Spy Thriller (Andrew McCabe and Allison Gill; Unjustified podcast)

• A Jared Kushner phone hack has revealed hundreds of millions of dollars in slush funds in banks in the Middle East provided by the leaders of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
• Representative Ilhan Omar’s lawyers claim law enforcement violated judge-ordered restrictions placed on the warrant used to search her DC home.
• Jack Smith has been subpoenaed in Trump’s defamation case against the BBC. 
• Two former FBI agents have been charged on information for lying to Congress about the Hunter Biden laptop investigation. 
• Plus listener questions

Interview: 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/spy-thriller/id1317481380?i=1000797999149

Houthi attack on Riyadh airport forces swift rethink of Trump’s new strategy

Europeans know full well that the inflation problem helping to drive populism is caused by the Iran war and not by Zelenskyy’s tactics. The only question is who will say so. The former UK Conservative prime minister Boris Johnson did not hold back, writing: “It is sickening that the USA is now lifting sanctions on Russian fuel, and transparently ridiculous to blame Ukraine for the spike in prices that obviously began with the closure of the strait of Hormuz. Putin is murdering innocent Ukrainian civilians every day. The Ukrainians are fighting for their lives. And yet the White House is apparently determined to force American drivers to bankroll Putin’s slaughter.”…

 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/11/houthi-attack-riyadh-airport-donald-trump-strategy 

 

Saudi Arabia says 3 injured in attacks on its airports as fighting with Houthis reignites | PBS News

Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Tuesday…

 https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/saudi-arabia-says-3-injured-in-attacks-on-its-airports-as-fighting-with-houthis-reignites

 

Houthis move to seize strategic terrain after Trump calls off airstrikes at last minute

Amid increasingly heavy fighting in Yemen, which has displaced tens of thousands of people in recent weeks, the New York Times reported on Monday that the US president had flip-flopped wildly in recent days after a call from Saudi Arabia for US strikes on the Houthis…

 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/21/houthis-seize-strategic-terrain-yemen-trump-calls-off-airstrikes-last-minute

 

Houthis claim attack on Saudi base as fighting flares with Yemeni forces

Iran-allied Houthis say drones and missiles used in attack that targeted ‘weapons depots and command and control centres’ in southern Saudi Arabia…

 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/13/houthis-claim-attack-on-saudi-base-as-fighting-flares-with-yemeni-forces

 

The rapid Houthi advance in Yemen: why it matters and what’s at stake

The Houthis have wrested control of Yemen’s Red Sea coast from Saudi-backed government, giving Iran and its allies control over a key shipping lane…

 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/10/violence-erupts-in-yemen-again-why-it-matters-globally-and-how-it-is-linked-to-the-us-iran-war

 

Trump climbs down on Iran strikes in expectation of ‘rapidly’ reaching a deal

However, hopes of a breakthrough faded on Sunday when Iran’s Mehr news agency said Trump’s claim that Tehran had requested a pause “was nothing but a new lie” and that the Iranian armed forces were “on high alert and ready for any eventuality”...

 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/02/trump-climbs-down-on-iran-strikes-after-saudi-alarm-and-threats-from-tehran

Iran-backed militant group's threat to Saudi energy hub could upend Trump's midterm message - POLITICO

The world's largest oil processing facility has emerged as the next flashpoint in the Iran conflict, with potentially immediate consequences for global energy markets and Republicans facing tough midterm races…

 https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/31/houthi-threat-to-saudi-energy-hub-could-upend-trumps-midterm-message-01020417

US joins forces with Saudis to strike Tehran-backed militias in Iraq

The US military said it knocked down an Iranian missile barrage and worked with Saudi Arabia forces to strike sites in Iraq that Tehran-backed militias have used to launch attacks in recent days. The strikes on Wednesday killed at least 20 members of a former paramilitary alliance that includes pro-Iran groups...

 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/29/iran-missile-attack-us-base-forces

 

US-Saudi strikes in Iraq push region into ‘uncharted territory’, analysts warn

In Baghdad, the Iraqi presidency called the air raids on the PMF, also known as al-Hashd al-Shaabi – an armed alliance that includes powerful pro-Iran factions – “a blatant violation of Iraq’s sovereignty, targeting its official institutions”….

 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/29/us-saudi-strikes-in-iraq-have-pushed-the-region-into-uncharted-territory-analysts-warn 

Why would Trump agree to the Saudi nuclear deal?

The stark contrast between Donald Trump’s nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia and his nuclear demands for Iran would be comical if not so tragic. Trump has handed the Saudis the same nuclear options he swore Iran would never have. 

To make matters worse, Trump seems to have offered the Saudis this sweetheart deal to make amends for his disastrous war of choice with Iran. Meanwhile, he continues to bomb Iran in a push to open the strait of Hormuz, which was not closed until Trump launched his counterproductive war...

 https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jul/23/trump-saudi-nuclear-deal 

 

Trump says Saudi Arabia nuclear deal hinges on Saudi ties with Israel : NPR

The Saudi Embassy in Washington did not respond to NPR's request for comment. It is unclear how the new condition might affect the deal. The Saudi kingdom has long insisted it will not normalize relations with Israel until there is a clear pathway to establish a Palestinian state. The Israeli government strongly opposes Palestinian statehood.

"Does a social post supersede a signed diplomatic agreement? I think this is one of the frustrations that other countries have had with the United States," said Steven Cook, senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. "No one in Washington really knows how it's going to work."…

 https://www.npr.org/2026/07/23/nx-s1-5904327/us-saudi-arabia-iran

 

Trump's Saudi nuclear deal risks igniting a Middle East arms race, lawmakers warn - POLITICO

The agreement, which could let Riyadh enrich its own uranium within a decade, is sparking warnings that Turkey, Egypt and others could soon demand the same deal, unraveling years of U.S. nonproliferation policy...

 https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/22/saudi-nuclear-pact-fears-regional-enrichment-01009142

 

US signs landmark nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia that could pave the way for domestic nuclear enrichment

Trump administration hails agreement, which comes as the US fights a war with Iran in part to prevent Tehran enriching uranium domestically…

 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/22/trump-nuclear-agreement-saudi-arabia 

 

Oil passes $100 a barrel again and shares slide as Middle East conflict escalates

Sharp rise in oil price reflects fears Houthi militias could strangle Saudi exports as US-Iran fighting intensifies…

 https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jul/23/oil-price-passes-100-a-barrel-again-as-middle-east-conflict-escalates 

 

AP report: Trump approves nuclear agreement that may allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium | PBS News

The deal is expected to last 30 years and is also expected to involve U.S. firms in developing the program. The deal could allow for the building of a uranium enrichment facility in Saudi Arabia following a joint U.S.-Saudi study… 

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/ap-report-trump-approves-nuclear-agreement-that-may-allow-saudi-arabia-to-enrich-uranium 

 

Trump shelved ‘Project Freedom’ after Saudis refused use of bases and airspace

Saudi Arabia refused to drop its objections despite a personal call between the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, and Trump, NBC reported…

 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/07/trump-project-freedom-saudi-arabia-strait-of-hormuz

 

Saudi Arabia urging US to ramp up Iran attacks, intelligence source confirms

The crown prince solidified his hold on power by cultivating a close relationship with Trump, but will now have to rethink Saudi reliance on the US for its security, observers have argued. "

MBS [Mohammed bin Salman] has lost the bet on all his investments over the last several years," Ellie Geranmayeh, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations said. "He financially invested in Trump and Trump's family and his corporation and his White House, but at the end of the day the views of the Saudis and of the whole Gulf have been sidelined by the wishes of Benjamin Netanyahu."

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/27/saudi-arabia-us-iran-attacks-mohammed-bin-salman

 

Maddow: How is this not more of a show-stopping scandal?

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/tQ6Ts5jR58U

 

Jared Kushner is at the heart of the Paramount-WBD bid

Paramount left out a significant fact in the press release announcing its offer: the bid includes funding from the private equity firm owned by Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law, as well as three Arab monarchies, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, which collectively have billions of dollars in ongoing ventures involving the Trump family business. Those details were buried in required paperwork filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission...

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/dec/11/jared-kushner-paramount-warner-bros-deal