EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

04.26-05.03.2024

How
NARENDRA
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INDIA
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 A p r i l 2 6 - M Ay 0 3 , 2 0 2 4 _ VO L . 1 8 2 _ N O. 1 3

FEATURES

20
Modi’s Moment
India’s leader is shaping
the country in his own
assertive image.
by Danish Manzoor Bhat

36
America’s
Best Fertility
Clinics 2024
Newsweek and partner
Statista list the top 125
facilities across the U.S.

HOPE Forty-two percent of adults

have used fertility treatments, or
know someone who has. Clinics
can help expand families with
much longed-for children.

COVER photo-illustration by Gluekit,

source photography pMO india
JACOBlU ND

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 A p r i l 2 6 - M Ay 0 3 , 2 0 2 4 _ VO L . 1 8 2 _ N O. 1 3

D E PA RT M E N T S
▾ In Focus ▾ Periscope ▾ Horizons

06 New York City 10 Terrorism 42 Mental Health

Shadows and Light While the World The Secret to
Watches Gaza, Being an ADHD
Quito, Ecuador ISIS Is Gaining Whisperer

NATHAN CONGlE TON/NBC /GE T T y; H i STO ry/UN i V Er SA l

08
Polls Panic Strength and
Washington, D.C.
Momentum ▾ Culture
Harmonious Talks 16 Poverty
The States Keeping 48 Parting Shot
Norfolk, England
Their Children Jane Lynch
Living on the Edge
Hungry

i MAGE S GrOUp/GE T T y
48 10

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 Rewind

The Archives
“After the bloody steps, the heart-rending funerals, the surreal
1994
chase through the twilight of Los Angeles, O.J. Simpson
surrendered himself into the darkness his life has become,” Newsweek wrote
after the famous white Ford Bronco chase on a California highway. The former
star NFL player was acquitted of killing his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and
her friend Ron Goldman in a controversial criminal trial but was found liable
for both wrongful deaths in a subsequent civil case. On April 10, Simpson died,
following an announcement the prior year of a cancer diagnosis.

1980

“Eight American servicemen died,”

Newsweek wrote about a secret
mission to rescue American hostages
in Tehran that resulted in a fatal
flight collision. The Iranian hostage
crisis—when Iranian students
seized the U.S. embassy and held 52
Americans hostage for 444 days—
shadows U.S.-Iran relations till today.

201 1

“They built a billion-dollar empire on

the cult of celebrity, adoring kiddie
fans and a vast array of tchotchkes,”
Newsweek wrote about the Olsen
N E WSWE EK ARCHIVE [3 ]

twins. Mary-Kate and Ashley—first

famous for playing Full House’s
loveable Michelle Tanner—launched
their fashion label, The Row, in 2006.
The label now has annual revenues
estimated around $200 million.

4 NE WSWEEK .COM M Ay 0 3 , 2 0 2 4
 In Focus
THE NEWS IN PICTURES

6 NE WSWEEK .COM
 N E W YO R K C I T Y

Shadows and Light

The solar eclipse, seen here behind the Statue
of Liberty on April 8, helped brighten up the
U.S. economy. New York City, which was not
on the path of totality, enjoyed 90 percent
coverage as the moon passed in front of the
sun. The Perryman Group estimated a total
economic impact from the celestial event of
near $6 billion as umbraphiles, eclipse chasers,
booked travel reservations and hotel rooms
long in advance to ensure a good viewing
spot along the path of totality, from Mexico
to Maine. The next solar eclipse visible from
the United States will be August 23, 2044.

▸ Gary Hershorn
GE T T Y

NE WSWEEK .COM 7
In Focus

8 NE WSWEEK .COM M AY 0 3 , 2 0 2 4
 QUITO, ECUADOR WASHINGTON, D.C. NORFOLK, ENGLAND

Polls Panic Harmonious Talks Living on the Edge

A soldier guards electoral kits U.S. President Joe Biden and An 18th-century cottage clings to the
on April 10 ahead of Ecuador’s Japanese Prime Minister Fumio precipice following a dramatic cliff fall
AG EN CIA P RE SS SOUTH/G E T T Y; THE NE W YOR K

referendum. Voters go to the polls Kishida watch a marching band at in the coastal village of Trimingham
on April 21 in a bid to reform the the White House on April 10 ahead on April 8. The homeowner, who
constitution and tackle security of talks. The countries announced bought the property in 2019 for
TIME S / BLOOM BE RG /G E T T Y; GE T T Y

issues as the country struggles to bilateral initiatives aimed at defense, around $165,000, will now see the
control organized crime. Mexico space, technology, diplomacy, structure demolished as the saturated
has called for Ecuador to be development and more, including ground it sits on struggles to cope
expelled from the U.N. after police cooperation on AI research between with increased rainfall and coastal
stormed the Mexican embassy companies and universities. Biden erosion. It is thought more than
to arrest former Ecuadorian called America’s relationship with 1,000 homes in the area will face a
Vice President Jorge Glas. Japan “stronger than it’s ever been.” similar fate over the next 100 years.

▸ F R A N K L I N J AC O M E ▸ HAIYUN JIANG ▸ CARL COURT

NE WSWEEK .COM 9
Periscope N E W S , O P I N I O N + A N A LY S I S

TERRORISM

Resurgence of
Global Mayhem
While the world watches Gaza, ISIS is gaining
strength and momentum, building networks
and preparing for strikes worldwide

by TO M O ’CO N N O R
“Food is the most important school supply.” ▸ P.16

With much of international attention

gripped by the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip,
the Islamic State militant group has been steadily
ramping up operations across continents and set-
ting the stage for a resurgence of global mayhem.
This latent threat came to life on March 22,
with ISIS claiming responsibility for a massacre
that killed 144 people at a concert held at Crocus
City Hall outside of Moscow. It marked the deadli-
est militant attack on Russian soil in two decades.
Experts and officials warn the next operation could
target virtually anyone, including U.S. citizens.
Just one day before the attack, U.S. Central Com-
mand chief General Michael Kurilla told lawmakers
in Congress that “ISIS-Khorasan retains the capa-
bility and the will to attack U.S. and Western inter-
ests abroad in as little as six months with little to
no warning.” More recently, the group has made
threats to UEFA matches across Europe and the
upcoming Paris Olympics.
The attack in Russia reclaimed international
headlines for the jihadis who, at their peak just a
decade ago, presided over a self-styled caliphate
spanning the size of Portugal. However, the roots
of ISIS’ attempted resurgence have been taking
GE T T Y; TOP RIG HT: M ICHA EL LOCCI SA NO/FOOD BA NK FOR N E W YORK CIT Y/GE T T Y

hold for some time.

The group’s so-called Khorasan province, known
as ISIS-K or ISKP, has been particularly active in its
base country of Afghanistan, using the Taliban-held
nation to launch attacks at home and against neigh-
boring Iran and Pakistan, despite efforts to stop
them by all three governments. The militants also
began expanding operations beyond the region,
with Russia, Germany, Turkey and Tajikistan
recently cracking down on alleged ISIS-K plots.
“The recent spike in ISIS-K’s activity in the region
is not an overnight development,” Amira Jadoon, a
professor at South Carolina’s Clemson University
who has regularly engaged with the U.S. government

THREAT REALIZED In the deadliest militant

attack on Russian soil in two decades, ISIS
targeted and set aflame Crocus City Hall in
Moscow on March 22, killing 144 people.

NE WSWEEK .COM 11
Periscope TERRORISM

on issues of counterterrorism, told from Eastern Turkestan, to Tajikistan, DEATH AND DESTRUCTION Clockwise
Newsweek, “but rather something Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan,” the author from top left: Suspected Islamic State
members in jail in Hasakeh, Syria, in
that ISIS-K has been planning wrote. “It extends to Chechnya and
2019; fleeing ISIS members set aflame
through a multipronged approach Dagestan, and from Turkey to as far oil wells in Al Qayyarah, Iraq, in 2016; a
since a few years.” as Andalus and the Middle Eastern relative of Islamic State members at al-
countries, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Hol camp in Syria in 2019; and a car bomb
From France to India and so much more...” explodes in a reported ISIS suicide attack
near the Turkey-Syria border in 2014.
China and Beyond The article went on to delineate
ISIS has never been shy about its inter- one border of the self-proclaimed
national ambitions, but its Khorasan caliphate in southern France; another prominently featured Supreme Leader
branch has been particularly vocal in between Indonesia and Australia; a Ali Khamenei of Iran, where ISIS-K
conveying preparations to expand its third between Russia’s Turkic- and claimed the deadliest attack in the
campaign. In an article in the March Muslim-majority neighbors in Cen- 45-year history of the Islamic Republic
edition of ISIS-K’s Voice of Khurasan tral Asia, which have long struggled just weeks earlier in the city of Kerman.
magazine, published before the attack with Islamist separatists; and China’s ISIS-K messaging has lashed out
on Moscow, the group said that the Xinjiang region, where ISIS-K has at a wide array of foes, including U.S.
“territory of Islam is never limited to sought to rekindle a Uyghur insur- Presidents Donald Trump and Joe
Afghanistan, but it is much wider.” gency in support of an independent, Biden, Chinese President Xi Jinping,
“The land of Islam is the one that Islamist East Turkestan. Russian President Vladimir Putin,
the Muslims gained with their sacri- The cover story of this particu- as well as leaders of Hamas and,
fices, which covers the Africa, starts lar edition of the ISIS-K publication especially, the Taliban, from which
placed a target on President Recep the group has sought to sap legiti-
Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, where the macy and manpower.
MUSICAL CHAIRS Iraqi forces south
of Mosul in 2016 after they liberated
group claimed a deadly assault on a
it from Islamic State jihadis. ISIS Roman Catholic church in Istanbul The Graveyard of Empires
then regrouped in Afghanistan. in late January. The previous edition While Afghanistan may not be the
extent of ISIS-K’s reach, it does appear
to be the base of operations. The
group first took hold in the war-torn
country during its rapid rise in the
neighboring Middle East a decade ago
and clashed with both the U.S.-backed
Afghan government and the Taliban.
By the time ISIS’ original strong-
holds in Iraq and Syria fell to an
array of separate campaigns waged
by local forces backed by a U.S.-coali-
tion, Russia and Iran, the group had
already begun laying the ground-
work for a transition to focusing on
Afghanistan. This country has been
long referred to as “the graveyard of
AHMA D AL-RUBAYE /A FP/GE T T Y

empires” for the history of failures

that have befallen great power invad-
ers such as the British Empire, the
Soviet Union and the United States.
When the U.S. military withdrew
from its two-decade campaign in
Afghanistan in August 2021, it did

12 NE WSWEEK .COM M AY 0 3 , 2 0 2 4
 so with assurances that the Taliban of ‘internationalizing’ its agenda— multilingual propaganda campaign,
would continue the fight against which appears to have resonated which positioned ISIS-K as the prin-
militant groups such as Al-Qaeda directly with audiences throughout cipal regional and global antagonist
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: FADEL SENNA/AFP/GETTY; CHRIS MCGRATH/GETTY;

and ISIS. But the now-ruling Islamic South and Central Asia but also those to repressive regimes.”
Emirate has struggled to contain the further afar,” professor Jadoon said. Colin Clarke, a senior research
spreading threat, despite an active “This strategy is underscored by its fellow at the New York-based Sou-
counterinsurgency campaign. fan Center who has also frequently
ISIS-K saw off departing U.S. troops worked with U.S. officials on counter-
GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP/GETTY; GOKHAN SAHIN/GETTY

by conducting a suicide bombing at terrorism issues, told Newsweek he saw

“Following the
Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International ISIS-K’s growing presence in Afghani-
Airport, killing 13 U.S. servicemem- stan as a key factor fueling its rise.
bers and around 170 Afghan civilians. Taliban’s takeover “The Taliban are the only counter-
The group quickly mobilized to take
[in Afghanistan], terrorism force attempting to con-

ISIS-K activated its

advantage of its newfound maneu- tain ISIS-K within Afghanistan, now
verability to promote a mission that, that the U.S. has no presence in the
unlike that of the Taliban, extends far ambitious strategy country, and the Taliban is already
beyond the borders of Afghanistan.
of ‘internationalizing’ overwhelmed with attempting to

its agenda.”
“Following the Taliban’s takeover, govern the entire country,” Clarke
ISIS-K activated its ambitious strategy said. “The Taliban were effective

NE WSWEEK .COM 13
Periscope TERRORISM

insurgents; they are far less effective unprecedented foreign military in other ISIS-vulnerable areas such as
as a counterinsurgent force.” intervention in support of Syrian the increasingly active frontlines of
Now, Clarke warned that ISIS-K President Bashar al-Assad against Africa’s Sahel region.
poses a “significant threat” and that rebels, some of whom were backed Owing to Russia’s geopolitical sig-
both its attacks and plots from the by Washington, amid ISIS’ expansion nificance, its large Muslim population
Middle East to Europe demonstrate in 2015. Both U.S. and Russian troops and the clash between ISIS’ ultracon-
that the group “still very much has the remain in Syria in support of oppos- servative Islamist ideology and Putin’s
intent to launch attacks, along with, it ing goals to this day, and Moscow has traditional Russian Orthodox Chris-
seems, a growing capability to do so.” only doubled down on its influence tian leanings, the jihadis have long
had Moscow in their sights.
The Kremlin and the White “Russia has been a top priority
House in the Crosshairs enemy for the Islamic State since its
The relationship between Washing- “What is clear is that early days,” Lucas Webber, co-founder
ton, Moscow and Islamist groups the Islamic State of the Militant Wire research net-
is complicated, dating back to the
retains the intent and work, told Newsweek. “In 2014, former

capabilities to direct
final acts of the Cold War. When the caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi named
Soviet Union sought to save a satellite Russia as a primary foe alongside
government in Afghanistan through external operations— the United States.”
direct military intervention in 1979, on a significant scale.” “Russia has attracted the attention
the U.S. moved to counter the Kremlin
by backing a broad coalition of insur-
gents who would ultimately emerge
victorious after a decade, with the
USSR collapsing just two years later.
These mujahideen devolved into
infighting that gave rise to the Taliban
and Al-Qaeda. After the 9/11 attacks of
2001, orchestrated by Al-Qaeda leader
and Afghan-Soviet war veteran Osama
bin Laden, the U.S. would launch its
longest-ever war against Afghanistan,
where Al-Qaeda was being harbored
by the Taliban. Putin, not yet halfway
through his first term in office, was
the first foreign leader to offer con-
dolences to the White House over the
historic attack on U.S. soil.
Unlike the U.S., however, Russia’s
war against Islamists has always been
closer to home. Over the past three
decades, Russia has waged two wars
against Islamist Chechen separatists
on its own territory and has sought to
support allied former Soviet repub-
lics cracking down on jihadi activity
in Central Asia.
Eyeing the rise of Islamist militants
after U.S.-led interventions in Iraq
and Libya, Moscow conducted an

14 NE WSWEEK .COM
 of IS through its military intervention
in Syria and across Africa, its rela-
tions with the Taliban and several
other policies,” Webber added. “Mos-
FROM LEF T: MORTE ZA NIKOU BA Z L /NURPH OTO/GE T T Y; AF P/GE T T Y

cow is viewed as a power center for

what IS has called the ‘Crusader East.’”

An Enemy Out of Reach

While Russia’s response to the attack
in Moscow remains to be seen, strik-
ing at the roots of ISIS has proven an
SOUNDING THE ALARM Top to bottom: General Michael Kurilla in March warned lawmakers
elusive challenge. of ISIS-Khorasan’s extensive “capability” and “will” to attack U.S. and Western interests
“What is clear is that the Islamic abroad; and Iranian bystanders in front of a display of the ISIS flag in Tehran in 2022.
State retains the intent and capabil-
ities to direct external operations—
on a significant scale,” Webber said. organization and maintains the activities have managed to exploit
“The fall of the territorial caliphate’s ability to carry out attacks and mistrust between Afghanistan, Paki-
last vestiges in 2019 was indeed a incite its supporters to violence.” stan, Iran and Tajikistan, stirring
major setback, but it is a patient Iftikhar Firdous, founding editor tensions among nations accusing one
of The Khorasan Diary and visiting another of harboring militants.
professor at Quaid-i-Azam Univer- With sophisticated financial net-
sity in Pakistan, told Newsweek that works, active propaganda campaigns
one of ISIS-K’s most devastating spanning continents and a broad
characteristics is that it “alternates array of targets, Firdous said that
periods of hyperactivity and semi-hi- perhaps the group’s greatest asset is
bernation depending on a number its “unpredictability and capability to
of factors, which could be either always capitalize on local dynamics,
dictated by local circumstances contrary to other militant groups
or influenced by global trends. which do possess strict guidelines.”
“One of the main advantages that As such, Firdous added, “U.S. and
ISKP retains is its evident capability Western governments have limited
of building networks across different space to counter ISKP as a whole” and
countries through individuals belong- “directly tackling ISKP in its own areas
ing to different ethnic communities,” remains highly unlikely given the
Firdous said. “This is visible both on current political regional scenario,
an organizational level, with attacks especially as it is unfolding in the first
planned in Syria, exercised in Afghani- months of 2024.”
stan and carried out in Iran or Turkey, “Mutual distrust between neighbor-
as well as on an individual support ing countries would make it difficult
base, with ISKP affiliates creating infor- for an integrated and genuine security
mal links among them to remain in cooperation between the U.S. and allies
contact, travel and ask for information. and regional governments to take place
“This transnational factor of ISKP in an effective manner,” Firdous said,
makes it extremely difficult for coun- “beyond the mere assessment of ISKP
tries to tackle the group’s operational activities on the ground.”
capabilities,” Firdous added.
Even more dangerous have been ▸ Tom O’Connor is newsweek’s na-
the second order effects of ISIS-K tional security & foreign policy deputy
activities in the region. The group’s editor. Follow him on X @ShaolinTom

NE WSWEEK .COM 15
Periscope

P OV E RT Y

The States
Keeping Their
Children Hungry
The Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer could
help feed millions of children in households
experiencing food insecurity, yet 13 states
have declined to participate in the program

“I don’t belIeve In welfare,” from my seat, what I saw there, we

Nebraska governor Jim Pillen have to do better in Nebraska.”
said in December 2023 in response Food banks in Nebraska have said
to questions regarding the Summer the reversal means there will be less
Electronic Benefit Transfer. pressure on poverty aid services
His state was one of 15 that had when schools are out for the summer.
declined to take part in the federally “ We c ontinue to s e e re c ord
funded scheme, which will give fam- numbers of families coming to
ilies struggling with poverty addi- us to access food and this need
tional money over the summer to always increases during the sum-
help them feed their children. mer months when kids are out of era. “The experience of the pandemic
In the run-up to the January 1 school,” Mike Hornacek, president showed us that when government
deadline for states to confirm par- and CEO of Together Omaha in invests in meaningful support for
ticipation in the program, Nebraska, told Newsweek. families, we can make a positive
Nebraskans took the fight But despite Nebraska’s impact on food security, even during
to feed hungry kids direct by backtrack, there are still 13 challenging economic times,” said
to Pillen’s door. Protesters ALISS states that have declined to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
held signs outside of the HIGHAM join the program. The Summer EBT comes at a time
Governor’s Residence in when food insecurity among fami-
Lincoln, reading, “Why allow chil- What Is the Summer EBT? lies with children is rising.
dren to go hungry?” and “Food is the The program will provide additional According to the U.S. Department
most important school supply.” funding to help feed children from of Agriculture, 12.8 percent of all
Less than two months later, after low or no-income families. Those eli- U.S. households were food insecure
pressure piled on by advocacy groups gible will receive an additional $40 in 2022, amounting to 17 million
and ordinary Nebraskans, Pillen, a per month, a total of $120 per child, households altogether. Food insecu-
Republican, announced the state to pay for groceries when school is rity is defined by the USDA as when
would backtrack on the decision. out for the summer this year. a household has difficulty providing
Having spoken with children from The program, which was approved enough food for family members
low-income families, he said: “They by Congress with bipartisan support, due to a lack of resources.
talked about being hungry. And they is expected to cost the federal gov- Of households who suffered from
talked about the summer USDA pro- ernment $2.5 billion. food insecurity in 2022, the USDA
gram and, depending upon access, It is a full-scale implementation of found that 3.3 million of them have
when they’d get a sack of food. And plans introduced in the coronavirus children—up by one million in 2021.

16 NE WSWEEK .COM M ay 0 3 , 2 0 2 4
 HUNGER PAIN A woman and two children costs. Other governors have said they
leave a food bank in Brooklyn, New
don’t want to continue with pandem-
York. Summer EBT will give low-income
families $120 per child for groceries.
ic-era aid, while some have expressed
they don’t have faith in the federal
government to administer the pro-
Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, gram. Still, the states that will not
South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming. participate have faced criticism.
On the January 1 deadline for the Some, like Iowa, already have their
program, Louisiana was run by Gov- own state-run benefits programs for
ernor John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, those struggling with the means
who stood down from his post over to feed their children. But poverty
the new year. The Louisiana governor experts and advocacy groups have
is now Republican Jeff Landry. laid the blame on political beliefs.
After initially declining to par- “South Carolina is one of 15 states
ticipate due to administrative costs, proudly rejecting new federal fund-
Vermont has tentatively joined ing from the USDA that would help
the program after requesting a feed hungry children over the sum-
waiver from the USDA that would mer,” Dr. Annie Andrews, CEO of
allow the state to administer the fed- Their Future, Our Vote, told News-
eral benefit without having to adhere week prior to the U-turns.
to rules around data collection. She said the choice for South Car-
“It’s sad,” Vilsack said of states who olina and other Republican states to
opted out. “There isn’t really a polit- decline the program is “politics at
ical reason for not doing this. This is its very worst” and is being used to
unfortunate. I think governors may score “partisan political points.”
not have taken the time or made the South Carolina, according to the
Feeding America, one of the coun- effort to understand what this pro- USDA data from 2021, has an over-
try’s leading charities combating gram is and what it isn’t.” all child poverty rate of 19.7 percent.
hunger and poverty, said the Summer In some counties, this rate goes as
EBT will help feed around 20 million Why Have Some States high as 39.5 percent, over a third
children in participating states. Opted Out? of all children.
“This new program could not be The opted-out states have given South Carolina Governor Henry
starting at a better time. In 2022, a variety of different reasons for McMaster said in a press conference
more than 13 million children in declining the program, includ- in January: “That [Summer EBT] was
the U.S.—one in five—were living ing costs—even with the federal gov- a COVID-related benefit. We’ve got
in food-insecure households,” Vince ernment paying the entirety of the to get back to doing normal busi-
Hall, Feeding America’s chief govern- benefit and half the administrative ness. We just can’t continue that for-
ment relations officer, told Newsweek. ever, but we’re still continuing all the
“This is a 44 percent increase from other programs that we have.”
the prior year and the highest rate “This is not the time to make an
FOOD BAN K FOR N E W YORK CIT Y/G E T T Y

of child food insecurity since 2014.” argument about the need for smaller
Of the 37 states that have opted “There isn’t really a government, especially considering
to participate, including Nebraska, political reason for not that South Carolina has no problem
23 are led by Democratic governors doing this. Governors growing the government if it means
and 14 are led by GOP governors. All
may not have taken they can tell a woman what to do

the time or made the

states that declined the opportu- with her body or tell the parents
nity are led by Republicans. Those of a transgender kid that lawmak-
states are: Alabama, Alaska, Florida, effort to understand ers know better than they do what
Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, what this program is.” is best for their kid. Kids are being

Photograph by MICHAEL LOCCISANO NE WSWEEK .COM 17

Periscope P OV E RT Y

harmed by these cynical political

“If the Biden yet been finalized. “I think you need

administration and
games,” Andrews said. to ask the feds why they are wanting
In Iowa, Republican Governor Kim everyone to opt in before they even
Reynolds blamed the government. Congress want to make finalized the program,” Stitt told
“If the Biden administration and a real commitment reporters in January. He also said
Congress want to make a real com- to family well-being, he is “satisfied” with current pro-
mitment to family well-being, they they should invest in grams in the state.
should invest in already existing pro-
existing programs… Some Republican states that opted

at the state level.”

grams and infrastructure at the state in for summer 2024 will not continue
level and give us the flexibility to tai- with it next year. Tennessee has said
lor them to our state’s needs,” she said it will only participate for one year.
in a statement released in December. Missouri has opted in for now—but
In the same release, the Iowa not without sending a non-binding
Department of Health and Human letter of intent. Officials said a lack of
Services said that Iowans can use 10 for highest child poverty rates in final guidance from the USDA “poses
food banks and charities if they are the U.S. with a rate of 20.5 percent, potential unforeseen challenges to
struggling for food. Iowa had a child also declined the program. However, the implementation of this new pro-
poverty rate of 12.4 percent in 2021, tribal nations within the state opted gram for the 2024 summer.”
according to the USDA’s data. in. According to the Food Research Not all Republicans hold the same
Oklahoma, which is in the top & Action Center, approximately line, however. Arkansas Governor
403,000 would stand to benefit from Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the
the Summer EBT if it were imple- Summer EBT is “an important new
mented across the whole state. tool to give Arkansas children the
APPEAL FOR AID President Joe Biden at a
food bank in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
Republican Governor Kevin Stitt food and nutrition they need.” Arkan-
in January. He has been urged to invest said the state will not join due to a sas is confirmed to be taking part in
in existing state programs instead of EBT. lack of clarity over rules that have not the program this year.
In Nebraska, while the reversal by
Pillen is welcome, the state still faces
considerable challenges to ensure chil-
dren are adequately fed in the coming
months. “The food bank continues to
face the largest hunger crisis in our
history,” Stephanie Sullivan from Food
Bank for the Heartland told Newsweek.
While she admits that Nebras-
ka’s backtrack will have a “positive
effect” on the families that use the
service, the state’s neediest will still
be facing a troubling summer. “One
in eight children in our state faces
hunger and that number is unac-
ceptable. We know that for many
Heartland families, summer means
MA ND EL N G AN /A FP/GE T T Y

one thing—hunger.”

▸ Aliss Higham is a newsweek

reporter focusing on issues across the
U.S. You can get in touch with her at
[email protected]

18 NE WSWEEK .COM M AY 0 3 , 2 0 2 4
Batya Ungar-Sargon reveals how the elites have
devastated the American working-class and how
we can become a land of opportunity once again.

available now at
EncounterBooks.com
N URPHOTO/GE T T Y
 POLITICS

IndIa’s leader is shapIng the country in his own assertIve Image

by

Danish
Manzoor
Bhat
 Touch my vesT,” NareNdra modi
told a startled Newsweek team inter-
viewing the Indian prime minister
in his residence in New Delhi in
late March. “Come on, touch it.” Modi challenged
Nancy Cooper, Newsweek’s global editor in chief, to
guess what the blue jacket was made of. Cooper sug-
gested silk. “It’s recycled plastic bottles,” Modi said,
clearly enjoying the reaction of his surprised guests.
The vest and the moment are vintage Modi: inno-
vation, tradition, masterful messaging and, inevita-
bly, some controversy. The vest was made popular
by India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru,
whose great-grandson Rahul Gandhi is leading the
opposition campaign to prevent Modi from winning
a rare third term in elections next week. It became
known as the “Nehru Jacket” and was a symbol of
newly independent India’s national pride as well
as a fashion statement adopted by The Beatles and
Sammy Davis Jr. Unlike Nehru, who preferred beiges
and grays, Modi wears his modified version of the
garment in brilliant hues. Indian retailers began
selling “Modi Jackets” to capitalize on the prime
minister’s enormous personal popularity. And in
2018, when former South Korean President Moon
Jae-in tweeted out his thanks for the prime min-
ister’s gift of perfectly tailored “Modi Vests”—not
“Nehru Jackets”—the controversy nearly broke the
Indian internet.
“Whatever you can rightly say about India, the
opposite is also true,” the Cambridge economist
Joan Robinson once said. Modi, like the country
he leads, is full of apparent contradictions. A relent- World Press Freedom Index under Modi. And the
less modernizer, Modi embraces the past. He speaks prime minister sees himself as a target of hostile
with equal pride of digital payments, green technol- coverage by journalists who do not accept that
ogy and his role in an ancient 11-day ritual to bring India is both less liberal in ways that are important

HIM AN SHU SHA RMA /A FP/GE T T Y; RITE SH SHUKL A /GE T T Y

a revered Hindu deity to life. Modi merchandises to the West and much better governed than at any
his brand like a celebrity with T-shirts, mugs and time in its recent history.
caps, and yet appeals to ordinary Indians by picking Understanding an Indian prime minister has
up trash from the beach or sweeping the streets. never mattered more. The country Modi leads is
Perhaps uniquely among leaders of major pow- increasingly shaping the world we live in. Wash-
ers, he wins praise from Joe Biden and Vladimir MAKING HISTORY
ington sees India as an important counterweight to
Putin and has warm relationships with both men. Modi (above) China across the developing world. A globe-girdling
Modi’s campaign slogan calls for inclusive progress, inaugurated the Indian diaspora, cultivated for decades by Modi, has
yet many religious minorities feel excluded by his Ram Janmabhoomi already reshaped Silicon Valley. Now Indian ideas,
Mandir temple (right)
Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. innovations and ambitions are poised to do the
in Ayodhya in January,
Partly because of these contradictions, Modi which he said was a
same in everything from finance and fighting pov-
has a contentious relationship with the media and historic moment of erty to space exploration. By 2075, the Indian econ-
gives interviews rarely. India has tumbled on the unity for the nation. omy is projected to surpass America’s and become

22 NE WSWEEK .COM M AY 0 3 , 2 0 2 4
 POLITICS

the world’s second largest behind China. This also public resources on the making of one man’s myth.
means that India is by far the biggest potential car- What they miss is the revolutionary impact these
bon emitter in the world and its choices about the tactics have had on people in a hierarchical society
future will likely play an outsized role in defining the shaped by millennia-old caste structures, centuries
destiny of our planet and the species we share it with. of colonial exploitation and decades of rule by the
During his 90-minute interview with Newsweek Nehru-Gandhi dynasty whose charismatic leaders
and in written correspondence, Modi tackled these are dismissed by Modi’s followers as members of a
issues and talked of his unbridled optimism about Western-educated elite.
India. “I feel negativity has a low shelf life,” he said. Not every message lands the way Modi intends
“On the other hand, positivity is perennial.” it. A Mann Ki Baat episode notched up the most
Modi said he channels his positive energy into dislikes ever on the BJP’s YouTube channel after the
his monthly radio program Mann Ki Baat (Talks prime minister dished out advice on dog breeds
from the Heart), that one survey said had 230 but dodged a dispute over delayed exams.
million regular listeners. The state radio show is Modi said he treats all communication with the
one of the many ways the prime minister appears Indian people as a two-way street. “A leader should
accessible to ordinary Indians and puts his per- have the ability to connect to the grassroots and get
sonal stamp on myriad changes shaping their lives. unfiltered feedback,” he said.
To Western observers, Modi’s messaging tactics can A magnetic orator who fills stadiums wherever
come across as political theater, the squandering of he goes, Modi is coy about his speaking skills. “I

“ The narrative-building apparatus

around NareNdra Modi has made him
appear to be an iNdispeNsable figure
in the inevitabilit y of india.”

didn’t even know that I am good at communica-

tion,” he said. Ask him about listening skills and he
swells with pride: “I am god-gifted with this quality.”
Modi, who grew up relatively poor and traveled
the country for years as a Hindu community orga-
nizer, said he has spent at least one night in each of
about 80 percent of India’s 806 administrative dis-
tricts, roughly equivalent to counties in the United
States. “So I have direct connections almost every-
where, which helps me get direct feedback,” he said,
driving home the point with a story about a man he
met on his travels calling him at 3 a.m. about a rail
accident when he was chief minister of the western
state of Gujarat so it could be addressed immediately.
Whatever one makes of Modi’s messaging strategy,
it appears to be working. Hundreds of millions of
Indians are listening to Modi, tuning into his positive
message and feel heard by him. India’s urban consum-
ers are the most optimistic in the world, according
to an IPSOS survey released in March. The national

NE WSWEEK .COM 23
 POLITICS

index score of 72, higher than any of the other 28

economies surveyed, “indicates consumers have con-
fidence in the economy, jobs, personal finances and “IndIa has run the world’s
investments, now and for the future,” IPSOS said.
It is easy to be optimistic about the Indian econ- largest povert y-eradication
omy. Asia’s economic miracles have been built drIve in the last 10 years
around a demographic sweet spot when the work- and has pulled 250 mIllIon
ing age population reaches the point that depen-
dents—retirees and children—form the smallest people out of povert y.”
share of the population. Japan hit this tipping
point in 1964. China in 1994. For India, already
the world’s fifth largest economy, the sweet spot economy will grow 15-fold. The economic value of
of a historically low dependency ratio won’t arrive these investments understates their impact on the
until 2030 and it will last at least 25 years. This way Indians, like the Chinese and Japanese before
demographic destiny is one of the reasons Bhaskar SHARP SHIFT
them, see themselves. “India is undertaking a vast
Chakravorti, dean of global business at The Fletcher Modi’s (below) approach national project of state-building under Modi,” Ravi
School of Tufts University, co-authored a Harvard to nonalignment Agrawal, editor in chief of Foreign Policy magazine,
Business Review article in which he recommended appears to be changing, wrote last week. “Modi is projecting an image of
with India joining the
“Inevitable India” as an advertising slogan for the a more powerful, muscular, prideful nation—and
Quad. The PM pressed
government in New Delhi, a play on the decades- Xi Jinping to resolve
Indians are in thrall to the self-portrait.”
old tourism campaign “Incredible India.” border disputes Modi resists comparisons with Japan and China
“The narrative-building apparatus around Naren- with China (right). and talks instead of “human-centered development”
dra Modi has made him appear to be an indispens-
able figure in the inevitability of India,” Chakravorti
told Newsweek, echoing a common critique of the
Modi government claims about the economy.
But demographics don’t tell the whole story of
the economic promise of Modi’s India. In the past
decade, Modi has transformed India’s infrastruc-
ture, building roads, bridges, ports, airports and
digital networks at astonishing speed. A country
that was once notorious for potholes, bottlenecks,
crumbling terminal buildings and traffic snarls
caused by cattle, is now competing with the best
on many fronts. India’s ports are more efficient
than America’s or Singapore’s with ship turnaround
times of less than a day. It will soon boast the world’s
third-largest metro network after China and Britain.
A Venmo-like Unified Payments Interface connects
300 million users to a system that accounts for
nearly half the world’s instant payments.
Modi’s tenure has ratcheted up the productive
capacity of the world’s most populous country.
Goldman Sachs cites these infrastructure invest-
ments in its projections of India’s explosive eco-
nomic growth over the next half century when
it overtakes the United States. Goldman’s projec-
tions show the U.S. economy doubling in size by
2075 and China’s just about tripling. The Indian

24 NE WSWEEK .COM M ay 0 3 , 2 0 2 4
 bon budget—the total volume of carbon that scien-
tists estimate all of humanity can produce and still
keep global warming to below 1.5 degrees Celsius,
according to a 2022 McKinsey report.
Fortunately for the planet, Modi has chosen a dif-
FROM BOT TOM TO TOP: PMO INDIA ; LI G ANG/X I NH UA /GE T T Y; VCG/ VCG/GE T T Y

ferent course. “There is no contradiction between

our physical infrastructure building and our com-
mitment to fight climate change,” he said, rattling
off an impressive list of initiatives, investments and
goals that will help India get to net-zero emissions
by 2070. McKinsey estimates these investments
and policies will make for a potentially planet-sav-
ing transformation of India’s economic path.
India’s carbon emissions per person should peak
at around 2.7 metric tons in the 2030s, McKinsey
projects. That means that even when the average
Indian’s carbon footprint is at its largest a decade
from now, they will still be producing only a third
of the carbon emitted by a Chinese person today
and a fifth of what an American produces.
This greener growth is but one facet of the
contrasting roles India and China will play in the
global economy. Western companies looking to
move their supply chains out of the line of fire
of U.S.-China tensions are turning to India, with
Apple being one of the first to open a plant there.
woven around India’s traditional values. “India has And yet China’s ambitions have loomed larger, and
run the world’s largest poverty-eradication drive for far longer, in New Delhi than in any Western cap-
in the last 10 years and has pulled 250 million peo- ital. In the 1950s, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru
ple out of poverty,” he said. While that number is turned down two offers of a permanent seat on the
impressive, it is not unprecedented. China lifted U.N. Security Council, not wishing to take China’s
about 800 million people out of poverty in the place on that body, according to the Wilson Center’s
three decades before 2018. Cold War History project. India’s External Affairs
And yet, the world needs India to pursue a dif- Minister S. Jaishankar described those decisions and
ferent path from China’s. The future of the planet other efforts to placate Beijing’s Communist rulers
depends upon it. India’s gross domestic product is as “India second, China first” in a speech this month.
roughly the size that China’s was in 2007, in the Nehru’s deference to his powerful neighbor did
midst of a surge of growth that made it the world’s nothing to prevent the relationship from deteriorat-
second-largest economy. At roughly the same time, ing into a border conflict in 1962, which went very
China emerged as the world’s largest carbon pro- badly for India. Since then, China has been the cen-
ducer. Today China produces about 30 percent of tral geopolitical preoccupation of every Indian prime
the world’s carbon, nearly three times as much as minister. Nehru’s daughter, Indira Gandhi, broke
the United States, which still has a much larger with her father’s policy of nonalignment and signed
economy and much older infrastructure. America’s a friendship treaty with the Soviet Union in August
carbon footprint is shrinking, while China’s is still 1971, a month after U.S. National Security Adviser
growing. India, already the world’s third-largest Henry Kissinger made his historic visit to China.
carbon emitter, is at a much earlier stage of its pol- While Modi still has close relations with Moscow,
luting capacity. Unless it changes trajectory, India he has taken a considerably more assertive approach
will eat up 36 percent of the world’s remaining car- to foreign policy—and that has drawn him closer

NE WSWEEK .COM 25
 POLITICS

to the United States, which now views China as an majoritarian policies are popular enough to win
adversary. “As President Biden has said, our relation- elections. He also sees them creating an atmosphere
ship with India is one of the most consequential in that enables attacks on Muslims, from physical vio-
the world,” a U.S. State Department spokesperson lence to discrimination in food, dress and education.
told Newsweek. “The United States supports India’s “Modi’s electoral victories are basically a mandate…
emergence as a leading global power.” for anti-Muslim policies,” Owaisi, president of
Modi has personally pressed Chinese Presi- the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, one of
dent Xi Jinping to resolve their border dispute. India’s Muslim political parties, told Newsweek.
And he definitely wants that permanent seat on Other fault lines run through the economy. Offi-
the Security Council. In his sharpest shift from cial data shows India’s unemployment at just under
India’s proudly nonaligned past, Modi has joined 4 percent. Many economists see those numbers as
the Quad, an alliance with Japan, Australia and something of a mirage. “If you visit a notary in New
the United States, whose unstated purpose is to Delhi, you will probably see four people around him,
counter China’s influence in the Indian Ocean and all supposedly employed. One to hold the pen, one to
Pacific regions. “The Quad has established itself as move the paper, one to place the seal and the fourth
an important platform for ensuring peace, stabil- to make tea,” says Chakravorti, making a point about
ity and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific,” Modi said, India’s massive problem with underemployment.
playing down the Sino-centricity of its mission. The unemployment rate for people with college
India’s many geopolitical and economic strengths degrees is nine times higher than that for those who
are not the whole story. The government’s relation- cannot read or write, the International Labour Orga-
ship with religious minorities appears to have gotten nization said in an April report. This dynamic creates
significantly worse under the ruling BJP, which Modi a surge of overqualified applicants for government
now leads. Modi’s supporters see Hindu nationalist jobs. When a state police department posted job ads
policies as leveling the playing field, taking away
privileges granted to Indian Muslims, Christians
and others by colonial rulers and past govern-
ments after independence. Restoring what Hindus
“I feel negativity has a low shelf
see as the status quo is key to both progress and
national unity, they believe. That Modi shares this
view becomes apparent in a conversation about the
Hindu shrine of Rama at Ayodhya, now built on the
site of a mosque that a Hindu mob destroyed in 1992.
“The return of Shri Ram to his birthplace marked a
historic moment of unity for the nation,” Modi said.
The site was disputed for more than a century; a
Mughal ruler built the mosque on top of a structure
that Hindus believe marked the place where Rama
was born. The Supreme Court eventually resolved the
dispute in favor of Hindus, and Modi himself led the
dedication of the shrine in January after an 11-day fast.
He scoffs at any suggestion that India’s religious
minorities, including 200 million Muslims, are
mistreated. “These are usual tropes of some peo-
ple who don’t bother to meet people outside their
bubbles. Even India’s minorities don’t buy this nar-
rative anymore,” Modi told Newsweek.
Many of India’s Muslims, Christians and other
non-Hindu groups don’t see it that way. Asaduddin
Owaisi, a member of Parliament, knows the BJP’s

26 NE WSWEEK .COM M AY 0 3 , 2 0 2 4
 modern India, won only a diminished majority. By
contrast, Modi’s BJP looks set to increase its majority
in the lower house of parliament, known as the Lok
Sabha, in a multistage election that ends in June with
960 million people eligible to vote. The main opposi-
tion, Congress, dominated by Sonia Gandhi, the Ital-
ian-born widow of Nehru’s grandson, and fronted by
her son Rahul Gandhi, appears headed for its worst-
ever showing. Congress Party President Mallikarjun
Kharge declined to comment for this article; other
senior Congress leaders did not respond.
Modi himself, at 73, is more popular than the
BJP. In regional elections outside the main Hin-
di-speaking heartland in northern and central
India, national parties usually support their
regional leaders, hoping to win over local voters in
a country with more than 120 major languages. In
the Modi era, the BJP has reversed that strategy and
built its regional campaigns around him.
In February, Morning Consult gave Modi a domes-
tic approval rating of nearly 78 percent, making him
the most popular global leader in its survey with
more than double the support of Joe Biden. Norwe-

lIfe ...On the other hand, positivity is perennIal.”

FEOM LEF T: ARVIND YA DAV/HIND USTA N TIME S /GE T T Y; RU HA NI K AUR /BLOOMBERG/GE T T Y

for manual office helpers, it was looking for candi- gian politician and peace negotiator Erik Solheim
dates who had completed fifth grade. More than posted the survey on X, formerly known as Twitter,
33,000 people with college degrees applied. These and asked, “Maybe it is time for Western media to
trends have a disproportionate impact on Indian give India and Modiji some positive coverage?”
women, who have made remarkable progress in Whatever the nature of the coverage, this elec-
getting access to higher education and now make tion could well represent a turning point for India.
up more than 40 percent of all STEM graduates but For decades after independence in 1947, India was
just about a quarter of the STEM workforce. “Indian cast in Nehru’s image: secular, democratic, socialist,
women are rising with clear aspirations,” said Deb- scientific and unapologetically nonaligned in the
jani Ghosh, president of the National Association of CUT FROM A great power contests of the Cold War. A crushing
Software and Service Companies. DIFFERENT CLOTH victory at these elections would complete the pro-
A shop’s cutout (above)
Finding productive employment for an explod- cess of casting India in Modi’s image: democratic,
of Modi, who claims
ing workforce will be key to seizing India’s new eco- not to be part of the
populist, technocratic, far more assertive on the
nomic opportunities and addressing the inequality Western-educated elite world stage than Nehru ever imagined, and unapol-
that has plagued it for generations. that has ruled India for ogetically Hindu and nationalist.
Despite these and other challenges, polls show decades. He recently Turning the “Nehru Jacket” into the “Modi Vest”
launched 500 climate-
Modi headed for a third consecutive term as prime was just the beginning.
friendly electric buses
minister, something no Indian leader has accom- in New Delhi (left)
plished since 1962. Even in 1962 and with no serious as part of a greater ▸ Danish Manzoor Bhat is newsweek’s Asia
national opposition, Jawaharlal Nehru, architect of infrastructure drive. editorial director.

NE WSWEEK .COM 27
 THE

INTERVIEW

‘I AM ALWAYS
year after IndIa overtook ChIna
to become the world’s most populous
country, its rapid upward economic

IN THE MOMENT’
trajectory and increasing diplomatic,
scientific and military weight make it an emerg-
ing superpower of ever-growing importance to the
United States and the world. Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi addressed Newsweek’s written ques-
tions and followed up with a 90-minute conversation
at his official residence with Newsweek President and

India’s prime minister

CEO Dev Pragad, Global Editor in Chief Nancy Coo-
per and Asia Editorial Director Danish Manzoor Bhat.
on his goals, his critics and his Subjects covered ranged from the major economic
advances made under Modi’s leadership to the ten-
‘god-gifted’ ability to listen sion between infrastructure expansion and environ-
mental concerns to India’s relationship with China
and criticism for allegedly curtailing press freedom
by
and not bringing along the Muslims who represent
Danish Manzoor Bhat some one in seven of India’s population of 1.4 billion.
Here are Modi’s answers, edited for space.

28 NE WSWEEK .COM
 On the upcoming election
We have an excellent track record of fulfilling our
promises. It was a big thing for the people, as they
were used to promises never being fulfilled.
Our government has worked with the motto
of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka
Prayas,” which means—Together, for everyone’s
growth, with everyone’s trust and everyone’s efforts.
People have the trust that if someone else has got
benefits of our programs, it will also reach them.
People have seen that India has raced ahead from
11th-largest economy to the fifth-largest economy.
Now the country’s aspiration is that India soon
becomes the third-largest economy.
By the end of the second term, even the most
popular governments start losing support. Discon-
tent toward governments has also increased in the
last few years in the world. India stands out as an
exception, where popular support for our govern-
ment is increasing.

“ There is no contradiction between

our physical infrasTrucTure building and
our commiTmenT to fight climate change.”

On democracy and a free press There are a few people in India and in the West
We are a democracy, not only because our Consti- who have lost [connection with] the people of
tution says so, but also because it is in our genes. India—their thought processes, feelings and aspi-
India is the mother of democracy. Be it Uttara- rations. These people also tend to live in their own
merur in Tamil Nadu, where you can find inscrip- echo chamber of alternate realities. They conflate
tions about India’s democratic values from 1100 to their own dissonance with the people with dubious
1200 years ago, or speak of our scriptures which claims of diminishing media freedom.
give examples of political power being exercised
by broad-based consultative bodies. As the largest MAN OF THE MOMENT
On infrastructure and the environment
democracy in the world, over 600 million people The pace of India’s transformation in the last
FROM LE F T: PM O IN DIa ; NOaH S EEL a M /a FP/G E T T y

Modi welcomes
voted in the General Elections in 2019. In a few Newsweek’s President decade has been accelerated by the rapid overhaul
months from now, over 970 million eligible voters and CEO Dev Pragad, of its infrastructure.
Global Editor in Chief
will exercise their franchise. More than one million In the last 10 years, our National Highways net-
Nancy Cooper and
polling stations would be set up across India. Asia Editorial Director
work increased 60 percent, from 91,287 kilometers
Constantly increasing voter participation is a big Danish Manzoor Bhat [56,723 miles] in 2014 to 146,145 kilometers [90,810
certificate for the people’s faith in Indian democracy. days before Eid al-Fitr miles] in 2023. We have more than doubled our
A democracy like India is able to move ahead and was celebrated (above). airports, from 74 in 2014 to over 150 in 2024. Sup-
The PM dismissed
function only because there is a vibrant feedback mech- ported by our Sagarmala project, we have enhanced
claims that religious
anism. And our media plays an important role in this minorities, including
[the] capacity of our ports and improved the oper-
regard. We have around 1.5 lakh [150,000] registered India’s 200 million ational efficiency. We have started the tech-smart
media publications and hundreds of news channels. Muslims, are mistreated. “Vande Bharat” trains for the comfort of our citizens

M ay 0 3 , 2 0 2 4 NE WSWEEK .COM 29
 THE

INTERVIEW

and UDAN scheme to allow common people to fly.

Every road laid is a pathway to progress, every new
airport opened provides a window to new opportu-
nities, every railway station redeveloped energizes
the local economy. We will further harness water-
ways. We will focus on building more metro lines
across our cities to make urban transport more
comfortable. We are building dedicated freight
corridors for increasing efficiency of goods as well
as passenger movement. Our airlines have ordered
more than 1,000 planes recently, and this shows
how fast our aviation infrastructure will grow.
There is no contradiction between our physical
infrastructure building and our commitment to fight
climate change. In fact, India offers a credible model
of how to enhance physical infrastructure and yet be
at the forefront of mitigating climate change: be it
lighting 10 million homes through [the] rooftop solar
program or empowering farmers with solar-pow-
ered pumps, be it distributing 400 million ener-
gy-efficient bulbs and ensuring 13 million efficient
streetlights or having one of the fastest adoption of
EVs, be it airports or railway stations or bridges, our
infrastructure is leveraging renewable energy.

“Our talented people are filling skill gaps

acrOss the wOrld ... They are acTing as
Our ambassadors acrOss the wOrld.”

Since 2014, India has massively stepped up On competing with China

investments in renewable energy with solar energy India, as a democratic polity and global economic
capacity increasing from just 2,820 MW in 2014 to growth engine, is a natural choice for those looking
over 72,000 MW now. to diversify their supply chains.
India is also well on its way to meet the 500 GW We have undertaken transformative economic
of renewable energy capacity and the climate com- reforms: Goods and Services Tax, corporate tax
mitment made in the Paris conference by 2030. reduction, bankruptcy code, reforms in labor laws,
We have launched a $2.5 billion National Green relaxation in FDI norms. As a result, we have made
FUTURE FOCUS
Hydrogen Mission which will contribute toward significant improvement in ease of doing business.
The country has
decarbonization and avert [a] further 50 MMT per dedicated money to
We are striving to make our regulatory framework,
annum of CO2 emissions by 2030. areas including health our taxation practices as well as our infrastructure
We are launching 10,000 electric buses in 100 care and transport. at par with global standards.
cities of India at a cost of almost $7 billion, giving a A HPV vaccine has We believe that when a country with one sixth of the
been developed to
major boost to green urban mobility and reducing world’s population adopts global standards in these
fight cervical cancer
noise and air pollution. India’s per capita emission is (top), while driverless
sectors, it will have a big positive impact on the world.
already less than half of the global average. India will metro trains have been Our policies that encourage businesses and
achieve net-zero emission by 2070, as announced. deployed (above). entrepreneurship, coupled with world-class infra-

30 NE WSWEEK .COM M ay 0 3 , 2 0 2 4
 structure and availability of skilled talent, have CLIMATE BATTLE country, significant two-way tourist flows and over
yielded results. We have major global manufactur- The prime minister 300,000 Indian students pursuing higher educa-
FROM TOP LEF T: INDR ANIL MUKHER JEE/AFP/GE T T Y; IDREE S MOHAMMED/AFP /GE T T Y; B E ATA Z AW RZ EL /NURPH OTO/GE T T Y

ing entities setting up shops in India. addresses COP28 in tion in the U.S. Given this robust connection, it
Dubai last year (below).
We have initiated Production Linked Incentive would be mutually beneficial if UPI services are
Modi said despite India’s
schemes to strengthen manufacturing capabilities growing infrastructure,
made available in the U.S.
in India. These PLI schemes extend to 14 sectors a range of initiatives and
such as electronics, solar modules, medical devices, investments will ensure On the challenge of sustaining and
automobiles, among others. the country reaches net- sharing economic growth
zero emissions by 2070.
Given our strengths, India is now globally consid- Today, India has a favorable demography. We are a
ered most suited for manufacturing world-class goods young country with a median age of 28 years. We
at competitive cost. Apart from producing for the are committed to channeling this demographic
world, the vast Indian domestic market is an added dividend to transform India into a developed
attraction. India is a perfect destination for those who country by 2047.
want to set up trusted and resilient supply chains. I would not like to draw comparisons with China
and Japan as each country faces unique challenges
On digital payments and UPI, and has unique development models.
a Venmo-like system India has a unique cultural and social ethos. We
I feel there are three important lessons from the have a culture of savings. There is also a unique
success of UPI. First, technology should be open, model of family-oriented lifestyle which puts val-
interoperable, scalable and secure. Second, there ues at the center. In such a setup, no family member
should be democratization of technology. Third, is unproductive.
people should be trusted to adapt quickly to tech- We are also focused on developing the full poten-
nology and evolve. tial of our youth and also making them resilient
UPI is a fine example of Indian innovation at its and adaptive to future disruptions.
best. I see UPI as a simple tool that broke countless We are allocating a huge amount of money to
barriers, from financial barriers to geographical facilitate long-term research in the sunrise sectors.
barriers. It has opened the world of digital trans- India is venturing in areas like space, AI, green energy,
actions to the person at the last mile. semiconductors and other futuristic technologies.
We have expansive economic ties with the U.S. The phenomenal growth of Indian startups is
In addition, we have a large Indian diaspora in the clearly visible. From hardly a hundred in 2014, we
have over 1.25 lakh [125,000] registered startups today
emerging from every corner of India. By constant
skilling, reskilling and upskilling, as well as becom-
ing employment creators, our youth will ensure that
they continue to lead even in the coming few decades.
For us, the aim of rapid economic growth is to
ensure empowerment of the poor and their social
mobility. You will be happy to know that the biggest
beneficiaries of India’s rapid growth in the last 10
years have been India’s poor.
India has run the world’s largest poverty-eradi-
cation drive in the last 10 years and has pulled 250
million people out of poverty. Only four nations
in the world have a population more than that.
According to a recent research paper, India has
eliminated extreme poverty.
As a result of the robust economic growth, we
have been able to run unprecedented welfare
schemes. These welfare schemes have ensured that

NE WSWEEK .COM 31
the poor get 40 million houses, over 100 million On the Indian diaspora
clean fuel connections, around 110 million clean My association with our diaspora goes a long way
water connections, over 110 million toilets, 500 back, even before I came into politics. I have been
million people get free health care and the last involved with our diaspora since the time I was
remaining 18,000 villages get electricity. doing social work.
These welfare measures have not only improved In those days, I traveled extensively across the
the standard of living for our poor but have also U.S. I would have traveled to around 29 states
ensured multiple second-order effects like improv- even before I became the Chief Minister of Guja-
ing productivity, monetary and time savings and rat. There used to be a scheme from Delta Airlines
health outcomes. which offered unlimited discounted travel for
Our efforts at improving social mobility have a month. However, there would be no luggage
also extended to different sectors and geographies allowed and no reservation of seats. I planned my
A HIGHER MISSION
which were previously ignored. With the aspira- travels meticulously, often using a map. I would
Hindus pray on the
tional districts program, we have brought about a banks of the Ganges
take red-eye flights to ensure seat availability and
transformation in more than 100 districts which in Varanasi on April 9 opt for longer flights to avoid the need for hotel
were previously termed as backward. With the (below) and line to see stays. In the morning, someone from the diaspora
vibrant villages program, we are bringing about a statue of Hindu god would pick me up, and I would spend the whole
Ram (bottom). Modi said
a transformation in border villages, which were day with the community. This way, I observed
government programs
previously ignored. The eastern and northeastern benefit all Indian
them closely and got to know them well over time.
part of India, which was long ignored, has seen [an] citizens regardless I understood their potential, strengths and desires,
unprecedented push on infrastructure. of their religion. but they lacked support and guidance.
Our diaspora has been staying abroad for a long
time, often two to three generations. It is natural for
the older generation to feel a special connection to
their roots. They want their children to also be con-
nected to their roots and it is also our duty to ensure
that this bond remains strong. Our diaspora should
feel that there is someone back home who cares
about them and is there for them in any situation.
Hence, we directed our efforts toward ensuring this.
Through hard work and commitment, they have
earned name and fame for themselves. The success
of the Indian diaspora is a global talking point
today. Our talented people are filling skill gaps
across the world. Whenever I go abroad, leaders of
the country always have high praise for them. They
are acting as our ambassadors across the world.

On religious minorities who complain

of discrimination
These are usual tropes of some people who don’t
bother to meet people outside their bubbles. Even
India’s minorities don’t buy this narrative anymore.
Minorities from all religions, be it Muslim, Chris-
tians, Buddhist, Sikh, Jain or even a micro-minority
like Parsis are living happily and thriving in India.
For the first time in our country, our government
has come up with a unique saturation coverage
approach when it comes to schemes and initiatives.

M ay 0 3 , 2 0 2 4
 THE

INTERVIEW

in which women are enabled to become drone

operators in rural areas, and Lakhpati Didi scheme,
in which 30 million women from self-help groups
are being economically empowered to have annual
household income of more than one lakh rupees
[100,000 rupees or $1,200].
Around 15 percent of all pilots in India are women,
which is the highest percentage in the world.
These progressive measures have ensured that the
female labor force participation rate has increased
from 23 percent in 2017 to 37 percent in 2023, despite
the enormous difficulties caused due to the pandemic.
I am the first Prime Minister of India who spoke
about issues like toilets and sanitary pads. I spoke
about respecting women and their choices in my
They are not restricted for a group of people belong- ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL Independence Day address from the ramparts
ing to a particular community or a geography. They Modi in Chennai on of the Red Fort.
April 9. The BJP leader,
are meant to reach everyone, which means that they Be it India, or any part of the world, we all need
aiming for a historic
are designed in such a way that there cannot be any third term in office, has
to keep doing more to ensure the safety of women.
discrimination. Be it amenities like house, toilets, stayed overnight in 80
water connection or cooking fuel or be it collateral percent of India’s 806 On China and the Quad
free credit or health insurance, it is reaching every administrative districts The U.S., Australia, Japan, India, China: All these
CLOCK WI SE FROM BOT TOM LE F T: RITE SH SHUK L A /G E T T Y; N IHA RI K A KULK ARNI/AFP/GE T T Y; R . SATI SH BABU/AFP/GE T T Y

to connect with citizens.

citizen irrespective of his community and religion. countries are members of many groups. We are pres-
ent in different combinations in different groups.
On the status of women Quad is not aimed against any country. Like many
Women are at the forefront of India’s development other international groupings, like SCO, BRICS and
story today. We have changed the lexicon from others, Quad is also a group of like-minded coun-
women’s development to women-led development. tries working on a shared positive agenda.
I am happy to see you also using it. The Indo-Pacific region is the engine of global
We passed the pathbreaking legislation to pro- trade, innovation and growth and the security of the
vide 33 percent reservation for women in our Par- Indo-Pacific is important not only to the region, but
liament and State legislatures. In the forthcoming to the world. Through shared efforts and implemen-
general elections, we have 15 percent more women tation of development projects in the Indo-Pacific
enrolled as new voters. in the areas of climate action, disaster management,
Maternal mortality ratio has dropped from 130 strategic technologies, reliable supply chain, health
[out of 100,000 live births] in 2014 to 97 in 2020, security, maritime security and counterterrorism,
and the nutritional status of women has signifi- the Quad countries are demonstrating their vision
cantly improved. We have among the most progres- of a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.
sive maternity benefit laws in the world, offering
fully paid leave of 26 weeks and have mandated
compulsory creche [day care] facilities in any estab- “Women are at the forefront
lishment with more than 50 employees.
Today, women are seeing increased participation of IndIa’s development story today.
across all sectors, including the armed forces. We have changed the lexIcon
We have opened 285 million bank accounts for from Women’s development to
poor women and provided collateral-free loans to
300 million women entrepreneurs. women-led development.”
Millions of women are being benefited due to
innovative schemes like Namo Drone Didi scheme,

NE WSWEEK .COM 33
 THE

INTERVIEW

On the India-China border dispute

For India, the relationship with China is import-
ant and significant. It is my belief that we need to
urgently address the prolonged situation on our
borders so that the abnormality in our bilateral
interactions can be put behind us. Stable and peace-
ful relations between India and China are important
for not just our two countries but the entire region
and world. I hope and believe that through positive
and constructive bilateral engagement at the diplo-
matic and military levels, we will be able to restore
and sustain peace and tranquility in our borders.

“ The aim of rapid economic growth is to ensure empowermenT of the

On Pakistan regardless of their marital status or residency.

I have congratulated the Prime Minister of Pakistan Post the revocation of Article 370 [which gave
on taking over office. India has always advocated special status to Jammu and Kashmir] the region
for advancing peace, security and prosperity in our has become a welcoming destination for global
region in an atmosphere free from terror and violence. events, hosting significant gatherings like the For-
[In relation to the imprisonment of Imran Khan], I mula 4 racing event, Miss World and G20 meetings.
won’t comment on matters internal to Pakistan. Digital economy, startups, innovation and smart
solutions are taking wings.
On criticism of ending Jammu and
Kashmir’s special status On the significance of the temple at Ram Mandir,
I would encourage you to visit Jammu and Kashmir which Modi dedicated himself
to witness firsthand the sweeping positive changes The name of Shri Ram is imprinted on our national
happening on [the] ground. Do not go by what I or consciousness. His life has set the contours of
others tell you. I went to Jammu and Kashmir just thoughts and values in our civilization. His name
last month. For the first time, people have a new echoes across the length and breadth of our sacred
hope in their lives. The process of development, land. Therefore, during the 11-day special ritual I
good governance and empowerment of the people observed, I made a pilgrimage to the places that
is to be seen to be believed. carry the footprints of Shri Ram. My journey that
People are reaping the peace dividend: Over 21 took me to various corners of the country showed
million tourists visited Jammu and Kashmir in 2023. the revered place Shri Ram holds within each of us.
There has been a significant decline in terror inci- The return of Shri Ram to his birthplace marked
dents. Organized bandh/hartals [protests], stone a historic moment of unity for the nation. It was a
pelting, which once disrupted normal life, are now culmination of centuries of perseverance and sacri-
a thing of the past. Not only this, the youth are also MONEY MATTERS fice. When I was asked to be part of the ceremony, I
excited about sports events being held here. Sports Modi describes his knew I would be representing the 1.4 billion people
is being seen as a career path for many youth there. country’s economy of the country, who have waited patiently for cen-
(above) as robust and
A new dawn has also emerged for Kashmiri turies to witness Ram Lalla’s return.
says startups have
women, who now enjoy the same rights as their risen from “hardly a
During the 11 days leading up to this auspicious
male counterparts when it comes to inheriting hundred” in 2014 to event, I carried with me the aspirations of countless
property or transferring property to their children, over 125,000 today. devotees, eagerly anticipating this day. The ceremony

34 NE WSWEEK .COM M ay 0 3 , 2 0 2 4
 itself brought the nation together into a celebration, iarity with me and the urge to call me directly. I
akin to a second Diwali. Every home was illumi- asked him what could be the reason. He told me
nated by the light of Ram Jyoti. I see it as a divine that the railway line passes close to his house and
blessing that I could experience the consecration it could be something related to the railways. So, I
ceremony as a representative of 1.4 billion Indians. called the district administration, railway officials
and my staff to inquire about the incident. None
On his legacy of them had heard about it, but immediately the
I think it is not my job to think about how I will be entire administration set out to work. It turned out
remembered, neither does this thought motivate me. to be a train accident. However, because we had a
My motivation is the impact I could make in the head start in terms of getting timely information,
lives of every Indian, whom I consider my family. we were able to react promptly. Before sunrise, we
If they are able to live a life of dignity, achieve their had managed the entire situation: The injured were
in the hospital, and the accident site was cleared.
I am also a firm believer in delegation of work.
poor and their social mobility.” I spend long hours understanding and discussing
important matters and developing consensus. Once
there is consensus, I believe in empowering peo-
ple to execute it.
I didn’t even know that I am good at communi-
dreams, I would consider my task done. But till cation. People observed this when I joined politics.
then, I am going to work tirelessly and devotedly So I said to myself, let’s make good use of this skill.
to fulfill the aspirations of 1.4 billion Indians. I get hundreds of thousands of physical letters
every month. I manage to check many letters and
Modi on leadership see for myself the emotions expressed by the people.
Listening is an important quality for leadership. I am It is from these letters that the thought of Mann
god-gifted with this quality, and I have also cultivated SUCCESSFUL BRANDING Ki Baat [his radio program] came to my mind. We
it. Another quality that I have is that I am always in Modi has been have had 110 Mann Ki Baat episodes till now.
merchandising his image
the moment. I am not distracted by phone calls, mes- I feel negativity has a low shelf life. One needs
FROM LE F T: SOU MYABR ATA ROY/NU RPHOTO/GE T T Y; ARVIN D YADAV/HINDUSTAN TIME S /GE T T Y

like a celebrity (below)

sages or anything else. When I am doing something, I but appeals to ordinary
to constantly churn out negativity for it to remain
am 100 percent involved and engrossed in that task. Indians by picking up in people’s minds. On the other hand, positivity is
For leaders, I feel it is important that they have trash from beaches perennial. So, Mann Ki Baat is a medium for me to
a bottom-to top feedback channel. A leader should and sweeping streets. gain positivity from society and amplify it.
have the ability to connect to the grassroots and get
unfiltered feedback. There should also be multiple
such channels of feedback, so that human biases
and preferences get neutralized. I have spent at
least a night in around 80 percent of India’s dis-
tricts. So I have direct connections almost every-
where, which helps me get direct feedback. At the
same time, it is important that guidance or instruc-
tions efficiently reach from top to bottom.
Let me give you an example. When I was the
Chief Minister of Gujarat, I received a call around
3 a.m. from someone in a town called Karjan. Nor-
mally, no one alerts a Chief Minister so early in the
morning, but my staff knew my working style, so
they alerted me. The person called to report a loud
explosion in our town. He said I had come to his
home for a meal in my earlier days, so he had famil-

NE WSWEEK .COM 35
 AMERICA’S
BEST

For those looking to

expand their Families,
Fertilit y clinics can
be a vital op tion

ew ReseaRch data Released in

September 2023 showed that, as the
average age at which American women first give
birth rises, the use of fertility treatments is also
rising: 42 percent of adults say they have used
fertility treatments or know someone who has,
up from 33 percent just five years ago. To help
people locate the best facility to meet their needs,
Newsweek has partnered with Statista for the second
annual ranking of America’s Best Fertility Clinics.
The ranking, which lists the top 125 clinics nation-
wide, is compiled from four different sources: an on-
line survey of medical professionals working in the
field of fertility, an analysis of Assisted Reproductive
Technology quality metrics published by the CDC,
accreditation data on the clinics and patient satis-
faction based on Google reviews. During the survey
period, which took place in January and February,
participants were asked to recommend facilities and
assess the quality of diagnosis and treatment of fer-
tility problems, fertility counseling, accommodation
and service, and overall nurse staffing.
This year, Google reviews were included in the
scoring model, which was also adjusted to give
increased weight to the ART quality metrics pillar.
The resulting list provides a portrait of the coun-
try’s best fertility clinics, and we hope it’s helpful
for anyone looking to have a new addition to the
family. Nancy Cooper, Global Editor in Chief

36 NE WSWEEK .COM
ILE X X/G E T T y

M ay 0 3 , 2 0 2 4 NE WSWEEK .COM 37
 METHODOLOGY a mention in the ranking is a
positive recognition based on
bryos were excluded from the
analysis. For applicable legisla-
peer recommendations and tion concerning assisted re-
publicly available data sources production treatments in your
For the second year, Statista clinics provided by The Joint at the time. The ranking is the state, please consult the clinics
and Newsweek have partnered Commission, College of amer- result of an elaborate process and/or legal counsel directly.
to identify the top 125 fertility ican Pathologists, Clinical which, due to the interval of Reference to specific
clinics in the U.S. Only facilities Laboratory Improvement data-collection and analysis, is commercial products, man-
defined as a fertility clinic and amendments, american a reflection of the last calen- ufacturers, companies or
assisted reproductive technol- Institute of Ultrasound in dar year. Furthermore, events trademarks does not con-
ogies provider by the Centers Medicine were considered preceding or following the pe- stitute its endorsement or
for Disease Control and with a combined weight of 10 riod 01/03/2023-02/29/2024 recommendation by the U.S.
Prevention were considered percent of the overall score. and/or pertaining to individual government, Department

FROM BELOW: GE T T y; SURIPHON SINGHa /GE T T y

in the scope of this project. 4 _ Patient satisfaction: persons affiliated/associated of Health and Human Ser-
To create a ranking, a score For the first time, Google with the facilities were not vices, or Centers for Disease
was calculated for each clinic. reviews were added to the included in the metrics. As Control and Prevention.
The total score is based on scoring model as a proxy such, the results of this rank- The information provided in
four data sources: reputation, of patient satisfaction. It ing should not be used as the this ranking should be consid-
quality metrics, accreditations contributes 5 percent to- sole source of information ered in conjunction with other
and patient satisfaction. ward the overall score. for future deliberations. available information about
1 _ Nationwide online survey: Moreover, due to the legal fertility clinics or, if possible,
During the survey period from DISCLAIMER restrictions pertaining to accompanied by a visit to a
January to February 2024, The rankings are comprised abortion laws and uncertain- facility. The quality of hospi-
Newsweek and Statista invited exclusively of clinics that are ties regarding personhood tals that are not included in
reproductive endocrinologists, eligible regarding the scope status of embryos in the U.S., the rankings is not disputed.
infertility specialists, obstetri- described in this document. metrics involving frozen em- Newsweek.com/abfc-2024
cians/gynecologists working
in and referring patients to
fertility clinics, other medical
professionals (e.g., registered
nurses, laboratory assistants)
and fertility clinic adminis-
trators/managers working in
fertility clinics to participate
in the survey. For each recom-
mended fertility clinic, partic-
ipants were asked to assess
the quality of diagnosis of
fertility problems, treatment
of fertility problems, fertility
counselling, accommodation
& service and overall nurse
staffing. The reputation of
the clinic accounts for 40
percent of the overall score.
2 _ Quality metrics: Assisted
Reproductive Technology
metrics with a focus on in-
dicators relevant to fertility
clinics published by CDC were
analyzed. The quality met-
rics are based on the most
recent CDC’s aRT Success
Rates Report, reporting data
of the 2021 cycle. The quality
metrics contribute 45 percent
toward the overall score.
3 _ Accreditations: Ac-
creditation data on fertility

38 NE WSWEEK .COM M ay 0 3 , 2 0 2 4
1 Weill Cornell Medicine - Ronald 9 Carolinas Fertility Institute
O. Perelman and Claudia Cohen wiNstoN-sAleM, NortH CAroliNA
Center for Reproductive Medicine
New York CitY 10 Massachusetts General
Hospital Fertility Center
2 Columbia University BostoN
Fertility Center
New York CitY 11 RMA New Jersey Basking Ridge
BAskiNg ridge, New JerseY
3 Duke Fertility Center
Morrisville, NortH CAroliNA 12 Washington University
Fertility and Reproductive
4 Cleveland Clinic Fertility Center Medicine Center
BeACHwood, oHio st. louis

5 NYU Langone Fertility Center 13 Pacific NW Fertility

New York CitY seAttle

6 Brigham and Women’s 14 Nashville Fertility Center

Hospital Center for Infertility NAsHville, teNNessee
and Reproductive Surgery
BostoN 15 Emory Reproductive Center
AtlANtA
7 Advanced Fertility
Center of Texas 16 Boston IVF - The Waltham
HoustoN Fertility Center
wAltHAM, MAssACHusetts
8 Mayo Clinic Assisted 17 UHealth Center for
Reproductive Technologies Reproductive Medicine
roCHester, MiNNesotA MiAMi

18 San Diego Fertility Center 30 Spring Fertility

sAN diego sAN frANCisCo
19 Advanced Fertility 31 The Reproductive Medicine
Center of Chicago Group - North Tampa
gurNee, illiNois tAMPA, floridA
20 CCRM Fertility of Lone Tree 32 Reproductive Partners
loNe tree, ColorAdo Medical Group - Los Angeles
redoNdo BeACH, CAliforNiA
21 Pacific Fertility Center
Los Angeles 33 Pacific Fertility Center
los ANgeles sAN frANCisCo
22 UCLA Fertility and
Reproductive Health Center 34 South Florida Institute
los ANgeles for Reproductive Medicine
soutH MiAMi, floridA
23 Shady Grove Fertility Rockville
roCkville, MArYlANd 35 IVF Michigan Fertility Centers -
Bloomfield Hills Fertility Center
24 Aspire Houston Fertility Institute BlooMfield Hills, MiCHigAN
HoustoN
36 CCRM Fertility of New York
25 Dallas-Fort Worth New York CitY
Fertility Associates
dAllAs 37 Northwestern Medicine - Center for
Fertility & Reproductive Medicine
26 Seattle Reproductive Medicine CHiCAgo
seAttle
38 Boston IVF - The Portland
27 California IVF Fertility Center Fertility Center
sACrAMeNto, CAliforNiA soutH PortlANd, MAiNe

28 University of Pennsylvania 39 Fertility Center of Miami

- Penn Fertility Care MiAMi
PHilAdelPHiA
40 Center for Reproductive
29 Atlanta Center for Medicine & Advanced
Reproductive Medicine Reproductive Technologies
AtlANtA MiNNeAPolis, MiNNesotA

▸ V I E W T H E L I S T O N L I N E AT Newsweek.com/abfc-2024 NE WSWEEK .COM 39

41 Boca Fertility
boCA rAton, floridA

42 University of Michigan - Center

for Reproductive Medicine
Ann Arbor, MiChigAn

43 CCRM Fertility of Minneapolis

edinA, MinnesotA

44 FSMG - San Diego Metro

Office & Surgery Center
sAn diego

45 Dallas IVF - Frisco Fertility Clinic

frisCo, texAs

46 Brown Fertility Jacksonville

IVF Center
JACKsonville, floridA

47 The Fertility Center of Las Vegas

lAs vegAs 55 New Direction Fertility Centers 63 Austin Fertility and Reproductive
gilbert, ArizonA Medicine - Westlake IVF
48 CCRM Fertility of Houston Austin, texAs
houston 56 CCRM Fertility of Boston
newton, MAssAChusetts 64 Stanford Medicine Fertility
49 Center for Reproductive Medicine & Reproductive Health
and Robotic Surgery (CRMRS) 57 RMA Long Island IVF sunnyvAle, CAliforniA
st. louis Melville, new yorK
65 IVF Florida Reproductive
50 Johns Hopkins Medicine 58 Prisma Health Fertility Center Associates
- Fertility Center of the Carolinas - Faris Rd. MArgAte, floridA
lutherville, MArylAnd greenville, south CArolinA
66 Boston IVF at
51 Fertility Centers of Illinois 59 Reproductive Partners The Women’s Hospital
- Chicago - River North Fertility Center - San Diego newburgh, indiAnA
Clinic & IVF Center lA JollA, CAliforniA
ChiCAgo 67 Arizona Associates
60 CNY Fertility Center for Reproductive Health
52 Fertility Center of syrACuse, new yorK - ACFS Fertility
Southern California sCottsdAle, ArizonA
irvine, CAliforniA 61 Florida Institute for
Reproductive Medicine 68 California Fertility
53 Advanced Fertility Care JACKsonville, floridA Partners
sCottsdAle, ArizonA los Angeles
62 Arizona Reproductive
54 Fertility Associates of Memphis Medicine Specialists (ARMS) 69 RMA King of Prussia
MeMPhis, tennessee Phoenix King of PrussiA, PennsylvAniA

70 Southwest Fertility
Center
Phoenix

71 Northern California
Fertility Medical Center
Statista R is a world leader in the creation of company, brand and sACrAMento, CAliforniA
S TAT I S TA R product rankings and top lists, based on comprehensive market
research and data analysis: Statista R recognizes the best. With 72 Conceptions Reproductive
Associates of Colorado
a team of over 100 expert analysts and in cooperation with more littleton, ColorAdo
than 40 high-profile media brands across all continents, Statista
R creates transparency for consumers and business decision 73 Aspire Fertility Austin
Austin, texAs
makers and helps companies build trust and recognition across
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of statistics, reports and insights on over 80,000 topics from west hollywood,
22,500 sources in 170 industries. Find out more at statista.com. CAliforniA

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 76 George Washington 91 Shady Grove Fertility 105 Kaiser Permanente
University - Fertility & IVF Pennsylvania Center for Reproductive
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saCRamento, CalifoRnia
77 Reproductive Science 92 UPMC Magee-Womens
Center of the San Center for Fertility and 106 Care Fertility Center for
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79 Gago Center for Fertility 94 Columbia Fertility Associates oDessa, texas
BRighton, miChigan Washington, D.C.
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80 Virginia Center for 95 Fertility Specialists of Texas West allis, WisConsin
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Reston, ViRginia 110 Shady Grove Fertility Atlanta
96 Aspire Fertility Houston atlanta
81 Advance Reproductive Specialists houston
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97 Bloom Reproductive Institute Dayton, ohio
82 Poma Fertility sCottsDale, aRizona
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83 Fertility Centers of Illinois - of San Francisco sCottsDale, aRizona
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100 Reproductive Care at 114 Reproductive Biology Associates
85 Coastal Fertility Specialists UWMC-Roosevelt atlanta
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115 Institute for Human
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88 Aspire Fertility San Antonio
san antonio 103 Pacific Reproductive Center 117 UT Health Reproductive
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NE WSWEEK .COM 41
Horizons S C I E N C E , T E C H N O L O G Y + H E A LT H
 “I have a bit of a wink in my eye and a little bit of a smirk.” ▸ P.48

M E N TA L H E A LT H

The Secret
to Being an ADHD
Whisperer
Loosening up and ceding control are some of the most important
strategies for making life easier for a neurodiverse loved one

Penn and Kim Holderness are widely celebrated for their entertaining viral parody videos (singing included!)
on topics ranging from parenting and helping kids with homework and masking up for the pandemic (to
the tune of the Hamilton soundtrack) to “stupid” healthy habits and everything in between. Now, Penn and
Kim are tackling a serious subject close to their hearts in their new book, adhd is awesome. It’s a lively
but informative dive into what the ADHD brain is and systems and strategies that neurodiverse people and
their loved ones can use to make the most of their unique brain chemistry. In addition to so many practical
tips, the book is as humorous as the Holderness Family videos are and reads like a love letter between Penn
and Kim, modeling a relationship in which the partners value one another and work hard to strengthen
those bonds. This excerpt from their book highlights things anyone can do to support a loved one with ADHD.
GE T T Y; TOP RIG HT: P RE SLE Y AN N/DAOU FA MILY E STATE S /G E T T Y

On a recent episOde Of Our pOdcast, miscalculations can lead you to a place far, far from
musician and inspirational speaker Carlos where you’d hoped to be. If this is the case in your
Whittaker shared a story that his dad used to tell life, take heart, friends, because even if your rela-
him: if a ship sets out on a thousand-mile journey tionship with your ADHDer is wildly off course, you
and it steers true, it will arrive at its destination. But can course-correct with small but effective changes.
if the navigation is off by as little as one degree, the The main thing to avoid is slipping into reaction
ship will miss its mark by miles. Why am I talking mode, where you are playing Whac-a-Mole with
about ships (aside from the fact that crises as they pop up. This can leave you
they seem to defy the laws of physics—a frantic, out of control and incredibly
fully loaded aircraft carrier can hold 75 by tense. There is a better way.
aircraft and 4,500 crew and weigh more PENN Kim and I have friends who have an
than 100,000 tons...and still float!)? Life and Easter tradition called the Battle of the
in an ADHD household is similar to nav- KIM Eggs. At the end of dinner, each family
HOLDERNESS
igating a long distance. A series of small member selects one of the dyed hard-

Illustration by SIBERIAN ART NE WSWEEK .COM 43

Culture BOOKS

boiled eggs, turns to their neighbor at disappointment in my kids’ faces

Q A
the table and knocks their egg against when they know that I didn’t get
their neighbor’s egg, trying to crack it. to the end of their sentence.
The last person to have an uncracked &
egg wins. The secret to coming out on For someone who does have
top is to hold your egg loosely so your ADHD, your emotional reaction
hand absorbs the shock. Hold the is probably even more intense.
egg too firmly, and the shell shatters. P _ We ADHDers are really good

Penn & Kim

When you are supporting someone at being ashamed. Understand-
with ADHD, that’s what you want to ing what it is is so important, so
aim for: a loose, comforting hold that
can absorb a lot of shock.
Holderness you can say, “OK, that wasn’t me,
that was my brain.” It’s an expla-
by MEREDITH WOLF SCHIZER
For people who like a lot of con- nation. It’s not an excuse. Then
and H. AL AN SCOT T
trol (which, as far as I can tell, is once you get past all of that,
everyone), loosening your grip may what’s left is kind of a cool brain.
not come naturally. We like to think Newsweek _ What made you
that more effort, more discipline want to write this book? You have one child with ADHD,
and more work have linear, posi- Penn Holderness _ You write the one without. It’s hard to man-
tive effects on results. But how has book you need. I knew that I age people with special needs.
that tight grip been working out needed to write this book when How do you balance that?
for you? Yeah, that’s what I thought. I saw that raising a family added Kim Holderness _ as a partner,
Perhaps it’s time to loosen up. Here a new level of difficulty to my he’s a grown man, he has got to
are four ways to let go of rigidity brain being able to handle mul- make his list, he has to put his
and find some ease. tiple tasks at once. I felt myself systems in place. I can’t do that
letting people down around me. for him. But I can be supportive.
1 _ Connect, Don’t Correct and he can raise the red flag and
One of the best things you can do What’s it like parenting a child with say, “I’m redlining my executive
for your ADHDer is to connect with ADHD while having it yourself? functioning today.” I got your back.
them. This is Kim’s superpower. She P _ It depends on how many things
is a master connector. In another are going on at the same time.
life, she could have been a therapist When I was first looking after my
or a minister. The most helpful thing daughter, I was the stay-at-home
she does—better than making sure dad. And the way that the ADHD
I show up when and where I’m sup- brain works is if there’s something
posed to, better than finding my char- that’s new and challenging and
ger when I lose it, better than giving you have personal interest [in
me space to be creative—is validat- it], we’re very, very good at that.
ing my feelings when ADHD makes It’s sort of the central tenet of
life hard for me. hyperfocus, this ability to—if you
Whether I’m upset that I have can block everything else out, you
blown a deadline, lost a bill or fallen can be spectacular at your life.
over in a chair when I was leaning But sometimes stuff that should
back in it, Kim will not say, “You be really easy, like listening to
should do a better job managing your your kid when they’re talking
time/keeping track of things/sitting.” about their day and trying to
Instead, she simply acknowledges, drive at the same time, can be
“Wow, that sucks.” In that moment difficult. you never want your kids
of her connecting with my feeling to think that you don’t care about
of suckitude, I can feel my tension them. But sometimes I see the

44 NE WSWEEK .COM M ay 0 3 , 2 0 2 4
 MASTERING IT Penn’s hyperfocus helped
him and Kim win The Amazing Race. Their
book is a collaborative effort sharing what
they’ve learned about managing ADHD.

been so good to us. But there are

moments where I definitely want
to log out, have somebody change
the password and not tell me.

Are there any videos that you’ve

done that stand out to you
particularly as your favorites?
P _ We’re proud of a lot of the
stuff that we did. I liked the one
we did about the Hamilton mash-
up. We wrote that very quickly.
K _ In about 12 minutes, he
wrote that. And [we] shot it
in an hour and posted it.

At the very beginning of the

pandemic, you started filming
The Amazing Race. For some-
As a parent, I do feel more wonderful thing was one with ADHD, I feel like trav-
responsible. I have to work with invented called social eling is a whole other world
my kid on it. And some days, I feel media, where you are of complications, right?
like I’m failing. Because there is so literally able to present P _ I think that ADHD was more
much repetition required. But now forms of entertainment of an asset than a hindrance. It’s
I understand that that brain just to people sometimes as short the reason we won. They take
FROM LE F T: COU RTE SY OF HOLDE RNE SS FAMILY PRODUC TION S; CB S; COURTE SY OF

sort of requires it. Some days it’s as six seconds at a time. That is your phones away. For me it
really hard. But the ADHD brain nirvana for an ADHD creator. was heaven because I didn’t
is just pure magic and creativi- have distractions. I had very
ty. Like fireworks and unicorns How do you deal with the direct tasks in front of me.
inside there, it is so much fun. toxicity of social media?
Some days, I’m like, “Thank God K _ You are missing the beauty of What do you ultimately hope
HARPE R HORIZON , A N IMPR IN T OF HARP ERCOLLIN S FOCU S

these brains are wired this way.” social media if you’re not reading people take from the book?
comments. To me, it’s a conversa- P _ You’re not broken. You’re
You present having ADHD with tion. I love that I recognize people’s not alone. There’s no reason to
all kinds of funny aspects. How names in the comment section be ashamed. Your brain is not
has it benefited your career? when it’s on our page. That’s why weird. It’s wonderful, incredibly
P _ I’ve actually sought out jobs I say I don’t love it when things creative. The name is terrible. It’s
that are ADHD-friendly. I went go like crazy viral, because then not a deficit of attention. It’s an
into working in live news televi- somebody else has put them on abundance of attention. All you
sion, where you have deadlines their page and I don’t know who have to do is learn more about
every day. And you’ve got to beat that audience is, and then they what it is, take that knowledge
the clock. It allows you to throw don’t know anything about us. I and use it to build systems to
away all of your other distractions take that stuff super personally. minimize where you get in trouble.
and have one task. And then this I wish I didn’t. Social media has And what’s left is spectacular.

▸ Visit Newsweek.com for the full interview on the Parting Shot podcast NE WSWEEK .COM 45
Culture M E N TA L H E A LT H

(and shame) evaporating. That’s the body—the slower movement, trou- neously explaining the rules
power of connection. ble holding on to things, poor bal- of baseball to someone who
A quick note here: notice that ance, etc. Workers who tried the has never played.
Kim doesn’t take on my emotional suit, which limited their mobility _ Attempt to follow the plot of
state by getting all worked up herself. and made it harder for them to use a long-form podcast, a televi-
Nor does she make my problem her fine-motor skills, developed a greater sion show and an audiobook
problem. It is still on me to resolve appreciation for what it was like to be playing all at once.
whatever issue has arisen. It’s just old. How cool is that? Next time you c atch yourself
much, much easier to do that when If you want to know what it’s like angry-sighing at your ADHDer’s
I feel like Kim is standing beside me to live with ADHD, here’s my best symptoms, remember what it feels
sympathetically, rather than looking attempt at how you can simulate like to live inside a brain where
at me over her glasses and tsk-tsking. it for yourself. Give one or more of expectations feel outsize.
Psychiatrist Dr. Edward Hallowell these scenarios a whirl:
wrote in Driven to Distraction: “I see _ Try to plan a dinner menu for four 3 _ Send Good Vibes Only
the human connection as the single vegans who have nut, gluten and I hate fighting with my wife. I dread
most powerful therapeutic force in egg allergies while you perform it with every ounce of my being, so
the treatment of ADHD.” That’s pretty the improv exercise of pretending when I sense she is getting annoyed
powerful. The great news is, connec- to clean up after a party in a house with me, my brain gets hypervigi-
tion is free and available to all. If you you’ve never been in, all while try- lant, and I get testy—which obvi-
can find it in you to connect instead ing to remember where the imag- ously doesn’t improve the mood
of correct when things get hard, it inary Solo cups, broom, garbage around the house or my ADHD. On
will make a world of difference. can and passed-out guests are. the very rare occasion when Kim
_ Assemble something complicated lashes out at me for an ADHD mis-
2 _ Empathize like a new grill while simulta- take, I grouch out, which just makes
The cornerstone of connection is my symptoms flare up. Negative feed-
empathy. I once read about a senior back leads to negative feelings. When
KEEPING BUSY Penn was diagnosed
care facility that made its employ- with ADHD more than 20 years ago.
she is relaxed about her expectations
ees wear a suit that simulated the He often stimulates his senses by of me—which, bless her, is most of

FROM LE F T: COU RTE Sy OF HOLDE RN E SS Fa M ILy PROD UC TION S; S E aN DR aKE S /GE T T y IM aGE S
difficulties of living with an aging playing air piano—and actual piano. the time—I am way better equipped
to fulfill them.
Admittedly, it would be great if
everyone in our lives would be exqui-
sitely, immediately and cheerfully
responsive to our requests. But our
loved ones are not butlers (or most
aren’t anyway—there are approxi-
mately 12,000 people employed as
butlers in the U.S., which is about
11,000 more than I would have
guessed). While I totally get that it’s
maddening to have to ask us to do
something more than once, fights
about frustrations tend to have
a much bigger negative impact
on the situation than the annoy-
ing behaviors do.
If you are looking for a way to
lessen some of the household tension
that comes with living with someone

46 NE WSWEEK .COM M ay 0 3 , 2 0 2 4
 FAMILY AFFAIR The family videos
involve Penn and Kim, as well
as their kids Lola and Penn
Charles, here in March 2022.

ADHD brain responds better to a

series of smaller imperatives that
get directly to the point. As child
psychologist Dr. Emily King said,
“ADHD behaviors happen when the
expectations are greater than the
skills,” so make sure your expecta-
tions match your ADHDer’s skills.
Dr. Steven Kurtz gave the exam-
ple of a parent coming into a living
room to find half the inventory of a
Dick’s Sporting Goods store strewn
about the floor. Instead of yelling,
“How many times do I have to tell
with ADHD, make like Elsa and “Let 4 _ Use Clear, Specific Imper- you to clean up after yourself?” you
It Go.” Let the small stuff slide. Is it atives for Reasonable Goals could wait a beat, then say, “It’s
really important that your ADHDer To improve the chances that your kind of cluttered in here. Please
makes his bed in the morning if your ADHDer will be able to comply put your cleats and shin guards in
goal is to get out the door on time? when you ask for something, the mudroom.” And then once that
Kim is an absolute champ about this. you’ll need to issue a clear, spe- is done, say, “Great cleanup. Now,
I know, for example, that clutter is cific imp erative in a ple as ant please wash your water bottle.”
like nails on a visual chalkboard tone. Sounds simple, right? But I get it. It ’s tough to b e the
to her. But instead of snapping my it’s actually pretty challenging if noticer of full hampers and tall
head off when I put my gym bag on you’re accustomed to making just grass. At times you don’t want to
the kitchen counter, she starts a pile one request and having it fulfilled. be the person who carries that
of my daily clutter in the corner of For many ADHD brains, a broad mental load. But this is all about
the room. I know at the end of the request—“ Take care of this,” “Be removing shame from the language
day I have to deal with it. But the responsible for that,” “It’s your when discussing tasks. If you set a
counter is cleared for her, and I take turn to x,” “Your job is y,” etc.—is small, reasonable goal, chances
care of my own mess. hard to translate into action. The are better that your ADHDer will
Be sure to accentuate the positive accomplish it, which will give them
along the way. I am like a dog get- a sense of satisfaction and build
ting scratched behind the ear when their confidence.
I receive positive feedback from my A better life with ADHD is out

“Fights about
family. I get a rush when Kim compli- there. With the right tools, infor-
ments me for something I have done, mation and support, you can live a
like when I wrestled the wisteria vine frustrations tend to wildly creative and successful life.
into submission. The promise of that
have a much bigger The secret is that it’s not actually

negative impact
praise is much more effective and ADHD that’s awesome. It’s you.
keeps the household running more
smoothly than if she had criticized on the situation ▸ Adapted from adhd is awesome.
me for letting the yard get out of
than the annoying Copyright © 2024 Penn and Kim

behaviors do.”
hand even after she asked me to take Holderness. Published by Harper
care of it five million times. Horizon.

NE WSWEEK .COM 47
Culture

PA RT I N G S H OT

Jane Lynch
Revivals RaRely woRk. successful Revivals of populaR game shows aRe How exciting is it for you to be part
even rarer. That is, except for when they’re hosted by Jane Lynch. Now in of the legacy of The Weakest Link?
its fourth season, NBC’s The Weakest Link has the energy of the original show— I love it. I always admired how
hosted brilliantly by Anne Robinson—but with modern flare. “I’m a softer, gen- [Anne Robinson] was able to
tler Anne Robinson, but that doesn’t mean I’m squishy,” Lynch said. While “it’s hold such a stern presence where
exactly the same game,” what gives it a different feel are the “people and the everybody was kind of afraid of
questions. Each game has a different tone to it.” One of Lynch’s favorite things her. I have a little bit of a wink in
about the show is that it gives people the chance to put “useless facts” to good use. my eye and a little bit of a smirk.
“There’s nothing more satisfying than to be able to pull something out of your
head that you thought you’d never use and here it is being asked on The Weakest What do you think makes
Link. I love that.” Also known for shows like Glee and countless Christopher Guest people tune in to the show?
films, Lynch was one of the first stars to become successful while being openly We’re not doing complicated things
queer. In terms of timing, she said, “I came along at the exact right time… the here. It’s a simple game that’s
great thing is I didn’t have to hold a press conference because nobody cared.” challenging. And when you tune
in, you know exactly what you’re
getting, there’s a familiarity.

You’re also on Hulu’s Only Murders

“We’re not in the Building. What’s it like to

doing
be on such a praised show?
It’s a dream come true. Who
complicated would have thought I would be

things here. working with Steve Martin? And

It’s a simple
then [Martin] Short. I’ve been a
fan of his forever. It’s a thrill to
game that’s be there as one of the gang.

challenging.” You and Jennifer Coolidge both

shot to fame with Best in Show.
Would you work together again?
Any day of the week! I don’t think
I ever laughed so hard, she’s
the funniest person. We would
go someplace to eat and she’d
always forget her wallet. It would
be raining and she would show
COU RTE SY OF JAN E LYNCH

up without a raincoat. She’s just

one of those people. She’s such
a brilliant person, she just needs
people to get her umbrellas and
stuff like that. And I was happy to
be that person. —H. Alan Scott

48 ▸ Visit Newsweek.com for the full interview