CLIMATE CHANGE/HUMAN RIGHTS/SAUDI ARABIA/TRUMP PEOPLE/UN: “President Trump’s choice for United Nations ambassador said Wednesday [6-19-19] that Saudi Arabia must be held accountable for rights abuses and that humans have contributed to climate change, posing ‘real risks to our planet.’ The positions expressed by the nominee, Kelly Knight Craft, currently the ambassador to Canada, suggested she differed with Mr. Trump on two signature themes of his presidency: the strong alliance with Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and the causes and dangers of global warming. Ms. Craft spoke at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on her nomination, held nearly six months after her predecessor, Nikki R. Haley, departed the post. Mr. Trump’s initial choice to replace Ms. Haley, Heather Nauert, a former State Department spokeswoman, withdrew from consideration in February. The United Nations post has historically been considered the second-most important foreign policy position in a presidential administration, behind the secretary of state.”
–Rick Gladstone, “Trump’s Nominee for U.N. Envoy Appears to Differ With Him on Saudis and Climate,” The New York Times online, June 19, 2019