Table of contents for June 27, 2016 in TIME Magazine

Muhammad Ali TIME's June 20 issue prompted a deluge of mostly appreciative comments--including even poetry--and many letters from readers who had been indelibly marked by chance encounters with its subject. Alfred Sonny Piccoli of Bloomfield, N.J., recalled the day when, at age 17, he said hello to Muhammad Ali on a Newark, N.J., street. The champ imparted advice that Piccoli passed on to the kids he supervised as a longtime juvenile probation officer: "Don't ever back down from a fight that you know is for something worth fighting for, even if you may not win it." Robert Lipsyte's tribute to Ali as activist and athlete was "a masterpiece," wrote Ron Strine of Webster, N.Y., that Mike Wilson of Lomita, Calif., said "in a few pages captured the complexity of the…

More than 11,000 people have been arrested in Bangladesh since June 10, as the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina seeks to stem a three-year campaign of machete attacks by Islamic extremists on bloggers, religious minorities and foreigners. SPREADING VIOLENCE The first killing occurred in early 2013, when a secular-minded blogger was hacked to death in the capital, Dhaka. But soon foreigners and non-Muslim minorities were being targeted, along with members of minority Muslim sects. In April 2016, the country's most prominent LGBT activist was murdered. EXTREMIST CULPRITS Hasina's government has blamed Islamic extremists from two banned terrorist groups--Ansarullah Bangla Team and Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen, both of which want to establish a radical version of Shar'ia in the country. Al-Qaeda and ISIS have also claimed attacks, though the government denies their involvement.…

MORE POWER Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony are working on new consoles much sooner than expected. In addition to a more svelte $299 Xbox One S (above), available this fall, Microsoft unveiled plans for a vastly more powerful Xbox, coming in 2017. VIRTUAL REALITY Sony said it would begin selling a virtual-reality headset for $399 on Oct. 13. Microsoft's 2017 Xbox is intended to better support VR games. CLASSICS Nintendo, which confirmed a new console but said little else, showed a new iteration of Zelda. Sony said it would revive its once popular God of War series. --Matt Peckham…

To many Americans, the end of slavery is synonymous with Abraham Lincoln, who signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. But that's hardly the whole story. And it discounts the agency of thousands of slaves who voted with their feet for freedom. In the years before the Civil War, fugitive slaves made sure that Northerners--most of whom had never set foot on a plantation--could no longer ignore slavery. As they fled bondage, and as helping them escape became a crucial part of abolitionist activism, their growing presence in the North forced citizens to take sides. They changed the discourse by sharing stories of whippings, family separations and backbreaking labor, undercutting rosy proslavery narratives and influencing antislavery novels like Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. They inspired defiance of laws like…

In the immediate aftermath of the Orlando massacre, we the media fell into a familiar trap. We broadcast Donald Trump's assorted outrages--including his vile insinuations that the President is in sympathy with the terrorists; the various lies and mistakes that punctuated his speech (the shooter was born in a place called "Afghan"); his renewed, un-American call for a ban on Muslims entering the country. All these were reprehensible and, to my mind, make him unfit for the presidency. But we missed something else: there was a surprising power to Trump's speech, to his crude arguments. That power has to be acknowledged and confronted in a substantive way. This will now be the role of Hillary Clinton, who spoke about Orlando a couple of hours before Trump, delivering yet another mature,…

Being a feminist in 2016 is a strange thing. You are at once riding the wave of a radical social movement turned trendy (Beyoncé dancing in front of a flashing Feminist sign, Taylor Swift declaring her bona fides) and watching as the political realm struggles to keep up with, or actively tries to smack down, women's progress (a renewed interest in federally funded child care but also unprecedented restrictions on women's health care). The most serious female contender for the White House is facing off against an opponent running on intransigent masculinity; she still answers for her husband's behavior, while he complains about women playing "the woman's card" with his third, decades-younger wife standing at his side. Who uses which bathroom is suddenly a matter of great political concern. Abortion…

'There is a risk of a lost decade for Britain.' David Cameron, British Prime Minister, warning of dire economic consequences if the U.K. votes to leave the European Union on June 23 Elephants The U.S. tightened rules against selling ivory GOOD WEEK BAD WEEK Sharks The San Jose, Calif., hockey team lost the Stanley Cup 'If it's not a funeral, they were going to have a wedding together.' Aryam Guerrero, sister of Orlando shooting victim Juan Ramon Guerrero, on her family's plan to hold a joint funeral for Juan and his boyfriend Christopher Andrew Leinonen, who was also killed in the attack 10 million Number of beer-bottle caps accumulated by an Austrian collector $26.2 billion Valuation of LinkedIn in its sale to Microsoft 'That damn music follows me…

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has committed $750 million to stem a mass coral die-off in the Great Barrier Reef after more than a third of coral died in some areas. Here, three things that could help save the reef: 1 SLOWER WARMING The warming climate played a key role in the reef's most recent die-off, causing coral to expel the organisms that give them their color. Scientists say much of the world's coral will die if temperature rises continue unabated. 2 LESS POLLUTION Water pollutants such as sewage and sediment agitate coral and make them more likely to catch the diseases that ultimately kill them. Unlike stopping global warming, pollution can be addressed by local authorities. 3 'SUPERCORAL' Scientists are experimenting with methods to genetically engineer coral to withstand…

ANNOUNCED The first documented extinction of a mammal owing to man-made climate change, according to Australian scientists. Their report said rising sea levels "almost certainly" wiped out the Great Barrier Reef's only endemic mammal species, a rodent known as Bramble Cay melomys. FILED For Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Gawker Media. The company known for investigative journalism and gossipy blogging put itself up for sale after a jury ordered it to pay $140 million to wrestler Terry "Hulk Hogan" Bollea in an invasion-of-privacy suit concerning a sex tape. RULED By an Oregon judge, that Army veteran Jamie Shupe can legally change gender from female to "nonbinary," in what the Transgender Law Center said was likely a legal first in the U.S. State law does not require that a petition specify a target…

The list of cancer-causing agents is long--and getting longer. Experts already tell us to avoid smoking, exposure to UV radiation from the sun and even air pollution since these factors can increase the risk of cancer. Now the World Health Organization says hot drinks like coffee and tea belong on that list too. The group's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) looked at about 1,000 studies that investigated a connection between high-temperature drinks and cancer. Based on the available evidence, they conclude that drinking very hot beverages--anything above 149°F (65°C), which is significantly cooler than most coffee served in restaurants and cafés--is linked to a higher risk of cancer of the esophagus. The results were published in the journal Lancet Oncology. Hot drinks now join a list of 79…

Anyone who's moved to a new city knows that the transition can be exciting--and deeply unsettling. In This Is Where You Belong: The Art and Science of Loving the Place You Live, journalist Melody Warnick, who has moved six times in her adult life, puts forth a series of research-backed ways to be happy in a new home. Shopping at a locally owned store, for instance, can foster meaningful ties with business owners and other shoppers; it also supports your new community financially, in turn improving your own quality of life. Finding a place to volunteer is also a good way to meet like-minded friends while investing in a cause you care about. Small tricks work too, like Googling the flora and fauna native to your new area or returning…

For almost three decades as a radio newscaster in Victoria, British Columbia, Sheila Gardner fielded countless comments from male listeners--not about stories but about syntax. They'd call up, night after night, anytime they detected anything that sounded like an error. And invariably they'd offer corrections. Then at age 52, Sheila Gardner became James Gardner, and suddenly the criticism faded. "I'm the same person," says Gardner, now 57. But since he came out as male, "the men are less critical." As debates rage over controversial bathroom laws and viewers flock to shows like Orange Is the New Black and Transparent, it's clear that the general public has never been more interested in the lives--and rights--of transgender Americans. But while the spotlight shines brightly on stars like Laverne Cox and Caitlyn Jenner,…

One needn't suffer recurring Carrie nightmares or keep Scarface looped on the flat screen to have a good time at De Palma--a title that storms across the screen in forbidding blood red letters before introducing a title character as comfortably rumpled and candid as any filmmaker on camera is likely to be. Interviewed by Noah Baumbach and Jake Paltrow, Brian De Palma (Dressed to Kill, The Untouchables, Sisters) names names, fesses up about where and why he shoplifted much of his style (mostly Hitchcock) and comes clean about less-satisfying efforts. ("There was no bigger disaster than Blow Out," he says of the 1981 John Travolta vehicle. On The Bonfire of the Vanities, "It should have been tougher and harder, and it still bombed." Re: Mission: Impossible--"I was ready to make…

LOVE IT A new activewear brand, Veil, is selling workout gear for women who want less revealing options because of religious--or just personal--preference. An Indiana family painted a 25-ft.-tall farm silo to look like a Despicable Me Minion. Beyoncé has helped raise more than $82,000 to aid victims of the water crisis in Flint, Mich., by giving fans the option to donate when purchasing her concert tickets. Cast members from the new and original Ghostbusters united for a photo--and to dance to their theme song--on Jimmy Kimmel Live! A 9-year-old Louisiana boy was caught on camera sneaking into his neighbors' garage--to hug their dog. Two men who attempted to rob a McDonald's in eastern France--dubbed "hamburglars" by some media outlets--were foiled by a special-forces unit. Time's weekly take on what…

I've always said it, and I will say it again. Mr. Hockey, Gordie Howe, who passed away on June 10 at 88, was the greatest player of all time. He scored 801 career goals, good for second all-time in the NHL. He holds the record for most NHL games played (1,767) and seasons played (26). He won four Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings and played in his final All-Star game in 1980, when he was 51. That season, he scored 15 goals. But those incredible numbers tell just part of Mr. Hockey's story. Gordie was just as good a person as he was a hockey player. Growing up in Brantford, Ontario, I wrote letters to NHL players. Gordie, my hockey idol, sent me back a signed picture. When…

DELICIOUS MEALS The Instagram food-pic trend may have some science to support it: people who were encouraged to take photos of their lunch were more immersed in their meals than those who didn't take any. SPECIAL MOMENTS "You actually look at the world slightly differently when taking photos--you're looking for things you want to hang on to," says Diehl. "That gets people engaged in the experience, and they tend to enjoy it more." SIGHTSEEING People who took photos while on a cultural tour enjoyed the experience significantly more than those who didn't. Taking photos directs attention, which heightens the pleasure of your viewing experience. LONGEVITY 15 minutes Amount of daily exercise that conferred health and longevity benefits in older people…

We think of them as forever young. But millennials are the first generation in human history who can not only anticipate reaching the age of 90 in large numbers but who will spend about one-third of their lives as what we now refer to as "old people." This is a hugely significant change, and one that comes with many implications. Even today, with the exception of occasional hand-wringing about Social Security and Medicare, policymakers spend no time thinking about what it means for the U.S. to have an estimated 8 million people in their 90s by the year 2050. We've never had to ask what the 20s and 30s should look like when lives extend into the 90s and, for many, beyond 100 years. Are millennials living their lives differently…

If Omar Mateen sought not merely to end lives but also to sow terror in the LGBT community, he couldn't have chosen a more apt target. For decades, gay bars have functioned not merely as watering holes but as community centers. They are--or were, until the morning of June 12--perceived as the ultimate safe space for queer people. Mateen's attack tore a hole in gay Americans' fragile sense of security. What does one do when a safe haven becomes a target? The scope of the violence is unprecedented, but the fact is not: Past incidents like the burning of New Orleans' UpStairs Lounge, which killed 32 in June 1973, have only emphasized the importance of strongholds where gay people could socialize freely. The police raid on New York City's Stonewall…

These songs get personal. Do you mind when people try to piece together whom they're about? I think it's great. I choose to be more tight-lipped in interviews, but I can be more free to speak in music and even have some fun with it. I'm a fan of Drake's new record. I'm sitting there listening, trying to figure out what song is about what person! You've moved past your Disney Channel image, but did that experience help you? It's easy for a lot of people to try to put the words in my mouth that it was a horrible experience and that there was exploitation of young people. There can be that. But I think that what I took away, along with trying to break that mold, is the…

Your new book, Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging, posits that service members find our society hard to re-enter because it's alienating even for those not returning from war. For me, PTSD is just one lens to look at a broader question of our society--the very common sense of loneliness, the lack of communal utility that people sense, like, "What am I here for? Who am I helping? Who needs me?" That's a societal problem and not a personal problem. So it's not just service members who feel isolated? The assumption is that our wonderful society is good for our mental health. And the fact that it's not is shocking and also a relief to find out. I mean, why would suicide rates go up with wealth? Why would depression go…