Trump’s Misleading Promotion of ‘Clean’ Coal

While presenting a series of executive orders conceived to increase electricity generation from coal, President Donald Trump misleadingly suggested that environmental regulations were to blame for the industry’s decline, wrongly said that coal plants are being opened “all over Germany,” and misleadingly, and repeatedly, referred to coal as “clean.”

Experts agree the main culprit for the decrease in coal-fired power in recent decades was the surge of more cost-effective and cleaner kinds of energy, especially natural gas. In Germany, a handful of old plants were fired back up in 2022, but were closed again in 2024. Germany plans to end coal-fired power generation by 2038. Also, coal combustion emits more carbon emissions than any other fossil fuel used to produce power, not to mention other pollutants.

“This is a very important day to me because we’re bringing back an industry that was abandoned despite the fact that it was just about the best — it is certainly the best in terms of power,” Trump, who promised and failed to revive the coal industry during his first term, said on April 8, surrounded by coal miners. “Today we’re taking historic action to help American workers, miners, families and consumers — we’re ending Joe Biden’s war on beautiful, clean coal once and for all.” 

Coal consumption and production in the U.S. have declined over the last two decades, according to the Energy Information Administration. Although coal fueled most of the country’s power plants until a decade ago, in 2023 only 16% of the electricity produced in the U.S. was generated by coal-fired plants. The coal workforce went from nearly 90,000 in 2012 to about 40,000 this year, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Hits and Misses in RFK Jr.’s Comments on Food Dyes

In recent weeks, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said that “very, very strong studies” link food dyes to cancer and ADHD. Experts are concerned about the impacts of unhealthy diets and obesity in the U.S., but some say Kennedy overstates the role of food dyes in chronic disease.

The dyes haven’t been shown to cause cancer in humans. Studies show a possible link to symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children.

Recently, Kennedy has taken his “Make America Healthy Again” campaign on the road, appearing in some states that have passed legislation to limit food dyes and other additives. So far, governors in California, Arizona, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia have signed laws disallowing certain food dyes from school meals, some beginning as soon as later this year, and West Virginia also enacted a law that will ban seven synthetic food dyes outright from sale in the state beginning in 2028. Lawmakers in two dozen additional states have introduced or passed bills that would restrict synthetic food dyes, which are present in a variety of foods, from soft drinks to cereal.

Third Top Pentagon Staffer Suspended in Expanding Leak Probe Fallout

A drumbeat of suspensions of top Pentagon officials continued into a second day on Wednesday with a defense official confirming that Colin Carroll, the chief of staff to the deputy defense secretary, was suspended.

Carroll is the third top political appointee to be suspended from his job in connection with a leak probe -- apparently into a news story about a proposed top secret China briefing to Elon Musk -- that also ensnared Dan Caldwell, a top adviser to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Darin Selnick, Hegseth's deputy chief of staff.

The move has surprised and puzzled officials in the Pentagon since Caldwell and Selnick were trusted advisers who were close to Hegseth.

Earlier Wednesday, Axios reported that both Caldwell and Selnick were being investigated as part of a probe into who told The New York Times about plans for the Pentagon to provide a top-secret briefing on China to Musk, the world's richest man who has been empowered by President Donald Trump to dramatically slash and reshape the federal government.

'Every Position Is Mission Critical': Veterans and Supporters Voice Opposition to Trump's Proposed VA Cuts

Local veterans and their allies and healthcare providers, along with Sen. Alex Padilla and Rep. Mike Levin, spoke out Wednesday against proposed cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs at a pair of events in San Diego County.

Nurses from the VA Medical Center in La Jolla — joined by veterans, patients and other union members — rallied outside the hospital to protest the cuts, which they say could have devastating impacts for the veterans in their care and overwork the workers still left.

“Every position is mission critical,” Andrea Johnson, a nurse there, told the crowd. “Eliminating housekeeping, dietary, transportation, respiratory therapists and lab technicians will lead to delays in admissions and delays in care, which can and will result in negative patient outcomes.”

In Unprecedented Move, DNC Official To Spend Big To Take Down Fellow Democrats

David Hogg, the DNC vice chair, wants to take down some safe incumbents.

David Hogg, a controversial Democratic National Committee vice chair, is pledging to upend Democratic primaries by funding candidates who will challenge “ineffective, asleep-at-the-wheel” Democrats.

The move puts Hogg, the now 25-year-old who first gained national stature as an outspoken survivor of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, on a collision course with his own party and some Democratic House members.

Leaders We Deserve, which Hogg co-founded in 2023, announced plans on Tuesday to spend $20 million in safe-blue Democratic primaries against sitting House members by supporting younger opponents. In an interview with 'TELL IT LIKE IT IS' News, Hogg said the group will not back primary challenges in battleground districts because “I want us to win the majority,” nor will it target members solely based on their age.

Trump Uses Questionable Figure for U.S. ‘Plants and Factories’ Lost Since NAFTA

When President Donald Trump has talked about the need for higher tariffs on imports of foreign goods because of a decline in American manufacturing, he has often made the claim that “90,000 plants and factories” in the U.S. closed after the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico took effect in 1994. But that figure is questionable, and experts say other factors, such as automation, had more to do with the large decline in U.S. manufacturing jobs than trade.

Data from the Census Bureau’s Business Dynamics Statistics database show that there was a decrease of about 74,000 “manufacturing establishments” in the U.S. between 1995, the peak year for manufacturing after NAFTA went into effect, and 2022, the most recent year for which data is available. Furthermore, about one-quarter of the decline during that nearly three-decade period was in establishments with four or fewer employees — so it’s unclear how many of those truly count as a manufacturing factory or plant. For example, some small-business manufacturers make products while working out of their own homes.

About 2% of the decline was in establishments with at least 500 workers. That’s a drop of 1,346 establishments.

Pentagon's 'SWAT Team of Nerds' Resigns En Masse

Employees of a defense tech unit say they were sidelined by DOGE. “Either we die quickly or we die slowly,” says the director.

Under pressure from the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency, nearly all the staff of the Defense Digital Service — the Pentagon’s fast-track tech development arm — are resigning over the coming month, according to the director and three other current members of the office granted anonymity to discuss their job status freely, as well as internal emails.

The resignations will effectively shut down the decade-old program after the end of April.

The Defense Digital Service was created in 2015 to help the Pentagon adopt fast tech fixes during national security crises and push Silicon Valley-style innovation inside the Pentagon. It built rapid response tools for the military during the Afghanistan withdrawal, databases to transfer Ukrainian military and humanitarian aid, drone detection technologies and more.

Without the program, some key efforts to streamline the DOD’s tech talent pipeline and counter adversarial drones will be sunset, one soon-to-be former employee said.

Once dubbed the Pentagon’s “SWAT team of nerds,” DDS was one of the department’s earliest efforts to inject Silicon Valley ethos into its massive bureaucracy.

Jennifer Hay, director of the 14-person office, plans to leave by May 1. Eleven other employees plan to take President Donald Trump’s deferred resignation package by then. The two remaining staffers are also leaving.

A Pentagon spokesperson did not comment on the resignations but said the office’s functions would be absorbed by the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office, of which the DDS is a part.

2 Marines Killed, One in Serious Condition After Vehicle Incident During Southern Border Mission

Two Marines were killed after their civilian rental vehicle was involved in an incident Tuesday during a deployment to the southern U.S. border, according to a military news release and two defense officials who spoke to 'TELL IT LIKE IT IS' Defense News on the condition of anonymity as an investigation remains ongoing

A third Marine was sent to a local medical facility in serious condition, according to the news release and the officials. The three service members were near Santa Teresa, New Mexico, just miles away from El Paso, Texas, and close to the border with Mexico when the incident occurred.

The incident occurred at around 8:50 a.m. Mountain Time on Tuesday, according to the news release from Joint Task Force-Southern Border that was issued the same day. JTF-SB is the entity charged with coordinating an increased military presence at the U.S. border with Mexico following an order by President Donald Trump in January.

The service members were deployed in support of that mission, the statement said, adding that the incident is under investigation. It was unclear what caused the deadly vehicle accident, whether the Marines were on duty, or what they were specifically doing leading up to it.

The names of the deceased were being withheld until the military could notify their next of kin, the statement from JTF-SB continued, a common practice that gives the services time to notify family members of fatalities or injuries before troops' identities are made public.

Representatives for JTF-SB did not respond to 'TELL IT LIKE IT IS' Defense News's request for comment in time for publication.

Former Air Force Commander at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Faces Court-Martial

A court-martial is underway this week for a former commander at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, who is accused of adultery and fraternization.

Col. Christopher Meeker, the former commander of the 88th Air Base Wing, was removed from his leadership position in late December 2023. In December 2024, it was announced that he was facing three violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

The charges include "one charge and one specification under Article 90, Willfully Disobeying Superior Commissioned Officer; and another charge and two specifications under Article 134, Extramarital Sexual Conduct and Fraternization," Wright-Patterson announced at the time in a press release.

WDTN, Dayton's NBC affiliate, reported Tuesday afternoon that Meeker entered a guilty plea for all charges.

Base spokespeople at Wright-Patterson did not immediately return a request for comment Tuesday afternoon from 'TELL IT LIKE IT IS' Defense News asking about Meeker's plea or whether he faces a bench or jury trial.

Barker Chosen No. 9 Overall, School Record Three Players Selected in 2025 WNBA Draft

Sarah Ashlee Barker goes to the LA Sparks with the ninth overall pick, while Aaliyah Nye (Las Vegas Aces, No. 13 overall) and Zaay Green (Washington Mystics, No. 32 overall) are also drafted on a historic night for the Crimson Tide

NEW YORK | For the first time in program history, the Alabama women's basketball program had three student-athletes hear their names called during the Women's National Basketball Association Draft on Monday night at The Shed at Hudson Yards. Sarah Ashlee Barker was selected by the Los Angeles Sparks with the ninth overall pick, followed by Aaliyah Nye who was the first pick of the second round, No. 13 overall, by the Las Vegas Aces and Zaay Green, who was drafted by the Washington Mystics with the 32ndoverall selection (third round). 

Barker, Nye and Green are the ninth, 10th and 11th players to be drafted in program history, respectfully. The Crimson Tide has now had five players in the last three years selected in the WNBA Draft under head coach Kristy Curry, joining Jasmine Walker (2021) and Brittany Davis (2023), who were selected by the Los Angeles Sparks and Las Vegas Aces, respectfully.  

From Alabama Head Coach Kristy Curry

"We couldn't be more proud of Sarah Ashlee, Aaliyah and Zaay. Each of their basketball journeys are uniquely inspiring and a true reflection of their character, relentless work ethic and their team-first mindset. At Alabama, we often say 'Built by Bama'—but these three brought something even more powerful: unwavering belief and a will to win that set them apart. We can't wait to see what the next chapter holds for each of them!"

Southeastern Conference Releases Annual Equestrian Awards

The No. 2 Auburn equestrian team earned four SEC Rider of the Year honors and had 12 Tigers awarded by the Southeastern Conference for their efforts this season as the league announced postseason awards Monday.

AUBURN, Ala. | The No. 2 Auburn equestrian team earned four SEC Rider of the Year honors and had 12 Tigers awarded by the Southeastern Conference for their efforts this season as the league announced postseason awards Monday.

“I’m really proud of our student-athletes for being recognized by the conference,” head coach Jessica Braswell said. “Having four of the eight Rider of the Year awards shows how much talent we have in the upperclassmen and freshmen. Auburn was also well represented across the All-SEC teams with the most honorees in the conference.”

Auburn won two Rider of the Year awards as well as two Freshman Rider of the Year accolades. In addition, Auburn’s 12 student-athletes totaled 15 All-SEC and SEC All-Freshman honors.