USA TODAY is reporting that the Senate recessed until after the midterm elections in November, sending lawmakers to the campaign trail to fight for control of the chamber during the final two years of President Trump's term. It said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer predicted a "close election" and told reporters Senate Democrats had drawn nearer to the "edge of victory," adding that voters in state after state are "sick of Trump." Majority Leader John Thune said Republicans used the chamber's final hours to create a contrast for voters, though USA TODAY reported some in his party wished they had done more on cost-of-living concerns. Sen. Jim Justice, R-West Virginia, said that no matter how much voters love Republicans, "we're in control," and that people who cannot pay their bills have a real problem with the party.
USA TODAY also is reporting that Trump expressed disappointment with the three conservative justices he appointed to the Supreme Court in an interview with Time magazine published Thursday. It said Trump's comments followed a series of Supreme Court losses this year on his tariff policies, efforts to eliminate birthright citizenship and a push to restrict mail voting. Asked whether he regrets nominating them, Trump said, "Yeah, what can I do?" and said he gave them "the position of a lifetime" while they "vote against me often."
Separately, USA TODAY is reporting that European countries held a call Thursday to discuss releasing diesel stocks from their strategic reserves after the Trump administration threatened to impose a diesel export ban, according to two EU officials. It also reported that the Justice Department is forever blocked from prosecuting an Olympian in the Reflecting Pool case, that a judge extended diversity visa processing while blaming the State Department's "glacial pace," and that Trump did not rule out invoking the Insurrection Act around the midterms.