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3/28(月)の放送の英文記事と英単語：暫定的な、膠着状態、保持

Minneapolis Teachers Reach a Tentative Deal to End Strike

Tentative　暫定的な、仮の
Standoff　膠着状態、引き分け
cap　上限
Retention　保持、記憶
surplus　余り、黒字
Enrollment　登録、入学、入学者数
superintendent　監督、指揮官、管理人

著者：Jacey Fortin
(c) 2021 The New York Times Company

Educators and school district officials in Minneapolis reached a tentative deal Friday morning to end a teachers strike, resolving a nearly three-week standoff that had shuttered classrooms for about 30,000 public school students.

The teachers union said members were expected to vote on the agreement this weekend. If it is approved, students could be back in school as early as Monday.

Few details of the agreement have been released, but the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers and Educational Support Professionals said in a statement, “It is important to note that major gains were made on pay for education support professionals, protections for educators of color, class size caps and mental health supports.”

The teachers strike, which began March 8 and left many parents scrambling for child care, was the first in the district in more than 50 years.

In California, a teachers strike continues in Sacramento, where the public school district serves more than 40,000 students from kindergarten through high school.

In Minneapolis, negotiations between the union and the district — over salaries, hiring and retention practices and resources for students’ mental health — often lasted late into the night. The teachers union pointed to budget surpluses in Minnesota and said that money and power in the district have been concentrated at the top, while educators have struggled to do more with less.

The district has argued that its revenues would not be enough to cover additional expenses, in part because of falling enrollment, rising costs and decades of underfunding.

Ed Graff, the superintendent, said Friday that more information about the deal would be shared once the details were finalized.

Shaun Laden, who leads the branch of the union that represents educational support professionals, said it was likely that the school day would grow slightly and that the school year would extend by a week or more to make up for lost time.

He added that while some details of the deal have yet to be finalized, it involves strengthening job protections for hundreds of employees of color and raising pay for educational support professionals “significantly.” He said some positions in which workers once started with a salary of about $24,000 would now bring in something closer to $35,000 by the employee’s second year.

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3/29(火)の放送の英文記事と英単語：反響する、波及効果、糾弾

After Biden’s Fiery Speech, Nine Unscripted Words Reverberate

reverberate　反響する、(ニュースなどが)広まる
high-stakes　一か八か、大きな賭けの
autocracy　独裁、専制主義 (⇔democracy)
denunciation　公然の非難、糾弾
resonate　共鳴する
ripple effect　波及効果
roil　(かき乱して)濁らせる
off-the-cuff　即興で(=ad-lib)

著者：Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Emily Cochrane
(c) 2021 The New York Times Company

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s high-stakes speech in Warsaw, Poland, on Saturday was crafted with the intent of throwing the full weight of the United States behind its European allies, while framing the Russian invasion of Ukraine as part of a global “battle between democracy and autocracy.”

And although the forceful denunciation of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war resonated with some leaders, it was an unprompted ad-lib that captured the attention of foreign policy experts, members of Congress and NATO allies.

“For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power,” Biden declared, a comment that two White House officials said was not included in his prepared speech.

Even as top administration officials spent Sunday walking back Biden’s remarks, the statement had already sent ripple effects throughout the world, highlighting just how powerful nine unprompted words from Biden can be, particularly during a foreign policy crisis.

“I wouldn’t use this kind of words,” French President Emmanuel Macron said in a television interview Sunday, when asked to comment on Biden’s speech. He said he hoped to obtain a cease-fire and the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine through diplomacy.

Until Biden’s unscripted moment, the speech had largely achieved its intended goals, lawmakers, allies and foreign policy experts said. But immediately afterward, Biden’s aides worried that his surprising remark might roil some of those allies the president was determined to keep unified.

Taken literally, the remark meant the United States would be reversing a policy of not pushing for regime change. Biden’s staff felt as if it had little choice but to play down the off-the-cuff comment.

“We do not have a strategy of regime change in Russia or anywhere else, for that matter,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in Jerusalem after meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid. “In this case, as in any case, it’s up to the people of the country in question.”

Michal Baranowski, a senior fellow and director of the Warsaw office of the German Marshall Fund who attended Biden’s speech, acknowledged that Biden’s comment could be perceived as “a call for regime change.” But he said it was unlikely to lead to further escalation with Russia.

But Republican members of Congress worried the Kremlin would seize on the remark.

Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, described Biden’s speech as “very strong, despite the ad-lib at the end.”

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3/30(水)の放送の英文記事と英単語：暗号化、精密な検査、回り木戸

Arizona Offers Driver’s Licenses on iPhones. Other States Want to Be Next.

turnstiles　回転式改札口、回り木戸
scrutiny　精密な調査、じろじろ見ること、投票(再)検査
discard　処分する、捨てる
hold off　阻止する、延期する、待つ、控える
Old-school　母校、保守派、旧式の、古風な
encryption　暗号、暗号化
local authority　地方自治体

著者：Neil Vigdor
(c) 2021 The New York Times Company

It started as a digital catchall for credit cards and concert tickets, enabling anyone with an iPhone to be waved through checkout lines and turnstiles.

The technology then expanded to vaccine passport records during the pandemic. And this week, the Apple Wallet, an app for iPhones and Apple Watches that stores payment information and QR codes, added driver’s licenses for the first time.

On Wednesday, Arizona became the first state to offer digital copies of driver’s licenses and state identification cards as part of a sweeping partnership with Apple that was announced last year.

The project is expected to expand to Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma and Utah, as well as the territory of Puerto Rico. The initiative has been promoted by the tech giant and the states for its convenience.

However, the expansion is drawing renewed scrutiny to privacy issues and Apple’s outsize sphere of influence. Few places will accept the digital driver’s licenses at the start of the program, and Apple did not say when the other states and Puerto Rico would join Arizona.

Arizona residents should hold off on discarding their old-school driver’s licenses and government identification cards, though. The digital ones will not be valid should they get pulled over by police or carded at a bar.

For now, the digital licenses will only be accepted at select security screening checkpoints at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport that are operated by the Transportation Security Administration, a federal agency, officials said.

As of Thursday, the state’s Motor Vehicles Division, which is part of the Arizona Department of Transportation, estimated that 11,500 people had requested digital copies of their driver’s licenses or state ID cards.

In announcing the debut of this feature, Apple said that residents in participating states could press the plus sign in their Apple Wallets to add their license or state-issued ID card to their iPhone or Apple Watch.

The process requires participants to photograph the front and back of their license using their phone’s camera and to complete a series of facial and head movements, according to Apple. Users must also provide a selfie, which is sent to their state using encryption along with the photos of their license so that local authorities can verify their identity.

The company emphasized that personal information is not stored on Apple’s servers.

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3/31(木)の放送の英文記事と英単語：非難する、脱毛症、除名する

Will Smith Apologizes to Chris Rock After Academy Condemns His Slap

out of line　不適切で、言い過ぎで
stun　唖然とさせる、驚かせる
overshadow　曇らせる、影を落とす
condemn　非難する、責める
expel　追放する、除名する
alopecia　脱毛症

著者：Nicole Sperling, Matt Stevens and Julia Jacobs
(c) 2021 The New York Times Company

LOS ANGELES — Will Smith apologized to comedian Chris Rock on Monday evening for slapping him during Sunday night’s Oscars telecast after the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which administers the awards, denounced his actions and opened an inquiry into the incident.

Smith, who had pointedly not apologized to Rock on Sunday night when he accepted the award for best actor, wrote on Instagram Monday evening that “I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris.”

“I was out of line and I was wrong,” he said in the statement. “I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be.”

His apology came as the academy, a major Hollywood union and others criticized his actions, which stunned viewers around the world and overshadowed the Oscars.

“The academy condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night’s show,” the film organization said in a statement. “We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our bylaws, standards of conduct and California law.”

The academy was not known to have expelled a member before 2017, when Harvey Weinstein was removed amid allegations of sexual harassment and rape. Then, in 2018, after adopting a code of conduct for members, the organization expelled Bill Cosby, who had been convicted of sexual assault, and filmmaker Roman Polanski, who had fled the country years earlier while awaiting sentencing for statutory rape.

The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists called the incident “unacceptable” but said that it “does not comment on any pending member disciplinary process.”

“Violence or physical abuse in the workplace is never appropriate and the union condemns any such conduct,” the union said in a statement Monday. “The incident involving Will Smith and Chris Rock at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable.”

The incident unfolded Sunday night after Rock made a joke about the buzzed hair of Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who has alopecia, a condition that leads to hair loss. Will Smith responded by walking onto the stage of the Dolby Theater and slapping Rock.

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4/1(金)の放送の英文記事と英単語：多作の、失語症、出演映画歴

Bruce Willis Has Aphasia and Is ‘Stepping Away’ From His Career

Prolific　多作の
Aphasia　失語症
Diagnose　診断する
Cognitive　認識
Filmography　出演映画歴
Postproduction　撮影後作業

著者：Maya Salam
(c) 2021 The New York Times Company

Bruce Willis, the prolific action-movie star, has been diagnosed with aphasia — a disorder that affects the brain’s language center and a person’s ability to understand or express speech — and will step away from acting, his ex-wife, Demi Moore, announced in an Instagram post Wednesday.

“To Bruce’s amazing supporters, as a family we wanted to share that our beloved Bruce has been experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities,” Moore’s post reads. “As a result of this and with much consideration Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him.

“We are moving through this as a strong family unit, and wanted to bring his fans in because we know how much he means to you, as you do to him,” it continued. “As Bruce always says, ‘Live it up,’ and together we plan to do just that.”

The post is signed “Emma, Demi, Rumer, Scout, Tallulah, Mabel & Evelyn” — referring to Emma Heming Willis, Willis’ wife; and his children. Moore is the mother of Rumer, Scout and Tallulah; and Heming Willis is mother to Mabel and Evelyn.

His wife and Rumer, Scout and Tallulah Willis all posted the same message and image on their Instagram pages.

Representatives for Willis did not respond to a request for comment.

Willis, who turned 67 this month, is most famous for his role as rough-around-the-edges yet clever New York City cop John McClane in the highly successful “Die Hard” movie series, made up of five films from 1988 to 2013. He has also starred in critically acclaimed films like “Pulp Fiction” (1994), “The Sixth Sense” (1999) and “Moonrise Kingdom” (2012).

Thought of primarily as a movie star, Willis has received more accolades for his work on television. For his role as private detective David Addison (played opposite Cybill Shepherd) in “Moonlighting” — an ABC comedy-drama-romance that ran from 1985 to 1989 — he earned three Golden Globe nominations, winning one; and two lead actor Emmy nominations, winning one. In 2000, Willis also won a guest actor in a comedy Emmy for his role as Paul Stevens, the father of Ross Geller’s much-younger girlfriend, on the NBC series “Friends.”

Since 2015, his filmography has mostly been B-movie action productions, including “Breach,” in 2020, and “Fortress,” in 2021. According to his IMDb page, Willis currently has nearly 10 movies in postproduction.

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4/2(土)の放送の英文記事と英単語：自己負担、連合提携、二大政党提携の

House Passes Bill to Limit Cost of Insulin to $35 a Month

bipartisan　二大政党提携の
filibuster　議事妨害
coalition　連合提携
ration　制限する
prescription　処方薬
out-of-pocket　自己負担

著者：Margot Sanger-Katz
(c) 2021 The New York Times Company

WASHINGTON — A bill to limit the cost of insulin to $35 a month for most Americans who depend on it passed the House on Thursday, raising Democrats’ hopes that the party could take at least one step toward fulfilling its promise of lowering drug costs.

The bill attracted unanimous support from Democrats who voted, as well as from 12 Republicans, making it a rare piece of bipartisan policy legislation.

To become law, the bill will need to attract at least 10 Republican votes in the Senate to overcome a filibuster. Some lawmakers involved in the effort have expressed optimism that such a coalition might be possible, but few Republican senators have publicly endorsed the bill yet. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, has been working with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., on a broader bill related to insulin prices.

The bill would have substantial benefits for many of the nearly 30 million Americans who live with diabetes. Insulin, a lifesaving drug that is typically taken daily, has grown increasingly expensive in recent years, and many diabetes patients ration their medicines or discontinue them because of the cost. About 1 in 5 Americans who take insulin would save money under the proposal, according to a recent analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

But the insulin bill represents a substantial scaling back of Democratic ambitions to tackle high drug prices for all Americans. A broader prescription drug package, written as part of the $2.2 trillion social spending and climate bill that has stalled in the Senate, would limit price increases on all prescription drugs, improve the generosity of Medicare’s drug coverage, and allow the government to negotiate directly on the price of some drugs used by Medicare patients, while also limiting insulin copayments.

“If the effort to address drug prices ends with this plan to cap out-of-pocket costs for insulin, it will amount to crumbs compared to Democrats’ initial ambitions to allow the government to negotiate drug prices,” said Larry Levitt, the executive vice president for health policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation, a health research group.

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4/3(日)の放送の英文記事と英単語：暴飲する、追い出す、澄んだ

Gas Prices Are Soaring. Not So the Stocks of Electric Vehicle Companies.

Guzzle　暴飲する
Drive off　追い出す
Subdue　抑制する
Lucid　澄んだ・透明な、明快な
Facet　宝石などの面

著者：Stephen Gandel
(c) 2021 The New York Times Company

In recent years, when U.S. gas prices have risen, so have sales of hybrid, electric and compact vehicles. Yet with the average price of a gallon running at its highest in many years, SUVs and other gas guzzlers are still being driven off lots.

It is about trade-offs: A shortage of fuel-efficient cars has pushed the price of those available to the point where fewer consumers see a payoff in making the switch. That is also reflected in the subdued performance of the stocks of many electric vehicle makers. Despite a spike in gas prices, shares of Lucid Motors and Rivian have lagged behind the market this year. It was the same for Tesla until recently, with a big gain in recent days linked to a stock split. Rivian, in its annual report Thursday, included the war in Ukraine in a list of “market and geopolitical conditions, many of which are outside of our control and subject to change.” The conflict, the company said, has impacted multiple facets of its business and operations.

EV investors are more worried about supply than demand. Nickel, a key Russian export, is a major component in electric vehicle batteries. Dan Ives, who covers EV stocks for Wedbush Securities, estimated that a shortage of nickel and other rising costs could force EV makers to raise prices by $1,200 per vehicle. That is weighing on the sector, he said, even if higher gas prices eventually lead to higher demand for electric cars. The pandemic also continues to be an issue: Volkswagen and Tesla temporarily shut factories in Shanghai this week as a result of a lockdown there.

Policymakers are trying to do something about it. President Joe Biden on Thursday invoked the Defense Production Act to increase domestic production of minerals needed for electric vehicles, like nickel, lithium and cobalt. The president said that the country depended on “unreliable foreign sources” for many materials necessary for transitioning to the use of clean energy. The action is not expected to include loans or direct purchases and may face opposition from environmentalists, including some in Biden’s own party.

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