Trump’s Unfounded ‘Colossal’ Tax Hike Warning

On the day of the tax filing deadline, former President Donald Trump went on Truth Social to misleadingly warn that if President Joe Biden is reelected, “you will soon be facing colossal tax HIKES.” But in his latest budget proposal, Biden supports extending the tax cuts championed by Trump for people making less than $400,000.

“Happy TAX DAY to everyone,” Trump wrote on April 15, the last day for most people to file their federal tax returns. “This year, the typical family’s tax bill is thousands of dollars lower because of the Trump Tax Cuts. We doubled your Standard Deduction. We doubled the child tax cuts—and we lowered income tax rates for EVERYONE. But if Crooked Joe Biden gets his way, you will soon be facing colossal tax HIKES…”

He’s talking about the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which became effective in 2018. Whether it reduced the “typical family’s” tax bill by “thousands” depends on how one defines the typical family. According to a Tax Policy Center analysis, the law reduced the individual income taxes owed by Americans by about $1,260 on average in 2018. Taxpayers in the middle 20% of earners (those with income between about $49,000 and $86,000) saw an average tax cut of about $800.

Judge Hasn’t Ruled on Trump’s Graduation Request

On the first day of his criminal fraud trial in New York, former President Donald Trump requested that the judge not hold court proceedings on May 17 — the day of his youngest son’s high school graduation. The judge did not rule on the request, saying he preferred to wait to see how the trial unfolds.

But the Trump family and conservative commentators — relying on the former president’s confusing and contradictory remarks about his request — wrongly attacked New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan for banning or prohibiting the defendant from attending Barron Trump’s graduation from Oxbridge Academy in Palm Beach, Florida.

Eric Trump, another of the former president’s sons, wrote on X: “Judge Merchan is truly heartless in not letting a father attend his son’s graduation.” Donald Trump Jr. called it “pure evil.”

Conservative commentator Graham Allen wrote on X, “Trump should defy the judge and go to his son’s graduation ANYWAY!!” He also put on Instagram another X post that said, “Judge Merchan told President Trump that he could not attend his son Barron’s high school graduation or would be SENT TO JAIL.”

But that’s not what the judge told Trump.

According to the Associated Press, which attended the first day of the trial, the judge deferred a decision.

Navy Continues To Struggle In Recruiting As Other Services Near Goal

The Navy acquired less than 70 percent of its recruiting goals for the first half of fiscal year 2024 — lagging behind the other services who met at least 90 percent of their recruiting targets during the same period.

The Defense Department reported that the Navy recruited a total of 9,883 new sailors in the first half of fiscal 2024, roughly 66.5 percent of the service’s recruitment target for that time period.

Meanwhile, the other services either met targets or ended up much closer to their goals than the Navy for the first half of the fiscal year.

The Army reached more than 94 percent of its recruitment target, while the Air Force, Marine Corps and Space Force all either met or exceeded their recruitment targets during that period of time.

Marines Retiring Have To Give 6-Months' Notice, Up From 4-Months

Marines who wish to retire from the Marine Corps now have to let the service know at least six months before their planned retirement dates, up from four months.

The change, announced in a Marine administrative message Friday, comes as the Corps is overhauling its approach to retaining Marines, in an initiative called Talent Management. The service has tried to keep more experienced Marines in its ranks by offering incentives, financial and otherwise, and by making it easier to reenlist for second or third terms.

But the Talent Management initiative also has implications for Marines who are nearing the end of their time in uniform.

Marines in Uniform Were Photographed at Mar-a-Lago Event — Service Says It Was for a Veterans Charity

The Marine Corps said that uniformed service members who attended an event at former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida last week were there in support of a nonprofit focused on preventing veteran suicide, not for a political fundraiser.

The service said that reserve members from the 4th Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, or ANGLICO, color guard attended the April 11 event hosted by the Grey Team, a nonprofit veterans organization. The image of the Marines went viral on X, formerly Twitter, and was panned as a violation of apolitical military norms, which the Marine Corps has denied.

'TELL IT LIKE IT IS' Defense News reviewed a copy of the form requesting the Marines at the event, which said that the color guard was invited to the "America First Gala" at the request of the Grey Team's co-founder. An official familiar with the chain of command's thought process said that the request was not deemed political "solely by nature" of occurring at Mar-a-Lago during an election year.

New Recruiting Programs Put Army, Air Force on Track to Meet Enlistment Goals — Navy Will Fall Short

WASHINGTON | After several difficult years, the Army and Air Force say they are on track to meet their recruiting goals this year, reversing previous shortfalls using a swath of new programs and policy changes. But the Navy, while improving, expects once again to fall short.

The mixed results reflect the ongoing challenges for the U.S. military as it struggles to attract recruits in a tight job market, where companies are willing to pay more and provide good benefits without the demands of service and warfighting. And even those who are meeting their goals say they are still finding it difficult to attract the dwindling number of young people who can meet the military’s physical, mental and moral standards.

With half a year to go in the recruiting year, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said she is optimistic about hitting the 55,000 enlistment goal and getting an additional 5,000 recruits for the delayed entry pool that would come in during the next year or so.

“Right now we are 5,000 contracts ahead of where we were compared to this time last year,” Wormuth said in an interview with 'TELL IT LIKE IT IS' Defense News. “I don’t want to set expectations too high right now, but I'm feeling good.”

For the Army, it is a bright spot in what has been a long slog of low numbers and lengthy deliberations on how to reverse the momentum.

Indiana Fever Selects Caitlin Clark with First Overall Pick in WNBA Draft 2024 Presented by State Farm®

– Chicago Sky Selects Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese, Last Two Most Outstanding Players at NCAA Final Four –

NEW YORK, April 16, 2024 | Two-time Naismith College Player of the Year Caitlin Clark tonight was selected by the Indiana Fever with the first overall pick of WNBA Draft 2024 presented by State Farm®, which was held at the at the historic Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) for the first time.

A three-time unanimous first-team All-American, Clark led Iowa to its second straight appearance in the NCAA Division I women’s basketball championship game earlier this month.  The 6-0 guard averaged 31.6 points, 8.9 assists and 7.4 rebounds per game, leading all of Division I in scoring and assists.  Clark finished her four-year career as the all-time leader in NCAA Division I history in total points (3,951 points) and three-pointers made (548).  The Des Moines, Iowa native was the leading scorer in Division I for three of her four seasons with the Hawkeyes, becoming the only player in NCAA history with 1,000 points in back-to-back seasons (2022-23 and 2023-24).  Clark is the second-straight No. 1 overall selection for the Fever, joining 2023 No. 1 pick Aliyah Boston.

Auburn Women's Hoops Adds SEC All-Freshman Guard Taliah Scott

AUBURN, Ala. | One of the SEC's top scorers will be joining Auburn women's basketball for 2024-25 as Taliah Scott has signed with the Tigers, head coach Johnnie Harris announced Monday.

Scott, a rising sophomore from Orange Park, Florida, led Arkansas with 22.1 points per game in 2023-24, earning a selection to the SEC All-Freshman Team. She also averaged 3.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists while shooting 40.7 percent from the field and 83.8 percent at the free-throw line.

"Taliah Scott is one of the most complete players in the game today," Harris said. "She is an ELITE player who can score at all three levels and create for herself and her teammates without sacrificing the defensive side of the ball. Playing championship level defense is the foundation of what we do as a program, and Taliah is committed to helping us elevate that culture. Her speed, skill and basketball IQ make her a rare and unique addition to our program."

Auburn University at Montgomery Softball Jumps To No. 15 In NFCA Top 25 Poll

LOUISVILLE, Ky. | The Auburn University at Montgomery softball team is ranked No. 15 in the latest edition of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Top 25 Poll. 

The Warhawks are 32-9 overall and own a 19-5 record in Gulf South Conference games. 

Auburn Montgomery's Haley Ann Frank is on a eight-game hitting streak with a batting average of .488 and has 60 hits this season. Chloe Baynes leads the team in hits at 70. 

Kat Fallen has driven in 57 runs this season, while Molly Cobb is at 50. The two have combined for 90 hits. 

Gia Martin leads the team in home runs at 17 and has driven in 47 runs on 43 hits. 

Graduate senior Alanna Goble leads the AUM squad in the circle with an ERA of 2.49 and has struck out 102 batters this season. 

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-- By Andréa Mochida 

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