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on RT’s Crosstalk there was talk of the FakeNews media hype and they wondered if CIA asset Muhammad bin Nayef might replace Salman. given the following MSM coverage, it’s something worth watching out for:

Why King Salman Must Replace MBS
New York Times-18 Oct. 2018
Apart from him, the more prominent contenders could be King Salman’s nephews, former Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nayef…

Saudi Arabia’s King May Turn On Crown Prince Over Missing Journalist Affair, Reports Say
Newsweek - 19 Oct 2018
Madawi al-Rasheed, a historian of Saudi Arabia, penned an op-ed in The New York Times calling on King Salman to replace his “disastrous” son with a number of other candidates, including the king’s brother Prince Ahmad or his nephews Prince Prince Mutaib bin Abdullah or Muhammad bin Nayef, the latter of which was designated to accede to the throne before being sacked last year...

Khashoggi Crisis Tests Saudi Crown Prince’s Firm Grip on Power
Bloomberg-19 Oct. 2018
Moreover, there are few candidates to replace Prince Mohammed: former Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nayef, known as MBN...

Wikipedia: Muhammad bin Nayef
Muhammad bin Nayef studied in the United States. He took courses at Lewis & Clark College but did not receive a degree. He attended the FBI’s security courses from 1985 to 1988, and trained with Scotland Yard’s anti-terrorism units from 1992 to 1994...

Ousting
According to the New York Times, reports of “current and former United States officials and associates of the royal family” speaking on condition of anonymity, state that the ousting of Muhammad bin Nayef and his replacement by Mohammad bin Salman in late June 2017 was not “seamless”, but involved Muhammad bin Nayef being “held against his will and pressured for hours to give up his claim to the throne”...He was still being confined to his palace as of July 19, 2017.
In reply, a Saudi official dismissed these reports as “unfounded and untrue in addition to being nonsense” and a “complete fantasy worthy of Hollywood,” according to Reuters news agency...
Views
Muhammad bin Nayef, unlike most of the royal family, actively talks to the media...
He firmly supported U.S. President Barack Obama in his opposition to the release of detainee interrogation photographs...
Influence
The Economist described Prince Muhammad as energetic and low-key, and stated that he was one of the candidates for the throne when the line of succession passes to the grandsons of King Abdulaziz...
In 2011, Michael Hayden reported that Prince Muhammad was the world’s fifth most powerful defender...
On 4 March 2016, Muhammad bin Nayef was decorated with the French Legion of Honour by French president François Hollande...
April 2016, Prince Muhammad was named by Time as one of the 100 Most Influential People...
Over the last 15 years, bin Nayef had been considered Saudi Arabia’s most influential security official, maintaining close connections with American and British intelligence communities...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_bin_Nayef

9 Nov 2017: Bloomberg: Saudi Arabia’s former Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Nayef made a rare public appearance following his ouster in June in a palace shakeup that brought his younger cousin closer to the throne.
Ex-Saudi Crown Prince Makes a Rare Public Appearance
Prince Muhammad, who was also removed from his post as interior minister, attended the funeral of another senior prince who was killed in a helicopter crash this week. The Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television posted a photo of the prince, known among journalists and diplomats as MBN, at the funeral. Photos of him at the event also circulated on social media...
The appearance may help dispel rumors that MBN was under house arrest imposed by King Salman and his son, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, who this week arrested more than 10 princes and dozens of officials and businessmen in what authorities describe as an anti-corruption push. Critics say the crackdown smacks of a power grab designed to pave the way for Prince Mohammed’s elevation to the throne....
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-08/ex-saudi-crown-prince-makes-rare-appearance-since-summer-ouster