Feb 4, 2020 - World

Americans don't trust Saudi Arabia's crown prince: poll

Dave Lawler

"They don't trust me? Why not?" Photo: Eliot Blondet/AFP via Getty Images

Just 20% of Americans have confidence in Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to "do the right thing regarding world affairs," per a new Pew survey.

By the numbers: Trust is also low in Israel (6%), Lebanon (23%), Turkey (14%) and Tunisia (18%), though the latter two countries have even less faith in President Trump.

  • Sunni Muslims in Lebanon are far more likely to trust MBS than Shiites (50% vs. 4%).
  • MBS' father, King Salman, polled higher in all four of the Middle Eastern countries in 2017 but didn't break 33% in any of them.

Worth noting: Hatice Cengiz, the fiance of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi, will attend the State of the Union tomorrow night as a guest of Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.).

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Rebecca Falconer

Khashoggi's fiancée to attend Trump's State of the Union

Hatice Cengiz speaks during an exclusive interview in the U.S. on May 18, 2019. Photo: Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) announced Monday that he's taking researcher Hatice Cengiz, the fiancée of slain Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, as his guest to this week's State of the Union.

Driving the news: It's an attempt to press President Trump to step up action against Saudi Arabia for its role in his death. A CIA report concluded in November 2018 that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered Khashoggi's killing. The prince denies doing so.

Go deeperArrowUpdated Feb 4, 2020 - Politics & Policy
Dave Lawler

What the top 2020 Democrats think of Saudi Arabia

Trump, Egypt's Sisi, King Salman and an orb in Riyadh. Photo: Bandar Algaloud/Saudi Royal Council/Getty

No U.S. partner will fear a change in administrations more than Saudi Arabia.

Flashback: Trump’s first overseas trip was to Riyadh. Since then, his administration has worked to shield Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman from bipartisan outrage, most notably over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

SurveyArrowFeb 11, 2020 - World
Ina Fried

Exclusive: Global trust in the tech industry is slipping

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

The backlash against Big Tech has long flourished among pundits and policymakers, but a new survey suggests it's beginning to show up in popular opinion as well.

Driving the news: New data from Edelman out Tuesday finds that trust in tech companies is declining and that people trust cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence less than they do the industry overall.

Go deeperArrowFeb 25, 2020 - Technology