Insmed raises $750 million in public offering of common stock
Insmed secures $750 million in public offering for common stock
Official Expects Increase in Immigration Protests for US National Guard; Donald Trump News
The National Guard members deployed to the protests in Los Angeles have been trained to temporarily detain civilians if necessary, according to the troops’ commander.
Nevertheless, as of Wednesday, Major General Scott Sherman clarified that no troops have detained any protester, despite an earlier statement that suggested otherwise.
The National Guard’s deployment came in response to protests against United States President Donald Trump’s push for mass deportation, which recently targeted hardware stores and other businesses in southern California, prompting outrage.
Protesters flooded the streets starting on Friday to denounce the immigration raids. Trump responded by sending the military to the scene, denouncing what he considered “third-world lawlessness” in the city. Since then, however, the protests have spread beyond Los Angeles, to major cities in other parts of the country.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Sherman said authorities “are expecting a ramp-up” in national unrest in the coming days.
“I’m focused right here in LA, what’s going on right here. But you know, I think we’re very concerned,” he said.
Sherman explained that 500 of the more than 4,000 National Guard members deployed to Los Angeles have also received training to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the immigration raids.
His remarks came as condemnation continues to grow over Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard to California without the permission of the state’s governor, Gavin Newsom.
Since the National Guard arrived on Sunday, Trump has sent nearly 700 Marines to the Los Angeles area as well.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Wednesday accused the Trump administration of using the military to escalate tensions in the city, where the protests first broke out on Friday.
“We started off by hearing the administration wanted to go after violent felons, gang members, drug dealers,” Bass said of Trump’s deportation push.
“But when you raid Home Depots and workplaces, when you tear parents and children apart, and when you run armoured caravans through our streets, you are not trying to keep anyone safe. You’re trying to cause fear and panic.
“And when you start deploying federalised troops on the heels of these raids, it is a drastic and chaotic escalation and completely unnecessary.”
Newsom, meanwhile, filed an emergency motion on Tuesday to block Trump from expanding the military presence in Los Angeles beyond federal buildings, with a court hearing set for Thursday.
Bass and Governor Newsom have maintained that local law enforcement were able to handle the situation before Trump intervened and that the military presence prompted more unrest, not less.
Speaking alongside 30 other California mayors and city leaders on Wednesday, Bass questioned if Trump was seeing how far he could push his presidential power.
“This was provoked by the White House. The reason why? We don’t know,” said Bass.
“I posit that maybe we are part of a national experiment to determine how far the federal government can go in reaching in and taking over power from a governor, power from a local jurisdiction.”
So far, Trump has maintained that the soldiers’ deployment was needed to protect federal property and agents — and was therefore within his executive authority.
He has not yet invoked the Insurrection Act of 1807, a federal law that would suspend prohibitions against the military directly taking part in domestic law enforcement. Until that happens, the troops are generally barred from making arrests.
Speaking during a news conference on Wednesday, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt repeated Trump’s claims that sending in the National Guard and Marines had prevented Los Angeles from spiralling into chaos.
She charged that Bass and Newsom had “shamefully failed to meet their sworn obligations to their citizens”.
“They’re attempting to use a violent mob as a weapon against their own constituents to prevent the enforcement of immigration law,” she said. “This is deeply un-American and morally reprehensible.”
Questions about ‘migrant invasion’
Amid the unrest, the Trump administration has pledged to continue its aggressive immigration raids, with officials last month setting a quota of 3,000 arrests a day.
Advocates say the pressure has motivated ICE agents to take increasingly drastic measures, targeting anyone in the country without documentation, even those who have not committed criminal offences and those with deep community ties.
Reporting from Los Angeles, Al Jazeera’s Phil Lavelle said authorities have been conducting blanket raids at Home Depot hardware stores, where undocumented day labourers often gather to find work.
At one location, labourers told Lavelle “that they will continue to come even though they know that these stores are being targeted – even though they know that they will be targets – because quite simply, they’ve got to work”.
“These are people who are communicating by WhatsApp and other methods,” Lavelle added. “If anybody is seen in the area who looks like an ICE agent, straight away, there are reports so that people know that they have to leave.”
So far, 61 Mexican nationals had been detained in Los Angeles during the recent raids, according to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that the influx of migrants into the US constitutes an “invasion”, which in turn necessitates emergency actions.
Speaking on Tuesday from the Fort Bragg military base in North Carolina, he called the protests in California a “full-blown assault on peace, on public order and our national sovereignty carried out by rioters bearing foreign flags with the aim of continuing a foreign invasion of our country”.
But during a congressional hearing on Wednesday, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine was asked whether he believed the US was being invaded by a foreign power. His answer appeared to contradict Trump.
“I don’t see any foreign state-sponsored folks invading, but I’ll be mindful of the fact that there have been some border issues,” he said.
Goldman Sachs discourages students from using ChatGPT in job interviews at the bank.
- Goldman Sachs is cautioning its young job-seekers against using AI during the interview process. Instead, the $176 billion bank is encouraging applicants to study up on the firm in preparation. Other businesses like Anthropic and Amazon have also warned candidates against deploying AI—and if they’re caught, they could be disqualified.
While many companies are boasting about all the efficiencies that will come with AI, some are dissuading potential hires from using it to get a leg up in interviews with recruiters and hiring managers.
Goldman Sachs’ campus recruitment team for the bank’s private investing academy in EMEA recently sent out an email to students reminding them of its expectations for interviews, as reported by eFinancialCareers. Goldman uses video interviewing platform HireVue to pre-assess candidates and maintains a set of best practices for job-seekers. Based on the best practices guidelines, the young applicants are encouraged to prepare for interviews by studying the $176 billion firm’s financial results, business principles, and core values. But they can’t bank on AI to help them out.
“As a reminder, Goldman Sachs prohibits the use of any external sources, including ChatGPT or Google search engine, during the interview process,” the email noted, according to someone who saw the message.
HireVue is an AI-powered talent evaluation platform, known for asking behavioral questions that reveal applicants’ skills. Gen Z job-seekers might be tempted to use ChatGPT or other chatbots to game the recruitment process—but it’s discouraged, and isn’t the most viable option.
The typical Goldman Sachs virtual interview allows for 30 seconds of prep after the question, followed by a two-minute response time, according to research from eFinancialCareers. That makes it hard for job-seekers to quickly type a prompt into the chatbot, churn out an answer, and decide what the line of attack is. Plus, the responses aren’t tailored and unique to the individual, potentially hurting the interviewee more than helping.
Goldman’s job-seeker AI policy could seem ironic, as half of the firm’s 46,000 employees have access to the technology. But other companies are navigating that same paradox as they try to fully flesh out their AI strategies in an ever-changing technological environment.
Other companies dissuade applicants from using AI
Goldman Sachs isn’t the only major company warning its applicants not to use AI during recruitment. The $61.5 billion AI giant Anthropic went on a hiring spree last month, but told job-seekers that they can’t use the advanced technology to fill out their applications. The company argued that it wants to test the communication skills of potential hires, and AI use clouds that assessment.
“Please do not use AI assistants during the application process,” Anthropic wrote in the description for its hundreds of job postings. “We want to understand your personal interest in Anthropic without mediation through an AI system, and we also want to evaluate your non-AI-assisted communication skills.”
Retail giant Amazon also doesn’t like it when potential talent uses AI tools during the recruitment process. Earlier this year, the $2 trillion behemoth shared guidelines with internal recruiters, stressing that candidates who are caught using AI during job interviews should be disqualified. According to Amazon, the tools give an “unfair advantage” that masks analysis of someone’s “authentic” capabilities.
“To ensure a fair and transparent recruitment process, please do not use gen Al tools during your interview unless explicitly permitted,” the guidelines, as reported by Business Insider, noted. “Failure to adhere to these guidelines may result in disqualification from the recruitment process.”
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
MAX Field Hockey Announces 2024 Pennsylvania All-Region Teams
KAI KILLIAN
Lower Dauphin High School
Senior – Goalkeeper
90% save percentage, 0.63 gaa, 12 shutouts
Mid Penn Commonwealth Co-Player of the Year
AAA First Team All-State
PennLive’s Mid-Penn First Team
NFHCA All-Pennsylvania First Team
MAXFH HSNI Additional Top Performer
MAXFH Preseason Player to Watch
Review of the American Express® Business Gold Card
Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more. Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.
When you run a business, every dollar counts. Having the right credit card can not only help you pay the bills, but it can go a long way to help you actually save money.
As a business owner, you can qualify for cards that offer better rewards and perks than most personal travel cards.
(And don’t forget: freelancers, side hustlers, and really anyone with a bit of income on the side can qualify for business cards too. You don’t need to be an LLC or have a formal business setup!!)
One of the cards I love is the American Express® Business Gold Card. It’s simple and straightforward, offering flexible bonus categories that actually match your spending habits (something I wish more cards did), and is especially good if you do a lot of paid online ads.
Here’s everything you need to know about the American Express® Business Gold Card to see if it’s right for you:
What is the American Express® Business Gold Card?
The Business Gold Card is an easy-to-use business card issued by American Express. Its best feature is the ability to earn 4x points on the top two eligible categories where your business spends the most each month, from six eligible categories (more on those below).
I like that this keeps things simple, instead of offering a laundry list of statement credits to keep track of (though if you are interested in a card that does, check out my review of The Business Platinum Card® from American Express).
As an Amex card, you’ll also get access to fantastic customer service, Amex Offers, and some travel protections.
Here’s a glance at some of the benefits this card offers:
- Earn 100,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Gold Card within the first three months of Card Membership
- Earn 4x Membership Rewards points on the top two eligible categories where your business spends the most each month, from six eligible categories. While your top two categories may change, you will earn 4x points on the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these categories each calendar year (then 1x). Only the top two categories each billing cycle will count towards the $150,000 cap
- Earn 3x Membership Rewards points on flights and prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com using your Business Gold Card
- Earn 1x on all other purchases
- Earn up to $20 in statement credits monthly for eligible U.S. purchases at FedEx, Grubhub, and office supply stores (that’s up to $240 per year)
- Earn up to a $12.95 (plus applicable taxes on one membership fee) statement credit back each month after you pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) with your Business Gold Card (that’s up to $155 per year)
- No foreign transaction fees (See Rates & Fees)
- Extended warranty, purchase, and cellphone protection*
- Secondary car rental and baggage insurance*
The card does come with a $375 annual fee (See Rates and Fees).
*Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.
Earning Membership Rewards Points
As I mentioned, the best feature of this card is the ability to earn 4x in the two categories where your business spends the most (on your first $150,000 of spending each year). It’s important to understand that this doesn’t include all spending categories though, just these six eligible categories:
- Purchases at US media providers for advertising in select media (online, TV, radio)
- U.S. purchases made from electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers
- U.S. purchases at restaurants, including takeout and delivery
- U.S. purchases at gas stations
- Transit purchases including trains, taxicabs, rideshare services, ferries, tolls, parking, buses, and subways
- Monthly wireless telephone service charges made directly from a wireless telephone service provider in the U.S.
The nice part about this benefit is that your top two categories can change from month to month, reflecting your real-time business needs. But one of the ways to really maximize this benefit is that you can get 4x on online ads while most other cards offer a max of 3x. So, if you put all your online ads on this card and keep it as one of your top categories, you can get more points per dollar spent on ads than any other card!
And don’t worry about keeping track of which categories are your most used. The card automatically figures out your top two spending categories and awards points accordingly (you’ll see them as 1x until your statement closes, after which your top categories will be determined and points awarded).
To me, this is a huge perk because it keeps things simple. After all, as a business owner, you already have enough on your plate.
On the flip side, your regular business spending might not align with these categories. If that’s the case, I’d recommend a business card that has an increased earning rate on the ones that you do spend in, or one that earns more across all categories (you can check out which ones I recommend in this post on my favorite business cards).
Using Your Membership Rewards Points
With the Business Gold Card, you’ll earn Membership Rewards® points, which you can transfer to any of Amex’s 21 airline and hotel partners. Since Amex has a well-rounded suite of travel partners, Membership Rewards points are some of the most valuable points out there.
These are Amex’s current travel partners:
- Aer Lingus AerClub (1:1 ratio)
- Aeromexico Rewards (1:1.6 ratio)
- Air Canada Aeroplan (1:1 ratio)
- Air France-KLM Flying Blue (1:1 ratio)
- ANA Mileage Club (1:1 ratio)
- Avianca LifeMiles (1:1 ratio)
- British Airways Club (1:1 ratio)
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles (1:1 ratio)
- Choice Privileges (1:1 ratio)
- Delta SkyMiles (1:1 ratio)
- Emirates Skywards (1:1 ratio)
- Etihad Guest (1:1 ratio)
- HawaiianMiles (1:1 ratio)
- Hilton Honors (1:2 ratio)
- Iberia Plus (1:1 ratio)
- JetBlue TrueBlue (250:200 ratio)
- Marriott Bonvoy (1:1 ratio)
- Qantas Frequent Flyer (1:1 ratio)
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club (1:1 ratio)
- Singapore KrisFlyer (1:1 ratio)
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (1:1 ratio)
Most transfers are instant, though some can take up to 48 hours. Remember to only transfer the exact number of points that you need to book your flight or hotel. Transfers are one-way only.
You can also use your Membership Rewards points to book flights and hotels in the Amex Travel portal. I would advise against it though. It’s not as good a value as transferring your points to partners.
Up to $395 Per Year in Flexible Credit for Business Purchases
The Business Gold card offers statement credits in two categories, adding up to a potential annual savings of $395 per year (effectively paying for the cost of the card).
First, you can earn up to $20 in statement credits each month after you use the Business Gold Card for eligible U.S. purchases at FedEx, Grubhub, and office supply stores.
Second, you can earn up to $12.95 in statement credits each month after you pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) with your Business Gold Card. (Up to $12.95 plus applicable taxes. Plus Ups not eligible.)
I find these statement credits a bit random, and they’re not the most helpful if you have an online business like me. I usually max out on the Grubhub credits though!
Access to Amex Offers
The Business Gold Card also has access to Amex Offers, an ever-changing roster of deals where you can save money or earn bonus points with select retailers. The offers are targeted, so every cardholder has their own unique array of offers at any given time. For these offers, you do have to add them to your card before making a purchase (or you won’t get the deal).
Usually, they’re structured as “spend X, get Y amount back as a statement credit” though sometimes they’ll offer bonus points or a percentage back. While you probably won’t be able to take advantage of most offers, the more you can, the more you can offset the card’s annual fee.
New offers get added as old ones expire, so it’s worth checking back every so often so you can add any offers to your card that you might use.
Who is the Business Gold Card for?
The Business Gold card is best for business owners who have regular spending in the six categories where you can earn 4x points. This card is especially ideal for entrepreneurs who don’t want to worry about rotating or pre-selecting bonus categories. All you have to do is use it for your regular business spending and you’ll get your points.
Like with any card, if you’re carrying a balance — or think you might — you shouldn’t get this one. Travel cards like this come with high interest rates, and the rewards you earn won’t make up for what you’ll lose in interest charges. Trust me, no amount of points is worth going into debt over!
This card is also not for anyone with poor credit, as you need excellent credit to qualify. (If that’s you, check out the best credit cards for improving your score.)
The American Express Business Gold Card is one of my favorite business cards. The ability to automatically earn 4x points on your top two spending categories each month keeps things simple and helps you rack up points quickly. And more points equals more trips.
While it’s not as flashy as its more premium counterpart the Business Platinum, I like to keep the Business Gold in my wallet because it works hard behind the scenes. If you’re looking for a solid business card that works as hard as you do, this one’s worth a closer look.
Stop paying full price for travel!
Download my free guide to points and miles and learn how to use points and miles for free travel! It’s how all the pros travel so much! In this guide, I’ll show you:
- How to Pick a Credit Card
- How to Earn Up to 10x Miles on Your Spending
- How to Redeem Your Points
- And a Ton of Other Money Saving Tips!
Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks
Book Your Flight
Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner. It’s my favorite search engine because it searches websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is being left unturned.
Book Your Accommodation
You can book your hostel with Hostelworld. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as it consistently returns the cheapest rates for guesthouses and hotels.
Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:
Want to Travel for Free?
Travel credit cards allow you to earn points that can be redeemed for free flights and accommodation — all without any extra spending. Check out my guide to picking the right card and my current favorites to get started and see the latest best deals.
Need a Rental Car?
Discover Cars is a budget-friendly international car rental website. No matter where you’re headed, they’ll be able to find the best — and cheapest — rental for your trip!
Need Help Finding Activities for Your Trip?
Get Your Guide is a huge online marketplace where you can find cool walking tours, fun excursions, skip-the-line tickets, private guides, and more.
Ready to Book Your Trip?
Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel. I list all the ones I use when I travel. They are the best in class and you can’t go wrong using them on your trip.
Frictionless Magnetic Gear Motor Drive by Star Union for Ebikes
The race is on to create an ebike motor that adds the least amount of weight and bulk as physically possible, disappearing away into the bike where it’s barely seen or heard but is felt on every pedal stroke. The latest contender is the Magnetic Gear Motor (MGM) from Chinese ebike component supplier Star Union. As its name implies, this electric motor drive swaps out physical gears in favor of a magnetic gear system that compacts the core while cutting friction. The drive is then able to put out a serious punch from a tiny, incognito package.
Last week, we looked at how TQ’s latest electric bike drive is able to cut weight and bulk by using a Harmonic Pin Ring gearing system that places two gears inside each other, rather than laid out laterally as in a larger ebike drive. Star Union uses a similar gear-in-gear layout, albeit without the need for mechanical power transmission between physical gear teeth.
Star Union isn’t the first to explore the idea of magnetic gearing, but it does claim to be the first to apply it to an electric bike drive. Its permanent magnet-based gears transmit torque via a magnetic coupling that eliminates physical contact. The contactless transmission, in turn, cuts friction down around nil, resulting in an optimized power transmission Star Union estimates at 90% maximum efficiency.
Star Union
“Virtually no energy is wasted as heat from friction, meaning more of the battery power translates into wheel torque,” summarizes Zhi Pan, Star Union director. “Riders can expect better range and sustained output.”
With that level of efficiency and the snug, concentric configuration of gears, Star Union is able to ensure potent performance from a very compact drive package. The MGM’s outer casing measures in at 4.7 x 4 x 3.5 in (12 x 10 x 9 cm), which isn’t quite as grabbable as a 3.8-in-diameter (9.7-cm) softball, but the photo up top does show it fitting rather comfortably in the hand.
Star Union
More importantly, the 5-lb (2.3-kg) MGM fits quite neatly and inconspicuously in the bike’s bottom bracket, improving ground clearance and delivering aesthetics that are about as clean as any we’ve seen. It also gives bike manufacturers more flexibility in placement and overall frame design.
Beyond those big advantages, the magnetic transmission system cuts out noise associated with the physical grinding of gear teeth and the accompanying wear and tear of mechanical transmission. As for the potential of magnetic decoupling and slippage, Star Union is confident it has designed the MGM e-drive to prevent such problems.
“There are fewer points of mechanical stress, and the magnetic coupling can ‘slip’ harmlessly if overloaded, avoiding damage,” explains Zhi Pan. “Of course, the MGM motor doesn’t slip because we understand the torque limits of magnetic gears and can control the current accordingly.”
The good news about major components like this one is that the ebike industry will have the chance to fully vet Star Union’s claims before integrating the drive into the actual bikes that will be staring at consumers through the windows of local shops. After showing the Magnetic Gear Motor at Eurobike 2024, Star Union will be offering hands-on demonstrations and test rides for the first time at this year’s Eurobike show later this month.
Star Union
The 2025 MGM produces a claimed 80 Nm (59 lb-ft) of peak torque, up from the 75 Nm (55 lb-ft) of last year’s drive. Star Union says it was able to bump the torque up without adding any weight or size to the package. The drive has a continuous power of 250 watts and has been tested to 580 watts of peak power.
Star Union has developed several packages for road and mountain bikes with 48-V batteries ranging between 160 and 480 Wh. It says it’s been working with and talking to several ebike OEMs in Asia and Europe on development of MGM-powered products and plans to begin mass production of the mid-drive in the fourth quarter of this year.
Source: Star Union
Brian Wilson, one of the co-founders of legendary band The Beach Boys, passes away at 82
Brian Wilson, the legendary frontman and co-founder of The Beach Boys, has died at the age of 82, his family has announced.
“We are heartbroken to announce that our beloved father Brian Wilson has passed away,” his family said in a statement shared online. “We are at a loss for words right now.
“Please respect our privacy at this time as our family [is] grieving. We realise that we are sharing our grief with the world.”
Born in 1942 and raised in Hawthorne, California, Wilson formed a group with his younger brothers Carl and Dennis, cousin Mike Love and friend Al Jardine.
They went on to become one of the country’s biggest rock bands, The Beach Boys.
One of the most commercially successful bands of all time, they have sold more than 100 million records globally, according to the group’s website.
Music magazine Rolling Stone ranked them at 12 on its list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time”.
Wilson churned out dozens of hit singles, including the three number one songs I Get Around, Help Me, Rhonda and Good Vibrations.
He was known for using the recording studio to create unique sounds, especially on the album Pet Sounds, which contributed to his reputation as a music pioneer.
Tributes have been pouring in for the beloved musician.
Frank Sinatra’s daughter, Nancy Sinatra, who enjoyed a high-profile music career around the time of The Beach Boys’ heyday, shared a picture with Brian Wilson on Instagram.
“His cherished music will live forever as he travels through the Universe and beyond,” she wrote. “God bless you, sweet Brian.”
Mick Fleetwood, of the band Fleetwood Mac, wrote: “Anyone with a musical bone in their body must be grateful for Brian Wilson’s genius magical touch !! And greatly saddened of this major worldly loss!!”
Sean Ono Lennon, son of Beatles frontman John Lennon and Yoko Ono, called Wilson the “American Mozart” and a “one of a kind genius from another world”.
“Anyone who really knows me knows how heartbroken I am about Brian Wilson passing,” he wrote on X.
“Not many people influenced me as much as he did. I feel very lucky that I was able to meet him and spend some time with him. He was always very kind and generous.”
Elton John called him a “true giant”, while Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood said his “world is in mourning”, as he noted that Sly Stone and Wilson both died this week.
Universal Music Group’s chief executive Sir Lucian Grainge called Wilson “one of the most talented singer-songwriters in the history of recorded music”.
“If there was a human being who made art out of inexpressible sadness it was Brian Wilson,” the musician Questlove wrote in a long tribute on Instagram.
Micky Dolenz, the last surviving member of the band the Monkees, wrote of Wilson’s passing “his melodies shaped a generation, his harmonies changed the game, and his soul came through in every note”.
In a post on X, American singer-songwriter Tom Petty compared Wilson to Beethoven, writing “I don’t think there’s anything better than that.”
Wilson lost his wife Melinda in 2024. The couple had been married for 24 years, and adopted their children Dakota Rose, Daria Rose, Delanie Rose, Dylan and Dash together.
Wilson also had two daughters, Carnie and Wendy, from his first marriage.
The musician was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic in 1984, according to Forbes, when doctors found evidence that his use of psychedelic drugs had potentially damaged his brain.
In February 2024 it was revealed he had dementia.
Shelley Pisarra has been appointed as the Chief Insights and Innovation Officer at Wasserman.
Hollywood talent giant Wasserman has promoted Shelley Pisarra to the role of Chief Insights and Innovation Officer.
Pisarra previously served as Executive Vice President, Global Insights.
The exec will report to Wasserman’s Chief Operating Officer, Darrell Coetzee.
A 2020 Sports Business Journal ‘Game Changer’ honoree, Pisarra co-founded the Women in Sports and Events (WISE) Multiplier Summit in 2022, and has partnered on programming with the MIT Sloan Sports and Analytics Conference since 2016.
In her new role, Pisarra will “develop strategies and platforms that will accelerate growth across the sports, music and entertainment landscape,” according to Wasserman.
Specific initiatives Pisarra will work on include the “continued expansion of Wasserman’s product and innovation work”.
Pisarra will also work on “developing proprietary commercial capabilities that unlock revenue opportunities for op talent, brands, and rights holders”.
Commenting on her new role, Pisarra, said: “I’m thrilled to step into this role, as Wasserman continues to demonstrate our commitment to putting insights to work to best serve our clients, while anticipating what’s next for the fan at the intersection of sports, music, and entertainment.”
“I’m thrilled to step into this role, as Wasserman continues to demonstrate our commitment to putting insights to work to best serve our clients.”
Shelley pisarra
News of Pisarra’s promotion comes during a busy period of expansion for Wasserman Music and the wider Wasserman group, after the company appointed Steve Murray as its new Executive Vice President of Mergers & Acquisitions and Strategy in July 2024.
Notably, Murray played a key role in Providence’s strategic investment in Wasserman back in November 2022, which the company said fueled its expansion efforts.
There have also been several music-related hires at Wasserman this year. Last month, Wasserman Music made two new hires to bolster its New York-based Hip-Hop/R&B division. Jazmyn Griffin joined as a New York-based Director on the Global Festivals team.
Tessie Lammle also joined the company as a Los Angeles-based Director and agent focused on hip-hop and R&B artists.
Meanwhile, back in January 2025, Wasserman Music appointed three executives from rival William Morris Endeavour (WME) to its leadership team.Music Business Worldwide
South Africa Floods Claim at Least 49 Lives, Including School Bus swept Away
Dozens of people were killed in South Africa, including several children whose school bus was swept away by flash floods, as unusually heavy rain, snow and wind pummeled parts of the country’s Eastern Cape Province this week.
A slow-moving storm raged over the largely rural province on Monday and Tuesday, drowning homes and leaving thousands of residents displaced, without water or electricity, according to local officials and the national power utility.
On Wednesday, the authorities were still searching for four children who had been on the school bus. Eleven children had been riding the bus on Tuesday, when it was swept off a bridge in the town of Mthatha. Three children from the bus were rescued after they clung to trees for hours, while four others and two adults were killed, local officials said.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the province’s premier, Oscar Mabuyane, said 49 people had been killed. While the worst of the weather has passed, officials said, they fear the toll could rise as many people remain unaccounted for.
“Disasters have hit our province, but we have never experienced this combination of torrential rain and snow,” Mr. Mabuyane said.
This extreme winter weather came as a cold front crawled across the country, driven by a phenomenon called a cutoff low. A cutoff low is a storm system that becomes detached from the fast-moving air currents that usually guide weather systems. As a result, it becomes slow-moving and can linger over one area for several days. (A cutoff low was similarly involved in the devastating rainfall that flooded the province of Valencia, Spain, to deadly effect last fall.)
“This type of anomaly is not abnormal for us, where we have a single event that is producing more rainfall and then becoming drier for a longer time,” said Tokelo Chiloane, a senior weather forecaster at the South African Weather Service.
But this week’s storm drenched the province with an unusual amount of precipitation. One weather station in the Eastern Cape region recorded 9.4 inches of rain over a 24-hour period Monday night into Tuesday. That’s about twice the average total rainfall that the province typically gets from June through August, Ms. Chiloane said.
In Mthatha, hundreds have been displaced and are being housed in community halls, according to local officials.
Rescue teams have been dispatched from surrounding areas to reinforce emergency operations in the most heavily affected places.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Mr. Mabuyane said critical resource shortages continued to compromise emergency-response capabilities in the region.
“It’s a question that we’ve been reporting every time we experience disasters,” he said. “We now know, at least for the last two years or so, that we are a disaster-prone province. The area that is under-resourced is the eastern part of the province.”
Aerial surveillance and aquatic search teams, including divers, are combing the areas hit by floods. In those most affected, water levels were almost 10 feet high, flowing over the rooftops of big houses, Mr. Mabuyane said.
“It’s bad,” he said. “It is terrible.”
Nazaneen Ghaffar contributed reporting from London.
The Pentagon initiates review of Aukus nuclear submarine agreement
The Pentagon has launched a review of the 2021 Aukus submarine deal with the UK and Australia, throwing the security pact into doubt at a time of heightened tension with China.
The review to determine whether the US should scrap the project is being led by Elbridge Colby, a top defence department official who previously expressed scepticism about Aukus, according to six people familiar with the matter.
Ending the submarine and advanced technology development agreement would destroy a pillar of security co-operation between the allies. The review has triggered anxiety in London and Canberra.
While Aukus has received strong support from US lawmakers and experts, some critics say it could undermine the country’s security because the navy is struggling to produce more American submarines as the threat from Beijing is rising.
Australia and Britain are due to co-produce an attack submarine class known as the SSN-Aukus that will come into service in the early 2040s.
But the US has committed to selling up to five Virginia class submarines to Australia from 2032 to bridge the gap as it retires its current fleet of vessels.
That commitment would almost certainly lapse if the US pulled out of Aukus.
Last year, Colby wrote on X that he was sceptical about Aukus and that it “would be crazy” for the US to have fewer nuclear-powered attack submarines, known as SSNs, in the case of a conflict over Taiwan.
In March, Colby said it would be “great” for Australia to have SSNs but cautioned there was a “very real threat of a conflict in the coming years” and that US SSNs would be “absolutely essential” to defend Taiwan.
Sceptics of the nuclear technology-sharing pact have also questioned whether the US should help Australia obtain the submarines without an explicit commitment to use them in any war with China.
Kurt Campbell, the deputy secretary of state in the Biden administration who was the US architect of Aukus, last year stressed the importance of Australia having SSNs that could work closely with the US in the case of a war over Taiwan. But Canberra has not publicly linked the need for the vessels to a conflict over Taiwan.
The review comes amid mounting anxiety among US allies about some of the Trump administration’s positions. Colby has told the UK and other European allies to focus more on the Euro-Atlantic region and reduce their activity in the Indo-Pacific.
Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate foreign relations committee, told the FT that news of the administration backing away from Aukus would “be met with cheers in Beijing, which is already celebrating America’s global pullback and our strained ties with allies under President Trump”.
“Scrapping this partnership would further tarnish America’s reputation and raise more questions among our closest defence partners about our reliability,” Shaheen said.
“At a moment when we face mounting threats from China and Russia, we should be encouraging our partners to raise their defence spending and partnering with them on the latest technologies — not doing the opposite.”
One person familiar with the debate over Aukus said Canberra and London were “incredibly anxious” about the Aukus review.
“Aukus is the most substantial military and strategic undertaking between the US, Australia and Great Britain in generations,” Campbell told the Financial Times.
“Efforts to increase co-ordination, defence spending and common ambition should be welcomed. Any bureaucratic effort to undermine Aukus would lead to a crisis in confidence among our closest security and political partners.”
The Pentagon has pushed Australia to boost its defence spending. US defence secretary Pete Hegseth this month urged Canberra to raise spending from 2 per cent of GDP to 3.5 per cent. In response, Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese said: “We’ll determine our defence policy.”
“Australia’s defence spending has gradually been increasing, but it is not doing so nearly as fast as other democratic states, nor at a rate sufficient to pay for both Aukus and its existing conventional force,” said Charles Edel, an Australia expert at the CSIS think-tank in Washington.
John Lee, an Australia defence expert at the Hudson Institute, said pressure was increasing on Canberra because the US was focusing on deterring China from invading Taiwan this decade. He added that Australia’s navy would be rapidly weakened if it did not increase defence spending to 3 per cent of GDP.
“This is unacceptable to the Trump administration,” said Lee. “If Australia continues on this trajectory, it is conceivable if not likely that the Trump administration will freeze or cancel Pillar 1 of Aukus [the part dealing with submarines] to force Australia to focus on increasing its funding of its military over the next five years.”
One person familiar with the review said it was unclear if Colby was acting alone or as part of a wider effort by Trump administration. “Sentiment seems to be that it’s the former, but the lack of clarity has confused Congress, other government departments and Australia,” the person said.
A Pentagon spokesperson said the department was reviewing Aukus to ensure that “this initiative of the previous administration is aligned with the president’s ‘America First’ agenda”. He added that Hegseth had “made clear his intent to ensure the [defence] department is focused on the Indo-Pacific region first and foremost”.
Several people familiar with the matter said the review was slated to take 30 days, but the spokesperson declined to comment on the timing. “Any changes to the administration’s approach for Aukus will be communicated through official channels, when appropriate,” he said.
A British government official said the UK was aware of the review. “That makes sense for a new administration,” said the official, who noted that the Labour government had also conducted a review of Aukus.
“We have reiterated the strategic importance of the UK-US relationship, announced additional defence spending and confirmed our commitment to Aukus,” the official added.
The Australian embassy in Washington declined to comment.