Table of contents for March 28, 2025 in Newsweek

ON A BRISK, SUNNY SATURDAY, Pam Gersh approached the Tesla service and sales center on the outskirts of Louisville, Kentucky. The smartly dressed, retired professional looked every bit a potential Tesla buyer, but Gersh wasn’t there for a test drive. She clutched a handful of flyers bearing Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s likeness and the phrase, “I am stealing from you.” Gersh had come to join about three dozen other demonstrators on the sidewalk as part of a Tesla Takedown protest. “I’m hoping that we can destroy his entire brand,” Gersh told Newsweek. Similar demonstrations have taken place at Tesla properties in more than 100 cities worldwide, according to organizers, as part of a coordinated effort to apply economic pressure against Elon Musk, the world’s richest man. Some demonstrators said they…

THE WINTER BITTERNESS OF ROMANIA’S steppe was not the only chill as NATO soldiers exercised just miles from Ukraine last month. There were no U.S. forces taking part in NATO’s biggest exercises this year. This may have always been the plan, but European nations going it alone on Ukraine’s doorstep took on a fresh significance as U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration rewrote Washington’s relationship with the continent. The Steadfast Dart drills at the southeastern training ground of Smârdan throughout February were designed to show how a British-led multinational force could operate in a crisis. Aircraft struck mock enemy targets, tanks blasted live shells, soldiers wiggled their way through a frozen trench network and a bagpiper emerged from a smoke screen to waiting cameras. But Trump’s pullback has shaken…

Awash in impressionist and early modernist masters like Renoir, Cézanne, Matisse and Picasso and initially housed in Merion, Pennsylvania, Albert C. Barnes’ art collection is unique. Following Barnes’ death in an automobile accident in 1951, its governing foundation faced numerous restrictions on what could be displayed and where, opening times, staff salaries, endowment investment rules and more. These limitations eventually made it unsustainable in its suburban location and by 2012, the Barnes Foundation was relocated to a new, more centrally located home in Philadelphia. The trust’s extensive provisions are just an example of Barnes’ quirky and often cantankerous nature. In his newest book, THE MAVERICK’S MUSEUM: ALBERT BARNES AND HIS AMERICAN DREAM (Ecco), art critic and biographer Blake Gopnik brings Barnes and his collection to life. In this excerpt, Gopnik…

Smoke rises from charred containers on the deck of the MV Solong cargo ship, which caught fire after it collided with the U.S. military chartered tanker MV Stena Immaculate off the coast of Withernsea, East Yorkshire, England, on March 11. authorities say one missing crew member from the Portugueseflagged Solong, Mark angelo Pernia, is presumed dead. The Solong’s captain, Vladimir Motin, 59, of Saint Petersburg, russia, has been charged with gross negligence manslaughter. he has not yet entered a plea and remains in custody ahead of his next court appearance, set for april 14, in London. The Stena Immaculate was anchored in the North Sea and carrying large amounts of jet fuel when the Solong collided with the vessel, setting fire to both ships.…

CANADA’S NEW PRIME MINISTER, Mark Carney, has been hailed by experts as a “superb choice” to lead the country through U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war. A former central banker and political outsider who has never held office, Carney was sworn in on March 14, five days after being elected the governing Liberal Party’s leader. He replaces Justin Trudeau, who announced his resignation in January. “His demonstrated track record leading with experience, judgment and integrity put him in remarkably rarefied air among North American public officials,” Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, the senior associate dean for Leadership Studies at the Yale School of Management, told Newsweek. However, Carney’s credentials have been immediately put to the test over U.S.-Canada relations. These have become strained following Trump’s repeated remarks about making the nation the 51st…

THE ULTIMATE MEASURE OF A brand’s ability to resonate with consumers is how they make us feel, not just the features their products offer. From the joy of a perfectly crafted experience to the excitement of innovation to the comfort of a trusted favorite, brands have a unique ability to connect with consumers on a deeper level, creating loyalty that transcends mere transactions. According to a report, 86 percent of adults in the U.S. are willing to “spend more on products and services from a brand they love.” ♥ Earning this devotion takes more than delivering a great product or service. It requires fostering a connection, sharing values and consistently exceeding expectations. Consumers seek out brands that bring meaning and happiness to their lives, making this relationship extremely personal. ♥…

PICKING UP THE PIECES OF A PLANET SHATTERED by World War II, the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia and New Zealand formally banded together to pool their intelligence. This Anglophone arrangement dubbed the Five Eyes—an elaborate web of intelligence capabilities pitted against threats—has seen its members through the many decades since. But in a matter of days, President Donald Trump and his top officials have shredded the order that has dominated for 80 years. Upending U.S. foreign policy, slapping tariffs north of the border and splattering America’s allies with disdain, the new administration has had those relying on Washington asking whether they can trust the U.S. to provide vital and sensitive capabilities. Little is more sensitive than the Five Eyes, its gaze long fixed on Moscow and Beijing. It is the…

THERE ARE INCIDENTS THAT divide life into a before and after. Witnessing American Airlines flight 5342 explode into the Potomac in January brought back visions of Sabena flight 548 carrying the U.S. figure skating team to the 1961 world championships crashing into a Belgian chicory field. A pivotal moment for a 15-year-old, team alternate and ticketed passenger on that flight. A last-minute ultimatum from my private school—“go with the team and don’t come back here”—forced me to cancel hours before departure, my name remaining on the passenger list. At 5 a.m. the next morning, a Boston Globe reporter called my father. “Sorry to inform you, but your daughter, along with the U.S. team, were just killed.” Raised as a “stiff upper lip” New Englander, I was expected to carry on,…