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'I Feel Cheated and I Want a Refund': Fans Lash Out at New PS5 God of War's Unlockable Local Multiplayer Mode
Accused of false advertising
Psychedelics may work by shutting down reality and unlocking memory
Psychedelics can quiet the brain’s visual input system, pushing it to replace missing details with vivid fragments from memory. Scientists found that slow, rhythmic brain waves help shift perception away from the outside world and toward internal recall — almost like dreaming while awake. By imaging glowing brain cells in mice, researchers watched this process unfold in real time.
UCSB scientists develop ‘liquid battery’ that stores sunlight as heat
Scientists at U.C. Santa Barbara have developed a new kind of “liquid battery” that can capture sunlight and release it later as heat, a breakthrough researchers say could help solve one of renewable ...
When AI meets physics: Unlocking complex protein structures to accelerate biomedical breakthroughs
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming how scientists understand proteins—these are working molecules that drive nearly every process in the human body, from cell growth and immune defense to ...
This breakthrough could finally unlock male birth control
Scientists at Michigan State University have uncovered the molecular “switch” that powers sperm for their final, high-speed dash toward an egg. By tracking how sperm use glucose as fuel, the team discovered how dormant cells suddenly flip into overdrive, burning energy in a carefully controlled, multi-step process. A key enzyme, aldolase, helps convert sugar into the burst of power needed for fertilization, while other enzymes act like traffic controllers directing the flow of fuel.
E.l.f. Beauty’s CEO wants to make a beauty empire for Gen Z
Affordable beauty brand e.l.f. has unlocked something that’s mystified many retailers: how to win over the ever-persnickety Gen Z.
Trump's Genesis Mission gets its first set of 26 sure-to-succeed objectives
: DoE bets AI can speed fusion, unlock decades of nuclear data, and probe fundamental physics
U.S. EPA repeals landmark finding that underpins public health and climate regulations
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized its unlawful repeal of the endangerment finding.
Bipartisan opposition over inflammatory comments likely to sink Trump State Dept. nominee
Jeremy Carl, the Trump administration’s pick for a top State Department position, is unlikely to get the job after a bipartisan group of senators grilled him over his history of racist, sexist, and reported antisemitic comments and posts.
Trump wants a deal with Iran, but could military strikes be coming? : The NPR Politics Podcast
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with President Trump this week to discuss the United States’ ongoing talks with Iran over that country’s military capabilities. We discuss what each side wants and possible next steps, plus the latest in the efforts for peace in Gaza.This episode: voting correspondent Miles Parks, White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez, and national security correspondent Greg Myre.This podcast was produced by Casey Morell and Bria Suggs, and edited by Rachel Baye.Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.Listen to every episode of the NPR Politics Podcast sponsor-free, unlock access to bonus episodes with more from the NPR Politics team, and support public media when you sign up for The NPR Politics Podcast+ at plus.npr.org/politics.
Leavitt unloads on Obama over voter ID push, accuses Dems of 'panic'
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt criticizes former President Barack Obama for opposing voter ID laws after House passes SAVE Act.
Judge temporarily blocks Pentagon from punishing Sen. Kelly for call to resist unlawful orders
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled that Pentagon officials violated Kelly's First Amendment free speech rights and “threatened the constitutional liberties of millions of military retirees.”
Norland Nanny training: the confidence boost she never knew she needed
Roxanne Ardekani has studied in the US, Austria, and the UK. Her educational experience at Norland is unlike anything she's experienced elsewhere.
‘They put me on there to die’: conservatives unleash on GOP’s failures to carry out DOGE cost-cutting
The budget-slashing Department of Government Efficiency that upended the federal government at the start of President Donald Trump’s second term has stalled out on Capitol Hill, a reality that’s left conservative lawmakers fuming.
New Smart Underwear Unlocks the Serious Science of Human Flatulence
It’s giving researchers insights into the microbiome—and you can help
SocialPost.ai Launches AI That Turns Any Business Website Into On-Brand Social Media Content Automatically
New technology reads a company's website and content to generate unlimited on-brand social posts with no setup required
Quantum Computing Breakthrough: Scientists Finally Unlock the Secret of Majorana Qubits
Scientists have finally figured out how to read ultra-secure Majorana qubits—bringing robust quantum computing a big step closer. “This is a crucial advance,” says Ramón Aguado, a CSIC researcher at the Madrid Institute of Materials Science (ICMM) and co author of the study. He explains that the
City of LA asking voters to increase taxes on hotels, unlicensed cannabis businesses
The Los Angeles City Council Tuesday approved resolutions to place three tax-related measures on the June 2 primary ballot.
Trump administration fails to secure indictment in connection with Democrats involved in 'illegal orders' video
President Donald Trump had accused six Democratic lawmakers of "seditious behavior" after they urged members of the military and intelligence communities to refuse unlawful orders.
What to watch in the Texas Senate race : The NPR Politics Podcast
Texas Sen. John Cornyn, running for his fifth term, is locked in a competitive Republican primary contest. Meanwhile, some Democrats think they can flip the seat, electing a Democrat to represent Texas in the Senate for the first time since 1988. We discuss what to watch in the heated primaries as voters begin casting their ballots next week.This episode: voting correspondent Miles Parks, political correspondent Ashley Lopez, and Houston Public Media senior reporter Andrew Schneider.This podcast was produced by Casey Morell and Bria Suggs, and edited by Rachel Baye.Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.Listen to every episode of the NPR Politics Podcast sponsor-free, unlock access to bonus episodes with more from the NPR Politics team, and support public media when you sign up for The NPR Politics Podcast+ at plus.npr.org/politics.
Scientists find genes that existed before all life on Earth
Life’s story may stretch further back than scientists once thought. Some genes found in nearly every organism today were already duplicated before all life shared a common ancestor. By tracking these rare genes, researchers can investigate how early cells worked and what features of life emerged first. New computational tools are now helping scientists unlock this hidden chapter of evolution.
Judge gives Trump administration more time to unfreeze billions in funding for NY tunnel project
The Trump administration will need to unfreeze more than $16 billion earmarked for a major New York infrastructure project by Thursday unless a federal appeals court allows the government to continue withholding the funds, a federal judge ruled Monday.
The midterm map is beginning to take shape : The NPR Politics Podcast
Beginning in March, voters will start picking their preferred candidates to run for House and Senate races throughout the country. With a record number of incumbents retiring, we look at what seats are especially competitive & the issues that might play big roles in how voters make up their minds.This episode: voting correspondent Miles Parks, political reporter Stephen Fowler, and senior political editor & correspondent Domenico Montanaro.This podcast was produced and edited by Casey Morell & Bria Suggs. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.Listen to every episode of the NPR Politics Podcast sponsor-free, unlock access to bonus episodes with more from the NPR Politics team, and support public media when you sign up for The NPR Politics Podcast+ at plus.npr.org/politics.
Science has just discovered “oases” of clams and tube worms at a depth of 9,533 meters, where sunlight does not exist and yet life thrives in abundance
Scientists uncover thriving clam and tube worm ecosystems nearly 10,000 meters deep, revealing how life survives without sunlight.
Flex your options: YouTube TV plans launch this week
Explore new genre-based YouTube TV plans designed for sports fans, news junkies, and families. Learn how to customize your channel lineup with flexible options for entertainment and live broadcasts while keeping features like unlimited DVR.
Flex your options: YouTube TV plans launch this week
Explore new genre-based YouTube TV plans designed for sports fans, news junkies, and families. Learn how to customize your channel lineup with flexible options for entertainment and live broadcasts while keeping features like unlimited DVR.
I've been using Android for a decade, and I just found its best productivity feature
It'a available on almost all Android phones
Cardinal Health price target raised to $255 from $245 at Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley raised the firm’s price target on Cardinal Health (CAH) to $255 from $245 and keeps an Overweight rating on the shares. The risk reward for Cardinal Health has been updated following the company’s “strong” Q2 results, the analyst tells investors in a research note.Claim 50% Off TipRanks PremiumUnlock hedge fund-level data and powerful investing tools for smarter, sharper decisions Stay ahead of the market with the latest news and analysis and maximize your portfolio's potential Pu
This weird deep-sea creature was named by thousands of people online
A newly discovered deep-sea creature has become an unlikely Internet star. After appearing in a popular YouTube video, a rare chiton found nearly three miles beneath the ocean surface sparked a global naming effort, drawing more than 8,000 suggestions from people around the world. Scientists ultimately chose the name Ferreiraella populi, meaning “of the people,” honoring the public that helped bring it into the scientific record.
Costco’s CEO is an unlikely risk taker
Ron Vachris does not fit the profile of a typical risk-taking executive.
Klint Kubiak can unleash Brock Bowers even more
Expected Las Vegas Raiders head coach has the creativity to make the tight end a true nightmare
How fights over ICE funding are playing out on the Hill and in midterm races : The NPR Politics Podcast
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are running out of time to reach an agreement over funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which includes Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. We discuss the state of negotiations, plus how calls to “abolish ICE” are playing out in congressional races.This episode: senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith, congressional reporter Sam Gringlas, political correspondent Ashley Lopez, and political reporter Elena Moore.This podcast was produced by Casey Morell and Bria Suggs, and edited by Rachel Baye.Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.Listen to every episode of the NPR Politics Podcast sponsor-free, unlock access to bonus episodes with more from the NPR Politics team, and support public media when you sign up for The NPR Politics Podcast+ at plus.npr.org/politics.
Looming Epstein Deposition Plunges Clintons Into Yet Another Scandal
Unlike in the past, top Democrats aren’t lining up in defense of the former president.
2026 Super Bowl bold predictions and data-driven NFL preview
Five bold Super Bowl LX predictions backed by matchup data, historic trends and analytics for Patriots vs. Seahawks, which could see unlikely outcomes unfold.
Why colorectal cancer breaks the immune system’s rules
Colorectal cancer has long baffled scientists because, unlike most tumors, patients often do better when their cancers are packed with immune-suppressing regulatory T cells. New research finally explains why. Scientists discovered that these T cells aren’t all the same: one subtype actually helps keep tumors in check, while another shields cancer from immune attack. The balance between these “good” and “bad” cells can determine whether a tumor grows or shrinks.
CBER Report: Nevada Led the Nation in Post-Pandemic Small Business Growth
New analysis by UNLV's Center for Business and Economic Research shows that 40 percent of Nevada’s employer firms were created after COVID-19 as new entrepreneurs reshaped the state’s recovery.
Business Matters: Nathan’s Hair marks 50 years as family-run salon
Jeff and Krystal Zienert own Nathan’s Hair Unlimited at 1209 E. Wackerly St.
Justice Department released 3 million pages of Epstein files. What did we learn? : The NPR Politics Podcast
The Justice Department says it has released all of the relevant documents from its investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. We discuss what we have learned from the millions of pages of documents and whether Republicans or Democrats got what they were hoping for from the release.This episode: senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith, political reporter Stephen Fowler, and senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro.This podcast was produced by Casey Morell and Bria Suggs, and edited by Rachel Baye.Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.Listen to every episode of the NPR Politics Podcast sponsor-free, unlock access to bonus episodes with more from the NPR Politics team, and support public media when you sign up for The NPR Politics Podcast+ at plus.npr.org/politics.
'Behemoth star,' previously thought to be dying, is 'rising from the ashes' like a pheonix
A new study suggests that the red supergiant WOH G64, also known as the "behemoth star," has not transitioned into a yellow hypergiant as previous research suggested. This means it is now unlikely to imminently explode in a colossal supernova.
FBI Couldn’t Get into WaPo Reporter’s iPhone Because It Had Lockdown Mode Enabled
Lockdown Mode is a sometimes overlooked feature of Apple devices that broadly make them harder to hack. A court record indicates the feature might be effective at stopping third parties unlocking someone's device. At least for now.
Anthropic says ‘Claude will remain ad-free,’ unlike ChatGPT
‘Ads are coming to AI. But not to Claude.’
Amazon Fallout Countdown Turns Out Not to Be Fallout 3 or Fallout: New Vegas Remastered — Here's What It Revealed
The Amazon Fallout TV countdown that some had hoped would announce a Fallout 3 or Fallout: New Vegas remaster turned out to be neither. Here's what actually unlocked.
The Unlikely New Director of U.S. Environmental Health Research
Kyle Walsh’s appointment to head the NIEHS, a $914-million public agency, is unprecedented. What is on his agenda?
Trump says Republicans should ‘nationalize’ elections : The NPR Politics Podcast
President Trump suggested during an appearance on the Dan Bongino Show that Republicans should “take over the voting” in at least 15 states and “nationalize” elections. We unpack what to make of these comments and how they fit into a bigger picture of Trump’s repeated efforts to interfere with states’ administration of elections. This episode: senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith, voting correspondent Miles Parks, and senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro.This podcast was produced by Casey Morell and Bria Suggs, and edited by Rachel Baye.Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.Listen to every episode of the NPR Politics Podcast sponsor-free, unlock access to bonus episodes with more from the NPR Politics team, and support public media when you sign up for The NPR Politics Podcast+ at plus.npr.org/politics.
Warriors' must have NBA trade deadline Plan B as Giannis Antetokounmpo pursuit looms over everything
While all the Warriors' eggs are in the Giannis Atetokounmpo basket, Golden State must have a backup plan if the Greek Freak goes elsewhere.
MAHA has reshaped health policy. Now it's working on environmental rules
MAHA activists who want to hold corporations accountable for harming Americans’ health have found an unlikely ally in a GOP-led Environmental Protection Agency.
MAHA has reshaped health policy. Now it's working on environmental rules
MAHA activists who want to hold corporations accountable for harming Americans’ health have found an unlikely ally in a Republican-led Environmental Protection Agency that has traditionally supported big businesses and less regulation.
MAHA has reshaped health policy. Now it's working on environmental rules
MAHA activists who want to hold corporations accountable for harming Americans’ health have found an unlikely ally in a Republican-led Environmental Protection Agency that has traditionally supported big businesses and less regulation
Eliot Wolf reflects on Patriots’ unlikely Super Bowl rise
Eliot Wolf reflected on this season when speaking exclusively with Patriots Wire at Super Bowl LX opening night.
K&C Sports & Entertainment Law Weekly Roundup
This month's rash of indictments over alleged point-shaving in college basketball seems unlikely to prompt immediate wholesale changes within the NCAA, with the organization instead looking...
Xcode 26.3 unlocks the power of agentic coding
Xcode 26.3 introduces support for agentic coding, a new way in Xcode for developers to build apps, powered by coding agents from Anthropic and OpenAI.
Adobe Firefly offers unlimited image and video generations
Adobe is removing generation limits from Firefly, giving subscribers unlimited image and video generations across. But you have to act quick.
Trump’s AI push exposes a divide in the MAGA movement
There is a growing fault line within Trump’s coalition over how aggressively to unleash a technology that is rapidly reshaping the economy and society.
7,000-plus Huskers named to Deans’ List for fall 2025
More than 7,000 Husker students have been named to the Deans’ List for the fall semester of the 2025-26 academic year.
A tiny light trap could unlock million qubit quantum computers
A new light-based breakthrough could help quantum computers finally scale up. Stanford researchers created miniature optical cavities that efficiently collect light from individual atoms, allowing many qubits to be read at once. The team has already demonstrated working arrays with dozens and even hundreds of cavities. The approach could eventually support massive quantum networks with millions of qubits.
Pixel 10 and Pixel Watch 4 discounts return to the Google Store
After the inaugural 2026 deal, the US Google Store has brought back the same discounts on the Pixel 10 series and Pixel Watch 4.
Previewing Mountain West Softball: UNLV Rebels
Time to travel to Sin City to look at the UNLV Lady Rebels. Can the Rebels rebound after a disappointing 2025?
Angelina Keeley refused to do 'Survivor 50' unless they gave her a jacket
Angelina Keeley refused to do 'Survivor 50' unless they gave her a jacket: 'You take me with a jacket or you leave me. Literally, it came to that.'
Intel sets a 7467 MT/s+ memory requirement for Panther Lake Arc B-series iGPU branding, slower configs show up as “Intel Graphics”
Intel Arc Xe3 B-Series won't appear with its full marketing name, unless laptop has memory meeting the standard Intel appears to be tying Panther Lake
Healthcare experts warn 'people will die' unless state steps up amid federal cuts
As massive federal cuts are upending the health care system in California, analysts and health care professionals are urging the state to soften the blow by creating new revenue streams and helping residents navigate through the red tape.
Food and football from the campaign trail (Politics+) : The NPR Politics Podcast
In today's bonus episode, Don Gonyea (national political correspondent) and Deepa Shivaram (White House correspondent) each share the "most" fun politics story they've worked on. Deepa talks about working on her "dream" assignment during the 2024 presidential race. Don recalls a reporting trip during the 2012 presidential campaign where he ended up at a high school football game. He says it was "one of the best nights of his life." Listen to find out how you can submit a most-type question for us to answer in a future bonus episode! To unlock this and other bonus content, and get sponsor-free listening, sign up for NPR Politics Podcast+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Regular episodes haven't changed and remain available every weekday!
Gossip: Magpies reject £20m bid for Willock
Fulham have had a £20m offer for Joe Willock rejected by Newcastle United, who will not sanction a move for the 26-year-old English midfielder unless they find a replacement. (Talksport)
Trump says federal government won’t step into protests in Democratic-led cities ‘until they ask us for help’
President Donald Trump said Saturday that he has instructed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem not to intervene in protests or unrest in Democratic-led cities unless local officials formally request assistance, amid criticism over heavy-handed immigration enforcement tactics used by the feds.
Trump says federal government won’t step into Democratic-led city protests ‘until they ask us for help’
President Donald Trump said Saturday that he has instructed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem not to intervene in protests or unrest in Democratic-led cities unless local officials formally request assistance, while vowing an aggressive federal response to protect government property.
Another government shutdown looms -- what you need to know : The NPR Politics Podcast
After immigration officials killed two people in Minneapolis this month, congressional Democrats demanded funding for immigration action be separated from other government funding. That's leading to a potential, partial, government shutdown. We unpack the latest from Capitol Hill.Then, why did the FBI raid Fulton County, Ga.'s election center this week, and what does it have to do with President Trump's continued false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen?And, we bid a fond farewell to one of our podcast stalwarts.This episode: senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith, congressional reporter Sam Gringlas, immigration policy correspondent Ximena Bustillo, political reporter Stephen Fowler, senior political editor & correspondent Domenico Montanaro, and political correspondent Sarah McCammon.This podcast was produced and edited by Casey Morell & Bria Suggs.Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.Listen to every episode of the NPR Politics Podcast sponsor-free, unlock access to bonus episodes with more from the NPR Politics team, and support public media when you sign up for The NPR Politics Podcast+ at plus.npr.org/politics.
A Secret Panel to Question Climate Science Was Unlawful, Judge Rules
The researchers produced a report a that was central in a Trump administration effort to stop regulating climate pollution.
HEINEKEN completes acquisition of FIFCO’s beverage and retail businesses
It's Official! Heineken & Imperial - It's Official Shaping what's next Heineken & Imperial - shaping what's next HEINEKEN completes acquisition of FIFCO’s beverage and retail businesses The closing of the landmark transaction reinforces HEINEKEN’s strategic position in Central America and unlocks significant new growth opportunities. Amsterdam, January 30th, 2026, Heineken N.V. (HEINEKEN) today announced the completion of its acquisition of FIFCO’s beverage and retail businesses, following the r
Sources: Main Street Sports facing real possibility of liquidation
Unless 11th-hour financing can coerce its nine MLB teams to stay put, Main Street Sports Group could have little choice but to file for Chapter 7 and immediately liquidate its business next week
How the Miami RedHawks became college basketball's most unlikely undefeated team
At 21-0, the Miami (Ohio) men's basketball team is one of just two remaining undefeated Division I men's teams. Here's how the RedHawks got here
Josh Allen Disrespects Patriots In New Sore Loser Comments
It’s always unlikable when a pro athlete plays the “shoulda, woulda, coulda” game during interviews, and that’s what Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen just did. In a new presser, Allen insinuated that if he’d made one more play against the Denver Broncos in the Divisional round, the Bills would be headed to the Super Bowl […]
Minnesota shooting blurs political lines around guns : The NPR Politics Podcast
Alex Pretti was carrying a permitted gun when he had a confrontation with federal agents who ultimately shot and killed him. While the Trump administration pointed to his gun as a reason for agents to fear for their safety, pro-gun groups argued Pretti had a right to carry. We discuss the rhetoric around guns and how marginalized communities in Minneapolis have been increasingly turning toward gun ownership.This episode: senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith, domestic extremism correspondent Odette Yousef, and senior political editor and correspondent Mara Liasson.This podcast was produced and edited by Lexie Schapitl and Bria Suggs.Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.Listen to every episode of the NPR Politics Podcast sponsor-free, unlock access to bonus episodes with more from the NPR Politics team, and support public media when you sign up for The NPR Politics Podcast+ at plus.npr.org/politics.
Internal review contradicts Trump administration on Alex Pretti shooting : The NPR Politics Podcast
An initial internal review into federal immigration officers’ fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis last weekend contradicts the description of the incident by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. We discuss President Trump’s shifting messages on immigration policy and how his administration’s efforts to restrict legal immigration pathways are changing the political environment. This episode: senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith, immigration policy correspondent Ximena Bustillo, and senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro.This podcast was produced by Bria Suggs and Lexie Schapitl, and edited by Rachel Baye.Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.Listen to every episode of the NPR Politics Podcast sponsor-free, unlock access to bonus episodes with more from the NPR Politics team, and support public media when you sign up for The NPR Politics Podcast+ at plus.npr.org/politics.
Leaker makes unlikely claim about improved iPhone 18 telephoto lens
A leaker better known for posting about Android smartphones has made a claim potentially pointing to improved telephoto performance in...
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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