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…

The Department of Veterans Affairs is eliminating activity geared toward veterans’ gender identities and reclassifying its LGBTQ+ care coordinators, according to an internal memo made public this week.The purpose of the June 12 memo, it says, is to bring the department into compliance with two executive orders signed last year at the start of President Donald Trump’s second term: one that ended the federal government’s diversity, equity and inclusion activities and another that required the federal government to recognize two biological sexes.Undersecretary for Health John Bartrum sent the directive to all Veterans Health Administration senior leaders, as well as directors…

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…

U.S. President Donald Trump’s interim deal to end the Iran war met scorching public criticism from some of his fellow Republicans as copies of the signed agreement circulated on Capitol Hill on Thursday. One Republican senator called the framework pact announced this week the “worst foreign policy blunder in decades,” another said some reported provisions seemed “ill-advised,” and some pro-Republican commentators also broke with Trump over the agreement.The criticism was a rare rebuke from members of the Republican Party who have mostly offered full loyalty to the president, but are increasingly restive as the economic effects of the Iran conflict…

Sign up for the Quick Strike Newsletter The hottest fishing news, tips, and tactics I’m not sure if Katherine Lee Bates, who wrote “America the Beautiful,” ever wet a line. But I’d like to think so. And as a fisherman who’s been lucky enough to fish this country from sea to shining sea, I believe our many waters filled with trout are part of the grace God shed here. Over the last 250 years we have added to this abundance by stocking non-native trout, and by translocating our native salmonids in all directions. Brown trout are a perfect example of…

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…

This article was originally published by Frank Shostak at The Mises Institute.  According to the Washington Times from June 10, 2026, the US President Donald Trump brushed off the rising inflation number—i.e., the yearly growth rate of the consumer price index (CPI)—which jumped to 4.2 percent in May from 3.8 percent in April. “No, I love it. The numbers were great. You know what I really love? I love the inflation,” Mr. Trump said in the Oval Office. The US President may be expressing a view that is popular in economics. By this way of thinking, the policy of price stability does…

Senate lawmakers are pushing to restrict Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s travel spending until he provides lawmakers with a civilian harm investigation into the February bombing of an Iranian girls’ school and unedited video footage of the Latin American boat strikes.The Senate Armed Services Committee included a provision in its version of fiscal year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act that would reduce funding for Hegseth’s travel to no more than 25% until the committee receives what lawmakers describe as overdue reports and supporting documents.The committee approved its version of the NDAA last week in an 18-9 vote, sending the bill…

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…

The U.S. Navy on Thursday ended its blockade of vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from Iranian ports, U.S. Central Command announced.President Donald Trump issued the directive, ending an operation that began on April 12 and led to the redirection of 142 commercial vessels and disabling of nine non-compliant vessels.“Our great naval ships will remain in the general area to make sure that all aspects of the agreement are adhered to, obeyed and in full force and effect,” CENTCOM said.The United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding Wednesday that calls for a 60-day ceasefire and the…

Sign up for the Quick Strike Newsletter The hottest fishing news, tips, and tactics The Griz, or Dick Grzywinski, is best known for guiding walleye fishermen on the Mississippi River. But one of his favorite gamefish to target is northern pike, mostly because pike are better eating than walleyes (not to mention that the Griz’s stretch of the Mississippi is all catch-and-release for walleye). The Griz trolls for pike by targeting submerged weed beds. He has a special method for removing the slime from the keeper fish, and he has a simple method for removing Y-bones. Here are a few…

Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadIf you’ve spent any time in the prepping world, you’ve thought long and hard about the X. The event. The disaster. The fight. The day it all goes sideways. You’ve worked on plans to get through it—the food, the water, the gear, the skills. Good. That’s the work. But here’s the question almost nobody preps for: what happens to your mind after you make it through? That’s the heart of my conversation with Kris Hasenauer on episode 308 of the Mind4Survival podcast. Kris is a former Green Beret with the 20th Special Forces Group…

With the details of the signed Memorandum of Understanding still unclear, it does appear, for all intents and purposes, that the United States has lost the war with Iran. That means Pete Hegseth, the first Secretary of War, has lost a war. As if the US couldn’t look more foolish, the MoU gives the US nothing it wanted when it comes to the military objectives it was pursuing in Iran. The only big “accomplishment” is that Iran will reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but not “toll-free” as US President Donald Trump claimed. But the vital waterway was open before the…

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The U.S. Department of Defense is open to Poland’s offer to host a permanent U.S. military presence in Poland, Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said on Thursday after meeting U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in Brussels.Poland has been pushing for a bigger allied presence on NATO’s eastern flank after Russia’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine in 2022.“I had the opportunity to speak today with the Secretary of War — we discussed collective defense and cooperation,” Kosiniak-Kamysz told reporters in Brussels.“The U.S. responded positively to Poland’s proposal to establish a permanent U.S. military base in Poland.”No decision has been taken yet, he…

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The U.S. Coast Guard announced that its drug interdiction effort Operation Pacific Viper, which began in August 2025, has prevented 225,000 pounds of cocaine in the eastern Pacific from reaching American shores.The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Bear seized 7,707 pounds of cocaine in the eastern Pacific over the weekend, officially boosting the tally to almost a quarter of a million pounds of the illicit substance.“Our forces conducting Operation Pacific Viper continue to defeat the cartels and stop the flow of deadly drugs to the United States,” said Adm. Kevin Lunday, commandant of the Coast Guard.The Bear and an embarked helicopter…

The U.S. Air Force has cleared its first Collaborative Combat Aircraft to enter production, awarding contracts to General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and Anduril Industries. Six companies will compete on the autonomous software that will fly them.The Air Force made the announcement Wednesday, saying it reached the decision four months ahead of schedule. The contracts went to General Atomics for its FQ-42A and Anduril for its FQ-44A, as part of CCA Increment 1.The two aircraft were previously designated the YFQ-42A and YFQ-44A. Dropping the Y prefix signals their shift from prototype to production.Often referred to as “loyal wingmen,” CCA are jet-powered,…

Ukraine launched almost two hundred drones at Moscow. The massive swarm caused reports of fires in the Russian capital, and more than a dozen people have been wounded in the surrounding region. This is one of Kiev’s largest aerial attacks on Russia. Ukraine Drone Strike on Russia Triggers Massive Explosion Air defenses shot down at least 194 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) on the approach to the Russian capital overnight, Mayor Sergey Sobyanin wrote in a Telegram post on Thursday morning. Seventeen people were wounded in the drone raid. Witnesses reported fires and large smoke plumes in several areas outside of…

Ukraine launched a major drone attack on Moscow on Thursday, hitting the Russian capital’s oil refinery for the second time this week in what Kyiv cast as a response to an attack that damaged a nearly 1,000-year-old monastery in the city.“We don’t want this war, we never did, and everyone knows it, and our partners know it,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a voice message sent to reporters on a WhatsApp group. “But if Ukraine burns, your Moscow will burn.”Russia, for its part, fired missiles into Kyiv, also for the second time this week, following the attack that damaged…

Sign up for the Outdoor Life Newsletter Get the hottest outdoor news—plus a free month of onX Hunt Elite. The largest national wildlife refuge in Indiana could close to public use if the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service choses to scrap its real estate agreement with the Department of Defense, which owns the former aerial gunnery range that’s now managed as Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge. The 50,000-acre property in southern Indiana is the state’s second-largest parcel of public land and offers limited but prized deer and turkey hunting and varied habitats that are regularly used by rare and even…

Lawmakers must soon hammer out the differences in their proposals for fiscal 2027 military pay raises, as the Senate has rejected the Trump administration’s request for higher, tiered pay raises — a proposal agreed to by a House committee. The Senate Armed Services Committee has proposed a flat 3.6% pay raise for all troops, instead of the administration’s request for raises between 5 to 7%, depending on pay grade.The proposal passed by the House Armed Services Committee aligned with the administration’s request. Under that measure, junior enlisted service members would receive larger percentages of raises. Those in pay grades E-5…

Iran has declared victory over the United States. The newly signed memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran is a diplomatic victory for Tehran and a “record of US failure.” Iran has also pointed out that the US ruling class has failed to accomplish any of its goals and military objectives, while regular Americans watched the price of fuel skyrocket as their bills became harder to pay. The 14-point document was signed remotely by President Donald Trump and his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, late on Wednesday and immediately entered force, according to Pakistani mediators, according to a report by…

With any air left in lungs likely heaving from adrenaline, the crew members may have blown bubbles, feeling which way the small pockets of air traveled against their face. Submerged in darkness and feeling around a cockpit becoming a watery tomb, the direction of the bubbles may have told the disoriented helicopter crew the direction of the only thing that mattered: up. An attack helicopter went down off the coast of Oman this month after a Shahed drone engaged with the aircraft. Though the Pentagon said that its two crew members were rescued by an unnamed surface vessel hours later,…