Vol. 158 No. 1
NATION
With Bush slipping in the polls, his message shop--led by Karen Hughes--tries to remake his image. Inside Dubya's failure to communicate
Pleading Guilty
A writer confesses to libeling Anita Hill--and reopens the Thomas hearings
Meet The Veep's New Aide
Armed with a new pacemaker-defibrillator, Cheney insists his heart is still in the job
DJ Craze (America's Best / DJ)
With sharp ears, fleet fingers and constant invention, he is turning the sampling of old records into a new art form
America's Best (America's Best)
Not just good. Not just very good. Who is A-No. 1, top of the heap in entertainment and the arts? We say these are. And here are the reasons
(America's Best / Novelist)
He has delighted and infuriated readers for four decades. And as his recent novels show, he's still in command
Martin Puryear (America's Best / Artist)
A master of both modernism and traditional crafts, he creates sculptures that are a synthesis of beauty but free of cliche
Tom Ford (America's Best / Fashion Designer)
An American in Paris--and London--and with creations all over the world, he has put the frisson back in Gucci and is extending his reign with Yves Saint Laurent
Jon Stewart (America's Best / Talk Show Host)
With smart talk, shrewd insights and sly wit, he is making the evening news a daily habit again
Chris Rock (America's Best / Comedian)
Even when cracking jokes that make us cringe, he shows us that laughter can be the best revenge
Odd Jobs (America's Best / Odd Jobs)
Performances on the periphery, making art (or something) where you least expect it
Bello (America's Best / Clown)
His dazzling stunts, goofy gags and big-top hairdo have made the circus a great show again
Hilary Hahn (America's Best / Young Classical Musician)
Masterly onstage and a webmaster on the Net, she's a virtuoso with a 21st century sensibility
Steven Holl (America's Best / Architect)
His designs offer a new, luminous model for buildings that satisfy the spirit as well as the eye
Ira Glass (America's Best / Radio Host)
He has retuned radio with old-fashioned storytelling
Sally Mann (America's Best / Photographer)
In both family scenes and rural landscapes, she views the world with singularly naked candor
Sleater-Kinney (America's Best / Rock Band)
In an era of prefabricated pop, this group plays music that's totally unpredictable and defiantly uncompromising
The Roots (America's Best / Rappers)
Old-school players who actually play instruments, they're leading the way for a more musical style of hip-hop
Cassandra Wilson (America's Best / Singer)
Soulful, sensual and lyrical, she's carrying on the tradition of great jazz vocalists
Lucinda Williams (America's Best / Songwriter)
Wasting few words and sparing no pain, she has composed an extraordinary songbook about the rituals of loving, losing and keeping the faith
Julia Roberts (America's Best / Movie Star)
Great looks, box-office clout, Oscar-certified talent and a tempestuous love life make her the reigning Queen of Hollywood
Ang Lee (America's Best / Film Director)
Born in Taiwan, trained in the U.S., filming everywhere--making movies that speak a universal language
David Chase (America's Best / TV Producer)
Showing that even hit men can be human, he brings humanity to the screen
What's Under Cheney's Skin...
What Makes Her The Best (America's Best / Movie Star)
Sean Penn (America's Best / Actor)
Conflicted about his craft, eclectic in his roles and brilliant in his performances, he is a worthy heir to Brando and Dean
The Case For Thomas Pynchon (America's Best / Novelist)
Susan Stroman (America's Best / Broadway Director)
From the high lifts in Contact to the pratfalls in The Producers, she puts the joy back in musicals
August Wilson (America's Best / Playwright)
His poetic plays about African-American life offer plainspoken truths that transcend race
WORLD
The U.N. wants $7 billion. You won't believe how much it may yet need
Long Walk To Justice
As Serbia lobbies for aid, Slobodan Milosevic is taken to the war-crimes tribunal in the Hague
Milosevic in the Dock: At What Price?
Incident in Okinawa
As Bush and Koizumi meet, an alleged rape muddies relations between Tokyo and Washington
SOCIETY
It may be the new car. Cooking outdoors is about looks, power and--oh, yes--taste
Episcopal Turf War
Conservative rebels have drawn archbishops from Africa and Asia into a suddenly less civil discourse
NOTEBOOK
Notebook
O Brother, Where Art Thy Standards? (Page Two)
It's An Ad, Ad, Ad, Ad World
High School Drop-In
Milestones (Milestones)
Is This The Real Slim Shady? (Page Two)
Ask Greta
Why Scientists Are No Fun
Out of the North Korean Gulag (Page Two)
News Quiz
Value Investing
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
JACK LEMMON, 1925-2001
Picking America's Best
The Downside Of Talking To The Dead
America may learn that living in the past does not have much of a future
BUSINESS
An appellate court voids a breakup, blasts a judge--but affirms that the firm is an antitrust violator
Cyber Payback
The high court upholds freelancers' online rights
YOUR TIME
With $1.7 trillion at stake, lawmakers and Wall Street are pushing aside regulators to give you real advice
Failing Grade For Breast Exams? (Personal Time / Your Health)
A controversial study of the popular cancer-screening test suggests that it may do more harm than good
Your Health (Personal Time / Your Health)