Table of contents for December 19, 2025 in Newsweek

1968 “For all its advantages, will half a nation be enough?” Newsweek asked, as negotiators sought to end the Vietnam War after America’s bloodiest year of combat yet. U.S. attempts to build a “stable and self-sufficient non-Communist regime in South Vietnam” ultimately failed, and Vietnam remains under one-party Communist rule to this day. Still, relations have warmed considerably since the conflict ended in 1975. The two nations have close economic ties and consider each other strategic partners in countering Chinese assertiveness in the South China Sea. 1989 “The mind-killing condition remains a great medical mystery,” Newsweek said of Alzheimer’s disease. In October, an international group of scientists reported a “striking” reversal of the neurological disorder in lab mice using new drugs, offering early hope for human treatment. 2010 “Covert operations…

CONSERVATIVE POLICY GROUPS AND FEMI-nist advocates rarely agree on what women should be allowed to do with their bodies. One side tends to defend traditional roles; the other insists on self-determination and autonomy. But on the thorny question of surrogacy, they’ve come to the same conclusion: it should end. This unlikely alignment sharpened into public view in October, when Reem Alsalem, the United Nations special rapporteur on violence against women and girls, delivered a stark proposal to the U.N. General Assembly: that all forms of surrogacy—paid or unpaid, domestic or international—should be abolished outright. She argued that the practice inflicted “multiple forms of violence” on women, reducing pregnancy to contract labor and their bodies to delivery systems for those with greater wealth and power. She likened surrogacy to prostitution and…

How does it feel to have The Secret Agent chosen as Brazil’s Oscar submission and generating this buzz? It feels great. It feels especially good because of the fact that this is a Brazilian film. It’s crazy, man. It was 12 years that I didn’t work in Portuguese, speaking my native language. There are many reasons for that. One of them was, of course, the [President Jair] Bolsonaro years in Brazil, where they basically made it impossible for us to make films there. I always felt very connected to Brazil, so it’s really rewarding for me to receive all that attention from a Brazilian film. The film is set during the dictatorship of President General Ernesto Geisel in the ’70s, but feels relevant to recent history. How did you and…

A resident sits in the aftermath of severe flooding on November 29 in southern Thailand, one of several countries hit by South and Southeast Asia’s most extreme weather in years. Since mid-November, climate-fueled storms have devastated the region, killing over 1,600 people and displacing hundreds of thousands. Nearly 11 million have been affected by the extreme rainfall across Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam.…

FROM CELEBRATION-WORTHY DRINKS TO CUTTING-EDGE TECH and timeless accessories, Newsweek’s holiday gift guide offers a curated selection of aspirational items designed to delight even the most discerning recipients. JURA Z10 For the At-Home Barista From $4,199.00 Swiss precision meets barista-level innovation in this dual-function coffee machine that brews both hot and true cold brew specialties. With 40 preprogrammed specialty coffees and 10 coffee strength levels, it features JURA’s proprietary Product Recognizing Grinder, which auto-adjusts grind consistency for each drink—from espresso to flat white—at the touch of a button. FOR HER Patek Philippe Gondolo Serata 4962/200R-010 For the Discerning Watch Collector POA A statement in rose gold, this Gondolo Serata has a zebra-pattern sapphire crystal dial and 94 brilliant-cut spessartites (2.02 carats) flowing in color from cognac to tangerine in a…

FOR SOME CONSUMERS, what’s important isn’t just what a company offers but how they manufacture or provide those products or services. For businesses, committing to sustainability initiatives, helping those in the community or offering robust benefits to workers isn’t only an ethical choice: When consumers and investors know that a company is socially conscious, they are more likely to align themselves with it. According to a study by The Roundup, 84 percent of customers say that they are deterred from companies with poor environmental practices, and 62 percent “always or often” specifically look for products that are sustainable. That is why Newsweek is proud to partner with Statista for the seventh time to present America’s Most Responsible Companies 2026, highlighting 600 companies that are taking action each day to uphold…

WALKER SCOBELL IS ACUTELY AWARE OF THE ANTICIPATION SURROUND-ing the second season of Disney+’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians (December 10). “I’m really excited, but I’m nervous.” That’s because he’s aging faster than the character in the show based on the popular book series. “I feel like I look very different between seasons one and two...[since] like two years have passed for us in real life.” But Scobell needn’t worry, because fans are along for the ride. And Scobell was one of those fans, long before he got the pivotal role. He describes the moment he got the part “like, ‘Oh, now the weight of this is on my shoulders...’ But it’s also like, it doesn’t feel that heavy when it’s something you love so much.” And he’s managing the…