Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said Jamal Khashoggi’s death was a “rogue operation”
Jamal Khashoggi walked into the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul for some simple paperwork and never walked out.
At first, Saudi authorities denied this, saying that the dissident journalist and Washington Post columnist left alive through the back door.
What’s happened now?
After an international outcry, and amid accusations from the Turkish government that Khashoggi was tortured, killed, and eventually dismembered inside the consulate, Saudi Arabia now says the journalist was killed in the building but officials “don’t know in terms of details how.”
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir said, “We don’t know where the body is,” and that the people responsible were acting “outside the scope of their authority.”
According to his account, senior Saudi officials, including Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, were unaware of the circumstances of Khashoggi's death.
What’s the reaction to this?
US lawmakers said they doubt that the prince was unaware. “This ought to be a relationship-altering event for the US and Saudi Arabia,” said Rep. Adam Schiff, a Democrat from California. Meanwhile, Republican Sen. Rand Paul told Fox News he is “certain that the Crown Prince was involved, and that he directed this.”
The Washington Post said Saudi Arabia’s explanation for Khashoggi’s death is “utterly devoid of credibility.”
In a marathon-like dash, 7,200 Central Americans streamed into Mexico
The migrant caravan that began in Honduras crossed into southern Mexico this weekend, on its way to the US border. A few days ago, it had grown to an unprecedented 4,000 people. It’s now 7,200.
Earlier this year, when a caravan of 1,500 migrants made its way to the US–Mexico border, it earned threats from President Donald Trump and triggered a “zero-tolerance” policy on border crossers.
A few months later, this caravan is much bigger. The stream of people took over one side of the highway, linking arms to form human chains.
Most of the marchers said they were fleeing their homeland because there are no jobs, and their lives are under constant threat from gangs.
SNAPSHOTS
Trump announced he’s pulling the US out of a landmark arms treaty with Russia. The president said his administration will withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which was negotiated with the Soviet Union under President Ronald Reagan. In his comments, he accused Moscow of having broken its terms for years. “We're not going to let [the Russians] violate a nuclear agreement and go out and do weapons and we're not allowed to,” said Trump. “Russia has not adhered to the agreement. So we are going to terminate the agreement, and we are going to develop the weapons.”
Celebrity physicist Lawrence Krauss will retire from Arizona State University in the wake of a harassment investigation. The well-known scientist and best-selling author agreed to step down from the school as he faced dismissal for violating sexual misconduct policy. In February, BuzzFeed News revealed a string of allegations against Krauss spanning more than a decade. They included groping women and making sexist comments to a student and staff members at ASU. After that article was published, the university reopened an investigation into Krauss, and in July concluded that he grabbed the breast of a woman who posed with him for a selfie.
Florida police officers who pinned down a 14-year-old black girl and punched her say she was acting “aggressive.” A video began circulating of police officers punching the teen in Coral Springs last week. It quickly went viral on Twitter, with many people criticizing the officers’ use of force against a teenage girl. Coral Springs police released a statement defending their treatment of the girl, whom they did not name.
The remains of 63 fetuses have been found at a funeral home in Detroit. Police are investigating after the remains of 36 fetuses were discovered in boxes, and 27 were found in the freezer at the Perry Funeral Home. The facility is now under investigation for allegedly mishandling remains and fraud. The property has been shuttered, and authorities say the mortuary science licenses of the funeral home and its director were suspended. Police were tipped off by a father involved in legal action against the business over the mishandling of his infant daughter's burial.
A man who racially abused a black woman on a Ryanair flight has been reported to police. In a video that has now been viewed more than a million times, the man is seen angrily objecting to having to sit next to the woman. At one point he is heard to say: “Don't talk to me in a foreign language, you stupid, ugly cow.” After the woman agrees to be moved to another seat, passengers can be heard asking why the man was not removed from the plane, which was traveling from Barcelona to Stansted, near London. Ryanair says it’s reported the matter to Essex police.
Thirty people were injured after the floor collapsed at a party. The incident happened early Sunday morning near Clemson University in South Carolina. The university said that 23 people were transported from the scene and that their injuries are not life-threatening. Police say they are unaware of any serious injuries from the event, and are currently investigating. Several videos on social media appear to show the dramatic moment when the floor gave way, with people tumbling down with it and screaming.
YouTubers will enter politics, and when they do, they’re probably going to win
Here’s something you don’t spend a lot of time thinking about, but you should: What happens when the people who wield massive influence online decide they want to bring it to the world of politics?
Brazil’s latest election offers a real-life test of this question. Kim Kataguiri, 22, launched a movement there, relying on YouTube and memes and fake news. And it worked: He became the youngest person ever elected to Congress in Brazil. He’s also trying to become Brazil’s equivalent of speaker of the House.
But the movement doesn’t end with him. His organization pushed forward 16 of its own candidates for the recent election. Six of them won on the federal level. More at the state and local levels. They were on the front page of YouTube every day in the month leading up to the vote. And they plan to have all of their elected members start their own YouTube channels.
Read Ryan Broderick’s fascinating report on how YouTubers are having massive political success — if for no other reason than just to prepare for the eventuality of President Jake Paul.
A man fell down a mining shaft and had to kill rattlesnakes while he was stuck there for three days
I promise this has a happy ending.
John Waddell, a 62-year-old experienced miner in Arizona, fell down the 100-foot shaft when he lost control of the rope during his descent. He crashed onto the mine shaft floor and injured himself. But there was another problem: No one was there with him.
When a concerned neighbor came to visit three days later, Waddell could be heard screaming “help, help!”
After a three-hour rescue mission, Waddell was pulled to safety. His friend revealed that the miner had to kill several rattlesnakes that got close.
Though dehydrated and hurt, Waddell “was very calm,” a rescuer said. “He was in good spirits. He was happy to see everybody there.”