Saudi Airport Attacks Put Kingdom’s Ambitions Under Pressure

what happened

Dow Jones Newswires reports that a weekend assault on Saudi Arabia’s main airport has deepened the crisis confronting Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. At least 12 people were killed and hundreds wounded in attacks carried out by Iran-backed Houthi militants. As the threats increase, the crown prince is moving between fortified palaces fitted with bunkers. Summer Said and Georgi Kantchev write that higher defense and infrastructure spending could drain resources needed to make Saudi Arabia a global destination for tourism and investment and to diversify its economy.

The violence is also disrupting international aviation. Airlines have scrapped more than 1,000 flights, while risks to Saudi airspace threaten one of the final two major air links between Europe and Asia. The 10-Point newsletter, produced with Editor in Chief Emma Tucker, says President Trump urged Russia and Ukraine to stop attacking each other’s energy facilities, even though Moscow has rejected the proposal so far and no agreement appears to be in place. A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to stop showing taxpayer-funded advertisements praising the president, finding that they were probably unlawful. Robert E. Hall and Michael Woodford won the Nobel prize in economics. Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, seen as the leading candidate for Minnesota governor, is advocating moderation and pledging to address pandemic-era fraud. Wagers on jury verdicts in prediction markets are prompting ethical objections.

In the markets section, Spencer Jakab examines the outlook for small modular nuclear reactors, which could be mass-produced for power-hungry AI data centers. U.S. companies seeking to commercialize the technology are consuming large amounts of cash, and NuScale Power on Friday reached a new 52-week low; its stock has fallen 82% over the past year. Amazon is negotiating to buy AI startup Decart in a transaction that could be worth around $7 billion. A bitcoin-mining company that seemed finished after the collapse of Sam Bankman-Fried’s crypto empire is being revived to support the AI build-out. Max Colchester and David Luhnow report that seven million people in Britain—more than 10% of the population—receive at least one sickness or disability benefit. Psychiatric claims have quadrupled, helping push projected spending to GBP130 billion, or $172 billion.

Other coverage looks at debt-service coverage ratio mortgages, which rely on expected rental income instead of a borrower’s wealth. The loans are helping investors purchase, renovate and rent vacant homes in Baltimore, Detroit and Cleveland, while raising concerns about fraud. Nancy Keates reviews ways to build architect-designed custom houses for less than $1 million. The day’s agenda includes a Trump rally in Ohio before the midterm elections and the opening of the IMF and World Bank annual meetings in Bangkok. China’s 2025 gross national income per capita was $14,230, just under the $14,375 high-income cutoff; World Bank calculations released next July may place the country in that group for 2026. Sumathi Reddy’s closing item discusses temporary dairy sensitivity and lactose intolerance. The newsletter also features pieces on single-payer healthcare, life insurance and other WSJ and Buy Side coverage. Bharbi Hazarika and Gary Mitchell curated and edited the edition with Emma Tucker.

why it matters

The market implications center on aviation-security risks, Saudi Arabia’s rising defense bill, potential interruptions to key Europe-Asia routes and mounting fiscal strain in Britain.

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