NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte praised President Trump’s commitment to the military alliance during a recent interview and said the president deserves credit for pushing the 32-nation members to spend more of their gross domestic product on defense. Rutte, in an interview with The New York Times released Saturday, said he is “confident of the fact... ... Read full Story
President Donald Trump has defended his use of the term "shylock" at a rally this week, saying he is unaware it is considered antisemitic by some people. ... Read full Story
Several prominent Democrats, including former Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Barack Obama, drew the public's ire with pessimistic social media messages on July 4. ... Read full Story
President Trump said that his administration is working with Texas state and local officials in response to fatal flash flooding as the death toll in the state has risen to 27. “Our Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, will be there shortly. Melania and I are praying for all of the families impacted by this... ... Read full Story
Xi Jinping skips BRICS Summit for the first time amid speculation of political turbulence in China and divisions between member nations over trade and strategic interests ... Read full Story
Gov. Josh Stein has vetoed four bills that target diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and transgender policies, setting up a political clash with the Republican-led General Assembly. ... Read full Story
The "big, beautiful" bill’s passage comes on the heels of other significant victories for his administration, including a Supreme Court ruling in his favor and successful strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities. ... Read full Story
President Trump said he will begin negotiations with China about a potential deal regarding the popular video-sharing platform TikTok this upcoming week. “We pretty much have a deal. I think we are gonna start Monday or Tuesday asking, talking to China, perhaps President Xi [Jinping] or one of his representatives, but we pretty much have... ... Read full Story
Democrats predict doom over a provision within the “One Big, Beautiful Bill" that requires adults to work to be eligible for Medicaid, while GOP senators praise it. ... Read full Story
Elon Musk is threatening to primary Republicans who voted for President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” posing a challenge for the president and his allies as they look to defy midterm headwinds. Musk vowed earlier this week that Republicans who supported Trump’s megabill “will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I... ... Read full Story
The Trump White House blasted the Smithsonian for pushing “one-sided, divisive political narratives" in an exclusive email to Fox News Digital. ... Read full Story
Texas lawmakers on both sides of the aisle took a break from July 4th festivities Friday to respond to deadly flooding in the state's Hill Country area that has left at least 13 dead and more than 20 children missing. Rescue teams, both in helicopters and boats, continue to search for those unaccounted for following... ... Read full Story
Tech billionaire Elon Musk on Friday leaned into his proposal for a third party amid his growing feud with President Trump over the "big, beautiful" spending and tax bill with an Independence Day poll online. Hours before Trump signed the sprawling reconciliation package into law, Musk asked followers on social platform X whether he should... ... Read full Story
Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel in a recent interview weighed in on the passage of the "big, beautiful bill," suggesting it will be a major sticking point in next year's midterm elections. Asked by CNN's David Chalian if the bill will become "the centerpiece" of Democrats' messaging, Emanuel replied, "If it doesn't, we're fools." "As... ... Read full Story
Hamas officials said Friday that they have responded to President Trump's 60-day ceasefire proposal in a "positive" way but signaled more talks are needed. The move comes after Trump told reporters Thursday that he expected a response from the Palestinian militant group within "24 hours" about the agreement to temporarily pause its fight with Israel... ... Read full Story
North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein (D) on Thursday vetoed three bills targeting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives within the state government, as well as a measure that takes aim at transgender rights. With the anti-DEI bills — Senate Bill 227, Senate Bill 558 and House Bill 171 — the GOP-led state legislature sought to eliminate what it... ... Read full Story
Eight migrants face deportation to South Sudan after a Massachusetts federal judge denied their request, highlighting legal battles over the Trump administration. ... Read full Story
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 5, 2025 is:
cantankerous \kan-TANK-uh-rus\ adjective
A cantankerous person is often angry and annoyed, and a cantankerous animal or thing is difficult or irritating to deal with.
// Although the former postman was regarded by some townspeople as a scowling, cantankerous old coot, he was beloved by neighborhood children, to whom he would regularly hand out butterscotch candies from his front stoop with a twinkle in his eye.
“The film ‘Hard Truths,’ which opens in New York on Friday and nationwide in January, centers on [Marianne] Jean-Baptiste’s Pansy, a cantankerous middle-aged woman who spits venom at unsuspecting shop assistants, bald babies, her 20-something son Moses (Tuwaine Barrett) and her dentist, among others.” — Simran Hans, The New York Times, 9 Dec. 2024
Did you know?
A person described as cantankerous may find it more difficult than most to turn that frown upside down, while a cantankerous mule/jalopy/etc. is difficult to deal with—it may not turn in your desired direction. It’s been speculated that cantankerous is a product of the obsolete word contack, meaning “contention,” under the influence of a pair of “difficult” words still in use: rancorous and cankerous. Rancorous brings the anger and “bitter deep-seated ill will” (as rancor can be understood to mean), and cankerous brings the perhaps understandable foul mood: a cankerous person suffers from painful sores—that is, cankers.