FBI says it has discovered 2,400 new JFK-related records
The FBI says it has discovered more records related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and will release them.
In 2020, the FBI began storing and electronically inventorying closed case files from field offices across the country at a central records complex, the agency said in a statement. That resulted in a more comprehensive records inventory that, along with technological advances to automate the record-keeping processes, allowed the bureau to more quickly search and locate records.
The FBI conducted a new records search after Trump’s executive order seeking the declassification of the assassination files of JFK, as well as Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., resulting in about “2400 newly inventoried and digitized records that were previously unrecognized as related to the JFK assassination case file,” the agency said.
“The FBI has made the appropriate notifications of the newly discovered documents and is working to transfer them to the National Archives and Records Administration for inclusion in the ongoing declassification process,” it said.
Trump pauses enforcement of Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
Trump signed an executive order last night pausing enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which forbids companies in the U.S. from bribing foreign officials.
In a fact sheet, the White House said “overenforcement” of the law, which was enacted in 1977, made American companies less competitive and that Trump was ordering “revised, reasonable enforcement guidelines.”
“It’s going to mean a lot more business for America,” Trump said as he signed the order in the Oval Office.
Gary Kalman, executive director of the U.S. office of anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International, said in a statement that Trump’s executive order “diminishes — and could pave the way for completely eliminating — the crown jewel in the U.S.’s fight against global corruption,” Reuters reported.
Trump says he has spoken with China’s Xi since inauguration
Trump says he has spoken with Chinese President Xi Jinping since his inauguration, though neither the U.S. nor China has reported any calls between the two leaders during that period.
Asked in a Fox News interview whether he had spoken with Xi since the Jan. 20 inauguration, Trump said, “Yeah, and I’ve talked to him, and I talked to his people too. His people come in all the time,” without specifying when a call had taken place or what was discussed.
Asked about Trump’s comments at a regular briefing in Beijing, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Xi and Trump had a scheduled phone call Jan. 17, before the inauguration, and that China had “issued a relevant press release.”
Trump said last week that he was in “no rush” to speak with Xi amid fears of a trade war between the world’s two biggest economies. Beijing announced tariffs of 10% to 15% on some U.S. products last week, minutes after a 10% U.S. tariff on all Chinese goods imports went into effect.
E.U. vows tough response to U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs
U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum “will not go unanswered,” the president of the European Commission said, warning that they would bring a tough response from the 27-nation European Union.
“I deeply regret the U.S. decision to impose tariffs on European steel and aluminum exports,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement. “Tariffs are taxes — bad for business, worse for consumers.”
“Unjustified tariffs on the E.U. will not go unanswered — they will trigger firm and proportionate countermeasures,” she continued.
“The E.U. will act to safeguard its economic interests. We will protect our workers, businesses and consumers.”
