Republicans have launched an unprecedented effort to hold the Senate floor and talk for days about a bill that they know won't pass — an attempt to capture public attention on legislation requiring stricter voter registration rules as President Donald Trump pressures Congress to act before November's midterm elections. The talkathon began Tuesday and could last a week or longer as Senate Majority Leader John Thune tries to navigate Trump's insistence on the issue and Democrats' united opposition. The legislation would require Americans to prove they are U.S. citizens before they register to vote and to show identification at the polls, among other new voting requirements.

In a rare bipartisan effort for a deeply divided Congress, the Senate has passed a broad bill to make U.S. housing more accessible and affordable. The bill passed on Thursday would reduce regulations, regulate corporate investors and expand how housing dollars can be used to build affordable homes and rentals. It now heads back to the House, which passed a separate version earlier this year. It is unclear whether President Donald Trump would sign it after declaring last weekend that he won't sign any new measures unless Congress passes legislation that would require voters to show proof of citizenship.

Democratic candidates have notched a series of wins in recent special elections — but a new AP-NORC poll finds views of the Democratic Party among rank-and-file Democrats have not bounced back since President Donald Trump's victory in 2024. Democrats' favorability among the party's rank-and-file plummeted after the 2024 election. The latest measure of how Democrats view their party hasn't improved since then. The midterm elections are still many months away, and lackluster favorability doesn't spell electoral doom. Other factors could benefit Democrats this year, including broadly negative views of Trump and other Republicans. But the lack of enthusiasm could be a longer-term problem for the party.

The big story of the upcoming midterm elections will be the fight over which party will control the U.S. House of Representatives during the last half of President Donald Trump's second term in office. But there's a related issue that is potentially just as important — whether the Trump administration will try to interfere with the way the elections are held. Democrats point to a number of developments over the past year as warning signs. Trump has issued executive orders on voting and targeted groups that organize and fund Democratic campaigns. His Justice Department has sued mostly Democratic-controlled states for detailed voter information. And the administration has sent the military into Democratic-run cities.

Bomb threats to New Jersey polling stations, a voter roll mishap in Pennsylvania potentially affecting thousands of voters and warnings by President Donald Trump against California's mail balloting system is marking the final day of voting in an off-year election with several nationally prominent races. Voting otherwise appeared to be going smoothly Tuesday across the U.S., as voters cast ballots in the first significant election since Trump won the White House for a second time. Trump often warns of election rigging, and that was the case Tuesday when he posted to social media about voting in California's congressional redistricting measure. He said without providing evidence of any widespread problems that the process was "under very serious legal and criminal review."

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday signed into law a new congressional voting map designed to help Republicans gain more seats in the 2026 midterm elections, delivering a win for President Donald Trump and his desire to hold on to a slim GOP majority in the U.S. House. The Texas maps drafted in rare mid-decade redistricting have prompted a gerrymandering tug-of-war for voters with Democrats in states across the country. Outnumbered Democrats tried in vain to stop the Texas vote. At one point, they staged a two-week walkout. Democrats have vowed to challenge the new map in court.