United States

Authored by Brian Cloughley via The Strategic Culture Foundation,

In an apparent snub to the administration's trade policy plans, GE CEO Jeff Immelt - who sits on the Trump-appointed manufacturing council - said he "very supportive" of NAFTA adding that he was "optimistic about Mexico."

Just a day after we showed Mexico's Manufacturing industrial production surge 8.5% year-over-year - the greatest surge since August 2010...

On the eve of a summit in Beijing, and just hours after Pyongyang's chief nuclear negotiator said North Korea is ready to hold talks with the United States "if the conditions are mature", South Korea's Yonhap reports that North Korea has fired a projectile believed to be a ballistic missile, from a region named Kusong located northwest of Pyongyang, where the North previously test-launched its intermediate-range missile.

The nature of the projectile was not immediately clear, a South Korean military official told Reuters.

A Russian man wanted by the Justice Department on charges connected to hacking U.S. companies now claims the FBI offered him immunity in exchange for accepting responsibility for cyberattacks targeting former Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

As The Washington Times reports, Yevgeny Nikulin, the alleged hacker, laid the claim to Russian media Thursday in a letter sent from a Czech Republic prison cell amid an international extradition battle currently underway between Washington and Moscow.

Donald Trump said he expects to make a "fast decision" on a replacement for fired FBI Director James Comey, perhaps before he departs the U.S. on May 19 for his first foreign trip as president. Trump said the candidates under consideration to lead the FBI - White House officials have identified 11 of them so far - are "outstanding people." He said most are "very well known" and of the "highest level."

As Bloomberg reports, the 11 candidates under consideration as a permanent replacement for Comey: