The Source Behind The Ban … On Tuesday, after Donald Trump banned POLITICO from the White House alongside CNN and MS NOW, the White House press office dispatched a letter to the Rosslyn-based news organization attempting to justify the president's actions.

Big fires everywhere  —  With help from Eli Okun, Ali Bianco and Irie Sentner  —  Good Thursday morning.  There are 40 days until the midterms, and true to form, the scandals are piling up.  Speaking of, if you know who left their thong in the Cannon tunnel yesterday, drop us a line.

AI safety fears stalk Trump-Xi summit agenda  —  The potential dangers of artificial intelligence will hang over Chinese leader Xi Jinping's visit to Washington on Thursday — whether President Donald Trump likes it or not. … But lawmakers and foreign leaders are piling on the pressure …

Dems face a cash crunch as they debate how big a gamble to take on red states  —  Democrats are begging for more money ahead of November.  But they're torn over what to do with the limited funds they already have.  —  After months of downplaying their financial concerns …

‘Dammit, something has to happen’: White House preparing plan for 90-day diesel exports ban  —  The Trump administration is preparing a plan to ban exports of diesel for 90 days, despite splits inside the administration and with the oil industry, in a bid to bring down energy prices weighing …

Iowa judge dismisses Trump's lawsuit against Des Moines Register and pollster  — 4 min Click here to listen to this article  — Trump accused the Register of fraudulently publishing inaccurate poll results to damage him and help Democrats.  — The pollster and the newspaper described …

Collins Leads in Maine in Our New Poll.  Is That an Outlier or an Omen?  —  There's nothing more uncomfortable for a pollster than a result that stands out from the pack, but it doesn't mean it should be dismissed.  —  The polls have been fantastic for Democrats since Labor Day.

MAGA candidate fumes after his relative deported: 'That's not right'  —  A Republican running for the Maine's open 2nd Congressional District seat expressed outrage that a member of his family is facing deportation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Trump Aides Seek to Jump-Start Diplomacy With Iran as Crisis Widens  —  Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that U.S. negotiators had restarted conversations about Iran's nuclear program, but that there were no breakthroughs.  —  Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that U.S. negotiators …

Texas counties are receiving tens of thousands of unprocessed voter registration applications due to state error  —  Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization reporting on voting access and election administration across the U.S. Sign up for Votebeat Texas' free newsletter here.

Susan Collins Dismissed Our Reporting as Old News.  Some of Her Claims Aren't True.  —  As the scandal over Susan Collins' relationship with Hawaii defense contractor Navatek became the central issue in her hotly contested senate campaign, she and her top aides mustered a defense with a series of incorrect and misleading claims.

You should be skeptical of JD Vance's claims about Obamacare fraud  —  A government task force led by Vice President JD Vance announced on Tuesday that it will remove 760,000 allegedly improper enrollments from the Affordable Care Act's marketplaces.  The move is the latest in the administration's efforts …

Former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema's ex-bodyguard in ‘homewrecker’ case trashes her Arizona home, causes $200K in damage  —  Former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema's ex-bodyguard turned lover allegedly trashed her Arizona home while she was out of town — causing more than $200,000 in damage as he tossed dozens of valuable paintings into her pool.

Eight sailors assigned to US carrier group that fought in Iran war attempted suicide, Navy secretary tells Congress  —  EDITOR'S NOTE: This story contains discussion of suicide.  Help is available if you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health matters.

US citizen injured in Illinois after ICE agents mistook him for fugitive, tried to arrest him  —  A U.S. citizen was left bloodied and injured on the side of the road in a Chicago suburb after a confrontation with immigration enforcement agents who mistook him for a fugitive …

OpenAI's A.I. Tried Breaching 4 Other Targets, Without Prompting  —  In each incident, the technology appeared to be conducting mundane data collection and resorted to hacking techniques to get it, researchers said.  —  OpenAI's artificial intelligence went rogue this year …

Venezuelan man shot by ICE officer needs surgery to remove the bullet, U.S. Rep. Greg Casar says  —  The man was shot by a recent ICE recruit who was not wearing a body camera, according to news reports.  —  TAKE OUR CONTENT — PLEASE!  — YOU'RE WELCOME TO REPUBLISH THIS ARTICLE FOR FREE …

Senators weigh staying in town to vote on data center bill  —  Senate Republicans are discussing whether to stay in town next week to vote on a data center bill being championed by one of their most vulnerable incumbents, according to two GOP senators granted anonymity to disclose private talks.

Heads of AI firms tell UN Security Council that it could be a risk to all humanity  —  The heads of major artificial intelligence firms pleaded with the United Nations on Wednesday to save the world or at least its people — in the form of somehow regulating the burgeoning technology that they have been designing.