust between Mamdani and law enforcement—a group historically skeptical of his platform. However, critics and some rank-and-file officers remain unconvinced, accusing Mamdani of political opportunism as Election Day approaches.
With recent polls showing Mamdani leading his rivals by double digits, the intersection of Hochul’s pragmatism, Mamdani’s outreach, and the powerful symbolism of their evolving relationship promises a uniquely unpredictable contest for New York’s future.
For this story, Fortune used generative AI to help with an initial draft. An editor verified the accuracy of the information before publishing.
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NATO is deploying additional fighter jets and a naval vessel to eastern Europe under a new program called Eastern Sentry. The military bloc shot down Russian drones over Polish territory earlier this week in a large-scale violation of the military bloc’s airspace.
This week, Deezer revealed that nearly a third of all tracks uploaded to its platform are now fully AI-generated, marking a dramatic surge to over 30,000 AI tracks daily.
Meanwhile, Spotify finally launched its long-awaited lossless audio feature for Premium subscribers in select markets, though it’s not part of a rumored super-premium tier.
Elsewhere, TikTok’s SoundOn distribution platform, which has seen over 1.1 million artists register to access its services since launching in 2022, is expanding into Germany.
Also this week, a US Appeals Court temporarily reinstated copyright official Shira Perlmutter after blocking the Trump administration’s attempt to remove her from office.
Plus, we learned that US streaming subscriptions hit 105.3 million in H1 2025, but recorded music revenue was up by less than 1% YoY.
Here are some of the biggest headlines from the past few days…
Fully AI-generated music now constitutes 28% of all tracks delivered to Deezer each day, according to new data from the French streaming service.
The platform says it now receives over 30,000 fully AI-generated tracks daily, marking a sharp increase from the 20,000 figure it reported in April and the 10,000 it disclosed in January when it first launched its proprietary AI detection tool. According to Deezer, up to 70% of plays for these fully AI-generated tracks have been detected as fraudulent, with the company filtering these streams out of royalty payments.
Although fully AI-generated music currently accounts for only around 0.5% of all streams on Deezer, the platform believes the primary purpose of uploading these tracks is fraudulent activity rather than genuine creative expression.
“Following a massive increase during the year, AI music now makes up a significant part of the daily track delivery to music streaming and we want to lead the way in minimizing any negative impact for artists and fans alike,” said Alexis Lanternier, CEO of Deezer…(MBW)
Spotify has finally added lossless audio to its platform.
The new feature comes amid Spotify’s ongoing efforts to develop a new “super-Premium” tier, possibly branded as “Music Pro,” previously reported to be launching as soon as this year.
Despite reports that the company would likely gate lossless behind a higher-priced subscription tier, the feature will be available for Premium subscribers starting Wednesday (September 10) in select markets. The rollout arrived a couple of weeks after Spotify launched a direct message feature inside its app, which the platform said is meant to make sharing music and other content easier.
A big question the wider music industry will be asking this week is whether these new features, direct messaging and lossless audio, could one day become perks of a pricier ‘super Premium’ subscription tier…. (MBW)
TikTok’s SoundOn has seen over 1.1 million artists register to access its services since launching in 2022.
Now, the platform is launching in Germany, the world’s fourth-largest recorded music market.
The Germany roll-out marks the distribution and services platform’s latest expansion following its initial launch in markets such as the UK, US, Brazil and Indonesia, and Australia.
According to its website, SoundOn currently counts 1.158 million “partners and growing”. MBW understands this to mean artists who have registered (i.e. signed up) on the platform.
Of these registered artists, TikTok noted, SoundOn has seen “hundreds of thousands” of acts release music and generate revenue on the platform… (MBW)
A US federal Appeals court has blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to remove Shira Perlmutter from her position as the Register of Copyrights and Director of the US Copyright Office. The injunction pending appeal, filed on Tuesday (September 10), temporarily reinstates Perlmutter and prevents the Trump administration from installing Executive Branch officials to run the Library of Congress and the Copyright Office.
The saga around Perlmutter’s ousting started in May 2025 after the Trump Administration fired Carla D. Hayden, the Librarian of Congress, and replaced her with Todd Blanche, the Deputy Attorney General with the Department of Justice.
Blanche then immediately fired Perlmutter and replaced her with Paul Perkins, an Associate Deputy Attorney General at the DoJ. The Appeals Court’s 2-1 decision rules that Perlmutter’s removal in May was likely unlawful and temporarily restores her as Register of Copyrights while the case continues. “The President does not have the authority to remove the Register of Copyrights or to install his own officials to run the nation’s library,” said Brian Netter, Legal Director at Democracy Forward…(MBW)
The United States’ recorded music industry saw revenue growth of just0.9% YoYin the first half of 2025.
That’s according to the new data published by the RIAA on Tuesday (September 9), which shows the United States generated USD $5.59 billion in wholesale recorded music revenue in the six months to end of June.
(Unlike previous years, the RIAA has shifted to reporting industry revenues on a wholesale, rather than retail, basis. This represents actual revenue flowing to music companies rather than total consumer (retail) spending, but makes comparisons with earlier years more complicated.)
One positive stat: There were 105.3 million total paid premium music subscriptions in the period, up 6.3 million YoY.
That +6.3 million YoY net growth was significantly higher than the equivalent growth seen in H1 2024 (+2.5m)…(MBW)
Partner message: MBW’s Weekly Round-up is supported by BMI, the global leader in performing rights management, dedicated to supporting songwriters, composers and publishers and championing the value of music. Find out more about BMIhere. Music Business Worldwide
Convicted South African rapist Thabo Bester has lost a court bid to block Netflix from broadcasting a documentary about his life – including how he allegedly faked his death and escaped from prison.
His lawyers argued that Beauty and the Bester was defamatory, but the streaming giant defended its plan to release the three-part investigation.
Bester’s partner, celebrity doctor Nandipha Magudumana, features in the documentary, having allegedly helped him escape. She was part of the court bid to halt the release.
In a court ruling on Friday, a judge said the rape case was “firmly in the public domain” and that they had failed to prove that their petition was urgent.
She however said that the pair would still be free to sue for defamation if they wished, after the documentary airs. It was released hours after Friday’s judgement was delivered.
Bester was convicted in 2012 for the rape and murder of his model girlfriend Nomfundo Tyhulu.
A year earlier, he was found guilty of raping and robbing two other women.
Bester became known as the “Facebook rapist” for using the social networking site to lure his victims.
He was serving a life sentence when he allegedly escaped from a maximum security prison in 2022.
A fire broke out in prison, with the authorities finding a charred body that they thought was Bester’s. However, it turned out to be that of another person.
Undetected for a year, Bester then allegedly lived under an alias in South Africa’s main city, Johannesburg, helped by his partner.
The pair were arrested while on the run in the East African state of Tanzania in April 2023, and were deported.
They are currently in custody, awaiting trial on several charges – including violating a corpse, defeating the ends of justice and fraud.
They have not yet pleaded to the charges.
The two had petitioned the court to halt the much-anticipated Netflix documentary, saying it infringed their right to a fair trial.
Handing down judgment on Friday, Judge Sulet Potterill said the applications lacked urgency, terming it a “self-created urgency”.
The judge said Bester and Magudumana had ample time to launch their applications and “waited until the last minute” to file it as urgent.
But the court ruled that it was open to hear their substantive redress, including suing for defamation, as the case law was clear about that.
“A defamation claim can be instituted and damages sought. I cannot find in any way that the screening of the utterances they find to make the doctor guilty affects her right to a fair trial,” the judge ruled.
”
FBI
