World and Press February 1
February 1 2023 • No 3 • 75th Year of Publication • Original Pressetexte aus britischen und US-amerikanischen Medien € 3,00 [d] Sprachtraining • Landeskunde • Vokabelhilfen • Übungsmaterial IN FOCUS B2–C2 • Opinion: Can you ‘lose’ an accent? • Drone racing: Young drone pilots energize a new sport Pages 2/3 USA • Society: Mixed-race neighborhoods are now the norm in the U.S. • Communities: A Japanese American family and a Native American tribe Pages 4/5 BRITAIN • Environment: No more socks on Dobby’s grave • Language: Welsh language pushed to tipping point Pages 6/7 OTHER TOPICS • Cinema: ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ in Africa • Society: World population passes eight billion milestone • Microloans: A new tool to prevent homelessness • Science: Pigs mediate barnyard fights • Climate change: Truffles could shuffle off the menu Pages 8/9/10/12/14 Jetzt im Zusatzmaterial zu dieser Ausgabe. Im Abo PREMIUM sehr viel günstiger! für nur € 5,95 Einzelverkauf www.sprachzeitungen.de | Photo: Getty Images By Dan Balz 1 NO ONE could have written a more dramatic script for the final hours of Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s long quest to become speaker of the House. The last act alone came with crushing disappointment, ultimate elation, and, in between flashes of treachery, incompetence and a threat of a fistfight. The Republican Party was left frozen in its own divisions in full view of the American people. 2 It seemed almost too ironic that this made-for-television drama played out on the second anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, in which followers of President Donald Trump sought to block certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 victory. The entire four days and the 15 ballots that finally resulted in McCarthy’s victory underscored how little the Republican Party has absorbed the full implications of how costly that dark day has been to them. 3 That it took McCarthy so much effort to win the speakership is a direct reflection of how Jan. 6 influenced what happened two months ago in the midterm elections, when House Republicans fell far short of their expectations and McCarthy was left to scratch for votes in a conference with the slimmest of majorities. 4 The Republican Party fell Mermaid enthusiasts in Southern California inhabit personas that express everything from a yearning for childhood play to environmental advocacy. Read more on pag e 13 Kevin McCarthy, a divided Republican Party, and the curse of Jan. 6 CONGRESS The drama this week underscores how little was absorbed over the implications of the attack on the Capitol. Rodeos could soon be consigned to history in California after a campaign to ban the sport over claims of animal cruelty. Some say rodeo is a part of US heritage. Read more on pag e 4 Kevin McCarthy, shortly after losing the 14th vote for House speaker on Jan. 6, 2023. | Photo: Alex Brandon/AP/Picture Alliance short in November because too many Americans, especially independent voters, decided they were reluctant to hand too much power to the party of Jan. 6, the party of election deniers, and the party of Trump acolytes. Instead of a comfortable majority, | Photo: LA Times McCarthy was left with a margin that empowered the radical fringe of his party to hold the speakership hostage until McCarthy and his allies had made concession after concession. 5 Sadly, the struggle that played out as riveting television Friday night and into Saturday morning is likely to be repeated in the coming two years, to the detriment not just of the Republican Party but also the entire nation. In their week of stalemate, Republicans seemed oblivious to the forces that left McCarthy in such a precarious position. 6 Yet they only had themselves to blame. Even after the attack on the Capitol, a majority of House Republicans sought to challenge the results in the electoral college. Trump’s continuing lies about a stolen election infected the party’s rank and file. A majority of people who identify themselves as Republicans still say they do not believe President Biden was legitimately elected in 2020. 7 Following Trump’s lead, election deniers sprang up around the country, seeking office at every level. Many of the most highprofile among them lost their races, but by the count of ‘The Washington Post’s’ Amy Gardner, there are 175 House Republicans who have in some way or another or at some time or another embraced Trump’s baseless claims about 2020. Some of the central players in the battle for House speaker were in the thick of efforts to overturn the election, as documented by the final report of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. Continued on page 12 €3,50 [a] CHF5,40 [ch] 0 – 2 CURSEFluch — to underscore unterstreichen — to absorb (fig) s. bewusst machen — implications Folgen — crushing niederschmetternd — elation Jubelstimmung — treachery Verrat — fistfight Handgreiflichkeit — to seek to do s. bemühen zu tun — certification Bestätigung — ballot Wahlgang 3 – 4 speakership Amt des Sprechers — midterm elections Kongresswahlen zur Mitte der Präsidentenamtszeit — to scratch for s.th. etw. zus.kratzen — to fall short die Erwartungen nicht erfüllen — independent parteilos — to be reluctant to do ungern tun — election denier Wahlleugner(in) — acolyte Anhänger(in) — to empower stärken — fringe Rand — to hold hostage als Geisel nehmen — concession Zugeständnis 5 – 7 riveting fesselnd — to the detriment of zum Schaden von — stalemate Stillstand; Patt — to be oblivious to s.th. etw. nicht bemerken — precarious heikel — electoral college Wahlmännergremium — rank and file Basis — to embrace (fig) übernehmen — baseless claim haltlose Behauptung — in the thick of mittendrin — to overturn für ungültig erklären — select committee Sonderausschuss
