COVER

100 Olympic Athletes To Watch (Summer Olympic Preview)

From Australia to Zimbabwe, China to the U.S., TIME takes you on a world tour to introduce you to the most compelling athletes you'll be seeing in the Beijing Games

Video

LeBron James: Leader of the Redeem Team

TIME's Sean Gregory shoots hoops with the Cleveland Cavalier superstar, who promises the US Olympic basketball team will take the gold in Beijing

TO OUR READERS

The Global Games

TIME's worldwide reach brings you a parade of compelling Olympians

NATION

Obama's Overseas Test (The Well / Campaign '08)

His trip to Iraq, Afghanistan and the Middle East was designed to prove that he could be Commander in Chief. In an interview with TIME, the candidate details what he saw and what he heard

Karadzic a Big Win for Hague Cops (The Well / Commentary)

International justice is often derided, but Samantha Power writes that its recent successes have been hard to ignore

ESSAY

The Olympic Challenge

It's one thing to host the Games. The real test is learning to play by the rules of the civilized world

McCain's Foreign Policy Frustration (Commentary / In the Arena)

While Obama moves elegantly through the Middle East, the pillars of McCain's bellicose regional policy are collapsing

Activism, Hollywood-Style (Commentary / The Awesome Column)

Joel Stein checks out L.A.'s hot liberal fund-raising scene — and falls for The Fall Guy's girl

BRIEFING

WORLD

Salim Hamdan: Enemy Number One (The Well / World)

The inside story of how Salim Hamdan went from bin Laden's side to a U.S. military courtroom--and why the war on terrorism may hang in the balance

SCIENCE

HEALTH & MEDICINE

Dear (Food) Diary (Life / Fit Nation)

A new study shows that dieters can double their weight loss by jotting down what foods they eat

SOCIETY

Inner-City Farms (Life / Food)

In cities in the U.S. and around the world, urbanites are trying to grow more food locally

TECHNOLOGY

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Mad Men on a New Frontier (Television)

Back for a second season, Mad Men makes the '60s fresh again with delicious details and a timeless story of self-reinvention. Welcome to Camelot, with a twist

A Year with American Teens (Movies)

The zippy documentary American Teen says kids are anguished, mean, hopeful--just like in the movies

Temptation Island (Books)

A novel in letters about love, death and books shows how, in the right circumstances, quirk works

Dressed Not to Be Killed (Life / Fashion)

Colombian designer Miguel Caballero is building a thriving business as the world's only producer of "designer bulletproof fashion"

PEOPLE

LETTERS