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Could the Saudi Monarchy Fall Over This?

Slate News

Slate Podcasts

Politics, News, News Commentary

4.56K Ratings

🗓️ 16 October 2018

⏱️ 26 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Host Mary Harris talks to Dexter Filkins of the New Yorker on the fraught relationship between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. Plus, Slate’s Jim Newell explains why you should care about the final debate tonight between Ted Cruz and Beto O’Rourke. 

This is the debut episode of What Next, Slate’s new daily news show. We’ll be piloting What Next in public for the next several weeks. Tell us what you think: whatnext@slate.com

Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at Slate.com/whatnextpus.

Follow us on Instagram for updates on the show, our weekend reading lists, and our occasional posts about pita chips.  

Podcast production by Mary Wilson and Jayson De Leon. 


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Transcript

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0:00.0

President Trump's first official trip overseas was a year and a half ago, and it was to Saudi Arabia.

0:06.6

As soon as he stepped off Air Force One, the visit felt like a celebration.

0:11.5

There was a five-story image of Trump projected on the Ritz-Carlton Hotel where he was staying.

0:16.4

There was even a traditional sword dance that went a little bit viral.

0:23.3

Journalists shot these videos on their iPhones.

0:25.9

Trump and members of his cabinet swaying awkwardly to the music, flanked by men in white

0:31.2

robes.

0:32.3

Rex Tillerson is there.

0:33.8

Remember Rex Tillerson?

0:38.3

After that party in Riyadh, the goodwill between the United States and the Saudi

0:42.7

royal family seemed to spread from Washington outward to billionaires and business tycoons.

0:50.3

When the Saudi Crown Prince came to the United States this spring, he made sure photographers

0:54.2

captured him grabbing coffee at Starbucks with Michael Bloomberg. He strolled through Google's

0:59.2

headquarters with Sergei Bryn. And then the Crown Prince ended up on the cover of Time magazine.

1:05.6

Looking back now, there's a surreal quality to these trips, Because in the background, always, was dissent.

1:13.9

There's the kingdom of Saudi Arabia really on a path to reform and moderation.

1:18.1

At the same time, the crown prince was on this goodwill tour in the U.S.

1:21.7

A Saudi journalist named Jamal Khashoggi was speaking out against the royal family.

1:26.4

Jamal, let me start with you.

1:27.8

You've compared your crown prince to Putin, to Iran's supreme leader.

1:31.8

You've said he's creating, quote, an interesting form of dictatorship.

1:35.3

How so?

...

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