There have been many fights in Congress over the nearly two years that Trump has been in office for his second term that either ended in partisan victory or gloriously fizzled out, but one has quietly gone onto the shelf despite his pressure on Republicans to do something about it.

And that fight is over allowing states to voluntarily observe Daylight Saving Time year-round to effectively do away with the twice-a-year ritual of changing clocks. It’s a popular issue with voters and the president, and there’s a bill that passed the House this summer to enact the change. But it’s a policy issue that has divided both sides of the aisle and ground to a halt in the upper chamber.

TRUMP URGES SENATE TO PASS BILL MAKING DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME PERMANENT AFTER OVERWHELMING HOUSE VOTE

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., has been one of the more vocal opponents of the bill, vowing to block any attempts to fast-track it on the floor. That resistance earned him a Truth Social post from Trump, who over the weekend shared his personal phone number in a bid to pressure the lawmaker to change his stance on Daylight Saving Time.

"Almost everybody wants "The Sunshine Protection Act" to pass, except for Tom Cotton," Trump said. "To the Great People of Arkansas, please let your Senator know it would be a GREAT Bipartisan WIN for the United States Senate, and for America, itself."

Cotton responded, and noted that Congress has tackled Daylight Saving Time before, only to roll back the change shortly after.

"No one likes changing the clock, me included, but Congress has enacted permanent Daylight Saving Time multiple times before and repealed it each time once Americans experienced absurdly late sunrises in the winter," Cotton said on X. "Arkansans don’t want their kids going to school in the pitch dark, and I’ll always put Arkansas first."

TRUMP FACES REPUBLICAN REBELLION OVER DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME AS SENATE BILL NEARS DEAD END

In the 1970s, lawmakers did enact year-round Daylight Saving Time. But Americans rapidly soured on the change, especially parents whose children had to wait in the dark for the school bus. It was repealed about a year later.

And Cotton recently answered an off-the-cuff question from a fellow Republican during their weekly closed-door policy lunches, a source told Fox News Digital, where he made a similar case as his response to Trump. No one pushed back during the meeting.

The issue of Daylight Saving Time, and supporting a permanent fix or sticking to the status quo is more geographical than political.

It’s, in part, mountainous and Western states versus coastal states. On one side of the spectrum are lawmakers like Sens. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Patty Murray, D-Wash., who introduced a Senate version of the bill last year.

"Every year, more Americans grow more frustrated setting their clocks back and forth, and every winter folks in Washington state despair at the prospect of losing an hour of precious sunlight when we are forced off Daylight Saving Time," Murray said in a statement at the time.

HOUSE PASSES DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME REFORM AS TRUMP SIGNALS SUPPORT FOR ENDING CLOCK CHANGE

While lawmakers in landlocked states out West, like Sens. Steve Daines, R-Mont., and Mike Rounds, R-S.D., warn that it would cause kids in their states to go to school in the dark.

"I can see where Florida likes it for tee times at certain times of the year, but it doesn’t work so well for moms and dads putting kids on buses when the sunrise in Western Montana wouldn’t be till 9:30 in the morning. It’s not going to work for us," Daines told CNN in July.

The most vital currency in the Senate is floor time. And lawmakers won’t have much floor time to spare when they return after the midterm elections in November. Though it’s popular, more pressing issues like the National Defense Authorization Act, supplemental funding for the war and a looming government funding battle will likely take precedence.

And Republican leaders acknowledge that it’s not as easy a simple yes-or-no vote for lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.

"Depends where you're living in the country and the impact — what it would be, in your own home state," Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said in July. "So it's not as simple as what one state might like."

"Chuck Gray has been a tremendous Secretary of State for the Great State of Wyoming, a place I love and WON BIG in 2016, 2020, and 2024!" the president declared in part of a Monday Truth Social post.

"Chuck Gray has my Complete and Total Endorsement to be the next U.S. Representative from Wyoming — HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!" Trump asserted.

TRUMP-ALIGNED CONSERVATIVE EMERGES FROM CROWDED PRIMARY TO DECIDE WHO FILLS WYOMING'S LONE HOUSE SEAT

Gray, who won the Wyoming GOP U.S. House primary in August, thanked the president on Monday for backing him.

"Thank you President Trump for your endorsement!" he declared in a post on X.

'AMERICA FIRST': WYOMING SECRETARY OF STATE CHUCK GRAY LAUNCHES HOUSE BID

"As President Trump said, I have a real track record of advancing the key priorities of the people of Wyoming, and I will continue that track record in Congress. Together, we will defend our Wyoming way of life!" Gray added.

GOP Rep. Harriet Hageman, the current occupant of the state's only U.S. House seat, is running for U.S. Senate.

WYOMING MAN KICKS MOUNTAIN LION IN THE FACE TO SAVE HIS DOG, THEN FIGHTS IT OFF BARE-HANDED

Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., is not running for a second six-year Senate term.

Federal prosecutors say a Frederick man has admitted to sexually exploiting a minor after using a fake identity on Instagram.

Twenty-one-year-old Gleybar Ramirez-Clemente pleaded guilty Monday to sexual exploitation of a child. According to court documents, he posed as a 16-year-old named Jefe and contacted a victim who was 15 and 16 at the time. He eventually persuaded the victim to send sexually explicit images, then threatened to expose her to people in the community.

Prosecutors say Ramirez-Clemente continued the threats and coerced the victim into sex acts that he recorded.

The case falls under Project Safe Childhood. He faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in federal prison.

By:  Dianah Gibson

Washington, California and Connecticut will all raise minimum wages that already top $17 an hour beginning Jan. 1, while New Jersey and Michigan will also hike their wage floors — widening the gap with the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour. 

Washington will lead the pack at $17.73 an hour, up 60 cents from its current $17.13 rate. Connecticut’s minimum wage will rise from $16.94 to $17.48, while California’s will climb from $16.90 to $17.40.

New Jersey will increase its minimum wage by 56 cents to $16.48 an hour for most workers, while Michigan is slated for one of the largest jumps, rising from $13.73 to $15 an hour.

AOC-BACKED $30 MINIMUM WAGE PLAN COULD BACKFIRE IN UNEXPECTED WAYS, EXPERTS WARN

The hikes come as several Republican-led states have also pushed their wage floors well above the federal rate, though they remain below the highest-paying blue states. Florida’s minimum wage reached $15 an hour on Sept. 30 and will remain there through the end of 2027, while Missouri is also at $15. Nebraska will increase its minimum wage from $15 to $15.26 on Jan. 1.

Washington’s statewide increase will come as Seattle pushes its own wage floor even higher. The city’s minimum wage is slated to rise to $22.14 an hour in 2027, nearly $4.50 above the new statewide rate.

Seattle’s wage requirements have also become a flashpoint in the debate over the costs facing local businesses. Beginning in 2025, all employers in the city, including small businesses, became subject to the same inflation-adjusted minimum wage. Some restaurant owners who later closed their businesses cited rising labor costs among the financial pressures they faced.

ECONOMIST WARNS THOUSANDS OF VIRGINIA JOBS AT RISK AFTER MINIMUM WAGE HIKE SIGNED BY SPANBERGER

Washington’s minimum wage is tied to inflation under state law, with the wage floor recalculated each year rather than requiring lawmakers to approve a new increase.

Washington voters approved a measure in 1998 that raised the minimum wage and, beginning in 2001, tied future increases to inflation.

Voters approved another measure in 2016 that set wage increases through 2020. Since 2021, the minimum wage has again risen annually with inflation, with the goal of keeping workers’ pay in step with rising prices.

Each September, the Washington Department of Labor & Industries calculates the following year’s rate based on changes in the CPI-W. The new rate is announced Sept. 30 and takes effect Jan. 1.

"Democrats appear to be doing everything they can to make the business climate in Washington more untenable," Seattle Red host and conservative commentator Jason Rantz told Fox News Digital.

DOWNTOWN SEATTLE LOST 30,000 JOBS, BILLIONS IN OFFICE VALUE SINCE 2020 PAYROLL TAX: NEW REPORT FINDS

"It’s not just the high cost of labor — Seattle is now going to be over $22 an hour — but it’s the high crime, open-air drug use, new income tax that targets pass-through businesses, and over regulation that make operating businesses more difficult than it should be," Rantz said.

"Our unemployment rate is higher than the national average and we’re losing tech jobs left and right," he added. "Democrats have no answers. They’re just making their problems worse."

The wage hike comes as Washington’s unemployment rate reached 4.9% in August, above the 4.1% national rate and up from 4.6% a year earlier, according to the state Employment Security Department.

Washington also lost an estimated 900 jobs that month, including 2,300 information-sector positions, while professional and business services employment was down 13,100 jobs from a year earlier.

Angela Rosen, who founded Penelope and the Beauty Bar and operates three Seattle spas, told Rantz that her therapists already make more than minimum wage, but said higher labor costs have squeezed support positions instead.

"I had to cut my front desk," Rosen told The Jason Rantz Show, according to Seattle Red. Rantz reported that the move eliminated 12 shifts per week across two smaller locations.

That is how Reagan Fiser, a local bartender who has worked in Oxford nightlife for nearly seven years, describes the sheer volume of underage Ole Miss students slipping into bars around "The Square."

It's a bustling college town watering hole hub packed with historic storefronts, crowded balconies, and high-volume drinking establishments just a mile away from the University of Mississippi's campus.

An extensive investigation by Fox News Digital, backed by interviews with more than 30 students, bartenders, and venue employees, reveals an environment where underage drinking thrives around The Square, with students and nightlife workers describing fake IDs, ID sharing and other low-tech methods used to skirt age restrictions.

OXFORD MAYOR WARNS KRATOM IS 'ROLLING THE DICE ON DEATH' AS FEARS LINGER OVER OLE MISS DEATHS

Oxford Mayor Robyn Tannehill and Police Chief Jeff McCutchen, responding to Fox News Digital's reporting, said the city takes underage drinking, fraudulent identification, illegal drug use and the safety of students, residents and visitors seriously.

"We are not suggesting that underage drinking, fake identification, illegal drugs or other safety concerns do not exist in Oxford. Our own enforcement numbers demonstrate that these challenges are real," Tannehill said in a joint statement with McCutchen.

Those numbers include 759 false identification cards confiscated, 378 alcohol-possession-by-a-minor violations, and 98 fake-ID citations during the calendar-year reporting period, according to Oxford Police.

Underage drinking in Oxford is neither hidden nor isolated.

One sophomore student verified that getting a fake ID comes down to basic word-of-mouth networking, emphasizing that the culture spans the entire campus: "I think it's everyone, it's everyone... like every student no matter if you're in a sorority or fraternity."

POLICE NEAR OLE MISS RESPOND TO SUSPECTED OVERDOSE, SAY 'NOT STUDENT-RELATED'

"Depending on what year you are, depends on what bar you go to," another female freshman explained.

Fiser identified certain bars as "upperclassmen bars" catering to older crowds, while venues operating under Mississippi's 18-plus model— serve as magnets for younger students, she said.

THE FRAT OMERTÀ: WHISTLEBLOWER WARNS OF ‘CODE OF SILENCE’ AFTER OLE MISS DEATHS, ALLEGED PENN STATE COKE RING

While venues mark minors with stamps and patrons older than 21 with wristbands, industry insiders said enforcement collapses in crowded rooms.

One bartender mentioned an establishment that serves under-21 crowds "all the time."

Fiser added that cheap drink promotions at 18-plus venues create a volatile mix: "Their whole concept is like cheap drinks... That feels a little sticky."

Getting past door security rarely requires complex methods; patrons routinely rely on simple hand-offs and ID sharing in line.

"I've heard stories of people passing around the same fake, just... back to the person behind them, and it working because people don't pay attention," Fiser told Fox News Digital. "And a lot of people don't [try to hide it] because they know they'll get away with it."

Local bouncer Haj Bah confirmed catching ID-sharers in real time outside the bar where he works, denying entry to three underage patrons Friday evening — including a pair caught sharing an ID in line.

It all happened just moments before his interview with Fox News Digital.

VAPE STORE CLERKS NEAR OLE MISS CAMPUS JAILED, FACING DRUG CHARGES

A security officer outside flagged a patron handing an ID to another person waiting behind him.

"As soon as they came up I said, 'No.' And for that person who passed the ID over, we asked that person to leave too," Bah said.

He went on to say, "giving that fake ID is the same as a bartender giving alcohol to the child. In my eyes, that is the same thing."

While bouncers work to intercept hand-offs, freshman student Drew Ferra noted "how easy" it can be to get served under 21, but argued that venue owners shouldn't bear full blame when patrons present "fakes."

OLE MISS TOXICOLOGY REPORTS EXPECTED SOON AND RESULTS MAY TRIGGER ANTI-FENTANYL LAW, OFFICIAL SAYS

"The bars here are very strict, but if you have a fake ID, I feel like you can’t blame the bar," Ferra said. "You’re presenting them something that proves you’re 21. In my opinion, should you do it? No. It’s gonna happen though, right?"

Meanwhile, some long-standing Oxford establishments were praised by sources for aggressive vetting.

"Their bouncers are very trained on what to look for," Fiser noted. "There is a reason why I feel like those places have lasted."

TWO OLE MISS STUDENTS FOUND DEAD AS PACKAGED KRATOM IS RECOVERED AT TWO SITES: OFFICIALS

Send me a story idea: kelsie.cairns@fox.com

Instagram: kelsiecairns_tv

Facebook: Kelsie Cairns

Fox News Digital's investigation also found concerns about illicit drug use extend beyond The Square and into campus Greek life.

FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X

Three students, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Fox News Digital they had witnessed cocaine use at fraternity houses and parties.

SIGN UP TO GET THE LATEST TRUE CRIME NEWS

One bartender interviewed by Fox News Digital separately corroborated the students' accounts, saying illicit drug use at fraternity houses can spill over into the late-night bar scene.

Following Fox News Digital’s investigation, Mayor Tannehill and Chief McCutchen issued a joint statement addressing safety concerns, alcohol enforcement, and fake IDs on The Square.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FROM THE FOX TRUE CRIME HUB

"We take concerns involving underage drinking, fraudulent identification, illegal drug use, drink tampering and the safety of our students, residents and visitors seriously," Tannehill said.

SEND US A TIP

She went on to say, "We are not suggesting that underage drinking, fake identification, illegal drugs or other safety concerns do not exist in Oxford. Our own enforcement numbers demonstrate that these challenges are real."

GOT A TIP?

McCutchen said that over the calendar-year reporting period, Oxford Police reported:

LISTEN TO THE NEW 'CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO' PODCAST

"Our responsibility is to evaluate concerns based on reported incidents, current trends, investigations, enforcement activity and the evidence available to us," McCutchen said.

GET BREAKING NEWS BY EMAIL

READ: Full official statement from Oxford's mayor and police department:

Fox News Digital reached out to the University of Mississippi, Ole Miss's Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, and various bars for comment.

The philosophy is reflected in Burger King's more recent "You Rule" slogan — and in how the company approaches hospitality inside its restaurants.

"We're certainly encouraging our restaurants to bring that conversation to the forefront," Joel Yashinsky, Burger King's chief marketing officer, told Fox News Digital. "We really want to make that real."

AMERICA'S FAVORITE FAST-FOOD CHAIN NAMED: MCDONALD'S WINS HEARTS BUT NOT BEST BURGER, SURVEY SAYS

That means working with franchise operators "to really think about how we can communicate very clearly to the guests that they do rule," Yashinsky said.

But those interactions can't feel forced, he added.

"It has to be authentic," he said. "We can't force it, but we are trying to, obviously, encourage that type of engagement to take place because we are truly trying to live it and mean it."

KFC UNVEILS RADICALLY DIFFERENT RESTAURANT IN MAJOR COMEBACK PUSH

The "You Rule" slogan was introduced in 2022. The newest catchphrase, "There's a New King and It's You," was introduced earlier this year.

Burger King leadership has been talking with general managers about how to make that philosophy a "natural engagement" with guests, Yashinsky said.

"The guest does rule," he said, "and we need to make sure that we acknowledge that."

Burger King isn't the only fast-food chain to make a signature interaction with customers part of its approach to hospitality.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER

Chick-fil-A has become known for employees responding to customers with "my pleasure," a phrase closely associated with the chain's approach to customer service.

At Burger King, part of instilling its own hospitality philosophy begins with employee training.

Burger King employees are required to attend "Burger King University," which once had a physical campus at the chain's Miami headquarters, according to the Miami Herald. Today, however, the instructional program is solely online.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE NEWS

An emphasis is placed on being hospitable, Yashinsky said.

"If we can give an authentic greeting and a welcome and a smile, it goes a long way," he said.

Making guests feel like they rule, however, doesn't mean employees can fulfill every request, including restrictions on when certain menu items can be sold.

TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ

Burger King's breakfast menu features items like the Croissan'wich and hash browns, but guests who arrive too late might not be able to order them.

"We technically are not allowed to serve anything in any capacity that is not brand approved," someone claiming to be an employee said in a Reddit post about why ham couldn't be added to lunch or dinner items.

Breakfast hours vary by location, but the industry standard is 10:30 a.m. for the changeover to lunch, USA Today reported.

The platform, known as Alaj — Persian for "remedy" or "cure" — asks users to provide information on people overseas whom it accuses of acting against Iran’s national interests or security. Iran International reported that tips could be submitted through the Alaj website, a Telegram bot and Iran’s Bale messaging service. The outlet reported that Iranian state television and the Revolutionary Guard-affiliated Fars News Agency also promoted the initiative.

An Iranian official source confirmed to Fox News Digital that Alaj and the Telegram chatbot were established as a new system through which certain individuals could report information about Iranians living abroad. The source said the website was subsequently taken down after the project drew significant criticism inside Iran.

IRAN ALLEGEDLY USED SOCCER CLUBS TO SPY ON CITIZENS, OPPOSITION GROUP URGES FIFA BAN REGIME BEFORE WORLD CUP

The website did go offline shortly after its public rollout, although the reason for its suspension remains disputed.

Iran International reported that Alaj claimed to have identified and monitored 1,600 people, including roughly 600 identified through reports submitted by members of the public. Those numbers have not been independently verified. The platform published names and photographs of Iranians abroad and, in some cases, national identification numbers, dates of birth and fathers’ names, according to the outlet.

For Iranian-American journalist and foreign policy analyst Lisa Daftari, the most consequential element is not simply that Tehran is collecting information, but that it is asking Iranians to report on one another.

"Even if it's just the perception that other Iranians can report you or can get you in trouble or that this app exists, it makes a lot of people fearful," Daftari told Fox News Digital. "You'll think twice before going to that next protest."

'KEEP A LOW PROFILE': STATE DEPARTMENT WARNS AMERICANS OVERSEAS THEY COULD BE TARGETED

Daftari said the fear is particularly acute for members of the Iranian diaspora who still have relatives inside the country.

"Now your face could be captured, you can get in trouble," she said. "If you have family in Iran, they can get into trouble."

Daftari described the approach as a digital extension of a much older system of control, arguing that Iran’s clerical establishment has spent decades creating uncertainty over whether neighbors, colleagues or acquaintances might report one another to authorities.

"Now the regime wants to take this show on the road and do that here, here in the West," Daftari said. "They want to intimidate people. And it works."

SECRET SERVICE AWARE OF IRANIAN VIDEO THREAT TARGETING BARRON TRUMP, AGENCY SAYS

Daftari said she has experienced that intimidation personally for years. "I've been followed, I've been hacked multiple times, I have been approached in person in L.A., in New York, even at the airport," she told Fox News Digital.

She said that after one major hacking incident compromised her social media accounts as well as her personal and professional email, she was contacted by her local FBI office and began working closely with agents.

Daftari said hackers also obtained private photographs of her in a bikini while she was on vacation and sent them to her husband. "The message they want to send is very clear, that we know where you are, we can reach you," she said. "And obviously the point is to intimidate and silence those who speak out, who report, who speak the truth and talk about all the crimes of this regime."

She said the effects extend beyond prominent journalists or activists. Years ago, while filming at a Los Angeles cafe where Iranian Americans were watching a World Cup game, Daftari said she saw people attempting to hide their faces from the camera out of fear that footage could reach Iran and expose relatives there to retaliation.

The calculation, she said, illustrates why a system such as Alaj can have an impact even if a target never knows whether information about them has actually been submitted.

IRAN’S PROXY WAR HAS CROSSED OCEANS AND IS NOW KNOCKING ON AMERICA’S DOOR

The threat has also changed Daftari’s own behavior.

She recalled being unable to stop thinking about security when the location of her father’s memorial service had to be announced publicly after his death. Daftari said she routinely considers where she parks, what details she shares online and security vulnerabilities at places she visits. "It does silence a lot of people and it does change the freedom by which we think we can operate here in the United States where we believe we have full freedom," Daftari said.

"Their intimidation works," she added. "It works to a certain extent on each individual."

Daftari said the broader campaign should also shape how Americans understand the confrontation with Tehran, arguing that the threat extends beyond Iran’s nuclear program.

"It's not just about nuclear weapons, it's about a deadly ideology that has made its way here to U.S. soil," she said. "We have to understand that."

Attorneys for ActBlue sent a letter to the House of Representatives on Monday announcing it is launching a new "passport verification program" as part of its "ongoing investment in the security of contributions processed from donors located abroad."

House Republicans have for years accused ActBlue of having insufficient verification standards for weeding out illegitimate campaign donations.

The platform has long been used by a myriad of Democrats to raise money for their political campaigns, including Democratic leaders in the House and Senate. ActBlue said it paused donations from Americans abroad in 2025, however. 

REPUBLICANS ZERO IN ON KEY PLAYER ACCUSED OF HELPING DEMOCRAT FUNDRAISING GIANT HIDE FOREIGN CASH

ActBlue has consistently denied wrongdoing in responses to Fox News Digital and communications to House investigators. Ten top figures within the company, including executives and founders, have pleaded the Fifth Amendment to avoid answering questions in both public and private sitdowns with GOP-led committees.

ANOTHER ACTBLUE LEADER PLEADS FIFTH AS HOUSE INVESTIGATES ALLEGED FOREIGN DONATIONS

But a new report released earlier this month, first reported by Fox News Digital, appears to show employees green-lighting donations despite some questions about where they came from.

Chief among the GOP's concerns is ActBlue's passport number verification. According to the report, the field only required the correct number of characters for a U.S. passport number rather than a valid code for a donation to be accepted.

GOP LAWMAKER WARNS ACTBLUE 'GOT CAUGHT' AS FOREIGN CASH PROBE TRIGGERS FIFTH AMENDMENT PLEAS

But the Monday letter said ActBlue's new program "adds passport-based identity verification as a further enhancement to ActBlue’s multi-layered approach to fraud and foreign-contribution prevention."

"In doing so, it also enables U.S. citizens located abroad—who have been unable to contribute on the ActBlue platform since 2025—to resume participating in the political process by supporting the candidates and causes of their choice," the letter said. "The new program uses the best available technology to allow eligible donors located abroad to verify their identity using a valid U.S. passport. It reflects substantial engineering investments by ActBlue to ensure that, as it resumes processing contributions from foreign addresses, its compliance systems can withstand scrutiny."

Committee on House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil, R-Wis., said it amounted to a confession.

"This decision to implement a NEW passport verification program only confirms what we've been saying: ActBlue failed to verify the citizenship of individuals who made donations from abroad. That's unacceptable," Steil told Fox News Digital. "This new policy should have been in place on day one. Right now, far too many questions remain unanswered, including what percentage of the billions of dollars that have flowed through ActBlue came from illegal foreign sources. Chairman Jordan, Chairman Comer, and I will continue to seek answers for the American people."

ACTBLUE SCRUTINY FUELS NEW GOP BILLS TO TIGHTEN ELECTION DONATION RULES

The probe is being co-led by his panel as well as House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky.

A spokesperson for Jordan told Fox News Digital, "This action confirms that the platform's fraud prevention measures were not as robust as [ActBlue CEO Regina Wallace-Jones] told Congress. We will continue to demand answers."

The GOP's earlier report cited a letter by Wallace-Jones to Steil, which maintained that donations on the platform made by people with addresses outside the U.S. required a passport number for verification.

But the Republicans' report alleged that the verification "only ensures that the entered passport number contains a certain number of characters, not that it is a valid U.S. passport number," rendering it an essentially meaningless step.

ActBlue told Fox News Digital in response to the report at the time, "There’s nothing to see here. After we released findings of a third-party forensic analysis that completely undermined a central claim that they have made against ActBlue, Republicans are refusing to move on."

"Instead, they are orchestrating another political stunt before rushing out of town weeks early to go campaign. This coordinated campaign against ActBlue isn’t about the facts, or legislating, it’s about Republicans’ efforts to silence organizations they believe threaten their agenda," the platform said.

A spokesperson for ActBlue pointed Fox News Digital to a blog post announcing the update when reached for comment.

"In 2025, amid unprecedented attacks from President Trump and his allies, our organization took the proactive step of temporarily suspending all contributions from outside the United States," the statement said. "ActBlue has now further enhanced its verification process to allow eligible Americans with a U.S. Passport who are located abroad to participate through the platform while maintaining the robust security and compliance standards that donors, campaign, and the public expect." 

It also said ActBlue "accurately described" its vetting process to Congress.

But beneath that confidence are three variables that could determine whether the Democratic advantage becomes a wave — or breaks before Election Day: a potential polling undercount of Republicans, persistent voter skepticism of the Democratic brand, and the GOP’s financial firepower advantage.

Schumer, speaking to reporters last week as the Senate adjourned until after Election Day, predicted that Democrats are "on the edge of taking back the Senate."

After nearly two years of President Donald Trump back in the White House and Republican control of the Senate and the House, Schumer emphasized, "Americans are frustrated with higher costs and a government they don’t believe is working for them."

AI IS SUPERCHARGING THE CAMPAIGN AD WARS, BUT VIRAL DOESN'T MEAN VICTORIOUS

The GOP is fighting political history, which has traditionally seen the party in power in Washington lose congressional seats during midterm election years. Add to that a challenging political climate fueled by persistent inflation Americans see at the grocery store, high gas prices tied to what polls show is an unpopular war with Iran, and Trump's negative approval ratings.

The latest polls indicate Democrats holding an advantage over Republicans in the battle for Congress and that they are more enthusiastic to vote in the midterms.

But Trump predicts that Republicans will perform much better in the midterms than critics and pollsters expect.

"I think we’re going to have a big surprise, because they don’t know what’s happening," the president told supporters at a rally Saturday night in Ohio, as he referred to Democrats.

Here's a closer look at the three variables.

Republicans control the Senate 53-47, which means Democrats need a net gain of four seats to win back the majority. But with one month to go until Election Day, Democrats are treading deeper and deeper into red territory as Republicans stay mostly on defense.

The latest Fox News polls indicate margin of error races in Michigan, a must hold for the Democrats, and in Texas, Maine and Iowa, three seats the party is working to flip to win the majority. An average of the latest surveys also points to very close contests in Alaska, Ohio, and Kansas, where the Democrats are playing offense, and Minnesota, a leading flip opportunity for the GOP.

WHO'S UP AND WHO'S DOWN IN THE LATEST FOX NEWS MIDTERM POWER RANKINGS

But what if the polls are off?

"Polls considerably underestimated Donald Trump and other Republicans on the ticket with him in 2016, 2020, and, to a slightly lesser extent, in 2024," polling guru, political analyst and statistician Nate Silver noted this past weekend.

But Silver added that polls in the previous two Trump-era midterms, 2018 and 2022, were essentially unbiased.

Fast-forward to this cycle, and polls in some high-profile Democratic primaries were off the mark. Among the miscues this summer, overestimating Abdul El-Sayed's narrow victory in Michigan's Senate showdown, and underestimating victories by Lt. Gov Peggy Flanagan in Minnesota's Senate primary, state Rep. Angie Nixon's win in Florida's Senate contest, and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley's upset victory to capture the Wisconsin gubernatorial nomination.

Coverage of the miscues grabbed widespread media attention and sparked fresh criticism of public opinion polling.

DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB

If the surveys are overestimating Democratic turnout and underestimating Republican enthusiasm, even a modest polling miss could reshape several of the close Senate contests.

"I don't think any Democrat is over optimistic after...2024. We all understand that anything can happen in the closing days, and we're preparing for that," longtime New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley told Fox News Digital.

Trump's approval ratings remain well underwater, as do favorable ratings for the GOP.

But surveys indicate the Democrats' brand is nothing to brag about.

The Democrats' favorable rating hovered in negative territory in the most recent Fox News national poll, at 44%-55%. And it was even lower in the latest Wall Street Journal national survey, at 38% favorable and 58% unfavorable.

"I think just because Americans are outraged because of how Republicans have failed them and made their life more expensive doesn't automatically mean that they're going to embrace and trust Democrats," former Biden administration Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told Fox News Digital on Saturday.

Buttigieg, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate who is considering another White House run in 2028, said it's crucial Democrats "make sure that our candidates get out there, make it very clear who they are, what they're about, and what we would do differently."

Making life even tougher for the Democrats: the victories by left-wing and socialist-aligned candidates over more moderate contenders in the party's primaries, which gave the GOP more messaging ammunition to portray all Democrats on the ballot this year as radicals.

SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER

That's the case in Michigan, Minnesota and Florida, where El-Sayed, Flanagan and Nixon all defeated establishment-backed rivals.

Meanwhile, in Texas, a trail of controversial past comments by Talarico is handing the GOP more firepower.

But Democrats in all four of these Senate showdowns are returning fire by anchoring the Republicans on the ballot to Trump.

In the latest Fox News poll in Texas, 53% of those questioned said they were extremely or very concerned that Talarico is too liberal. But a near equal amount, 51%, said they were extremely or very concerned that Paxton is too close to Trump.

Republicans are winning the ad wars, thanks to a major money advantage. Boosted by massive cash infusions from the Trump-aligned MAGA Inc. and other leading Republican groups and donors, the GOP is outspending the Democrats in all of the crucial Senate showdowns.

That includes a roughly $70 million advantage in Ohio and nearly $30 million in Maine and Texas, three top targets for the Democrats, according to figures from AdImpact, a top ad-tracking firm. The GOP's outspending the Democrats by approximately $25 million in Michigan, which Republicans are aiming to flip.

Republicans are also outspending Democrats in swing state New Hampshire, in the battle to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen.

"The amount of money being spent is enormous," Buckley told Fox News Digital, as he pointed to all the Republican-aligned ads flooding the small state.

But Buckley said Democrats have organizing and enthusiasm advantages.

"We might not be as competitive as we'd like on television, but we're certainly competitive knocking on the doors. We've got the energy out there. The voters are excited. You saw that with the turnout in the primaries throughout the country," he said.

Others would point to August 4, 1987, as the beginning of the revolution, the date the Federal Communications Commission repealed the "Fairness Doctrine" by a vote of 4-0 under FCC Chairman Dennis R. Patrick’s leadership.

Still others would point to August 1, 1988, when Rush Limbaugh launched his program on ABC Radio Networks and began broadcasting over his then 50 affiliates. "Rush built the mall," I tell most audiences interested in the birth of conservative talk radio. "Mike Gallagher, Larry Elder, Mark Levin…we just have stores inside that mall."

RUSH LIMBAUGH’S PATRIOTIC LEGACY RETURNS AHEAD OF AMERICA’S 250TH BIRTHDAY TO TEACH KIDS TRUE HISTORY

Rush provided "proof of concept" to AM station owners and a demand signal to all of media that half of America was not just under-served but actually unwelcomed. The market responded. Brian Kilmeade, Guy Benson and many others on the Fox Radio Network are part of the ever-expanding news universe on the center-right.

"The good bulk of the press in this country was monolithic — liberal to varying degrees," Fox News founder Rupert Murdoch commented on the tenth anniversary of the launch of Fox News in 2006. This was an echo from what he had said at the actual launch ten years ago: "Frankly, all the others look alike. We will be an alternative."

JUAN WILLIAMS: MY WIFE THOUGHT I WAS CRAZY TO JOIN FOX NEWS. I'M GLAD I DID

Of course, the success of the network and the brand has been phenomenal. What Rush Limbaugh did for radio, Rupert Murdoch did for cable news: Prove the concept that there was an enormous, unmet demand in consumers of news in America for center, center-right and conservative news. As with Limbaugh, so with Murdoch: Great success followed by others entering the lists with the same basic model.

Even a cursory glance at cable news ratings screams out that Murdoch was right and perhaps right far beyond what anyone suspected. Fox News doesn’t merely dominate the ratings, it crushes them. Through three decades of rising to and remaining on top, the formula has been the same: Put professionals on the air who reflect what patriotic and America-loving portions of the news-consuming public believe and ask them to present the news in a fair, measured way through the start of prime time.

Always be reasonable. Always be open to other views. Use light humor and sly derision by all means, but even the "opinion hosts" work to "stay within the 20s" even as daytime stays firmly "within the 40s."

Counter-factuals are never very productive, so spare yourself the time you would waste imagining a world in which Fox News had not been launched and thrived. It would be — even its worst critics should admit this — so much less interesting, so much more grey than had legacy news been left to its own devices, pumping out the same-old same-old over the past 30 years. 

Having carved out for itself a formidable Gibraltar of a fortress for its brand, it is unlikely that Fox News will be displaced from the top of cable news specifically, and indeed increasingly "the news" generally for years to come. 

What we see now are the first, tentative steps of legacy media to consciously try and shrug off the reputation for bias it built for itself since the Vietnam War turned legacy media into a vast swamp of advocacy journalism.

FOX NEWS MEDIA TOPS YOUTUBE FOR EIGHTH STRAIGHT QUARTER WITH 918 MILLION VIEWS

That’s a huge mountain to climb, especially as so many previous attempts have failed. Like universities that hire a visiting professor with glowing credentials on the right for a year or two of appointment as a "Visiting Scholar," the underlying institution is looking for camouflage not a genuine commitment to the ideas it has long locked out of its halls.

30 years down the road, the country will again check in and see that "journalism" remains a craft, not a profession, and the best craftsmen are fully aware of the world around them, not blinkered to half or more of the news horizon.