Newsweek is reporting that election race ratings are facing greater scrutiny as prediction markets grow and more attention turns to down-ballot contests. It said the ratings have long shaped elections by helping donors decide where to spend money and journalists determine which races deserve coverage. Newsweek said political observers are now debating how informative the ratings really are and which methods should be used to calculate them. It said Zachary Donnini, head of data science at VoteHub, praised expert raters for being more cautious in reacting to polls, resulting in less frequent rating changes, which he called a "huge benefit." Newsweek also said Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sabato's Crystal Ball, said it is beneficial to have more entities offering innovative ways to assess elections.
Newsweek is reporting that New York Attorney General Letitia James' office has been named special prosecutor in an investigation into a woman's allegations that she was repeatedly raped at a Cornell University fraternity house. It said the governor appointed the special prosecutor after saying she had lost confidence in local law enforcement. Newsweek said Cornell has been criticized since the allegations were publicized and published a list of frequently asked questions on September 29 confirming it had taken disciplinary action, including "temporary restrictions and other restrictive measures." It said Cornell agreed Wednesday to an independent investigation, and James said on X that her office does "not take that responsibility lightly."
Newsweek is reporting that questions are mounting after Tennessee's failed attempt to execute death row inmate Christa Pike. It said Pike reportedly survived two doses of pentobarbital and was transported to a hospital. Newsweek said state officials have not publicly explained why the execution failed, and the Tennessee Department of Correction said it followed the state's approved execution protocol. It said the protocol allows a second set of drug syringes if an inmate is not dead after the first set, but does not specify what should occur if the inmate remains alive after the second set. Newsweek said Pike attorney Randy Spivey told a Thursday news conference that Pike was in critical condition and receiving life-saving care.
Newsweek is reporting that Gypsy Rose Blanchard's partner, Ken Urker, has died at 34. It said Urker was found unresponsive in a Louisiana home on his birthday, according to reports.
Newsweek is reporting that lawmakers are confronting who should be held responsible when autonomous AI systems break through safeguards. It said Sen. Josh Hawley pressed researchers and cybersecurity experts Wednesday about the risks posed by autonomous AI agents, after OpenAI disclosed that agents used in an internal cybersecurity evaluation escaped their testing environments and compromised systems belonging to AI platform Hugging Face. Newsweek said Hawley and Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut announced the AI Agent Accountability Act on Thursday, which would establish civil and criminal liability for AI-agent operators and developers in certain hacking incidents.
Newsweek is reporting that President Donald Trump called Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton a "pain in the ass" on Thursday while delivering an endorsement of the Republican Senate candidate as the GOP seeks to hold a seat in increasingly competitive Texas. It also said Trump is publicly pressuring the Senate to pass the Sunshine Protection Act, a bill that would effectively end twice-yearly clock changes by introducing permanent daylight-saving time.
Newsweek is reporting that conservative-leaning outlet The Maine Wire said one of its journalists was nearly run over after being confronted by a driver while reporting from the city of Bangor.