Poll: Amid Kavanaugh Confirmation Battle, Democratic Enthusiasm Edge Evaporates  —  Just over a month away from critical elections across the country, the wide Democratic enthusiasm advantage that has defined the 2018 campaign up to this point has disappeared, according to a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll.

Signed, 650+ Law Professors (and Counting).  —  The following letter will be presented to the United States Senate on Oct. 4.  It will be updated as more signatures are received.  —  Judicial temperament is one of the most important qualities of a judge.  As the Congressional Research Service explains …

As FBI background check of Kavanaugh nears its end, probe appears to have been highly curtailed  —  The FBI background check of Brett M. Kavanaugh appeared to remain curtailed in its scope Wednesday even as agents neared the end of their work, opening up the possibility that the bureau …

If ‘Times’ is right, Trumps could face $400M state tax bill  —  The president is trustee to his parents' estates—which could put him in line to pay a bigger share  —  President Donald Trump and his siblings could owe New York state more than $400 million in unpaid taxes …

The F.B.I. Probe Ignored Testimonies from Former Classmates of Kavanaugh  —  Frustrated potential witnesses who have been unable to speak with the F.B.I agents conducting the investigation into sexual-assault allegations against Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh …

QAnoners Cheer Trump's Text Alert Test, See It as a Step Toward Martial Law  —  ‘That is how we will receive orders if all else fails.’  —  Phones across the country buzzed Wednesday afternoon for the first national test of FEMA's presidential-level emergency alert system.

My husband, Rand Paul, and our family have suffered intimidation and threats  —  Sen. Paul's injuries worse than first reported  —  Kelley Paul is the wife of Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky.  The opinions expressed in this commentary are hers.  —  (CNN)An open letter to Senator Cory Booker:

Federal judge temporarily blocks Trump administration from ending TPS  —  TPS: What is Temporary Protected Status?  —  (CNN)Hundreds of thousands of immigrants who feared they could soon be facing deportation got a reprieve Wednesday, when a federal judge in California temporarily blocked …

Russia collusion bombshell: DNC lawyers met with FBI on dossier before surveillance warrant  —  Congressional investigators have confirmed that a top FBI official met with Democratic Party lawyers to talk about allegations of Donald Trump-Russia collusion weeks before the 2016 election …

Brett Kavanaugh and the Limits of Social-Class Privilege for Conservatives  —  Why are Ivy League elites trashing the judge for college habits they shared?  Take a guess.  —  While the political class waits with bated breath for the conclusion of the seventh FBI investigation of Brett Kavanaugh …

Special counsel's office has radio interviews between Roger Stone and alleged WikiLeaks ‘back channel’  —  Stone associate testifies before grand jury  —  (CNN)Audio of radio interviews between longtime Trump ally Roger Stone and the radio host he claimed was his back channel …

The Cruelty Is the Point  —  The Museum of African-American History and Culture is in part a catalogue of cruelty.  Amid all the stories of perseverance, tragedy, and unlikely triumph, there are the artifacts of inhumanity and barbarism: the child-size slave shackles, the bright red robes …

House Rating Changes: Eight More GOP Seats Move Towards Democrats  —  Five weeks out, several personally popular Republicans who appeared to be defying the “blue wave” in Clinton-won districts are beginning to see their leads erode.  GOP Reps. Carlos Curbelo (FL-26), John Katko (NY-24) …

I stepped down as U.S. ambassador to Estonia.  Here's why.  —  James D. Melville Jr. is a former member of the U.S. Foreign Service who served as ambassador to Estonia from 2015 until his resignation in July.  —  When you serve as U.S. ambassador to a foreign capital, you represent your country, of course.

Erik Prince's Russian Connection Trawled Trumpland for ‘Boss’ Putin  —  In the days after the 2016 election, a well-connected Moscow executive started pitching Trump associates on a bold plan for renewed U.S.-Russian cooperation.  —  That now-infamous meeting in the Seychelles …

Fox News Poll: Republicans make gains in top Senate races  —  A new round of Fox News battleground polls shows a Republican trend in the fight for the U.S. Senate.  The GOP candidates are helped by increased interest in the election among Republicans and pro-Donald Trump sentiment.

BUSTED: University of Southern Maine offered 1-credit ‘pop-up’ course to harass Sen. Susan Collins  —  We all know that Sen. Susan Collins is a possible swing vote when it comes to the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, and the University of Southern Maine was busted …