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WHERE IS JAMAL KHASHOGGI?

The Story

The situation over the missing Saudi journalist is escalating.

Fill me in.

Jamal Khashoggi is a Saudi journalist who moved to the US and is a columnist for The Washington Post. He used to be tight with the Saudi royal family, but recently became a critic. Nearly two weeks ago, he went to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to get paperwork to marry his fianceé (who was waiting outside). He's been missing ever since.

So what happened?

That's the question everyone wants answered. Turkey is convinced that he was killed by a 15-person Saudi hit squad and dismembered inside the consulate. The Saudi gov says that Khashoggi walked right out of the consulate, and that it has nothing to do with his disappearance. But a report says Turkey has recordings from his Apple Watch that show he was killed.

Sketchy. What's the latest?

Over the weekend, the Saudi king and the Turkish prez hopped on a phone call to talk about potentially working together to investigate. France, Germany, and the UK put out a joint statement saying 'here's an idea...let's have a credible investigation.' The US threatened "severe punishment" if Saudi Arabia is behind his death. And Congress is putting pressure on President Trump to not let this slide.

Well, would he?

Here's where things get tricky: the Trump admin has been working to make Saudi Arabia a top partner in the Middle East. And has cozied up to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – who's been trying to make the country more modern before he takes over for his dad one day. He's been consolidating power and cracking down on his critics. Some think he might be behind all this.

Great...

Yep. Now, Saudi Arabia is issuing a warning to the US if it tries to interfere and issue sanctions. The warning: 'our economy is a BFD, so don't mess with us.'

Anything else?

On Friday, Turkey released Andrew Brunson – an American pastor who's been held there for two years. Some think Turkey might have let him go to encourage the US to help out with Khashoggi's disappearance, but Trump says 'nope, not related.'

theSkimm

Saudi Arabia is facing growing international pressure to provide some answers over Khashoggi's disappearance. TBD if it has any.

REPEAT AFTER ME...

What to say when you hear Sears filed for bankruptcy…

German Chancellor Angela Merkel isn't in the partying mood either. Yesterday, her allied party in the German state of Bavaria lost its majority in regional elections. It still came in first, but it's the worst result for the party in decades – and the latest sign Germans are moving to the extremes. As in: a liberal, pro-immigration party came in second. And Germany's far-right, anti-immigrant party AfD gained seats in the regional parliament for the first time. All of which is not great for Merkel's already struggling coalition. The vote came a day after an estimated hundreds of thousands of people marched in Berlin against the rise of the far right in Germany. Speaking of getting your vote on, a new poll shows voters in the US say they're more likely to turn out for midterms this year than in 2014. Prove it.

What to say when you have to hit the brakes…

Skrt. This weekend, a report came out that Jared Kushner has managed to skirt federal income taxes for years thanks to a little thing called depreciation. It's legal, but it comes less than two weeks after a report said his pops-in-law (the president) allegedly committed tax fraud. Meanwhile, Trump is busy responding to rumors that Defense Secretary James Mattis might be the next high-profile WH exit. He said he doesn't know, but called Mattis "sort of a Democrat" and said that "at some point, everybody leaves." So true. Another thing the Trump admin has opinions on: climate change. Yesterday, Trump's economic adviser questioned the accuracy of last week's UN report, which warns that we're heading toward crisis mode – v v quickly. He said he thinks the scientists "overestimate" what's happening with climate change. Always look to an economist for climate change advice.

What to say to the friend who donated to your 5K charity run…

You're a saint. That's what Pope Francis said yesterday about two controversial Catholic figures. One was Oscar Romero from El Salvador, who called out the US-backed government for repression before he was murdered in 1980. The other, Pope Paul VI, is the one who modernized the church in the '60s and notably banned birth control. But that's not the only thing on the Catholic Church's mind. The Pope also removed two retired Chilean bishops from the clergy because of apparently overwhelming evidence they had sexually abused minors. When will it end.

What people are watching…

Harvard. Today, a trial begins on whether the university is illegally discriminating against Asian-American applicants. The lawsuit claims the school does this to allow more black and Hispanic students in. Harvard denies it's being discriminatory. But says it does consider race in admissions, because it wants a diverse student body. This could go all the way up to the Supremes – and with a solidly conservative majority, it might even overturn a ruling from the '70s allowing affirmative action.

What to say as part of your wedding toast…

May your love outlast Pete Davidson and Ariana Grande's.

What to say after getting over that news…

At least there's Harry and Meghan.

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