Washington, DC

1. Dems criticize Fetterman
2. Trump’s 9/11 plans
3. Fed looks to CPI
4. Baker talks sports bill
5. Gomez struggles
6. AI safety discord
7. GOP tries health messaging

PDB: Vance sought Iran intel

US marks 25th anniversary of 9/11 … Axios: Saudi crown prince urged Trump to attack Houthis … Trump departs for Ireland

Semafor is expanding its coverage of healthcare with a new weekly briefing led by veteran healthcare journalist David Lim. At the intersection of politics, policy, and business, Semafor Healthcare will bring clarity to the forces shaping the industry, explaining how decisions in government affect the private sector and global economy. The briefing will go beyond the headlines to show what is really driving health policy in the US and around the world.

Each week, readers will get original reporting, scoops, and analysis on the people and institutions driving change across healthcare, from policymakers and major companies to scientists, investors, and technology leaders.

Dems attack Fetterman after RNC video

Pennsylvania Democrats, including potential 2028 Senate candidates, are ramping up their criticism of Sen. John Fetterman after he appeared by video at the Republican midterm convention this week. “He’s not going to be a senator after 2028 — mark my words,” said Rep. Chris Deluzio. Former Rep. Conor Lamb, who’s also been floated as a possible Fetterman primary challenger, said the video “reminded me of a North Korean newscast, with Fetterman praising the great leader for his efforts in the industrial heartland while everyone else in the country understands they’re getting screwed.” And Rep. Brendan Boyle knocked Fetterman on social media, saying he’d make a decision about his future after the midterms. “Both House Budget Committee Chairman or the US Senate are great positions. I will choose based on which position gives me more of an ability to impact public policy,” he told Semafor.

— Nicholas Wu

Trump heads to Pentagon for 9/11 ceremony

Top Trump officials are fanning out to mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks: President Donald Trump is slated to attend a tribute at the Pentagon and Vice President JD Vance will be in New York City — alongside Mayor Zohran Mamdani and other former presidents — for the anniversary, according to the White House. Other administration officials will be on the ground in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where Flight 93 went down. Trump “will renew our sacred vow that we will never forget — and that the United States of America will always defend our proud, free nation with unyielding resolve,” White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales said. The ceremonies come as newly released records suggest New Yorkers were misled about the air quality in the aftermath of the attack — and as the Iran war tests the administration’s resolve to move away from post-9/11 forever wars.

— Shelby Talcott

Inflation report weighs on next rates move

The Federal Reserve will have eyes trained on the August Consumer Price Index today, the last big piece of inflation data before central bankers gather next week to make a decision on rates. Yesterday’s news that wholesale inflation rose in August by the most in three months — powered by rising energy costs — means Fed officials are more likely to decide to raise rates next Wednesday. Rising bond yields also increase that possibility. With no resolution in sight for the Iran war and the related uncertainty surrounding control of the Strait of Hormuz, oil prices are expected to remain elevated — they surged past $100 per barrel yesterday while diesel crossed $6 per gallon nationally for the first time. The Iran-backed Houthis have also seized a key port city in the Red Sea, potentially threatening control of another waterway in the region.

NCAA chief dishes on college sports bill

Charlie Baker spent eight years as Massachusetts’ Republican governor, so he knows how to navigate tough politics. That’s helped the NCAA president get bipartisan college sports legislation to the brink of Senate passage — and maybe all the way to Trump’s desk. Baker told Semafor’s Burgess Everett that he feels “pretty good” about the prospects for Senate passage of the bill, which would create new rules for student athletes’ name, image, and likeness. As for whether it will get Trump’s signature this year — well, one step at a time. “One of the things that you know I learned from my 16 years in state government is: This is a one-bite-at-a-time type business,” Baker said. His message to critics of the legislation? “Does this make things better or worse? And I think it’s very hard to argue that this bill doesn’t make things better.”

California Dem faces election turbulence

California Democratic Rep. Jimmy Gomez faces increasing turbulence heading into his general election, according to new polling shared first with Semafor showing him statistically tied with Democrat Angela Gonzales-Torres. The polling places Gomez at 38% and Gonzales-Torres ahead with 41%, a gap that’s within the 4.9% margin of error. Both Democrats advanced to the general election under California’s top-two primary system. Guardrails Alliance, which commissioned the poll conducted by Upswing Research and Strategy, was formed this year to counter the influence of pro-AI groups like the Leading the Future super PAC network. The polling also showcases potential lines of attack against Gomez: Gonzales-Torres leads 63% to Gomez’s 22% after voters are told he is backed by Leading the Future. Guardrails is “keeping a close eye on the race,” according to a person familiar with the situation.

— Nicholas Wu and Burgess Everett

Rocky road ahead for AI safety talks

Disagreements over how far to go on AI safety legislation portend a rocky road ahead for bipartisan Senate talks on a bill that remains the most likely vehicle for action this year. The Senate Commerce Committee’s lead Democrat, Maria Cantwell of Washington, brought her concerns to X on Wednesday, saying that the “answer is not a weak federal standard that becomes a backdoor for wiping out stronger state protections.” At issue: A bill in the works from Commerce Chair Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Majority Leader John Thune, which is said to still contain language preempting state-level AI safety laws. A source familiar with the matter told Semafor that Cantwell still wants a stricter version of the bill, which creates legal duties for AI companies to manage catastrophic risks. The source said Cantwell, Anthropic, and safety groups are “refusing to play ball.”

— Ashley Gold

Why healthcare took center stage in Dallas

Healthcare played a notably central role in the GOP’s midterm convention this week — for a reason. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., was among the speakers in Dallas to tout Trump’s so-called Great Healthcare Plan as a bid to “hold insurance companies accountable,” aligning with past reported guidance from the president’s political team to lean into a high-polling message on an issue that voters care deeply about. But there’s little, if any, traction on Capitol Hill right now for making law on Trump’s most-favored-nation drug pricing deals and shift of taxpayer-funded health insurance subsidies to direct payments. Trump also announced he’ll send $500 before the election to nearly 1 million Americans in 30 states who don’t receive federal premium subsidies for Obamacare, starting in October. Yet it remains unclear what legal authority the administration is using to implement the effort.

Debatable: Trump’s cash payments to aides

Trump’s controversial $45,000 cash payments to three lower-level female aides set off an immediate conversation about their legality. Richard Painter, the White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush, argued that they are clear violations of a federal law barring government officials from receiving extra pay from outside the government for performing their official duties. “It is a crime for a government official to receive a supplementation of their salary and for someone else to pay it,” he told Semafor. But Richard Briffault, an expert in government ethics at Columbia Law School, argued that would be a difficult case to prove — especially because the White House is calling the payments “gifts.” It’s “probably not” illegal, he added, though “it’s unusual.” Briffault also noted that there are no restrictions on gifts from a superior to one of their subordinates in government.

— Morgan Chalfant

White House

• Vice President Vance called US military commanders in the Middle East, Europe, and Asia in the spring and summer, seeking candid assessments of the Iran war. — NYT

Congress

• A group of law professor