Episode #1 - News Review from December 14 to 21, 2019

This Week's News

• Impeachment of Donald Trump [spp-timestamp time=”00:00:50″]
• Strikes in France against pension reform [spp-timestamp time=”00:01:18″]
• The United Kingdom on track for Brexit [spp-timestamp time=”00:01:48″]
• A severe storm killed 5 people in Spain and Portugal [spp-timestamp time=”00:02:35″]
• Drop in electric car sales [spp-timestamp time=”00:03:07″]
• Vocabulary of the week explained [spp-timestamp time=”00:03:42″]

Every Saturday, HelloFrench publishes a podcast that immerses you in the week's news. Each news review comes with a transcription, a vocabulary list, and a quiz, to help you improve your French and test yourself.

All our episodes are available on Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, and even in all Teslas!

Transcription

Hello,

Welcome to the Hello French news review, the podcast that immerses you in the week's news to help you improve your French.

Headlines for this week of December 14 to 21, 2019

1. The American House of Representatives voted for [tooltips keyword=”la destitution” content=”the impeachment”] of President Donald Trump. The president now awaits the Senate's verdict in January.
2. [tooltips keyword=”Les grèves” content=”the strikes”] continue in France against [tooltips keyword=”la réforme des retraites” content=”pension reform”]. A country nearly at a standstill during the holiday season.
3. After his victory in the parliamentary elections, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson puts the country on track for Brexit.
4. Severe weather in Europe has already killed 5 people in Spain and Portugal. A new storm named "Fabien" is expected to arrive this weekend.
5. Electric cars: the automotive sector reports a decline in worldwide sales in 2019. A first.

This Wednesday, December 19, the American House of Representatives voted for the impeachment of Donald Trump for "abuse of power" and "obstruction of Congress." Donald Trump is the third president in history to be impeached. His trial [tooltips keyword=”procès” content=”trial”] will take place in January in the Senate, where Republicans hold the majority. Barring a reversal of the situation, the president should therefore escape [tooltips keyword=”échapper” content=”avoid”] impeachment. In that case, the head of state will be able to run for a second term in the presidential elections of November 4, 2020, as he had planned.

No Christmas truce [tooltips keyword=”trêves de Noël” content=”Christmas truce”] for strikers in France. Since December 5, the country has experienced a major wave of strikes and [tooltips keyword=”manifestations” content=”demonstrations”] against President Emmanuel Macron's pension reform. Mainly driven by public sector workers, many sectors have been affected: transportation - trains, planes, subways, schools, daycare centers... Today, the end date of these movements remains unknown. The strikers have announced an unlimited strike, until the government reverses its proposed pension reform.

On December 12, 2019, early parliamentary elections [tooltips keyword=”élections législatives anticipées” content=”early parliamentary elections”] were held in Great Britain to elect new representatives to the House. The goal was to break the deadlock and find a withdrawal agreement for the United Kingdom from the European Union. The Conservative Party won these elections by a wide margin. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson now holds [tooltips keyword=”la majorité absolue” content=”absolute majority”] in parliament. Unsurprisingly, the new [tooltips keyword=”députés” content=”Members of Parliament”] therefore voted on Friday, December 20, 2019, in favor of Boris Johnson's agreement on leaving Europe. In the second reading, the text was approved by 358 MPs and rejected by 234 MPs. After 3 years of crisis, the Conservative Party prime minister and the country are now moving forward to make Brexit a reality. The legislative process will continue after the holidays. The official date of Brexit is expected to be January 31, 2020.

Heavy rains and extremely violent winds hit Spain and Portugal this week. Named Elsa, [tooltips keyword=”la tempête” content=”the storm”] has already killed five people. [tooltips keyword=”Les rafales” content=”gusts”] reached 160 km/h. Due to the [tooltips keyword=”intempéries” content=”bad weather”], boat connections between Spain and Morocco were interrupted on Friday morning. This weekend, "Fabien," a new high-intensity storm, will once again hit Spain, Portugal, and also France. With gusts expected up to 120 km/h, it should be somewhat less intense.

7 million electric [tooltips keyword=”véhicules” content=”vehicles, cars”] are currently in circulation worldwide. However, the automotive sector recorded a decline in electric vehicle sales this year. A first! This 10% drop in the third quarter of 2019 compared to 2018 is probably due to an overall reduction in purchase subsidies. Europe, however, is the exception, with a 93% annual increase in sales, thanks to subsidies and tax incentives.

Vocabulary of the Week

Enrich your French vocabulary - download our list of key words for the week of December 14 to 22, 2019.

👑La destitution (impeachment): a sanction that consists of stripping someone of their position (king, president...).

👉La mise en accusation (indictment): a procedure that consists of sending someone before a court for a trial, in order to be judged.

🔚Le verdict (the verdict): the result of a trial, the judgment that is rendered.

👮Le procès (the trial): when a dispute is submitted to a judge so that they can render justice.

🏃Échapper à (to escape/avoid): to avoid something.

✊La grève (the strike): when several people decide to stop working at the same time to show that they are unhappy with a situation. These people are called: les grévistes (strikers).

👵La retraite (retirement): retirement is the period of life when one has stopped their professional activity. The word is also used to refer to the money paid to someone who is retired.

🎄La trêve de Noël (Christmas truce): a pause, a break for the Christmas period. This expression is used in the context of a crisis.

🚨La manifestation (a demonstration/protest): a gathering of people who want to express their opinion together, usually in the street.

📃Les élections législatives (parliamentary elections): a vote to elect representatives to parliament. The shorter expression "les législatives" is also correct.

∞ La majorité absolue (absolute majority): half of the votes + one (election).

🕴Le député (member of parliament): the representative of the people, a member of an elected assembly.

🌬La rafale (a gust): a violent burst of wind.

🌧La tempête (a storm): very violent wind with rain and thunderstorms.

🌫Les intempéries (bad weather): bad weather conditions.

🚍Le véhicule (a vehicle): a means of transport. This term can be used for a car, a truck, a motorcycle...