NEWSWEEK: Media Lead Sheet/June 25, 2007 Issue (On Newsstands Monday, June 18)

NEWSWEEK: Media Lead Sheet/June 25, 2007 Issue (On Newsstands Monday, June 18)

COVER: "Why Gaza Matters" (p. 22). In the cover package, Senior Editor Mike Hirsh says the violent takeover of Gaza by Hamas is not just a death knell for Israeli-Palestinian peace, splitting Bush's dream of a Palestinian state into two armed camps. It is also, along with the quagmire in Iraq, a historic rebuff. Now Gaza stands to become Hamas' private enclave and perhaps even an ungovernable font of terror. Hamas' defeat of the secular-and more moderate-Fatah forces could inspire Islamist radicals in the region and around the world.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19263096/site/newsweek/

(Photo:

http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070616/CLSA011 )

"Back to the Stone Age" (p. 28). Jerusalem Bureau Chief Kevin Peraino reports on the exodus of thousands of Gaza's middle class and educated citizens from the now violence stricken region. Those who are most likely to escape, will be those with means and connections -- the ones Gaza can least afford to lose. In the past 12 months, 88,320 people have fled left Gaza for Egypt through the Rafah crossing, while only 76,176 have come in-a net loss of some 12,000 people.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19263095/site/newsweek/

"Bogged Down In Baghdad" (p. 30). Paris Bureau Chief and Middle East Regional Editor Chris Dickey and Baghdad Correspondent Larry Kaplow report on their exclusive interview with embattled Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. The prime minister, who is facing increasing pressure for quicker progress on a range of stalled measures, insists on moving at a slower pace than U.S. officials would like. He says he needs time in order to make long-term decisions -- ones that will be "written in stone" -- and says he's confident that Bush understands. "The timetables given, sometimes I do not find them in President Bush's mind so much as they are in the minds of some people who make [public] statements."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19265742/site/newsweek/

NATION: "The 'Pull and Strike' Democrats" (p. 32) Columnist Jonathan Alter, reports that one of the reasons Congress has become even less popular than President Bush in recent polls is that Democrats look feckless Iraq. The attack on what remained of the Golden Mosque in Samarra -- one of the most revered shrines of Iraq's Shiites -- along with the violence in Gaza was a reminder that Democrats could still be in trouble on national security in 2008. Politically, the "war on terror" continues to be a useful GOP bumper sticker. Instead of bemoaning this, Democrats need their own way of framing their position that commits firmly to withdrawal from Iraq. Without it, they have no coherent policy.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19263101/site/newsweek/

"Away From the Cameras" (p. 33) White House Correspondent Holly Bailey reports that Fred Thompson may be charismatic and down to earth, but the records from his eight years in the Senate may not please conservative voters. Some Republicans, underwhelmed with the current lineup of 2008 contenders, have latched onto him as something of a political messiah. But as he prepares to step onstage, his record in Washington will be given a closer look, and conservative voters may be disappointed to find that Thompson has been on the other side of some of their most important issues, including abortion and campaign fund-raising.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19263100/site/newsweek/

HEALTH: "The Teen Drinking Dilemma" (p. 36) Senior Editor Barbara Kantrowitz and Correspondent Anne Underwood report on and the debate over allowing teens to drink under supervision. While many parents believe teens should learn about the effects of drinking at home, most researchers who study teen substance abuse say that teens who drink too much may suffer memory and other learning problems.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19263094/site/newsweek/

"The Word is Leakage" (p. 37 Assistant Editor Raina Kelley reports on GlaxoSmithKline's new over-the-counter weight loss drug, Alli, and its potentially embarrassing side effects. Alli is a lower-dose version of the prescription drug Xenical. Alli does not suppress appetite; rather, it blocks the gastrointestinal system from absorbing some of the fat consumed in a meal. But if you eat more than the recommended 15 grams of fat per meal, you may experience cramps and 'leakage.' Critics suggest that the reduction in weight really comes from the low-fat, reduced-calorie diet.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19263093/site/newsweek/

SOCIETY: "Honor Thy Family" (p. 40). Gay Talese, author of the 1971 book "Honor Thy Father," about the Bonanno crime family, wondered what happened to the four children of Bill Bonanno and his wife Rosalie. In this essay, he provides updates on the family and tells of personal humiliations they've had with their last name and what they think of HBO's "The Sopranos."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19263306/site/newsweek/

ARTS: "Angelina Wants to Save The World" (p. 46). Senior Writer Sean Smith was in Mumbai with actress Angelina Jolie during the filming of her new movie, "A Mighty Heart," to talk about the making of the film and her journey to being a mother of four and good-will ambassador for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. Jolie is an unprecedented 21st century entity, a tabloid star with international credibility. She draws criticism for crossing that line and is suspected of being a "celebrity tourist" to global crises. Smith writes that it's difficult to remain dubious after spending time with Jolie. "When I first started doing this, I thought I could save everybody," she says. "I was sure that there had to be a simple solution. Now I'm still in the field as much as possible, but spending more time in Washington. You can fight forever to open a tiny shop or vocational training center -- and that's fantastic -- but if the trade laws stay as they are, it's not really going to help."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19263097/site/newsweek/

"When Terror Hits Home" (p. 53). Movie Critic David Ansen praises Angelina Jolie's performance in "A Mighty Heart," writing that Jolie does a miraculous vanishing act into the role of Mariane Pearl. "Smart, prickly, courageous, her terror often covered over with steely flashes of anger, Pearl -- as anyone who saw her on TV after her loss -- refused the public role of victim that the touchy-feely American media tried to impose on her. Jolie honors her fortitude with a performance of meticulous honesty."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19250244/site/newsweek/

"The Real Problem With Pakistan" (p. 55). Newsweek International Editor Fareed Zakaria writes that the real problem in Pakistan is dysfunction. "'A Mighty Heart,' accurately shows that Pakistan's national police forces were trying to find Pearl's kidnappers. But the central government can claim only limited and divided authority over the country," Zakaria writes. "Provincial governors, local commanders and rich landlords are powers unto themselves. Elements in the government can drag their feet and subvert official policy ...This is a far more backward country than South Korea or even the Philippines, where the United States helped usher in democracy in the 1980s."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19263098/site/newsweek/

TIP SHEET: "The King's Castle" (p. 58) Michael Beschloss's series "On the Road: Traveling Through History with Michael Beschloss" takes readers to Graceland. In the hands of Elvis Presley's ex-wife, Priscilla, Graceland became a world-renowned tourist attraction. The Colonial revival mansion gives visitors a carefully edited public version of the Elvis story.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19251780/site/newsweek/

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http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070616/CLSA011
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NOTE TO EDITORS: To book correspondents, contact Brenda Velez at 212-445-4078 -- Brenda.Velez@Newsweek.com -- or LaVenia LaVelle at 212-445-4859 -- LaVenia.LaVelle@Newsweek.com. Articles are posted on www.Newsweek.com.

/PRNewswire -- June 17

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