President Trump on Sunday congratulated the Los Angeles Dodgers and their ownership for their 2025 World Series win against the Toronto Blue Jays, adding that he would see them at the White House. "Congratulations to the L.A. Dodgers, a game won by incredible CHAMPIONS!!! A lesser group of men would never have been able to... ... Read full Story
"Dilbert" creator Scott Adams makes urgent plea to Trump for help getting cancer treatment after reported Kaiser Permanente scheduling delays. ... Read full Story
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday signaled that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits could restart as soon as this week. “There's a process that has to be followed, so we’ve got to figure out what the process is,” Bessent told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union.” “President Trump wants to make sure... ... Read full Story
The chaotic riots that consumed Portland, Ore., during the summer of 2020 reverberated through a trial over President Trump’s efforts to send National Guard troops into the city's streets. Federal officials and government lawyers have portrayed Portland as under siege in seeking to persuade a judge that Trump’s takeover of the state’s soldiers and plans... ... Read full Story
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday compared a Canadian ad featuring former President Reagan, which angered President Trump, to “election interference.” “I read that the premier of Ontario spent $75 million sending propaganda across the U.S. border," Bessent told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union.” “This is Ronald Reagan's own words,” Tapper cut... ... Read full Story
Former President Barack Obama criticized President Donald Trump's policies while campaigning for Rep. Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey's gubernatorial race. ... Read full Story
Socialist organizers praised an anti-Mamdani group’s video ad warning Democrats that socialism is trying to seize control of their party from within. ... Read full Story
Government shutdown threatens SNAP benefits for 42 million Americans as funding expires Saturday, leaving low-income families without food assistance. ... Read full Story
Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa is expected to make a historic visit to Washington, D.C., to meet with President Donald Trump. ... Read full Story
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
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.