The Wall Street Journal
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What’s News
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2026
2/1/2026 6:00:00 AMShare This Episode
Is Cuba Next? Inside Washington’s Push for Regime Change
「キューバは次か? ワシントンの政権交代への圧力の内幕」
Cuba is at a breaking point. From severe fuel shortages to a public health crisis, the island’s economic distress has reached a fever pitch. Now, the Trump administration believes it has the leverage to do what others couldn't: force regime change. This week, Luke Vargas explores the mechanics of this renewed pressure campaign and America’s power projection abroad with WSJ’s José de Córdoba in Mexico and Vera Bergengruen in Washington.
- breaking point /ˈbreɪ.kɪŋ pɔɪnt/ 限界点、瀬戸際
- severe fuel shortages /sɪˈvɪr fjuːl ˈʃɔːr.tɪdʒɪz/ 深刻な燃料不足
- public health crisis /ˈpʌblɪk hɛlθ ˈkraɪsɪs/ 公衆衛生の危機
- economic distress /ˌiːkəˈnɑːmɪk dɪˈstrɛs/ 経済的苦境
- fever pitch /ˈfiːvər pɪtʃ/ 最高度の緊張、ピーク
→ 「最高潮」「極度の緊張」 - leverage /ˈlɛvərɪdʒ/ 影響力、テコ(比喩的に「行動を促す力」)
- regime change /reɪˈʒiːm ʧeɪndʒ/ 政権交代
- pressure campaign /ˈprɛʃər kæmˌpeɪn/ 圧力キャンペーン
- power projection /ˈpaʊər prəˈʤɛkʃən/ 力の行使(特に軍事・外交力)
Luke Vargas: Hey, What's News listeners, it's Sunday, February 1st. I'm Luke Vargas for the Wall Street Journal, and this is What's News Sunday, the show where we tackle the big questions about the biggest stories in the news by reaching out to our colleagues across the newsroom to help explain what's happening in our world. And on today's show, after toppling Venezuela's leader, the Trump administration is now seeking regime change in Cuba by the end of the year. Today, we'll be looking at the dire economic situation. Washington believes could drive the island to the breaking point. And what else is fueling the thinking in Washington that now is the right time to dislodge a communist government that has weathered decades of external pressure? Let's get right to it.
Joining me today as we set our sights on Cuba are a pair of Wall Street Journal reporters fixated on America's power projection abroad. On the line from Mexico City is José de Córdoba. And with us from Washington DC is Vera Bergengruen. José, let me start with you. We have all seen the footage of mid-century cars rolling down the beachfront in Havana, probably an overused visual when it comes to understanding the economic situation in particular in modern Cuba, though maybe not totally unhelpful. What should we be focusing on when it comes to the island? Paint us a scene of what has been unfolding there.
- breaking point /ˈbreɪkɪŋ pɔɪnt/ 限界点、耐えられない状態
- severe fuel shortages /sɪˈvɪr fjuːəl ˈʃɔːr.tɪ.dʒɪz/ 深刻な燃料不足
- public health crisis /ˈpʌblɪk hɛlθ ˈkraɪsɪs/ 公衆衛生の危機
- regime change /rɪˈʒiːm ʧeɪndʒ/ 政権交代(外部からの圧力による場合が多い)
- leverage /ˈliːvərɪdʒ/ (影響力・圧力の)手段、武器
- power projection abroad /ˈpaʊər prəˈdʒɛkʃən əˈbrɔːd/ 海外での力の行使、軍事・経済・外交力の展開
- dire economic situation /ˈdaɪər ˌiːkəˈnɒmɪk ˌsɪtʃuˈeɪʃən/ 深刻な経済状況
- fixated on /fɪkˈseɪtɪd ɑn/ ~に夢中である、注目している
- paint a scene /peɪnt ə siːn/ 状況を描写する、情景を描く
- unfolding /ʌnˈfoʊldɪŋ/ 起きている、展開している
José de Córdoba: Well, Cuba is in its worst economic crisis, probably since it became an independent Republic in 1902. Blackouts last in the provinces for 20 hours at a time. On top of that, you have huge scarcity of medicines, all kinds of goods and food. People have access to food only if they have access to dollars, which are sent from family members abroad. Also, it's been hit by these mosquito-borne illnesses that have affected a lot of the population.
Luke Vargas: All right José, things already bad and maybe getting worse. And this is where we can connect the situation in Cuba to what has recently gone on in Venezuela.
José de Córdoba: Things are getting bad and are likely to get much worse very quickly. The reason for that is that Cuba uses roughly 100,000 barrels of oil per day. It pumps about 40,000 barrels of oil a day, which goes directly into its power energy sector into its energy plants. So, that leaves a deficit of roughly 60,000 barrels per day. Venezuela has been providing about 35,000 barrels per day, so it's been making up about half of the deficit that Cuba has. Now, since the US captured Maduro, no Venezuelan oil has been getting to Cuba. So, there's much less electricity to go around. There's much less gasoline, there's much less fuel to go around. So, the island could basically hit a wall in what experts think will be four weeks to eight weeks, depending on how much fuel Cuba has stored, which is not known.
- could basically hit a wall 「(進行・成長・努力が)急に止まる」「限界に達する」「行き詰まる」
Luke Vargas: And Vera, you report that the economic vulnerability that José has been describing there is very much feeding into Washington's calculus here, thinking that maybe it can try to pick off Cuba's government now.
- feed into /fiːd ˈɪntuː/ ~に影響を与える、~の判断・計算に反映される
- calculus /ˈkælkjʊləs/ 計算、判断(比喩的に「戦略的判断」や「計算」)
- pick off /pɪk ˈɔːf/ (ターゲットを)狙い撃ちする、仕留める
Vera Bergengruen: That's right. I mean, everything that José has been laying out has been feeding into CIA and other US intelligence assessments that the intelligence community puts together and briefs to President Trump, to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. And they have been looking at all of this, but now what they're assessing as well is that not only is the economy close to collapse, but the government itself has never been this fragile. And so, they really are trying to think of what else they could do since they have this goal as we report it of trying to force out this regime by the end of the year. And on top of that, Cuba has this longstanding program where it has overseas medical missions where they send doctors to work abroad and a lot of that money comes back, one of its most important sources of hard currency. And since the Trump administration came back into the White House, we've seen Rubio and some other officials really put pressure on that as well on some Caribbean islands and others who hire these doctors. So, they're really looking at the whole picture and trying to see what other valves they can squeeze shut in order to really put the full weight of the US pressure on this government right now.
- lay out /ˌleɪ ˈaʊt/ 説明する、整理して示す 「順序立てて説明」する硬め表現
- feed into /ˈfiːd ˌɪntuː/ ~に反映される 分析・判断の材料になる
- intelligence assessments /ɪnˈtelɪdʒəns əˈsesmənts/ 情報評価 assessment は「公式評価」
- brief (A) to (B) /briːf/ AをBに報告する 受動態でも頻出
- close to collapse /kləʊs tuː kəˈlæps/ 崩壊寸前 比喩的にも経済でよく使う
- fragile /ˈfrædʒaɪl/ 脆弱な 国家・政権評価の定番語
- force out /fɔːrs aʊt/ 追い出す 政権交代文脈で頻出
- longstanding /ˈlɒŋˌstændɪŋ/ 長年の 政策・制度の説明に多い
- hard currency /ˌhɑːrd ˈkʌrənsi/ 外貨 発展途上国ニュース定番
- put pressure on /pʊt ˈpreʃər ɒn/ 圧力をかける 制裁・外交表現
- the whole picture /həʊl ˈpɪktʃər/ 全体像 判断の包括性を強調
- valves they can squeeze shut /ˈvælvz/ 締め付け手段(比喩) 経済制裁のメタファー
squeeze = 強く押す・締め付ける
shut = 閉じる
「ぎゅっと締めて完全に閉じる」
Luke Vargas: Fascinating though, as we've seen, for instance, in North Korea can sound easy to go after sources of hard currency, but actually accomplishing that can be a little bit like a game of whack-a-mole. And there's more than just an economic component to this effort as well. It sounds like inspiration is being drawn from how the Trump administration got rid of Maduro, the political leadership angle of regime change.
Vera Bergengruen: That's right. That's what José and I have really been trying to prod because when you speak to Trump officials, they're riding high. They think that this operation to depose Maduro was very successful. They're working with what remains of the Maduro regime to prioritize getting oil, getting these resources. Trump, he feels like he's gotten a good deal. He exerted sharp, but minimum military pressure to an extent and he got what he wanted. They're trying to find a similar model that they can apply to an extent in Cuba and see if there's people within the Cuban government working with them to produce some kind of deal that will eventually squeeze out this regime. When we actually ask what "kind of deal," they're looking for, what could the Cuban government really offer, we haven't really gotten clear definitive answers on that except for the government to just go away. Even if they were to squeeze out this government, what would come next? In Venezuela, they have a very particular model that's extractive. They're getting the oil. They're working with the remnants of this government. That would for many reasons just never work in Cuba. But for now, because they think that it was so successful, they are trying to emulate it, at least in the sense of finding people within the regime that they can talk to and then see what comes next.
- prod /prɒd/ (問題を)突く ジャーナリズムで「問い続ける」
- riding high /ˈraɪdɪŋ haɪ/ 意気揚々として 成功後の高揚感
- depose /dɪˈpəʊz/ 失脚させる 政権交代文脈
- what remains of ~ /rɪˈmeɪnz/ ~の残存部分 政権崩壊後の表現
- exert pressure /ɪɡˈzɜːrt/ 圧力をかける フォーマル
- to an extent /tuː ən ɪkˈstent/ ある程度 ぼかし表現
- squeeze out /skwiːz aʊt/ 排除する 政治・経済比喩
- definitive answers /dɪˈfɪnɪtɪv/ 決定的な答え あいまいさの対極
- extractive /ɪkˈstræktɪv/ 搾取型の 資源依存モデル
- remnants /ˈremnənts/ 残党・残存勢力 政権・組織
Luke Vargas: Fascinating. We've got to take a very short break, but when we come back, we'll look at some of those hurdles, Vera, that you were mentioning that could make US efforts to orchestrate a leadership change in Cuba so difficult in the months, potentially years to come. Stay with us.
And we're back. José Vera there before the break was explaining that there is not yet a concrete plan for changing the government in Cuba, she noted a few times. Cuba is not Venezuela. And maybe the most notable thing that distinguishes them for the purposes of the conversation we're really having here is that Cuba's communist leaders have been around for decades. They have experience with withstanding US efforts to bring an end to their rule.
- orchestrate /ˈɔːrkɪstreɪt/ 画策する、主導する 裏で動かすニュアンス
- leadership change /ˈliːdərʃɪp/ 指導部交代 regime changeより婉曲
- potentially /pəˈtenʃəli/ 場合によっては 断定回避
- concrete plan /ˈkɒŋkriːt/ 具体的計画 抽象の対極
- notable /ˈnəʊtəbl/ 注目すべき 要点提示サイン
- distinguish /dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃ/ 区別する 比較分析で多用
- for the purposes of ~ /ˈpɜːrpəsɪz/ ~という観点では 論点限定
- withstand /wɪðˈstænd/ 耐え抜く 制裁・圧力文脈
- bring an end to /brɪŋ ən end/ 終わらせる フォーマル
José de Córdoba: Yeah. As far as we can tell, there's no concrete plan that the US has for affecting regime change. Cuba has been a totalitarian stalinist state for almost as long as the Soviet Union was. People tend to forget that. There's no other political organization allowed in Cuba aside from the Communist Party. Unlike Venezuela, which has a very robust opposition movement, which could put hundreds of thousands of people on the street and which won two presidential elections. In Cuba, there is no organized opposition because it's not allowed by law and there's barely the shadow of a civil society at work. So, it's a very different place. Also, Cubans have been living in this Stalinist system for almost 70 years. The weight of that is huge. People, for the most part, all during that time have chosen to immigrate rather than to try to form a political movement to challenge the government. In all that time, from 1959 to now, there have only been two days in which there were protests large enough to challenge the government. One was in 1994 in Havana called Maleconazo, and the other one was just a couple of years ago in 2021. That shook the government because there were protests all over the island. Well, the government was able to put down both protests within a day. So, the repressive capacity of the government is very high. I say that they're masters at managing poverty and administrating repression.
- totalitarian /toʊˌtælɪˈterɪən/ 全体主義の 政治分析語
- stalinist /ˈstɑːlɪnɪst/ スターリン主義の 非常に強い評価語
- aside from /əˈsaɪd frəm/ ~を除いて フォーマル
- robust opposition /rəʊˈbʌst/ 強固な反対勢力 対比強調
- put people on the street /striːt/ デモに動員する 慣用句
- barely the shadow of /ˈʃædəʊ/ ほとんど存在しない 強い否定
- put down protests /pʊt daʊn/ 抑え込む 治安用語
- repressive capacity /rɪˈpresɪv/ 抑圧能力 学術寄り
- manage poverty /ˈpɒvəti/ 貧困を管理する 皮肉
- administrate repression /ədˈmɪnɪstreɪt/ 抑圧を制度的に行う
Luke Vargas: I want to jump in on that because as José's presenting this situation, the state has, they're very good at putting down popular protest and people have instead voted with their feet leaving the country as opposed to leading to some mass protest movement. But at least figuratively, this is not really a broad hearts and minds campaign. Putting yet more economic pressure on the Islanders doesn't seem like it would really help in that respect.
- put down /pʊt daʊn/ 鎮圧する
- popular protest /ˈpɒpjʊlər ˈprəʊtest/ 民衆の抗議
- vote with their feet /voʊt wɪð ðer fiːt/ 行動で意思表示する
- as opposed to /əˈpəʊzd tuː/ ~ではなく
- mass protest movement /mæ s ˈprəʊtest/ 大規模抗議運動
- figuratively /ˈfɪɡjərətɪvli/ 比喩的に言えば
- hearts and minds /hɑːrts ænd maɪndz/ 人心
Vera Bergengruen: That's right. But again, I think one of the most interesting things is that it's unclear even if they were to identify that in with the Cuban government, what actually they would be asking of this person. One of the really important differences with Venezuela is Venezuela for a long time, despite having this particular government, a lot of its insiders had a lot of exposure to, especially through its oil industry to lots of people. They had massive offshore accounts. They dealt with these big oil companies. They dealt with international officials and they just had a very different exposure and understood how the world worked and a potential place for them in it in a way that the people who run the Cubist government are really loyalists. It's just hard to imagine from the people we've spoken to what's in it for them if they betray that. We don't really see a situation where they can stay in power for very long. It's much more of a binary than there is in Venezuela where now they have this kind of pseudo capitalist holdover government.
- what's in it for them /wɒts ɪn ɪt/ 見返りは何か
- betray /bɪˈtreɪ/ 裏切る
- stay in power /steɪ ɪn ˈpaʊər/ 権力を維持する
- binary /ˈbaɪnəri/ 二者択一の
- pseudo-capitalist /ˈsuːdəʊ/ 疑似資本主義の
pseudo- =「見せかけの」「名ばかりの」「本物ではない」 - holdover government /ˈhəʊldˌəʊvər/ 旧体制の延命政権
Luke Vargas: Though this is a big political holy grail, it sounds like the administration's thinking goes. Something that has been desired by so many successive US governments to see a change in leadership in Cuba. Maybe now is the time, worth giving it a shot, which brings me to my final question to both of you. And starting with you, Vera, I mean, what should we be watching for to assess whether this US effort is taking shape?
Vera Bergengruen: Trump told people in his first term that he wanted to do something that President Kennedy in the '60s wasn't able to do, which was, he sees this as part of his legacy. He sees it also as a really important part of his national security strategy. Both parties see Cuba as a malign actor, that its government is basically, everyone would be better off if it went away. And now that the US government has trained so much of its attention on the Western hemisphere, it's with Venezuela going one way, it is their holy grail. It is this thing that they all really want to do. At the same time, I think there would be, depending on who you speak with, quite a bit of concern that if you really just squeeze this government and this economy to a catastrophic breaking point, it's going to create a humanitarian catastrophe. And from the perspective of Trump's base and from the Republicans, especially now that it's a midterm year, having to involve the US even further in Cuba to basically stop it all from falling apart or to stop massive suffering is something they don't want to do. I think they're going to be a little careful about how much they actually want to involve the US.
- malign actor /məˈlaɪn/ 悪意ある行為主体
- be better off if ~ /ˈbetər/ ~の方がましだ
- train attention on /treɪn/ 関心を集中させる
- holy grail /ˌhəʊli ˈɡreɪl/ 究極の目標
- squeeze ~ to a breaking point /ˈbreɪkɪŋ/ ~を限界まで締め上げる
- humanitarian catastrophe /hjuːˌmænɪˈteərɪən/ 人道的大惨事
- malign /məˈlaɪn/ 悪意のある・有害な 国家・組織・影響 冷静・分析的。外交・安保用語
- malicious /məˈlɪʃəs/ 悪意に満ちた 人・攻撃・犯罪 意図(intent)が前面に出る
- malevolent /məˈlɛvələnt/ 邪悪な・害意を抱く 人格・抽象概念 文語的・重く感情的
Luke Vargas: And José, to you, what will you be watching? I imagine it's kind of, if the US does further squeeze the Cuban economy, how do the people of Cuba react? And then I guess there's a question of, do any of Cuba's friends, if we can call them that, Beijing, Moscow, stick out there next to help the island?
José de Córdoba: I think there's very little to expect from Cuba's friends, Russia and China. Russia is bogged down in the Ukraine war. They're really the only one of Cuba's friends who has oil to give. They've given oil very intermittently. China has no oil to give and they are very commercial. Cuba is unable to pay them anything. And as for Mexico, the US is pressuring Mexico right now to try to cut off oil, the oil that Mexico has been sending, which is a small amount. So, from Cuba's friends, expect very little.
- bogged down /bɒɡd daʊn/ 行き詰まっている
- intermittently /ˌɪntərˈmɪtəntli/ 断続的に
Luke Vargas: And the Cuban people, they respond to US pressure, and especially if the economy approaches the breaking point, maybe that the CIA thinks that it could be nearing.
José de Córdoba: I think Cuba's people are enormously fatigued. I don't see them going out into the streets and trying to overthrow the government. No one wants to be Fidel Castro's last victim. And at the same time, since now there's a lot of expectation that the US is going to solve because problem, I think that it's very possible that it would feed the passivity in the sense of they're just waiting for the United States to act. But for Cuba's future at this point, it's really what I see is a lot of despair, a lot of uncertainty, a lot of fear.
- enormously fatigued /ɪˈnɔːrməsli fəˈtiːɡd/ 極度に疲弊している
- go out into the streets /striːts/ 街頭に出る
- overthrow the government /ˌəʊvərˈθrəʊ/ 政府を打倒する
- last victim /ˈvɪktɪm/ 最後の犠牲者
- at the same time /æt ðə seɪm taɪm/ 同時に
- expectation /ˌekspekˈteɪʃən/ 期待
- feed passivity /fiːd/ 受動性を助長する
- in the sense of /sɛns/ ~という意味で
- wait for ~ to act /ækt/ ~が行動するのを待つ
- despair /dɪˈsper/ 絶望
Luke Vargas: That's the journal's José de Córdoba in Mexico City, and joining us on the line from Washington DC, the journal's Vera Bergengruen. José, Vera, thank you both so much.
José de Córdoba: You're very welcome. Great. Thanks for having us.
Luke Vargas: Thank you. And that's it for What's News Sunday for February 1st. Today's show was produced by Hattie Moir with supervising producers, Sandra Kilhof and Melony Roy. I'm Luke Vargas, and we'll be back tomorrow morning with a brand new show. Until then, thanks for listening.
WSJ: Feb 02 2026
Congress’s Bid to End Partial Shutdown Gets Tougher
Democrats pushing for immigration-enforcement changes say they won’t help House Republicans pass funding measures.
- Congress /ˈkɑːŋɡrəs/ 米議会
- bid /bɪd/ 試み、努力
- end /ɛnd/ 終わらせる
- partial shutdown /ˈpɑːrʃəl ˈʃʌtdaʊn/ 政府機関の一部閉鎖
- get tougher /ɡɛt ˈtʌfər/ より困難になる
- Democrats /ˈdɛməkˌræts/ 民主党
- push for ~ /pʊʃ fɔːr/ 〜を強く求める
- immigration enforcement /ˌɪmɪˈɡreɪʃən ɪnˈfɔːrsmənt/ 移民取締り
- House Republicans /haʊs rɪˈpʌblɪkənz/ 下院共和党
- funding measures /ˈfʌndɪŋ ˈmɛʒərz/ 予算措置
Trump Says Kennedy Center Will Close for Two Years for Renovations
The president wrote that the performing-arts center will be shut on July 4 for “Construction, Revitalization, and Complete Rebuilding.”
- Trump says ~ /trʌmp sɛz/ トランプ氏は〜と述べている
- Kennedy Center /ˈkɛnədi ˈsɛntər/ ケネディ・センター(米国の舞台芸術施設)
- close /kloʊz/ 閉鎖する
- for two years /fɔːr tuː jɪrz/ 2年間
- renovations /ˌrɛnəˈveɪʃənz/ 改修工事
- the president wrote /ðə ˈprɛzɪdənt roʊt/ 大統領は書いた
- performing-arts center /pərˈfɔːrmɪŋ ɑːrts ˈsɛntər/ 舞台芸術センター
- be shut /bi ʃʌt/ 閉鎖される
- Construction /kənˈstrʌkʃən/ 建設工事
- Revitalization /ˌriːˌvaɪtəlaɪˈzeɪʃən/ 再活性化、立て直し
- Complete Rebuilding /kəmˈpliːt ˌriːˈbɪldɪŋ/ 全面的な再建
‘Spy Sheikh’ Bought Secret Stake in Trump Company
A $500 million investment for 49% of World Liberty came months before U.A.E. won access to tightly guarded American AI chips.
- Spy Sheikh /spaɪ ʃeɪk/ 「スパイ・シェイク」(諜報活動疑惑のある湾岸の富豪を示す呼称)
- buy / bought /baɪ/ /bɔːt/ 買う/買った
- secret stake /ˈsiːkrət steɪk/ 秘密の持ち株、非公開の出資比率
- Trump company /trʌmp ˈkʌmpəni/ トランプ関連企業
- investment /ɪnˈvɛstmənt/ 投資
- 49% stake /ˈfɔːrti naɪn pərˈsɛnt steɪk/ 49%の持ち分
- came months before ~ /keɪm mʌnθs bɪˈfɔːr/ ~の数か月前に起きた
- U.A.E. /ˌjuː eɪ ˈiː/ アラブ首長国連邦
- win access to ~ /wɪn ˈæksɛs tuː/ ~へのアクセスを獲得する
- tightly guarded /ˈtaɪtli ˈɡɑːrdɪd/ 厳重に管理された
- AI chips /ˌeɪ ˈaɪ tʃɪps/ AI用半導体
The AI Boom Is Coming for Apple’s Profit Margins
Parts for iPhones will cost more, owing to surging demand from AI companies.
- AI boom /ˌeɪ ˈaɪ buːm/ AIブーム
- come for ~ /kʌm fɔːr/ ~を脅かす、~に打撃を与える
- Apple’s profit margins /ˈæpəlz ˈprɑːfɪt ˈmɑːrdʒɪnz/ アップルの利益率
- profit margin /ˈprɑːfɪt ˈmɑːrdʒɪn/ 利益率
- parts /pɑːrts/ 部品
- iPhones /ˈaɪfoʊnz/ iPhone
- will cost more /wɪl kɔːst mɔːr/ より高くつく
- owing to ~ /ˈoʊɪŋ tuː/ ~のために
- surging demand /ˈsɜːrdʒɪŋ dɪˈmænd/ 急増する需要
- AI companies /ˌeɪ ˈaɪ ˈkʌmpəniz/ AI関連企業
Texas Election Upset Is a ‘Wake-Up Call’ for Future Elections, Republican Says
A state-level Democratic win in a region that had voted decisively for President Trump threatens to diminish Republicans’ hopes for the midterm elections.
- election upset /ɪˈlɛkʃən ˈʌpsɛt/ 選挙の番狂わせ
- wake-up call /ˈweɪk ʌp kɔːl/ 警鐘、注意喚起
- Republican /rɪˈpʌblɪkən/ 共和党員
- state-level /ˈsteɪt ˌlɛvəl/ 州レベルの
- Democratic win /ˌdɛməˈkrætɪk wɪn/ 民主党の勝利
- region /ˈriːdʒən/ 地域
- vote decisively for ~ /voʊt dɪˈsaɪsɪvli fɔːr/ ~に圧倒的に投票する
- threaten to ~ /ˈθrɛtən tuː/ ~する恐れがある
- diminish /dɪˈmɪnɪʃ/ 減らす、弱める
- midterm elections /ˈmɪdˌtɜːrm ɪˈlɛkʃənz/ 中間選挙
President’s Lawsuit Against IRS Puts Him on Both Sides of the Same Case
The lawsuit presents a mind-bending minefield of conflicts that could end with Trump’s appointees approving a federal payout to him.
- lawsuit /ˈlɔːsuːt/ 訴訟
- against the IRS /əˈɡɛnst ðiː ˌaɪɑːrˈɛs/ IRSを相手取って
- put ~ on both sides /pʊt boʊθ saɪdz/ ~を両方の立場に置く
役割がねじれて重なっている状態 - the same case /ðə seɪm keɪs/ 同一の訴訟
- present /prɪˈzɛnt/ 提示する、もたらす
- mind-bending /ˈmaɪndˌbɛndɪŋ/ 理解を超える、頭が混乱するほどの
- minefield /ˈmaɪnfiːld/ 地雷原(比喩:危険が多い状況)
- conflict(s) /ˈkɑːnflɪkts/ 利益相反、対立
- appointees /əˌpɔɪnˈtiːz/ 任命された人々
- approve /əˈpruːv/ 承認する
- federal payout /ˈfɛdərəl ˈpeɪaʊt/ 連邦政府からの支払い
An Investor’s Guide to the Boom (and Bust) in Gold and Silver
Friday’s plummet in precious-metal prices shows the danger of being late to a rally that has gone far beyond reality.
- investor /ɪnˈvɛstər/ 投資家
- guide /ɡaɪd/ 手引き、ガイド
- boom /buːm/ 急騰、好況
- bust /bʌst/ 崩壊、急落
- gold and silver /ɡoʊld ənd ˈsɪlvər/ 金と銀
- plummet /ˈplʌmɪt/ 急落する
- precious metals /ˈprɛʃəs ˈmɛtəlz/ 貴金属
- rally /ˈræli/ (相場の)急騰
- be late to ~ /bi leɪt tuː/ ~に乗り遅れる
- far beyond reality /fɑːr bɪˈjɑːnd riˈælɪti/ 現実をはるかに超えて
Epstein Files Release Exposes Names of at Least 43 Victims, WSJ Review Finds
The Justice Department was required to redact all victims’ names prior to releasing the files.
- Epstein files /ˈɛpstaɪn faɪlz/ エプスタイン関連文書
- release /rɪˈliːs/ 公開
- expose /ɪkˈspoʊz/ 明るみに出す
- at least /ət liːst/ 少なくとも
- victim /ˈvɪktɪm/ 被害者
- WSJ review /ˌdʌbəljuː ɛs ˈdʒeɪ rɪˈvjuː/ WSJ(ウォール・ストリート・ジャーナル)の精査
- Justice Department /ˈdʒʌstɪs dɪˈpɑːrtmənt/ 米司法省
- be required to ~ /bi rɪˈkwaɪərd tuː/ ~する義務がある
- redact /rɪˈdækt/ (文書を)黒塗りする、削除する
- prior to ~ /ˈpraɪər tuː/ ~の前に
Alex Pretti Was Part of a Growing Gun Culture in Minneapolis
The blue city, now in a battle with the federal government, has seen a surge in armed citizens in the past several years.
- be part of ~ /bi pɑːrt əv/ ~の一部である
- growing /ˈɡroʊɪŋ/ 拡大しつつある
- gun culture /ɡʌn ˈkʌltʃər/ 銃文化
- Minneapolis /ˌmɪniˈæpəlɪs/ ミネアポリス
- blue city /bluː ˈsɪti/ 民主党支持の都市
- in a battle with ~ /ɪn ə ˈbæt̬l wɪð/ ~と対立状態にある
- federal government /ˈfɛdərəl ˈɡʌvərnmənt/ 連邦政府
- has seen ~ /hæz siːn/ ~を目にしてきた
- surge /sɜːrdʒ/ 急増
- armed citizens /ɑːrmd ˈsɪtɪzənz/ 武装した市民
- in the past several years /ɪn ðə pæst ˈsɛvrəl jɪrz/ ここ数年で
Before Any Strike on Iran, U.S. Needs to Bolster Air Defenses in Mideast
The Pentagon is taking steps to better protect Israel, Arab allies and American forces if Iran retaliates.
- Before any strike on Iran /bɪˈfɔːr ˈɛni straɪk ɑn ɪˈræn/ 「イランへのいかなる攻撃より前に」
- U.S. /juː ˈɛs/ アメリカ合衆国
- needs to /niːdz tuː/ 「〜する必要がある」
- bolster /ˈboʊlstər/ 「強化する」
- air defenses /ɛər dɪˈfɛnsɪz/ 「防空(システム)」
- in Mideast /ɪn ˈmɪdˌiːst/ 「中東で」
- Pentagon /ˈpɛntəɡən/ 米国防総省
- taking steps /ˈteɪkɪŋ stɛps/ 「措置を講じている」
- to better protect /tuː ˈbɛtər prəˈtɛkt/ 「より良く守るために」
- Israel /ˈɪzreɪəl/ イスラエル
- Arab allies /ˈærəb əˈlaɪz/ アラブの同盟国
- American forces /əˈmɛrɪkən fɔːrsɪz/ 米軍
- if Iran retaliates /ɪf ɪˈræn rɪˈtæl.i.eɪts/ 「もしイランが報復した場合」
① if
The Pentagon is taking steps if Iran retaliates.
→ イランが報復した「場合に備えて(=起きる前提が強い)」
if のほうが「緊張感」が出る② in case
The Pentagon is taking steps in case Iran retaliates.
→ 念のため、報復されても困らないように
Meet the Young Men Rushing Into Betting Markets
One trader talks about his wagers on a Discord channel, including wins that help pay the rent.
- meet ~ /miːt/ (記事見出し)「〜を紹介する」
- young men /jʌŋ men/ 若い男性たち
- rush into ~ /rʌʃ ˈɪntuː/ 〜になだれ込む、殺到する
- betting markets /ˈbetɪŋ ˈmɑːrkɪts/ 賭博・スポーツ賭博・予測市場
- trader /ˈtreɪdər/ 取引をする人(投機的な含み)
- talk about ~ /tɔːk əˈbaʊt/ 〜について話す
- wagers /ˈweɪdʒərz/ 賭け金、賭け
- Discord channel /ˈdɪskɔːrd ˈtʃænəl/ Discordのチャンネル
- including ~ /ɪnˈkluːdɪŋ/ 〜を含めて
- wins /wɪnz/ 勝ち、利益
- pay the rent /peɪ ðə rent/ 家賃を払う(生活費の象徴表現)