The U.S. Military Academy at West Point has dropped its fight against a court-imposed ban on its policy of limiting what professors can publicly say and write. Tim Bakken, the school’s longest-serving law professor, brought the original suit, claiming the academy’s policy violates his constitutional right to freedom of speech. He challenged West Point’s policy implemented in early 2025 that barred faculty members from publishing papers, speaking at conferences, or even appearing on a podcast without first seeking approval from higher-ups in their department. The faculty speech rule appeared to be in response to President Donald Trump issuing an executive…
Is summer over yet? Doesn’t look like it, but that doesn’t mean we can’t start gearing up for fall. After all, many kids and young adults are already heading back to school, and many of the daypacks featured this week are tailor-made to transition seamlessly from the classroom or workplace to the trail or bike path. So there’s plenty of fun stuff to peruse, especially the new offerings from beloved backpack brands like Gregory and Cotopaxi. But there are also some interesting alpine-specific packs from Berghaus and the “dry out your wet phone” options from a brand named (you guessed…
CAIRO (AP) — Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for a series of deadly attacks this week, escalating the conflict between them and Saudi-backed Yemeni forces and raising fears of a wider regional conflagration. The attacks have killed dozens of civilians and troops and also targeted Saudi tankers in transit from Red Sea ports through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait out to the Gulf of Aden and the rest of the world. Though less significant than the Strait of Hormuz, around 12% of the world’s trade, including a fourth of global container traffic, once passed through Bab el-Mandeb, moving between Europe…
The Air National Guard is offering members a $7,500 bonus if they reenlist for three years. The “Summer Surge Incentive” comes as part of the Air Guard’s recruitment drive to hire 8,842 Airmen by the end of Fiscal Year 2026, which puts the heat on the service considering that the fiscal year ends on Sept. 30—providing potential candidates with roughly 50 days to make decisions. Payments will be made immediately, and there is no cap on the total number of available bonuses. Those interested must sign the three-year enlistment contract by that Sept. 30 deadline. “It is all part of…
Just hours after a 14-year-old boy shot and killed his grandparents before attacking teachers and classmates at his high school, Thailand’s prime minister is vowing to crack down on legal gun owners by prohibiting their ability to lawfully carry a firearm for self-defense. Politicians the world over often rush to “do something” in the wake of a tragedy, and Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul is no different. Three years ago Anutin, who was then the country’s Interior Minister, cracked down on legal gun owners by imposing a freeze on new licenses and prohibiting individuals younger than…
Enlisted Air Force ranks are categorized into three levels: airmen (pay grades E-1 through E-4), noncommissioned officers (E-5 and E-6), and senior noncommissioned officers (E-7 through E-9). Some personnel can enlist at an advanced rank if they have college credits or have participated in Junior ROTC. The highest advanced rank one can enlist with under these programs is airman first class (E-3). The Air Force offers accelerated promotion for service members who agree to enlist for six years. Under this program, enlistees who enter service as an airman basic (E-1) are promoted to airman (E-2) after basic training is finished,…
Iranian lawmakers are debating the wording of a proposed deal with Oman on the Strait of Hormuz, with U.S. President Donald Trump insisting an agreement is getting closer. Trump said the talks are “moving along” and gave no additional comment when asked about progress by White House reporters late Thursday. Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said earlier this week that an understanding with Oman had been reached “in principle,” and state TV cited one lawmaker on Friday as saying the final text and details of an agreement with Muscat will be announced “soon.” Some Iranian politicians are pushing for…
Texas Attorney General and Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton will have to take his fight over the “gun-free” state fair to the Texas Supreme Court after an appellate court upheld the ban on Thursday. Paxton, along with several individual plaintiffs, filed suit after the State Fair of Texas announced in 2024 that the lawful carrying of firearms would no longer be allowed. The move came after a shooting during the fair in 2023, one that was committed by someone who couldn’t legally carry a gun. The lawsuit contended that the State Fair of Texas and the…
The newly created Military Spouse Commission has opened an online form to allow those with vested interests in the commission to submit comments. President Donald Trump created the commission on Monday via an executive order to support the lives and experiences of spouses of those enlisted in service. The commission will provide recommendations to address themes including housing, employment, health care and childcare. There are more than 1 million military spouses in the U.S. They are affected by numerous issues including disproportionate levels of unemployment, according to Stars & Stripes. The publication reported that 20% of military spouses are unemployed,…
Yellowstone’s Biscuit Basin has been closed since a hydrothermal explosion damaged the boardwalk near Black Diamond Pool in July 2024. Less than 2 years later, the same basin is changing again. At 5:09 a.m. MDT on June 13, monitoring equipment near Black Diamond Pool recorded unusual seismic energy and low-frequency acoustic signals. A research camera showed a dark steam plume rising from an area north of the pool, where geologists found newly opened vents, cracked ground, and near-boiling water moving through the basin. The event was a hydrothermal explosion, which occurs when hot water beneath the surface flashes to steam…
Victor Davis Hanson is, without a doubt, one of the bigger names in conservative commentary. He’s been doing it for a long time and, as both an academic and a commentator, he is able to bring something to the table that many of us simply can’t. Because he’s on the right, it’s easy to simply assume that he supports gun rights. In this case, you’d be correct, though that’s not the given that many assume.Still, like many people, Hanson valued gun rights as more of an abstract for some time before something made it personal.Victor…
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…
France has just confirmed its first Ebola case. The patient is a doctor who had returned from a mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo). The health ministry said the patient has a “very low” viral load and that contacts are “currently being identified”. The organization “confirms today the identification of a first positive case of Ebola virus disease on national territory”, said a statement. This is the first time Ebola has ever been detected in France, and the case is the first of the deadly hemorrhagic fever to be identified outside the African continent during the current…
Support us! GearJunkie may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article. Learn More When you think of Opinel, you probably picture a classic wood-handled folding knife slicing through a block of cheese at a sunny campsite. But the French heritage brand, with roots dating back to 1890, is pivoting toward more modern, high-performance, purpose-built knives with its latest launch. On Monday, Opinel announced its Outdoor Collection: a trio of task-specific folding knives for mountain, trail, and marine tasks. Rather than the brand’s iconic wood-handled aesthetic, these new knives leverage advanced polymers, specialized coatings, and multitool functions built…
Guns are a staple of modern American entertainment, which is a little ironic since many of the people who run most of the companies that produce our entertainment seem to hate guns. From books and movies to television and video games, there are a lot of guns and a lot of people who seem to use the soapbox created by these forms of entertainment to tell us we suck because we like guns. Yet, because of this animosity toward guns, it’s pretty common to see some pretty dumb stuff show up in them. I remember…
A leaker with a strong record of accuracy alleges that Resident Evil: Veronica and the rumored Resident Evil Zero remake will tie into Resident Evil Requiem. The leak arrives while fans await Resident Evil Requiem DLC, as anticipation for Resident Evil: Veronica rises, and curiosity regarding other Resident Evil remakes abounds. Resident Evil has largely been on a roll in recent years, with both the remade games and the new arrivals being widely praised and selling well. Given their successes, and the recent reveal of Resident Evil: Veronica arriving as a remake of the classic Code: Veronica game, fans are…
Some fanny packs are better precisely because they don’t try to do too much. That’s the REI Co-op Trail 2 ($35) in a nutshell. It’s a 2L waist pack built strictly for the items I inevitably carry on quick outings: a phone, keys, wallet, sunglasses, lip balm, dog bags, and a snack. It doesn’t boast a maze of pockets or a technical harness system, but its low-profile simplicity is exactly what makes it so appealing. I tested the Trail 2 over 10 months on more than 30 outings, bringing it along for everything from short day hikes to bike commutes…
The head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division has put California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta on notice: if the state tries to enforce its upcoming ban on Glocks and other other striker-fired pistols with cruciform trigger bars, it will be the next jurisdiction that faces federal litigation. Tick tock! On July 1, CA plans to impose an unconstitutional “Glock Ban.”Today, I notified @CAGovernor & @AGRobBonta to drop the unconstitutional restrictions on law-abiding citizens’ rights to purchase legal firearms before the ban goes into effect, or we will sue. Stay tuned!…
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…
