State Department softens criticism of some Trump partner countries in scaled-back human rights report

By Daphne Psaledakis and Humeyra Pamuk

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Donald Trump’s administration has scaled back a key U.S. government report on human rights worldwide, dramatically softening criticism of some countries that have been strong partners of the Republican president, such as El Salvador and Israel, which rights groups say have extensive records of abuses.

Instead, the U.S. State Department in its widely anticipated 2024 Human Rights Report sounded an alarm about the erosion of…