Table of contents for April 17, 2017 in TIME Magazine

2 | Conversation 6 | For the Record The Brief News from the U.S. and around the world 9 | The fading power of Trump's threats 11 | Chemical attack marks grim milestone in Syria's civil war 12 | Graham Allison on what Chinese President Xi Jinping wants from Trump 14 | Ian Bremmer: why the U.S. and Egypt are closer 16 | NCAA champs from the Carolinas The View Ideas, opinion, innovations 21 | The 100th anniversary of U.S. entry into World War I is a big deal in Kansas City, Mo. 22 | Psychiatrists on how to deal with schmucks at work 23 | A new skyscraper with presidential ties designed by Zaha Hadid Architects 24 | Fur-real benefits of pet therapy 27 | The new North American…

On the 11th Sunday of his presidency, amid national approval polls as low as 35%, Donald Trump found himself on the back nine of his Virginia golf course, playing a foursome with his old rival Kentucky Senator Rand Paul. The group played to a tie, Paul would later report, but no one needed to be told the real score. Clearly the President was no longer winning. A couple years back, Trump called Paul "a spoiled brat without a properly functioning brain." He mocked the Senator's golf game ("I easily beat him") and dismissed his campaign as a "total mess" ("weak on the military, Israel, the Vets and many other issues"). He even joked about Paul's looks. "And believe me there is plenty of subject matter right there," Trump said, gesturing…

As the FBI continues its probe into contacts between Donald Trump's 2016 campaign and Russia, the President is advancing his own investigation of sorts. On April 5, a month after falsely alleging that President Obama had wiretapped him, he told the New York Times that he thinks former National Security Adviser Susan Rice may have committed a crime by unmasking the identities of Trump associates in classified intelligence reports. There is nothing illegal about unmasking. When U.S. spies target foreign adversaries, they are required by law to protect the privacy of Americans incidentally surveilled by masking their identities in classified reports. Senior officials are allowed to request the identities of the Americans if they determine the information is needed to understand the significance of the intelligence. The process is documented…

A roundup of new and noteworthy insights from the week's most talked-about studies: 1 VENDING-MACHINE DELAYS COULD LEAD TO HEALTHIER CHOICES The Rush University Medical Center developed a vending machine that told customers it would wait 25 seconds before dispensing unhealthy items. Overall, researchers saw a 2% to 5% increase in the proportion of healthy snacks purchased, without a decrease in snack sales. 2 PLAYING TETRIS AFTER TRAUMA CAN HELP PREVENT PTSD A study in Molecular Psychiatry found that people involved in car accidents who played Tetris at the hospital after recalling details of the accident had fewer symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder than those who did not. 3 DEEP BREATHING MAY ACTUALLY CALM BRAIN ACTIVITY A Science study found that a group of nerves that regulates breathing in the…

Sesame Street prides itself on being one of the world's most inclusive places, but it's quite a hard joint to break into. When the show introduced Julia, a character on the autism spectrum, in April, she had been gestating for six years. The first brand-new Muppet in a decade, Julia was initially planned as a cartoon character for the web but got such a big response that after an 18-month test run in the exurbia of digital storybooks and animation, she was canonized in Muppet form and allowed into the neighborhood. The Sesame folks, who produce a 30-page-plus curriculum for the show every year, consulted with more than 250 experts and advocacy groups as Julia was being formed. A series of white papers had been written on her before she…

Where do you begin? All of my music is based off moods and feelings. I have to put my emotions into a song. It's a form of therapy for me. I start with melodies. I don't necessarily start with words. Because I can hear what I felt from melody, I usually build upon that. R&B is going in a chill, deconstructed direction. Why do you think this is happening at a time of national upheaval? Because it's honest. Nowadays there's a lot of dishonesty. Trying to find yourself is the hardest thing. I think me being vulnerable about whatever I was going through, people listen to it and they hear authenticity. What role does technology play in your process? My best songs are written on my iPhone. I click back…

In Spanish director Nacho Vigalondo's fantasy-drama Colossal, monsters are real. Worse yet, their actions are controlled by out-of-control human beings. Anne Hathaway plays Gloria, a well-intentioned but irresponsible young woman who, after a breakup, decamps from New York City to her hometown. There, she reconnects with Jason Sudeikis' Oscar, who kindly steps in to help his old friend readjust. And then--news alert! A giant, scaly monster attacks Seoul, appearing and vanishing mysteriously. The whole world watches, and Gloria's problems suddenly seem small in comparison--until she realizes that she and this strangely soulful, frustrated reptilian behemoth share a bizarre kinship. Even if its characters' behavior doesn't always make sense, Colossal is still a mischievous, clever piece of entertainment, and Vigalondo handles the central metaphor gracefully. How do we get ourselves back…

REBUILDING THE U.S. Reader Will Heinzel of Auburn, Ala., thanked TIME for an "excellent" look at the state of American infrastructure. The April 10 cover package "really got me thinking about the problems," he wrote. Doug Cram of Lopez Island, Wash., who expressed hope that those in power will focus on the solutions TIME highlighted, said the issue "brought back a flood of sad memories" of "forward-thinking" infrastructure projects that never came to pass. However, Laurence Siegel of Manteno, Ill., wondered whether, as a nation, "we even know what we need" to solve these problems, and Bonnie Gosliner of San Anselmo, Calif., was disappointed that the cover's illustration didn't include one solution we do know about: bicycle paths. HOME OF THE FUTURE Karl Vick's April 3 story on retirement-friendly mobile-home…

BALTIMORE Top city officials say they oppose federal efforts to delay police reform and vow to move forward, after already agreeing to revise officer trainings. On April 5, a federal judge denied a request from the Justice Department for a delay to reconsider the reforms. CHICAGO After city police were found to have engaged in a "pattern or practice" of unconstitutional force, officials agreed to make substantial changes. Officials say they are committed to reform regardless of the Trump Administration's next move. FERGUSON, MO. The city has already agreed to make over 300 law-enforcement reforms, including the formation of a civilian review board. Officials say they're making progress, but activists have expressed frustration. --Maya Rhodan/Washington…

President Donald Trump and Egypt's President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi sat down together at the White House in early April, and it's as if Barack Obama and the Arab Spring never happened. These two champions of national pride agree that the challenge of killing terrorists should sideline questions of respect for human rights. In contrast to the awkward, complex choreography ahead of the visit by China's Xi Jinping to Mar-a-Lago or the notably strained body language of the recent meeting with Germany's Angela Merkel, Trump and al-Sisi looked like old pals. It helps that al-Sisi was the first world leader to congratulate Trump on his win in November. The Trump presidency looks to be good news for the former general. Trump wants a reliable, like-minded ally in the Middle East, and…

When does a symbol belong to everybody? Gilbert Baker, a Kansas-born artist, intended to answer that question some four decades ago when he began designing the rainbow pride flag that eventually became a global LGBTQ icon. Baker served in the U.S. Army in the early 1970s before being honorably discharged and settling in San Francisco as the gay-rights movement flourished. He taught himself to sew and began making banners for protests and celebrations. He befriended Harvey Milk, the city's first openly gay elected official. And in 1978 he was commissioned to design a new symbol for the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade that could be used year after year. Baker settled on the rainbow. He was moved by the idea that it is not only a natural phenomenon but…

We all have at least one co-worker whose behavior gets under our skin. In The Schmuck in My Office, Jody J. Foster and Michelle Joy identify 10 problem personalities and outline effective ways to handle each of them. If you work with a narcissist who makes everything about her own accomplishments, for example, be liberal with your praise and sandwich criticism between compliments. If your colleague is the suspicious type, paranoid that others are causing problems for him, offer a choice between alternatives to help him feel in control. And if your boss is an obsessive bean counter, cite how you "corrected" your work based on her suggestions so she feels heard. That the authors are both psychiatrists lends credibility to their advice, which includes: "If in workplace after workplace…

Being a pet in America is a plum gig. Pets are incredibly well loved: according to a 2015 Harris poll, 95% of owners think of their animal as a member of the family. About half buy them birthday presents. And it's a two-way street. People who have pets tend to have lower blood pressure, heart rate and heart-disease risk than those who don't. Those health boons may come from the extra exercise that playing and walking require, and the stress relief of having a steady best friend on hand. Scientists are now digging up evidence that animals can also help improve mental health, even for people with challenging disorders. Though the studies are small, the benefits are impressive enough that clinical settings are opening their doors to animal-assisted interventions--pet therapy,…

What does genre mean in 2017? The categories that once defined listener taste--rock, hip-hop, country--are collapsing into one another. Streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music have had a homogenizing, sound-blurring effect on listening habits around the world, and rising musicians are less averse to coloring outside the old lines. Which makes sense: If everyone is listening to your song on a custom playlist, who cares which genre-bound radio station would theoretically play it? The genre-busting results play out on the charts on a regular basis. Recent chart-toppers include Ed Sheeran's Caribbean dance-folk "Shape of You," the Chainsmokers' arena-rock EDM and Rae Sremmurd's diaphanous pop-rap. While the weekly jostling for the top spot is as sanguine as ever, the most fascinating changes are the ones taking place within the very…

'It's an important step, but it cannot be the only step.' Roy Cooper, North Carolina governor, saying the state must continue to "repair [its] reputation" after signing a compromise on March 30 to partially repeal its transgender bathroom bill; the NCAA said it would "reluctantly" lift its ban on holding championships in the state, while the ACLU called the deal "dangerous and fake" 3,000 Distance, in miles, that a Watsonville, Calif., cat named Booboo traveled from home before being found in southeastern Canada; the tabby went missing in August 2013 'I told my son, "Don't let go," and he said he wouldn't. But the current came, and we lost him.' Yuri Narváez, a father who lost his son in the mudslide that swept through the Colombian city of Mocoa after…

INDIA The highly polluted Ganges and Yamuna rivers were given the same status as a human being on March 20. This means legal guardians can now represent the waterways in court over any violation. NEW ZEALAND A river in the country's North Island became a legal person on March 15. A local Maori tribe has fought for nearly 150 years for the Whanganui River to be recognized as an ancestor. ECUADOR In 2008 the South American country set a legal precedent by giving nature rights like those of humans in its constitution. This means entire ecosystems have the "right to exist, persist, maintain and regenerate."…

DIED Chicago blues musician Lonnie Brooks, known for his version of "Sweet Home Chicago," at 83. James Rosenquist, whose powerful graphic style and painted montages helped define the 1960s Pop Art movement, at 83. Serial killer Donald Harvey, nicknamed the Angel of Death for murdering dozens of patients under his care in Ohio and Kentucky hospitals, after an attack in his prison cell, at 64. LEFT J.Crew, by executive creative director Jenna Lyons, following the retailer's plummeting sales. Chief executive Millard Drexler said he and Lyons, who has helped define high street fashion since joining the company in 1990, agreed that it was "time for a change." HIT Two home runs, by San Francisco Giants ace Madison Bumgarner, making him the first pitcher to homer twice on Major League Baseball's…

GROWTH SPURT A glass addition on top of the current office building's steel frame would add 40 floors and make the tower 1,400 ft.--officially "supertall." MIXED-USE The current office building would be replaced with retail space, an 11-story hotel and condos likely priced at $6,000 per sq. ft. PLANNING AHEAD Kushner Co., which bought the building a decade ago, projects beginning demolition work in 2019 and completing the building by 2025. THE STARCHITECT The late Iraqi-born British architect Zaha Hadid designed the building before her death last year. INVESTOR DRAMA Reports that Chinese company Anbang would invest raised eyebrows in D.C. Kushner had stepped down as CEO of the firm by the time of Trump's inauguration. Anbang has since pulled out. THE ADDRESS Developers reportedly want to change the building's…

CHILDISH GAMBINO AWAKEN, MY LOVE! Dec. 2, 2016 Glassnote Childish Gambino, a.k.a. Donald Glover, surprised fans with this funk- and soul-inspired album. Brimming with Gambino's impressive falsetto and a slow-burning energy, Awaken finds a futuristic R&B groove in breezy bops like "California" and "Redbone." JIDENNA THE CHIEF Feb. 17 Wondaland, Epic American-born, Nigerian-raised, Stanford-educated rapper Jidenna's latest injects melody into his songs. He tempers straightforward raps with sung-through tunes like the nostalgic lullaby "Bambi" and flamenco-inflected "Adaora." DRAKE MORE LIFE March 18 Republic The musical equivalent of a house party, More Life's songs dabble in global flavors with wide-ranging guest stars. From juicy slow jam "Passionfruit" to his flute-backed rap on "Portland," Drake shows how to host a relaxed, all-inclusive bash. JACOB BANKS THE BOY WHO CRIED FREEDOM April 20…

Among the many problems caused by the ascendance of the superhero movie is that the actors who star in them--and they're often good ones--get boxed into supertight quarters. Chris Evans is perfectly charming in the Captain America movies and their brethren in the expansive cinematic Marvel universe. But it's a relief and a pleasure to see him freed, temporarily, from that brazenly pectoral-enhancing onesie. In Gifted, he plays Frank Adler, a Florida boat-engine mechanic who's raising his niece Mary (Mckenna Grace) on his own. Mary is a precocious mite of a girl and a happy kid. But she's also what's euphemistically called a gifted child--she can solve outlandish numerical problems in her head and even more complicated ones on paper--and such gifts always come with complications. In this case, the…

In most White Houses, if not the current one, the chief of staff's job is to tell the Commander in Chief just how completely wrong he is when the situation requires. That's the premise of Chris Whipple's new book The Gatekeepers, which grew out of a 2013 documentary, and, fewer than 100 days into the Trump era, could not be more timely. The book opens when the chief job first took shape, under Richard Nixon's axman H.R. Haldeman, who organized the modern presidency but who rather dramatically failed his boss when Nixon went haywire. Since those days, the gig has grown more powerful, thanks to such men as James Baker and Leon Panetta, and never more so than when a President is in crisis. There are valuable lessons in Gatekeepers…