Capitol Hill is a ghost town until November

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National Headlines- October 1 2026

National Headlines- October 1 2026

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It’s Thursday, and National Pumpkin Spice Day. This is maybe the fifth time we’ve written about pumpkin spice, but we thought you should know. 

Senate goes on midterm recess 

Senate goes on midterm recess 

Trump’s Supreme Court regrets 

FCC OKs taxpayer-funded ads 

Christa Pike’s execution snafu

Programming note: We’re Claire Leibowitz and Abigail Walker, filling in for Cate today. Please send your tips, comments and story ideas to cleibowitz@thehill.com or awalker@thehill.com.  

The Associated Press | Mariam Zuhaib

The Senate adjourned Wednesday night until the week of Nov. 9, after the midterm elections. Vulnerable Republicans are returning home to campaign as fears over losing their majority arise, The Hill’s Alexander Bolton reports. 

Senators adjourned after confirming President Trump’s Labor secretary pick, Keith Sonderling. 

What’s left for the lame–duck session?: The annual defense authorization bill, the extension of expired surveillance authorities under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and other high-profile items have been left behind. 

There are also 12 appropriations bills at stake, and the government’s funding plan ends on Dec. 11. 

Senators speak up: Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said the adjournment “breaks my heart.”  

“It’s bad planning. We should have started after we passed One Big Beautiful Bill [in July 2025], planning what we wanted to do and how we were going to get it done,” he added. 

But vulnerable GOP senators, including Dan Sullivan (Alaska), Roger Marshall (Kan.), Pete Ricketts (Neb.) and Susan Collins (Maine) are excited to return to the campaign trail. 

“I think everybody’s nervous about their races,” Kennedy said. “It’s a weird year. I don’t know how these things are going to turn out.” 

“I’ve done polling in my own state, and it’s a pretty red state, but people all across the political spectrum are very unsettled,” he added. 

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) predicted that Senate Republican losses will be “manageable” if “we let candidates execute down the stretch,” and that being in Washington can........

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