Nuclear Authority Debate
Once again Donald Trump made headlines with one of his tweets. The attack was directed at Kim Jong-Un and threatened the North Korean leader with a nuclear war. Trump stated that he has nuclear button on his desk as well and that his was bigger and more powerful. With this tweet he reacted to a remark that was made by Kim Jong-Un earlier this week. The tweet by Trump fueled a debate about the president´s authority to approve the use of a nuclear strike.
Furthermore, the situation brought forth different reactions. One senator, Democrat Ed Markey, drafted a legislation that would require congressional approval before any president could sign off a nuclear strike. He is looking for co-sponsors. Other senators downplayed the tweets or avoided the topic altogether. Yet others praised the tough talk that Donald Trump was showing towards North Korea. However, the tweets make it also harder for diplomacy to work.
headline (hedlaɪn) – die Schlagzeile
to direct sth. at (daɪˈrekt) – etw gegen jdn richten
to threaten (ˈθretən) – jdn bedrohen
remark (rɪˈmɑ:k) – die Äußerung, Bemerkung
to fuel (ˈfju:əl) – etw anheizen, nähren
to approve (əˈpru:v) – etw zustimmen
to bring forth (brɪŋ fɔ:θ) – etw auslösen, etw hervorbringen
to draft (drɑ:ft) – etw entwerfen, einen Entwurf verfassen
to sign off (saɪn ɒf) – etw verabschieden
altogether (ˌɔ:ltəˈgeθəʳ) – völlig, ganz
tough (tʌf) – robust, hart
Storm over Europe
After a mild winter so far a storm is now sweeping over Europe. So far the strong winds took three lives and caused widespread disruption. Flights were cancelled, trains were late and many homes were without power. Two people in Spain were swept away by huge waves and drowned while a skier was killed by a falling tree in the French Alps.
For the first time Dutch authorities shut all five of their major sea barriers and hundreds of flights at Amsterdam airport were cancelled. In France parks were closed for fear of falling trees and due to the strong winds the Eiffel Tower was closed. In Switzerland record wind gusts of 195km/h were measured and train carriages were blown off the tracks. In Germany roofs were destroyed and cars tipped over. Many roads in coastal regions were underwater with huge waves gushing over them.
to sweep (swi:p) – fegen
widespread (waɪdspred) – weit verbreitet
disruption (dɪsˈrʌpʃən) – die Unterbechung, Störung
wave (weɪv) – die Welle, Woge
to drown (draʊn) – ertrinken
major (ˈmeɪʤəʳ) – bedeutend, wichtig
fear (fɪəʳ) – die Angst, Sorge
gust (gʌst) – der Windstoß, Böe
to measure (ˈmeʒəʳ) – etw messen
carriage (ˈkærɪʤ) – der Wagen, der Waggon, das Abteil
track (træk) – die Schiene
to tip over (tɪp ˈəʊvəʳ) – etw umkippen
to gush (gʌʃ) – strömen, schießen