TL/DR: Two leading bookmakers are offering odds on the Democrats to win control of the White House, Senate and House of Representatives on November 5.
The rundown: Two leading bookmakers are offering odds on the Democrats to win control of the White House, Senate and House of Representatives on November 5. Speaking to Newsweek, Betfair said its odds on the Democrats winning all three contests are 6/1 (14.5 percent), while Star Sports has odds of 7/1 (12.5 percent) on a clean sweep for President Biden's party. Here's a closer look at the numbers.
Why it matters: If the Democrats secure not just the White House but both chambers of Congress, it would dramatically increase Kamala Harris' ability to pass policy proposals into law. The Democrats currently enjoy a wafer-thin Senate majority, with 51 Senators affiliated with their party versus 49 for the Republicans. According to a study published by The Economist on October 31, the Democrats have a 54 percent chance of controlling the House after next Tuesday's elections.
Read more in-depth coverage:
Map Shows Polling in Key Senate Races 6 Days Before Election
What happens now? The GOP hopes to take control of the upper chamber, which it failed to do in November 2022 when an anticipated "red wave" failed to materialize. The West Virginia seat currently occupied by Joe Manchin, an independent who was elected as a Democrat, is widely expected to fall to the Republicans. However, Senator Ted Cruz's seat could be at risk in Texas, with polls giving him a lead of between 1 and 7 points over his Democratic challenger, Representative Colin Allred.
TL/DR: A Donald Trump presidency would help preserve a conservative Supreme Court for decades, while preventing Supreme Court reform, legal experts believe.
The rundown: A Donald Trump presidency would help preserve a conservative Supreme Court for decades, while preventing Supreme Court reform, legal experts believe.
Why it matters: Trump appointed three conservative Supreme Court judges during his last presidential term, pushing the Supreme Court balance to a 6-3 conservative majority. That led to the overturn of Roe v. Wade and other conservative advances. If re-elected on November 5, he may be able to replace the two oldest conservatives with younger nominees, guaranteeing the conservative majority for many years, legal analysts believe.
Read more in-depth coverage:
Clarence Thomas Likely to Resign if Donald Trump Wins Election—Legal Analysts
What happens now? Former federal prosecutor, Neama Rahmani, told Newsweek that a Trump presidency could help solidify the Supreme Court's conservative majority, especially if 76-year-old Clarence Thomas and 74-year-old Samuel Alito, both Republican nominees, agree to retire. Both have been the subject of intense criticism from Democratic members of the House Judiciary Committee for accepting gifts from wealthy Republicans. Rahmani also said that a Trump presidency would likely block reform of the Supreme Court.
TL/DR: Erik and Lyle Menendez could be released after serving more than 30 years for killing their parents.
The rundown: Erik and Lyle Menendez could be released after serving more than 30 years for killing their parents, amid a dramatic change in public perception. Celebrities from Kim Kardashian to Rosie O'Donnell have lined up to support the brothers, while a new Netflix documentary series has cast new publicity on their case.
Why it matters: The brothers gunned down their parents, José and Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills home on August 20, 1989. Erik, then 18, and Lyle, then 21, admitted they shot their entertainment-executive father and their mother, but said they feared their parents were about to kill them to prevent the disclosure of the father's alleged long-term sexual molestation of Erik. In an open letter published on October 3, Kardashian said that, at the time of their convictions, the brothers were seen as arrogant and greedy, but this perception is now changing. Attorney Colleen Kerwick told Newsweek that the change in perception of the Menendez brothers mirrors society's greater understanding of sexual abuse.
Read more in-depth coverage:
Menendez Brothers To Learn Fate Of Their Freedom Before Christmas
What happens now? Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón has filed a petition to resentence Erik and Lyle—now 53 and 56, respectively—which would allow them to apply for parole for the first time. On October 24, Gascón said the brothers had "paid their debt to society." Gascón said he believes they "were subjected to a large amount of dysfunction in the home and molestation," but added that others in his office do not believe that narrative.
TL/DR: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced on Friday that the U.S. is sending more bomber aircraft and Navy warships to the Middle East to strengthen the American military's presence in the region.
The rundown: Israel launched dozens of airstrikes across northeastern Lebanon on Friday, killing at least 52 people, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. Palestinians also recovered the bodies of more than two dozen people killed in an Israeli air assault in central Gaza that started on Thursday, according to local hospital officials. Here's what we know about the strikes.
Why it matters: Israel's attacks come nearly one week after Israel launched airstrikes on Iran, which had attacked Israel weeks earlier. Iran has vowed to launch further attacks on Israel in response to the retaliatory strikes. The Israeli attacks in Lebanon targeted areas that included the country's rural Bekaa Valley and in cities like Baalbek, according to the Associated Press. Lebanese lawmaker Hussein Hajj Hassan told the news agency that 60,000 people left the Baalbek area after Israel called for evacuations before the strikes.
Read more in-depth coverage:
Lebanon's Health Care System 'Under Siege' Amid Israel's Military Campaign
What happens now? In a statement, Pentagon Press Secretary Major General Pat Ryder said that the deployments were "in keeping with our commitments to the protection of U.S. citizens and forces in the Middle East, the defense of Israel, and de-escalation through deterrence and diplomacy."
TL/DR: Many public figures have expressed concern about falling birth rates, including the billionaire Elon Musk, who wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "A collapsing birth rate is the biggest danger civilization faces by far."
The rundown: One in three Gen Zers and millennials do not have and do not want to have children, a new report shows, as birth rates in the United States continue to decline. Polling done by the Independent Center, in association with Newsweek, showed that 30 percent of Gen Zers (people born between 1997 and 2012) and millennials (people born between 1981 and 1996) did not have nor want any children. Here are highlights from the report.
Why it matters: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced in April that the general fertility rate, which measures the number of live births per 1,000 women of childbearing age, had hit a "historic low." The report also found that 23 percent of those surveyed said they believed having children was irresponsible because of climate change. "Though global population rates are currently still climbing, rates within the national borders of Western nations have been on the decline for years," said Amy Blackstone, a sociology professor from the University of Maine and the author of Childfree by Choice: The Movement Redefining Family and Creating a New Age of Independence.
Read more in-depth coverage:
Most Crowded US State: Map Reveals How Population Is Shifting
What happens now? Blackstone said that "many childfree people are beginning to view their status as nonparents as a part of their identity that shapes their experience in society." Reproductive rights will be on the ballots in 10 states in November, including places where abortion is now largely banned after the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have offered opposing views on abortion in their bids for the White House.
Why Sunday Scaries Are Worse Than Ever This Week
While an extra hour of sleep might sound appealing, many Americans feel that trading daylight in the evening isn't worth it. In fact, the "fall back" in November seems to do more harm than good.
A recent survey of 2,000 Americans, commissioned by Avocado Green Mattress and conducted by Talker Research from October 3-7, found that nearly two in five Americans experience what they call the "Daylight Saving Scaries." The unease surrounding Daylight Saving Time (DST) isn't just a one-day disturbance; it begins approximately 11 days before the clocks are set back, around October 23.
In an article by Newsweek, two psychotherapists discussed the survey's findings, revealing a deep-seated dissatisfaction with the twice-yearly clock change, especially during the darker, colder months. They explored why these negative feelings arise and what can be done.
The Full STORY
NewsletterDeep conversations between people with completely different political and social perspectives.
Sign Up
podcastPolitics, law, and culture collide as Newsweek Senior Editor-at-Large Josh Hammer charts a path forward for American conservatism and exposes the woke Left.
listen
newsletterFor the Culture newsletter is your weekly resource in TV, music, movies and celebrity life to keep you in the know.
sign up
