Thanks to Trump, Saudi Arabia Gets a Big Week in Diplomacy

Only a few years ago, Washington was calling Saudi Arabia a “pariah” over its headline-making human rights violations. Western business leaders canceled investments in the kingdom. Celebrities and sports stars took flack for doing events there. With its oil and its regional clout, however, Saudi Arabia proved too useful for the Biden administration to push … Read more

Hamas Hands Bodies of 4 Hostages Back to Israel

Hamas said on Thursday it had handed over the bodies of four Israelis abducted during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel — including a woman and her two young children — in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Large crowds had gathered near the southern Gazan city of Khan Younis to watch the choreographed handoff … Read more

Hamas to Hand Bodies of 4 Hostages Back to Israel

Hamas fighters were expected on Thursday to hand over the bodies of four Israelis who had been abducted during the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack, including a woman and her two young children, in exchange for Palestinians jailed by Israel. Large crowds gathered in the southern Gazan city of Khan Younis to observe the exchange, … Read more

China Uses Public Shaming to Motivate State Workers

Chinese government workers have a lot to worry about these days. Cash-strapped local governments are struggling to pay their salaries. Political controls are tightening in the name of national security. A yearslong anti-corruption purge shows no sign of ending. Now, the workers also have to make sure not to get slapped with a “Snail Award” … Read more

Thursday Briefing: Trump and Zelensky Feud Over Peace Talks

Trump and Zelensky traded blows in an escalating feud President Trump yesterday called Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, a “dictator” who took money from the U.S. to go to war with Russia. In a social media post littered with falsehoods, Trump didn’t mention President Vladimir Putin, or that Russia seized some Ukrainian territory in 2014 before … Read more