CHINA & RUSSIA GET COZY, IRAN & SAUDI ARABIA UNITE, MINNESOTA RADIOACTIVE?, & MORE

Little Joe's Conservative Corner

Chinese President Xi Jinping landed in Russia on Monday for a three-day visit in which he will meet with Russia President Vladimir Putin. Iran and Saudi Arabia announced last Friday a Chinese-brokered deal to restore relations. After decades of enmity and a formal cutting of ties in 2016, the rapprochement has been touted as a momentous development in the region. But how it ultimately impacts the Middle East remains a very open question, as the long adversarial powers are fighting a proxy war in Yemen and continue to support opposing sides across the region. Amid perceived U.S. retrenchment from the Middle East, the deal is a diplomatic win for China as it increasingly seeks to present an alternative vision to the U.S.-led global order. Minnesota regulators knew four months ago that radioactive waste had leaked from a nuclear power plant in Monticello — but they didn’t announce anything about the leak until this week. Plus more on today's show.