U.S. Presidential Campaign 2024: Issues, Polls, & Fakes

The U.S. Presidential campaign is in full swing, with Donald Trump and Kamala Harris as the two presidential candidates.  They have recently held a television debate on ABC News to discuss the election issues (the economy, immigration, abortion, democracy in the U.S., Israel, Ukraine etc.) and their character suitability for the job. Here you can find the highlights of the debate (9:11), a video with subtitles for C1 students, who can pick up words like: the gloves were off, grievances, to punch [back], the stakes [are high], [to be locked in] dead heat, to get away with [something], to be fired, [to get] heated, the GOP, hence, to factcheck, to overturn [a court decision], to hammer [the Biden administration], [to defend her] record, a bipartisan [border bill],  debunked [claims], to bring up [an issue], to reach out to [the city manager of Springfield, Ohio], to needle, a windmill, [to ban] fracking, a buyback [programme for assault weapons], [opinion] polls, to hold back, to go down as [the worst vice pressident], to face off against [a different candidate], a bid [for a second term], a tight [race], [to hold] steady, a hush money [case], liable, weaponization, to endorse [Harris],to champion [the rights and causes], a powerhouse [roundtable], a contentious and consequential [Presidential election].

The election is very tight, and it is, problably going to be decided in 7 swing states -also called battleground or purple states, where there is no clear majority of red (Republican) or blue (Democrat) voters: Pennsylvania, Nevada, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, Wisconsin and Michigan. The presidential electors from these states are key to reach the 270 majority in the electoral college that will eventually vote for the President and Vice President, according to the U.S. Constitution. The polls keep changing marginally, so if you want to keep track of the latest polls from now till election day on November 5th, you can follow 270 to Win, Presidential Election Polls.  Here you can take a quick look at the current election map, with the swing states coloured in grey:

The Presidential election 2024 is also being fought bitterly in the social media, where fake pictures, lies and exaggerations live hand in hand with satire and the plain truth. X-Twitter and Instagram are, perhaps, the most popular media for anyone to express their own views freely, but also to spread lies without any restraint.  The fake image of Kamala Harris dressed as a Communist dictator, which was published by Elon Musk (the owner of X and a staunch supporter of Trump)

was soon responded by the hacktivist Anonymous group with the fake picture of Mr. Musk depicted in a Nazi uniform. But the most powerful fake images revolve around pop celebrities like Taylor, and her Swifties, whose photos have been tampered with to vote for Trump, as The Times of India reports in "From 'Communist Harris' to 'Swifties for Trump': AI Generated Images Muddy US Presidential Election 2024".  Some interesting words and collocations C1 students will find in this article are: to muddy, [to raise] concerns, a deepfake, a winking [smiley], blatant, to downplay [the comment], a hacktivist [group], backlash, a [tech] mogul, to groove, to sync [to the music], to caption, to poke fun at [critics], witty, banter, to pose [a threat].

Taylor Swift has finally ended this misleading debate by posting a statement on Instagram to endorse Kamala Harris with a real photo of herself as a "childless cat lady", as Mehera Bonner reports for Cosmopolitan, in "Taylor Swift Breaks her Political Silence and Endorses Kamala Harris for President in Moving Statement", where B2 students will find words like: to endorse, the upcoming [election], to conjure up [fears], to cast [my vote], a steady-handed, gifted [leader], to stand up for [LGBTQ+ rights].

Spain's Pineapple Craze for Supermarket Romance

The crazy fad of finding romance in supermarkets with a pineapple code has gone viral across Spain, and has recently become the joke of the country, Guy Hedgecoe reports on this Tik-Tok fueled phenomenon for BBC News in the article "Spain's 'pineapple-gate' sparks hopes of romance and shop chaos". This short article is suitable for B2 students, who will find interesting words like: [pineapple]-gate, to spark, a craze, to seek [partners], a claim, a trolley, to hook up, a caption, disorderly, a bachelor party, rowdy [scenes], a trend, upside-down, to swap, swinging (slang), [pineapple] mania, to clear up, a storeroom, to fall into, clutch.

Below you can watch a video report on the story, with its transcript, by Curiosities YouTube channel, where B2 students can find words like: a hookup, a trend, a single, a hotspot, to picture, to cruise, , the [wine] aisle, upside-down, a cart, a fling, to sneak, gazpacho, quirky, to trade, a swipe, to peel, a bump. 

The Gates Foundation

Bill Gates talks to Professor Jim Al-Khalili about his life, his philanthropic work, vaccines, conspiracy theories and one of his hobbies, pickleball, on the BBC Radio-4 programme The Life Scientific. 

The interview is rather long (35:59), and has no script, so, it is recommended for C2 students, although they speak slowly and clearly and the vocabulary is not particularly difficult. Next you can find a list of some interesting words, which can be used as a rough listening guide for lower-level students: a [college] drop-out, a super-villain, his ethos, to take on [issues], child-mortality rates, to feed [that enthusiasm], malaria, diarrhea, pneumonia, to partner with [governments], a mind-blowing [successful advent], [to organise] the funding, goofy [things], Slow-Horses, to fit in [exercise], pickleball, a low-key [interest], billionaireland, community [work], a [company] board, Planned-Parenthood, voracious, your niche, a flair for [programming], noughts & crosses, entranced, a [computer] bug, a payroll [programme], a [school] schedule, [to minimize] the disruption, endearing [level of complexity], a grade, hardcore, to reach out to [somebody], a [growing] buzz, exponential [capability], a spreadsheet, to drop out [of university], a fond [memory], to linger on well-trodden ground, a managerial [role], a  mistep, work-centric, commitment, to jump in, empowerment, an evangelist, monomaniacal, to mellow [you out], to overturn, to drag on, to get through, to figure out, to devote [time to something], [to change] the narrative, measles, smallpox, bednets, the chair [of a company], to strike me as [strange], mindset, developing countries, malnourished, to wield [that power], Gavi, a high bar, TB, at the forefront, expertise on [vaccines], an outlandish [conspiracy theory], to cull [the world population], a shortcut, to step down, debt, a [political] upheaval, to deliver [better education], to bridge [the polarization], to pursue [my curiosity].

Melinda French Gates gave an interview to Time magazine two months ago, after she started to pursue her own philanthropic goals away from the Gates Foundation. The YouTube clip (5:05) with subtitles is suitable for C1 students.  You can listen to her below:

Spain Wins Eurocup & Alcaraz Wins Wimbledon

 

It was a one-off Sunday afternoon in the summer time, when Carlos Alcaraz won Wimbledon for the second time in his young career, and a close-knit team of both young and experienced players won the Eurocup in Berlin for Spain, late in the evening. 

Emlyn Begley covers the football story for BBC Sport in "'A good thing for footbal' -Spain's victory caps off perfect campaign", a report for C1 students who will come across football technical terms like: to cap off, to hail, [fully] deserved, to win [over England], to beat [every other European nation], a [teenage] sensation, an assist, to be tipped [for glory], midfield, a winger, the opener, to net [the winner], to set up [a goal], the brand, a midfielder, a dissenting [voice], to quieten, to come off [the bench], a squad, a centre-back, [much-]maligned, a left-back, bits and pieces, [on the] pitch, [the Spanish] side, the subs[titutes], [to deserve] credit, the [goal]keeper, to be sacked, a [football] academy.

Amy Lofthouse writes the Wimbledon chronicle for BBC Sport in "An annihilation - Alcaraz always had the answers", where C1 students will find words like: annihilation, highlights, [in three] straight [sets], to retain, the build-up, almighty, tussle, to flip [the script], off-colour, relentless, to get his teeth stuck into, a tie-break, to blink, upwards of [15 Slams], a flawless [performance], to underscore, the Open Era, a feat, arguably, to outplay, ominously, hamstring, [to get] on top of [something], clay.

Ariane 6

The European Space Agency is planning to launch Ariane 6 rocket today. Here you can listen to a BBC Radio-4 interview to rocket engineer, Kate Underhill, by Amol Rajan on Today programme (3:43), where the scientist discusses the uses of space technology.  You can also find a listening comprehension task with a follow-up oral discussion for B2+ students and above. The recording has no script, but students will come across many technical terms like: a heavy-lift [rocket], [observation] tools, a propulsion [engineer], a launch, intricacies, to underpin, Galileo GPS positioning systems, a [heavy-lift] launcher, low-earth orbit, to deliver [cargo], the Equator, an earthquake, [no] issue, strategic, various [different satellites], the global positioning system, confidence.

***

The launch of Ariane 6 yesterday was a success, although an anomaly with one of the computers on board was recorded at the end of the flight, and two re-entry capsules were not dropped as planned, BBC News reports this in "Europe's Ariane-6 rocket blasts off on maiden flight", which includes a short video with the actual take off of the spaceship. This article is recomended for C1 students, as it contains a combination of technical and colloquial terms like: to blast off, maiden [flight], to set off, a launchpad, a clutch of [satellites], a crew, to soar [into the sky], smoothly, onboard, to pressurise [the propulsion system], to set up [the final task], to jettison, nonetheless, relieved, a heavy-lift [rocket], fairing, [upper] stage, booster, a payload, a workhorse [rocket], a backlog [of contracts], expendable, reusable, to carve out a niche [for itself], to harness, state-of-the-art [manufacturing techniques], friction stir welding, augmented reality [design], to result in [faster and cheaper production], to lift, a strap-on booster, core [stage], a [large] batch [of satellites], to pull [itself] back [down to Earth], to linger, [space] junk, to hold up [the Ariane-6 programme], [high] jeopardy, an outright [failure], to blow itself apart, to put [the loss] down to [an error], dominance, to undercut [the competitiveness], an order book, a leading [player], [to supply] components.  The European Space Agency has published a thorough technical description of the rocket in "Ariane 6, Overview", which is recommended for experts ("Ex" level of difficulty).

Keir Starmer Wins the 2024 General Election

Labour has won a landslide victory in the general election, and Keir Starmer has already taken office as the new UK's Prime Minister. The Labour party won a historical overall majority in Parliament, which means a sweeping swing from the results of the last general election when the Conservatives took many Labour seats in traditional Labour strongholds in the North of England. The Liberal Democrats have also taken sixty seats from the Tories, mostly in the South of England. The BBC offers many interactive maps in the page "General election 2024 in maps and charts", and conscientious data analysis, for example, how the British electoral law ("first-past-the post" system) damaged third and fourth parties like UK Reform and the Greens, in the piece "Biggest-ever gap between number of votes and MPs hits Reform and Greens". 

The article with the maps & charts is suitable for B2 students and above, as it contains lots of visual information. The vocabulary is more suitable for B2+ students and above, who will encounter words like: a landslide [majority], a seat, to declare [a result], a tally, a gap, the share [of the vote], to plummet, to return [an MP], a constituency, the turnout. The article about the gap between votes and MPs is denser, and more suitable for C1 students, who will find interesting words like: a gap, share [of vote], to prompt, blatantly, flawed, first-past-the-post [electoral system], roughly [equal], a grandee, to boost, a hung parliament, to exact [a price]. 

If you want further info, you can read a short bio of each new member of the Cabinet in "Who is in Keir Starmer new cabinet?, a collection of notes which are suitable for C1 students. To find out more about the family background, professional and political career as well as the musical preferences of the new Prime Minister, you can listen to the  Desert Island Discs programme on BBC Radio 4: "Sir Keir Starmer, leader of the oposition",  which is a long recording (37:00) without transcript, first broadcast in 2020, which can be suitable for C2 students. You can also watch below his first solemn speech as a Prime Minister on this YouTube video with subtitles (C1 level):

"Cloistered", a Former Nun Talks about her Life in a Monastery

  

Catherine Coldstream is a former nun who has written a memoir about her 12 years in a Carmelite monastery in the North of England.  She was interviewed by Terry Gross on Fresh Air in "A former nun explains why she ran away from her 'Cloistered' life" (43:53), where she talks about her artistic family background, how she found God and entered a monastery, her life there, how she left nunhood and her life after leaving the Carmelite order.

The interview is long, but students can get the support of the transcript, if they need to, so it can be accessible to C1 learners and above, who will come across interesting words like: cloistered, to be at rock bottom, to revolve around, to deprive of [something], to weave, to bounce off, gosh, hermit, monasticism, to draw [to], an arty [household], to go downhill, angst, hammer blow, bereavement, to be devastated, utterly [static], self-denial, the [monastic] rule, a matraque, a rattle, avant-garde, to plumb [the depths], 

a manor [house], rambling, an outbuilding, stained-glass [windows], a flagstone, derelict, bare, stark, drafty, [windows] to rattle, a meadow, lino, distemper, a rite of passage, accoutrement, to trigger, to be dragged down, serge, encumbered, to stab, to tuck up, to glimpse, grille, to set up yourself as [different], a threshold, to lure, [to take] a vow, a prioress, [to give] carte blanche, free rein, a clique, coterie, a breakdown, to take it out on [somebody phisically], tempers [flying], to be carted, to crack up, bruised, to withhold, [to reach] breaking point, buoyancy, two-edged, a [peaceful] vibe, to simmer, to seethe, to flap, to bottle up [questions], buzzy [people], a rupture, a rift, flawed, a retreat, to be frowned upon.

If you want to watch Catherine Coldstream talking about her life experience and her book on YouTube, you can click on the link below:

Chimpanzees Seek Out Medicinal Plants & Iberian Lynxes Recover

BBC Radio 4 broadcaster Mishal Husain interviews Dr. Elodie Freymann on Today programme about how chimpanzees seek out medicinal plants when they feel sick or wounded. The words in this interview clip (4:06) are colloquial, B2 level or so, but radio interviews are usually rather fast for the time pressures of news programmes, which makes it more difficult for foreign learners to segment speech and understand indivual words, so here you can find a listening comprehension task with its key and a follow-up discussion for C1 students. 

The radio recording has no script, but you can use the list of interesting words to follow the interview, after doing the comprehension task: to seek out, a lead [researcher], to tick, wounds, to go out of their way, rare, super [exciting], [plant] samples, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, to expand, [medicinal] repertoire, to clutch [your stomach], to sneeze, to cough, respiratory [infection], non-invasive, [abnormal] metrics, to quantify [parasites], neophobic, to raise alarm bells, [next] wave, self-medication, a step [to start from], [specific pharmaceutical] compounds, to pinpoint, a [fast] recovery.

If you want further information, you can also check out Victoria Gill's report for BBC News "Chimpanzees self-medicate with healing plants",
which provides new details about Dr. Elodie Freymann's research and it is, problably, the original source for the radio interview above. This article is suitable for B2 students.

Another interesting environment story today on BBC News is the report by Malu Cursino "One of the world's rarest cats no longer endangered", which talks about the Iberian lynx and the recovery in the numbers of this "vulnerable" species, after the latest success in conservation efforts. This article can also be accessed by B2 learners.

Dalí's Moustache

Salvador Dalí was a total artist and a flamboyant celebrity.  Myles Burke recently published the article "Salvador Dalí talks about his iconic, 'very aggressive' moustache" on BBC News, where he explains how he creates his celebrated moustache every day. This article with a short video (1:47) can be accessible to B2+ students, who will come across words like: playful, bold, an [artistic] statement, bizarre, a dreamlike [image], flamboyantly, lustrous, whiskers, fittingly, a date, depressing, gay, a wax, a [splendid] upturn, to plough on, gravity-defying [facial hair], to droop down, brisk, to be captivated, cartoonishly [waxed], to sport, hirsute, to embody, [carefully] crafted, shamelessly, a logo, to curl, to bedeck, a [visual] cue, to blur [the boundary], eager, stunned, to embalm. 

Mr. Dalí was a larger-than-life character with a great sense of surrealist humour, as you can see in his appearance as a guest in the TV show "What's my Line? (1962)". This video with Spanish subtitles (9:06) is recommended for B2+ students (C1 for non Spanish-speaking students), who will find rather formal words like: costuming, blindfolded, [to keep] score, folks, self-employed, a performer, a leading [man], misleading, eminence, an exploit, germane [to something], up and down [yes], endeavour, an affiliation, within the compass [of his enjoyment], an all-around [man], to encompass, a dummy, the master of ceremony, to strike upon, a conference, to caricature.

Elections in India, Mexico and South Africa

Three major emerging countries have held general elections recently: South-Africa, Mexico and India.

 India is the largest democracy in the world and the current 2024 elections have taken place in seven consecutive phases, starting from April 19 to June 1 to elect the 543 members of the Lok Sabha, the House of the People. There are two major coalitions vying for power, the right-wing NDA, lead by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the multi-party INDIA alliance, led by the Indian National Congress (INC). Election results are being declared on June 4th, you can follow the tally on "Lok Sabha Election Results", a web page in The Times of India, which includes a short video (3:12) "Lok Jabha Elections 2024: BJP, INDIA Bloc Chase Kingmakers's Nitish Kumar, Chandrababu Naidu",

 

where C2 students will come across interesting words like: to write [someone] off, a pundit, [against] the backdrop, a kingmaker, a [political] camp, the run-up, to fall short of [a majority], infamous, to reach out [to somebody], steadfast [support], to have a say, a portfolio, to implement [key policy changes]. You can also take a look at the New York Times page India Live Election Results and Map 2024, where you will find a national map with the winning coalition in each constituency. Finally, you can check the latest updates like the BBC News article "Modi declares victory in close-than-expected Indian election" or, for a full coverage of the election results and analysis from an Indian perspective, you can check out the news website The Wire.

 

 

AP News covers the elections in Mexico with several articles under the headline "Mexico elections update: Claudia Sheinbaum set to become president". In one of the stories, signed by Sara España, Mexico will have its first woman president, what will that mean?", B2 students and above can find expressions like: a ruling [party], to concede, to break through [200 years of male governments], to go down in history, to break [a longstanding] ceiling, harsh [conditions].

In South Africa a new era began after the African National Congress (ANC) lost its overall majority for the first time in 30 years. The ANC won 40.2% of the vote, down from 58% in the pervious election, and it will have to negotiate a coalition government with other parties, which opens an unprecedented political scenario since democracy started with Nelson Mandela's presidency after apartheid. Mohammed Haddad writes a comprehensive account of the vote in South Africa election results. What happens next?" for Aljazeera, which could be accessible to B2 students and above with 

key election vocabulary like: to surpass, a ballot, ruling, short of [a majority], turn out, to cast [a vote], allocation, a [Parliament] seat, [members of Parliament] to be sworn in, the speaker [of Parliament], to ensure, smooth [transition of power], poor [performance], to rule out [a coalition], to sack, a crackdown, to step down, to appoint, to take over, impeachment, to make up, remaining, to comprise.

If you need some background information about South Africa, you can read Damian Zane's, Dorothy Otieno & Olaniyi Adebimpe's article "South Africa in eight charts ahead of crucial vote", published in BBC News on May 22, where C1 students and above will come across key words like: 

 

[to go to the] polls, a power cut, an opinion poll, to herald, to fall steadily, a high water mark, a survey, to drop below [50%], GDP [per capita], a downward [trend], income, well-off, to mismanage, to be buffeted, a spike [in prices], a household, a driver [of inequality], to hit [young people] hard, to pledge, to tackle [crime], an assault, rape, to wage [a war against women], load shedding, a respite, to blight, outage, to disrupt, a draw, to target, a scapegoat, to demonise.