The American Postal Workers Union is launching a national TV ad campaign promoting voting by mail. This comes as President Donald Trump has raised skepticism about mail-in ballots. He recently signed an executive order to put the Postal Service in the middle of election administration. The 30-second union ad features voters explaining why they vote by mail and will start airing in Ohio this week. The ad encourages voting by mail to be protected and expanded. Union President Jonathan Smith says postal workers should not be responsible for verifying voter eligibility, as would be required under Trump's order.

The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear arguments over a Mississippi law that allows counting late-arriving mail ballots after Election Day. The high court on Monday will hear from Republicans and Libertarians who sued the state, arguing that federal Election Day statutes envision a single day for casting ballots, which would mean that grace periods for receiving mail ballots aren't allowed. The practice is a frequent target of President Donald Trump and allies who argue it delays vote tallies and leads to suspicions about the results, even though there is no evidence of fraud in late-arriving ballots. Grace periods for all mail ballots are allowed in 14 states, with an additional 15 granting extra time for military and overseas ballots to arrive.

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.