MEDIA LEAD SHEET/MAY 19, 2008 ISSUE (on newsstands Monday, May 12, 2008). To book correspondents, contact Brenda Velez at 212-445-4078-Brenda.Velez@Newsweek.com, Grace Huh at 212-445-5831-Grace.Huh@Newsweek.com-or Jan Angilella at 212-445-5638-Jan.Angilella@Newsweek.com. Articles are posted on www.Newsweek.com. 

COVER: "The O Team" (p. 20). Senior White House Correspondent Richard Wolffe examines Barack Obama's campaign team, looking at the presidential candidate's leadership and management style and how they're all getting ready for the coming mud war with John McCain and the Republicans. Obama's advisers insist that the race will be about the big issues because there are stark contrasts between the candidates over Iraq and the economy. They're also ready for attacks from another "527" group, like the Swift Boat veterans who went after John Kerry in 2004. Kerry failed to quickly strike back. The Obama team says it will not make the same mistake. "You fight back aggressively and play jujitsu," says David Plouffe, Obama's campaign manager.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/136477

JONATHAN ALTER: "Now On to Florigan!" (p. 29). Senior Editor and Columnist Jonathan Alter  writes that one of the hidden factors pushing superdelegates away from Hillary Clinton is "Florigan" or "Michida" -"or whatever we should call these scofflaw states that moved up their primaries in defiance of party rules. Out of desperation, Hillary is putting all her chips on the injustice done to Floridians and Michiganders, even though she said early in the process that their votes 'shouldn't count.' Never mind the hypocrisy here." The problem for Hillary, Alter writes, is that  party officials in the other 48 states "don't give a rat's patootie about seating Florida and Michigan. In fact, they're angry at those states for jumping the line, then whining about it."

http://www.newsweek.com/id/136477

INTERVIEW: "After 60 Years, No Peace Yet" (p. 32). Special Diplomatic Correspondent Lally Weymouth, on the 60th anniversary of Israel, interviews Israeli President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, who reflect on the history and future of Israel.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/136437 - Peres interview w/ video

http://www.newsweek.com/id/136105 - Olmert interview

http://www.newsweek.com/id/136439- Fayyad interview

INTERNATIONAL: "A Curse From the Heavens"  (p. 36). Beijing Bureau Chief Melinda Liu opens this photo essay from Burma, which is still reeling from the deadliest natural disaster in the country's  history. Liu writes that the one thing keeping many Burmese going is the hope that the cyclone that hit the densely populated Irrawaddy Delta on May 2 just might signal the end of Burma's military junta, one of the most corrupt and oppressive dictatorships on earth.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/136365

CRIME: "'These Guys Had To Be Taken Down'" (p. 40).  Special Correspondents Jamie Reno and Dirk Johnson report on the drug raid at San Diego State University that netted four pounds of cocaine, 350 Ecstasy pills, 50 pounds of marijuana, 30 vials of hash oil, $60,000 in cash and two guns, one of them taped to a bed frame. Among those arrested were 95 San Diego State students. The raid, which included crackdowns on several fraternities, came a year to the day after the overdose death of Jenny Poliakoff, a 19-year-old student at San Diego State. That tragedy triggered the undercover operation.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/136441

DRUGS: "Old Herb, New Controversy" (p. 41). Senior Writer Brian Braiker reports on the popularity of the drug salvia, also known as "Magic Mint" or "Sally-D." It is legal, for the time being, in most states. But with the proliferation of online companies that advertise and sell salvia-derived products, it has caught on among young people looking for a new high. In small doses, salvia contains no known toxicities. But when its extract is smoked in larger batches, it can yield frightening results. 

http://www.newsweek.com/id/136317

HEALTH: "War on Wounds" (p. 44). Correspondent Anne Underwood reports on the growing demand for regenerative medicine, mostly because of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The medicine is a grab bag of techniques that share the same end-to repair human bodies by helping them regenerate living tissue, rather than relying on artificial parts.  The military's need is enormous. Thanks to improved medical care, 90 percent of soldiers who are injured in Iraq and Afghanistan are surviving.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/136309

SOCIETY: "O Father, Where Art Thou?" (p. 45). Associate Editor Joshua Alston reviews a new book that tries to change the image of the absent black father from childrens' lives. In "The Beautiful Struggle" by Ta-Nehisi Coates, he writes that while his father was a free spirit and fathered seven children with four different women, he was a source of security and stability in a neighborhood subject to rampant, random violence.  Coates and other authors are in a position to change the stereotype that black men are irresponsible and indifferent to fatherhood.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/136335

BUSINESS: "Penthouse Gets Pious" (p. 47).  Los Angeles Correspondent Jennifer Ordoñez reports on how the proliferation of online porn has forced standard fare adult magazines like Playboy and Penthouse to diversify their businesses. Last December, Penthouse acquired social network behemoth Various, Inc. The company's subsidiaries now include a number of online dating sites, with a combined 250 million members since they were founded, and 1.2 million current subscribers who pay for content.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/136306

TELEVISION: "America's Next Top Mormon" (p. 52).  Editorial Assistant Sally Atkinson reports on the influx of Mormons on reality-TV shows. They've won "The Biggest Loser," "The Rebel Billionaire," and "Survivor." And they're closing in on the biggest reality-TV prize of all: "American Idol."  With all its conniving, backstabbing and sexuality, reality TV may seem like a strange place for Mormons to congregate. That cultural disconnect is obviously part of the attraction for viewers and casting directors alike. But for Mormon contestants themselves, the motivation is more complex. Some are testing the limits of their buttoned-down religion.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/135758

http://www.newsweek.com/id/136334

TIP SHEET: "Summer Camp for Losers" (p. 56). Special Correspondent Tara Weingarten reports on the benefits of families going to weight-loss camps. Since many families put on weight together, it makes sense to lose it together. Program options include high-end camps, as well as less expensive outpatient services. Most of these offer a combination of fun activities mixed with group therapy, parenting classes and medical checkups. Experts say these types of programs, where kids and parents make a commitment to losing weight together, tend to have lasting results.     

http://www.blog.newsweek.com/blogs/tipsheet/default.aspx

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