‘The vibes are very bad’ in Texas  —  With help from Eli Okun, Ali Bianco and Irie Sentner  —  Good Wednesday morning.  We're here in Dallas for the convention — and we're already getting a pulse check around the extravaganza before the speeches kick off.  Get in touch.  —  In today's Playbook ...

Trump gave $45,000 cash gifts to Natalie Harp, two other close aides  —  Financial disclosures released by the administration show the sums were equivalent to nearly one-third of each of their salaries.  —  Summary  —  President Donald Trump gave $45,000 cash gifts to his executive assistant Natalie Harp …

Iran attacks US base in Jordan, ships near Hormuz after tankers sunk  —  Iran said on Wednesday it had attacked 10 ships near the Strait of Hormuz after the U.S. sank five Iranian oil tankers, in the biggest declared wave of tit-for-tat attacks on shipping by both sides since the start of the six-month-old war.

Lawmakers urge Congress to act after AI researcher's dire warning  —  Lawmakers in both parties are escalating pleas for legislative action after an artificial intelligence researcher claimed late Tuesday that unchecked AI models could feasibly destroy the world by the decade's end — and AI developers know it.

‘Shoot Him!’:  Police Threaten Third-Country Nationals Imprisoned in African Hotel  —  A police officer aimed a loaded assault rifle at unarmed immigrants expelled to Equatorial Guinea by the Trump administration in a chaotic incident on September 3 in which the officer's supervisor ordered him to shoot, multiple cellphone videos show.

Ectopic Pregnancy Deaths Have Nearly Doubled.  It's Worse in States With Abortion Bans.  —  The number of women who died after an ectopic pregnancy has spiked in recent years, a ProPublica analysis found.  The mounting deaths in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data have drawn little scrutiny or response.

Navarro: White House told Fox News Bartiromo ouster was ‘totally unacceptable’  —  Top Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro said the White House complained to Fox News leadership about the network's decision to oust host Maria Bartiromo last week.  —  “But suffice it to say that Suzanne Scott got a call …

Louisiana's abortion pill case could wipe out access in blue states  —  The next phase in the abortion wars may come down to one question: Do the rights of red states to enforce bans override the rights of blue states to protect access?  —  Louisiana will argue before a federal appeals court …

As He Backs ICE Crackdown, Nebraska Governor Employs Undocumented Workers  —  Gov. Jim Pillen and his family own about 100 hog farms in Nebraska.  As Pillen aids ICE's sweep on undocumented immigrants, his business has drawn little scrutiny for its own migrant work force.  —  Yanqi Xu

US banning dairy products, most alcoholic beverages and motorcycles from Canada  —  The United States is banning dairy products, most alcoholic beverages and motorcycles from Canada, the White House said Tuesday, as the trade war between the two neighbors and longtime allies escalates.

Musk's PAC goes big on trans attack ads  —  Elon Musk's super PAC has entered the midterm campaign fray with a heavy dose of anti-trans messaging.  —  Why it matters: America PAC isn't running a traditional persuasion campaign.  It's undertaking a massive get-out-the-vote operation …

Proof from the states: the right wing attempt to repeal the 20th century  —  We read the legislation introduced across all 50 states this session and pulled out the worst of it.  1,182 bills, 48 states, everything from abortion bounties to studying chemtrails to a proposal to legalize cockfighting against robots.

Trump's Super PAC Starts to Unload Its War Chest, With New Group Booking $47 Million  —  A recently created Republican group tied to the president's super PAC is pumping cash into half a dozen key midterm races, with the largest amounts going toward Senate contests in Michigan and Ohio.

Treasury Department to buy back up to $6 billion in longer-term debt, triple the normal level … The Treasury Department on Wednesday said it will buy back up to $6 billion of government debt in an operation aimed at keeping bond markets functioning.  —  The much-anticipated announcement triples …

Ballot seizures seemed impossible.  But judges and officials are prepping for them now  —  The idea of federal law enforcement seizing ballots in the middle of an active election would have once been considered impossible.  —  Now, as President Trump continues his unprecedented hunt for voter fraud …

A potential 2028 presidential contender plans $20 million to help Democrats  —  Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker raises his own profile with an effort to target MAGA Republicans.  —  Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) will lead a new political action committee to help Democrats get elected to Congress this fall …

Dueling Court Rulings Leave Missouri's Congressional Races in Chaos  —  After losing in two courts and winning in another, Missouri officials said they planned to forge ahead with using a congressional map that was redrawn to benefit Republicans.  —  Conflicting court orders issued on the same …

Anthropic Researcher Quits Over ‘Out-of-Control’ AI Fears  —  Concerns are rising inside AI labs that competition is pushing tech companies to race toward self-improving models that risk spiraling out of human control  —  An Anthropic researcher is quitting the artificial-intelligence industry …

Mistrust of US government information is rising across major issues, new poll shows  —  Americans are more skeptical of government information than they were a few years ago, with majorities now saying they have little or no trust in federal government information about elections and politics …

Trump's oil investments have gained millions during Iran war as his accounts keep trading … As President Donald Trump's wartime directives in Iran repeatedly jolted global markets, his personal energy portfolio surged.  —  Throughout the first six months of fighting …

Trump is remodeling the White House.  The group set up to protect it has stayed quiet.  —  The White House Historical Association, a nonprofit set up by Jacqueline Kennedy to preserve the building's character, has declined to criticize the president's changes.  —  Summary

Ilhan Omar Cleared of Wrongdoing After Overstating Assets by Millions  —  Democratic lawmaker incorrectly reported assets of between $6 million and $30 million  —  A nonpartisan entity charged with reviewing misconduct allegations has cleared Rep. Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.) …

A US Census Report on Noncitizen Voting Used Bad Data to Reach Faulty Conclusions  —  Trump has touted a recent Census report.  WIRED found grave flaws in its analysis and the process behind it, and confirmed the identity of several of its authors—among them a one-time DOGE affiliate.