a02briefs

FBI says it found 2,400 new JFK assassination records

DALLAS — The FBI on Tuesday said it discovered 2,400 new records related to the assassination of former President John F. Kennedy as federal agencies work to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order last month to release thousands of files.

The FBI said it’s working to transfer the records to the National Archives and Records Administration to be included in the declassification process.

The federal government in the early 1990s mandated that all documents related to the Nov. 22, 1963, assassination be housed in a single collection at the National Archives. And while the vast majority of the collection — which includes over 5 million pages of records — has been made public, researchers estimate that 3,000 files haven’t been released, either in whole or in part.

The FBI did not say in its statement what kind of information the newly discovered files contain. The FBI in 2020 opened a Central Records Complex and began a yearslong effort to ship, electronically inventory and store closed case files from field offices across the country. The agency said a more comprehensive records inventory along with technological advances allowed it to quickly search and locate records.

Jefferson Morley, vice president of the Mary Ferrell Foundation, a repository for files related to the assassination, called the FBI’s disclosure of the files “refreshingly candid.”

Hegseth renames military base in south after another Bragg

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has signed an order restoring the name of a storied special operations forces base in North Carolina back to Fort Bragg and said Tuesday that there will be more name changes coming.

Speaking to reporters in Germany, Hegseth hinted at a wholesale reversal of the broader Biden administration effort in 2023 to remove names that honored Confederate leaders, including from nine Army bases. It sets up a potentially costly, complicated and delicate process that could run afoul of the law.

“As the president has said, and I’ve said as well, we’re not done there,” Hegseth said Tuesday when asked about the decision to revert the base name from Fort Liberty back to Fort Bragg.

Hegseth said the original name is a legacy for troops who lived and served there and that it was a shame to change it. He said he deliberately referred to Bragg and Fort Benning — the Army base in Columbus, Georgia, which is now called Fort Moore — as he entered the Pentagon on his first day.

The North Carolina base was renamed Fort Liberty in 2023. Its original namesake, Gen. Braxton Bragg, was a Confederate general from Warrenton, North Carolina, who was known for owning slaves and losing key Civil War battles.

Hegseth is renaming the base to honor Pfc. Roland L. Bragg, who the Army said was a World War II hero who earned a Silver Star and Purple Heart for exceptional courage during the Battle of the Bulge.

Jordan king opposes removing Palestinians from Gaza strip

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has hosted Jordan’s King Abdullah II at the White House and has renewed his insistence that Gaza could somehow be emptied of all residents, controlled by the U.S. and redeveloped as a tourist area. It’s an audacious, but highly unlikely, scheme to dramatically remake the Middle East and would require Jordan and other Arab nations to accept more refugees from Gaza — something Abdullah reiterated that he opposes. The president also suggested he wouldn’t withhold U.S. aid to Jordan or Egypt if they don’t agree to dramatically increase the number of people from Gaza they take in. That contradicts previous suggestions from Trump that aid from Washington could be held back.

Netanyahu threatens fighting if hostages aren’t released soon

JERUSALEM — The first phase of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is supposed to last six weeks. But three weeks in, both Israel and Hamas are accusing the other of violating the deal, and Hamas’ threat to delay freeing more hostages has prompted Israel to prepare to resume fighting if needed.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday threatened to withdraw from the ceasefire unless more hostages are released. His statement came after Hamas threatened to call off scheduled releases.