President Trump signed an executive order Friday that will bring the IndyCar race to the streets of Washington, D.C., this summer as a part of the country’s 250th anniversary. The race’s theme, which will be dubbed "Greatness with American Motor Racing," will take place by the National Mall the weekend of Aug. 21-23. “It’s really... ... Read full Story
Don Lemon hires Hunter Biden's attorney Abbe Lowell after arrest at anti-ICE protest. Lowell calls charges "unprecedented First Amendment attack." ... Read full Story
Iran offers to discuss nuclear program with U.S. "on an equal footing" as Washington deploys warships to Middle East amid growing diplomatic tensions. ... Read full Story
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and AG Keith Ellison will testify under oath next month in congressional investigation into alleged $9 billion Minnesota welfare fraud scandal. ... Read full Story
The White House is standing firmly behind its decision Friday to arrest former CNN anchor Don Lemon. “When life gives you lemons,” the White House account posted Friday on social platform X with a chains emoji. The text accompanied a photo of Lemon during his recent coverage of a protest inside a St. Paul, Minn.,... ... Read full Story
A former Biden administration official's social media post lamenting the death of a young child in government custody amid increased immigration operations in Minnesota drew backlash from Republicans, who seized on the fact that the death occurred during the Biden administration. ... Read full Story
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is speaking out about President Trump's name being added to the Kennedy Center, saying there are "more important" things than "a name on a building." "I was here when the center was built," the Health and Human Services secretary told ITK on Thursday, when asked about the Kennedy Center's board voting last month to... ... Read full Story
The Department of Justice (DOJ) said Friday it has completed its review of the Jeffrey Epstein files, releasing 3 million additional documents to the public. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told reporters Friday that the tranche being released will be one of the last steps required under a bill passed by Congress and signed into... ... Read full Story
FIRST ON FOX: The Justice Department released more than 3 million Jeffrey Epstein records including his personal emails Friday, with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche telling Fox News Digital that "in none of these communications, even when doing his best to disparage President Trump, did Epstein suggest President Trump had done anything criminal or had any inappropriate contact with any of his victims." ... Read full Story
Sen. Lindsey Graham holds up government funding, demanding votes on a sanctuary cities bill and expanded lawsuit rights for Jack Smith surveillance targets. ... Read full Story
President Trump threatened to levy tariffs on “any and all Aircraft” from Canada after the country stripped certification from a U.S. jet manufacturer. In a Truth Social post Thursday, Trump said his administration would tax all Canadian aircraft sold to the U.S. until the country recertifies several products made by American manufacturing company Gulfstream Aerospace. ... ... Read full Story
Republican Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno introduces bill to ban public assistance recipients from sending money overseas, with fines up to $100,000 for violations. ... Read full Story
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth says military will "deliver whatever this president expects" as President Donald Trump warns Iran about nuclear program development. ... Read full Story
House Republicans shatter fundraising records with $117.2 million haul as they prepare to defend their narrow majority in November's competitive midterm elections. ... Read full Story
Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway demands the Census Bureau redo its 2020 population count, excluding illegal immigrants and visa holders. ... Read full Story
A pair of House conservatives are leading a push to get an election integrity bill attached to the federal funding compromise that's expected to come out of the Senate. ... Read full Story
President Trump on Friday called Alex Pretti, the 37-year-old ICU nurse who was fatally shot by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis last weekend, an “agitator, and perhaps, insurrectionist," and suggested his stock had "gone way down." His comment comes after a newly released video appeared to show Pretti clashing with federal authorities more than a... ... Read full Story
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 31, 2026 is:
short shrift \SHORT-SHRIFT\ noun
Short shrift means “little or no attention or thought” or “quick work.” In religious use it refers to barely adequate time for confession before execution.
// Certain neighborhoods have received short shrift from the city government.
“[Charlie] Caplinger echoed the concerns of many speakers at the meeting, with charter captains saying the recreational fishing industry’s economic contributions were being given short shrift.” — Mike Smith, NOLA.com (New Orleans, Louisiana), 6 Nov. 2025
Did you know?
We’ve got a confession to make, but we’ll keep it brief: while it’s technically possible to make “long shrift” of something, you’re unlikely to find long shrift in our dictionary anytime soon. Short shrift, on the other hand, has been keeping it real—real terse, that is—for centuries. The earliest known use of the phrase comes from Shakespeare’s play Richard III, in which Lord Hastings, who has been condemned by King Richard to be beheaded, is told by Sir Richard Ratcliffe to “Make a short shrift” as the king “longs to see your head.” Although now archaic, the noun shrift was understood in Shakespeare’s time to refer to the confession or absolution of sins, so “make a short shrift” meant, quite literally, “keep your confession short.” However, since at least the 19th century the phrase has been used figuratively to refer to a small or inadequate amount of time or attention given to something.