North Korean troops ‘highly likely’ to be fighting for Russia in Ukraine, defense chief says

North Korean forces are “highly likely” to be fighting with their Russian counterparts in Ukraine, South Korea’s defense minister told lawmakers Tuesday in Seoul.

The Mideast dominoes have been unleashed

War is unpredictable, but recent developments in the Middle East conflict have precipitously narrowed the options for key players. Contrary to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claims, it leaves no possible path to peace.

Reversing America’s decline is no easy task

Somewhere beneath the thickening surface of tribal bedlam and political fervor is still a core national impulse to confront and overcome big challenges. The question is how strong that impulse remains.

The next vice president will be a veteran. Could this help end the suicide epidemic?  

Tim Walz and JD Vance need to stop using their military service for political gain. They must to rise to the occasion and honor the sacrifices of our veterans by fighting for the care and support they deserve. The future of our veterans — and the strength of our country — depends on it. 

Wildfire smoke is running up our credit-card debt

The main way smoke creates debt is by generating medical bills.

Story arose from, then received, recognition

Stars and Stripes reporter Rose L. Thayer’s story underscores that Stripes pursues stories even if they are considered negative by the military.

The misleading language behind Florida’s abortion ballot measure

The proposition’s ambiguous language hides several important questions. For starters, when is viability? The amendment doesn’t define it.

Trump wants to turn the federal bureaucracy into an ‘army of suck-ups.’ Here’s how that would be a disaster.

Like any president, Donald Trump would undoubtedly stock the top levels of the government with loyal appointees. But he also intends to enforce his will by making it possible to fire lower-ranking federal employees for their political views.

Ukraine has been a magnet for unstable characters like Ryan Routh

Ryan Routh, the accused would-be assassin of Donald Trump, had no business being in Ukraine following Russia’s 2022 invasion. Then again, a bizarre aspect of the war has been the inordinate number of tourists, profiteers and self-appointed saviors attracted to the conflict.

Blaming Diddy’s legal troubles on race is absurd

Anyone who cares about the advancement of the Black community should be offended by the messages that Black people have a duty to stand by Sean “Diddy” Combs at the expense of his alleged victims.

Foreign policy will be the next president’s first priority

The immediate problems the next president will face will not be domestic but international, given the continuation of the bloody, three-year-war in Ukraine and the complex, unstable situation in the Middle East.

Disingenuity on what’s sparking political violence

I’m grateful to former President Trump for assigning blame for the foiled assassination attempt to Democratic rhetoric, specifically that of “Biden and Harris.”

Inside the minds of the still-undecided voters

In a U.S. presidential race that features a deeply polarized electorate and a sharp contrast between the two candidates, most voters have known for months which side they are on.

NATO on the verge of sacrificing its core purpose: Self-defense

Foolishly pushing ahead with plans to remove restrictions on Ukraine to use Western long-range missiles anywhere in Russia could undo 75 years of NATO keeping us out of war.

America is losing the battle of the Red Sea

A radical, quasi-state actor most Americans had never heard of, the Houthis of Yemen, have mounted the gravest challenge to freedom of the seas in decades — and arguably beaten a weary superpower along the way.

America’s military — death by a thousand drones

When it takes a million-dollar American missile to knock out a thousand-dollar enemy drone, it looks more like we’re the ones bleeding out — not Russia in its war in Ukraine — suggesting maybe we should quit the world-policeman racket.

There’s one surefire way to protect democracy from ‘influence,’ and no one’s talking about it

It’s virtually impossible for government to protect citizens from all forms of foreign influence. So what’s the solution? Contradictory debate.

The implications of an unpassed Major Richard Star Act

The Major Richard Star Act would allow some 53,000 combat retired veterans to collect both their military retirement and VA disability concurrently, without an offset. For many, it feels as if time is running out and we are in the last push of what could be a losing battle.

Americans have a new piggy bank to raid: Their houses

With the personal saving rate near its lowest level since the mid-2000s, it’s fair to ask whether consumers will keep spending. The slow revival of a long-dormant financial product may offer a partial answer.