A tense standoff between two sort-of allies of the US

The Jamal Khashoggi situation is the stuff of hardboiled spy novels. Saudi-born correspondent for the Washington Post goes into a Saudi consulate in Turkey to get a marriage license, his fiancee waits ten hours in the car and then decides to notify authorities.

And now this:

Turkish officials claimed to the New York Times Tuesday that Khashoggi was killed and dismembered by a team of Saudi assassins at the direction of the Saudi royal court. “It is like Pulp Fiction,” one official said of Khashoggi’s alleged murder.

Khashoggi, a long-time Saudi government insider who had become increasingly critical of the country’s ruling royal family, regularly contributed columns to the Post. Anticipating the royal family would try to silence him, Khashoggi fled his home country in June 2017 and sought refuge in Turkey.

Turkish president Erdogan has yet to weigh in officially.

Wild afternoon overall. The other two big stories are the Dow dropping 600 points and Hurricane Michael coming ashore with 155-MPH winds.

And there's the Haley resignation, which I haven't written about yet.

I must head out for some paid journalism work. Who knows what will transpired while I'm thusly occupied?

Can't remember such a historic October.