The U.S. election might hinge on voters currently residing tens of thousands of miles away, according to new estimates from the Democratic Party – prompting a flurry of new efforts to mobilize voters abroad and, they hope, swing the election in Vice President Kamala Harris’ favor. 

According to the Democratic National Committee (DNC), an estimated 1.6 million U.S. voters living overseas are eligible to vote in one of seven swing states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania or Wisconsin. The states, which carry a combined total of 93 Electoral College votes, are considered to be crucial in deciding the next president in an increasingly tight race. 

Now, with Harris and former President Trump locked in a virtual dead heat just two weeks before Election Day, this bloc could carry more influence than ever. 

Democrats, for their part, are wasting little time in seizing upon what they see as a crucial demographic of U.S. voters overseas. 

Earlier this year, the DNC announced a $300,000 investment in the group ‘Democrats Abroad,’ aimed at helping mobilize U.S. voters overseas. 

The investment is a first-of-its-kind donation from the DNC during a presidential campaign cycle, a spokesperson told Fox News. 

It seeks to ramp up voter registration efforts by U.S. voters overseas, educate residents about registration and mail-in voting operations, and widely mobilize the population. They have also taken out ads on social media.

Voters living overseas do face additional challenges in casting their votes, which must be submitted – often by mail – to the state in which they are registered. 

U.S. voters abroad do historically vote at a much lower rate in national elections when compared to their counterparts on U.S. soil.

Additionally, 47% of military voters living abroad participated in the 2020 election but just 8% of non-military voters cast their ballots from overseas – a statistic Democrats are hoping to change.

In an email to Fox News, a spokesperson for the DNC noted that President Biden’s narrow 44,000-vote advantage in the battleground states of Arizona, Georgia and Wisconsin helped carry him to victory in 2020. 

Abroad voters had a notable difference in at least two of those states – Georgia and Arizona – and also played a key role two years later in the outcome of the close 2022 midterm races.

Now, as the race tightens even further in its final weeks, Democrats see this bloc as potentially offering Harris a winning edge.

‘This election will be won on the margins, and every single vote counts,’ DNC deputy communications director Abhi Rahman told Fox News in a statement.

The push comes as Republicans in at least three swing states have sought to crack down on overseas voting in the final sprint to Election Day. The Republican National Committee and state-level groups in Pennsylvania, Michigan and North Carolina have filed lawsuits this month seeking additional restrictions on a vetting and verification process they argue is devoid of proper safeguards.

Though federal law defers to individual states to establish their own election rules, the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act tasks the secretary of Defense with implementing the registration and voting for U.S. service members and government employees living abroad. 

As of this writing, two judges in Michigan and North Carolina rejected the lawsuits, which they said were devoid of evidence and risked disenfranchising voters. 

Democrats, for their part, have criticized the legal push as a last-minute effort by Republicans to restrict voter turnout from a demographic that has until recently been a fairly reliable bedrock of GOP support. 

‘We’re going to win this election by engaging every eligible voter, no matter where they live,’ Rahman told Fox News, adding that their investment ‘shows our commitment to leaving no stone left unturned.’ 

A House Democratic incumbent running in a tight race is touting his agreement with Republicans about President Biden’s responsibility on the border crisis.

Rep. Pat Ryan, D-N.Y., released a new ad his campaign called his ‘closing message’ emphasizing his willingness to break from his own party.

‘My first commander in the Army always said, ‘You’re not doing your job right if you don’t piss a few people off.’ I guess you could say I took his advice,’ Ryan began in the minute-long clip. 

‘Even my own party — when I stood with Republicans and demanded Biden take action to secure our border. It’s a mess. He needs to clean it up.’

He then accused Republicans, including his opponent Alison Esposito, of walking in lock-step with former President Donald Trump.

‘Their loyalty is to big donors and Trump. The only flag I pledge allegiance to is the one I wore on my shoulder in combat,’ Ryan said.

Esposito campaign manager Ben Weiner blasted Ryan in response, ‘Pat Ryan has been an open-border, pro-sanctuary proponent his entire career.’

‘This is a lame attempt from Pat Ryan to run away from his pro-illegal migrant record two weeks before an election. Pat Ryan is wrong on all the issues. He has voted against lifting the SALT Cap, supports the radical Green New Deal, and thinks New Yorkers will not recognize that he is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Hudson Valley voters know the real Sanctuary Pat and won’t be fooled,’ Weiner told Fox News Digital.

Weiner also pointed out that Ryan signed an order in 2019 as Ulster County executive stopping local agencies from cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Local reports from the time suggest Ryan did halt most cooperation of county employees with ICE, but the Mid Hudson News reported his order ‘avoids controversial ‘Sanctuary’ language,’ and the Daily Freeman reported it did not stop law enforcement from working with immigration agents investigating crimes.

New York’s 18th Congressional District includes part of New York City’s northern suburbs and is anchored by the city of Poughkeepsie. It also includes West Point Military Academy, Ryan’s own alma mater.

Republicans, whose 2022 House majority win was driven by victories in the Big Apple’s suburbs, have eyed Ryan’s seat as a prime pickup opportunity.

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates his seat D+2.

Esposito is a 25-year veteran of the New York Police Department (NYPD).

Her own campaign emphasized the border in a recent ad warning her district is ‘paying the price of an open border.’

‘DC politicians are funding illegal immigrants. Who’s fighting for us?’ she asked.

Her campaign also created a website using the ‘Sanctuary Pat’ label to point out Ryan taking softer stances on the border in the past.

But the issue has become a political lightening rod in this election.

What’s long been a hot-button issue for Republicans has now become a metric of moderation for Democrats who are working to appeal to middle-ground voters.

The paradigm shift shows the effects the border crisis has had on cities and towns throughout the country, with apprehensions between ports of entry at the U.S.-Mexico border hitting record levels under the Biden administration.

Vice President Kamala Harris criticized former President Trump’s proposal to eliminate income taxes on Social Security benefits during a campaign stop on Monday, citing a nonpartisan budget report that claimed Trump’s plan would ‘dramatically worsen Social Security’s finances.’

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB), a nonpartisan policy think tank, published a report Monday claiming Trump’s plans to ‘eliminate taxation of Social Security benefits, end taxes on tips and overtime, impose tariffs, and expand deportations would all widen Social Security’s cash deficits.’

‘What I think most of us know is that we have many, many seniors in our country, their Social Security check is their only form of income,’ Harris said during a campaign stop in Michigan Monday. ‘It’s everything and the only thing they have to live on: to pay rent, groceries, all of that. So we must protect Social Security.’

If elected, the policy think tank also found that Social Security’s cash shortfall could increase by $2.3 trillion through 2035. This change would push the program’s insolvency date up from 2034 to 2031, meaning the next president will need to deal with this issue sooner than expected. If these changes happen, people could face a 33% cut in their benefits by 2035, compared to a 23% cut projected earlier, the report noted.

Additionally, the annual shortfall is expected to rise by about 50% in 2035, going from 3.6% to 4% of payroll. To fix the long-term funding issues for Social Security, the report suggests there would either need to be benefit cuts by one-third or revenue increases of about 50%.

But a former Trump administration adviser who worked on Social Security policy told Fox News Digital in an interview that ‘what the Biden Harris folks are doing to mismanage the agency is bleeding money in over payments.’

‘And now sort of waving everyone’s over payment, as what [Commissioner Martin O’Malley] is doing, I think is a lot more reckless and doing a lot more harm to the trust fund than proposing even these ideas,’ the source said.

‘Obviously every candidate is going to be very afraid to touch it,’ he added. ‘But what I will also say, and I actually helped work on some of these, is that Trump did propose tens of billions of dollars in savings in the Social Security Program generally in his first two budgets. And he did that not by going after seniors, but he did that by trying to modernize disability. And you know, that doesn’t necessarily help the trust fund issue real largely, but it does help sort of fix the Disability Trust Fund and start to bring some of the finances under control a little bit.’

Harris later told CNN she believed Trump was ‘hostile’ toward the ‘notion and purpose of Social Security’ and that it would be ‘catastrophic’ if the SS trust fund was insolvent in the next few years.

Meanwhile, Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in an emailed response:

‘President Trump delivered on his promise to protect Social Security and Medicare in his first term, and President Trump will continue to strongly protect Social Security and Medicare in his second term. The only candidate who poses a threat to the solvency of Social Security is dangerously liberal Kamala Harris – whose mass invasion of millions of illegal aliens will, if they are allowed to stay, cause Social Security to buckle and collapse. By unleashing American energy, slashing job-killing regulations, and adopting pro-growth America First tax and trade policies, President Trump will quickly rebuild the greatest economy in history and put Social Security on a stronger footing for generations to come, all the while eliminating taxes on Social Security for America’s well-deserving seniors.’

The annual Social Security trustees’ report over the summer said the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) trust fund is on track to reach insolvency in 2033, at which point benefits would be cut by 21%.

The U.S. has an aging population, more than 67 million of whom receive Social Security benefits. And the older an American is, the more likely they are to vote, so many politicians shy away from discussing reforms of the program at all.

But if no reforms are made, the same Americans who receive Social Security benefits now – particularly those who rely on the benefits – face a significant threat to their income come 2033.

Fox Business’s Breck Dumas contributed to this report. 

: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin defended U.S. restrictions on long-range missiles in Ukraine and insisted the war-ravaged nation ‘absolutely’ can defeat Russia even without such capabilities in an interview with Fox News. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the U.S. earlier this month to present his ‘victory plan’ – a key provision of which was lifting restrictions on ATACMS and other U.S.-provided long-range missiles to strike military targets inside Russia. 

Ukraine claimed the long-range missiles could thwart Russia’s deadly glide bombs – and many U.S. lawmakers turned up the pressure on President Joe Biden to unleash the long-range missile capability. 

‘Isn’t this just extending the war by not giving them those permissions?’ Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin asked Austin. 

Austin said that Russia had already moved the aircraft it uses for glide bombs out of ATACM range – 300 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. 

‘I think they have the ability to continue to conduct long range strikes, and they will,’ Austin reasoned, ‘Ukraine has a lot of capability that we provided in terms of drones.’

‘They also have the ability to produce their own drones right now. They’re highly effective. As a matter of fact, we’ve seen them conduct attacks or operations that are some 400 kilometers beyond, beyond the border and even further.’

Austin insisted he and his military counterparts are working to develop a plan of action to implement Zelenskyy’s ‘victory plan.’ 

‘You know, we’ve said all along that Ukraine will be a part of NATO at some point in the future … We’re really developing an action plan … to support President Zelenskyy’s strategic plan.’ 

In the wide-ranging interview, Austin admitted that he is ‘of course’ concerned about the growing trend of isolationism in the U.S. 

‘We are a global power. We have interests all around the globe, and we’re going to need to continue to do what’s necessary to protect those interests,’ said Austin. 

‘There’s no question in my mind that if Putin is successful, he will continue to do what he’s done. And, of course, all of the Baltic states are very concerned about, about that they rightfully feel that they would be next on the menu.’

And as the conflict barrels toward the three-year mark in February, Austin said he believes Ukraine can win – and offered his definition of victory. 

‘Ukraine absolutely can win,’ said Austin.  ‘And we define winning as Ukraine being a sovereign state that can defend its territory and deter aggression in the future.’

The defense secretary did not define whether that meant Ukrainian territory should be defined by its pre-2022 borders, whether it should include the Crimea region Russia annexed in 2014 or whether Ukraine would give up territory Russia has captured in exchange for peace. 

As some Republicans grumble about the $100 billion worth of resources the U.S. has offered Ukraine, Austin insisted aid to Ukraine has not affected U.S. readiness – and provides jobs in the U.S. 

‘Every grenade that we take out of our inventory, that’s got to be replaced by something else. Either that type of munition or something better. Now, every time that we draw capability of our inventory and we replace it with something, and those munitions, those weapons are made in the United States of America. And that means good jobs for people, in a number of states in this country. And I think this is an investment that we actually benefit from.

‘We do not send cash over to Ukraine. We draw down equipment, whether it be vehicles or weapons or munitions, and replace those weapons or munitions with something that’s probably a little bit more modern and more effective.’

Austin’s comments come as Ukraine’s defense chief Kyrylo Budanov announced that some 11,000 North Korean troops are in Russia and will be ready to fight Ukraine by November 1. 

‘Our intelligence analysts are really looking hard at this,’ said Austin. ‘If this is true, this is very concerning, and if it is true, it speaks to the point that Putin must be weakened to a greater extent than most people think.’

South Korea’s spy agency said last week it had confirmed that North Korea sent 1,500 special operation forces to Russia this month. Both North Korea and Russia have denied the movements. 

Austin also responded to concerns that European NATO members are not paying their fair share of aid to Ukraine. 

‘They’re contributing a lot … I convene a group every month. It consists of 50 countries from around the world … And that group has together contributed some $51 billion of direct security assistance to Ukraine. Germany has committed $31 billion worth of security assistance. And I think that’s remarkable. And there are some smaller countries as a percentage of GDP that have contributed more than the United States.’ 

Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., blasted billionaire X and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, calling him a ‘dips—‘ during a rally in swing state Wisconsin on Tuesday with former President Barack Obama. 

‘I’m not going to waste all the time on him,’ Vice President Harris’ running mate told the crowd in Madison, Wisconsin.

‘I’m going to talk about his running mate,’ he said. ‘Elon Musk.’

The remark was met with laughs from attendees. 

‘Seriously? Where is Sen. Vance?’ Walz asked. 

‘Elon’s on that stage, jumping around, skipping like a dips— on these things,’ he said, likely referencing Musk’s appearance at a rally for former President Donald Trump. 

‘That guy is literally the richest man in the world, spending millions of dollars to help Donald Trump buy an election,’ the Minnesota governor told the crowd. 

According to Walz, Trump is ‘promising corruption’ in front of Americans, claiming he has promised to put Musk in charge of the regulatory bodies that oversee his businesses.

The Minnesota Democrat was seemingly referring to a report that Trump plans to create a government efficiency commission and tap Musk to run it, according to the Wall Street Journal. 

Trump reportedly said the commission would conduct ‘a complete financial and performance audit of the entire federal government.’

Musk has been increasingly involved in politics and the 2024 election in particular, working to help Republicans win races down ballot. The billionaire has spearheaded a voter turnout PAC, donated substantial amounts to other groups, and started a controversial million dollar giveaway to battleground voters, among other things.

‘Here’s the good news, Madison,’ Walz said on Tuesday. ‘Donald Trump is never going to be president. Elon Musk is never going to run anything.’

A small business owner who has successfully sold millions of infant sleepwear products tells Fox News Digital that her business was derailed by Biden administration actions cracking down on her product category, which she has called ‘anti-science.’ 

We had been successfully in business for more than 10 years when we first heard about any rumblings with the government,’ Manasi Gangan, owner of Nested Bean, told Fox News Digital about her infant sleepwear company. ‘We had sold more than 2 million products successfully to families across America and when we heard that the line of products were broadly categorized as unsafe, we couldn’t believe it.’

Gangan, an immigrant small business owner, told Fox News Digital that she started her ‘innovative line of sleepwear’ that ‘mimics a parent’s gentle touch’ after she had trouble getting her second child to sleep. 

‘All we’re trying to do is lend a helping hand to parents who much deserve the rest and sleep and we’ve been very successful in helping these parents get some good night’s rest,’ Gangan said. 

In May, Nested Bean’s products, along with similar products made by Dreamland Baby, were pulled from shelves at major retailers like Amazon and Target after a letter from the Consumer Product Safety Commission warning of potential dangers of the weighted sleepwear products. 

Gangan told Fox News Digital that the CPSC has not done the necessary due diligence. She said she’s done extensive safety research, commissioned a study that showed her weighted products did not hinder infant breathing, and that there has not been a single fatality associated with her product. 

‘They’re claiming that the product is not safe and we are again at a loss as to why, because in the 13 years that we have been developing and delivering these products, their safety has been our number one priority,’ Gangan said. ‘We established these products and this innovation into the industry after speaking with safety experts, after taking inspiration and advice from research, neonatal care research, and yet, when we shared this information with this commission, they refused to take heed and are claiming that these categories of products are not safe.’

Some lawmakers, including Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., have gone as far as promoting legislation to ban the category of sleepwear altogether, saying earlier this year, ‘The stakes are simply too high to allow weighted infant sleep sacks and swaddles to stay on the market without evidence that they are safe.’

When reached for comment, Blumenthal told Fox News Digital, ‘What concerns me most is that these companies may be putting children’s lives at risk. They’ve sold millions of units of products while marketing them as safe in the face of strong opposition from child safety experts.’

‘Parents and caretakers of newborns are notoriously hard-pressed for rest due to the intermittent sleep patterns of infants, and they need transparent information. Encouraging parents to use these products without clear evidence of their safety and against expert recommendations is dangerous and flat-out irresponsible.’

Gangan said she has shared information with Blumenthal’s office and met with his staff to show that her product is not hazardous, but that has ‘fallen on deaf ears’ in what she suggested could be a politically based effort to promote a message that Democrats are looking out for families. 

Intentionally, the senator is providing disinformation to his constituents based on a political agenda,’ Gangan said. ‘That’s the only thing that I can surmise, that it’s an election year.‘

Blumenthal’s office suggested they were open to looking at a ‘more comprehensive’ study from Nested Bean. 

Critics of the sleepwear company have cited a study from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) warning of potential dangers of weighted sleepwear products and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has claimed that multiple infant deaths have occurred due to weighted sleepwear products.

The AAP study, CBS News reported, did not test the products in question in real world conditions for extended periods and only tested weights on five babies for two minutes.

Gangan has argued that CPSC Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. has ‘inaccurately attributed multiple infant deaths’ and cited one coroner’s report in particular that didn’t mention Nested Bean or a weighted product and appears to be related to ‘a tragic combination of multiple proven-unsafe sleep practices.’

‘While associations like the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) have raised theoretical and hypothetical concerns regarding the potential dangers of added weight, there are no studies or incident data that show how, under what circumstances or under how much weight these potential dangers might manifest in weighted products on the market,’ Gangan wrote in a February letter to Trumka. ‘On the other hand, there are studies showing effective and safe use of weighted products in hospital settings with the most vulnerable of infants. Nested Bean and other companies are supporting independent studies that will be peer reviewed, to help develop a better understanding of the potential issues involved.’

Gangan told Fox News Digital she has met with every CPSC commissioner except Trumka, who she says ‘does not take meetings,’ and pleaded her case to no avail. 

‘We met with the chairman and other commissioners of the CPSC, shared our data research tests that we had successfully completed even before bringing out a single product into the market and since then, the tests that had been completed, to share how a safe product can be brought into the market, how innovation can be brought into the market, hoping to influence regulation, hoping to give data, facts, science to guide regulation,’ Gangan said. ‘And instead we were shocked that we were being shut down. So as recently as April of 2024. Despite our multiple attempts at sharing information, being open and honest, Commissioner Trumka wrote letters to retailers pressurizing them to stop the sales of our products and this has been based on no data or science. It’s an anti-science attempt to spread misinformation based on personal bias.’

A study published in Advances in Neonatal Care journal in 2020 concluded that ‘no adverse events’ occurred with babies sleeping under weighted blankets in 30-minute trial sessions.

In another letter to Trumka, Gangan wrote, ‘In April 2023, CPSC’s own internal Compliance staff completed an investigation of Nested Bean’s products, sending the company a closing letter stating that no further action was warranted.’

Trumka’s actions on the infant weighted sleepwear category have prompted pushback from the Republican-led House Small Business Committee, which echoed Gangan’s concern.

‘Commissioner Trumka failed to take ‘reasonable steps’ to meet the requirements of the statute before he disclosed the identities of the manufacturers of the weighted blankets,’ Committee Chair Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas, wrote in a July letter to the CPSC. ‘First, he failed to ensure that the information is accurate. Next, he made allegations without the information being backed up by scientific research.’

‘The Committee is concerned that a single CPSC Commissioner is exerting undue pressure on entities and forcing them to improperly remove small business’ products from their shelves to the detriment of those small businesses. Small businesses deserve a chance to fairly compete in the marketplace without undue influence from the federal government – whether that be through rulemaking or letters from a rogue CPSC Commissioner. America’s small businesses deserve to have their voices heard and considered.’

In a statement to Fox News Digital, the CPSC said, ‘Commissioner Trumka’s activities in this matter were conducted in his individual capacity as a member of the Commission, and not on behalf of the Commission itself.’

Gangan told Fox News Digital that starting her business was a pursuit of the ‘American Dream’ and the regulations from the government have crippled that dream and has her questioning the narrative that Democratic administrations support immigrant and minority businesses. 

America is the land of possibilities, that’s what the whole world knows America for, so when I came to this country, an immigrant just with a degree and a pocketful of dreams, did very well in my career, decided to take a chance and start this business to help more parents like myself and the values that I have stood for supporting women, supporting small businesses, supporting truth, supporting science data, have been significantly challenged by this action,’ Gangan said.

‘So on one hand, when we hear, ‘supporting immigrants, minorities, small businesses and standing for science’ and on the other hand, when the administration of the exact same party that I believed in is now threatening, my business, has been devastating for my business. I’m questioning my own beliefs right now. It has been devastating. We have lost 80% of our sales and it has stoked so much fear in our consumers that we are left sharing the same information that was never questioned by our customers before.’