NEWS
Ethel Cain has shared her thoughts on the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, saying that while she wasn’t being “reactionary”, violence was “sometimes” the answer, while using the hashtag “KillMoreCEOs”.
Healthcare boss Thompson was shot dead outside a Manhattan hotel last December, with the killer remaining at large for several days afterwards. The suspect, initially described as a white man wearing a mask, fled the scene.
The police later arrested lead suspect Luigi Mangione at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania after an employee recognised him from New York Police Department images. A three-page manifesto was found in his possession, in which he criticised the American healthcare system.
In a series of Instagram Story posts made yesterday (January 10), the ‘Punish‘ musician also expressed frustration with the system, having only recently called American politics a “breeding ground for violent hatred”.
Cain initially shared a post by Secretary of Labor Robert Reich, which lambasted powerful collectives like the NRA (National Rifle Association), “Big Oil” and insurance companies who were able to “buy off Congress”.
In a follow-up story, Cain shared her perspective, writing: “Not even trying to be reactionary or “edgy” or say this shit for shock value, i genuinely mean what i say. corporations giggle at protesting.
“why would anyone ever willingly come down off their throne that they’ve spent years building off the suffering of their fellow man? nobody is getting visited by the ghost of christmas future, no one is having a change of heart.”
She went on to say “it” – being provoking change – was simple, “You make them fear for their lives and hit them in the only place they hurt or nothing will ever get done,” and questioned why that was a “radical” idea.
“It seems quite straightforward to me,” she wrote. “‘Violence is never the answer’ wrong. sometimes it is.” She concluded in a final story by adding: “The world is burning and it’s very clear who’s holding the matches.”
As for Mangione, he has dominated headlines in recent months and developed somewhat of a cult following online, with his supporters either engaging more seriously with his political beliefs and positioning him as a “folk hero”, or more simply dubbing him a “hot assassin” who is “husband” material.
Since his arrest, Mangione has become an internet meme phenomenon, with variations of “#FreeLuigi” posted on X/Twitter over 50,000 times (per BBC News), with two documentaries about him already in the works.
Back in December, Chris Rock made a joke about Thompson’s death in his monologue. During his fourth stint as Saturday Night Live (SNL) host, he touched on the internets reaction to Mangione.
“Everybody’s fixated on how good-looking this guy looks,” he said. “If he looked like Jonah Hill, no one would care. They’d already given him the chair already.”
He continued: “But he actually killed a man, a man! A man with a family, a man with kids… I have real condolences for the Healthcare CEO…but you also gotta know, sometimes drug dealers get shot.”
Taylor Swift believes Nashville has a music scene that stands apart from anywhere else.
The 36 year old singer moved to Nashville, Tennessee, when she was young to chase her dream of becoming a country music star. After being inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame on Monday (26.10.26), Taylor took the opportunity to recognise the city and the talented writers who have helped shape its music scene.
In her acceptance speech, Taylor said: "I believe you really get to master a craft by doing it again and again. That's exactly what the incredible songwriters in this wonderful town do every day."
Taylor also spoke about what makes Nashville such a special place for musicians.
The award winning singer, who ranks among the best selling music artists of all time, said: "You won't find another music community quite like this one. Trust me, I've checked them all."
Taylor also shared how being part of Nashville's songwriting scene had taught her valuable lessons about life and working with others.
She joked: "I've learned to be flexible when your co writer turns up with a hangover, or when they need to spend ages talking about their divorce before we can even get started on a song."
Taylor previously spoke about how Faith Hill and Shania Twain inspired her decision to move to Nashville.
Speaking to Time magazine, the singer said: "I couldn't get enough of watching TV biographies about Faith Hill and Shania Twain, and I realised they had both moved to Nashville to get their careers started. After that, I kept asking, pleading and begging my parents to take me there.
"When I was 11, my mum took my brother and me to Nashville during spring break, and we spent the trip driving around Music Row. She stayed in the car while I rushed into record companies one after another, giving my demo CD to the receptionists. I found it fascinating that so many major record labels were gathered along a single street, often inside little buildings and old houses.
"What really stayed with me was how welcoming people were to newcomers and complete strangers like us. We started visiting Nashville more often, and when I was 13, I received an offer for a development deal from a major record label. That was when my parents finally agreed to leave Pennsylvania and move with me."
