Newsweek October 14, 2022

2015 “Elephants are the picture of cancer resistance,” Newsweek wrote about research findings on elephants’ genes. “A tumor suppressor gene, TP53 is the police officer of the cellular world...The elephant has 20 versions (that is, 40 copies) of TP53, potentially giving the pachyderm body 20 times more tumor-suppressing powers than the human one.” Human’s fight against cancer continues to evolve. This summer, European scientists again found again that elephants hold keys to curing cancer, while other recent cancer-related breakthroughs include liquid biopsies and precision oncology. 1976 “ABC’s anchoring of Barbara is only the leading edge of what figures to be a profound upheaval in the nation’s most powerful—and least innovative—news medium,” wrote Newsweek of Barbara Walters, television’s first U.S. network anchorwoman. Walters, known for her interviews with state leaders, retired in 2016. 1985 “America’s long…

IN A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY ▸ How does understanding the origins of the rebellion against the Empire in Star Wars shed light on real-world issues like oppression, marginalized communities and refugees? And how does Diego Luna’s accent in Andor contributes to that insight? Plus: What’s it like to have an action figure of yourself—and to give it to your son? HOST ▸ H. Alan Scott, culture writer, comedian IN THEIR WORDS ▸ “From afar, it looks very political, and social driven, even though it’s always Star Wars...In the end we ended up reflecting on the world we live in. It’s full of diversity and complexity.” DECLASSIFIED Ex-FBI double agent on national security Protecting Little Girls in Tutus ▸ What if you could prevent a pedophile from repeat assault? Actress and dancer Katie Wee bravely…

Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees hits his 61st home run of the season in an 8–3 win over the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre in Toronto on September 28. The feat tied one of pro sports’ most iconic and enduring records: the 61 homers Yankee Roger Maris hit in the 1961 season, beating the previous record of 60 set in 1927 by Babe Ruth. During baseball’s steroid-scandal plagued 1990s and 2000s, other sluggers exceeded Maris’ mark, but Judge, who has been on fire at the plate all season, is the first to do it since the big leagues adopted mandatory testing for performance-enhancing drugs.…

THE UNITED STATES WOULD “RESPOND FORCE-fully” to any Russian nuclear strike, President Biden said—but there’s a divide between his administration and some of his military advisers over the role of American nuclear weapons and the most effective way to deter Vladimir Putin, knowledgeable sources tell Newsweek. “It’s the closest we’ve been to the use of nuclear weapons in over 50 years,” says one civilian working at the Omaha, Nebraska-based Strategic Command. “But I’m not so sure that we are communicating the right thing to deter Putin.” The nuclear planner and two other senior officers who spoke to Newsweek say that President Biden favors non-nuclear options over nuclear ones, should Russia cross the nuclear threshold. The officers don’t disagree, and none of them advocate any use of nuclear weapons in a pre-emptive strike.…

“I HAVE ASKED STUDENTS TO TRUST THEIR PARENTS.”—Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin on his school guidelines for transgender students“The essence of technology and its effect on humanity depends upon women being at the table.”—APPLE CEO TIM COOK“It was all kind of a disregard for the voice of something that I co-created.”—YE, ON HIS PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE GAP AND ADIDAS“The Asian community in Hollywood is still hyper-focused on positive representation, which to me is an illusion.”—CONSTANCE WU“IT TOOK ME 52 YEARS TO BE BRAVE.”—Morgan Davis, a former Child Protective Services worker in Texas who came out as trans“Even a 60-year-old woman wasn’t covered up as much as Mahsa.”—Amjad Amini, father of Mahsa Amini, 22, whose death triggered protests in Iran“NO ONE KNOWS WHETHER THIS PROCESS WILL LEAD TO A RECESSION OR, IF…

IT WILL NOT SURPRISE ANYONE WHO IS AT least partially awake that, nearly three years after COVID-19 hit our shores, the workplace is an unpredictable place. As Newsweek’s 2022 list of Most Loved Companies shows, in this environment, against the backdrop of the Great Resignation and quiet quitting, the companies that employees are most passionate about are those that have been willing to change with the times and actively work to meet the evolving needs of the people who work for them. What’s critical? For one thing, recognition that the hybrid workplace seems to have become a permanent fixture—even after multiple booster shots and companies like Goldman Sachs demanding that their well-paid Wall Streeters return to cubicle-world. Worker resistance to mandates to return to the office is a big deal, too.…