From PRI, Public Radio International and KCRW Santa Monica, this is To the Point.

In the Middle East, arms for diplomacy.

Hello again, I'm Orinolny, and this is To the Point from Public Radio International.

A daily look at the issues. Americans care about most.

The secretaries of state and defense are in Saudi Arabia, working out the details of a massive

sale of sophisticated weapons. The Bush administration says it's a way to counter Iran.

Opponents accuse the Saudis of supporting terrorists and the Sunni insurgency in Iraq.

On to the point, Israel has signed off on the deal.

After being promised new arms of its own, Egypt will get new weaponry too. Is the U.S. fueling

the arms race in one of the world's most unstable regions? Is it really all about oil?

On reporters' notebook later on, Rupert Murdoch gets Dow Jones and the Wall Street

Journal. First, here's the news. Support for To the Point comes from subscribers of KCRW Santa Monica

and from the Public Radio International Program Fund, whose contributors include the Ford Foundation

and the John D. and Catherine T. McArthur Foundation. Hello again.

Mormon-Aulney, back with To the Point. The Bush administration is negotiating a state-of-the-arm sale to

Saudi Arabia. At the same time, the Saudis are accused of destabilizing Iraq and condoning terror.

On To the Point, Israel and Egypt are getting new weapons too. Is the U.S. helping

important allies or fueling the arms race in an unstable region? On reporter's notebook, the deal

is still called tentative, but it appears that Rupert Murdoch will be the owner of Dow Jones

and the Wall Street Journal. First, this news update. Chief Justice John Roberts walked out

of a main

hospital today and waved to onlookers. One day after, he suffered a seizure that caused him to fall

...