Advanced English Podcast: Sleep-Friendly Current Events

Bri
Nov 20
4 min read

Episode: Preservationists Sue Over Trump’s Plans for the Eisenhower Executive Office Building

Welcome to the first-ever episode of Advanced English Podcast: Sleep-Friendly Current Events! In today’s episode, we are talking about a news story involving President Trump and the Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB), the historic building next to the White House. You can watch the video and follow along with this blog, or come back later if some of the words are hard to understand. You can also click here to read the original article. A short summary of the article is below.

Simple Summary of the News

A group of historic preservationists—people who protect important old buildings—filed a lawsuit against President Trump. They are concerned because he wants to paint the EEOB, a very old and ornately decorated building, bright white.

The lawsuit says Trump cannot do this without completing the required environmental and historic preservation reviews, which are official checks to make sure changes don’t cause irreversible damage. Skipping these steps could trap moisture in the stone, speed up deterioration, and make it very expensive or impossible to restore the original materials.

The EEOB was built in 1888 and originally housed major government offices like the State, War, and Navy Departments. Today, it serves as ancillary office space for the president’s staff, including the Office of the Vice President, the National Security Council, and the Office of Management and Budget. Inside, the building has 553 rooms with gilded interiors, bronze stair balusters, hand-painted tiles, carved wooden fixtures, stained glass rotundas, and intricate cast iron.

Trump’s plan to paint the building is just part of several efforts to stamp his aesthetic tastes on federal buildings. He has already paved over the White House Rose Garden, demolished parts of the East Wing to create a large ballroom, repainted Kennedy Center pillars, and even touted plans for a triumphal arch to commemorate the United States’ 250th anniversary.

Even when the building was finished, opinions were mixed. Some famous people criticized it: Mark Twain reportedly called it “the ugliest building in America,” and President Harry Truman called it a monstrosity.

Difficult Words and Phrases

Here’s a list of all the tricky words from this episode, with definitions and easy example sentences:

Preservationists – People who protect historic or important buildings.
Example: Preservationists worked to save the old theater from being torn down.
Sue / Filed a suit / Lawsuit – To take someone to court because you believe they did something wrong.
Example: She decided to sue the company for breaking the contract.
Refashion – To change or redesign something.
Example: They refashioned the old barn into a cafe.
Federal building / Federal grounds – A building or land owned by the U.S. government.
Example: The post office is a federal building.
Aesthetic / Stamp his aesthetic tastes – A person’s style or sense of what looks good; putting that style onto something.
Example: Her room has a very colorful aesthetic.
Ornate / Ornately gilded – Very fancy and detailed, often with decoration.
Example: The palace had ornate gold decorations.
Ancillary – Extra or supporting; not the main part.
Example: The hotel has a pool, but the gym is ancillary.
Irreversible – Cannot be undone; permanent.
Example: Cutting down the tree was an irreversible decision.
Gilded – Covered with gold or gold-colored decoration.
Example: The statue had gilded edges.
Demolished – Destroyed or torn down.
Example: They demolished the old building to make space for a park.
Triumphal arch – A large, decorative arch built to celebrate an event.
Example: The city built a triumphal arch to celebrate its 100th anniversary.
Commemorate – To honor or remember an important event.
Example: They held a ceremony to commemorate the soldiers.
Sprawling – Very large and spread out.
Example: The sprawling farm covered hundreds of acres.
Controversial – Causing disagreement or argument.
Example: The new law was controversial and debated by many people.
Monstrosity – Something very ugly or huge in a way that seems unnatural.
Example: The abandoned building looked like a monstrosity.
Quoting – Repeating someone else’s words.
Example: She was quoting her favorite author in her essay.
Referring to – Talking about or mentioning something.
Example: He was referring to the last chapter of the book.
Granite exterior – The outside of a building made of granite stone.
Example: The monument had a granite exterior.
Go through with it – Actually do something you planned.
Example: She wasn’t sure about skydiving, but she decided to go through with it.
Costs and bids –
- Costs – how much money something will require.
- Bids – offers from companies for how much they would charge to do work.
  Example: The city requested bids to repair the bridge.
Put the wheels in motion – Start a plan; begin taking steps.
Example: They put the wheels in motion to organize the festival.
Perceived – Seen or thought of in a certain way.
Example: The movie was perceived as boring by many critics.
Capricious – Changing suddenly or unpredictably.
Example: The teacher’s grading was capricious.
Whims – Sudden ideas or changes in taste.
Example: She decorated the room on a whim.
Inception – The beginning or start of something.
Example: Since its inception, the program has helped thousands of students.
Roughly – About; approximately.
Example: The trip took roughly three hours.
Occupied – Lived in or used a place.
Example: The soldiers occupied the building during the war.
Immense — very large or huge.
Example: The stadium was so immense that it could hold more than 80,000 people.

Advanced English Podcast: Sleep-Friendly Current Events Outro

That’s it for our very first episode! Be on the lookout for the next Advanced English Podcast: Sleep-Friendly Current Events episode, where I'm hoping to cover another interesting story in a way that’s easy to follow and relaxing.