Who is next on President Trump's chopping block? White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer? Special Counsel Robert Mueller? Chief of Staff Reince Priebus or chief strategist Steven Bannon? Despite all the rumors — and there are a lot of rumors — it's just as likely no one is, New York reports. Trump just compulsively loves talking about firing people, even if he has no actual plans or desires to fire anyone.

"Donald Trump — think about how he talks," one senior White House official explained. "How do you think Mike Pence is doing as vice president? Is Mike Pence doing a good job? Let me ask you this: Did I make the right call on Pence?"

The official added: "[Trump] asks it in front of me, with people there! Literally, we will be sitting there having dinner, and he'll just say, 'How's he doing? Is he getting killed?' The first couple of times, you're like, 'What the f---?' But you get used to it. That's just how he talks."

Officials stressed that while Trump likes to act as if he is a tough boss, the president actually strongly dislikes firing people. "[Trump is] a conflict-avoider," an administration official explained. "He hates firing people. He knows he's gotta fire every one of them — but he can't bring himself to do it. He's a Gemini. Do you know what a Gemini is? Those are two people in one body. There's always two faces with Trump."

Read more about how the "you're fired" president doesn't want to fire anyone at New York. Jeva Lange

Another round of U.S.-Taliban peace talks began Monday with the participation of delegates from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the negotiations' host, the United Arab Emirates. Their aim is further progress toward ending the United States' 17-year war in Afghanistan, America's longest conflict.

Officials representing the Afghan government are in the UAE but will not join in the talks, as the Taliban has to date insisted on negotiations with Washington alone. The Saudi and Emirati representatives are expected to help push the Taliban toward new concessions, potentially including future inclusion of Afghan state officials.

Diplomatic contact between the United States and the Taliban has increased since the appointment of Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad earlier this year. Among the issues under consideration are prisoner release and the extent of long-term U.S. military presence in Afghanistan after hostilities have ceased. Bonnie Kristian

The Senate voted Thursday to withdraw American support for Saudi Arabia's coalition intervention in Yemen's civil war and to condemn Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder. Riyadh responded early Monday by complaining of American meddling in Saudi affairs.

"The Kingdom categorically rejects any interference in its internal affairs, any and all accusations, in any manner, that disrespect its leadership ... and any attempts to undermine its sovereignty or diminish its stature," said a statement from the Saudi Foreign Ministry. The document pledges Saudi Arabia to continued intervention in Yemen and closes with an expression of eagerness to "preserv[e] its relations with the United States," an "allied and friendly government."

Rebukes of this sort from Riyadh are typically reserved for foreign criticism of Saudi Arabia's domestic human rights abuses. Far from initiating new "interference" this past week, the United States has provided material and intelligence support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen since 2015, maintaining involvement even as the Saudi coalition blockade and airstrikes foster the world's most acute humanitarian crisis.

As he gears up for a possible 2020 run, Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) hasn't changed his mind: He still loves President Trump.

Booker in an interview with The Atlantic explained why he has continuously expressed love toward the president who he opposes on countless policy issues and who has attacked him publicly on Twitter. "My faith tradition is love your enemies," he said. "It's not complicated for me, if I aspire to be who I say I am. I am a Christian American." This is not the same thing as being "complicit in oppression" or "tolerant of hatred," Booker said.

The New Jersey senator also explained that he loves Trump voters. "Millions and millions of good Americans, good decent Americans, voted for Donald Trump," he said.

"If we become a party that is about what we're against, I don't think that's a winning strategy," Booker said more broadly about the Democratic Party. "I think if we give all of our energy— psychic, mental — toward Donald Trump, it makes him powerful." Besides, "there's common pain in this country," Booker observed, and if Democrats "make Donald Trump your central focus, then it's going to be much harder to get to a sense of common purpose."

Booker also decried the polarization of the country, pointing to his experience getting "pilloried on Twitter" for hugging the late Sen. John McCain after he was diagnosed with cancer. "We are heading toward a point in my lifetime where I haven't seen a level of tribalism like this," Booker said. Read the full interview at The Atlantic. Brendan Morrow

Congress has just five days to reach an agreement with President Trump and stop the federal government from shutting down. And that's not even the only challenge.

Even if Republicans led by Trump reach an agreement with Democrats over border wall funding, GOP leaders worry there won't be enough Republicans in attendance to pass it. That's because many of the 40 House Republicans that Democrats unseated have left the Capitol, and likely for good, The New York Times reports.

Congress hasn't yet reached a budget agreement with Trump, who wants $5 billion to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. Democrats won't concede more than $1.6 billion for border security. Jeopardizing budget talks further is the fact that Congress adjourned until Wednesday with no agreement in sight, and that Trump is scheduled for a 16-day visit to Mar-a-Lago as soon as the week ends, per Politico.

On top of that, ousted and retiring House Republicans are "don't want to show up anymore to vote," the Times writes. That's partly because newcomer Democrats have moved into their old offices, leaving them to work out of cubicles. It's also because they're simply "sick and tired of Washington," per the Times. So even if the two branches do somehow work out an agreement, "House Republican leaders do not know whether they will have the votes to pass it," the Times writes. Read more at The New York Times. Kathryn Krawczyk

2018 was a year of "justice" for all, according to Merriam-Webster.

The dictionary company named "justice" its word of the year for 2018 after it saw a 74 percent spike in lookups compared to 2017. Merriam-Webster noted in its announcement that justice was at the center of a number of important conversations this year, from issues concerning racial justice and social justice to stories about the Department of Justice and conversations about Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. "For many reasons and for many meanings, one thing's for sure: justice has been on the minds of many people in 2018," Merriam-Webster says. The company's word of the year in 2017 was "feminism."

Merriam-Webster also listed 10 other words that saw notable spikes in lookups this year, all of which center around a key news story. One is "nationalism," which spiked 8,000 percent after President Trump in October declared himself a nationalist. Another is "pansexual," which spiked in April when singer Janelle Monáe identified herself as such in an interview.

"Lodestar" was also a notable lookup after the word was used in a damaging New York Times op-ed written by an anonymous member of the Trump administration, with some readers taking it as a clue pointing to Vice President Mike Pence, who often uses the word in speeches.

Additionally, "epiphany" spiked when the band BTS used it in a song; "feckless" spiked after comedian Samantha Bee used it in a vulgar monologue about Ivanka Trump; "laurel" spiked as people everywhere debated whether an audio recording was of a person saying "laurel" or "yanny"; "pissant" spiked when a radio DJ used the word to describe Tom Brady's daughter; and "respect," "maverick," and "excelsior" spiked after the deaths of Aretha Franklin, John McCain, and Stan Lee respectively. Read more at Merriam-Webster. Brendan Morrow

A second actress has accused actor Geoffrey Rush of sexual harassment.

Yael Stone, who plays Lorna Morello on Orange is the New Black, accused Rush of misconduct in an interview with The New York Times Sunday. When they both starred in the play The Diary of a Madman in 2010 and 2011, Stone says Rush "danced naked in front of her in their dressing room, used a mirror to watch her while she showered, and sent her occasionally erotic text messages." At the time, Stone was 25 and Rush was 59. Three people who worked with Stone on the play backed up her story, as did several friends and family members.

Rush denied Stone's allegations, saying they are "incorrect" and "in some instances have been taken completely out of context." He characterized the situation as Stone being "upset on occasion by the spirited enthusiasm I generally bring to my work."

Because of Australia's strict defamation laws, Stone told the Times she was terrified to come forward and only did so because a law firm has agreed to represent her pro bono. Rush was previously accused of sexual harassment by an actress he worked with on a play in 2015 and 2016. Eryn Jean Norvill told The Daily Telegraph in 2017 that Rush touched her without her consent and sent her inappropriate text messages; she wasn't originally named in the story, which has since been removed from the publication's website. Rush denied that allegation and sued The Daily Telegraph for defamation. A decision in that case has not yet been reached.

Stone told the Times she is "not looking for punishment" by coming forward but that she hopes "to change my industry and to work toward healing and growth." Brendan Morrow