The prince and the president

President Trump says it’s important to get to the bottom of what happened to journalist Jamal Khashoggi, but as evidence mounts the Saudi government had him murdered, Trump seems to be buying the Saudi crown prince’s claims that’s not true. What’s at stake in the country’s relationship with Saudi Arabia? And this is not the first evidence of major human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia — why has this event captured attention and ire?

Then: Congress is on break until after the midterms. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is sending signals about his priorities in November, and he says it’s not the tax cut that blew up the deficit: it’s entitlements. Also in the show, the Department of Justice has begun issuing subpoenas in Pennsylvania related to the latest priest sexual abuse scandal to break.

Finally, are we having smart conversations about art? New York Times critic-at-large Wesley Morris talks about the morality wars and how tastemakers are more concerned than ever about the values reflected in popular culture. Is that getting in the way of figuring out whether art is any good?