There was a time in the distant past — that is, as recently as Monday — when the official position of the PGA Tour was that its competitor, the Saudi-backed golf tour known as LIV, was a scandalous, even odious, operation. Referring to Saudi Arabia’s horrific human rights record, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said last June, “You’d have to be living under a rock to not understand the implications of involving yourself with the Saudis.” But Monahan’s strong comment is now just a reminder that pencils have erasers.

The Biden administration ruled on Thursday that Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has immunity from a lawsuit over the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, drawing immediate condemnation from the slain journalist's former fiancee.

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said on Saturday more investment was needed in fossil fuel and clean energy technologies to meet global demand, and that unrealistic emission policies would lead to unprecedented levels of inflation.

The prince said Saudi Arabia had announced raising its production capacity to 13 million barrels per day by 2027 from a nameplate capacity of 12 million now and “after that the Kingdom will not have any more capability to increase production.”

Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA) sent an eyebrow-raising tweet Friday afternoon as the prominent Democrat took a shot at President Joe Biden for fist-bumping the Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Prince Mohammed bin Salman earlier in the day.

President Joe Biden arrived Friday in Saudi Arabia where he met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a controversial sitdown he had earlier insisted would not take place.

The crown prince greeted Biden as he arrived at the royal palace where the two leaders exchanged a fist bump, but no handshake.

Biden has alternated between handshakes and fist bumps throughout the four days of his Middle East swing after the White House said he would “minimize contact” during the trip as a Covid precaution.

President Biden shared a fist bump with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman after arriving in the Gulf kingdom for a high-stakes visit.

Why it matters: Biden once vowed to make the kingdom a "pariah," and U.S.-Saudi relations have been strained over a number of issues, including the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.

U.S. intelligence concluded MBS was responsible for Khashoggi's murder — an allegation Saudi Arabia denies.

President Biden was seen greeting Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman on Friday with a fist bump during his trip to the Middle East. 

The greeting came amid speculation over whether Biden would shake the hand of bin Salman, who approved the 2018 operation that killed journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to U.S. intelligence assessments. Khashoggi, who was a Washington Post columnist, was killed after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to collect documents for his wedding.

President Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia this week stands at the threshold of a new Middle East. If the visit’s purpose is simply to beg for increased oil production, then it will be a waste of time (the Saudis have already said they are already producing at near-capacity). 

A former Saudi spymaster described Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, who the US says sent a hit squad to kill and dismember Washington Post writer Jamal Khashoggi, as a “psychopath” whose immense wealth makes him a threat to the United States and other countries around the world — as President Biden prepares for a much-anticipated meeting with the monarch later this week.

Ahead of President Biden's upcoming trip to the Middle East, a group of six Democratic lawmakers wrote a letter Tuesday urging the president to take steps to ensure the U.S.-Saudi relationship serves the United States' national interests.

Driving the news: Since 2015, the kingdom has "repeatedly acted in ways at odds" with the policies and values of the U.S., the lawmakers wrote.