News brief

Saudi Arabia pledges hundreds of billions in deals with U.S. President Donald Trump secured a $600 billion commitment from Saudi Arabia on May 13 to invest in the United States in areas including energy, defense, and mining. The U.S. agreed to sell Saudi Arabia an arms package worth nearly $142 billion, according to a White House fact sheet that called it “the largest defense cooperation agreement” Washington has ever done. The agreement covers deals with more than a dozen U.S. defense companies in areas including air and missile defense, air force and space advancement, maritime security, and communications, the fact sheet said.

Patterns Column: Saudi leader parlays oil wealth into global diplomatic clout