This article is republished with permission from Laser Wars, a newsletter about military laser weapons and other futuristic defense technology. The U.S. military is closing in on its high-energy laser weapon of choice for counter-drone missions. Now it needs the vehicles to support it. With the demise of its Stryker-based Directed Energy-Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense program, the U.S. Army has focused its ground-based laser weapon efforts on light tactical vehicles. AV’s 20-kilowatt LOCUST Laser Weapon System has already been operationally tested aboard both the infantry squad vehicle (ISV) and the joint light tactical vehicle (JLTV) through the Army Multi-Purpose High…
Author: Staff Writer
Everyone has encountered unnecessary company swag—from branded pens to an endless supply of canvas tote bags. But babies born July 2 through the end of the year may receive a surprising branded moment: a Freedom 250 Social Security card. At a glance, the commemorative card, rolled out as part of the U.S.’s 250th anniversary celebration, looks like any regular Social Security card. But upon close inspection, the limited-edition version features the logo of Freedom 250—a public-private organization the Trump administration established to help with the semiquincentennial programming—in one of its corners. While it may seem just a patriotic gesture and…
What makes a design “American?” That’s a question we’ve been asking ourselves as the United States nears 250 years of existence. In that time, the country has been defined through objects, ideas, and systems that, if not born in the U.S., at least reside here spiritually and culturally. But American design is a deeply personal thing. The country has protected its individualistic streak, sometimes at staggering costs—so one person’s beliefs about what is quintessentially American could vastly differ from those of their neighbors. It made us wonder: What do designers—the people who shape our current world—see as the designs that…
Beneficial State Bank is in a bind. As a certified B Corporation, the Oakland, California-based community development bank is built around social justice, climate accountability, and financial success without funding fossil fuels or private prisons. Artificial intelligence could help it meet those goals and make lending more inclusive. But using it requires some ethical gymnastics. Until now, Terra Neilson, Beneficial State Bank’s chief impact officer, says it was easy to put AI in the “unethical” category. Its environmental footprint and social harms are regular headlines. But a recent project complicated that view. Neilson says the bank just extended a pilot…
This weekend, the Trump administration is planning to roll out one of its most ambitious programs yet: Trump Accounts. Tied to America’s 250th birthday, the program is set to launch on July 4, giving around 1.5 million American babies $1,000 to help with their future financial independence. The program allows parents and legal guardians of children born during President Trump’s second term to open savings accounts, dubbed Trump Accounts, and receive $1,000 from the government. The accounts follow a 2025 federal tax law that allows a new type of tax-advantaged savings account, creating a path for young children to build wealth. That…
If Elon Musk has his way, stargazing could soon be impossible. Starlink, one of Musk’s businesses, sells high-speed internet access to places around the globe that traditional internet providers often can’t reach. In the process, the company has launched a fleet of satellites that orbit the planet so densely and visibly that they are often referred to as a man-made “megaconstellation” – and not everyone is happy about it. The European Southern Observatory (ESO), an intergovernmental agency running some of the world’s most powerful space telescopes, cautions that further clogging up the night sky could have “devastating consequences” for the…
While everyone knows that July 4 is a federal holiday, this year that holiday was officially observed yesterday, on July 3. That’s because today, July 4, 2026, falls on a Saturday, when most federal offices are closed anyway. But of course, Americans across the nation will be celebrating the 250th birthday of their country today—and many businesses and non-governmental organizations will be closed in honor of the celebrations. Here’s what you can expect to be open and closed on July 4, 2026. Are banks open on July 4? No, most banks, including the national giants like Bank of America, Chase,…
If you’re one of the tens of millions of Americans taking to the road this July 4 holiday weekend, you’ll likely have this nagging thought cross your mind at least once: how much will it cost me to fuel up the car? The answer is, on average, $3.82 per gallon, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA) as of the time of this writing. While that price per gallon is down from the $4.56 national average on May 21, it’s still well above the $3.15 national average during last year’s July 4 holiday period. The good news is that this…
America runs on innovation. (Sorry, Dunkin’.) As Americans celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Fast Company has compiled a compelling collection of stories throughout our history—a mere 31 years—to inspire you and your greatness. Our journey starts on the launchpad of a space flight and the Herculean, mission-critical software that underpins its success. From there, we climb aboard a warship docked in San Diego for a naval commander’s leadership class, listen in on Steve Jobs in his living room, and marvel at how a former manufacturer of wire baskets for bagel shops reinvented itself…
The Fourth of July 2026 travel period is now in full swing. On this extended holiday weekend, tens of millions of Americans will be traveling for fireworks, family, and fun. The majority of those travelers will go by car. If you’re one of them—or just plan to be on the road this weekend for any reason—you can expect heavier-than-usual traffic, especially at certain times. But there are also certain times this weekend when you have your best chance of hitting the road, with traffic congestion at a minimum. Here’s what you need to know. More than 72 million Americans will…