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| FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2026 · DAY 217 |
| The Evening Pour |
The Grandson
Day 217. Saudi Arabia is 94 years old and named after a family. Its founder, Abdulaziz ibn Saud, took Riyadh in 1902 with 40 men. For years his lands were a British protectorate, and he drew a British stipend of £5,000 a month. Later the protector was American. (Treaty of Darin; British subsidy; Bitter Lake)
Left: Abdulaziz ibn Saud with President Franklin Roosevelt aboard USS Quincy on the Great Bitter Lake, Feb 14, 1945. US Army Signal Corps / National Archives. Right: Mohammed bin Salman with Defense Secretary James (“Mad Dog”) Mattis at the Pentagon, Mar 22, 2018, the Capitol behind them. DoD photo by Navy Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Kathryn E. Holm. The appearance of DoD visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.
He had at least 22 wives and 45 sons. He took a wife from each tribe he conquered. I’m sure he was a great son-in-law. One wife, Fahda, was the widow of a rival dynasty’s emir. Her son grew up to be King Abdullah. (PBS; Abdullah’s family history)
Every Saudi king since 1953 has been one of the founder’s sons. The first grandson to run the place is Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (“MBS”). Here’s his record.
The founder, the six sons who became king, and the branch that holds power now. Six of the founder’s 45 sons are shown. Graphic: Four Fingers News. Sources: PBS Frontline; Saudipedia; Al Jazeera, Mar 2020; Department of Energy.
Eight years ago today, a 15-man Saudi team killed the journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate and cut up his body. His remains were never found. US intelligence concluded MBS “approved an operation in Istanbul, Turkey to capture or kill” him. He denies ordering it. (US intelligence assessment; RSF)
SOURCE EXCERPT · OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE · RELEASED FEB 26, 2021 “We assess that Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman approved an operation in Istanbul, Turkey to capture or kill Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.” Assessing the Saudi Government’s Role in the Killing of Jamal Khashoggi |
In 2017 MBS replaced his cousin as crown prince. Five months later, hundreds of princes and businessmen were locked in the Riyadh Ritz-Carlton. The New York Times reported that at least 17 detainees needed hospital treatment for physical abuse. One general died in custody; a witness described his neck as twisted. In 2020 the detainees included that same cousin and MBS’s own uncle, the king’s brother. (Human Rights Watch; Al Jazeera)
As defense minister in 2015 he took the kingdom into Yemen’s war. UNDP estimated the war’s toll would reach 377,000 by the end of 2021, most from hunger, disease and other indirect causes. (UNDP)
Ansarallah governs about 70% of Yemen’s people. This July, after four years of relative calm between it and Riyadh, a Saudi-led strike disabled the runway at Sanaa airport to stop an Iranian plane from landing. People have lived in Sanaa for more than 2,500 years. An Ansarallah official said Riyadh had “dug its own grave.” (AP; World Bank; UNESCO; Ynet)
Since then, Ansarallah has hit Saudi oil facilities and seized Mokha and islands at the entrance to the Red Sea. The kingdom is preparing another offensive. MBS asked Washington for airstrikes. Washington said no, for now. (AP; Reuters)
In July MBS’s half-brother, the energy minister, signed a nuclear agreement with the United States. It doesn’t bar Saudi Arabia from enriching uranium. The administration says it has the safeguards the law requires. MBS told Fox News that if Iran gets a bomb, “we have to get one.” (Department of Energy; Reuters; Al-Monitor)
Iran’s history of statehood reaches back some 2,500 years. Saudi Arabia turned 94 last week. (Britannica)
A Senate vote is expected before Dec 13. Senators: which line of that résumé says trust him with enrichment?
Watch: The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia
FRONTLINE · Oct 1, 2019 · 1 hr 54 min · Correspondent Martin Smith
Roosevelt Sails East; The New York Channel Goes Quiet
The Pentagon has ordered the carrier Theodore Roosevelt and an amphibious group carrying more than 2,000 Marines toward the Gulf. An official told the Associated Press the forces could arrive by the end of October; the official who spoke to Al Jazeera on Thursday said the end of November. A US official told The National the Roosevelt will relieve the George Washington — which would hold the carrier count at two rather than lift it to three, the figure most of the coverage led with. On Friday a tanker in the strait took a projectile for a second straight day, and the G7 agreed to release 100M barrels of diesel and crude after Washington threatened to ban diesel exports. Iran’s UN delegation flew out of New York early Tuesday: Tehran says the departure was booked and passed to the State Department on Sep 17, Washington says Marco Rubio concluded the negotiators had overstayed their welcome, and both capitals still describe the same list of steps while disagreeing on which one moves first.
| War: Day 217 · began Feb 28, 2026 |
| Force flow: Roosevelt strike group · amphibious group with 2,000-plus Marines · arrival put at late October or late November |
| Already there: George H.W. Bush · George Washington · the Roosevelt is slated to relieve the Washington |
| Air defense: Two more Patriot batteries moved to Saudi and Qatari oil and gas sites |
| Channel: Qatar mediating · no direct US–Iran meeting on the calendar |
| Oct 1: Trump says Iran is hit “very hard” if the copilot who tried to down an Israel-bound jet is tied to Tehran |
| Oct 2: UKMTO: a tanker struck by a projectile in the strait · small fire, blackout · no casualties |
| Fuel: G7 to release 100M barrels over four months · diesel first, within 20 days |
| Yemen: Government forces report 20 strikes on Ansarallah positions in Taiz · Oct 2 |
Payrolls Add 29,000; Unemployment Rises To 4.2%
September hiring came in at 29,000 against a forecast of 84,000, unemployment moved to 4.2% — 7.1 million people — and revisions pulled 60,000 jobs out of July and August, turning July into a loss of 10,000. Stocks rose, with the Nasdaq up about 1.2%, as traders cut the odds of an October Fed rate increase to about 18%.
Seattle Is Down 18,605 Jobs; Bellevue Is Up 5,375
A Downtown Seattle Association count puts the city 18,605 jobs below its 2024 level while Bellevue added 5,375 and Tacoma 662, with information technology, professional services and construction cut hardest. Mayor Katie Wilson’s $9.1B 2027 budget holds JumpStart rates flat and closes a $175M gap with roughly $50M in cuts and 128 eliminated positions; council hearings open Oct 6.
A Judge Puts Seattle’s US Attorney Back In The Office
Judge Stanley Bastian of Eastern Washington, hearing the case after the Seattle bench recused itself, granted Roger Rogoff a preliminary injunction Oct 1 and barred his removal until a Senate-confirmed replacement arrives: “The president cannot unilaterally fire a US attorney appointed by the district court.” District judges appointed Rogoff on Jul 15 under the 120-day rule and the administration fired him minutes later. Justice appealed within hours and asked a higher court to freeze the order; Rogoff says he’s onboarding at the office.
Mekelle Shuts Its Banks As The Army Nears; Eritrea Cuts Ties
A pro-government Tigrayan militia says it has taken Milazat, about 20 km southeast of Mekelle. The claim is unverified: power and internet across Tigray are cut, and banks and shops in the city have closed. TPLF chair Debretsion Gebremichael conceded that federal forces hold parts of the region and promised a counterattack “in due course.” Ethiopia closed its embassy in Asmara and expelled 10 Eritrean diplomats; Eritrea answered by severing all ties. Pro-government forces say they’ve largely reversed the alliance’s gains in Amhara and Afar.
Drones Go After The Bridges Instead Of The Grid
More than 100 drones flew at Ukraine on Oct 2 and Shahed-type airframes hit Kyiv’s Southern Bridge several times; the Paton and Metro crossings closed in part, one person was killed and the capital spent the morning in gridlock. Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s ask is enforcement rather than new measures — he says the components still arrive from Europe, the United States, China and Japan, and that every drone “can actually be stopped right at the production line.”
Kraken Take The Opener 6–1; Three Seattle Teams Play The Weekend
Seattle scored six in Calgary on Oct 1 behind a goal and two assists from Vince Dunn and 24 saves from Joey Daccord, then visits Edmonton on Saturday before the Oct 4 home opener against the Flames. The Huskies, 3–1 after a 27–24 loss to Minnesota, play at USC on Saturday at 4:30 PM PT on NBC; the Seahawks host the Chargers Oct 4 at 1:25 PM PT on CBS. Seattle ruled out running back Jadarian Price (chest); the Chargers list Derwin James and Ladd McConkey as questionable.
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