Coordinated push of conspiracy theories target Biden hours before debate  —  A conspiracy theory that Joe Biden would wear an electronic device in his ear during the first presidential debate went wildly viral Tuesday in the hours before the debate, and the theory was later amplified …

Intel chief releases Russian disinfo on Hillary Clinton that was rejected by bipartisan Senate panel  —  Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe on Tuesday declassified a Russian intelligence assessment that was previously rejected by Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee …

Judge Barrett represented Iranian exile group in fight to end terrorist designation  —  Amy Coney Barrett, President Trump's nominee to join the Supreme Court, once represented an affiliate of an Iranian exile group as it challenged its State Department designation as a foreign terrorist organization.

Hospitalized Brad Parscale 'is under investigation for stealing up to $40million from Trump's campaign and $10million from the RNC', as he spirals out of control over White House ‘gravy train’ ending and mounting debt  — Brad Parscale is under investigation for ‘stealing’ between $25-$40 million …

Schumer Refuses to Meet With Amy Coney Barrett, Calls Process ‘Illegitimate’  —  BARRETT, SPURNED  —  Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said he doesn't plan to meet with Amy Coney Barrett, Trump's Supreme Court nominee officially announced Saturday.

Early surge of Democratic mail voting sparks worry inside GOP  —  Democratic voters who have requested mail ballots — and returned them — greatly outnumber Republicans so far in key battleground states, causing alarm among GOP party leaders and strategists that President Trump's attacks …

ICE preparing targeted arrests in sanctuary cities, amplifying president's campaign theme  —  The Trump administration is preparing an immigration enforcement blitz next month that would target arrests in U.S. cities and jurisdictions that have adopted “sanctuary” policies …

Ohio State Professor Apologizes for ‘Hurt, Sadness, Frustration, Fatigue, Exhaustion and Pain’ Caused By Pro-Football Article  —  Matthew Mayhew is sorry.  Very, very sorry.  —  “I am sorry for the hurt, sadness, frustration, fatigue, exhaustion and pain this article has caused anyone …

Trump Secretly Mocks His Christian Supporters  —  One day in 2015, Donald Trump beckoned Michael Cohen, his longtime confidant and personal attorney, into his office.  Trump was brandishing a printout of an article about an Atlanta-based megachurch pastor trying to raise $60 million from his flock to buy a private jet.

Electoral College Rating Changes: Ohio and Iowa Move to Toss Up  —  In mid-June, we moved both Iowa and Ohio from Likely Republican to Lean Republican.  At the time, we noted that while the polls were looking shaky for Pres. Trump, they were also catching him at what could be his lowest point of the cycle.

Mueller pushes back on insider book faulting special counsel for not doing more to hold Trump accountable  —  Former special counsel Robert S. Mueller III pushed back Tuesday against a prosecutor in his office whose tell-all book alleges investigators should have done more to hold President Trump accountable …

Nearly 100,000 Defective Absentee Ballots Sent to N.Y.C. Voters  —  Nearly 100,000 New York City voters received defective absentee ballots, election officials acknowledged on Tuesday, a massive glitch that raised doubts about the city's ability to handle a pandemic-era presidential election with millions of mail-in ballots expected.

How Trump Voters Feel About His Refusal to Commit to Transferring Power  —  Many Trump supporters do not believe that he can or will lose, and say he would be justified in questioning whether Democrats manipulated the outcome.  But some believe a loss is a loss.

HHS ad blitz sputters as celebrities back away  —  They made a list of more than 30 celebrities including Justin Timberlake, Taylor Swift and Billy Joel to appear in their ad campaign to “inspire hope” about coronavirus, but they ended up with only Dennis Quaid, CeCe Winans and Hasidic singer Shulem Lemmer.

CBS News Eye on Trends: The latest from the Election & Survey Unit  —  Watch this space for a recap of the latest polls and data-driven studies curated by the CBS News Election & Survey Unit!  —  CBS NEWS BATTLEGROUND TRACKER POLL  —  The First Debate: Voters who plan to watch are rooting …

Flynn lawyer spoke with Trump, she reveals in contentious hearing  —  A federal judge on Tuesday pressed the lead lawyer for former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn about her contacts with President Donald Trump and whether she had urged him or Attorney General William Barr to take any actions to influence the ongoing case.

Compact Nuclear Fusion Reactor Is ‘Very Likely to Work,’ Studies Suggest  —  A series of research papers renews hope that the long-elusive goal of mimicking the way the sun produces energy might be achievable.  —  Scientists developing a compact version of a nuclear fusion reactor have shown …

Fascism expert: Trump has used all ‘four threats’ that can topple a democracy  —  On Tuesday, speaking with Molly Jong-Fast and Rick Wilson on the podcast The New Abnormal, Johns Hopkins political science professor Robert Lieberman warned that President Donald Trump poses all of the fundamental …

Disney Parks to Lay Off 28,000 Employees; Cites California's “Unwillingness” to Reopen Disneyland  —  The Southern California destination has been shuttered since mid-March.  —  The Walt Disney Co. on Tuesday announced that 28,000 employees from the Parks, Experiences and Products segment “at all levels” will be laid off.

Senate clears hurdle to avoiding a shutdown  —  The Senate on Tuesday cleared a key procedural hurdle to advancing a short-term funding patch that would prevent a government shutdown on Wednesday at midnight.  —  The Senate advanced the measure in an 82-6 vote, easily clearing the 60-vote threshold.

“Trump Is So Saturated”: Anti-Trump Attack Ads Might Actually Be Helping Him, Democratic Group Finds  —  While doom-and-gloom ads thrive on Twitter and cable news, they can turn off voters whom Biden needs, according to the tech-minded operatives at Fellow Americans.

Appeals court upholds six-day extension for counting Wisconsin ballots  —  A federal appeals court on Tuesday upheld a lower court ruling that extended the deadline for counting mail-in ballots in Wisconsin until Nov. 9 as long as they are postmarked by the Nov. 3 election, AP reports.