Norway Wealth Fund Makes First Investment in US Renewable Energy

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Norway Wealth Fund Makes First Investment in US Renewable Energy (Maria)

The author writes, “Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, the ​world’s largest, has made its first investment ‌in renewable energy assets in the US, buying a 33.3% stake in a portfolio ​of 17 solar plants and five ​onshore wind power facilities, it said Tuesday. Norges ⁠Bank Investment Management will pay $425M for its equity stake, it said in a statement.”

US Launches Military Operations in Ecuador (Sean)

From Politico: “US forces have launched military operations with Ecuador against ‘designated terrorist organizations’ inside the South American country, Southern Command said Tuesday. The military released no details on the operations but suggested in a statement that it was an extension of strikes carried out by the Trump administration against suspected drug trafficking organizations in the region. ‘We commend the men and women of the Ecuadorian armed forces for their unwavering commitment to this fight, demonstrating courage and resolve through continued actions against narco-terrorists in their country,’ said Marine Gen. Francis L. Donovan, commander of US Southern Command.”

Law School Tells Students, ‘You MUST Be Aligned Politically With President Trump,’ For Summer Job (DonkeyHotey)

The author writes, “In The Hunt for Red October, we learn that Soviet submarines carried a ‘political officer,’ a Communist Party appointee whose job wasn’t navigating or torpedoing things, but making sure everyone on board remained sufficiently loyal to the regime. Not to spoil a 42-year-old book, but the Red October had — against all odds in the Soviet Navy — been staffed by officers who had slipped through the thought police cracks, rising through the ranks and now wanting to defect. And so the political officer ‘slipped on some tea’ a few pages in. But ‘political officer’ concept struck American audiences at the time as both absurd and a testament to the USSR’s ultimate fragility. The government’s hold on power had grown so flimsy that it willingly traded competence for lockstep compliance. The political officer served as a symbol of the USSR’s institutional rot. Anyway, in 2026, the Trump administration is conducting 1L job interviews with a White House official sitting in to vet the political loyalty of each candidate.”

‘You Aren’t Trapped’: Hundreds of US Nurses Choose Canada Over Trump’s America (Reader Steve)

From KFF Health News: “Last month, Justin and Amy Miller packed their vehicles with three kids, two dogs, a pet bearded dragon, and whatever belongings they could fit, then drove 2,000 miles from Wisconsin to British Columbia to leave President Donald Trump’s America. The Millers resettled on Vancouver Island, their scenic refuge accessible only by ferry or plane. Justin went to work in the emergency room at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, where he became one of at least 20 US-trained nurses hired since April. Fear of Trump, some of the nurses said, was why they left.”

As the Arctic Grows Noisier, Narwhals Are Becoming Quieter (Laura)

From Inside Climate News: “For most of their evolutionary history, narwhals have relied more on sound than sight to survive in the Arctic’s dark icy waters. The speckled toothed whales — sometimes referred to as ‘unicorns of the sea’ for the long, spiral tusks that protrude from the heads of males — navigate, hunt and communicate using echolocation. By emitting a series of calls, whistles and high frequency clicks — as many as a thousand per second — and listening for the echoes that bounce back, they are able to locate prey hundreds to thousands of feet deep and detect narrow cracks in sea ice where they can surface to breathe. But as global temperatures continue to rise, the acoustic world narwhals depend on is rapidly shifting throughout their range, from northeastern Canada and Greenland to Norway’s Svalbard archipelago and Arctic waters in Russia. It’s getting louder.”

Pete Buttigieg in the Wilderness (Bethany)

From The Atlantic: “Whoever said that long-term planning is impossible in politics has never looked at the résumé of Peter Paul Montgomery Buttigieg. One of the lessons a budding young would-be politician can learn at the [Harvard Institute of Politics] is that if you want to run for higher office, then there are steps you have to take. The Roman republic had a cursus honorum, a defined track that led an aspirant from low office to high. If America and the meritocracy that ruled it for much of the past century has a similar path, Buttigieg has followed it with uncanny fidelity.”

The Candy Heir vs. Chocolate Skimpflation (Dana)

The author writes, “A few years back, the Planet Money newsletter spotted a trend of companies skimping on the quality of their goods and services in response to inflationary pressures, and we coined a new word to describe it: skimpflation. Well, the concept has been getting some renewed attention due to a chocolatey but not-so-sweet story. Last month, as Valentine’s Day approached, Brad Reese bought a bag of Reese’s Mini Hearts. And his big heart was broken after he realized those little hearts weren’t made with the classic combo of milk chocolate and peanut butter that Reese’s is known for. Instead, Reese learned, these mini hearts were made with ‘chocolate candy’ and ‘peanut butter creme,’ cheaper concoctions that he felt were far inferior to the real deal. … It’d be one thing if Reese was just some random person. But Reese is the grandson of H.B. Reese, who created Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups back in 1928.”