By AAMER MADHANI, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is set to fete Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday when the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia makes his first White House visit since the 2018 killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents.

The U.S.-Saudi relationship had been sent into a tailspin by the operation targeting Khashoggi, a fierce critic of the kingdom, that U.S. intelligence agencies later determined Prince Mohammed likely directed the agents to carry out.

But seven years later, the dark clouds over the relationship have been cleared away. And Trump has tightened his embrace of the 40-year-old crown prince he views as an indispensable player in shaping the Middle East in the decades to come. Prince Mohammed, for his part, denies involvement in the killing of Khashoggi, a Saudi citizen and Virginia resident.

Khashoggi will likely be an afterthought as the two leaders unveil billions of dollars in deals and huddle with aides to discuss the tricky path ahead in a volatile Middle East. They’ll end their day with an evening White House soiree, organized by first lady Melania Trump, to honor the prince.

“They have been a great ally,” Trump said of the Saudis on the eve of the visit.

Fighter jets and business deals

Ahead of Prince Mohammed’s arrival, Trump announced he has agreed to sell the Saudis F-35 fighter jets despite some concerns within the administration that the sale could lead to China gaining access to the U.S. technology behind the advanced weapon system.

Trump’s announcement is also surprising because some in the Republican administration have been wary about upsetting Israel’s qualitative military edge over its neighbors, especially at a time when Trump is depending on Israeli support for the success of his Gaza peace plan.

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But the unexpected move comes at a moment when Trump is trying to nudge the Saudis toward normalizing relations with Israel.

The president in his first term had helped forge commercial and diplomatic ties between Israel and Bahrain, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates through an effort dubbed the Abraham Accords.

Trump sees expansion of the accords as essential to his broader efforts to build stability in the Middle East after the two-year Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

And getting Saudi Arabia — the largest Arab economy and the birthplace of Islam — to sign on would create an enormous domino effect, he argues. The president in recent weeks has even predicted that once Saudi Arabia signs on to the accords, “everybody” in the Arab world “goes in.”

But the Saudis have maintained that a clear path toward Palestinian statehood must first be established before normalizing relations with Israel can be considered. The Israelis, meanwhile, remain steadfastly opposed to the creation of a Palestinian state.

The U.N. Security Council on Monday approved a U.S. plan for Gaza that authorizes an international stabilization force to provide security in the devastated territory and envisions a possible future path to an independent Palestinian state.

Assurances on US military support

The leaders certainly will have plenty to talk about including maintaining the fragile ceasefire in Gaza, mutual concerns about Iran’s malign behavior, and a brutal civil war in Sudan.

And the Saudis are looking to receive formal assurances from Trump defining the scope of U.S. military protection for the kingdom, even though anything not ratified by Congress can be undone by the next president.

Prince Mohammed, 40, who has stayed away from the West after the Khashoggi killing, is also looking to reestablish his position as a global player and a leader determined to diversify the Saudi economy away from oil by investing in sectors like mining, technology and tourism.

To that end, Saudi Arabia is expected to announce a multi-billion dollar investment in U.S. artificial intelligence infrastructure, and the two countries will lay out details about new cooperation in the civil nuclear energy sector, according to a senior Trump administration official who was not authorized to comment publicly ahead of the formal announcement.

“I think the challenge for us as Americans is to try to convince someone like MBS that the trajectory of Saudi Arabia ought to look more like South Korea than, say, China,” said Bernard Haykel, a professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University, speaking at a Carnegie Endowment for International Peace event on Monday. “That, ultimately, political repression of political dissent is not good for business. It’s not good for attracting foreign direct investment, it’s not good for your image if you’re a tourism destination.”

But this week’s warm embrace by Trump might provide a counterfactual to that argument for the crown prince.

In addition to White House pomp, the two nations are also planning an investment summit at the Kennedy Center on Wednesday that will include the heads of Salesforce, Qualcomm, Pfizer, the Cleveland Clinic, Chevron and Aramco, Saudi Arabia’s national oil and natural gas company, where even more deals with the Saudis could be announced.

AP writer Josh Boak contributed to this report.

Your daily look at what happened across the East Metro high school sports scene last night.

There was only one area girls hockey game Monday night:

Chisago Lakes 3, Eastview 2: Ava Aarnio tallied 37 saves for the Wildcats, who improved to 4-0 on the season.

Aarnio has been in net for all four victories. She’s allowed just five goals, stopping 94.6% of shots faced.

The Wildcats sport a balanced offense, with four players touting three goals on the season. It was more of the same Monday, as Audrina Kelley, Zoe Neurer and Cam Hinsch all scored in a game Chisago Lakes never trailed.

Abby Davis and Maisie Carney both scored for the Lightning (0-4).

Local wrestling, boys basketball and adapted hockey teams all opened practice for the 2025-26 winter season on Monday.

Boys hockey and girls basketball are already under way, with games in those two sports beginning on Thursday.

Have a result, stat, milestone or photo for “Last night in high school sports?” Email Dmizutani@Pioneerpress.com or Jfrederick@Pioneerpress.com anytime between the conclusion of the event and 7 a.m. the following morning to be considered for inclusion.

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Today is Tuesday, Nov. 18, the 322nd day of 2025. There are 43 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Nov. 18, 2005, eight months after Robert Blake was acquitted of murdering his wife at a criminal trial, a civil jury decided the actor was behind the killing and ordered him to pay $30 million to Bonny Lee Bakley’s children.

Also on this date:

In 1928, “Steamboat Willie,” the first cartoon with synchronized sound as well as the first release of the character Mickey Mouse, debuted on screen at the Colony Theater in New York.

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In 1978, U.S. Rep. Leo J. Ryan of California and four others were killed on an airstrip in Jonestown, Guyana, by members of the Peoples Temple; the killings were followed by a night of mass murder and suicide, resulting in the deaths of more than 900 cult members.

In 1987, an underground fire broke out in the King’s Cross St. Pancras subway station in London, causing 31 deaths.

In 1991, Shiite Muslim kidnappers in Lebanon freed Anglican Church envoy Terry Waite and Thomas Sutherland, the American dean of agriculture at the American University of Beirut.

In 1999, 12 people were killed and dozens injured when a bonfire under construction at Texas A&M University collapsed. The stack of thousands of logs more than 50 feet tall gave way ahead of an annual bonfire tradition marking a Texas A&M-Texas rivalry football game in College Station.

In 2021, more than half a century after the 1965 assassination of Malcolm X, two of his convicted killers were exonerated; a New York judge dismissed the convictions of Muhammad Aziz and the late Khalil Islam after prosecutors and the men’s lawyers said a renewed investigation had found new evidence that undermined the case against them.

Today’s Birthdays:

Author Margaret Atwood is 86.
Actor Linda Evans is 83.
Actor Delroy Lindo is 73.
Comedian Kevin Nealon is 72.
Football Hall of Famer Warren Moon is 69.
Actor Oscar Nunez is 67.
Actor Elizabeth Perkins is 65.
Rock musician Kirk Hammett (Metallica) is 63.
Author and lecturer Brené Brown is 60.
Actor Romany Malco is 57.
Actor Owen Wilson is 57.
Commentator Megan Kelly is 55.
Actor Chloe Sevigny (SEH’-ven-ee) is 51.
Baseball Hall of Famer David Ortiz is 50.
Rapper Fabolous is 48.
NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin is 45.
Actor-comedian Nasim Pedrad (nah-SEEM’ peh-DRAHD’) is 44.
Actor Damon Wayans Jr. is 43.
Olympic track and field gold medalist Allyson Felix is 40.
Fashion designer Christian Siriano is 40.
Actor Nathan Kress is 33.
NFL quarterback Caleb Williams is 24.

Organizers of the Border Battle Tug-of-War last year raised $4,000 for first responders by staging a massive tug-of-war on the Stillwater Lift Bridge prior to a Vikings-Packers game.

But when organizers approached the Minnesota Department of Transportation for permission to hold the event again this winter, MnDOT officials denied their request, stating they could “no longer support annual or recurring events on the structure.”

“Allowing individual events creates a precedent issue and makes it difficult to determine which events are allowable moving forward,” Matthew Schleusner, the agency’s east area principal engineer, wrote in an email to organizers. “We certainly recognize the community’s enthusiasm for this tradition and the bridge’s significance as a shared landmark, but due to the bridge’s historic status, we need to maintain consistency in how the space is managed.”

On Monday, organizers announced that the fundraiser for first-responder associations in the St. Croix River Valley will move to the causeway of the Old Hudson Toll Bridge, otherwise known as the Hudson Dike, in downtown Hudson, Wis. The event will be held at 10 a.m. Jan. 4, right before the two NFL teams face off at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

“We’re disappointed,” said Cory Buettner, who helps organize the event. “I find it hard to believe that our event could somehow negatively impact the integrity and historical significance of the bridge.”

A sign leads to the Old Toll Bridge in downtown Hudson, where this season’s Border Battle Tug of War will be held. (Courtesy of Cory Buettner)

MnDOT officials have previously accommodated a few events on the historic bridge, which no longer carries vehicular traffic, under a “special-occasion justification,” Buettner said. Among them: last year’s Border Battle and a pasta dinner to mark the opening of the Chestnut Street Plaza.

About 300 signed up to compete in last year’s Border Battle, and another 600 or so came out to watch, said Buettner, who owns Leo’s Grill & Malt Shop in downtown Stillwater.

The event is a fundraiser for the Stillwater Police Association, the Stillwater Fire Department Relief Association, Lakeview Health EMS, the North Hudson (Wis.) Police Department and the Town of St. Joseph (Wis.) Fire and Rescue Department.

How it works

Here’s how the Border Battle works: A series of tugs will take place throughout the morning with 25 team members on each side. All participants must register in advance and pay a $30 fee. The minimum age is 18.

Participants pulling for the Vikings will receive a beanie with a purple-and-gold Border Battle patch on it and Packers fans will receive a beanie with a green-and-gold Border Battle patch on it.

Football fans from Minnesota and Wisconsin met on the Stillwater Lift Bridge on Sunday morning, Dec. 29, 2024, to watch the first-ever “Border Battle” tug-of-war event preceding the game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers. (Feven Gerezgiher / MPR News)

The winning state will get bragging rights — and raise more money, Buettner said. Sixty percent of the net proceeds will go to the first-responder associations on the winning side of the river; associations on the losing side will get the rest, he said.

“We feel the Lift Bridge is a public asset and that during this time, when the Loop Trail is not heavily used, that we should utilize this as a landmark where people from both sides of the river can come together and have a good time and do something good for the heroes in our communities,” he said.

Every other year?

Stillwater Mayor Ted Kozlowski said he hopes officials from MnDOT, which owns the Lift Bridge, might be more accommodating next year.

“I like the idea of swapping between Stillwater and Hudson every other year to build ties,” he said. “The main issue is the city doesn’t own the Lift Bridge. I think it’s worth a discussion with MnDOT for future years.”

Buettner said he also likes the idea of going back and forth.

“It truly is a border battle,” Buettner said. “We’re looking for a little wedge of possible compromise because our event is in the dead of winter on a Sunday morning when the trail is not very busy.”

Kent Barnard, a spokesman for MnDOT, said Monday that he did not think agency officials will change their minds. The bridge, built in 1931, is a designated historic property and must be “managed in accordance with those preservation requirements,” he said.

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“We are opposed to commercial or recurring activities on it,” he said. “We have done one-off events, including we had the dinner on there, and then last year we did allow that Border Battle to go on, but we do not support annual or recurring events on the Lift Bridge.”

MnDOT officials, Barnard said, do not want to be put in the position of having to decide who gets to do an event and who doesn’t.

“The bottom line is: It is not an event space. It is used for transportation. It’s not for special events. If we continue to do this, we’re going to continue to get more requests and more requests, and it puts us in an awkward position of having to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to things.”

Who won last year? Packers fans prevailed by a score of three tugs to two, Buettner said. “But the Vikings won the football game. Most importantly, everyone had a good time.”

Border Battle Tug-of-War

What: A tug-of-war pitting Minnesota Vikings fans against Green Bay Packers fans in a fundraiser for the Minnesota and Wisconsin first responder organizations.

When: 10 a.m. Jan. 4, which is the day the teams face off at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

Where: Old Hudson Toll Bridge, Hudson, Wis.

Cost: $30 per participant

Information: borderbattle.org.