Ripped from the Headlines: May 2025: This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for May 11–May 17, 2025

Days after the head of the U.S. Copyright Office published a report critical of AI, she was fired. Shira Perlmutter had expressed concern about training the technology using materials protected by copyright. Her job involved administering intellectual property laws, making sure the exclusive rights of people who produce songs, films, books, articles, and other content were protected. Copyright is from the sense of "having the right to produce copies" of something.

After 40 years of armed conflict, the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, will disband and disarm as part of a new peace plan with Turkey. Tens of thousands have died in the conflict since the 1980s. The imprisoned leader of the Kurdish militant organization said that the PKK had achieved its goal of challenging anti-Kurdish policies and was no longer needed. The Latin dis-, "apart," and French bander, "to bind," are the source of disband.

A higher cost of living and fewer job openings have led to a recent exodus of New Zealanders from their homeland. Record numbers of citizens have left the country in the last two years, with nearly 70,000 departing so far in 2025. Most New Zealand emigrants moved to Australia, where average salaries are about 25 percent higher. Exodus derives from the Greek exodos, which means "military procession" or "departure or death," from roots meaning "a going out."

Concerns over a flesh-eating parasite have led U.S. officials to stop importing live cattle, horses, and bison from Mexico. The New World screwworm, a kind of maggot that burrows into animal wounds and snacks on flesh, rarely affects humans but can kill a cow in a week or two. The ban will last until numbers of the fly larvae fall to a safe level.

For the first time in centuries, a pair of ospreys nested and laid eggs in a far southern part of Wales, where they had been nearly extinct since well before 1954. Volunteers are protecting the seabird couple, whose nest is at the top of an oak tree. A webcam lets fans keep an eye on the birds as they take turns leaving the nest to hunt for fish that they share. Ospreys mate for life and often use the same nest year after year, returning from their winter homes in West Africa.

In his first public address, Pope Leo XIV called for a cease-fire in Gaza and asked journalists to use their words for peace and "reject the paradigm of war." The pontiff emphasized the importance of renouncing anger and rage, instead embracing nonviolence — in both words and actions. He exhorted reporters to listen, especially to powerless and vulnerable people, and to turn away from war and toward peace. The Greek root of paradigm means "pattern or example."

The pharmaceutical lobby reacted negatively to a White House plan to lower prescription drug costs. An executive order gave drug companies 30 days to reduce the prices of medication. It's not clear whether people with private insurance will pay less, or if the plan will only affect government costs for Medicare and Medicaid. Drugmakers said the rule will make it harder for them to develop new drugs. Pharmaceutical derives from the Greek pharmakon, "a drug."

Many residents of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, are angry about a plan to remove public basketball courts and replace them with pickleball courts. Some see a racial motive in the switch; the beachfront basketball facilities were installed after the end of segregation in Florida and have attracted generations of racially diverse players. The tennis-like paddle sport of pickleball is viewed as appealing more to wealthy white residents and tourists.

Scientists found that some birds form reciprocal relationships, taking turns helping each other with their offspring. A new study of Kenyan superb starlings showed that they acted cooperatively, returning favors like guarding other birds' chicks or feeding them. The reciprocal support occurred even between unrelated birds. The Latin root of reciprocal is reciprocus, "returning the same way, alternating."

Researchers are developing a new "inverse vaccine" for autoimmune conditions that works by suppressing part of the immune system. Unlike a normal vaccine, which triggers the immune system to produce antibodies, this new drug targets the specific area that has been mistakenly attacking itself and stops it from making antibodies. By holding back the immune system's response to perceived threats, the inverse vaccine will help treat multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases.