U.S. signs nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia. And, Nolan Wells’ independent autopsy results

The US has signed a nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia, allowing American firms to build and supply commercial nuclear power plants in the kingdom, in a deal the Trump administration announced this week. The agreement lacks so-called "gold standard" safeguards that would bar uranium enrichment or mandate International Atomic Energy Agency inspections, prompting sharp criticism from Israeli officials, including former defence minister Avigdor Lieberman, who warned it could spark a regional nuclear arms race given Saudi Arabia's human rights record and suspected nuclear ambitions.

Saudi Arabia had sought this kind of cooperation for more than a decade, and NPR described the announcement as sending "shockwaves through the Middle East." Separately, the newsletter also covers House Republicans passing a $1.1 trillion defence authorisation bill and a $95 billion budget blueprint before recess, an FDA hearing on regulating injectable peptides such as TB-500 and BPC-157, and an update on the case of 18-year-old Nolan Wells, whose independent autopsy proved inconclusive, according to attorney Benjamin Crump.