Biden open to re-evaluating Saudi relationship after Opec+ cuts, says White House – as it happened

The United States and Saudi Arabia are at loggerheads, after Riyadh pushed Opec+ to cut its crude output and potentially drive gas prices higher, defying Washington’s pleas for a delay. Today, the White House confirmed that president Joe Biden is willing to re-evaluate his country’s relationship with Saudi Arabia, potentially upending a decades-long alliance.

Here’s what else happened today:

• Tulsi Gabbard left the Democratic party. The former Hawaii congresswoman unsuccessfully stood for its presidential nomination in 2020, but has become increasingly conservative since departing Congress last year.

• Elon Musk says he did not talk to Russian president Vladimir Putin about how to end the war in Ukraine.

• The supreme court’s conservative majority rejected an appeal from a death row inmate challenging his conviction over some jurors’ opposition to interracial marriage. It also turned down an appeal from racist murderer Dylann Roof, as well as a case concerning so-called “fetal personhood”.

• Ohio’s Senate candidates faced off in a debate last night. The race is unexpectedly close, but the Democratic candidate Tim Ryan believes the party’s leadership has given up on him.

The supreme court today declined to weigh in on the topic of so-called “fetal personhood” by turning away a challenge to a Rhode Island law codifying abortion rights, Reuters reports.

Had it taken the case, the court’s conservative majority – which in June overturned Roe v Wade and allowed states to ban abortion – could have had the chance to decide the point at which fetuses are entitled to constitutional rights.

Here’s more from Reuters:

.css-knbk2a{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}Conservative Justice Samuel Alito wrote in June’s ruling overturning the abortion rights precedent that in the decision the court took no position on “if and when prenatal life is entitled to any of the rights enjoyed after birth.”

Some Republicans at the state level have pursued what are called fetal personhood laws, like one enacted in Georgia affecting fetuses starting at around six weeks of pregnancy, that would grant fetuses before birth a variety of legal rights and protections like those of any person.

Under such laws, termination of a pregnancy legally could be considered murder.

Lawyers for the group Catholics for Life and the two Rhode Island women – one named Nichole Leigh Rowley and the other using the pseudonym Jane Doe – argued that the case “presents the opportunity for this court to meet that inevitable question head on” by deciding if fetuses possess due process and equal protection rights conferred by the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment.

The Rhode Island Supreme Court relied on the now-reversed Roe precedent in finding that the 14th Amendment did not extend rights to fetuses. The Roe ruling had recognized that the right to personal privacy under the U.S. Constitution protected a woman’s ability to terminate her pregnancy.

The New York Times has published a story with more details about Christina Bobb, the lawyer for Donald Trump who may be in legal trouble for signing a document saying, incorrectly, that all government material requested by the justice department from the former president had been turned over.

The news of Bobb’s meeting with the justice department was reported yesterday, and added to the intrigue surrounding the government secrets the FBI found when it searched Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in August, discoveries that contradicted the document Bobb signed months prior.

Today’s story in the Times goes deeper into Bobb’s background, and her journey from the Marine Corps to the homeland security department to rightwing media and finally to Trump’s inner circle.

Here’s more from their report:

.css-knbk2a{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}The former president was in the midst of an escalating clash with the Justice Department about documents he had taken with him from the White House at the end of his term. The lawyer, M. Evan Corcoran, met Ms. Bobb at the president’s residence and private club in Florida and asked her to sign a statement for the department that the Trump legal team had conducted a “diligent search” of Mar-a-Lago and found only a few files that had not been returned to the government.

Ms. Bobb, a 39-year-old lawyer juggling amorphous roles in her new job, was being asked to take a step that neither Mr. Trump nor other members of the legal team were willing to take — so she looked before leaping.

“Wait a minute — I don’t know you,” Ms. Bobb replied to Mr. Corcoran’s request, according to a person to whom she later recounted the episode. She later complained that she did not have a full grasp of what was going on around her when she signed the document, according to two people who have heard her account.

Ms. Bobb, who relentlessly promoted falsehoods about the 2020 election as an on-air host for the far-right One America News Network, eventually signed her name. But she insisted on adding a written caveat before giving it to a senior Justice Department official on June 3: “The above statements are true and correct to the best of my knowledge.”

Whether they’re watching TV or reading this blog, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) has found that Americans are losing sleep over politics.

According to a survey by the academy, 58% of respondents lost sleep due to worries about the political situation, with about a third of Gen Zers saying they always, almost always or often lose sleep over what they read in the news.

“Politics can be a charged topic for so many people—even more so when those topics hit close to home. The 24-hour news cycle brings us endless updates on both domestic and international events, conflicts, and opinions. This can weigh heavily on us both physically and emotionally,” said Seema Khosla, chair of the AASM public awareness advisory committee.

“It is important to prioritize healthy, sufficient sleep, especially with the midterm elections coming up.”

For all the uncertainty over the upcoming midterms, there are a few things that can be said for sure, including this: Madison Cawthorn, a conservative firebrand who has unreservedly embraced Donald Trump, will not be returning to Congress.

The North Carolina representative lost his district’s Republican primary earlier this year, after being embroiled in a number of scandals that led the House’s Republican leadership to repudiate him.

Is this the last we’ll hear of the 27-year-old lawmaker? The Washington Post has published a profile exploring that question, and taking a look at Cawthorn’s apparently unproductive days in office since he lost his primary:

.css-knbk2a{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}Madison Cawthorn left his Capitol Hill office on a recent afternoon like a man with a purpose, though what that purpose is, exactly, has been something of an unknown since he lost his congressional primary five months ago.

“I have to get to a floor speech real quick,” the North Carolina Republican said. Cawthorn, 27, who was partially paralyzed in a car accident in 2014, pivoted in his wheelchair and rolled out to the sidewalk, crossing Independence Avenue and heading toward the Capitol.

Inside a nearly empty House chamber, Cawthorn read a one-minute speech in which he declared that “America cannot be saved through legislation.”

“Christ, not Congress, will be what saves this country,” he said in an emphatic baritone.

Cawthorn left the Capitol building, stopping at the corner of Independence and New Jersey avenues, a tin of Grizzly chewing tobacco on his lap. “I gotta grab my food real quick,” he told The Washington Post before heading to another nearby corner to await a delivery driver.

As he lingered, a solitary figure in a stream of lunchtime passersby, the congressman spat tobacco juice on the sidewalk.

What does Madison Cawthorn do, now that his days in Washington are numbered?

At the Capitol, it seems, he has not made much of a mark. His standing among key Republicans, including Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, tanked after a series of missteps, perhaps the most consequential of which was his assertion in March that an unnamed colleague had invited him to an orgy and that he had seen another partake in a “key bump of cocaine.” Republicans who wanted to attack Democrats by talking about soaring gas prices and “Bidenflation” suddenly found themselves answering questions about whether the Capitol had turned into a swinger’s club.

There are several races on the ballot this fall that will have profound consequences for American democracy.

In several states, Republican candidates who doubt the election 2020 election results, or in some cases actively worked to overturn them, are running for positions in which they would have tremendous influence over how votes are cast and counted. If these candidates win, there is deep concern they could use their offices to spread baseless information about election fraud and try to prevent the rightful winners of elections from being seated.

Here’s a look at some of the key candidates who pose a threat to US democracy:

Further evidence has emerged this afternoon that a significant diplomatic rift between Saudi Arabia and the United States is opening.

Semafor reports that Washington is backing out of a meeting with the Saudi-led Gulf Cooperation Council on air and missile defenses:

Meanwhile, Punchbowl News reports more senators are wondering why Washington should work with Riyadh.

“I think we should look carefully at everything we’re sending. Because their inability to cooperate with the West and their willingness to cooperate with Russia is very disturbing,” said Democrat Jack Reed, who chairs the Senate armed services committee.

“Why should we [send arms to Saudi Arabia]? If they don’t have any more concern for international security and the stability of the world economy, why should we be helping them?” Angus King, an independent senator who caucuses with Democrats, said. He sits on both the armed services and intelligence committees.

Here’s what the White House National Security Council spokesperson, John Kirby, had to say earlier about reported geopolitical discussions between Elon Musk and Vladimir Putin:

.css-knbk2a{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}Obviously, he’s not representing the United States government in those conversations.”

According to Ian Bremmer of the Eurasia Group, Musk spoke to Putin before tweeting a proposal to end the Ukraine war.

According to Musk, though, Bremmer is mistaken. Asked if Bremmer’s report was true, the SpaceX and Tesla founder said: “No, it is not. I have spoken to Putin only once and that was about 18 months ago. The subject matter was space.”

This one may develop.

Here, meanwhile, is a recent report from Helen Davidson in Taipei about how people round there view Musk’s recent pronouncements on the delicate diplomatic matter of Taiwan and China…

Here’s a tweet from Dick Durbin of Illinois, the No2 Democrat in the US Senate, on matters concerning Opec+, oil production cuts and future US relationships and geopolitical priorities:

.css-knbk2a{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}The Nopec Act passed in the judiciary committee with a bipartisan vote in May. Saudi Arabia’s collusion with Putin to fix prices will increase gas prices for Americans at a time when inflation is high. The Senate must take action against price fixing by Opec+ and pass this legislation.

What is the Nopec Act, I hear you cry. Fortunately, our friends at Reuters are here to explain, including about how that characteristic congressional acronym came about:

.css-knbk2a{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}The No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels (Nopec) bill … is intended to protect US consumers and businesses from engineered oil spikes. The bipartisan bill would tweak US antitrust law to revoke the sovereign immunity that has protected Opec+ members and their national oil companies from lawsuits. If signed into law, the US attorney general would gain the option to sue the oil cartel or its members, such as Saudi Arabia, in federal court.

It is unclear exactly how a federal court could enforce judicial antitrust decisions against a foreign nation. The US could also face criticism for its attempts to manipulate markets by, for example, its planned release of 165 million barrels of oil from the emergency oil reserve between May and November.

But several attempts to pass NOPEC over more than two decades have long worried Opec+’s de facto leader, Saudi Arabia, leading Riyadh to lobby hard every time a version of the bill has come up. Previous versions of the bill have also failed amid resistance by oil industry groups, including top US oil lobby group, the American Petroleum Institute (API).

But anger has risen in Congress about gasoline prices that earlier this year helped fuel inflation to the highest level in decades.

For more on this story:

We have a statement from Joe Biden about the breakthrough between Israel and Lebanon, about which Bethan McKernan reported the following for the Guardian earlier:

.css-knbk2a{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}Israel and Lebanon have agreed a deal in a dispute over gas fields and the two countries’ maritime border, a groundbreaking diplomatic achievement that could boost natural gas production in the Mediterranean before the European winter.

Yair Lapid, Israel’s prime minister, said months of US-brokered negotiations had resulted in a “historic agreement” between two nations technically at war since Israel’s creation in 1948. The deal would “strengthen Israel’s security, inject billions into Israel’s economy, and ensure the stability of our northern border”, he added.

A statement from the office the Lebanese president, Michel Aoun, said the latest version of the proposal “satisfies Lebanon, meets its demands, and preserves its rights to its natural resources”.

The agreement is expected to enable Israeli production of natural gas from the Karish maritime reservoir … while relatively small in terms of global production, bringing Karish online is a welcome development for Israel’s western allies, as the invasion of Ukraine has sent energy prices soaring and left Europe searching for alternatives to Russian oil and gas.

Here’s a taste of what Biden has to say, with perhaps the most pointed part bolded up:

.css-knbk2a{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}I have just spoken with the Prime Minister of Israel, Yair Lapid, and the President of Lebanon, Michel Aoun, who confirmed the readiness of both governments to move forward with this agreement. I want to also thank President Emmanuel Macron of France and his government for their support in these negotiations.

Energy – particularly in the eastern Mediterranean – should serve as the tool for cooperation, stability, security, and prosperity, not for conflict.

Biden also says the deal “promotes the interests of the United States and the American people in a more stable, prosperous, and integrated Middle East region, with reduced risks of new conflicts”.

Here’s Bethan’s full report:

The United States and Saudi Arabia are at loggerheads, after Riyadh pushed Opec+ to cut its crude output and potentially drive gas prices higher, defying Washington’s pleas for a delay. Today, the White House confirmed that president Joe Biden is willing to re-evaluate his country’s relationship with Saudi Arabia, potentially upending a decades-long alliance.

Here’s what else has happened today so far:

• Tulsi Gabbard has left the Democratic party. The former Hawaii congresswoman unsuccessfully stood for its presidential nomination in 2020, but has become increasingly conservative since departing Congress last year.

• The supreme court’s conservative majority rejected an appeal from a death row inmate challenging his conviction over some jurors’ opposition to interracial marriage. It also turned down an appeal from racist murderer Dylann Roof.

• Ohio’s Senate candidates faced off in a debate last night. The race is unexpectedly close, but the Democratic candidate Tim Ryan believes the party’s leadership has given up on him.

US officials asked Saudi Arabia to hold off on pushing the Opec+ coalition of crude producers for a cut in their output, but Riyadh refused, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The story suggests that relations between Riyadh and Washington are worse than they appear, even after president Joe Biden traveled to Saudi Arabia in July to mend relations and potentially convince the country to pump more oil and, in turn, lower gas prices in the United States. The visit was criticized by many of the president’s allies, who wanted him to stick to a campaign promise to turn Saudi Arabia into a “pariah” for its human rights abuses.

According to the Journal, Saudi officials viewed the Biden administration’s request to delay the Opec+ production cut by a month as an attempt to salvage their fortunes ahead of the midterm elections, where Democrats are fighting to retain control of Congress. Now, the White House is mulling ways to punish Riyadh for its decision, the Journal reports.

Here’s more from their story:

.css-knbk2a{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}In one of its first responses, U.S. officials said, the Biden administration is weighing whether to withdraw from participation in Saudi Arabia’s flagship Future Investment Initiative investment forum later this month.

U.S. officials said the OPEC+ decision was unhelpful as inflation driven by high energy prices threatens global growth and represents an economic weapon against the West for Russian President Vladimir Putin. It threatens to drive up American gasoline prices ahead of the Nov. 8 midterms.

The one-month delay requested by Washington would have meant a production cut made in the days before the election, too late to have much effect on consumers’ wallets ahead of the vote.

Adrienne Watson, a National Security Council spokeswoman, rejected Saudi contentions that the Biden administration efforts were driven by political calculations.

“It’s categorically false to connect this to U.S. elections,” she said. “It’s about the impact of this shortsighted decision to the global economy.”

Adel al Jubeir, Saudi minister of state for foreign affairs, said the kingdom is committed to ensuring oil-market stability and noted that OPEC+ had increased output through much of the year. He said global economic headwinds justified the decision to cut production.

He blamed the Washington reaction on “the emotions that have to do with the upcoming elections,” in an interview that aired on Fox News on Sunday. “The idea that Saudi Arabia would do this to harm the U.S. or to be in any way politically involved is not correct at all.”

Ed Pilkington reports that some candidates running to manage their state’s elections in the 8 November midterms have openly said they will use their position to ensure Donald Trump returns to power:

The head of a US coalition of election deniers standing for secretary of state positions in key battleground states has made the most explicit threat yet that they will use their powers, should they win in November, to subvert democracy and force a return of Donald Trump to the White House.

Jim Marchant, who is running in the midterms as the Republican candidate for secretary of state in Nevada, has vowed publicly that he and his fellow coalition members will strive to make Trump president again. Speaking at a Make America Great Again rally in Minden, Nevada, on Saturday night, he repeated the lie that the 2020 presidential election had been stolen from Trump.

Marchant said he had investigated what he described as the “rigged election” and had discovered “horrifying” irregularities. He provided no details – an official review of the 2020 count in Nevada, which Joe Biden won by 34,000 votes, found no evidence of mass fraud.

Students at the University of Florida are not pleased by the news that Republican senator Ben Sasse has been selected as the new president, and told him so during a visit to the campus yesterday, Martin Pengelly reports:

Less than a week after being revealed as the likely next president of the University of Florida (UF), the Republican senator Ben Sasse was met with protests when he appeared on campus in Gainesville on Monday.

“Hey-hey, ho-ho, Ben Sasse has got to go,” protesters chanted, seeking to draw attention to the Nebraskan’s views on LGBTQ+ rights.

According to the UF student newspaper, the Independent Florida Alligator, after Sasse left a student forum early, leaders of a crowd of around 300 called the senator “homophobic and racist in between yelling from the audience”. One protester called out “Get the fuck”, the crowd responding, “Out of our swamp!”