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The United States will mark its 250th anniversary in 2026. The milestone has renewed attention on figures whose actions shaped the country. Some led armies. Others challenged presidents, escaped slavery, fought for voting rights, or broke color barriers. One is known for betrayal. American history was shaped by battles, elections, official documents, and by scouts, fugitives, writers, athletes, reformers, and Native leaders. As we celebrate the nation’s semi-quincentennial, now is a great time to highlight 12 Americans who changed U.S. history. George Washington A statue of George Washington on horseback is displayed at the Public Garden, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026,…
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Watch full video on YouTube
From the moment it went viral, the video of a DEA agent saying he was “the only one professional enough” to handle his handgun moments before shooting himself in the leg has become kind of the calling card for why a career in law enforcement doesn’t automatically mean an individual is a responsible gun handler. Just 10 days ago, I wrote about an incident where a Pasadena police officer shot a coworker in an incident described as “horseplay,” all caught on dashcam, and that was definitely an example of what I mean.This one out of…
A hidden camera installed by the wife of a disabled Marine veteran has triggered criminal charges, calls for a broader investigation, and a pledge from Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins to remove a federal employee accused of abusing the veteran inside a New York state-run veterans home. The case centers on Albert O’Toole, a Gulf War Marine veteran whose wife, Angela Sangro, said he suffered a traumatic brain injury during his military service and was later diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. According to Sangro, concerns about her husband’s treatment led her to secretly place a camera in his…
Every year on the 4th of July, Americans celebrate Independence Day, commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, and the founding of the United States as a free and independent nation. For many Americans, the holiday is marked by fireworks, parades, backyard barbecues and patriotic displays. But the origins of Independence Day trace back to a pivotal moment in American history, when the 13 colonies formally broke from British rule and began establishing a new nation. Related: The History of the Fourth of July What Happened on July 4, 1776? By the summer of 1776,…
North Carolina wildlife officials are weighing a rule change that would restrict firearm hunting and deer hunting with dogs on a small section of public game land near Falls Lake. The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission scheduled a virtual public hearing on June 23 regarding a petition to amend the rules for the Butner-Falls of Neuse Game Land. The affected area covers about 230 acres south of Purnell Road, north of Bent Road, and east of New Light Creek. Butner-Falls of Neuse Game Land spans roughly 37,500 acres across Durham, Granville, and Wake counties. The proposed restriction would apply to…
By the standards of Mojang’s quarterly cadence, Minecraft’s second game drop of 2026, Chaos Cubed, is one of the more substantive updates in recent memory. Its headline feature, the Sulfur Cube, is a new mob that can absorb nearly any block and transform its properties accordingly, but beyond that, it’s remarkable how much Chaos Cubed actually includes. The latest game drop touches every facet of Minecraft, from a new Sulfur Caves biome with ecosystem mechanics like geysers and noxious gas pools, to an experimental Vulkan renderer overhaul, and a beta for social features, including a new friends list. To unpack…
Saab officially closed its doors for good in 2014, but the last Saabs sold in the US were for the 2011 model year, when cars like the Saab 9-3 were struggling to move even a few thousand units. We actually really liked the Saab 9-4X, but one solid SUV clearly wasn’t enough to keep the brand in business. Saab may be dead, but it’s not quite buried. That is, if you take a look, you can see Saab DNA in brands like Polestar, Volvo, and Lucid. Many of the engineers who made the company what it was, they didn’t simply…
If you’ve ever hiked up Angel’s Landing — arguably the most iconic trail in Zion National Park — then you know how dangerous it can be. In fact, falling is by far the leading cause of death in America’s second-most-popular national park. That’s what happened to Bernadette Vander Meer in August 2006. She fell to her death from the hiking trail “under suspicious circumstances,” according to local authorities. But after 20 years, no arrest was ever made in connection with her death — until now. On Monday, police arrested David Vander Meer, Bernadette’s husband, on charges of murder and insurance…
Many gun rights supporters believe that gun owners tend to become gun voters, at least to some degree. That’s not universal, of course, because Kamala Harris has a handgun and she was all about banning them for everyone else, but we tend to think people like her are the exception, rather than the rule. However, the results of a survey from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center for Gun Violence Solutions suggest otherwise. In fact, according to this survey, some of the gun control lobby’s biggest asks for state and federal lawmakers…
CHAMPVA and Tricare are both federal government health care programs tied to military service. They are run by different federal agencies, cover different groups of people and operate on different cost structures. Confusing them is easy. Losing health care coverage because of that confusion is a real and preventable problem that affects veteran families every year. The single most important thing to understand before anything else: If you are eligible for Tricare, you are not eligible for CHAMPVA, the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs. They do not stack. If your circumstances change and you…
Australia is experiencing a bird flu outbreak. It has ramped up surveillance procedures after just two cases of the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu were confirmed in migratory seabirds. It does claim that other birds could also have contracted the virus. Tests are underway in South Australia (SA) after two dead sub-Antarctic seabirds and a pelican were found on Monday near Fowlers Bay, more than 1,200 kilometers east of Esperance in Western Australia, (WA) where the first two confirmed cases were reported, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), as reported by The Japan Times. Both bird in Fowlers Bay…
Virginia’s ban on “assault firearms” and “large capacity” magazines is set to take effect next Wednesday, barring any last minute injunctions. But the law is also expected to undergo some changes in the final hours before it begins to be enforced, though we don’t yet know what those changes entail. Brandon Jarvis, who runs the Virginia Scope newsletter, posted on X on Tuesday afternoon that he’d heard from both Sen. Saddam Salim and Del. Dan Helmer, the lead sponsors of the gun and magazine ban bill, that the governor’s staff notified them amendments are coming.…
On June 25, Grand Theft Auto 6 will be opening pre-orders, subsequently sending shockwaves throughout the gaming industry, and it appears that Rockstar Games is getting its ducks in a row in preparation. GTA 6 has the privilege of being one of, if not the most, anticipated games of all time, and the next few months could be significant for Rockstar and the industry at large. The time has finally come for GTA 6 to actually feel real and imminent. On June 18, Rockstar Games announced that Grand Theft Auto 6 pre-orders would start on June 25, and that announcement…
Support us! GearJunkie may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article. Learn More Would you take a swim in a pit toilet for $1 million? How about a free cellphone? OK, how about a pair of sunglasses? As ridiculous as those questions sound, a gut-churning rescue at a California campsite has reignited an all-too-frequent discussion: Do you value a small personal item more than avoiding a plunge into a chemical toilet? On Saturday, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of a man trapped in a campsite vault toilet at Camp Edison Shaver Lake. According to…
No, I’m not saying that she wants to hurt people. She might, but if so, she’s been fortunate enough to not have video of her saying it pop up for the whole world to see. As it stands, Scranton, Pennsylvania, Mayor Paige Cognetti is trying to unseat a Republican incumbent as she runs for the US House of Representatives, and some old video has surfaced from a while back where she seems to fantasize about a world that doesn’t make any sense to a rational human being.She wants a world with no guns in anyone’s…
The Department of Veterans Affairs will spend $4.8 billion in the 2026 fiscal year to modernize, repair and upgrade health care facilities across the country, the largest single-year infrastructure investment in the agency’s history, according to an announcement earlier in the year. The funding flows through the Veterans Health Administration’s Non-Recurring Maintenance program, which covers one-time maintenance and modernization projects that fall outside routine upkeep. In practical terms, that means the aging systems, outdated infrastructure and facilities that have been deferred for years are now in line for meaningful work. “Improved facilities, equipment and infrastructure mean better care for veterans,…
Russian President Vladimir Putin claims that the United States is no longer hiding its plans for war with Russia. Putin specifically called out NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) and the European Union, saying its leaders are using “false claims” about the supposed “Russian threat” to justify rampant militarization. “Now, they are openly saying that they are preparing for war with us, increasing military offensive budgets,” Putin said. He argued that Western governments are using the same playbook that has always been used against Russia. Putin made the remarks Tuesday during a ceremony celebrating graduates of Russia’s military, security, and law…
A cold blanket of fog interrupted what had been a scorching climb as I pedaled around a remaining snow patch perched above 10,000 feet overlooking Vail Mountain. Hot and out of breath, I waited for a deep chill to set into my sweaty body, the type that keeps you moving frantically instead of settling into a rhythm. Ortovox’s new wool Sequence Free Jersey and Shorts provided a legitimate buffer to the springtime temperature swing. Wool and Ortovox are two things you don’t see in the mountain biking world. But the latter has brought the former into play with the new…
