The Department of Veterans Affairs is launching research to determine whether psilocybin — the psychoactive ingredient in “magic mushrooms” — can be used safely and effectively to address veterans’ treatment-resistant depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.The trial, known as the Psilocybin Intervention for Veterans Overcoming Treatment-Resistant Depression,” or PIVOT, study aims to include at least 240 veterans, all of whom have difficult-to-treat major depressive disorder and some who also have PTSD.The study will take place at five VA medical centers through June 2031 and will assess patients’ levels of depression before and after treatment, side effects and overall response among participants.“Far…

U.S. Southern Command has activated Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere, a new operational headquarters the command says will synchronize U.S. military operations with allies and partners across the region, replacing Operation Southern Spear.Gen. Francis L. Donovan, commander of U.S. Southern Command, directed the activation Tuesday, describing Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere, or JTF-WHEM, as a purpose-built joint task force that will provide unified command and control at the tactical and operational levels, while integrating military capabilities with the 18 partner nations of the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition, or A3C.SOUTHCOM Media Relations Officer Steven McLoud told Military Times the activation of…

Sign up for the Quick Strike Newsletter The hottest fishing news, tips, and tactics Is there a pint-size piece of fishing water in your neighborhood that you’ve passed up for years because it didn’t seem big enough to bother with? If so, better give it a whirl on your next fishing jaunt. You may have been missing a big bet. A lake doesn’t have to be big to be productive. It’s true, of course, that one acre of water won’t support as big a fish population as ten acres. But it’s likely to harbor as many fish proportionately, and they…

The official in charge of tracking the Navy’s finances mocked the smell, weight and appearance of subordinates and made hiring decisions that appeared to show bias in favor of other African American women, a new report from the Pentagon’s top watchdog finds.The 42-page probe concludes that Donjette Gilmore, auditor general of the Navy Audit Service, made a habit of harassing and belittling subordinates, creating a hostile work environment and reducing some employees to tears. Of 27 witnesses interviewed by the Inspector General, 23 said they had personally witnessed, experienced or heard about this behavior.Specific comments alleged by witnesses included, “Oh,…

The U.S. Air Force has committed $75 million to an initial production run of a jet-powered guided bomb that can fly more than 300 nautical miles, Boeing said Wednesday. Boeing’s BSU-111/B Payload Delivery Unit is a wing-and-turbojet engine kit that converts a 500-pound Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) into a long-range JDAM (JDAM LR) dubbed the GBU-75. The result is a gravity bomb with the reach of a cruise missile. Boeing said it has spent nearly $100 million of its own money on the program. “Scaling production of the GBU-75 will provide the fleet with an affordable, sustainable solution designed…

Sign up for the Quick Strike Newsletter The hottest fishing news, tips, and tactics Sierra Adamson of Beverly, West Virginia, was fishing from shore with her boyfriend Ronald Davis on the Tygart Valley River the morning of July 14 when she topped a brand-new fishing record. “It was the second spot we’d fished that morning, right after I got off work from Walmart,” Adamson tells Outdoor Life. “That shoreline place has been a good one for us. We catch bass early in the year there, plus some big panfish now – usually bluegills, green sunfish and redbreast sunfish.” Adamson said…

Iran has made a concerted diplomatic push with Gulf states, warning them explicitly that Tehran will hit their oil, power and water plants unless they persuade Donald Trump to end U.S. strikes on Iran and instead seek a negotiated end to the war.The warning envisaged attacks on the energy facilities, oil fields, refineries, electricity grids, water infrastructure, transport networks and other strategic assets of Washington’s closest Arab allies, according to a senior Iranian official.The message, part of a broader Iranian effort to deter further U.S. military action by raising the prospect of severe economic disruption across the Gulf, was delivered…

Eight months after her appointment as the Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Robotic and Autonomous Systems in December 2025, Rebecca J. Gassler was removed from the position on Wednesday, per a Navy release. In addition to the removal, the service announced the establishment of the Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager for Robotic and Autonomous Systems, aimed at correcting “years of fragmented requirements, resourcing, and acquisition practices that dispersed accountability, complicated industry engagement, and slowed delivery to the warfighter,” the memo states. Christopher Miller was selected to serve as the acting DRPM RAS and will concurrently take over Gassler’s previous role as Portfolio…

The North Carolina National Guard settled a federal lawsuit with a former guardsman who alleged the service violated his First Amendment rights by blocking him on Facebook for criticizing its leadership.Under the settlement agreement, NCNG agreed to restore Timothy Stanhope’s access to its Facebook page and make reasonable efforts to unhide his comments.The agreement also requires the Guard to revise its Facebook moderation policy. It can no longer block users or remove, hide or filter comments simply because they are deemed “inappropriate.” However, comments will still be subject to Facebook’s community standards, and each side agreed to pay its own…

Sign up for the Deer Camp Newsletter Get everything from whitetail news and opinion pieces, to advanced hunting tactics and cutting-edge gear reviews. That 164-inch velvet 8-pointer looked like an extinct Irish elk as he stepped out of the cedar thicket. His rack swayed back and forth as he scanned the landscape. My first hunt for that giant buck resulted in a sighting, but no shot opportunity. However, I was just fine with that. It was meant to be an observation sit anyway, and it helped reveal that buck’s early-season pattern. The next day, I pushed further in and arrowed…

Scott Einsmann is Outdoor Life’s gear editor. He oversees the gear team’s editors and writers who are subject matter experts in bows, knives, hunting, fishing, backpacking, and more. He lives in Richmond, Virginia with his wife and two bird dogs. Read the full article here

This is frightening for America

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This could be the beginning of the end – prepare now!

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A defense technology company produced 3D-printed drones aboard a Navy ship at sea using a containerized microfactory, aiding the Navy in its pursuit of easily built autonomous technology that can quickly boost a warship’s weapons capacity.Firestorm Labs manufactured more than 1,000 parts and 12 of its proprietary 3D-printable first-person view Squall drones aboard the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Essex as it transited toward RIMPAC 2026 in Hawaii, according to a release.“Every part xCell printed on deck is one that doesn’t need to be flown or shipped across contested waters — cutting the fuel, aircraft hours, and personnel it takes…

On July 9, the Army announced it was consolidating official social media accounts in the interest of improving information access while reducing operational risk. Nearly a month later, some military families say the changes have made it harder to find information about child care, community programs and installation services.Army Directive 2026-17, Optimizing Digital Media, required many subordinate units and installation organizations, including Army Community Service, Morale, Welfare and Recreation, Child & Youth Services, military treatment facilities and other organizations to discontinue standalone Army social media accounts. Instead, those organizations are expected to communicate through higher-level command or installation accounts.When introducing…

Sign up for the Deer Camp Newsletter Get everything from whitetail news and opinion pieces, to advanced hunting tactics and cutting-edge gear reviews. In Alaska we have the high cost of living beaten because we can live off the land. With a home canning outfit and a cold-storage locker it is possible to have a well-stocked larder high in food calories but low in cost. When it is also possible to fill these containers in the pursuit of the greatest of all sports, fishing and hunting, one has achieved a very desirable state. I bore down heavily on the “full…

The potential cost of the Navy’s new nuclear-powered battleship procurement program is estimated to be an eyewatering $275 billion, with the first Trump-class battleship (BBG(X)) costing $23.4 billion, according to a Congressional Budget Office report published Wednesday.The Trump administration in December announced its intention to build a new class of large surface combatants, designated as the Trump-class guided missile battleship. If built, the 35,000-ton nuclear battleship, according to the report, will be the most heavily armed surface vessel the U.S. Navy has ever built, possessing anti-air, land-attack and anti-ship missiles, hypersonic missiles, nuclear cruise missiles, large lasers and a rail…