Trump says he'll veto his way past a Democratic Congress

Donald Trump isn't waiting for the midterm dust to settle before sketching out his Plan B. The president told CBS News he's ready to use his veto pen and executive authority if Democrats win control of Congress, saying he holds what he called the ultimate power. He added that he'd welcome the nickname that comes with it: Mr. Veto.

The timing is no accident. Republicans entered election night bracing for possible losses in the House or Senate, and the early signals weren't friendly. Kalshi traders put Democrats' odds of taking the Senate at 88%, while the market-implied chance of Republicans holding the chamber slipped from 14% down to 12%, according to the prediction platform.

Trump also pointed to a Supreme Court ruling in Trump v. Slaughter, a case involving Federal Trade Commission member Rebecca Slaughter, arguing it hands the president powers the office never had before. That decision, in his telling, is another lever to pull if the map turns blue.

Democrats, meanwhile, are acting like the night is theirs. Senator Mark Warner was projected by several US media outlets to keep his Virginia seat, beating Republican Bert Mizusawa. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told volunteers that Democrats would fight to make the country more affordable, per the Associated Press — and he'd become the first Black House speaker if his party takes the chamber and hands him the gavel.

Elsewhere on a busy news day, Trump told the Financial Times that Washington has no immediate plans to strike Iran, describing the US posture as locked and loaded if needed while arguing there's little reason to pull the trigger. He also claimed more oil is moving through the Strait of Hormuz than before the war and that a blockade is successfully disrupting Iran's economy, calling it a brilliant situation. All of it lands with voters still casting ballots and control of Congress hanging in the balance.