High gas prices have put political pressure on President Biden to do some things his administration never wanted to do. That includes extending an olive branch to Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman.

As a candidate Biden promised to treat Saudi Arabia as a “pariah” following the assassination of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. Now the president is gearing up for a visit to the kingdom next month.

Here & Now’s Peter O’Dowd speaks with NPR International Affairs Correspondent Jackie Northam.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

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