Steve Bannon Predicts a Constitutional Crisis in the U.S. by Summer

 

Steve Bannon is one of President Trump's top allies and his former advisor. He is a political campaigner, a media executive and a leader of the CPAC, a conservative movement that tries to spread Trumpism around the world. Recently, Mr Bannon gave Steve Inskeep, the host of NPR's Morning Edition, an interview, "Steve Bannon praises Trump's strategy, wants DOGE's receipts", where he discusses President Trump's 100 days in office and anticipates "a constitutional crisis" in a "summer like no other". 

This 11-minute-long interview with a script, is rather complex, as it deals with American politics and students won't be very familiar with many references, so it is recommended for C2 students, Experts and teachers, who will find interesting expressions such as: to hurdle, livestream, a [wide] swath [of Trump supporters], a mantel, a drive [to deport people], first off, to rattle, an audit, a high-paying [job], to impose [tariffs] on [China], to back off, to stack up, Bessent, to go in [full] force, to speak out against [elites], to target [top private and public universities], to bleed [the money] back in, a [Chinese] national, tuition, to run up against [judicial resistance], due process, to check [something against the law], to defy [the Supreme Court chief justice], [on his] say so, fentanyl, bookkeeping, to grant [everything you say], to pass a bill, to roll over [to the globalists], to step up [and say], to turf out, to tap along [the president], [disapproval] ratings, [to go] way [down], [I don`t] buy [it], [media] psyop.

If you want to watch the full interview (27':51"), it is on YouTube, or you can just click below. This full video interview is recommended for experts and teachers, as ordinary C2 students will problably get lost at different moments for lack of background knowledge about American politics, history, trade relations and constitutional law:

TikTok, AI and other security threats to the EU

 

The geopolitical tensions in the world are making the European Union think twice about the communication apps that are safe, and those that could be manipulated by foreign powers to eavesdrop on politicians' and high-profile officials' sensitive information, Cynthia Kroet & Romane Armangau report in the Euronews article "From TikTok to AI: What the EU now calls a security threat". 

The article is not difficult to read, but many students will not be so familiar with the topic and with the range of vocabulary, particularly the synonyms it displays, so it is recommended for C1 students, who can pick up expressions like: a burner phone, to ban, stripped-down [laptops], surveillance, to black-list, an [EU] agency, the budgetary watchdog, to gather [data], [to deny] these claims, to compel, alleged, to muddle, to launch [an investigation], to breach [a law], to come under fire, to curb [offences], fraud, promotion of terrorism, [to have] leverage, to hold the keys, encryption, [to impose]   restrictions, disinformation, so-called, to be [AI Act] compliant, to decline [to comment], to be charged, a [corruption] probe, to bribe, a backdoor, critical [infrastructure], build-out, to crop up, ongoing [doubts], to be in line with [regulations], to advise against [using], to comply with [the law], [to flee] fled, [fled], dissatisfied, unchecked, a conspiracy theory, hate speech, to quit, [to find yourself] in hot water, to uncover, a [major security] breach, to track [the movements], a high-profile [official], to deploy.

If you want to learn more about hackers and cybersecurity vulnerabilities, you can watch this long BBC News programme, AI Decoded (20':57") which was published 9 months ago, where some experts discuss AI threats to critical national infrastructure, disinformation and deep fakes. This video can be recommended for C2 students, experts and teachers:

Bike Buses to School in Cardiff, Valencia and Barcelona

 

Cardiff has started a new scheme to help children bike to school safely, Hywel Griffith and Antonia Matthews report for BBC News in "Bike bus in Cardiff creates safety in numbers on school run". The idea is to plan bike routes where groups of children, with the supervision of some adults, can start the day with energy and oxygen in their brains, an initiative that was promoted by Bike Bus World, an American non-profit group, and Sustrans in the U.K., and has caught on in Spain -Violeta Peraita reports for Levante newspaper- in CEIP Cervantes de Alboraia, Valencia and in other schoolos like Xirinacs school, Barcelona. The BBC article is short and simple, so it can be recommended for B1 students who can pick up expressions like: a [bike] ride, to set [pupils] up for [a successful school day], non-profit, a charity, a marshal, to pick up [children], to foster [a sense of community], a convoy, loads [of fun], [to have a] chat. 

Below you can watch a video where folk singer and nationalist politician Dafydd Iwan sings along with many school children Yma o Hyd, the song that is mentioned in the BBC News article. This song is usually chanted when Wales plays international rugby or football matches to intimidate their rivals. You can watch Yma o Hyd in Welsh with Welsh subtitles right underneath these lines, to have a first exposure to Welsh language:

Justice, Politics and Money in Wisconsin

Wisconsin, a key swing state in the Midwest, will vote today to choose a state Supreme Court judge, who can tilt the balance of power towards the right or towards the left, and billionaires like Elon Musk and George Soros are pouring millions of dollars to influence voters and get either conservative Brad Schimel or liberal Susan Crawford elected.

Here you can listen to the NPR's Morning Edition story by Anya van Wagtendonk "Out-of-state billionaires donate big money in Wisconsin Supreme Court race" (03':52"), which comes with a script, but, due to the density of the information and the references to American law and political campaigns, this story is recommended for C2 students and Experts, who will find interesting expressions like: to rake in, to be fueled, the tally, to funnel, to back, a non-partisan [Wisconsin Supreme Court], an issue, at stake, a cap, a rally, to spell out, a stake, [President Trump`s] agenda, to take over [Schimel's campaign], a megadonor, to fire back, a boogeyman, an endorsement, an heir, distressed, the fundraising, to hit, a recusal, to chill, to be beholden. 

If you want to do class practice, here you can find a C2 listening, vocabulary and speaking task with the key, based on the Anya van Wagtendonk's radio report above. 

For further background information about the pecularities of this election, you can read the article "The Wisconsin Supreme Court vote is getting national attention and millions from Musk", which can be suitable for C1 students and above, where you will find words like: a rally, a contested [issue], partisan [politics], to play out, voting rights, a court ruling, to redraw [congressional districts], to end up, to pour, to hand out, a [legal] back-and-forth, to bribe, a [democracy] advocacy [group], a swing state, to face off, a seat opening, non-partisan, a justice, the ballot, liberal-leaning [judges], the attorney general, to endorse, a [legal] counsel, a bid, to barrage, an issue, to tee up [issues], on the books, to overturn [the right to abortion], collective bargaining, the ballot, to end up, to deploy, the GOP, transgender [rights], to feature, to side with [radicals], fearmongering, [to run] misleading [adds], a buzzword, a sweepstake, to redraw [the districts], to enforce [the law], the legislature, a matter, to sue, a [car] dealer, a backer.

****

Today, Anya van Wagtendok reports for Wisconsin Public Radio that Susan Crawford has won her judiciary election race and liberals have kept the Wisconsin Supreme Court in the article "Trump and Musk's backing wasn't enough to flip Wisconsin Supreme Court". This story can be read by C1 students and above, who can pick up words like: to back, to flip, endorsement, advocacy, to top, to fuel, a bruising [election cycle], the [national] stakes, a swing state, to cheer, to concede [the race], to take on, to vow, to yell, to cheat, turnout, to supersede [state law], collective bargaining, to end up [redrawing], to sue, a dealership, a private attorney, attorney general, a general counsel, a circuit court [judge], the will [of the people], a megadonor, to endorse, to recuse, to portray, beholden, latitude, to serve [a term of ten years]. 

If you want to take a look at the full election results in Wisconsin, you can check out Wisconsin Public Radio's Election Results 2025 on this link.

Caged Bird

 

"Caged Bird" is one of the most famous poems by Maya Angelou. It talks about freedom through the allegory of two birds, a free bird and a caged bird that have utterly different experiences of life, but, paradoxically, the one who sings of freedom is the caged bird that longs for it from behind the bars. Here is a lesson plan for B2 students and above with listening and speaking tasks and the key, and just below you can find a link to a video from Poems by the Pound where Caged Bird is recited. Some interesting words are: to leap, to dip, to stalk, to be clipped, a trill, a worm, the lawn, a grave. For further information about the poem, you can check the Caged Bird Video Summary by GradeSaver,  and an analysis of the poem: Review of Maya Angelou's Caged Bird by the young poet and Medical Laboratory Science student Chidiebere Sullivan Nwuguru.

Maya Angelou's metaphor of the caged bird has inspired other modern artists. A very good example is American rapper J. Cole in his song "Caged Bird", that talks about the frustration of a young black person who has been jailed and reflects about freedom, about his fellow black inmates, about an unfair society, and about his own mistakes. The rhythm, the rhymes and the alliterations in the lyrics, together with the pathos of the words, contribute to the poignancy of the song -perhaps you can compare this song to Maya Angelou's poem. Here you have a link to the lyrics of Cage Bird (feat. Omen) with the Spanish translation and below you have the official video of the song, which is recommended for C1 students.

Afghan Women under the Taliban

To celebrate International Women's Day, you can watch two reports about life for Afghan women under the Taliban. The first one is a short video titled "Have Afghan women been forgotten. The Taliban's rules for women in Afghanistan" by Al Jazeera, and the second one is the BBC News report "In their own words: Spend one day with Afghan women living under Taliban rule".

The Al Jazeera video below is short (05':37") and has subtitles, so it can be recommended for B2 students and above, who can pick up words like: timid, a cage, [to take] power, to be banned from [a job], a chaperon, a beauty salon, to take a [huge] toll on [their mental health], a surge, a midwife, a health care provider, [against] a backdrop [of an economic crisis], to struggle with [an issue], to flee fled, a breadwinner, the mindset, gender apartheid, on [gender] grounds, to be committed, to spin, to be on board [with the restrictions], resilient.

The BBC News report In their own words: Spend one day with Afghan women living underTaliban rule" is a collection of short contributions from Afghan women: in the first one Freshta, a midwife says her rural colleagues lack higher education, in the second piece Lima, an 18-year-old with a singing talent tells the BBC she feels so isolated, she uses AI as a friend to talk to, you can see videos of Lima singing, photos of Zenat at work, or pieces of Ala's art; there is a third text on how Freshta spends her days without working, another one about what what Lima misses about her life, a fifth story about what Hela hopes to achieve in the future, and there are many more testimonies to read (Iftar feast, Ala again, Arshida, Moska etc). This on-going BBC report can be recommended for B2+ students and above, who can read as many short texts as they please and will  find interesting expressions like: a decree, to bar [them] from [education], a midwife, to scroll  [down], Freshta: a C-section, labour,  Lima: fake [hope], an overthinker, Zenat: mud, a bakery, a set-up, dough, a batch [of dough], Ala: an outbreak, to be deprived of [education], [to hold on to] a glimmer [of hope], Freshta: to strive, to step out, a brand, Lima: a takeover, MMA, kickboxing, numb, Hela: to bless [us with success], to sponsor [us financially], to stand on our own feet, Iftar feast pictures: [to break their] fast, Iftar, Ala: sheer [necessity], to bear the burden, overwhelming, to be weighed down [by traditions], to sorrow, to deem [worthy of], Arshida: to take over, to be trapped, harsh [reality], resilience, to mirror, Moska: to shatter, to deprive of [learning], to resume [my education] etc.

Women are strong and resilient in Afghanistan and all around the world. 

Happy International Woman's Day, 2025!

SNL: US Political & Cultural Satire

Saturday Night Live is an NBC sketch comedy and variety show that has been on air for almost 50 years, it is the longest-running network TV programme in the United States, and a most popular export of American culture around the world. The show has received 84 Grammy Awards among other major recognitions. Each episode opens with "a monologue by a celebrity guest [...], who also performs in sketcthes with the cast, with featured performances by a musical guest. An episode normally begins with a cold open sketch that is usually based on current events, and the sketch ends with someone breaking character and proclaiming 'Live from New York, it is Saturday night', properly beginning the show" (Wikipedia: Saturday Night Live). 

Here you can read a article from TV Insider by Dan Clarendon, titled "SNL Highlights: Mike Myers Returns to Play a Glitchy Elon Musk & More (Video)", where C1 students can find interesting words like: glitchy, deluge, a cameo, cast, to take on [a role], a contentious [meeting], to crash [a party], to kid, a riff, crass [personality], a sequel, an installment, an anchor, meth,a ring, mayhem, damn, [to keep a] straight face, opinionated, an usher.

Below you can watch the cold open sketch of last Saturday's show about Ukranian President Zelensky's visit to the White House (07':45"), and here you can find a Lesson Plan with reading, listening and speaking tasks & their Key for C2 students and Experts because the sketch contains many references to American politics and culture and because humour and irony are always more difficult than serious language. This is a list of the most interesting expressions in the sketch: to host, [to feel] at ease, CEO, an [incredible] trap, claw, casual, to boss around, with all due respect, to jump in, to yell [at somebody], to sweep [away], [to look] hot, [to be] all over you, to dissociate, a hedge, to freefall, to skip, to reverse, Charmeleon, Anora, The Brutalist, to dare, an outburst, disrespectful, Willy Wonka, an outfit, a chainsaw, to kid, awesome, Doge, a glitch, to fire, in your lap, to report [for duty], Real Housewives of Potomac, to cap off.

Catherine of Aragon, Queen Consort of England

Catherine of Aragon (1485-1536), is a household name in England, as her marriage to Henry VIII was the first and the longest in a string of six tumultous marriages, but, the Spanish Infanta is, arguably, less known in Spain, as she failed to fulfil her royal duty bestowed upon her by her father, Ferdinand II of Aragon: to produce an uncontested heir to the English Crown that would embody a solid and lasting diplomatic alliance between the kingdoms of Spain and England in the early 16th century, when France emerged as a common rival.

Catherine's marriage to Henry lasted from 1509 to 1533, when the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Crammer declared Henry's marriage to Catherine "null and void", which allowed Henry to marry young Anne Boleyn -with family ties to France, and undoubtedly contributed to the separation of the English Church from the Roman Catholic Church. Despite the terrible blow to her royal dignity, Catherine never gave up her claim and spent her entire life fighting hard for the right of their daughter, Mary, to be the legitimate heir to Henry's throne. Several authors have recently vindicated Catherine of Aragon as a well-educated and empowered woman, who led the country in military campaigns against the Scots (1513), while Henry was fighting in France, and who fostered bold social reforms in the English court: Catherine was a patron of Renaissance humanists like Erasmus of Rotterdam, Sir Thomas More and Juan Luis Vives, the Spanish scholar who wrote The Education of a Christian Woman, a treatise that "advocates education for all women regardless of social class and ability" -Catherine herself opened several colleges for women when she was Queen consort; she impressed Londoners with contemporary Spanish fashion and she also "started an extended programme for the relief of the poor", which made Catherine a very popular Queen consort in England and abroad, despite her estrangement from Henry.

Next you can find a lesson plan with listening and speaking tasks, key and the script in Word and in PDF formats for C1 students, extracted from the interview that Giles Tremlett gave to Jane Garvey in Woman's Hour (BBC Radio-4) after the publication of his book Catherine of Aragon, Henry's Spanish Queen, back in 2010. Next is the clip with the audio recording (03':45") for the listening task. If you want to listen to the full interview, here is a recording of the whole interview (10':56") without a script. In addition, and just out of curiosity, you can find a review of the book from The Guardian newspaper in Word and in  PDF formats. Some expressions C1 learners will find in the listening task are: to be allocated to [other monarchs], fate, to take something in your stride, dowry, an eating disorder, to fast, to bear [a child], pious, a steely [character], submissive, obstinate.

But the interest in Catherine of Aragon has not waned over the years. Last week, the highly successful discussion programme In Our Time on BBC Radio 4, devoted a brand new episode to Catherine of Aragon: In Our Time, Feb. 2025 with host Melvyn Bragg and a panel of three top academics on Early Modern History: Lucy Wooding, from Oxford University, María Hayward, from the University of Southampton, and Gonzalo Velasco Berenguer, from the University of Bristol. This is a long radio programme (53') which contains very rich language without a script, so, it is recommended for C2 students and for Experts (Ex) or teachers who want to learn about Tudor England and Early Modern Spain. The list of salient words and collocations below can be used as a listening guide for lower level students.

Some expressions learners can pick up from the In Our Time radio programme are: to engage in, formidable [skills], fellow, born to [greatness], a monarch, to lay the foundation, a superpower, the lesser [partner], a throne, a half-sister, resilient, a prime [example], to rally [the troops], [to survive to] adulthood, pious, to betroth [children], [to seek an] alliance, a contested [succession crisis], betrothal, to bolster, a deficient [education], a patron of [humanists], a retinue, pageant, a hood, a gown, pleated, [bands of] cane, to send [him] off, to jeopardize [their childbearing potential], to rake [mercilessly], a maiden, a deeply religious [woman], to consummate [a marriage], dowager [princess], dowry, to be at loggerheads, to befit [a Infanta], in cahoots with [the Queen of England], very vocal, self-assertive, outspoken, to drift, a tussel, her piety, [religious] observant, to fast, Infanta [of Spain], linen, brocade [dresses], a warm and affectionate relationship, to feel warmly to one another, exuberant, athletic, a reassuring [presence], raw, glamour, to joust, joie de vivre, a courtly love [convention], to lay her triumphs at her feet, [to court] mask, to throw off [his disguise], to conduct herself [as Queen], devout, arguably, a relief [army], armour, [to buy] supplies, a bloodied [coat], to sew [banners], domesticated and martial [themes], to push forward [the Spanish] agenda, a beacon [for Spanish interests], wool trade, in a vacuum, to intermarry, weary, a debacle, to stew, the kingdom of Navarre, to add insult to injury, to mutiny, to rebuff [an attempt], an annulment, feisty, to wield [authority], [queen] regnant, to be perturbed, [to become] an issue, more ugly than not, [religious] viability, [not without] precedent, appalling, [royal] dignity, reluctant, more telling, to groom [his illegitimate child], a [royal] bride, a role model, [Spanish] heritage, a treatise, to draw up [a plan of education], to be depicted, her upbringing, a shift, patronage, [to give it a new] spin, the dispensation, double-binding, to dispense [a marriage], determination, to engage with [the best intellects], [to support her] corner, an [intellectual] tussle, Papal [authority], to wrangle [around that], God-given [authority], to take a stand, to be interwoven, scandalous, for the sake of [her daughter], to be vanished, a watershed [moment], a dispute, to have the upper-hand, more poignantly, to repeal [a law], her will, to be addressed, [princess] dowager, discreet life, a manor [house], to command [popular support], to nurse [her daughter], vindictive, a bearing, a cooling [of relations], an uneasy [relation], to gather [support], a moving [letter], a hint [of steel], a concubine, a heartbreaking [sentence], astonishing, appallingly, sense of duty, longevity, regent, to set [the model], uncaring [son], [not a] catch, mean, to pass the buck, to make out, wordy [letters], fury, her misfortunes, he is to blame, a flamboyant [dresser], to offset [the complaints], a [last minute] reversal, a cipher, to quail, [politically] apt, dour, sarcastic, impeccably [dressed], the Field of the Cloth of Gold, a makeshift [city], a [wine] fountain, to herald [lasting peace], an encounter, a wrestling [match], [to go] rough, awkward, to smooth things over, the woodcut, a pomergranate, regalia, a robe, a [queen] regnant.

If you want to watch a video with Catherine's story, you can watch "The Warrior Queen Married to Henry VIII: Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII's First Wife" (2023) below, which can be recommended for C1 students.

Diamonds and Rust: Joan Baez and her Relationship with Bob Dylan

Love is the driving force that gives us the extra energy to help and sacrifice for our beloved ones. It is the only feeling that makes sense of the craziest decisions, of selflessness and generosity beyond any rational restraints; love is the the fuel for unstinted creativity.  Yet, love can be bitter and sweet. When you feel your lover takes your sacrifice for granted and no longer makes the effort, when passion is followed by indifference, and bliss by disdain, when you have an on-and-off relationship that seems to be stuck in a dead end street, then "diamonds" become "rust", the metaphor that Joan Baez found to describe her relationship with Bob Dylan after a sudden phone call ten years after their break-up.

"Diamonds and Rust" is a haunting song, one of the best songs ever written, it is a moving song, full of winter sun and chilly shade, but the melody and the words unveil the serenity, the maturity and the power that Joan Baez felt when she revisited her youthful relationship with Bob Dylan. Here you can watch a video without subtitles of "Diamonds and Rust", next you can find a lesson-plan for B2 students with listening and speaking tasks and the answer key (and the same document in PDF). Some interesting words to be found in the song are: damned, a ghost, robin egg blue, lousy, a booth, the midwest, a cufflink, rust, to burst, to stray, the Madonna, on the half-shell, unharmed, a crummy [hotel], to mingle.

If you want some background information about the song, you can check out the post "Stella: 'Diamonds and Rust' by Joan Baez" written by Elaine Irvine on the NPR affiliated radio station KRUI-FM, from Iowa University, which is suitable for C1 students. On BBC Sounds you will also find an excellent radio documentary about the song, Soul Music: Diamonds and Rust, which has no script and can be recommended for C2 students. Finally, the most ardent fans of Joan Baez and Bob Dylan, can read "Diamonds & Rust, Joan & Bob, 1960's - 1980's", a thorough musical and personal biography published in the Pop History Dig, which is recommended for Experts, that is, for students beyond C2 level.

Below you can watch another video of the song with English subtitles and pictures of their relationship: