Vol. 159 No. 18

NATION

Losing His Mittens
Karen Hughes helped George W. Bush relax and softened his image. What will he do without her?

Trapped By His Own Instincts
Try as he might, George Bush is making no progress on the Middle East. Here's why

The Right's New Crusade
LOBBYING FOR ISRAEL

Do We Really Need Them?
THE SAUDIS

WORLD

Why So Many French Voted for a Bigot
His electoral success reveals a country not so much racist as threatened

Germany's Columbine
A quiet European cathedral town is the tragic site of one of the bloodiest school massacres in history

Has Pakistan Tamed its Spies?
An agency that once fostered militants is showing success in fighting them. Now comes the $25 million question: Can the ISI help find bin Laden?

SCIENCE

The Secrets of Autism
THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN DIAGNOSED WITH AUTISM AND ASPERGER'S IN THE U.S. IS EXPLODING. WHY?

The Geek Syndrome

Guide For Parents
How do you tell if your child is autistic? And what should you do if he or she is?

Vaccines
Are the Shots Safe?

My Brother

My Son

Myself

NOTEBOOK

26 Years Ago in TIME

Notebook

A Suspect's New Legal Pulpit (Terror Probe)

Not Second String

Milestones (Milestones)

Gaddafi Readies His Checkbook

Mother's Day

She's Outta There!

A Palestinian Terror Threat?

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

Inside Saddam's New Charm Offensive
TIME's correspondent finds a landscape of smiling icons and hungry people

They Know Not What They Do
Even in Rome, the U.S. Cardinals still forgot the children

What in the World Is Going On?
On a scary globe, one never knows where the next threat is coming from

BUSINESS

The Coming Job Boom
The help-wanted ads may look thin--but thanks to aging baby boomers, that's about to change

Firms Brace For a Worker Shortage

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Must-See (Again) TV (The Arts / Television)
There's a future in the past as the networks rush to celebrate classic stars. A look at the new wrinkles

The Unblinking Blur (The Arts / Art)
From banal photos, Gerhard Richter forged a new direction for German art

Spidey Swings (The Arts / Movies)
It's the first episode of what could be the next great movie series. But it's too high on angst, too low on energy

It's Marvelous (The Arts / Movies)

Untangling The Puzzle (The Arts / Movies)
Enigma is a thoughtful World War II spy drama

This Golden Boy's Life (The Arts / Books)
The long-awaited American Son paints a careful if insubstantial portrait of John F. Kennedy Jr.

Yo, Pioneers! (The Arts / Television)
Realities of the 19th and 21st centuries collide on PBS

YOUR TIME

Where the Wild Things Are (Personal Time / Your Family)
Looking for the perfect outdoor family vacation? Log on to find the best parks, hikes and campsites

New Cause for Caution on Stocks (Personal Time / Your Money)
Fresh research challenges the historical rate of return on equities. Look to bonds for more balance

Do French Fries Cause Cancer? (Personal Time / Your Health)
The evidence is thin. But there are plenty of other reasons you should go easy on the fries

Your Family (Personal Time / Your Family)

Your Health (Personal Time / Your Health)

SPECIAL SECTION

The Death Of Film (Time Bonus Section / Inside Business)
Movies look great on a digital projector. But who'll pay for it?

Is It Time To Let Go? (Time Bonus Section / Inside Business)
As blue chips falter, the sacred buy-and-hold strategy looks suspect. Our experts are on the case

Adieu to the Muumuu (Time Bonus Section / Inside Business)
Red-hot Torrid is giving plus-size teenage girls a reason to go to the mall

PEOPLE

People

Books by the Buddy System (At Lunch With Norman Mailer And Lawrence Schiller)

LETTERS

Read the story