Newsweek is reporting that artificial intelligence has become a major political issue in the United States, but one that does not divide neatly along party lines. It said its new AI Policy Scorecard maps all 537 members of Congress across regulation, economy, jobs, safety and national security, drawing on voting records, bill sponsorships and public statements. The result, Newsweek said, is a messy political map with many lawmakers landing between the extremes and some crossing traditional party lines.
Newsweek said Republicans in Congress average 3.64 on the Scorecard, indicating a lean toward boosting data center development, compared with 1.97 for Democrats, which indicates a more skeptical attitude. It said Americans under 30 have grown more wary of the technology, with 55 percent now more concerned than excited about AI, up from 31 percent in 2021, even as 66 percent have used a chatbot. Newsweek said Democrats and Republicans find more common ground on competing with China, with average national security scores of 3.9 and 4.4.
Newsweek also reported that President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to stop using the terms "artificial intelligence" and "AI" in official communications, policy documents and correspondence, replacing them with "Super Intelligence" and "SI."
In global news, Newsweek said it has an exclusive interview with Russia's economic development minister, Maxim Reshetnikov, who warned that the global trade system risks "disintegration" unless the United States and other G20 nations rethink how they manage international commerce. It said the message comes as ministers from the world's top economies prepare to meet in Milwaukee ahead of a G20 leaders' summit scheduled for December at Trump's golf club in Miami. Newsweek said Reshetnikov is calling for a major overhaul of the current G20 agenda proposed by the United States.
Newsweek also reported that Sabato's Crystal Ball shifted 11 House races toward Democrats on September 29, including Republican-held seats in Pennsylvania and Virginia that now lean Democratic. It said the forecaster rates 213 seats as at least leaning Democratic, five short of the 218 needed for a majority, compared with 202 that lean Republican and 20 tossups.
Separately, Newsweek said it faced criticism from a reader after reporting on Trump's decision to bar CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House. It said the article reported the decision, included criticism and defenses, and found that 72 percent of readers considered it fair.
Newsweek also reported that a 17-person crew will travel to Nikumaroro in Kiribati to investigate an object visible in the lagoon that researchers believe could be the wreckage of aviator Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Model 10E Electra. It said the expedition launches October 7.