PARIS — European NATO allies pushed back against demands by U.S. President Donald Trump to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz by force, weeks after Iran shut down the majority of shipping through the critical trade artery in response to the American-Israeli war against the country.British Prime Minister Kier Starmer said on Monday the United Kingdom “will not be drawn into the wider war,” while German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said “this is not our war.” Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, said member states have no appetite to expand their maritime-security operation in the Red Sea to…

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadIf you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by preparedness and life in general, you’re not alone. I received a message from someone in the Mind4Survival community that said: “I feel so overwhelmed by everything I need to do, and it keeps me from doing anything.” That kind of overwhelm—the kind of overwhelm that keeps you from doing things because it paralyses your ability to take action is more common than you might think. And it makes sense. You’re juggling family, work, stress, life in general—and on top of that, you’re supposed to plan and prepare for…

More than 600 service members and crew members aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford are without a bed after a fire aboard the ship Thursday, The New York Times reported.The fire took upwards of 30 hours to douse, according to the publication, and it damaged sailors’ sleeping arrangements so badly that they’re having to sleep on floors and tables.The Navy announced Thursday that the world’s largest aircraft carrier experienced a non-combat fire that originated in the main laundry room, but the service did not provide further information as to the source of the fire.“There is no damage to the ship’s…

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadYou’ve probably heard it before: that 90% of Americans would die within a year of an EMP attack. It’s one of the most quoted numbers in all of preparedness. But that number didn’t come from a study or model. It came from a single sentence in a 2005 Senate hearing. It wasn’t a forecast—it was one extreme of a range, from no deaths to full collapse. Still, over time, the 90% death rate became gospel. And too many people now treat it as an inevitable outcome, especially in the prepper community. I’m not an…

United States ruler Donald Trump said that he believes he will have the “honor” of “taking Cuba” at some point. Trump made the remarks on Monday in the Oval Office. “I do believe I’ll be… having the honor of taking Cuba. That’s a big honor,” Trump said, adding: “Taking Cuba in some form.” Cuba is participating in ongoing talks between Washington and itself as the island grapples with a deepening energy crisis and widespread blackouts amid a U.S. oil blockade. The talks mark the first time in more than a decade that Havana has publicly acknowledged formal discussions with Washington. They follow…

Sign up for the Quick Strike Newsletter The hottest fishing news, tips, and tactics I know I’m not alone in feeling like the winter of 2026 was more brutal than normal. Sure, it was great for ice fishermen, but open-water anglers throughout much of the country didn’t have a lot of options given the extremely low temperatures. Even major rivers that rarely lock up froze solid from bank to bank. But now it’s March and there is hope. Moving-water addicts like me are itching to break the ice — literally and figuratively — for trout, smallmouths, muskies, and walleyes, but…

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadCharlie Kirk was assassinated earlier today. The news just broke—and it’s already sending shockwaves. People on the right are stunned. Many are enraged. And there are some on the left who are—insanely enough—celebrating. Whether you followed him or couldn’t stand him, here’s the truth: This could get worse before it gets better. This has the potential to become a flashpoint that leads to further violence. As one person said on X: “Charlie Kirk is a fixture of the Gen Z social media diet. People feel like they know him. This will hit very, very…

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Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadGoing to hear a public speaker or watch a live event shouldn’t have to be nerve-wracking. But after a string of high-profile assassination attempts—including one that succeeded—more people are wondering: how do I keep myself and my family safer at rallies, concerts, or outdoor events? And you’re right to wonder. There’s no two ways about it. And that’s what this article is going to focus on: How to stay safe at a public event, should shooting start. What do you do? What’s the best course of action? Let’s walk through what smart event preparation…

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Marines can now complete their handgun qualification using a pistol equipped with a red dot optic, according to a policy change announced in a Marine Administrative Message last week. However, there is a caveat: the optic — an M17 Romeo red dot — must be purchased and issued by the Marine’s unit.Exactly how many Marines will receive the optics remains unclear. Military Times requested comment from the Marine Corps’ Marksmanship Program Management team and Training and Education Command but did not receive a response in time for publication.Over the past decade, pistol-mounted red dot optics have surged in popularity among…

Power outages during winter are very troubling for apartment dwellers. When the electric grid goes down, central heating systems, indoor space heaters, and even building-wide boilers won’t work. Renters may struggle to stay warm in their own homes. People who live in apartments are typically unable to make permanent upgrades to their spaces, and often have restrictions on storing extra fuel, using generators, etc. That doesn’t mean you have no other way to stay warm. It just means you need to be proactive and create an intentional, realistic, and safe heating plan. Let’s look at heating options for apartments during…

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Watch full video on YouTube

Watch full video on YouTube

Watch full video on YouTube

Watch full video on YouTube

Watch full video on YouTube

Watch full video on YouTube

Watch full video on YouTube

Surveillance by small, cheap quadcopter drones has made substantial battlefield advances nearly impossible amid Russia’s ongoing war on Ukraine. Armored vehicles are quickly spotted and destroyed with either drones or artillery. Soldiers on foot seldom fare any better. Negating the other side’s drone capabilities would be a tremendous advantage, but conventional air defense isn’t good enough. Fortunately, the U.S. has developed a solution: 30mm chain guns — traditionally mounted on Apache attack helicopters — bolted to civilian pickup trucks and connected to a portable sensor called Mobile–Acquisition, Cueing and Effector, or M-ACE. After detecting drones, the Northrup Grumman-made system calibrates…

HOUSTON — An Afghan immigrant whose family said he had been evacuated from his home country after working for years with U.S. forces died at a Texas hospital after immigration authorities detained him, according to authorities.Federal immigration officials called Mohommad Nazeer Paktyawal a “criminal” who had been arrested for alleged fraudulent use of food stamps and for theft. Officials also said Paktyawal had not provided any record of his military service.#AfghanEvac, a San Diego-based group that helps resettle Afghans who assisted the U.S. during the two-decade war, pushed back against the federal government’s claims about Paktyawal, one of several people…

The U.S. military possesses several capabilities that it could wield to combat naval mine warfare in the Strait of Hormuz.Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy views the maritime weapon as a key pillar of its military strategy, according to a 2017 Office of Naval Intelligence report, and reportedly began laying mines in the sea passage last week.Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a Pentagon briefing Friday, however, that there was “no clear evidence” of mines in the strait. RELATEDAdm. Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command, said Monday that U.S. forces destroyed storage bunkers for naval mines during a U.S.…

Introduction: A War of Hubris and Unavoidable Consequences I’ve spent decades analyzing the intersections of geopolitics, energy, and the arrogance of centralized power. What’s unfolding in the Strait of Hormuz is not merely a regional conflict; it is the final, convulsive gasp of an American military and economic model that has long been bankrupt. President Donald Trump, sworn into office in January 2025, chose this war. In my view, this decision was not born of strategic necessity but of desperate, flailing hubris — a last attempt to assert dominance in a world that has already moved beyond it. We are…