US hopes to keep Venezuela off UN Human Rights Council

The U.S. is hoping to keep Venezuela from winning a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council.A State Department official said Friday that members of the U.N. General Assembly should vote against Venezuela next week because of severe human rights abuses under President Nicolás Maduro.The Maduro government has killed political opponents, has withheld food from supporters of the opposition, holds nearly 500 political prisoners and has shut down independent media outlets, said Jon Piec