Table of contents for March 13, 2026 in Newsweek

1981 “Washington has drawn a line in El Salvador against what it regards as the global ambitions of the Soviet Union and surrogates such as Cuba,” Newsweek wrote after President Ronald Reagan sent 26 noncombat advisers to support the government amid a civil war. Reagan justified the move by citing the Central American nation’s location in “our front yard,” and about which U.N. Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick said, “Central America is the most important place in the world for the U.S. today.” Decades later, President Donald Trump again cited national security for U.S. intervention in the hemisphere. After a U.S. military operation captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January and brought him to the U.S. to face charges, Trump said, “American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again.”…

THE STRIKES ON IRAN ARE PART OF A BIG-ger play by the United States that reaches beyond the Middle East to put pressure on China, a country it sees as its main global adversary, analysts told Newsweek. They formed the second attack by the U.S. in barely three months against an oil-rich Chinese ally after it launched a military operation earlier this year against Venezuela, toppling the government there. Both Venezuela and Iran were close friends and strategic allies of China, which was buying oil from them on favorable terms. The U.S. sees China as its main rival globally, with China’s massive industrial capacity and fast-paced naval buildup putting it in a position potentially to challenge American military dominance in the Pacific and its influence globally. The Chinese military has…

FOR YEARS, MANY IN WASHINGTON AND SILICON VALLEY BELIEVED THE UNITED States led in artificial intelligence, while China focused mainly on putting the technology to use rather than shaping its cutting edge. In her new book, The New Tech Titans of China, technology journalist Rebecca A. Fannin argues that this assumption no longer holds. The book tracks the rise of a new generation of Chinese entrepreneurs building competitive companies across AI, electric vehicles, robotics and advanced manufacturing—often outside the country’s best-known tech giants. This adapted excerpt looks at the sudden emergence of DeepSeek, a startup whose rapid progress in 2025 forced U.S. executives and investors to rethink where AI innovation is coming from and how quickly the balance is shifting. IN EARLY 2025, THE SUDDEN RISE OF CHINESE AI STARTUP…

Choosing a hospital is rarely a simple decision. It is often made in moments of uncertainty, when unusual symptoms or a difficult diagnosis is already weighing heavy on the patient. That’s why dependable guidance on where to find high-quality medical care is so important. Whether an individual is seeking care for themselves or for a loved one, clear information can help them pursue the best possible health outcomes. The number of hospitals worldwide is projected to approach 216,000 this year. With so many options to consider, it can be challenging to assess the options. To help bridge that gap, Newsweek has partnered with Statista to present the World’s Best Hospitals 2026 for the eighth time. Our list highlights leading hospitals around the globe and provides country-specific rankings, so readers can…

■ The Supreme Court’s deci- sion to strike down President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs is expected to force the government to return billions of dollars collected through the now-annulled levies, but this could strain federal finances and ultimately hurt taxpayers, experts have warned. In the wake of the ruling, two Democratic-led bills are seeking to refund Americans and businesses for higher costs linked to levies Trump imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Yet Thiemo Fetzer, a professor of economics at the U.K.’s University of Warwick, warned of further financial harm. “The biggest indirect burden for U.S. consumers and firms is likely the foregone tariff revenue, which now creates a fiscal shadow as the illegally collected tariff revenues may be reclaimed, worsening the U.S. fiscal position going forward and…

You’re now diving into network television. How does that feel? There is something really exciting about doing something that I think is going to be of a very high quality and very, very funny, but also going to be seen by potentially a lot of people. The challenge with TV in the American system is that you are potentially signing on for multiple years based on one pilot, which is sort of an insane feeling. [But] you can’t get much better than Robert Carlock, Sam Means and Tina Fey. What is it like working alongside Tracy Morgan? There are line readings that are accessible to Tracy that are inaccessible to 99 percent of actors, because he is who he is, and he is funny in the way that he is.…

NETHERLANDS HISTORIC PREMIERSHIP Rob Jetten was sworn in on February 23 as the Netherlands’ first openly gay and youngest prime minister. The 38-year-old centrist, leading a three-party coalition, told the Associated Press in January one of his first tasks would be “to see what role the Dutch can play again in strengthening the European cooperation” after President Donald Trump’s Greenland bid. CALIFORNIA AVALANCHE PROBE Liability waivers for recreational skiers have come under the spotlight after nine people were killed in one of the deadliest avalanches in recent Californian history. They were on a guided backcountry trip when they died on February 17 in the Castle Peak area, north of Lake Tahoe. Nevada County Sheriff’s Office has opened an investigation to determine if the guides were criminally negligent, per AP. Meanwhile,…

AS THE IRANIAN GOVERNMENT BATTLES ON following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei amid joint U.S. and Israeli strikes across the Islamic Republic, questions are swirling over the future of a nation now in the throes of its greatest moment of uncertainty since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Thousands of miles away, Reza Pahlavi —the U.S.-based son of Iran’s last shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was toppled in that uprising 47 years ago—believes he has the answer, positioning himself as the natural leader of what he says would be the establishment of a democratic system rather than a return to monarchy. “I ask you, for now, to remain in your homes and remain calm and safe,” Pahlavi said in a message issued in the opening hours of the U.S.-Israeli…

NEARLY A YEAR AFTER 23‑YEAR‑OLD RUBEN RAY Martinez was shot and killed during a traffic stop in Texas, reporting by Newsweek has revealed that his death had gone uncounted in the public record of fatal encounters involving federal immigration officers. It brings the total number of U.S. citizens reported killed by ICE since President Donald Trump’s return to office to three. Martinez’s death on March 15, 2025, has raised broader questions about the use of force and transparency from federal agencies, even as the White House asserts it is “the most transparent administration in history.” The involvement of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Martinez’s death was not publicly disclosed at the time of the shooting and only emerged in February through records reviewed by Newsweek. News that Martinez had…