The order had already come down. The assault on a fortified Mahdi Army position in the Iraqi city of Karbala was off. It was August 2004. Army Col. Peter Mansoor and his brigade had spent days preparing to clear the enemy stronghold, located across from one of Shia Islam’s holiest sites. Then coalition officials canceled the operation, deciding the political risks were too high. The enemy remained in place. Mansoor still had an AC-130 gunship circling overhead. There was no instruction manual for what happened next. Leveraging years of experience at the National Training Center with the 11th Armored Cavalry…

We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn More › I’ve been overwhelmingly disappointed with most “sales” this year. They’ve been a lot of 10% to 15% off so-so products. But, Bass Pro Shops is having a sale that’s actually really good. There are real discounts on products you’ll use season after season. Here are the best deals I found and I’ll be updating this list as I discover more. In the past things have gone out of stock, especially fish finders on clearance. If there’s something you need, grab it…

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…

The United States, Britain, France and Germany raised the alarm on Wednesday over recent Chinese activities off the east coast of Taiwan where China has mounted Coast Guard patrols, saying they threaten regional stability and freedom of navigation.China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, sent Coast Guard ships earlier in June into the waters off the island’s east coast for what it called a “special maritime traffic law-enforcement operation,” angering Taipei.China said the operation was in response to an announcement by Japan and the Philippines that they would begin formal talks on their maritime boundaries, which Beijing…

A U.S. Army sergeant was sentenced to six life sentences for shooting and wounding his fiance and four other soldiers at a Georgia base last August, the service said in a Tuesday statement. Sgt. Quornelius S. Radford, 29, was convicted by a military judge of attempting to murder six people during a shooting spree at his unit headquarters at Fort Stewart, the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel said. All five shooting victims survived after soldiers overpowered Radford and administered first aid until emergency medical providers arrived. Radford was found guilty of two specifications of attempted premeditated murder and four…

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…

A U.S. sailor who was reported missing in mid-June was discovered dead on Friday in the water near the piers on Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, the service confirmed.Engineman Fireman Apprentice Isaac Benjamin Norris, 22, was assigned to the USS Harry S. Truman and was last seen on Naval Station Norfolk on June 14. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service did not announce a cause of death.“NCIS remains committed to working closely with Navy leadership and our law enforcement partners to ensure the safety and security of our Navy and Marine Corps communities while conducting thorough investigations and supporting affected personnel and…

Sign up for the Quick Strike Newsletter The hottest fishing news, tips, and tactics Dylan Smith, a fisherman from Idaho Falls, has reclaimed his spot in the Idaho record book with another 40-plus-inch lake trout. The monster laker came from Payette Lake, which is the same water body where he broke the state’s catch-and-release laker record in 2018. It’s also where Smith’s record was replaced by an angler from Utah, Aaron Goettsche, in 2025.  Smith was fishing on Payette on May 2 when he caught the trout, according to an announcement from the Idaho Fish and Game Department on Tuesday.…

A senior Islamic State leader was killed by an airstrike last week, Central Command announced on Wednesday, as the region grapples with a fraught security landscape amid U.S. base closures in Syria and the escape of ISIS personnel from detainment. Ali Husayn al-Ulaywi was killed in a precision airstrike on June 19 as part of the U.S.’s ongoing campaign to eradicate the militant group, the command said.“CENTCOM and our partners remain committed to rooting out remaining remnants of ISIS to ensure its enduring defeat,” Adm. Brad Cooper, the CENTCOM commander, said in the Wednesday statement. “We will continue to defend…

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U.S. Army Gen. Christopher Donahue, who oversaw the service’s operations across Europe and Africa and became known as the last U.S. soldier to leave Afghanistan, will unexpectedly relinquish command next week after just 18 months in the role, the Pentagon confirmed Wednesday. “Gen. Christopher Donahue, commanding general of U.S. Army Europe and Africa and commander of NATO’s Allied Land Command, will relinquish command on July 2, 2026,” Army spokeswoman Cynthia O. Smith said in a statement. “Maj. Gen. Christopher Norrie, deputy commander, U.S. Army Europe and Africa will perform the duties of the commanding general. The Army thanks Gen. Donahue…

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…

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The U.S. Navy this month announced a slate of E-6 personnel the service is recognizing as their respective commands’ sailors of the year, with each soon advancing to join the chiefs mess. First class petty officers from each command will take their place in the Goat Locker on Sept. 16, 2026, after each sailor completes their CPO initiation, according to a release from Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy John Perryman. “Recognizing these top performers is incredibly important to us,” a Navy spokesperson said. “These are the exact types of leaders…

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Sign up for the Quick Strike Newsletter The hottest fishing news, tips, and tactics This story, “Smallmouth Boom,” appeared in the July 1962 issue of Outdoor Life. The best smallmouth-bass fishing on this continent, I believe, is where it isn’t thought to be — in the big border lakes of the Superior-Quetico forests of Minnesota and Ontario. That area has a reputation for good northern pike and walleye fishing. But bass, it was thought, were designed for small lakes. The smallmouth has upset this theory. He has invaded the big waters with such a rush that he’s threatening the thrones…

This article was originally published by Lance D. Johnson at Natural News.  The Iran war, a devastating 15-week conflict that ended with an electronic peace deal in June 2026, has already exacted a staggering financial toll on the United States. According to the Iran War Cost Tracker, the direct taxpayer burden stands at $113.3 billion, with Moody’s Analytics estimating total costs to taxpayers and consumers at $132 billion. Yet this figure may be only the beginning: Harvard economist Linda Bilmes projects long-term expenses, including veterans’ care, interest on debt, and broader economic ripple effects, could soar past $1 trillion. Direct…

More than 60% of active-duty families who made moves in the past two years paid more than $1,000 out of pocket for expenses related to their move, according to a new survey.“The data continue to show that military moves create disruption across nearly every aspect of life. … A military-directed move shouldn’t be creating avoidable expenses that military families must absorb,” said Shannon Razsidin, chief executive officer of the Military Family Advisory Network. MFAN, nonprofit advocacy organization that fielded the online survey, has conducted military family surveys periodically over the past decade.More than 10,000 people responded, and 71% were currently…

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