Saudi Human Rights Abuses Come Into Focus for U.S. Business Leaders
*By Christian Smith*
President Trump's suggestion that "rogue killers" may be responsible for Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance suggests he may let Saudi Arabia off the hook for another violation, said Sarah Leah Whitson of Human Rights Watch.
"It suggests that what President Trump is hoping for is that we will be able to sweep this under the rug as some great unsolved mystery for which, therefore, no consequences will flow," said Whitson, executive director of HRW's Middle East and North Africa Division, on Monday in an interview with Cheddar.
Following a call with Saudi King Salman ー who vehemently denied any involvement in Khashoggi's suspected abduction ー Trump suggested to reporters on Monday that the kingdom may not be culpable. The president added in a [tweet](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1051814214212485120) that he is dispatching Secretary of State Mike Pompeo "immediately" to meet with the King in person.
Khashoggi went missing on Oct. 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, to obtain a license to marry his Turkish fiancée. Saudi officials have repeatedly denied any knowledge of the journalist's whereabouts, but Turkish officials claim they have evidence to prove the Saudi dissident was killed while inside the consulate.
On Monday, the Saudi government permitted Turkish officials to inspect the consulate almost two weeks after Khashoggi first went missing. Although officials agreed to the investigation, Whitson said that the message from the Saudi government is clear.
"It has yet again shown the world that the Saudi government doesn't care about the law, doesn't care about basic human dignity, basic ethos of protecting people who enter your consulate, much less a prominent journalist," Whitson said.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/president-trump-suggests-saudi-journalist-could-have-been-murdered-by-a-rogue-killer).
The U.S. cannabis industry is on track to hit almost $25 billion in sales, according to New Frontier Data. Vivien Azer, managing director and senior research analyst at Cowen, and Russell Stanley, managing director and equity research at Beacon Securities Limited, join Cheddar News to give their predictions for the budding industry in 2022.
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore. 3rd District), the co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, joined Cheddar's "Cannabiz" to discuss the state of marijuana legalization on the federal level as more states continue to greenlight medical and adult use. He stated that there couldn't be a better time to revise the old policies on marijuana with more than 90 percent of Americans, including a majority of Republicans, on board. "This tidal wave of support continues. There were five states that approved in the last general election, and I think, rather than one single event, it is this momentum and the demonstration of broad public support that is making the difference," Blumenauer said.
Megan Horneman, Director of Portfolio Strategy at Verdence Capital Advisors, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where she says there is some profit-taking ahead of the upcoming Fed meeting, and elaborates on some of the topics investors will be watching for more closely this week.
Rachel Bachman, senior sports reporter at the Wall Street Journal, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where she explains how U.S. athletes have been inserted into the middle of a political debate after the country declared a diplomatic boycott of the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing.
Lance Ippolito, Head Trader at the Future Of Wealth, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell where he discusses the factors that have contributed to the recent slide of major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ether.
President Biden spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin for the fourth time this year. Biden and Putin spoke for two hours about the massing of Russian troops and materials near the Russian border with Ukraine. Various outlets have reported that the U.S. has intelligence that Russia could be planning an invasion of Ukraine in the next few months. Both countries said the call was productive, but the situation remains tense.
Hagar Chemali, foreign policy expert and host of "Oh My World!" on YouTube, joins Cheddar Politics to discuss.
A recent Wall Street Journal poll indicated that Hispanic voters are up for grabs for the upcoming midterm elections, with 41 percent of respondents saying they would vote for Democrats and 44 percent for Republicans. Bryanta "Bre" Maxwell, a Democratic Strategist, former political director for Jaime Harrison's senate campaign, and principal and CEO of Indigo Consulting, LLC, joined Cheddar to break down the numbers and to dive into what this specific electorate is looking for as the balance of power in Congress hangs in the balance in 2022.
