Table of contents for March 1, 2021 in TIME Magazine

Ascents can begin at any age AS WE ASSEMBLED OUR SECOND ANNUAL TIME100 Next list—an expansion of our flagship TIME100 franchise that highlights 100 emerging leaders who are shaping the future—what struck me most was how its members are coping with crisis. Amid a global pandemic, deepening inequality, systemic injustice and existential questions about truth, democracy and the planet itself, the individuals on this year’s list provide “clear-eyed hope,” as actor, composer and director Lin-Manuel Miranda puts it in his tribute to poet and TIME100 Next honoree Amanda Gorman. They are doctors and scientists fighting COVID-19, advocates pushing for equality and justice, journalists standing up for truth, and artists sharing their visions of present and future. As with Miranda and Gorman, many of the TIME100 Next profiles are written…

FOR SCIENTISTS, THE HAVOC WREAKED BY THE extreme winter weather that hit Texas in mid-February—dropping several inches of snow and leaving millions without power—did not come as a surprise. Ten years ago, in 2011, energy regulators warned the state’s electric-grid operators that they were ill-prepared for an unprecedented winter storm. And for decades before that, climate scientists had cautioned that a warming planet would cause climate chaos, raising the average global temperature while driving unusual weather events like this one. For Texas, it was always just a matter of time. Despite these warnings, the state was unprepared—which Texans realized as soon as the storm swept in. Equipment froze at power plants, leaving about half of the state’s electricity-generating capacity offline. Natural gas wells iced over, slowing the fuel supply that…

Bolsonaro eases gun laws in Brazil Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro issued four presidential decrees on Feb. 12 that loosen limits on buying and owning guns. Hunters may now own up to 30 guns. A 2019 poll found that 70% of Brazilians opposed relaxing gun laws, which critics say will fuel violence and organized crime. The Bachelor’s thorny racial reckoning Chris Harrison, longtime host of ABC’s Bachelor franchise, said on Feb. 13 that he would be temporarily “stepping aside” from his duties on the popular U.S. reality dating show after a racially charged interview in which he urged “compassion” for a contestant who attended an antebellum plantation-themed event in 2018. Protests over President’s term in Haiti On Feb. 14, thousands protested in Port-au-Prince over Haitian President Jovenel Moïse’s term length. Opponents…

In Ron Lieber’s new book, The Price You Pay for College: An Entirely New Road Map for the Biggest Financial Decision Your Family Will Ever Make, the New York Times columnist peels off the layers of needless complexity baked into the higher-education system. His takeaway: once students determine what they value in a college education, they’ll likely find an affordable option. If mentorship is important, for example, find a school that subsidizes professors for hosting student meals. If your child is interested in independent study, look for a place that prioritizes such work. These schools are out there. And in order to goose enrollment, many offer generous merit-aid packages. So Lieber suggests having an honest conversation with your child, soon after eighth-grade graduation, about the stakes. “I have every…

TELFAR CLEMENS 36 • Fashion force BY SOLANGE KNOWLES Telfar Clemens is the time, the spirit and the conversation. Through his namesake line, he has created a universe of his own that transcends fashion. Where the industry restricts identity with outdated expressions of presentation, correctness and exclusivity, Telfar has created a new language of truth, through design. The Telfar symbol is one that acts as an affirmation for how we fully and confidently show up in the world. It is Telfar’s own inspiringly firm sense of identity that makes possible the label’s uncompromising aesthetic: purposeful basics reimagined for a more inventive future. It was Telfar’s vision to translate the classic verve of an elegant tote into a symbol that speaks directly to the community it is intended to. They sell…

DUA LIPA 25 • Pop prodigy BY KYLIE MINOGUE Dua Lipa is a shining star, blazing a dazzling trail through the pop cosmos. Just under four years ago, she released the first of her two albums. Today, she is dancing hand in hand with the zeitgeist, having carved with laser-like precision her place in the cultural landscape. I entered Dua’s orbit last November when I appeared as a guest on her Studio 2054 streamed concert. The production was spectacular and inclusive, somehow both future and retro, with her instantly recognizable voice stamped all over clever songwriting. While I know what it’s like to be in the eye of the storm, on this occasion, I was able to see the wider view from the periphery. Her famous work ethic radiated…

WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT… BLACK RENAISSANCE Readers were inspired by Awol Erizku’s Feb. 15/Feb. 22 cover portrait of Amanda Gorman, the 22-year-old poet who spoke at President Joe Biden’s Inauguration, as well as an accompanying piece featuring Gorman in conversation with Michelle Obama. “Amanda’s vision is crystal clear and constructive,” wrote Richard Sutherland of Winter Haven, Fla. Paying tribute to the first Black woman in America to publish a book of poetry, William Dodd Brown of Chicago added that “somewhere in the heavens, Phillis Wheatley is very proud.” And there are signs that Gorman is already inspiring the next generation: Shannon Perkins tweeted that her 4-year-old daughter “won’t let go of the latest @TIME” and “keeps calling her princess Amanda.” ‘I tear up every time I read her poetry.…

For decades, the world has turned a blind eye to India’s abysmal human-rights record. This approach draws from a broad Western perception of India as a strategic ally. The U.S., like many other countries, sees India as an important counterweight to China. They are the two most populous nations with megaeconomies. Global powers tend to prefer India because of its standing as the world’s largest democracy. At the same time, India’s adversarial relationship with neighboring Pakistan, as well as its increasingly anti-Muslim policies, positions it as a bulwark against so-called Islamic terrorism. Over the past few years, however, the rise of right-wing authoritarianism has brought India’s democratic standing into question. India has plummeted in democracy metrics across the board, including the World Press Freedom Index, where it now ranks…

MARCUS RASHFORD 23 • Championing change BY LEWIS HAMILTON In 2020, Marcus Rashford took his many talents beyond the football field—where he is a star player for Manchester United and England’s national team—to respond to a national crisis: child hunger. “I know what it feels like to be hungry,” he wrote last June as part of a campaign that succeeded in pushing the government to provide meals for students in need during summer vacation. By standing up for the most vulnerable in our society, and using his platform and influence to create positive change, Marcus inspired countless others to join him on this mission and cemented his status as a role model. In a year that showed us the power of working together toward a common goal, he was a…

‘I specifically want to apologize to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson.’JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, in a Feb. 12 statement responding to recent criticism that he had benefited from sexist and racist attacks against the two women in the early 2000s $1.5 billion Amount Tesla invested in Bitcoin, as part of an initiative to “diversify and maximize returns on our cash,” the company said on Feb. 8 117 Age that the oldest living person in Europe, a French nun named Sister André, turned on Feb. 11 after recovering from COVID-19 ‘I share this victory with each of you—because we all deserve justice and truth, and we all deserve better.’MEGHAN MARKLE, in a statement to the public on Feb. 11 after a judge ruled that a British tabloid had invaded her privacy by publishing…

WHEN CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST AMANDA Nguyen saw the video, she was horrified. In the Jan. 28 security footage, 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee was brutally pushed to the ground while on a morning walk in San Francisco. Two days later, he died. In response, Nguyen shared an Instagram video imploring her followers to speak out about Ratanapakdee’s death, as well as other incidents targeting Asian-American elders early this year—including a 64-year-old Vietnamese grandmother who was violently robbed in San Jose, Calif., and a 61-year-old Filipino man whose face was slashed with a box cutter on the New York City subway. ‘We’re calling for restorative-justice models that break the cycle of violence.’RUSSELL JEUNG, co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate Nguyen’s video went viral, drawing attention to the surge in violence against the Asian-American…

  MAITREYI RAMAKRISHNAN 19 • Breakout actor BY MINDY KALING When you’re a minority woman with your own show, you gotta represent. It’s a tough job to be in that spotlight, where you are scrutinized for your every action, but it’s exhilarating too. People come up to you at the airport or online and say those three magic words: “I feel seen.” It’s a huge responsibility—and Maitreyi Ramakrishnan is exactly the kind of talented young woman who is up to the task. While she might come off as a carefree teen in her hilarious TikToks and Instagram videos, Maitreyi—who plays the lead role in Never Have I Ever—is a gifted comic actress. She studies her craft and takes it seriously. Moreover, she’s an artist who cares deeply about the material…

SANNA MARIN 35 • Steady under pressure BY ERNA SOLBERG I have yet to meet Sanna Marin in person, because the COVID-19 pandemic has thwarted our tradition of Nordic leaders meeting regularly. Instead of meeting face-to-face, we have kick-started our vision of being digital front runners and met online. I watched virtually as Sanna began her role as Prime Minister of Finland, taking office just weeks before the country’s first case of coronavirus was diagnosed in January 2020. New to the job, Sanna did not have much of a honeymoon period, but she adapted quickly. By implementing a lockdown in March and banning travel in parts of the country, Sanna helped to keep coronavirus case levels at one-fifth of the European Union average. Globally, Sanna Marin has been celebrated for…