The World Blog by humble servant.

WASHINGTON ― Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) is all but announcing her intention to run for House speaker against Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), testing the waters Thursday by slamming Pelosi and foregrounding issues of race. While she stopped short of officially throwing her hat in the ring, Fudge told HuffPost she’s been “overwhelmed” by the number of people reaching out to support her potential speaker bid. She thinks the opposition to Pelosi in the caucus is much greater than the 17 Democrats who have signed a letter saying they won’t support Pelosi to be speaker. According to Fudge, if the vote were held today, Pelosi would be well short of the numbers. “I don’t hate Nancy. I think Nancy has been a very good leader,” Fudge told HuffPost. “I just think it’s time for a new one.” But you could be forgiven for thinking Fudge hates Pelosi. During the course of our interview, the former Congressional Black Caucus chairwoman made it clear she thinks Pelosi has not been a vocal...

The US has sanctioned 17 Saudi nationals for their alleged role in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The list includes a former top aide to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Saudi Consul General Mohammed Alotaibi. The gruesome killing of the dissident journalist in Saudi consulate in Turkey sparked public outrage and condemnation worldwide. As Khashoggi was working for the Washington Post, there's been pressure on the White House to respond to the actions of its Middle East ally. Read more FILE PHOTO.Khashoggi's ‘murder kit’ X ray PHOTOS revealed by Turkish media Among the sanctioned individuals is Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, who Turkish authorities believe led a 15-man ‘kill team’ to Istanbul to murder Khashoggi. According to Turkish pro-government newspaper Sabah, the team were observed carrying scissors, defibrilators and syringes through airport security at Istanbul. The New York Times reported that Mutreb had told a superior by phone to “tell your boss” that...

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi holds a news conference at the Capitol on Nov. 7 following the 2018 midterm elections. Zach Gibson/Getty Images Recently in Politics Michelle Obama’s Memoir Is Refreshingly Honest and Revealing—Until She Gets to Donald Trump Trump’s “Voter Fraud” Reaction to 2018 Recounts Shows Us What to Fear for 2020 Pelosi Will Almost Certainly Be Speaker Again—but the Race to Succeed Her Is Already On Why the 2018 Midterms May Have Been Bluer Than You Think Following House Democrats’ first full meeting with both their departing members and incoming members-elect, reporters asked Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan—who’s organizing a suddenly serious opposition to Nancy Pelosi’s bid for speaker—whether he and his allies would really follow through with the effort that’s driving such a rift within the caucus, on its first day in charge, during its first vote. “Yes,” he said. He didn’t miss a beat. Ryan claims that his group has members numbering in the “mid-20s” who are a...

Saudi Arabia’s public prosecutor says he will seek the death penalty for five individuals accused of murdering Jamal Khashoggi. He said the crown prince was not implicated in the crime. “The public prosecutor has requested the death penalty for 5 individuals who are charged with ordering and committing the crime,” deputy public prosecutor and spokesman Shaalan al-Shaalan told reporters. He, however, didn’t name those five people. FILE PHOTO.Khashoggi's ‘murder kit’ X ray PHOTOS revealed by Turkish media Eleven people have been charged and 21 are being held for Khashoggi’s murder, the prosecutor said. The journalist and Washington Post columnist was allegedly strangled at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. The plans to retrieve Khashoggi “were in place on September 29,” three days before his murder, the statement from the prosecutor said. A team was sent by the former deputy intelligence chief to retrieve the journalist and persuade him to return to Saudi Arabia. Th...

Meanwhile, in the House, Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi ripped Republicans in a statement for moving to block a vote on ending the U.S. involvement in the war. “Real, immediate action must be taken by the Congress to end this horrific humanitarian crisis,” she said.

Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker, a Tennessee Republican, said separately that the Trump administration must give a high-level briefing to senators on Saudi Arabia -- including the issues of Khashoggi and Yemen -- or risk losing Saudi-related votes on the Senate floor before Congress finishes for the year. Bob CorkerPhotographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg Of Khashoggi’s murder, “There’s no smoking gun, but I don’t think there’s any question he directed it, knew it, and we’ve got to figure out a way to cause them to pay a price,” Corker said, referring to Prince Mohammed. Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland said he expects to see significant sanctions against the Saudis “targeted to the highest levels of the Saudi government.” Fellow Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut said he would discuss the possibility of forcing a vote this year on ending U.S. involvement in Yemen’s conflict under the War Powers Act. Murphy also said Trump’s administration woul...

President Donald Trump said $450 billion in investments are at stake as Congress raises pressure on him to punish Saudi Arabia for the presumed death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and he promised to involve lawmakers in any U.S. response. Sanctions “could be considered,” he said.Trump has previously said he opposes canceling what he says is a $110 billion deal for U.S. weaponry the Saudis intend to buy. 

Reviving Criticism Khashoggi, a longtime insider who was critical of Prince Mohammed’s policies, was murdered during a visit to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. The crown prince and Saudi officials initially said they had no knowledge of Khashoggi’s whereabouts. But as international pressure mounted, the kingdom said he had died in an interrogation gone awry. .

Senator Lindsey Graham called Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman “unstable and unreliable” and said he and other senators were discussing sanctions against the longtime U.S. ally in the wake of a Saudi columnist’s murder. An influential policy hawk in Congress who frequently advises President Donald Trump, Graham said he and other like-minded colleagues don’t yet have a plan of action, but lambasted the leadership of Saudi Arabia’s 33-year-old de facto ruler, widely known as MBS. Prince Mohammed “has been unstable and unreliable and I don’t see the situation getting fixed as long as he’s around,” Graham said. Asked if he was calling for a new crown prince to be named, Graham said it was up to Saudi Arabia to determine its leadership. “I am of the opinion that the current leadership, the MBS leadership, has been a disaster for the relationship and the region, and I will find it very difficult to do business as usual with somebody who’s been this unstable,” he said. ...

By Steven T. Dennis and Karen Leigh BLOOMBERG  NOVEMBER 15, 2018 Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, called Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ‘‘unstable and unreliable’’ and said he and other senators were discussing sanctions against the longtime US ally in the wake of a Saudi columnist’s murder. An influential policy hawk in Congress who frequently advises President Trump, Graham said he and like-minded colleagues don’t yet have a plan of action, but lambasted the leadership of Saudi Arabia’s 33-year-old de facto ruler. Prince Mohammed ‘‘has been unstable and unreliable and I don’t see the situation getting fixed as long as he’s around,’’ Graham said. Asked if he was calling for a new crown prince to be named, Graham said it was up to Saudi Arabia. Graham has taken a much more strident tone against the prince than the president since Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last month. A...