Tonight, Special Olympics of Virginia Global Messenger John Franklin Stephens (Frank) joined Piers Morgan to explain why he was offended when he heard Conservative Columnist Ann Coulter's use of the "r-word" earlier this week.

Coulter used the 'r-word' in a tweet Monday when referring to Mitt Romney's treatment of President Barack Obama at the third and final presidential debate. Stephens wrote an open letter to Coulter to explain why her word choice was wrong:

Come on Ms. Coulter, you aren’t dumb and you aren’t shallow. So why are you continually using a word like the R-word as an insult?
...
Ms. Coulter, you, and society, need to learn that being compared to people like me should be considered a badge of honor.

"The word retard is offensive and I should not be a symbol for someone who is dumb and shallow," Stephens said. "If they wanted to use me as a symbol, use me as a symbol for someone who fights adversity."

Special Olympics CEO Tim Shriver also joined Morgan to defend his friend Stephens. FULL POST

As Thursday evening's comments made by John Sununu continue to ripple through the world of politics and media, this evening Piers Morgan invites Cory Booker to share his candid reactions.

When asked about Colin Powell's recent endorsement of Barack Obama, the former New Hampshire Governor implied that it may have been based upon something other than simply the issues: FULL POST

With 11 days until the general election, this evening Piers Morgan welcomes back Cory Booker for his trademark blend of candid commentary and insider's perspective.

A regular guest of "Piers Morgan Tonight," the Newark Mayor has discussed a wide scope of topics during previous visits, touching upon everything from gun laws, a recent speech made by Vice President Joe Biden, and the debt crisis.

Tonight however, the former Rhodes Scholar is expected to offer his reaction to recent remarks by John Sununu, who appeared on the program Thursday night.

Joining Morgan live, the former Governor of New Hampshire suggested that Colin Powell's endorsement of Barack Obama is based upon race.

Tune in tonight at 9 as Booker, himself also an African-American and Obama supporter, responds to Sununu's claims.
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On the heels of this week's highly publicized and largely controversial comments made by Richard Mourdock, in which the Indiana Republican Senate candidate said pregnancies from rape are "something that God intended to happen," on Thursday "Piers Morgan Tonight" invited Gloria Allred to respond.

"He apologized, he said, 'if that offends anyone.' Well, it does offend me," explained the high-profile feminist lawyer. "But he's standing by his comment and apparently, Governor [Mitt] Romney and leaders of the Republican party are standing by this extremist Richard Mourdock."

Welcoming his guest live, Piers Morgan further examined the context of Mourdock's remarks: FULL POST

Each day, we here at "Piers Morgan Tonight" put together the news you need to know – from what happened last night to what will happen today.

For October 26, 2012 – Sandy may merge with winter storm to menace Northeast, Ex-Italian Prime Minister gets 4-year prison term and virtual reality avatar inspires gamer to hit the gym...

• East Coast urged to be wary of Hurricane Sandy: "Floridians have little to fear from Hurricane Sandy as the storm loses some force and begins veering away, but all the way up the Atlantic Coast, New Englanders are worrying about its fury as a combination of weather conditions threaten to turn it into a disaster for them as early as Monday."

• Ex-Italian PM gets 4-year prison term: "Italy's flamboyant former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was sentenced Friday to four years in prison for tax fraud. Berlusconi is likely to appeal the sentence handed down by a court in Milan, Italy. The case involved his Mediaset group and the purchase of TV rights."

• 3rd-party candidates may swing vote: Gary Johnson and Virgil Goode have no chance of winning the November 6 presidential election, but the two 'third-party' candidates are in position to siphon a few thousand votes from Republican Mitt Romney and perhaps President Barack Obama in some of the handful of battleground states considered up for grabs and therefore decisive in determining the winner."

• U.S. economy picks up steam: "U.S. economic growth picked up in the third quarter, boosted by stronger consumer spending, an improving housing sector and increased defense spending. Gross domestic product, the broadest measure of the nation's economic health, grew at an annual rate of 2% from July to September, the Commerce Department said Friday, faster than the 1.3% rate in the second quarter."

• Virtual reality avatar inspires gamer to hit the gym: "Brand loyalty is one of the reasons Marcus Dickinson first decided to shape up. During his trip to the 2009 'EVE Online' FanFest, real life hit him smack in the face.

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As the 2012 general election draws closer, on Thursday night Piers Morgan pulled up his bootstraps and invited Billy Ray Cyrus into the studio for an entertaining and revealing live interview.

In 1992, the 51-year-old's celebrated hit "Achy Breaky Heart" was voted the Country Music Association's Single of the Year. But who will Cyrus be voting for on November 6? With his guest having yet to publicly endorse a candidate, Morgan attempted to get the vocalist to sing someone's praises:

"What is your view of where the country is?" he began his inquiry.

"My view is that, you know, America's coming out of a deep hole. When President Obama took over, we were pretty far upside down in a lot of different ways, you know, around the world. And he's only been in four years," said Cyrus. "I think the country is making a turn around ... And I think the president needs four more years."

With the world-famous Miley Cyrus already having pledged her support for the incumbent, will father follow in his daughter's footsteps? FULL POST

With the 2012 general election now merely a dozen days away, on Thursday "Piers Morgan Tonight" invited John Sununu to share his incomparable blend of political perspective and impassioned insight.

Welcoming his guest live from Boston, Piers Morgan asked the former New Hampshire governor about Colin Powell's recent endorsement of the incumbent:

"Colin Powell has decided to opt for President Obama again, despite apparently still being a Republican. Is it time he left the party?"

"I'm not sure how important that is," replied the 73-year-old adviser to Mitt Romney. "Frankly, when you take a look at Colin Powell, you have to wonder if that's an endorsement based on issues, or whether he's got a slightly different reason for preferring President Obama?"

"What reason would that be?" wondered the host. FULL POST

With the general election now less than two weeks away, this evening at nine "Piers Morgan Tonight" welcomes the return of John McCain and his candid political insight and perspective.

As the September 11th attack on the U.S. Embassy in Libya continues to be a polarizing topic amongst the campaigns, the Arizona Senator offers his assessment of the controversy surrounding the call for more troops:

"There was – there was clearly requests by our ambassador, not Facebook posting but by our ambassador for better protection. His last message was about that," says McCain of Ambassador Christopher Stevens, one of four Americans killed in Benghazi. "His diary that was found, not by our people, but by CNN reporter, talked about his concerns. I think it’s a very legitimate question, why didn’t we do something about it?" FULL POST

On Wednesday, Piers Morgan used his "Only in America" segment to bring into focus the unintentional images so often caught in the background of snapped pics.

With so many photo ops. coming on the campaign trail, it's perhaps the one element of a political race that neither the candidate, or his staff, can completely control.

Reviewing the phenomenon that's since been dubbed the "photobomb," Morgan shows some pictures, and shares some examples:

"Here's the president and First Lady in the stands, completely, blissfully unaware that the guy staring into the camera is stealing the show," points out the "Piers Morgan Tonight" host. "Or how about this shot from the second presidential debate: Josh Romney giving Obama a menacing death ray stare."

But while the assortment of options are seemingly unlimited, Morgan thinks he's secured the shot to be dubbed "the best political photo bomb of all time."

Popping the pic. up on-screen, Morgan sets the scene, which took place in Florida as Barack Obama spoke at a tennis center in Delray Beach: FULL POST

As the presidential race nears to a nail-biting close, on Wednesday, businessman and staunch Mitt Romney supporter Jack Welch returned to the "Piers Morgan Tonight" studios.

The former Chairman and CEO of General Motors enthusiastically voiced his support for the GOP candidate, while simultaneously addressing a recent statement by Berkshire Hathaway's Warren Buffett who suggested that the U.S. economy will see growth regardless of which administration takes over in the next term:

"Warren was partially right," agreed Welch. "Warren may have made the point that the economy will be better. A 1.5 percent GDP growth next year, same as we had this year, will be better. What you'll get with Mitt Romney is a chance at 3 to 4 percent."

Also on Wednesday, Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick joined host Piers Morgan, sharing his insight on the Obama administration's policy scorecard: FULL POST