Some of Europe’s top football clubs, including Manchester United and Bayern Munich, are in talks to create a “Super League” that would feature more head-to-head matchups of the continent’s best teams, but which may put the existing structure of European football in jeopardy. Based on early reports, it was not clear if the clubs would consider leaving their national leagues or if the Super League would replace the UEFA Championship. Plus, learn the English phrase “at the expense of.” Read the ful...
Nov 12, 2018•22 min•Ep. 102
After holding an unofficial vote before he took office, president-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announced he would cancel the $15 billion Mexico City airport that is already under construction and one-third complete. The president-elect cited corruption and environmental damage in explaining his opposition. International investors looked on with concern, worried about Mexico’s ability to honor its contracts. Plus, learn the English phrase “bursting at the seams.” Read the full transcript of ...
Nov 08, 2018•20 min•Ep. 101
Brazil overwhelmingly elected former army captain and congressman Jair Bolsonaro president, giving him 55% of its vote and signaling its discontent with the established Workers Party and the corruption that has plagued the country in recent years. Bolsonaro pledged to fight corruption and reduce crime, but his past statements were controversial. Plus, learn the English phrase “run the gamut.” Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish.com/100 Transcripts are always free ...
Nov 05, 2018•23 min•Ep. 100
As global tourism has increased in recent years, some popular tourist destinations like Amsterdam, Venice and Peru’s Machuu Pichuu have struggled with a unique problem: too many visitors. The increased visitors are raising prices of housing in central cities, putting strain on infrastructure, and damaging the environment. What can be done to accommodate tourists but also protect and preserve the destinations themselves? Plus, learn the English phrase ‘wear and tear’ Read the full transcript of t...
Nov 01, 2018•24 min•Ep. 99
Canadians can now buy recreational marijuana and grow four plants at home. As the first large country to legalize marijuana, Canada is beginning a national experiment that could become an example to other countries looking to follow suit. Will the experiment be a success? A lot depends on how the individual Canadian provinces regulate the new industry. Plus, learn the English phrasal verb “ramp up.” Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish.com/98 Transcripts are always...
Oct 29, 2018•21 min•Ep. 98
Journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered by a team of assasins in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, according to allegations made by the Turkish government. Saudi Arabia disputes the story, saying he died in a fight. But details paint a dark picture of what happened to the journalist in exile, and the story has roiled international relations in the last few weeks. Learn how to use “paint a picture” to describe details of a story. Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish....
Oct 25, 2018•19 min•Ep. 97
Shinzō Abe, Japan’s prime minister, is considering major revisions to the country’s constitution—specifically Article 9, which prevents the world’s fifth-largest democracy from having any armed forces at all. With constitutional reform, Japan would be able to play a greater role on the world stage. But is that the highest priority for an aging nation? Plus, learn the phrasal verb “take effect.” Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish.com/[xx] Transcripts are always fr...
Oct 22, 2018•21 min•Ep. 96
Singapore Airlines has re-introduced the world’s longest flight, a 10,300-mile journey from Singapore to Newark, New Jersey, near New York City. The flight has room for about 150 passengers and requires four pilots and thirteen flight attendants. Singapore Airlines is hoping this route can be profitable by using the newest long-haul planes made of lighter carbon fiber. They are also only selling premium seats for this flight. Learn the phrasal verb “pay off.” Read the full transcript of this epi...
Oct 18, 2018•21 min•Ep. 95
Bolivia’s dream of regaining sovereign access to the Pacific Ocean suffered a setback after a UN court sided with Chile, saying that Chile was not required to give Bolivia access to the sea. Landlocked Bolivia has been trying to regain a Pacific port ever since it lost a long coastline to Chile in a war in the late 1800s. Chile says that a peace treaty signed in 1904 settled the matter, but for Bolivians, access to the Pacific is a matter of national pride. Learn how to use the English phrase “s...
Oct 15, 2018•23 min•Ep. 94
Redoine Faid, a notorious French criminal who escaped from jail twice, most recently in a dramatic helicopter escape, has been recaptured and is in jail again. Faid has lived a life of crime, moving from stealing candy and sweets to robbing banks and armored vehicles. He was serving a sentence for an armored vehicle robbery that killed a police officer. He was inspired by Hollywood movies and said the director of the movie Heat was his technical advisor. Plus, learn the English phrase “in realit...
Oct 11, 2018•18 min•Ep. 93
Classic-red phone booths are giving way to a new type of touch-screen kiosk on the streets of London. But the new kiosks are covered in digital ads and lack the stately charm London’s phone booths had been known for. Some critics think they are visual pollution and a “blot on the landscape.” Learn the English expression, “to put it mildly.” Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish.com/92 Transcripts are always free and available now! ¿Hablas español? Você fala portuguê...
Oct 08, 2018•22 min•Ep. 92
Malaria infects millions of people each year, killing between 400,000 and 700,000 people—most of them children in sub-Saharan Africa. Now, scientists have developed a method for genetically modifying mosquitoes that could potentially eliminate or dramatically reduce cases of malaria. The change would prevent a certain species of mosquito from being able to reproduce, but the scientific removal of a species carries ethical questions. Plus, learn how to use “upside” and “downside.” Read the full t...
Oct 04, 2018•21 min•Ep. 91
Social media companies like Facebook, Twitter, Apple and even Spotify are now in the uncomfortable position of policing content and determining which users to disconnect from their services. They must navigate through hateful speech, people inciting violence, and even foreign governments trying to affect elections. Plus, learn the English phrase “come to a head.” Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish.com/90 Transcripts are always free and available now! ¿Hablas espa...
Oct 01, 2018•20 min•Ep. 90
The Volkswagen Beetle is one of the most recognizable cars on the road, but the Germany carmaker plans to retire the model for good, citing declining sales. But fans of classic cars can be happy about one other piece of news: VW is bringing back the Bus. The new version of the multi-passenger van will be all-electric and include all the newest technology. Plus learn what the counter-culture was. Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish.com/89 Transcripts are always fre...
Sep 27, 2018•19 min•Ep. 89
The Spanish parliament voted to remove the remains of the military dictator Francisco Franco from the Valley of the Fallen monument. Though there was little formal resistance in parliament, opinions in Spain on the legacy of the former dictator are mixed. Plus, learn the English phrase “take for granted.” Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish.com/88 Transcripts are always free and available now! ¿Hablas español? Você fala português? Parles-tu français? 你会说中文吗？日本語を話せ...
Sep 24, 2018•18 min•Ep. 88
Hurricane Florence was the first big storm of the 2018 hurricane season, and US government officials are using a light-hearted way of determining how bad the storm’s damage will be. Businesses like 24/7 restaurants, Walmart, and home improvement stores help communities recover after a disaster. It’s said that if the Waffle House, a chain of breakfast restaurants, is closed, then things are bad; if it’s open, then the recovery will be swift. Plus, learn the English phrase, “in the wake of.” Read ...
Sep 20, 2018•20 min•Ep. 87
The fire that destroyed Brazil’s National Museum was a preventable tragedy. Museums around the world are developing safety and security plans to guard against similar tragedies from natural disasters and conflict in the future, but their efforts around the world are uneven. Another way to guard against a total loss is to digitize collections, but this is labor-intensive and expensive. Learn the English expression “come to grips.” Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglis...
Sep 17, 2018•22 min•Ep. 86
Brazil’s National Museum and most of its 20 million artefacts were destroyed by a devastating fire this month. The collection held priceless artifacts from across human history, including fossils, artwork, and sound recordings. Among the priceless losses were a 12,000-year-old skeleton, the oldest human remains ever found in the Americas. Learn the English phrase “exempt from.” Read the full transcript of this episode at plainenglish.com/85 Transcripts are always free and available now! ¿Hablas ...
Sep 13, 2018•22 min•Ep. 85
The tradition of changing clocks forward in the spring and backward in the fall to preserve daylight hours in summer dates back to the early 20th Century, but many Europeans are in favor of abolishing the practice. Right now, all of Europe must observe Daylight Saving Time – or “Summer Time” as they say in Europe – by changing their clocks on the same day. But a new proposal would allow individual countries to decide to observe the time change or stay on one permanent time all year long. A surve...
Sep 10, 2018•20 min•Ep. 84
Brazil’s embattled ex-president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is currently serving a jail sentence for corruption, is not allowed to run for president on the Workers’ Party ticket, Brazil’s top electoral court has ruled. Lula had been leading in the presidential preference polls. The Workers’ Party will need to replace him as a candidate and millions of Brazilians will have to decide whom to support. Plus, learn what it means to be “in a bind.” Read the full transcript of this episode at http:...
Sep 06, 2018•18 min•Ep. 83
A new study published in The Lancet medical journal refutes the myth that having a drink a day is healthy: it’s actually not, say researchers. The negative consequences of one drink per day are relatively minor, but the risk increases for heavy drinkers. Learn the English phrases “to put stock in” or “to put faith in.” Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish.com/82 Transcripts are always free and available now! ¿Hablas español? Você fala português? Parles-tu français?...
Sep 03, 2018•18 min•Ep. 82
The Big Bang Theory, the longest-running comedy on television and the number-one show in the United States last year, will end after this year. The star of the program, Jim Parsons, declined a $50 million offer to do two more seasons. The show is an example of a situational comedy—a type of show that was most popular in the 1980s and 1990s, but which is less relevant in the age of Netflix. Learn how to use the English phrase “to bit the dust.” Read the full transcript of this episode at http://w...
Aug 30, 2018•22 min•Ep. 81
Though the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union over two years ago, there are still major differences between the UK and EU regarding how “Brexit” will happen. If no deal is reached, Britain will be like any other country to its massive neighbor and largest trading partner. In this episode, you’ll also learn how to use the phrasal verb “figure out.” Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish.com/80 Transcripts are always free and available now! ¿Hablas españo...
Aug 27, 2018•19 min•Ep. 80
Aretha Franklin, a musician whose songs combined themes of feminism, religion, the civil rights movement, and the struggles of being an African American woman in the 1960s and 1970s, died last week at the age of 76. She spelled out the word “respect” in her most famous song, saying that’s all she was asking from her man when he got home. Her music appealed to black and white audiences at a time when radio was heavily segregated. Learn the English phrasal verb “break out.” Read the full transcrip...
Aug 23, 2018•19 min•Ep. 79
Some brave early-adopters have surgically implanted a microchip in their hands, and are using it to board trains, access their offices, and even pay for things in shops. But the opportunity to use the chips is still relatively limited. Learn what it means to “show off” in English. Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish.com/78 Transcripts are always free and available now! ¿Hablas español? Você fala português? Parles-tu français? 你会说中文吗？日本語を話せますか？ The episode transcri...
Aug 20, 2018•21 min•Ep. 78
A ground employee at the Seattle airport stole an empty airplane, took off, flew it for an hour, and finally crash-landed on an island 40 miles away. He did not survive. During the flight, he communicated with air-traffic control, saying he was not expecting to land safely. His plane was pursued by military jets. Learn the many way to use the English phrasal verb “take off.” Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish.com/77 Transcripts are always free and available now! ...
Aug 16, 2018•18 min•Ep. 77
A plane crashed shortly after taking off from the city of Durango, Mexico, but all 103 people on board survived the frightening ordeal. A passenger’s cell phone video shows bad weather out the window and captured the sounds and scene of panic as the plane crashed to the ground in the desert. Today you’ll learn the English phrasal verb “sum up.” Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish.com/76 Transcripts are always free and available now! ¿Hablas español? Você fala port...
Aug 13, 2018•17 min•Ep. 76
The McDonald’s Monopoly game—the fast-food chain’s most popular promotion—was scammed for over ten years by one man and a small group of associates, who stole all the winning pieces that were intended to go to customers. Details of this stunning scam—which ended in arrests in 2001—were revealed in an online article this week. There are already plans for a movie. In this episode, you’ll learn the English phrase “at random.” Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plainenglish.com/7...
Aug 09, 2018•20 min•Ep. 75
The government of Brazil released a video of a lone indigenous man surviving in the Brazilian state of Rondônia. He was part of an “uncontacted tribe,” which had no contact with civilization, when the other members of his tribe were killed in an attack by farmers in 1995. He has been living alone in the forest ever since, refusing contact with any other humans. In this episode, you’ll learn how to use the English phrase “much less.” Read the full transcript of this episode at http://www.plaineng...
Aug 06, 2018•20 min•Ep. 74
Greece faced its most devastating tragedy in over a decade when a wildfire swept through a seaside town, killing 80 people; destroying 1,500 homes; and pushing people into the ocean to escape the flames and smoke. Photos of the aftermath show melted cars abandoned in the streets, dead tree trunks over a bed of ashes in the forest, and a chilling clues about a group who couldn’t escape the flames. On this episode, you’ll also learn how to use the English phrase “flat-footed.” Read the full transc...
Aug 02, 2018•19 min•Ep. 73
