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Democrats say citizenship question could derail census test and deter immigrants from participating
Congressional Democrats are warning that the U.S. Census Bureau risks undermining an upcoming test of the 2030 census by using a form that includes a citizenship question
Rep. Tony Gonzales had affair with aide who lit herself on fire, lawyer alleges
The congressman from Texas, who is facing a tough primary battle, has denied having an affair.
Trump’s Black supporters tout minority gains during White House ceremony
Wednesday’s Black History Month event marked a continued defense of a president who has made racial grievance a hallmark of his political ascent.
Binghamton student explores how finance drives business strategy
Akram Eisa builds unique leadership skills through the School of Management, where he also explores different ways finance and technology are drivers of busin ss strategy.
Hegseth invited Christian nationalist Doug Wilson to preach at Pentagon
The self-described “paleo-Confederate” has argued that wives should submit to their husbands, women should be denied the vote and Christian slaveowners were on “firm scriptural ground.”
What is the Rock Creek Entertainment District? Project plans, challenges
Approval of the Rock Creek Entertainment District plan has cleared a path for Norman’s upcoming development project in University North Park, a retail area in north Norman. Legal hurdles and
AIPAC accused of covert campaigning as Democratic support falters
Democrats in Illinois have accused the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the powerful pro-Israel organization, of meddling in competitive primary races.
Caesars Entertainment repeats ‘no crisis’ theme, citing Las Vegas tourism cycle that CEO sees as normal
After all the slicing and dicing, all the macro- and the microanalysis, the top executive at Caesars Entertainment says the tourism decline that weighed so heavily on Las Vegas last year wasn’…
Reactions to the death of the Rev. Jesse Jackson
Eulogies are pouring in after the death of the Rev. Jesse L
The Latest: Partial government shutdown over DHS oversight seems poised to drag on
Lawmakers and the White House offered no signs of compromise over the holiday weekend in their battle over oversight of federal immigration officers that has led to a pause in funding for the Department of Homeland Security
Opinion | Jesse Jackson envisioned a more-inclusive politics — and made it happen
Like his mentors before him, Jackson has passed the torch. But you can still hear that stirring voice, can’t you?
Opinion | America dominates sports without government support
President Trump can’t threaten the U.S. Olympic committee’s federal funding because it doesn’t receive any.
Opinion | Even far-right foreign leaders are getting sick of Trump’s meddling
Seldom, if ever, have U.S. presidents interceded as brazenly as Trump has done in foreign politics.
Analysis: Trump’s damage is done. Democrats – and Europe – are struggling to define what’s next
Democratic presidential hopefuls descended on the Munich Security Conference over the weekend as they might normally flood Des Moines, Iowa, or Manchester, New Hampshire. They found a Europe that’s all but ignoring them – and assuming leaders like Donald Trump will define the future.
Who saw Anthony Kim's breakthrough win coming? Greg Norman
Anthony Kim won LIV Golf's Adelaide event, and the person who helped bring him back - Greg Norman - spoke of the victory with pride.
Trump's border czar says 'small' security force will remain in Minnesota after enforcement drawdown
More than 1,000 immigration agents have left Minnesota’s Twin Cities area and hundreds more will depart in the days ahead as part of the Trump administration’s drawdown of its immigration enforcement surge
Derek Dooley didn't vote for years. Now he wants Georgia voters to send him to Washington
Former football coach Derek Dooley says Georgia voters should send him to the Senate because he’s a political outsider
Analysis | Primary season has arrived. Why these races matter so much in 2026.
A 21st-century-record number of seats are opening, and races will be raucous and crowded, reflecting both parties’ ideological, stylistic and generational tensions.
Trump claims victory on affordability as public anxieties persist
Advisers had been encouraging the president to sound more empathetic toward struggling Americans. But as some bright spots emerge, the messaging has shifted.
He spent decades perfecting his voice. Now he says Google stole it.
NPR’s David Greene says he was “completely freaked out” when he heard an AI voice that sounded just like his own, and he’s suing over it.
Column | Lucas Pinheiro Braathen dared to be who he is. He won gold because of it.
Brazil’s first Winter Olympic gold medalist has a message worth listening to after his victory in the men’s giant slalom.
Tom Steyer, billionaire populist? Full interview with Inside California Politics
(Inside California Politics) — Tom Steyer is running in a unique lane in the race to be California’s next governor: a billionaire populist, a progressive businessman. “We don’t normally see candida…
Nintendo Switch Games Normally $65 on Sale for $3 for Limited Time
Nintendo Switch games that normally cost $64 on the Nintendo eShop are on sale for just $3.24 for a limited time.
Kiss-and-cry: Is figure skating's voyeuristic staple worth the mental health toll on its athletes
The kiss-and-cry area has long been a staple of figure skating, providing fans with an unvarnished look at skaters as they learn their scores
It’s not just about romance: Friendships benefit your health, too.
Love doesn’t have to be romantic to improve your life. Research shows that friendships, especially high-quality ones, are key for health and well-being.
Column | Republicans see a big opportunity in crowded Democratic primaries
In several states and swing districts, House Democrats have nomination contests that could prove harmful.
The one industry powering the U.S. labor market
Without health care, the United States would have nearly 400,000 fewer jobs than it did a year ago, according to Labor Department figures through January.
After snapping 9-game skid, Oklahoma hosts reeling Georgia
Georgia coach Mike White is counting on his team playing better from the jump Saturday than the Bulldogs did in their most recent game when they travel to Norman, Okla., to take on Oklahoma.
One year of RKF Jr.: How his MAHA agenda has reshaped US public health
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s first year in office has upended decades of public health norms. He’s touted his overhauls as major wins for his “Make America Heal…
Politics is now driving the dollar
The normal order of what influences the world’s most important reserve currency is breaking down
I'm Obsessed With 'You've Got Mail'—Minus This Enormously Problematic Plot Point
Don't get me wrong—this is one of my favorite romantic comedies. But Joe Fox, you've got some major work to do.
Commentary: Norm DeBriyn learned valuable lesson from Wilson Matthews
DeBriyn is good at deflecting credit. The Arkansas baseball coach likes it when friends jokingly refer to the records set in his 33 years as coach.
Inside the New York City Date Night for AI Lovers
EVA AI created a pop-up romantic date night at a Manhattan wine bar to help making AI-human relationships a “new normal.”
Scientists have discovered one of elephants’ most sensitive secrets
Researchers have studied rat and mouse whiskers, but these key organs for elephants have been largely overlooked.
The Business We’ve Chosen
I know this winter seems like it’s been a harsh one of extreme cold, especially, but the cold is more “normal” than what we’ve been experiencing in the past decade. […]
Are prediction markets democratizing information or gamifying war?
Betting on issues of national security, like war, introduces perverse motives like insider trading. It also risks normalizing betting on death.
Virginia Democrats quickly send proposed redistricting map to Spanberger
Democrats in the Virginia General Assembly sent proposed congressional maps that favor their party to Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) Tuesday as part of a budget package.
When immune cells stop fighting cancer and start helping it
Scientists have uncovered a surprising way tumors turn the immune system to their advantage. Researchers at the University of Geneva found that neutrophils—normally frontline defenders against infection—can be reprogrammed inside tumors to fuel cancer growth instead. Once exposed to the tumor environment, these immune cells begin producing a molecule called CCL3 that actively promotes tumor progression.
AMA joins effort to launch vaccine science review amid CDC turmoil
The American Medical Association and a partner group are taking on a new role in reviewing vaccine safety and effectiveness as the CDC’s review process faces criticism.
When conflict meets competition: Trump's immigration agenda roils opening days of Winter Olympics
The Winter Olympics have become a platform for political debate in the U.S. American athletes face questions about President Donald Trump’s immigration policies
Legality of Trump’s $400M private funding for White House ballroom at issue
A federal judge weighing whether the project may proceed has focused on whether the administration can use private donations to bypass congressional approval.
Environmental science major interns as a cowboy
What cattle-rustling taught Ian Skinner about agricultural sustainability, maturity and grit
Why this rust-like mineral is one of Earth’s best carbon vaults
A common iron mineral hiding in soil turns out to be far better at trapping carbon than scientists realized. Its surface isn’t uniform — it’s a nanoscale patchwork of positive and negative charges that can grab many different organic molecules. Instead of relying on a single weak attraction, the mineral uses several bonding strategies to hold carbon tightly in place. This helps explain how soils store enormous amounts of carbon for the long term.
Why Dr. Oz wants you to retire later
Mehmet Oz says Americans should get healthier so they can work an extra year and boost the economy. That’s hard for the poor and less educated, who tend to retire earlier.
Congressional Black Caucus chair says Trump's post on the Obamas shows a 'bigoted and racist regime'
The chair of the Congressional Black Caucus says the Trump administration has a chance to change after President Donald Trump posted a racist video depicting former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as primates in the jungle
PS5 Game Normally $70 Is $5.59 for Limited Time on PlayStation Store
A PS5 game that is normally $70 on the PlayStation Store is currently on sale for just $5.59 for a limited time.
Opinion | The parents and coaches who have ruined youth sports
How to fix youth sports, the jobs market and the tax system, in readers’ eyes.
Jeep maker Stellantis announces a ‘reset’ of its business and massive charges. Shares crumble
Stellantis, the owner of Jeep and Chrysler, announced a “reset” of its business after its enormous investments in electric vehicles failed to pay off .
Opinion | How sports are defying secularization
The Super Bowl shows how football and faith have become intertwined.
Norman aims to retain high-income families with new entertainment district
Economic experts in Norman believe a billion-dollar entertainment district could help reverse the decline in high-income families, as the city faces a significant drop in such households.
PARANORMASIGHT: The Mermaid’s Curse announced for Switch, PC, iOS, and Android
Square Enix has announced PARANORMASIGHT: The Mermaid’s Curse for Switch, PC (Steam), iOS, and Android. It will launch on February 19.
Review | A famous director, a talented cast and a ‘Dracula’ that is endlessly bad
Luc Besson is the latest filmmaker to take on a horror classic and lose his way in the dark.
Norman's billion-dollar entertainment district moves forward after Supreme Court ruling
The Oklahoma Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a billion-dollar entertainment district in Norman.
Supreme Court allows new California congressional districts that favor Democrats
The Supreme Court has allowed California to use a new voter-approved congressional map that is favorable to Democrats in this year’s elections, rejecting a last-ditch plea from state Republicans and the Trump administration
Enormous Pair of Deep-Earth Hot 'Blobs' Shape Earth’s Magnetic Field, Scientists Say
Without the blobs, Earth would be “magnetically dead,” the researchers said.
Norman moving forward with $1 billion entertainment district after Oklahoma Supreme Court decision
A proposed $1 billion entertainment district that would house a new University of Oklahoma arena will move forward following a ruling from the Oklahoma Supreme Court.
Supreme Court clears way for Norman entertainment district, OU arena without public vote
The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled Tuesday the City of Norman can move forward with a controversial tax-increment financing plan for a massive entertainment district and new University of Oklahoma ba…
Opinion | How Trump can buy some global climate sanity for less than $2 million
The IPCC’s rigor keeps a lid on alarmism. The U.S. is needed to make sure that doesn’t change.
Community rallies to help Fayetteville business owner after pipe burst during storm
As the city of Fayetteville works to return to normal after a weekend winter storm, many residents are still dealing with its aftermath.
Oklahoma Supreme Court rules Norman entertainment district project can move forward
The entertainment district project that includes a new OU basketball arena will move forward after an Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling.
Behind the Curtain: 3 historic shifts simultaneously rattling society
If you focus on only one (like many do with President Trump), you miss the enormity of change.
Column | Stop taking the elevator. Your life depends on it.
After a half-century asking us to exercise more, doctors and physiologists say we have been thinking about it the wrong way.
Column | Stop taking the elevator. Your life depends on it.
After a half-century asking us to exercise more, doctors and physiologists say we have been thinking about it the wrong way.
Football, politics and protest: This year's Super Bowl comes at a tinderbox moment in the US
The NFL faces pressure to take a stance against the Trump administration’s immigration policies ahead of the Super Bowl
Drake Maye's shoulder injury improves ahead of Super Bowl showdown
Drake Maye said the shoulder injury that limited him in practice last week has improved enough that he had a normal workout on his first full day in the Bay Area for the Super Bowl. Maye was unable to practice fully last week for the New England Patriots after injuring his throwing shoulder on a scramble in the AFC championship game win against the Denver Broncos.
Normalizing surveillance under the banner of helping lost pets
Now, surveillance doesn’t arrive announcing itself as surveillance. It shows up wagging its tail, asking for help, and hoping you won’t notice that the cameras never stop looking.
Driver license offices to return to normal business hours
ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. (WNCT) — Due to the exhaustion of federal funding, the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles said they will end the extended early-morning hours at 90 driver license offices. Officials said these offices have opened at 7am instead of the standard 8am to provide additional customer service time, but can no longer […]
Enormous 'mega-blob' under Hawaii is solid rock and iron, not gooey — and it may fuel a hotspot
A new study reveals a detailed look at what lies beneath the Hawaiian hotspot.
One of Earth’s most abundant lifeforms has a fatal flaw
SAR11 bacteria dominate the world’s oceans by being incredibly efficient, shedding genes to survive in nutrient-poor waters. But that extreme streamlining appears to backfire when conditions change. Under stress, many cells keep copying their DNA without dividing, creating abnormal cells that grow large and die. This vulnerability may explain why SAR11 populations drop during phytoplankton blooms and could become more important as oceans grow less stable.
Small Businesses in Minneapolis Serve a City in Crisis. ‘This Is Our New Normal.’
In Minneapolis and St. Paul, business owners work to lift up a community that has been roiled by the presence of thousands of immigration agents.
Small Businesses in Minneapolis Serve a City in Crisis. ‘This Is Our New Normal.’
In Minneapolis and St. Paul, business owners work to lift up a community that has been roiled by the presence of thousands of immigration agents.
Using generative AI to help scientists synthesize complex materials
Generative AI models have been used to create enormous libraries of theoretical materials that could help solve all kinds of problems. Now, scientists just have to figure out how to make them. In many ...
Fundraising hauls show RNC vastly outpacing Democrats ahead of midterm elections
The Republican National Committee vastly outpaced Democrats in 2025, according to year-end filings to the Federal Election Commission
Trump tries humor, gets silence, at black-tie dinner with ‘people I hate’
In a frenetic presidency marked by jarring contrasts, he added another Saturday night: suiting up in black-tie regalia amid mass immigration protests and telling jokes about invading Greenland.
Dodgers will play baseball this month
It’s February now, which means the Dodgers will play baseball games this very month. Sure, those games won’t count, but they will be televised nonetheless, and we will get to watch as the team gradually builds up toward the season. This will be more of a normal spring training for the Dodgers, at least in […]
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.
When “The Cost Of Doing Business” Stops Making Sense In Healthcare
The healthcare industry has normalized a decadent sales culture. It’s time to rethink these industry normas.
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
Judge blocks additional citizenship provisions in latest setback to Trump's election executive order
A federal judge has blocked certain federal agencies from requesting citizenship status when distributing voter registration forms
Analysis: 5 early takeaways from the DOJ’s big Epstein files drop
The Justice Department on Friday announced the long-awaited release of an enormous tranche of Jeffrey Epstein files, spanning more than 3 million pages, which it said fufilled its obligations under transparency legislation passed last year.
Health officials confirm measles case, warn of possible exposure in Norman
The Oklahoma State Department of Health has confirmed a case of measles and is warning the public about a potential exposure in Cleveland County.Health official
Oklahoma Health Department confirms measles case; possible exposure at Norman bar
The Oklahoma State Department of Health has confirmed a measles case in Cleveland County.According to OSDH, the individual visited Logie's on the Corner in Norm
New OU athletics director committed to pursuing entertainment district in Norman
Incoming University of Oklahoma Athletic Director Roger Denny reaffirmed the university’s commitment to building an entertainment district in University North Park during an introductory press conference Wednesday.
Review | The best movies of 2026 so far, according to critics
“Arco,” “The Testament of Ann Lee” and “No Other Choice” make our evolving list of 2026’s best films.
Fate of Colorado River hangs in balance as political battle brews
The fight over the dwindling Colorado River has long been nonpartisan. Now an unprecedented meeting of governors over the issue raises the political stakes.
NC State downs Boston College, 106-84
Normally you might have to worry a little bit if you give up 16 made threes, but not so on Thursday night, as not even a ridiculously above-average shooting performance from Boston College could keep the Eagles close. NC State’s offense was relentless thanks to standout performances from Zoe Brooks, Tilda Trygger, Khamil Pierre, and […]
Democratic Sen. Klobuchar says she's running for Minnesota governor after Gov. Walz dropped out
Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar says she’s running for governor of Minnesota
The cost of health care, not food or rent, is now Americans’ top worry
As politicians prepare their pitches for the midterm elections, a survey finds that about 1 in 3 Americans are “very worried” about health care costs.
ICE presence threatens small business in Minneapolis and Minnesota, some owners say: 'I can hardly do my normal job'
Some Minneapolis small-business owners say they fear for their personal safety, their community's safety and their businesses' survival amid ICE's presence in the city.
Norma Izzo Continues Earning Business Leader Recognition from AZ Big Media
For the third consecutive year, Spencer Fane attorney Norma Izzo has been recognized in AZ Big Media’s annual AZ Business Leaders issue for her
Trump endorses Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany in Wisconsin's open race for governor
President Donald Trump has endorsed U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany in Wisconsin’s open race for governor
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
More 'No Kings' protests planned for March 28 as outrage spreads over Minneapolis deaths
Organizers are planning what they anticipate will be the largest “No Kings” protests yet, targeting what they call authoritarianism under President Donald Trump
Tesla bet big on Elon Musk. His politics continue to haunt it.
Tesla struggles to regain its footing in the electric vehicle market, hindered by Elon Musk’s political activity, impacting its stock price and performance.
Republican candidate challenges Tuberville residency, says he appears to live Florida, not Alabama
A Republican opponent is challenging U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s eligibility to run for governor of Alabama
Binghamton to offer online master’s in computer science, information systems
Programs will offer the same tenure-track faculty, classroom materials and rigorous scholarship as in-person instruction.
Scientists may have been wrong about what causes asthma
Asthma may not be driven by the molecules scientists have blamed for decades. Researchers have identified “pseudo leukotrienes,” inflammation-triggering compounds formed by uncontrolled free-radical reactions rather than normal enzymes. These molecules were found at much higher levels in people with asthma, closely tracking how severe their symptoms were. The finding hints at a new way to treat asthma by preventing the inflammatory spark instead of blocking its aftermath.
Snow blankets western PA as people work to get back to normal Monday
Businesses and residents worked to get back to normal Monday, one day after snowstorm.
Scientists finally explain Earth’s strangest fossils
The Ediacara Biota are some of the strangest fossils ever found—soft-bodied organisms preserved in remarkable detail where preservation shouldn’t be possible. Scientists now think their survival in sandstone came from unusual ancient seawater chemistry that created clay “cements” around their bodies after burial. This process captured delicate shapes that would normally vanish. The finding helps clarify how complex life emerged before the Cambrian Explosion.
Scientists say quantum tech has reached its transistor moment
Quantum technology has reached a turning point, echoing the early days of modern computing. Researchers say functional quantum systems now exist, but scaling them into truly powerful machines will require major advances in engineering and manufacturing. By comparing different quantum platforms, the study reveals both impressive progress and steep challenges ahead. History suggests the payoff could be enormous—but not immediate.