Table of contents for September 3, 2018 in TIME Magazine

‘Her struggle mirrors the struggle of so many women.’ APRIL BLAINE, Hilliard, Ohio PERFECTLY SERENA Sean Gregory’s Aug. 27 cover story about Serena Williams earned high marks close to home: the tennis star’s husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, tweeted that he was “so proud.” Many readers found inspiration in Williams’ life. “Serena sounds like a wonderful, loving, human mom,” tweeted actor Olivia Wilde. Endurance racer Amelia Boone of San Jose, Calif., praised the article’s depth: “While I admire athletes for their accomplishments, I’ve always respected them more for being human,” she tweeted. Also on Twitter, @Ishikamohan described Williams’ story of coming to terms with her own perceived shortcomings as “so familiar.” And MaryKay Hartung of Palm Harbor, Fla., was glad to see the “remarkably positive” Williams on the…

WRONG NUMBER In September 2017, a man in London mistakenly sent a message to a woman he did not know on WhatsApp. Despite the accidental intro, they went on their first date that night and got married three months later. DOWN IN FLAMES A bride in Brazil in May wanted to make a grand entrance by helicopter, but things went wrong when it crashed into a field. Miraculously unhurt, she walked down the aisle shortly after stepping away from the burning chopper. REACTION VIDEO A man visiting New Mexico’s Sandia Mountains in June met a couple on his way to the top and was asked to film their proposal. The story went viral after he mistakenly filmed his own happy reaction instead.…

MOLLIE TIBBETTS, 20, WAS last seen on July 18 going for a jog near her hometown of Brooklyn, Iowa. The missing University of Iowa student came to national attention after her community helped raise a nearly $400,000 reward for tips that led to her safe return. But when the search ended with the discovery of her body, interest in her story took on a new dimension. After authorities said on Aug. 21 that they’d charged an undocumented immigrant in the case, Tibbetts’ murder drew the attention of politicians. At a rally, President Trump linked her death with immigration laws that are a “disgrace”—even though studies show that undocumented immigrants don’t actually commit crimes at higher rates than U.S. citizens. The narrative was further complicated by court documents filed on…

NEARLY EVERY SPOT ON EARTH IS, EFFECTIVELY, a planetarium. Wait for the sun to go down, hope for a cloudless sky and look up. The show’s been running every night for 4.5 billion years now. But for the best stargazing, some places are better than others. There’s the great observatory atop Mauna Kea in Hawaii, 13,796 ft. above sea level; there’s the University of Tokyo Atacama Observatory in Chile, at 18,500 ft. And then there’s Stellafane, a cluster of permanent telescope observatories near a bubble-gum pink clubhouse on Breezy Hill in Springfield, Vt. At just shy of 1,300 ft., Stellafane can’t compete with high-altitude spots—but it has charm to burn, as was evidenced Aug. 9 to 12, when stargazers from around the world converged for the annual Stellafane Convention,…

The courage to come out Josie Totah, 17, who previously acted under the name J.J. Totah in films and TV shows, announced that she is transgender. She describes how people often assumed that she was a gay boy and how she had been too scared to correct them. “I almost felt like I owed it to everybody,” Totah writes. “But that has never been the way I think of myself.” Washington’s lessons for Trump George Washington was “far from being blessed with innate equanimity,” writes former U.S. Senator John C. Danforth. But his “constant struggle to maintain the dignity that was his model for the presidency” contrasts sharply with what the American public now sees in the White House. Studying the sounds of sex “It can be a way…

Our pessimism derives from our collective expectation that we can do better. But that can be a source of optimism as well WANTED: OPTIMISTS. MUST ENJOY CHALLENGES, APPRECIATE possibilities and possess a deep belief in your ability to master a situation. Hope for the future a must, and confidence in that hope a strong plus. If your motto is “try, try again,” you’re perfectly set to make the most of this—or any—opportunity. There are excellent reasons for anyone—nations, businesses, schools—to seek out the optimistic. And they are even truer for parents. Optimists make better entrepreneurs, experience better health outcomes, live longer and are more satisfied with their relationships. Their optimism enables them to continue to strive in the face of difficulty, while pessimism leaves them depressed and resigned to…

The investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller and related work by other federal officials have already entangled high-profile figures within President Trump’s orbit. Here’s a look at who has been convicted and who is under the microscope: CONVICTED PLEADED GUILTY UNDER SCRUTINY PAUL MANAFORT TRUMP CAMPAIGN CHAIRMAN Convicted of tax and bank fraud. Awaiting trial for unregistered foreign lobbying RICK GATES TRUMP DEPUTY CAMPAIGN MANAGER Pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI and conspiring to hide income earned overseas MICHAEL COHEN TRUMP PERSONAL LAWYER Pleaded guilty to tax evasion, bank fraud and campaign-finance violations MICHAEL FLYNN TRUMP NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER Pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about contacts with the Russian ambassador GEORGE PAPADOPOULOS TRUMP CAMPAIGN ADVISER Pleaded guilty to lying to the…

Under the guidance of economic adviser Peter Navarro, President Trump has pursued punitive policies toward major trade partners—from China to Europe to neighboring Canada. In July, Trump threatened to roll out tariffs on nearly all U.S. imports from China, totaling more than $500 billion in goods. Here’s what has happened so far, in 2018: JAN. 22 Trump approves tariffs on imported washing machines and solar panels to help U.S. manufacturers. Some solar-industry representatives protest the move, arguing it will dampen demand and hurt solar-panel installers. MARCH 1 Trump announces tariffs on steel and aluminum from most countries, ultimately covering $41 billion in imports. Because little comes from China due to prior trade restrictions, this policy mainly affects U.S. allies like Canada, the E.U. and Mexico. APRIL 2 China retaliates,…

FOR OVER 20 YEARS, LINDA BUONANNO lived in fear that her irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) would suddenly interrupt her daily routine with frequent trips to the bathroom and unbearable cramping. Buonanno, now a 71-year-old medical assistant and hairdresser from Methuen, Mass., tried everything from drugs to dairy-free diets. Nothing worked. She remembers a particularly tough period over 10 years ago, when she was working on the factory floor of a medical-device company for up to 10 hours a day, six days a week. When an IBS episode would strike, her coworkers would cover for her as she huddled in a corner, keeled over in pain. If she wanted to go dancing with friends at the local club on Sunday, Buonanno would stop eating on Friday so there wouldn’t be…

1 million flee record floods in India The heaviest rains in almost a century forced over a million people into relief camps in the Indian state of Kerala. Flooding has killed at least 410, and early estimates put damage costs at nearly $3 billion. Other nations offered aid, but India generally doesn’t accept such help. U.S. inmates stage national prison strike Prisoners across the U.S. went on strike on Aug. 21 to protest what they are calling “modern-day slavery.” They’ve said their conditions, such as being forced to work for far below minimum wage, are a human-rights issue. During the strike, which is expected to last nearly three weeks, inmates will not work or spend at commissaries. North and South Koreans reunited Eighty-nine mostly elderly South Koreans went to…

DIED Al-Qaeda’s chief bombmaker Ibrahim al-Asiri, in a drone strike last year, U.S. officials announced on Aug. 20. Al-Asiri was known for creating bombs that could slip past airport security. CLASHED Neo-Nazis and counterprotesters during an Aug. 18 march in Berlin on the 31st anniversary of the suicide of Nazi leader Rudolf Hess. At least one police officer was injured. GATHERED Hundreds of people to oppose the Catholic Church’s influence over Argentine politics, in Buenos Aires on Aug. 18. The protest came in the wake of the country’s decision not to legalize abortion. APPROVED The first generic version of EpiPen, by the FDA, after Mylan raised the price of the lifesaving drug device sixfold since buying it in 2007. PAID A settlement of $380,000, by Asia Argento to a…

WHEN ARETHA FRANKLIN SANG, OUT POURED THE sun and the moon. Her voice was optimism shaded with sorrow, joy tempered by the understanding that nothing in life can be perfect—but above all it was a sound that both absorbed and radiated light. To hear it is to feel bathed in that light. Franklin died on Aug. 16 at age 76, and her death closes an era. She belongs not just in the pantheon of great soul singers, but in the realm of great artists period: John Coltrane, Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Billie Holiday—with them, she helped give shape to the second half of the 20th century. To tell its story in sound would be impossible without Aretha. Her warmth—her light—was explosive. Franklin was born in Memphis in 1942, although…

“Witch hunts” is what prominent cardinal Óscar Rodríguez Maradiaga of Honduras called the Boston Globe’s and other outlets’ reporting on decades of sexual abuse by Catholic priests in 2002, after the coverage led to accusations of a cover-up. He is now one of Pope Francis’ closest advisers. But they were not witch hunts. They told the truth and exposed the perils of unchecked power exercised by another cardinal, Boston’s Bernard Law. That reporting led to Law’s resignation, the removal and prosecution of priestly offenders, and a promise from U.S. bishops to install a “zero tolerance” policy on sexual abuse. Sixteen years later, the phrase witch hunt calls to mind President Trump’s assault on the free press, the rule of law, and our constitutional system of checks and balances and…

Following the 10th BRICS Summit in South Africa in July, the Beijing summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in September will be another major event this year that draws attention to Africa and its strengthening ties with China. FOCAC, established in 2000, has served as an important engine driving China-Africa collaboration. Since its inception, cooperation in various fields such as trade, investment, project contracting, development assistance, cultural exchanges, finance and security has made great headway. For example, China surpassed the United States to become Africa’s largest trading partner in 2009 and has remained in that position for nine consecutive years. Africa is China’s third-largest outbound investment destination and the second-largest overseas market for Chinese contractors. By the end of 2017, China’s investment in Africa exceeded $100 billion,…

THE EVENING ENDED BADLY. ON DEC. 13, 1950, THE Washington columnist Drew Pearson was being feted at a birthday dinner at the Sulgrave Club near Dupont Circle. A vocal opponent of Senator Joseph McCarthy, Pearson had relentlessly attacked the Wisconsin lawmaker ever since McCarthy launched his red-hunting campaign that February. Still, small-town Washington being small-town Washington, McCarthy was invited to the party. He was, one notable guest recalled, spoiling for a fight. Emboldened by shots of bourbon, McCarthy asked Pearson to step outside, but the columnist demurred. At the end of the party, Senator Richard Nixon—the guest who noted McCarthy’s belligerence—walked into the club’s cloakroom to find McCarthy’s “big, thick hands around Pearson’s neck,” Nixon remembered in his memoirs. The Senator had kneed the columnist twice in the groin,…

PUNDITS LIKE TO MAKE comparisons between President Donald Trump and President Richard Nixon, but those links aren’t usually drawn by Trump himself. An exception came on Aug. 19 when Trump tweeted, in light of the news that White House counsel Don McGahn had met with Robert Mueller’s team, that McGahn wasn’t a “John Dean type ‘RAT.’” Dean, as Nixon’s White House counsel, played a key role—by deciding to cooperate with prosecutors—in the events leading up to that President’s resignation. Speaking to TIME on Aug. 21, Dean said he wished he’d had an example he could turn to when he was deciding what to do back then. Now he’s playing that very role—for Michael Cohen. Dean spoke to TIME about the news and what he thinks of his own return…

Doctor engagement PATIENTS WITH IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME WHO FELT RELIEF AFTER HAVING... Positive expectations PATIENTS GIVEN AN ALLERGY SKIN PRICK WHO WERE TOLD THAT A PLACEBO CREAM WOULD... Pill-taking rituals PATIENTS WITH IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME WHO FELT RELIEF AFTER RECEIVING... *DESCRIBED TO THE PATIENT AS INACTIVE MEDICINE, LIKE SUGAR PILLS SOURCES: STUDIES BY TED KAPTCHUK (TABLE 1: BMJ, MAY 2008; TABLE 3: PLOS ONE, DECEMBER 2010) AND ALIA CRUM (TABLE 2: HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY, MARCH 2017)…

OF ALL THE LESSONS GLEANED FROM #MeToo, one stands out as particularly sinister: before things turn treacherous, there’s a moment when predation can feel dangerously like kindness. A young person, not yet aware of his or her power, is made to feel special—and then it’s too late. Kate Walbert, author of His Favorites, understands this. Jo is 15 years old and new at Hawthorne, the upper-crust boarding school where she has transferred in the wake of a personal tragedy. Her best friend is gone. Her parents are separating. Nothing is right. Along comes Master Aikens, the magnetic English teacher whose modern-lit class is so popular, it requires an application. Master spots Jo and invites her to apply. She’s only a sophomore—too young—but he makes exceptions, he says. “This was…

The men you play on both Arrested Development and Ozark are unassuming guys who get embroiled in intense situations. Are you drawn to characters like this? I like to be a proxy for the audience—that’s a necessary component in a drama or a comedy. I like the responsibility of that. It’s not the funny part in a comedy, and in a drama, it’s not the scary part—I’m usually the person reacting to the funny or running from the scary. Ozark details class divisions and economic inequality. How did you consider those issues in the show? A family—the Byrdes—comes down to the center of the country and thinks they can dominate and manipulate. They underestimate the savviness of the locals,…

‘When somebody comes in, we must immediately, with no Judges or Court Cases, bring them back ...’ President Trump, in a June 24 tweet FOR MOST, THE GATEWAY INTERNATIONAL Bridge functions as it should, allowing people to get between the U.S. and Mexico. But on a hot Sunday afternoon, a dozen migrants at the mouth of the bridge weren’t getting anywhere at all. They had been told, once again, to wait. “For three days we have been sleeping on the floor and they have been telling us the same thing,” one of them, a man named Mbella, told TIME. “But every day, someone else goes and we remain here.” At a press conference the next day, Aug. 20, President Trump once again touted the border wall he has…

BY NOW, MEASLES OUGHT TO BE OPTIONAL. As long as parents are conscientious and governments are competent, no child has to contract the sometimes fatal disease again. But across Europe and in the U.S., that’s not what’s happening. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there were more than 40,000 cases of measles—including 37 deaths—across Europe in just the first six months of 2018. That’s a huge jump: in all of last year, there were 23,927 cases, and only 5,273 the year before. More than half of those 2018 cases were found in Ukraine, while six other countries (Serbia, France, Italy, Russia, Georgia and Greece) have each topped 1,000 cases. The U.S. numbers are less alarming—107 cases, across 21 states and the District of Columbia—but they too represent an…

KOFI ANNAN’S DEEP WELL OF GRACE, HUMILITY AND CALM energy set him apart. Such was his seemingly boundless vigor and the gravitas he exuded, that his death, at the age of 80 on Aug. 18, shocked all who knew and loved him. A career diplomat originally from Ghana, Annan led the U.N. from 1997 to 2006, one of the most difficult periods in its history. He crisscrossed the world in an effort to bridge divides after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. One can only imagine the pressure he was under, yet it never affected his demeanor. After he retired from the U.N., his peacemaking continued through the efforts of his foundation and, later, as chairman of the Elders, an independent global leaders’ group. He understood on a visceral level…

AFTER THE DEATH on Aug. 18 of former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, it’s an opportune moment for a closer look at the organization he led. How valuable is today’s U.N. in a G-zero world with a startling lack of global leadership? Is the institution still a guiding force for good? The Security Council charged with overseeing international peace and safety remains dysfunctional, but that’s hardly a new story. The willingness of the five permanent members to veto the plans of others and protect their allies is decades old. The G-zero problem was evident in the Security Council long before it became obvious everywhere else. Whatever member states think about U.N. values, they should see the worth of an institution willing to ease so much human misery But the…

I’M PAYING FOR A COFFEE IN BROOKLYN when a doctor in Massachusetts calls and asks for permission to intubate my uncle. It’s urgent. His lung has collapsed, and he’s lost consciousness. There’s no time to consider what it means to put an 82-year-old with a slew of health conditions on a ventilator. So I say yes. On my drive to the hospital, another doctor calls to say they need to do a bronchoscopy. I ask if it will hurt, and she says he’s sedated. So I say yes again. Just like that, I’ve put booming, unshakably cheerful Uncle Bear into a system of maximum intervention because of my own panic, not reason, not research. Later, when I look at the statistics, the odds of recovery, or what they…

ON THE WALL OF JAIR BOLSONARO’S OFFICE IN A MODERNist annex of Brazil’s Congress hang five faded black-and-white portraits. They are memoirs of a time many Brazilians would prefer to forget, when military generals ruled the country from 1964 until 1985 and the cost of insurrection was kidnap, torture and secret execution. Bolsonaro, the de facto front runner for the Brazilian presidential election that begins on Oct. 7, is the foremost apologist for that era. He has made a career eulogizing its abuses and—for a decade after the return of democracy in 1989—calling for its reinstatement. Today he is proud of his support of the regime he served as an army captain. Now, with Brazil mired in a profound political crisis that has left many citizens despairing of its…

It’s easy to find guides to famous attractions. But which new and newly relevant destinations are worth experiencing right now? To assemble our first annual list of the World’s Greatest Places, TIME solicited nominations across a variety of categories—such as museums, parks, restaurants and hotels—from our editors and correspondents around the world as well as dozens of industry experts. Then we evaluated each one based on key factors, including quality, originality, innovation, sustainability and influence. The result is a list as diverse as the world it reflects, with 100 entries spanning six continents and 48 countries—highlighting everything from a Texas water park that empowers kids with disabilities to a Maldives resort that’s building an undersea abode to a library in Tianjin, China, that’s almost as wondrous as reading itself.…

In Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel The Handmaid’s Tale, the government strips women of their resources. In Christina Dalcher’s Vox, a debut already earning comparisons to Atwood’s classic, a new law strips women of their right to self-expression. If women speak more than 100 words in a day in this near future America, they get shocked via bracelets. When the president recruits Jean, a neurolinguist, to cure a brain injury that left his brother speechless, she finds herself fighting for her own voice, her daughter’s voice and the voices of all women. Dalcher is a propulsive storyteller, and she knows how to keep the reader outraged. But she’s also herself a linguist, so she’s careful to explain the importance of speech, both the neurological mechanisms behind its functioning and how…

LOVE IT Aston Martin is producing 25 re-creations of the 1964 DB5 driven by Sean Connery in the James Bond film Goldfinger that will sport the car’s famous revolving license plate as well as other spy gadgets. LEAVE IT Police in Georgia are investigating the theft of a trailer filled with nearly $100,000 worth of ramen noodles. Crime drama Billionaire Boys Club, the first movie to feature Kevin Spacey since multiple people accused him of sexual misconduct, earned just $618 from a total of 11 theaters in its opening weekend.…