Wil Wilkins, a Montana blacksmith and Vietnam veteran, claims that the Forest Service illegally violated the terms of a long-standing easement that has let the agency use a logging road that crosses his property, which is adjacent to a national forest. He is appealing his case to the Supreme Court for a second time. (Pacific Legal Foundation)
A Democratic Nevada lawmaker implored President Donald Trump not to restart nuclear arms testing in remarks at a roundtable discussion with Cold War-era veterans on securing disability benefits for radiation exposure decades ago.
“One thing hanging over us like a mushroom cloud is the notion that the president has said we are going to start testing again. Here in Nevada, we know the consequences of testing — whether it is in the water or in the air,” said Rep. Dina Titus, who sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and has served Nevada’s 1st District since 2013.
Trump posted to Truth Social in October that the military should resume nuclear weapons tests.
“Because of other countries’ testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis. That process will begin immediately,” Trump wrote.
But Titus warned about the fallout for residents of Nevada and for U.S. foreign relations.
Her district is adjacent to the Nevada National Security Site, formerly the Nevada Test Site.
The Nevada Test Site was the “primary continental testing ground” for U.S. nuclear weapons, starting in 1951 and ending in 1992, according to the NNSS website.
“We know the consequences of testing. We don’t need to start testing again. It will start an international arms race and also expose people in southern Nevada,” Titus said.
The roundtable, live streamed on YouTube and other social media channels, focused on efforts by Cold War-era veterans exposed to radiation to collect benefits after a diagnosis of cancer or other serious disease years later.
Sound of Silence, The Invisible Enemy and the National Association of Atomic Veterans were among veterans advocacy groups that participated.
Attorneys for a Vietnam veteran fighting the Forest Service for decades over public access to a logging road that crosses his nine-acre property have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear his case for a second time. (Stars and Stripes)
Attorneys for a Vietnam veteran fighting the U.S. Forest Service for decades over public access to a logging road that crosses his nine-acre property have asked the Supreme Court to hear his case for a second time.
Wil Wilkins, a Montana blacksmith, claims that the Forest Service illegally violated the terms of a long-standing easement that has let the agency use the logging road to access the Bitterroot National Forest.
Problems started when the Forest Service opened the road to public access, which has prompted people to access his property without permission, according to the Pacific Legal Foundation, which represents Wilkins.
“He has endured a litany of intrusive and dangerous activity, including strangers trespassing on his property, hunting on his land without permission, starting fires, shooting his cat (who survived the ordeal), and speeding over the road so quickly that they maimed one of his neighbors’ dogs and killed another,” according to the Pacific Legal Foundation.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals originally dismissed a challenge by Wilkins to stop public access, ruling that a statute of limitations on the easement expired.
But the Supreme Court later ruled unanimously in Wilkins’ favor and sent the case back to the lower courts.
Wilkins’ claim was shut down again, after the lower courts found that he was still “time-barred,” according to JustiaLaw.com.
The government had argued that Wilkins missed a 12-year deadline to file his complaint, according to the National Association of Attorneys General.
But Wilkins’ attorneys this week took the unusual step of filing a second appeal to the nation’s highest court.
“Petitioner Larry Steven “Wil” Wilkins … brought this case to answer a straightforward question: does an easement held by the United States authorize the Forest Service to allow unrestricted public access on a road that crosses their property? Seven and a half years later, with a previous trip to this Court, that remains unanswered,” according to the lawsuit.
The Veterans’ Transition to Trucking Act — which makes it easier for veterans to use the GI Bill to get their commercial trucker’s license — unanimously passed the House.
The bill has been referred to the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee for review and a vote.
The legislation is among several bills moving through Congress that expand support for commercial truckers, including efforts to develop more truck parking and to improve restroom access for drivers.
The U.S. trucking industry, which supports more than 8 million jobs, has a shortfall of roughly 80,000 drivers, according to the American Trucking Associations.
The Veterans’ Transition to Trucking Act speeds up the VA approval process for GI Bill assistance and makes it easier for benefits to be used in multistate trucking apprenticeship programs, according to the bill.
Currently, interstate trucking companies need approval from every state they operate in for veterans to use their GI Bill benefits to pay for an apprenticeship, said Rep. Chris Pappas, D-N.H., who led the bill.
“VA has reported that some trucking companies are opting out of offering apprenticeships to veterans due to the bureaucratic hurdles of having to gain approval with over 20 different state approving agencies (SAAs),” he said.
Carol Whitmore, the VFW national commander-in-chief, testifies in March 2026 during a Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs hearing. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)
An all-female team is scheduled to parachute into Normandy, France, on June 2 ahead of D-Day celebrations on June 6.
The team of eight women — including veterans, first responders and professionals from law enforcement — are making the jump to commemorate the 82nd anniversary of D-Day, according to the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Carol Whitmore, the VFW national commander-in-chief, will make her first parachute jump “to honor the female resistance fighters and operatives who supported the D-Day invasion,” according to a social media post from the national headquarters of the VFW.
The women are scheduled to parachute from a vintage C-47 aircraft for the event.
Two additional jumps will occur June 3 and June 5.
Fox Force Foundation partnered with VFW for the aerial tributes. The veteran-led foundation supports and advocates for women in the military, in law enforcement, in intelligence communities and first responders.
A federal watchdog agency at the Department of Veterans Affairs recently conducted a review of recurring benefits delivered to the nation’s most senior beneficiaries — veterans 100 and older.
The VA’s Office of Inspector General stated that it wanted to ensure that the VA has sufficient procedures for verifying the “continued eligibility” of beneficiaries and their survivors.
Examiners identified approximately $612,000 in overpayments made to beneficiaries living outside the U.S., according to the report.
Among the overpayments was the case of a veteran’s spouse, born in 1923 and listed as residing in Mexico, according to the report.
The VA continued to send the spouse survivor benefits for several years after she died, according to the report.
“The OIG team found correspondence [VA] received in 2018 stating that the spouse had died that month, but staff had not stopped the benefit payments,” according to the report.
From 2018 through June 2025, monthly direct deposit payments were made to the spouse’s account, totaling about $65,052, according to the report.
The OIG urged the Veterans Benefits Administration to strengthen oversight of recurring payments to beneficiaries 100 years or older. Recommendations included updating procedures for routine reviews.
