Ripped from the Headlines: October, 2019: This Week In Words: October 26–November 1, 2019

Britain looks set to hold another Election in six weeks, with Brexit very much the main item on the ballot. If Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative Party wins, it's highly likely that Britain will leave the E.U. If he loses, it's probably equally likely that it won't. The country is deeply divided, and while it's a risky move for Johnson there's no guarantee that his opponents will be able to capitalize on it.

Barcelona saw protests, some violent, as Catalan nationalists demonstrated in favor of independence from Spain. Catalonia, in Northeastern Spain, has its own language, and activists have been seeking more autonomy for some time. The recent protests, which began peacefully but devolved into arson and chaos, were backed by a mysterious group called "Tsunami Democrátic". If you've watched bank robbers in a movie, you've seen a balaclava; it's a knit ski mask with eye and mouth holes.

President Trump attended game 5 of the World Series in Washington, and was booed loudly by fans when he appeared on the Jumbotron. The crowd began chanting "Lock him up!", a reference to the chants at his rallies during and after the 2016 campaign. A sconce was a fortification in Scottish, so to be ensconced means to be established in a place or position.

Democratic Presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren fleshed out more of her anti-corruption platform, pledging that members of the government could not be hired by companies they formerly regulated for four years after leaving the public sector. Expound is a cool way of saying "explain, but with more details".

As part of the impeachment inquiry, federal Judge Beryl Howell ruled that the Department of Justice must turn redacted portions of the Mueller Report over to Congress, including Grand Jury transcripts. The DOJ has argued that they should not have to comply. The judge was unsympathetic, saying that their argument would place the President above the law. Glib comes from the Dutch glippern, meaning "slippery", and refers to something that might sound believable, but is dishonest.

After Facebook announced that it would allow politicians to run false ads, hundreds of employees signed a letter to Mark Zuckerberg opposing that decision. They expressed concern that spreading misinformation would hurt both the company's reputation and the country at large. Like pose and compose, impose originates in the Latin ponere, "to put" — as in "pose a question".

The House voted to impose more sanctions on Turkey in the wake of their invasion of Syria. Two thirds of Republicans voted with Democrats to pass the bill, which shows just how unpopular the President's decision to essentially abandon the region has been in both parties. Despite that, the sanctions are unlikely to pass the Senate, where Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said that he doesn't intend to allow a vote on them.

Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who was on the now-infamous call between President Trump and the President of Ukraine, testified in the House impeachment inquiry. After his testimony, which was damaging to the President, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said that Vindman should receive whistleblower protection for himself and his family. Retaliatio means "revenge" in Latin, so it's easy to see where retaliation originated.

Lebanon's Prime Minister resigned in the face of huge protests that paralyzed the country for two weeks. Demonstrators are furious at the whole elite for chronic corruption and inequality that has crippled the economy. The government recognizes 18 separate religious groups, who share power, which makes the situation complex to say the least. Sectarian refers to different sects within a religion, and to different religions as well.

After the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Northern Syria, the future of ISIS remains a primary concern. Apart from members held prisoner by the Kurds, many of whom have escaped in the chaos, the families of these fighters are also often true believers. These women and children live in prison camps, and observers worry that these camps are hotbeds for further radicalization.