Newsweek November 25, 2022

1981 “They were familiar characters of cloak-and-dagger fiction: bull-necked men with heavy fists and ill-fitting suits. But the real-life spies of the KGB are a different breed—the best and brightest of Soviet society,” Newsweek wrote, describing their mission and methods. “The KGB’s greatest asset in America, of course, is the nation’s open society.” Spies remain key in the struggle between superpowers. Last month, the U.S. indicted 13 Chinese nationals for spying for Beijing, and in 2020 the FBI announced a 1300 percent surge in China-related economic espionage cases since 2010. 1997 “This is the real threat we are facing in the gulf,” Newsweek wrote. “Not the conventional wars of conquest... or the risk of an all-out nuclear war that could have ended it but rather something harder to predict—or defend against.” In September,…

NOW WHAT? ▸ Now Brooke Shields is ready to start asking the questions with her new podcast. But it’s also a great opportunity for her to share her stories. Plus: Beginning is Now, her inclusive lifestyle brand, what she needed to do to get the perfect pair of leggings and sports bra and what she thought of Barbara Walters and Johnny Carson when they interviewed her as a young girl. HOST ▸ H. Alan Scott, culture writer, comedian IN THEIR WORDS ▸ “I’ve been doing this version of whatever it is you call it, what I do, for 57 years, and it’s put me in and out of such a mixture and a myriad of different experiences.” DON’T MISS THE DAILY BREAK Fun, informative watercooler chatter Poison Cocktail, Please! ▸ Can a spider bite restore nerve…

The Dino and Baby Dino balloons by Sinclair Oil complete a test flight during Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Balloonfest at MetLife Stadium on November 5. The tests were to ensure the balloons are safe to soar down Central Park West on November 24 during the 96th iteration of Macy’s iconic event. Sinclair Oil’s dinosaur mascot first debuted as one of the parade’s balloons in 1963 and has since popped up numerous times. The 2022 version of Dino and his little friend are new creations, measuring 49 feet tall, 68 feet long and 26 feet wide.…

AN INTRUDER BARGES INTO THE HOUSE OF THE person who is second in line to the presidency, and strikes her 82-year-old husband with a hammer. Yet millions of people—including politicians, public figures, and the richest man in the world—seemingly believe that the incident was not a political attack at all, but a drunken lover’s quarrel. Although the outlandish narratives about the attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband Paul Pelosi have generated widespread attention, the tactics used to spread them have generally been overlooked. A NewsGuard analysis of false narratives related to the incident reveals how the Paul Pelosi conspiracy went from fringe to mainstream in a matter of days, enabled by the limited information and unintentional misreporting that often accompany developing news stories, and dramatically amplified by a cast of…

EARLIER THIS MONTH, THE world delivered a near-unanimous rebuke of the long-standing U.S. trade embargo against Cuba, when 185 nations at the United Nations General Assembly voted for a non-binding resolution condemning the sanctions. Only the U.S. and Israel voted against it, while Brazil and Ukraine abstained. One day after the vote—the 30th time that the General Assembly has condemned the U.S. policy, which has been in place since 1960—Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla sat down with Newsweek’s senior foreign policy writer Tom O’Connor for an exclusive interview. In a wide-ranging conversation, Rodríguez Parrilla explains why President Biden should heed that international call, in addition to talking about other top issues between the two nations. In a direct appeal, Cuba’s top diplomat urged the Biden administration, U.S. policymakers and the American…

“I NEVER THOUGHT IT WOULD BE PAUL.”—Nancy Pelosi“Ultimately, I sacrificed my story—which I don’t mind, it’s just a little weird.”—SELENA GOMEZ ON HER NEW DOCUMENTARY“If this generation does not step up urgently, future generations will not forgive us.”—IRISH PM MICHEÁL MARTIN ON CLIMATE CHANGE“I never expected that we were going to turn these red counties blue, but we did what we needed to do.”—U.S. SENATOR-ELECT JOHN FETTERMAN“I HAVE A NEVER-ENDING NEED FOR ATTENTION, BUT IT’S NEVER THE RIGHT KIND OF ATTENTION.”—Matthew Perry“If I lose, it’s rigged, if I win, it’s fine.”— Satirist John Oliver on Republicans and voting“AFTER DECIDING TO KEEP OUR RELATIONSHIP PRIVATE, WE OPENED THE DOORS ON A SPECIAL DAY.”—Former Miss Argentina Mariana Varela on marrying former Miss Puerto Rico Fabiola Valentín TIBRINA HOBSON/GETTY; MARK MAKELA/GETTY; FREDERICK M. BROWN/GETTY…