Saudi Arabia: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) - Summary

Summary

A possible concise summary is:

The text is a transcript of a segment from Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, where he criticizes the US-Saudi Arabia relationship and the role of President Trump and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) in it. He discusses the alleged murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Turkey, and how it reveals the brutality and recklessness of MBS. He also mocks the PR efforts of MBS to portray himself as a reformer and a visionary, such as hosting a business conference and partnering with WWE. He argues that Trump has enabled and praised MBS for his own financial interests, and has ignored the human rights abuses and atrocities committed by Saudi Arabia in Yemen and elsewhere. He concludes that Trump's lack of boundaries for an oppressive regime has dangerous consequences.

Facts

Here are some possible facts extracted from the text:

1. Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a U.S. resident and columnist for the Washington Post, disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate in Turkey on October 2, 2018.
2. Turkish authorities believe that Khashoggi was killed and dismembered by a team of 15 Saudi agents who arrived and left Istanbul on the same day.
3. Saudi Arabia initially denied any involvement in Khashoggi's disappearance, but later admitted that he died in a "rogue operation" inside the consulate.
4. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) is the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia and has been praised for some reforms, such as allowing women to drive and opening movie theaters, but also criticized for human rights abuses, such as arresting activists, waging a brutal war in Yemen, and cracking down on dissent.
5. President Donald Trump has maintained a close relationship with MBS and Saudi Arabia, citing their strategic and economic interests, such as buying billions of dollars worth of U.S. arms and opposing Iran.
6. Trump has downplayed or dismissed the evidence of Saudi involvement in Khashoggi's murder, saying that he does not want to jeopardize the arms deal or the alliance with Saudi Arabia.
7. MBS has also tried to improve his image and attract foreign investment by hosting a business conference called "Davos in the Desert" and partnering with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) to hold events in Saudi Arabia.
8. Many companies and media outlets have pulled out of the conference or the WWE events in protest of Khashoggi's murder and Saudi Arabia's human rights record.