All complete now, many thanks to ionacarr and barretter.
In 18a, the definition is ‘hopeful states’ In 32a, the definition is (a toy spinning) top. In 8d, the wordplay was more helpful to me than the definition: it’s a near synonym for ‘to report’, followed by ‘you and me’ = US. 16d requires the American spelling of the complaint known by some as ‘the runs’. In 29d, the definition is ‘lowlife’ and requires a noun; I think the Chambers definition is suspect, since it refers to ‘person’, but I’ve never heard the term used of anyone but a man and the word is not flagged as an American usage but its use is rare in British English in my experience.