CNBC reports: President Donald Trump, who has long bragged about his success and wealth, has dropped more than 100 spots on Forbes’ list of the wealthiest people in the United States. Trump’s net worth has dropped from $4.5 billion in 2015 to $3.1 billion in the last two years, Forbes reported. The magazine also said that the drop has knocked …

McClatchy reports: The National Rifle Association’s political spending is sharply down heading into the 2018 midterm elections, a shift that could reflect declining fundraising in the wake of a string of mass shootings and an FBI investigation into the group’s Russia ties. The politically potent gun advocacy group has this year spent one-tenth of what it had spent politically at …

CNN reports: Two pieces of mail delivered to the Pentagon mail facility on Monday have initially tested positive for ricin, according to a US defense official. The two suspicious envelopes were addressed to Secretary of Defense James Mattis and to Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral John Richardson, the official told CNN. The mail facility is in a separate building on …

Via press release from Twitter Rules: Distribution of hacked materials: Our rules prohibit the distribution of hacked material that contains private information or trade secrets, or could put people in harm’s way. We are also expanding the criteria for when we will take action on accounts which claim responsibility for a hack, which includes threats and public incentives to hack …

The Washington Post reports: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) doubled down Tuesday on his vow to hold a vote by the end of the week on the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, saying he was the victim of open “floodgates of mud and muck.” “One thing we know for sure: The Senate will vote on Judge …

The Washington Examiner reports: The national debt rose more than $1.2 trillion in the fiscal year that just concluded on Sept. 30, according to a government website that tracks the debt. The total national debt was $20.245 trillion on the last business day of fiscal year 2017. On the last business day of fiscal year 2018, which was Friday, Sept. …

The Hill reports: Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) on Tuesday vowed to stay involved in politics after he leaves the Senate in November, noting that he doesn’t yet know “at what level or in what way” but plans to remain committed. “I’m not leaving the Senate because I’m not tied to this institution or ‘pox on all your houses,'” Flake said …

Liberty University’s movie about “Christian prophet” Mark Taylor premieres tonight. Trailer below. Meanwhile, he has some thoughts about Hurricane Florence. Kyle Mantyla has the quote at Right Wing Watch: “I saw where North Carolina had done the voter fraud stuff for the machines, for this, that, and the other; they had caught it or something like that and they were …

“Here’s what I would tell the president: I would appeal the verdict of the Senate to the ballot box. This good man should not be destroyed. If you legitimize this process by one vote short, we’ll be on to the next person. I’d hate to be the next person nominated. I would feel horrible that we destroyed Kavanaugh. So what …

Courthouse News reports: A French atheist living in Massachusetts lost her court battle Friday to strike the phrase “so help me God” from the U.S. citizenship oath. Granting the government summary judgment, U.S. District Judge William Young found that nothing about how the oath is administered, or how it burdens challenger Olga Paul Perrier-Bilbo, amounts to a constitutional violation. Though …

“It is not about Brett Kavanaugh at this point, it is about punishing everyone who looks like Brett Kavanaugh. You might wonder what in the world this story, the Kavanaugh story has to do with race. Seemingly nothing. Everyone in it is the same color. But you’d be too literal if you have concluded that, you’d be missing the point. …

Politico reports: Three New Yorkers are suing in federal court to try to halt a test scheduled for Wednesday of a system that allows President Donald Trump or any future president to send alert messages to the cellphones of all Americans. The activists filed the suit last week in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, arguing that the system violates their …

The Harvard Crimson reports: Embattled Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh will not return to teach at Harvard Law School in January, according to an email administrators sent to Law students Monday evening. “Today, Judge Kavanaugh indicated that he can no longer commit to teaching his course in January Term 2019, so the course will not be offered,” Associate Dean …

The Wall Street Journal reports: President Trump personally directed an effort in February to stop Stormy Daniels from publicly describing an alleged sexual encounter with Mr. Trump, people familiar with the events say. In a phone call, Mr. Trump instructed his then-lawyer Michael Cohen to seek a restraining order against the former adult-film actress, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, …

Houston’s KHOU reports: A billboard truck with an old tweet from President Trump on it was spotted at Hermann Park Monday morning. The truck shows a tweet from then-candidate Donald Trump criticizing then-opponent Senator Ted Cruz during the 2016 presidential race. The truck is an advertisement purchased with funds raised by Antonio Arellano, a Houston-based activist and Latino community organizer …

The Washington Examiner reports: A new poll shows Republican challenger Rep. Kevin Cramer leading Sen. Heidi Heitkamp by a 10-point margin, with North Dakotans overwhelmingly in favor of confirming Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court. Losing a race in North Dakota would make it significantly more difficult for Democrats to retake the Senate. The poll, from Mason Dixon and …

CNBC reports: Amazon announced Tuesday it’s raising the minimum wage for all U.S. employees to $15, effective next month. The new minimum wage will benefit more than 250,000 Amazon employees — including part-time and temporary employees — as well as another 100,000 seasonal employees, the company said. Some employees who already make $15 per hour will also see a pay …

NBC News reports: The State Department on Monday began imposing a new policy that restricts visas for the same-sex partners of staff of U.S.-based international organizations, such as the United Nations, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. The State Department’s website on G-4 visas currently states: “Effective immediately, U.S. Embassies and Consulates will adjudicate visa applications that are …

Our pal Matt Baume is back with another look on the evolution of LGBT issues on television. His recap: When we think about gay characters on sitcoms, we usually picture people in big Northern cities. But season four of Designing Women features an unusual southern and conservative take on having queer friends. And it also set the stage for Ellen’s …

The Winston-Salem Journal reports: A federal judge ruled Sunday that a 2017 law replacing the controversial HB2 doesn’t prohibit transgender people from using restrooms and other public facilities that correspond to gender identity. U.S. District Judge Thomas D. Schroeder also allowed a legal challenge to go forward on one part of the new law, known as HB142. The challenge is …