Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said late Saturday that U.S. forces struck an alleged drug vessel in the Caribbean and killed three after a string of similar strikes in the region in recent weeks. “Today, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out a lethal kinetic strike on another narco-trafficking vessel operated... ... Read full Story
MAGA voters targeted in final push as Trump's team spends big on get-out-the-vote efforts in off-year elections across two critical swing states. ... Read full Story
Ken Martin defends Democratic Party's big tent approach amid concerns over progressive candidates like NYC mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani's socialist agenda. ... Read full Story
Some lawmakers and advocates are increasingly uncertain whether critical HIV and AIDS services will survive the federal government’s funding fight. The GOP’s House-passed budget bill seeks to cut over $1.5 billion in services for people living with and vulnerable to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the U.S. — far greater than the cuts proposed by... ... Read full Story
War Secretary Pete Hegseth says he had a "positive" meeting with China’s defense chief Dong Jun as both sides agreed to open military channels to ease tensions. ... Read full Story
Former President Obama reached out to Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani ahead of the NYC mayoral election against Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa. ... Read full Story
Former President Obama hit the campaign trail on Saturday, rallying supporters for Democratic gubernatorial candidates Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill at separate events in Virginia and New Jersey — while throwing some jabs at President Trump in the process. “Every day, this White House offers up a fresh batch of lawlessness and recklessness and mean-spiritedness... ... Read full Story
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) on Saturday called the effects of the government shutdown, including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits not being issued for at least November, "wrong." Speaking with Lara Trump on Fox News's "My View," Fetterman said he did not care "who's behind" the shutdown, "it's always wrong, and here we are." "I... ... Read full Story
New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani's "tax the rich" platform draws President Donald Trump's "communist" label as protester disrupts Queens rally with Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif. ... Read full Story
President Donald Trump threatens military action against Nigeria over Christian killings, orders aid suspension and warns of "guns-a-blazing" response to Islamic terrorism. ... Read full Story
Barack Obama campaigns in Virginia amid ongoing government crisis, delivering sharp criticism of Republican Congress and Trump's handling of the federal shutdown. ... Read full Story
Comedian Bill Maher on Friday mocked President Trump for receiving a golden crown from South Korean President Lee Jae Myung during his trip to Asia. "He was in South Korea and the president there gave him a golden crown and Trump was very moved by it," Maher said on his HBO show "Real Time with Bill... ... Read full Story
President Trump on Saturday told the Department of Defense (DOD) to "prepare for possible action" in Nigeria over alleged attacks on Christians in the African country. "If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that... ... Read full Story
The government shutdown entered its second month on Saturday, and the stalemate between Republican and Democratic senators could soon see a breaking point as federal food programs stopped issuing benefits to millions of Americans. Back from his trip to Asia, President Trump said on Thursday that he wants Republicans to use the "nuclear option" to... ... Read full Story
The New York City mayoral race heats up as democratic socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani sparks a national debate over American values and immigration. ... Read full Story
The Rev. Al Sharpton claimed “ugly Islamophobia" is rampant in New York City’s mayoral race, slamming those who allegedly label every Muslim a terrorist. ... Read full Story
New Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) rules are going into effect on Saturday, even as benefits will already not be issued through November without federal funding due to the government shutdown. The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) website, where millions of Americans can review their options and apply, details how "the well has run... ... Read full Story
New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani receives backing from over 110 political groups and Muslim organizations amid allegations of Islamophobia against critics. ... Read full Story
Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts announced staff reassignments on Friday in the wake of the conservative uproar over his statement defending Tucker Carlson for interviewing white nationalist Nick Fuentes. Roberts tapped the think tank's executive vice president Derrick Morgan to serve as acting chief of staff until the end of the year. Ryan Neuhaus, who was serving... ... Read full Story
Democrat governor candidate Mikie Sherrill declared that "New Jersey is a blue state" on Saturday in the final days of her campaign against Jack Ciattarelli. ... Read full Story
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 2, 2025 is:
arbitrary \AHR-buh-trair-ee\ adjective
Arbitrary describes something that is not planned or chosen for a particular reason, is not based on reason or evidence, or is done without concern for what is fair or right.
// Because the committee wasn’t transparent about the selection process, the results of the process appeared to be wholly arbitrary.
// An arbitrary number will be assigned to each participant.
“The authority of the crown, contemporaries believed, was instituted by God to rule the kingdom and its people. England’s sovereign was required to be both a warrior and a judge, to protect the realm from external attack and internal anarchy. To depose the king, therefore, was to risk everything—worldly security and immortal soul—by challenging the order of God’s creation. Such devastatingly radical action could never be justified unless kingship became tyranny: rule by arbitrary will rather than law, threatening the interests of kingdom and people instead of defending them.” — Helen Castor, The Eagle and the Hart: The Tragedy of Richard II and Henry IV, 2024
Did you know?
Donning black robes and a powdered wig to learn about arbitrary might seem to be an arbitrary—that is, random or capricious—choice, but it would in fact jibe with the word’s etymology. Arbitrary comes from the Latin noun arbiter, which means “judge” and is the source of the English word arbiter, also meaning “judge.” In English, arbitrary first meant “depending upon choice or discretion” and was specifically used to indicate the sort of decision (as for punishment) left up to the expert determination of a judge rather than defined by law. Today, it can also be used for anything determined by or as if by chance or whim.