New York Times Magazine, Sept. 3

The cover story charts the renaissance of black comedians. Performers such as Chris Rock and Chris Tucker got their starts in all-black comedy clubs in the late-'80s, but their movies have crossed over to white audiences. Tucker claims to have no race consciousness and never to have suffered from racism. … A piece profiles Chernobyl 14 years after the disaster. Under pressure from the West, the nuclear facility is closing, and the only people protesting are the 26,000 people who lived and worked there. They happily traded high cancer rates for good pay and beautiful new homes and are livid about being laid off. … An article about the changes at Monday Night Football argues that sports, once thought to be the ultimate reality TV, is too boring for modern audiences. Viewers want to watch only highlights, not the whole game, so Monday Night Football is making its broadcast irreverent by adding a comedian to the broadcast booth and more visceral by deploying referee cams and on-field microphones to capture the grunts and smashes.

Advocate, Sept. 12

The cover story explores the dilemma facing Dick Cheney's lesbian daughter: Is her obligation to gay rights or to her father (and his anti-gay politics)? Mary Cheney appeared with her family at the Republican convention and has maintained a careful silence ever since. Chastity Bono, another lesbian daughter of a famous anti-gay pol, says she never publicly supported her father. … A piece compares two theories about the psychology of gay-bashing. One school argues that gay-bashers harbor their own gay tendencies, and when they attack gays they are symbolically killing the gay parts of themselves. This theory could explain why gay-bashings tend to be extra-brutal. A competing school claims that gay-bashing is primarily a violent response to peer pressure and the threat of social rejection.

New Republic, Sept. 11

The cover story debunks the myth of the hollow military hyped by the Bush-Cheney campaign. In fact, U.S. armed forces remain the most powerful in the history of the world. Their weaknesses are bloatedness and slowness to react to the post-Cold War realities, but as the Pentagon starts aggressive weapon procurement again in the near future, most of the inefficiencies could be ironed out. … An article chronicles the resurgence of liberal pollster Stan Greenberg. A proponent of  activist government and an architect of the Clinton-Gore 1992 victory, Greenberg was fired by Clinton after the health-care fiasco. But Gore hired him and has repackaged the Greenberg doctrine in his recent populist appeals. … A piece argues that it would be better for Israel if Yasser Arafat unilaterally declared a Palestinian state than if he arrived at a final peace settlement with Ehud Barak. Israel doesn't need the occupied territories, the peace process has snowballed out of control, and Ehud Barak is offering Arafat far too much for a peace that Arafat will probably violate.

Economist, Sept. 2

The cover story argues that détente between the two Koreas could throw off the delicate balance of power between China and Japan. Japan has long used its proximity to unstable North Korea as an excuse for the military buildup that also protects it from China, but peace in Korea would force Japan to admit that it is gearing up for conflict with only China. … A piece claims that the $1.3 billion U.S. aid package to Colombia will only further entangle America in nasty civil war. The aid is intended for the drug war, but it will be used against left-wing guerrillas by a military connected to right-wing paramilitary groups. … An article previews the upcoming European Union foreign ministers meeting. The most pressing concern will be finding a way to save face while ending the boycotts against Austria that grew out of the right-wing Freedom Party's inclusion in the coalition government.

Time, Sept. 4

The cover profile of U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan explains his idealistic global doctrine: The organized world should intervene whenever lives are at stake. Though most leaders applaud his good intentions, they believe he would initiate too many unwinnable humanitarian wars. … A piece contrasts the Bush and Gore tax plans. Bush's $1.6 trillion cut is simple, would mostly benefit the rich, and has yet to catch on with voters. Gore's more-complicated $620 billion cut would reward working-class people for specific behavior (sending a kid to college or taking care of an elderly relative, for example). Neither plan will win the approval of a sharply divided Congress. … An article doubts that Pope Pius IX deserves his upcoming beatification, a step on the way to sainthood. The 19^th-century pope called Jews "dogs" and generally opposed the democratic movements that spread through Europe during his papacy.