USA TODAY is reporting that Senate Republicans are anxious to notch a political victory this week that they can tout on the campaign trail before Congress leaves town until the midterms in November. It said the chamber was considering a bipartisan bill to overhaul college sports rules, but that more than half a dozen amendments offered at the last minute delayed the vote.
The outlet said lawmakers are expected Wednesday to consider a data center bill that could help bring Americans' energy costs down, though Democrats say it does not go far enough. USA TODAY said the measure is sponsored by Sen. Jon Husted, an Ohio Republican facing a tough race against former Sen. Sherrod Brown. Senate Republicans are also slated Wednesday to push for a voter ID measure and a ban on stock trading among members of Congress.
USA TODAY also reported that Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito will not participate in the court's consideration of a landmark climate change case, the court said Monday. It said Alito, one of the most conservative of the court's six Republican-appointed justices, did not give a reason for recusing himself from deciding whether local governments may go after fossil fuel companies for harms caused by climate change. USA TODAY said environmental groups had called on Alito to step aside because he owns stock in ConocoPhillips and Phillips 66.
Separately, USA TODAY reported that the annual Congressional Women's Softball Game, in which women lawmakers play against women journalists, ended in a 22-16 victory for the media team. It said the game raised nearly $1 million for a breast cancer charity.