Innholdsfortegnelse for 05/18/2018 i Newsweek International

IN APRIL, AS HER FAMILY IN CENTRAL ISRAEL prepared to celebrate Independence Day, Rachel Ohal was preparing for what she calls “every Israeli’s dream.” The next morning, she awoke in her home in Los Angeles and drove to a cere mony to become an American citizen. She is one of at least 1 million Israelis residing in the United States. And if Israel—home to 8.8 million people—doesn’t change course, many more may soon join her. Israel celebrates its 70th birthday in May with the opening of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem. Yet the country is grappling with an existential crisis—one that doesn’t involve Iranian nukes or Palestinian protests. Spurred by the high cost of living, low salaries, and political and demographic trends, Israelis are leaving the country in droves, trying…

 BREXIT HEADQUARTERS in London is a poky Westminster townhouse a stone’s throw from the Houses of Parliament. Its location is fitting because the only person who has an actual office in the building is Nigel Farage, a man who has made throwing stones—at British Parliament, at so-called globalists and at the European Union—his life’s work. “I am very concerned that the euro has brought neo-Nazism back.” Yet Farage, the Brexit activist turned TV and radio personality, is hardly ever there. As a European member of Parliament, he spends at least two days a week in Brussels or Strasbourg—which, he concedes, can be a little awkward nowadays—as well as in the U.S., where he attends conferences, gives speeches and has abuse hurled at him as he walks down New York’s Fifth…

Not-So-Pretty in Pink Women and men have very different experiences at the local drug store. Thanks to the so-called “pink tax,” female customers pay an average of 13% more than males, with shampoo and conditioner marketed to women costing 48% more than those for men. A PERIOD OF CHANGE Should women be taxed for menstrual products? Many say no—and their voices are slowly being heard. 3 states (Arizona, Nevada, Virginia) have legislation pending to exempt tampons from sales tax; 9 (Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania) have done so. Conceiving the Impossible More than 10% of American women have trouble becoming pregnant. Those who turn to fertility treatments may now find added assistance in the form of health care coverage. 15 states have laws requiring…

IN THE SPRING OF 2016, AS Donald Trump cruised to the Republican presidential nomination, he convened an elite crowd in a Washington, D.C., ballroom to announce a new proposal that would, as he put it, “shake the rust off America’s foreign policy.” Backed by American flags, he eviscerated decades of GOP orthodoxy—specifically the nation building of George W. Bush in Iraq—and pledged to enact a “coherent foreign policy” that would shun distant conflicts and put “America first.” Trump pledged to find “talented experts with approaches and practical ideas, rather than surrounding myself with those who have perfect résumés but very little to brag about except responsibility for a long history of failed policies and continued losses at war. We have to look to new people.” But now, as President Trump…

“If a woman has two children, her earnings would be, on average, 8 percent less than women who don’t have them.” SENATOR TAMMY DUCKWORTH made history in April when she became the first sitting senator to give birth. And her daughter, Maile Pearl Bowlsbey, has already made history as the first infant allowed on the Senate floor, after a rule change pushed for by Duck-worth. But although Duckworth has been hailed as a hero for working mothers, the similarities go only so far. As a senator, Duckworth’s salary is set by statute, leaving her immune to what’s known as the “motherhood penalty.” For most working mothers, children bring more than a change in routine; they also bring a change in income. When a woman becomes a mother for the first…

PRINCESS DIANA, MICHAEL JACKSON AND Steve Jobs walk into a bar. Actually, it was a hotel elevator, and this isn’t a joke. The operator closes the door. The four stare ahead; no one utters a word for several floors—until Diana cuts the tension by breaking into “Beat It.” As power elevators go, it’s hard to top that trio—though, given this happened at New York’s infamously discreet Carlyle Hotel, there are likely juicier ensembles and tales, never to be told. (The New York Times once referred to it as the “Palace of Secrets.”) Regulars at the Carlyle have included numerous presidents, John F. Kennedy Jr., Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Condoleezza Rice, Jack Nicholson, George and Amal Clooney, Lenny Kravitz, Sofia Coppola, Roger Federer and on and on. It’s hard to find…

“White skin was not specified. Rowling loves black Hermione.” EMMA WATSON STARRED AS HERMIONE GRANGER IN EIGHT ADAPTATIONS OF J.K. Rowling’s hugely popular Harry Potter series, so for 15 years the Muggle-born witch and best friend to everybody’s favorite boy wizard looked like her. When Watson left the role, Rowling brought Hermione back, this time to the stage in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which opened to rapturous reviews, first in London, then on Broadway. The central pals—Harry, Hermione and Ron—are now grown up, married and parents to Hogwarts students. Hermione is now played by Noma Dumezweni, an award-winning British actress who perfectly captures her character’s spirit: super smart, a little irritating, always commanding. Dumezweni also happens to be black, which provoked some racist outrage. Rowling came to the…