HUMAN RIGHTS/MEDIA/SAUDI ARABIA/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The State Department’s human rights report for 2018 released Wednesday [3-13-19] notes Saudi Arabia’s killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi without mentioning Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who US intelligence services believe ordered the premeditated murder. The annual report catalogs violence, repression and cruelty around the world, under a mandate set by Congress in foreign aid and trade laws. President Donald Trump has defended violators and spent little time addressing human rights. His administration officials have only selectively raised the issue and his State Department has made subtle changes to the annual report that seem to signal human rights and civil liberties are a lower priority. Where previous administrations’ reports referred to a country’s human rights ‘problems,’ the Trump administration’s reports call them human rights ‘issues.'”
–Nicole Gaouette and Jennifer Hansler, “US human rights report notes Khashoggi killing, avoids mention of Saudi prince,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, March 13, 2019 4:06 pm