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

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

Trump Administration Has Fired Health Inspectors at Some Border Stations

At the nation’s borders, federal workers keep the country safe in many ways: Some investigate sick passengers. Some examine animals for dangerous pathogens. And some inspect plants for infestations that could spread in this country. Late last week, the Trump administration dispatched hundreds of those federal employees with the same message that colleagues at other … Read more

Israeli Military Prosecutor Charges Five Soldiers in Abuse of Palestinian Detainee

An Israeli military prosecutor charged five reservist soldiers on Wednesday with abuse of a Palestinian detainee, saying it took place last year at a military base where thousands of Gazans have been held. The indictment accused soldiers at the Sde Teiman base in southern Israel of breaking the detainee’s ribs, puncturing his left lung and … Read more