Table of contents for September 19, 2025 in Newsweek

FIVE YEARS AFTER THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC shuttered the globe, the bulk of the 3.6 million children born in the United States in 2020 are starting kindergarten, providing many youngsters their first foray into a structured classroom setting. The atypical early childhood these kids experienced also left an indelible mark on millions of stressed-out parents as they navigated the uncertainty of lockdowns, mask mandates and child care. But that upheaval and isolation also created some unexpected benefits, including quality family time, a crash course in the benefits of independent play and fewer illnesses due to a lack of visitors, parents of “COVID babies” told Newsweek. “I think they’re more than ready,” Dave Ruth, 44, said of his twin 5-year-old sons, John and James. “I am thrilled for them. I think they’re…

NORTH KOREA’S ONCE-COVERT role in direct support of Russia’s war against Ukraine is now being embraced by the nation’s leadership, a shift that reflects emerging realities on the battlefield and in the world order to the benefit of Moscow and Pyongyang. North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un’s award ceremony and visit to a memorial to troops slain in action last month marked the latest step in a trend that began in April, when Pyongyang first acknowledged that it sent soldiers to aid Moscow in repelling a Ukrainian offensive in Russia’s Kursk region. That reveal took place some six months after intelligence from the United States and South Korea first assessed that North Korean forces had arrived in the country. Since then, the joint Russian-North Korean military operation has managed…

AS MORE THAN 100 MILLION PEOPLE USE CHATGPT on a daily basis, research has found that such artificial intelligence tools are doing more to the way we communicate than just polishing emails. In the first peer-reviewed analysis to test whether conversational AI systems are influencing how we speak, Florida State University’s study showed that some of the words frequently suggested by these tools are surfacing more often in everyday spoken English, due to a “seep-in effect.” The findings come as more surveys show a widespread adoption of AI chatbots, particularly among millennials and Gen Z. Unlike previous spikes in vocabulary tied to world events or cultural shifts—such as “Omicron,” a virus variant, during the COVID-19 pandemic—FSU researchers found that terms commonly used by AI tools have surged since the release…

Tourists and photography enthusiasts gather on September 4 to capture shots of sunlight streaming through the tiankeng—known as the “heavenly hole” or “skypit”—in Yueyan Scenic Area. the area is known for its karst landscape, which forms when slightly acidic groundwater dissolves soluble rocks like limestone, creating caves, sinkholes or underground streams. the striking beam of light occurs due to the tyndall effect, when sunlight scatters off large particles such as dust or water molecules.…

ERICA OLENSKI’S NORTH TEXAS HOME IS A constant churn of activity, as is typical for a family with two young boys. Scattered about are baseball bats, book bags, bicycles. But that’s where the ordinary ends. Olenski’s son, August, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer in May of 2019, at 5 months old. For the next six years, their home served as a personal intensive care unit. Semi-personal, that is. A rotating cast of health care professionals provided 24-hour care for August who, at points during his treatment, required a tracheostomy tube to breathe and a gastrostomy tube to eat. Nurses arrived at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. each day. Physical, occupational and speech therapists augmented the team. There was no name for this care strategy when it…

Personnel from the Carris transit company inspect the scene on September 4, following a derailment of a car on Portugal’s Elevador da Glória the day before, which killed 16 people, including 11 foreign nationals, and injured 21. The 19th-century funicular rail line is part of Lisbon’s transport system. “This tragedy…goes beyond our borders,” Prime Minister Luís Montenegro said, calling it “one of the biggest tragedies of our recent past.”…

WHEN I HEARD THE NEWS THAT Giorgio Armani had passed, my heart dropped. A legend. An icon. A man whose name alone could silence a room. And instantly, I was transported back in time: a teenage girl from Inglewood, California, backstage at my very first Armani show in Milan, Italy, trying to hold it together while my knees knocked like stilettos on marble. Booking that show was one of those pinch-me moments. Armani was not just a brand, it was practically a verb. You didn’t wear Armani—you Armani-ed. And suddenly, there I was, part of that magic. I’ll never forget slipping into those clothes: earth-tone suits... some supple, some flowy, some with the most strategic forms of unstructured structure. And on the runway, they became poetry. What I loved most…

EVERYONE WANTS AND DESERVES THE best of everything—from the finest jewelry or chocolate to the fastest internet providers or most reliable auto insurance. Consumers will always search for the brand that gives them the best experience and quality, and once they find it, remain loyal. And when it comes to price, according to Salsify’s 2025 Consumer Research Report, 87 percent of customers have even reported that they would pay more if they can trust a brand and its products. But knowing what brands are tops isn’t always easy. That is why Newsweek and Statista are proud to present, for the second time, America’s Best of the Best 2025, recognizing 636 brands over 164 categories that excel over the entire customer experience, including brand image, joy of use of products or…