Alva Review-Courier -

WASHINGTON (AP) — It raised eyebrows six weeks ago when Saudi Arabia's aged king, Salman, named his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as prime minister. The kingdom's laws designate the king as prime minister. King Salman had to declare a temporary exception to loan out the title, and at the same time made clear he retains key duties.

But that move reaped dividends Thursday, when the Biden administration declared that Prince Mohammed's standing as prime minister shielded him from a U.S. lawsuit over what the U.S. intelligence community says was his role in Saudi officials' 2018 killing of...