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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Steps Onto a Wider Stage
The progressive lawmaker is taking a larger role in Democratic politics, supporting moderate candidates and helping drive the party’s economic message. Now she is planning a major trip abroad.
City Effort to Dispatch Mental Health Workers Ends in Police Response 86% of the Time
Reacting to the police shooting of Jabez Chakraborty, Mayor Mamdani plans to speed up the expansion of community responders, but a CITY analysis of existing efforts found that 911 dispatchers call in cops in the vast majority of cases.
Every major galaxy is speeding away from the Milky Way, except one — and we finally know why
A vast, flat sheet of dark matter may solve the long-standing mystery of why our neighboring galaxy Andromeda is speeding toward us while our other neighbors are moving away from us.
A Homeland Security shutdown grows more likely as Republicans rebuff Democratic demands for ICE
Senate Majority Leader John Thune says Democrats’ demands for new restrictions on federal immigration officers are “unrealistic.”
January layoffs rose to the highest level for the month since 2009
Major employers including UPS and Amazon announced significant job cuts in January, with transportation and tech sectors leading the nationwide layoffs surge.
Leading sports investment firm Arctos acquired by private equity giant KKR
The acquisition gives KKR a range of ownership across virtually every major pro sports league.
Pixelworks Appoints Sevan Brown to Lead Business Development for TrueCut Motion
Pixelworks, Inc. (NASDAQ: PXLW) ("Pixelworks" or the "Company"), a provider of innovative cinematic and enhanced visualization solutions, today announced the appointment of Sevan Brown as Executive Vice President of Business Development. In the newly created role, Brown will lead the Company's enhanced focus on securing and growing global business partnerships for its TrueCut Motion platform with major Hollywood studios, international exhibitors and streaming service providers.
Unvaccinated baby dies of measles in 15th case since outbreak began, Health Ministry says
Out of the previous 13 deaths, the majority were otherwise healthy babies with no underlying conditions who had not been vaccinated.
Poll: Most want Supreme Court to rule against Trump on tariffs, Fed control
Large majorities of the public want the Supreme Court to rule against Trump's tariffs and against his attempt to fire Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve.
‘Everything is quagga mussel now’: can invasive species be stopped?
While ecologists believe invasive species play a major role in more than 60% of plant and animal extinctions, stopping them in their tracks is almost impossible. Biodiversity reporter Phoebe Weston tells Madeleine Finlay how invasive species spread, how conservationists are trying combat them and why some think a radical new approach is needed.
Yankees news: Beating projections seems viable for several Yanks
Yanks have several candidates to outperform projections; Cunningham could take major leap in 2026; Fernández picked up off of waivers; IKF to Boston; Washington Post sports gets axed.
System76's COSMIC Desktop Planning Vulkan Renderer, Improved Gaming Experience
Following December's release of COSMIC Epoch 1 along with the Pop!_OS 24.04 release by System76, today they shared more of their feature plans for the next two major COSMIC desktop updates.
AI to track icebergs adrift at sea in boon for science
British scientists said Thursday that a world-first AI tool to catalogue and track icebergs as they break apart into smaller chunks could fill a "major blind spot" in predicting climate change.But scientists have long struggled to keep track of these floating behemoths once they break into thousands of smaller chunks, their fate and impact on the climate largely lost to the seas.
Major firearms distributor serving thousands of retailers across multiple countries files for bankruptcy
Major outdoor sporting goods distributor Big Rock Sports files for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, potentially affecting over 20,000 retailers across multiple countries.
Get To Know a College Basketball Mid-Major: Ivy League
A look at who's who and what they are playing for in the men's and women's college basketball mid-major Ivy League.
Blizzard unveils a major Overwatch 2 revamp, renaming it to just Overwatch and announcing ambitious, imminent expansion plan
Five new heroes arrive at once, and then a further five this year. That's 10 new heroes in total this year.
Inside Your Health: Measles outbreak
A new map published by researchers at Major Academic Centers and ABC News identified specific zip codes in Minnesota that are at higher risk for a measles outbreak.
Overwatch 2 Is Ditching the '2' Amid Launch of 'New, Story-Driven Era' With 10 New Heroes
Overwatch 2 is officially ditching the "2" from its name. It's all just Overwatch now as the game enters a "new, story-driven era" with a year-long narrative, 10 new heroes, and a major overhaul.
Small Business Owners to Missouri General Assembly: Curb Lawsuit Abuse Now
Annual small business survey finds the majority of Main Street members oppose the regulation of websites.
Liberal Arts, Conservative Wallets: How College Majors Steer Students’ Politics
Surveys from over 300,000 college-goers show that humanities and social science majors drift left, while those studying business largely stand pat.
Serbia: Reform denounced as a political takeover of justice
In a rushed, opaque procedure, Serbia's ruling majority has pushed through legal amendments that critics say undermine judicial independence and are designed to neutralize the prosecutors investigating organized crime.
Firefighter, lawyer advance in pivotal Michigan Senate race
The field of candidates for a special election to decide whether Michigan Democrats keep their majority in the state Senate is set.
The 10 races that will decide control of the US Senate
In the fight for control of the US Senate, the majority may come down to which factor carries more weight: the map or the environment.
Disney’s CEO Choice Reflects Entertainment’s Decline
It’s CEO replacement time. Both Walt Disney Co. and PayPal named new chief executives on Tuesday, with each appointment symbolizing major business shifts. Disney named parks chief Josh D’Amaro to succeed longtime CEO Bob Iger, who turns 75 next week (D’Amaro is Iger’s second successor, after the ...
Political Realignment and the 2026 Japanese Election II | Council on Foreign Relations
This Sunday, Japanese voters will once again go to the polls. Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae has called this snap election in the hopes of attracting sufficient votes to put her party, the LDP, back in the majority.
Measles exposure risk identified at major airport and theme park, health officials warn
Health officials warn of potential measles risk at LAX and Disneyland after international traveler's visit. Here's what to know about windows of exposure.
UF Astraeus faculty help shape national science strategy for human exploration of Mars
UF Astraeus Space Institute faculty filled key leadership roles in a a major National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report.
Medicaid cost, DCF oversight among CT lawmakers’ 2026 priorities
Connecticut legislators have lofty ambitions to tackle major health and human services challenges during the 2026 legislative session.
Thune throws cold water on Trump's call to 'nationalize' U.S. elections
“I’m not in favor of federalizing elections,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters Tuesday.
Christian Menefee sworn into Congress, giving Houston’s 18th District long-awaited representation
The former Harris County attorney defeated Amanda Edwards in a special election runoff on Saturday. Menefee's swearing in chips away at Republicans' majority in the U.S. House.
Braves' TV future unclear after FanDuel Sports Network deal collapses
The Atlanta Braves are heading into the season with a major question still unanswered: where and how fans will be able to watch their games.
AI will supercharge sports team valuations, says Arctos Partners’ Charles
Arctos is the only private equity firm approved to own equity in teams across all five major North American professional leagues: the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and MLS.
6 US cities, including NYC, to host soccer at 2028 Los Angeles Olympics
Existing Major League Soccer stadiums will host.
The essential first-hire checklist for small businesses
Hiring your first employee is a major milestone, and being prepared makes all the difference. In this episode of Small Business Smarts, go through the essential steps every business owner should complete before making that first hire. For more, visit ADP.com/SPARK
Breaking down some boldface names in the Epstein files
The major headlines from the latest dump of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein focus on Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Elon Musk and the former Prince Andrew, among others. And rightly so. Those names are sprinkled throughout the documents.
Orsted Sells Onshore Business to Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners for $1.7 Billion
The company has been working through a major restructuring that includes a large-scale divestment program to free up funds and shore up its coffers.
New poll shows 45% of US voters identify as independents, shifting away from major political parties
A growing share of Americans are distancing themselves from both major political parties, a trend that's reshaping the electoral landscape.
Samsung updates One UI software rollout roadmap
Samsung today released the February 2026 patch details and software roadmap. This month’s roadmap carried out major changes, removing 2021’s flagship lineup from support and demoting the 2022’s premium phones alongside an FE. Galaxy S21 series will no longer receive software updates. The Galaxy S22 series will now get new updates on a quarterly basis. […]
Texas Senate candidate James Talarico’s campaign roiled as he denies referring to ex-rival as ‘mediocre Black man’
With now just a month to go until Election Day, the Democratic primary for US Senate in Texas has become so fraught that a TikToker’s accusations have roiled the race and prompted a major endorsement in the backlash.
Texas Democrat who scored major upset in Trump country speaks to CNN
Get To Know a College Basketball Mid-Major: American Conference
A look at who's who and what they are playing for in the men's and women's college basketball mid-major American Conference.
Maryland Companies Celebrate Global Collaborations, Industry Honors and Local Partnerships
The Maryland Marketing Partnership, which helps drive Maryland's branding and marketing efforts to attract businesses, create jobs, and grow the state's economy, today shared a summary of the latest news from companies and organizations that invest in the partnership. "Maryland's marketing partners are starting the year with major investments in our state's workforce and economy," said Harry Coker Jr., Secretary for the Maryland Department of Commerce. "From clean energy to biopharma to higher education to commercial real estate, these investments are helping us build a stronger and more competitive Maryland economy." BGE , Maryland's largest natural gas and electric utility, along with the Exelon Foundation , announced a $250,000 grant for Civic Works' Baltimore Shines solar initiative to support solar installations for 30 homes in Baltimore. According to Civic Works, homeowners will receive free rooftop solar installations, adding clean energy to the grid and generating more than
Sources: 5 teams to leave Main Street, join MLB
At least five teams are expected to leave their regional sports network, Main Street Sports, and join Major League Baseball, essentially shedding their once-lucrative local-media contracts, sources told ESPN on Monday. More are expected to follow.
Ola Hawatmeh collects more than $254K to run in CD 19
The Middle East Women’s Coalition co-founder counts Dan Newlin among major donors.
Interview: Civilization VII’s devs on the big update meant to win critics back
Firaxis' Ed Beach and Dennis Shirk talk major overhauls in "Test of Time" update.
Survey finds prior authorization viewed as greatest hurdle in navigating health care
A KFF survey published today found that people view prior authorization as the biggest challenge beyond costs when navigating the health care system. In terms of issues people viewed as a “major burden,” prior authorization was highest at 32%, followed by understanding their bill or what they owe at 23%.
Comcast Resets Connectivity Business As Legal And Sports Stakes Rise
Comcast (NasdaqGS:CMCSA) is overhauling its connectivity business, appointing Steve Croney as CEO of Connectivity & Platforms. The company is shifting its broadband and wireless approach, including simplified pricing and new partnership models. A recent patent ruling resulted in a US$240 million judgment against Comcast. Comcast is rolling out RealTime4K streaming and other products ahead of major sports broadcasts such as the Olympics and the Super Bowl. For you as an investor, the story...
National Survey Finds Heart Conditions Top Cost Driver for Employers and Health Plans, But Action to Contain Costs Lags
MENLO PARK, Calif., February 02, 2026--A new survey of healthcare benefit leaders shows heart conditions are a major concern, but prevention and cost containment efforts are falling behind.
The Major Business Names in the Epstein Files
Documents referencing prominent executives like Elon Musk, Howard Lutnick and Bill Gates underscored the wide web of boldfaced names tied to Jeffrey Epstein.
Poll: People View Prior Authorization as Greatest Burden in Navigating the Health System
New KFF polling explores the challenges beyond costs that people with insurance face in navigating the health care system. People cite prior authorization review as their top problem by a wide margin, with a third (32%) saying prior authorization requirements are a “major burden.
AI is coming for rodeo, the last major U.S. sport untouched by analytics
Rodeo's AI Moneyball era is here
AI is coming for rodeo, the last major U.S. sport untouched by analytics
Rodeo's AI Moneyball era is here
Geneva campus moves ahead with major science center buildout
A major new science complex is taking shape in Geneva as Hobart and William Smith Colleges finalize plans for the Fish Center for the Sciences, a four-story facility designed to bring multiple STEM disciplines under one roof. With design work nearly complete, the $25 million project marks one of the largest academic investments in the… MoreGeneva campus moves ahead with major science center buildout
I Went to the Grammys and the Best Performance of the Night Majorly Took Me by Surprise
I went to this year's Grammys in person, and it was a life-changing experience. But one performance in particular will stick with me for a very long time. Here, my Grammys review.
The 2026 Virginia Black Business Leaders Awards
From rebuilding communities in the post–Jim Crow era to leading Fortune 500 companies and public institutions today, Black business leaders have played a central role in shaping Virginia’s modern economy. Today, they are driving growth, innovation and opportunity across the commonwealth — leading major corporations, expanding small businesses, strengthening public institutions and driving progress across […]
MLB ALL-STARS AND ENTERTAINMENT ICONS TO PLAY IN 2026 ANNEXUS PRO-AM
Tournament Chairman Jason Eisenberg announced today that Major League Baseball standouts Cal Raleigh, Alex Bregman and Mookie Betts, along with entertainers Colin Jost and Brian Baumgartner, have committed to compete in the 2026 WM Phoenix Open Annexus Pro-Am, set to take place Wednesday, Feb. 4, on the Stadium Course at TPC Scottsdale.
Meningitis cases rise in major Midwestern city, prompting public health alert
Chicago health officials issue urgent alert after seven meningococcal disease cases, including two deaths. Know the symptoms and warning signs.
Escape from Tarkov ducks for its first major crossover event
Battlestate Games has confirmed its first major crossover event is on the way, and it's with Escape from Duckov.
Speaker Mike Johnson says he's 'confident' shutdown will end by Tuesday
Despite his one-vote majority in the House and weather-related challenges, the GOP speaker said the partial shutdown won't last long.
UND Nistler College of Business of Public Administration to introduce new real estate major
Also, Department of Economics and Finance has been renamed the Fransen Department of Real Estate, Economics and Finance in honor of Robert "Bob" Fransen, who helped the real estate major come to be.
The best new popular science books of February 2026
Readers are spoiled for choice when it comes to popular science reading this month, with new titles by major names including Maggie Aderin and Michael Pollan
India hands Apple a win by letting foreign firms fund equipment for manufacturers
India's government on Sunday handed a major win to Apple by allowing foreign companies to freely provide machines to their contract manufacturers set up in certain areas for five years, without fearing any tax risk.
The Science of the Modern Base Season: Why Zone 2 Isn’t Enough Anymore
It's important to keep working hard all through the year, avoiding a major reliance on Zone 2 training. This is why.
Democrats narrow GOP House majority as Menefee wins Texas special election
After Menefee is sworn in, Democrats will have 214 House seats. Republicans currently hold 218, giving House Speaker Mike Johnson a razor-thin majority.
Water line breaks disrupt small business in Weirton
A major water line break in downtown Weirton has left Blue Cat Coffee struggling with a lack of water pressure and discolored water.Owner Amber Cekus said, "We
Aurora restaurant concerned new city construction project may hurt nearby businesses
Casa Vallarta Mexican Restaurant in Aurora has survived a lot of trials since it opened its doors in 1998. It is now preparing for yet another challenge as a major construction project is set to begin nearby.
China Makes Major Advancements in Space Mining Technologies
China is making significant strides in space mining technologies, with a focus on extracting resources from asteroids and other minor planets.
Electric fields flip the rules of water chemistry
nside electrochemical devices, strong electric fields dramatically alter how water molecules behave. New research shows that these fields speed up water dissociation not by lowering energy costs, but by increasing molecular disorder once ions form. The reaction becomes entropy-driven—exactly the opposite of what happens in ordinary water. The findings also reveal that intense fields can push water from neutral to highly acidic, with major implications for hydrogen production.
A US House special election in Texas will narrow the GOP majority even further
Voters on Saturday will select one of two Democrats in a runoff election to fill a vacant US House seat, further narrowing Speaker Mike Johnson’s already razor-thin Republican majority.
Democrats Menefee and Edwards compete for a House seat that will narrow GOP's slim majority
Democrats Christian Menefee and Amanda Edwards are competing for a vacant U.S. House seat from Houston
How Singapore is Emphasizing K-pop to Become Asia’s Ultimate Entertainment Hub with BTS and Major Concerts - Travel And Tour World
Explore how Singapore has become a hub for K-pop culture and live entertainment, hosting major concerts and boosting tourism through global collaborations.
Anchorage School District proposes major cuts to positions, programs, sports and more
In a letter to families, Anchorage Superintendent Jharrett Bryantt said maintaining the status quo is no longer sustainable given current state and local funding levels.
Dodgers World Series Champion Linked to Yankees
The New York Yankees reportedly “checked in” on Dodgers free agent Michael Kopech this offseason, per the New York Post’s Jon Heyman. Kopech entered free agency after spending a majority of 2025 on the injured list with the Dodgers. The…
Pokémon GO February 2026 Events
The Pokémon GO February 2026 events schedule is here! In February, featured Pokémon are Solgaleo, Lunala and Growlithe. A variety of different Pokémon will be featured throughout the month, and there is a whole host of in-game events to look forward to! Here are all the major events happening in February 2026 in Pokémon GO, as […]
Congestion Ahead! Super Bowl Prop Wagers Driving Major Traffic at Books
Bettors are already whetting their appetites with Super Bowl prop wagers. Find out where they're putting their money well before kick off.
Australian Open women's final: How to watch Sabalenka vs. Rybakina
Three years after Aryna Sabalenka defeated Elena Rybakina in the 2023 Australian Open final, they will face off in the Melbourne major final again.
Trump-appointed judges are letting his immigration enforcement blitz continue
As President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown has whisked through major US cities, trial-level judges attempting to restrain the frenzied actions of federal agents have been repeatedly slapped down by higher courts – sometimes with the help of judges the president put on the bench in his first term.
U.S. Department of State and National Football League Sports Diplomacy Partnership - United States Department of State
Today, the U.S. Department of State and the National Football League (NFL) announced a partnership to support and enhance the Department’s sports diplomacy initiatives and to collaborate on major sporting events, including international NFL games, the Super Bowl, and the debut of flag football at the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles (LA28). As American […]
UND Nistler College of Business & Public Administration announces newly named Fransen Department of Real Estate, Economics & Finance
UND alum Bob Fransen's gift establishes real estate major, renames department
Borderlands 4 Finally Gets Photo Mode in Today's Major Update
Borderlands 4 is getting a major update today, including, among other things, the addition of the long-awaited Photo Mode that was announced prior to the game's launch, but was allegedly held due to the need to prioritize polishing other elements.
Former reality TV father of 8 reveals major health scare: ‘I could have died’
It happened just weeks before his marriage to his second wife.
War Department Boards Merge to Form New Science, Technology and Innova
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth approved a major overhaul of the War Department's legacy advisory boards, directing the merger of the Defense Innovation Board and the Defense Science Board into the new
Newport News creates a new vibe: City forms nonprofit to support entertainment events
Newport News will create a nonprofit called NNVibes to help coordinate large-scale entertainment events. This comes after Mayor Phillip Jones announced the city will host a major music festival lat…
I have 5 major concerns about Google's Android desktop OS
A leaked screen recording showed off what Google's Android desktop OS (Aluminium OS) will look like, and it's very concerning for any Chrome OS user.
Health Care Costs Tops the Public’s Economic Worries as the Runup to the Midterms Begins; Independent Voters Are More Likely to Trust Democrats than Republicans on the Issue
Heading into this midterm election year, the cost of health care tops the public’s economic anxieties and more than 4 in 10 voters say the issue will have a major impact on their vote, this KFF Health Tracking poll finds.
KFF Health Tracking Poll: Health Care Costs, Expiring ACA Tax Credits, and the 2026 Midterms
Looking ahead to the midterm elections, health care costs are the public’s top economic concern, and many voters say the issue will have a major impact on their vote. On health care issues, including the cost of health care, voters currently trust Democrats more than Republicans, though neither party has an advantage on addressing the overall cost of living. Following the expiration of the ACA enhanced tax credits, two-thirds of the public say Congress did the “wrong thing” by not extending them.
Exclusive: Honda signs Fabio Quartararo for 2027 MotoGP season
Quartararo’s switch from Yamaha to Honda marks the first major move of the 2027 MotoGP rider market
Trump’s National Guard deployments have cost taxpayers nearly $500 million dollars
President Donald Trump’s sweeping deployment of National Guard troops to several major cities across the United States cost taxpayers approximately $496 million from June through December last year, according to an estimate from the Congressional Budget Office.
Student sport finals to come to Coventry
The major university sporting competition will see thousands of student athletes visit Coventry.
Plain Talk: 'Politics is noise'
On this Plain Talk, we were joined by outgoing North Dakota House Majority Leader Mike Lefor and Democratic-NPL U.S. House candidate Trygve Hammer.
Democrats demand major overhaul to ICE, as government shutdown risk skyrockets
Democrats in Congress are digging in against any funding deal with President Donald Trump this week that doesn’t include major changes to federal immigration enforcement – dramatically increasing the odds of a shutdown at week’s end.
As major CEOs respond to ICE Minneapolis crackdown, CNBC survey finds many leaders saying it’s 'not relevant to their business'
Apple, OpenAI CEOs respond to ICE crackdown in Minneapolis, but a CNBC survey finds some business leaders sensing no business need, or fearing Trump backlash.
Is Wyoming hoops stuck in purgatory within modern college basketball?
Every season for a reasonably successful mid-major university begins in a similar fashion. They schedule a few in-state cupcakes as the season and home openers before, if they are lucky enough, participating in an ever-declining MTE tournament during the week of Thanksgiving. Throw in a dash of high-major money labeled as “buy games” to help […]
Investment and Statecraft: The International Politics of Sovereign Wealth Funds - Georgetown Journal of International Affairs
In 1953, Kuwait established the world’s first sovereign wealth fund to invest the country’s oil revenues and generate returns that would reduce its reliance on a single resource. Since then, over 100 separate funds have been created to preserve national wealth and ensure long-term fiscal sustainability. Today, they manage over $10 trillion in global assets. In this discussion with GJIA, political economist Kathryn Lavelle explains the increasingly novel dynamics that surround fund behavior and what the world can come to expect from their growing presence in international financial markets. GJIA: When it comes to the roles sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) play in global markets and politics, what would you say makes them unique? Kathryn Lavelle: Sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) operate on behalf of governments as investors. That in itself is a strange relationship. Within them, a core contest takes place between the state’s interests (or sovereign) part of the dynamic, and the money interests (or wealth) part of it, and these two aspects are frequently in contradiction, serving fundamentally different goals. SWFs are also quite fascinating because when you talk to the people who manage these funds, they have an interest in convincing you that the decisions are made almost exclusively on a financial basis—they really will go to great lengths to differentiate their government owners and those who make the management decisions. At the same time, these people ultimately answer to someone in power. Therefore, for most SWFs, it remains deeply unclear who is actually making the investment decisions and for what purposes. Of course, it is not always clear how other vehicles, such as hedge funds and private equity make the decisions they do, but I think what a lot of people find particularly disconcerting about SWFs is that they seem to act on behalf of people who have a different identity from their own. People who could be trying to manipulate politics and markets in a way that would have a long-term effect on their own populations. Regular investors come and go at will, and they only share an interest in profit as far as most of us understand. However, SWFs have that extra “sovereign” part right behind them that obscures their true interest. GJIA: These funds can be found in countries all across the globe, in both authoritarian states and democracies. Would you say SWFs differ in their goals and structures between regime-type? KL: It is not necessarily regime type that makes the goals and structures of SWFs different. It has to do with their economies. Let’s look at a country like China. There’s going to be a debate about exactly how to characterize the regime, but it is a country with many different kinds of sovereign wealth funds, and a particularly opaque state connection to each. At one time, some of the state-owned Chinese oil companies created specialized investment vehicles listed outside Chinese markets that excluded parts of the firms that were more associated with human rights violations. At the same time, the China Investment Corporation (CIC)—China’s largest SWF—draws a lot of concern, not necessarily because of its investment activities, but because of the dynamics of global politics. So, I wouldn’t really tie differences to regime types themselves in a wholesale way, but rather to how such funds are perceived and how they are structured. Saudi Arabia’s SWF is getting all kinds of attention for its involvement in Hollywood, and this takes me right back to when I was a student in the 1980s, when people were concerned about Japanese investment entities buying assets in Hollywood. They aren’t quite the same in financial terms, but it’s the same kind of concern about foreign investment that drives people to be suspicious, and the whole idea that “foreigners are influencing Hollywood.” This holds true across industries, and it reflects where politics are in places like the United States right now. One metric we can try to look at is transparency, where all the funds will tell you, “we are transparent.” The problem you’ll keep running into with this approach is how you value things. When trying to do comparative studies of equity markets, you’ll find that every country doesn’t use Generally Accepted Accounting Principles like we do in the United States. A fund may appear opaque politically and not want people to show what they’re invested in or what their intent with that investment is, but they could also just not be able to report it because of the way it was purchased, or the kinds of shares they purchased. There are some assets out there that really are difficult to put a monetary value on. GJIA: To what extent do domestic politics shape SWF behavior in both the investing “home” country and the recipient “host” country? KL: This depends on the type of fund present and also on the extent to which voters’ political views are able to influence the fund. For example, in a democratic home state like Norway, the SWF doesn’t invest in nuclear weapons or tobacco because of social concerns, but there is a continuing debate over whether it should invest in oil, even though that’s where most of the money comes from. The degree to which Norway will continue to make those investments, and whether they contradict the government’s overall climate goals, is an open question in Norwegian politics. Because of the way the fund’s governance is structured, it may not be easy to resolve. On the other hand, some people consider pension funds, like the State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) in Ohio, to be quasi-SWF. They have a very strict separation between the people who make up the management division and the fund owners. No teacher or professor would want to invest in things that may harm the future of their students. At the same time, a fund manager might see an opportunity in a diversified multinational corporation that offers a good return, despite it deriving part of its revenue from e-cigarettes. These contests are very apparent. Domestic politics can work in host countries too. A good example is Singapore’s SWF, Temasek, investing in Thailand’s telecommunications sector. If you study political economy, you already know that countries everywhere are uncomfortable with foreign ownership of their telecom sectors because a foreign entity could monitor or manipulate our communications with each other. In the case of Temasek, there was significant pushback from Thai citizens surrounding the deal, which went on to influence national political sentiment toward Singapore as a whole, underscoring the risks some SWFs may face with their investment choices. In this case, fund behavior led to the dissolution of the entire Thai government in 2006 and a subsequent coup d’état. GJIA: To address some of this unease, the Santiago Principles were established in 2009 to ostensibly promote trust and transparency. From your perspective, have these mechanisms actually changed fund behavior? KL: In international relations theory, we always like to have a clear set of norms and best practices—the orientation we want the proverbial ship to be going in. In that regard, the Santiago Principles at least got the discussion going about which direction SWFs should take at a time when people were very skittish about the growing size of these funds. Nobody wanted them to be out there and potentially destabilizing economies, so talks about disclosure, conditions for withdrawal, and the independence of managers were helpful when initiated. The biggest stumbling block was that there wasn’t exactly a good way to measure compliance with the Principles, let alone how to hold funds to them. If you read the Principles, they’re overall quite vague. In general, a fund doesn’t want to reveal how and why they make certain investment decisions because that information is proprietary—a fund makes money off of how and why it makes decisions—so how do you reconcile that with loosely-defined ideas of openness? Some decisions might have a political purpose. The bottom line is that trying to figure out and assign a score to compliance is not easy, and it is therefore the reason why the Santiago Principles never really got off the ground to the point where they could truly direct fund behavior. GJIA: Many emerging markets are looking to build their own SWFs from mineral and oil revenues. Historically, have funds shaped development trajectories in these countries? KL: I think the big story in international emerging markets investment is that the investment is increasingly no longer unidirectional. In the past multinational corporations of primarily Western background were the main form of foreign direct investment in a country. That has changed dramatically, to the point where you have companies from so-called “developing countries” taking over companies in the United States. Therefore, the landscape of international investment has changed, and I think SWFs are certainly a possibility to be the next step in the game. Historically, you didn’t need an entire financial vehicle to reinvest commodity revenues in your country, but as emerging markets get more financially sophisticated, their capacity to operate such funds has increased. SWFs would allow treasuries to move from relying on holding foreign exchange assets like cash or government bonds to having broader financial markets and targeted growth areas, while easing pressure on welfare expenditures. GJIA: With their increasing financial weight, do you see the presence of SWFs being a factor in the political choices leaders will have to make with regard to domestic and foreign policy? KL: It will depend on just how big the funds get. One of the reasons people are already apprehensive is because of their scale, and if certain SWFs in certain countries achieve a large-enough size, the presence will absolutely be cause for concern. The other factor political leaders will have to consider are their objectives. It’s not always clear how to define a SWF, or even where its activity is concentrated, but it is certainly a worry from the perspective of national security of opaque external investment. More than that, I think one of the most interesting questions going forward is whether the United States, the home to the world’s largest financial markets, will develop its own fund, for which the Trump administration announced a plan. There have also been several proposals in Congress. Were it to come into being, it would have tremendous weight. At the same time, one of the hallmarks of U.S. capitalism is a lack of government ownership of shares, so it would not be clear how such a fund would be received in domestic politics, or which direction it would take. Given how politically fragmented the country is, a Democratic administration would likely be concerned about different sectors of the economy, such as healthcare, and want investment there, rather than a Republican administration, which might prefer defense industries. No investment vehicle could thrive under conditions of such instability. Moreover, it remains unclear where the money to fund a theoretical U.S. SWF would come from. It would be a fundamentally different entity depending on whether it is financed with debt, economic surplus, commodities, or the sale of state companies, as in the case of Singapore. If it is debt, or government borrowing of some form, then the fund would have to outperform whatever the cost of that debt is, which is not an easy thing to do. I think our political leaders have enough on their plate. Our system has worked well keeping political and investment functions generally separate. We have seen different forms of business rise and fall, and even the perception of different countries, all of which funds are tied to. Unless a major SWF either starts—like in the case of the United States—or collapses—an issue that concerns the Saudis, I don’t see any political tsunamis on the horizon. . . . Kathryn Lavelle is the Ellen and Dixon Long Professor of World Affairs at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Her research explores the exchange between domestic and international and political institutions with a particular emphasis on political economy and multilateralism. Dr. Lavelle’s first book, The Politics of Equity Finance in Emerging Markets, explored the political circumstances that surround large issues of stock in the developing world. After being granted tenure at Case Western, she was awarded an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellowship and named the William A. Steiger fellow, a designation given to the most promising political scientist in her class of fellows. While in Washington during 2006-2007, she worked on the staff of the House Committee on Financial Services on issues related to domestic and international monetary policy. Dr. Lavelle holds a PhD in political science from Northwestern University; an M.A. in government and foreign affairs from the University of Virginia; and a bachelor’s degree in international economics from Georgetown University. She is a permanent member of the New York Council on Foreign Relations. This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity and length. Interview conducted by Sid Mehrotra. Image Credit: Jason Leung, Unsplash Content Licenses, via Unsplash
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