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A former college All-American football player who played pro is headed to prison. On May 7, a federal judge sentenced Joel Rufus French, a former tight end at Ole Miss who later signed and played with two NFL teams, to more than 16 years in prison. Authorities said that French orchestrated a health care fraud scheme that stole nearly $197 million from Medicare and a Department of Veterans Affairs program that covers the families of disabled and deceased veterans. French, 47, must also pay back more than $110 million and give up roughly $17 million the government already seized from…
Watch full video on YouTube
Watch full video on YouTube
Watch full video on YouTube
Space has long been treated as a supporting element of military power—essential, but secondary to operations on land, at sea, and in the air. That reality has changed. In a recent interview with Military.com, retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Brook Leonard, a former senior U.S. space commander who helped stand up U.S. Space Command and later oversaw global space operations supporting U.S. and allied forces, said the domain has crossed a threshold, one that fundamentally reshapes how nations project power and compete. Leonard, now CEO of Rogue Space Systems, said the shift is already underway. “Space, for me, is moving…
From steep crag trails to slabby scrambles, the best approach shoes blend hiking comfort with sticky rubber. We also look for climbing precision and enough durability for repeated abuse on rock. For this update, GearJunkie editor Chris Kassar and lead tester Ryan Kempfer tested five new approach shoes over a three-month cycle. From the Tetons to Moab, we logged rocky approaches, desert scrambles, crag days, and mixed trail miles to see how each shoe handled grip, fit, stiffness, support, and durability. After further testing, we awarded our top spot to the La Sportiva TX4 EVO for its unmatched mix of…
The Belgian troopship SS Léopoldville had already begun sinking into the English Channel after a German torpedo struck. Gerald Howard went down with it. The 23-year-old rifleman was dragged beneath the freezing water alongside hundreds of fellow soldiers, narrowly escaping the same fate. Somehow, he made it back to the surface. “I stayed on that ship until it went under,” Howard recalled decades later. “It pulled me down, and when I came back up, I spotted a life raft. They told me, ‘You can’t get on.’ I said, ‘Like hell I can’t.’” Howard regained consciousness around midnight in a hospital…
The sun’s blazing overhead, you’ve got miles to go, and there’s not much shade in sight. The best sun hats protect your head, face, ears, and neck from harsh UV while staying breathable, secure, and comfortable enough to wear all day. For this update, GearJunkie Editor Chris Kassar tested four new sun hats over nine months while sweating through trail runs, scrambling exposed routes above the tree line, paddleboarding, and logging long days out photographing wildlife. While none of the new contenders unseated our current favorites, the process reinforced the strength of our existing selection. This guide has been shaped…
From gym laps to alpine objectives, the best climbing harnesses keep you secure. The best designs also keep you comfortable and organized without adding bulk or hindering movement. For this update, lead tester Miya Tsudome evaluated two new climbing harnesses over a three-month cycle from her home base in Bishop, California. She put them to the test while sport climbing in Owens River Gorge and during long trad days in Pine Creek Canyon. From hanging belays to racking cams and draws, she rigorously assessed fit, pressure points, gear loop accessibility, and all-day comfort The Black Diamond Solution remains our best overall pick for…
As my colleague Tom Knighton mentioned in a previous post, the New Hampshire Senate debated a campus carry bill today. HB 1793 was actually approved by the chamber, but not before it was amended and considerably weakened. In fact, as adopted the legislation won’t allow any student or visitor to carry on a higher ed campus, even after it takes effect. lnstead, the Senate voted to create a committee to “study the feasibility of allowing guns on campuses of public institutions of higher education,” while also adopting language that “notwithstanding any provision of law to…
Ruger is officially done calling Connecticut home. According to reporting from Hartford Business Journal, Sturm, Ruger & Co. quietly moved its corporate headquarters from Connecticut to Mayodan, North Carolina at the start of 2026, marking the end of an era for one of America’s most recognizable gunmakers. The move apparently flew under the radar for months. Ruger didn’t make a huge public announcement about it, but sharp-eyed industry watchers noticed recent company press releases started carrying a North Carolina dateline instead of Connecticut. That was the clue. A company spokesperson confirmed the relocation became official on Jan. 1. Ruger still…
HALIFAX, N.C. (AP) — With 165 grains of black powder in the barrel, a .75-caliber Brown Bess flintlock musket like the ones the redcoats carried in 1776 can hurl a lead ball at a velocity of around 1,000 feet (305 meters) per second. Imagine what that can do to a human body. Now, imagine that it’s almost completely exempt from gun regulations. How can that be? Well, under federal and most state laws, many antique or replica guns aren’t technically considered firearms. In most places, even convicted felons can own them. “I suspect the average judge would be surprised to…
A constitutional carry bill that would eliminate Pennsylvania’s concealed firearm permit requirement cleared the state Senate Judiciary Committee on May 6, advancing to the full Senate as supporters press for a floor vote. Senate Bill 357 would allow lawful Pennsylvania gun owners to carry a concealed firearm without obtaining a License to Carry Firearms (LTCF) or paying the associated fee. The bill keeps the LTCF available as an optional license for residents who want reciprocity when traveling to states that require a permit. It does not change who is legally prohibited from possessing firearms under existing state and federal law.…
This article was originally published by Mike Adams at Natural News. A Betrayal of the Social Contract The news broke this week like a punch in the gut: nearly 50,000 residents in the Lake Tahoe area have been told their utility will stop providing power after next ski season. Fortune reports that these people are now scrambling to find a future energy source, while the data centers powering the AI boom get first dibs on the grid [1]. This is not a technical glitch. It is a deliberate choice to serve machines over human beings. Let that sink in. Almost fifty…
Chilean brand Rokum could have entered the U.S. market with a small line of sleeping bags and sleeping pads. Instead, it went with a rarer approach: combine them together. The Umak — part sleeping bag, part sleeping pad, and part couch — launched on Kickstarter last week. This three-season kit may provide enough use cases to entice summer campers looking for a flexible sleeping system — if not quite those seeking backcountry adventures. The bag’s bulkiness and weight make it an unlikely contender for long-distance backpacking. At $100, it’s a wild but affordable sleep kit. We don’t yet know how…
If you ask most people if a musket or flintlock rifle–yes, they’re different–is a firearm, they’d say it is, and with good reason. It was considered a firearm in its prime, and by most metrics, it still is. However, legally, they’re not. They’re not covered by most gun laws in this country, including things like the prohibition on felons owning firearms. I wouldn’t trust a DA and a jury to see it the same way, mind you, but technically, it sure looks like that’s the way it goes. And at the Associated Press, they were…
You inherited a gun collection, now what? Across the United States, millions of firearms are expected to change hands through inheritance and estate transfers over the coming decade as older generations pass collections on to family members. In many cases, heirs discover firearms in safes, closets, cabinets, or estate storage without knowing: what the firearms are worth whether they are collectible how to legally transfer or sell them where to find buyers how to stay compliant with state and federal laws The good news is that selling inherited firearms legally and safely is easier than many people realize. What Do…
The U.S. Coast Guard’s latest narcotics interdiction involved three suspected smuggling vessels carrying approximately 6,085 pounds of cocaine worth nearly $45.8 million, the service announced Thursday. The announcement comes on the heels of a banner 2025 year for the Coast Guard, which seized a record-high of more than 511,000 pounds of cocaine—more than three times the service’s annual average. Other successful efforts have been attributed to counter-narcotics operations through Operation Pacific Viper, which was launched in August 2025 to combat drug smuggling and narco-terrorism in the Eastern Pacific Ocean by using aircraft, cutters and tactical teams to disrupt trafficking routes…
Support us! GearJunkie may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article. Learn More Ready to go lätt? That’s Swedish for light (or tasks requiring little effort). And if you’re looking ahead to longer, hotter days on the trail, any gear to lighten the load is welcome. That’s where Fjällräven’s latest hiking gear comes in. We recently outfitted in head-to-toe kits to see how the Swedish brand’s lightest, warm-weather trail gear performs in real-world conditions. Headlined by the 2.5-pound Kajka X-Lätt 45 trekking backpack, we also tested a full layering and trail system built for varied conditions and…
A suspected trespasser is dead after a confrontation with a homeowner in a northeast Houston subdivision. Investigators are now sorting through whether the shooting was lawful self-defense or something that could lead to charges. Houston Police Department says the incident unfolded inside a newer housing development near Tidwell Road and Robins Landing Way after residents reportedly dealt with weeks of ongoing trespassing problems in the neighborhood. According to reporting from KPRC 2 Houston, neighbors had repeatedly complained about a man allegedly wandering through backyards and entering vacant homes still under construction. Police say the man was “unhoused” and had become…
