💰 💵A Pre-SOTU Guide to Trump’s Economic Claims

In recent weeks, President Donald Trump has made a series of claims about the economy, a topic that should feature prominently in his State of the Union address to Congress on Feb. 24.

“We have the hottest country anywhere in the world,” Trump said at a White House press briefing on Jan. 20, adding later that “America is booming.” He made similar comments the following day, asserting that “we were a dead country” a year ago.

But his economic boasts include false or misleading claims, and he sometimes pushes an incorrect narrative of an abrupt change in some economic indicators since he came back to the White House.

As preparation for what we might hear in Tuesday night’s speech, we offer a guide to a dozen of Trump’s recent claims about the economy, most of which we’ve written about before. They touch on inflation, economic growth, manufacturing, wages, jobs, the deficit, stock market and more.

🎖️VA Halts Enforcement of Controversial Disability Ratings Rule as Lawmakers Demand Full Rescission

Doug Collins says interim rule tying VA disability ratings to medicated symptom levels “will not be enforced,” but members of Congress—including Mark Takano—insist the policy must be formally withdrawn.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has paused enforcement of a controversial interim final rule that would have altered how disability ratings are calculated—triggering bipartisan calls on Capitol Hill for the regulation to be permanently rescinded.

In a Feb. 19 statement posted on X, VA Secretary Doug Collins announced that the department “is halting the enforcement of the interim final rule,” which had taken effect Feb. 17, the same day it was published in the Federal Register.

The rule—filed under docket RIN 2900-AS49—directed VA medical examiners to base disability ratings on the reduced level of impairment if medication improves a veteran’s condition. Disability ratings directly determine monthly compensation levels for millions of former service members.

Collins pledged that the policy “will not be enforced at any time in the future,” though the rule technically remains in place pending the close of the public comment period on April 20.

Lawmakers: ‘Halting Enforcement Is Not Enough’

The announcement followed swift backlash from lawmakers and veterans service organizations, who warned the rule could penalize veterans for complying with prescribed medical treatment.

House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Ranking Member Mark Takano (D-Calif.) argued the change would place veterans “in a position of deciding between managing their health and receiving their full benefits.”

🏢📽️Exclusive: Montel Williams on Serving Veterans, Leading Military Makeover and Why His Naval Academy Roots Still Drive His Mission

From the United States Marine Corps to the United States Naval Academy and national television, Montel Williams says service remains the throughline of his life—now focused on restoring homes and hope for combat veterans across America.

Before he became a household name through The Montel Williams Show, Montel Williams wore the uniform. A veteran of both the Marine Corps and the U.S. Navy, Williams graduated from the United States Naval Academy after becoming the first Black Marine selected to attend the Naval Academy Preparatory School. He later earned a commission and served nearly 22 years in uniform.

In an exclusive interview with 'TELL IT LIKE IT IS' Defense News, Williams described his military experience as “the most important foundation” of his life.

“I’ve had three almost 20-year careers,” Williams said. “The Marine Corps and Navy first, then the Montel show, and now medical initiatives and veteran support. The military gave me the discipline and mission focus for everything that followed.”

Today, that mission focus is channeled into one of television’s longest-running veteran-support programs: Military Makeover.

🎬Eric Dane, ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and ‘Euphoria’ Star, Dies at 53 After Battle With ALS

The actor behind Dr. Mark Sloan and Cal Jacobs leaves behind a legacy of complex performances and tireless ALS advocacy.

Eric Dane, the charismatic actor who became a primetime icon as Dr. Mark “McSteamy” Sloan on Grey's Anatomy and later delivered a haunting turn as Cal Jacobs on HBO’s Euphoria, has died at 53 following a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

His family confirmed that Dane passed away on February 19, surrounded by loved ones, after publicly revealing his ALS diagnosis in 2025.

“With heavy hearts, we share that Eric Dane passed on Thursday afternoon following a courageous battle with ALS,” his family said in a statement. “He will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered always.”

‘TELL IT LIKE IT IS’ Black History Series: The 1969 UCLA Shootout That Shook a Movement

Rivalry, Radical Politics and COINTELPRO: How a Deadly Campus Clash Between the Black Panther Party and the US Organization Altered the Trajectory of Black Power in Los Angeles

On January 17, 1969, a meeting inside Campbell Hall at the University of California, Los Angeles turned into one of the most consequential—and tragic—episodes of the Black Power era. What began as a debate over leadership of UCLA’s newly formed African American Studies Center ended in gunfire, leaving two prominent members of the Black Panther Party dead and exposing deep fractures within the movement for Black liberation.

The victims—Alprentice “Bunchy” Carter and John Huggins—were rising leaders in Southern California’s chapter of the Panthers. Their deaths followed escalating tensions with a rival Black nationalist group, the US Organization, founded in 1965 in the aftermath of the Watts uprising by Maulana Karenga and Hakim Abdullah Jamal.

The clash at UCLA did not occur in isolation. It unfolded amid fierce ideological competition, federal surveillance, and a broader struggle for influence within Black communities across Los Angeles and beyond.