Ted: Hey! Welcome back to another episode of Babbel News – English Only. I’m Ted, your English expert here at Babbel. As usual, we’re bringing you the news in English, sourced from Reuters. But today, you’re only going to hear one story. And the topic? The debate around removing certain books from public libraries in Texas.

So, if you’re ready, let’s take a closer look at some of the key words and phrases from the news.

The first word from today’s story is “a ban”, an official order that says something isn’t allowed, in this case, certain books in public libraries. Up next is the word “inappropriate”, which describes something that isn’t suitable for a particular situation or audience. After that, we have “a flashpoint”, a situation or place where violence or anger starts and can’t be controlled. Then comes the verb “to loom”, which is often used to describe a bad situation that seems very likely to happen soon. The next verb, “to try”, probably sounds familiar to you, but in the context of this story, it has a very different meaning. Here, it means to bring a legal case to court and decide the result. Towards the end of the story, you’ll hear the verb “to dissolve”, which in this case means to end an official organization, such as the “library board”, or the group of people who control the library. And your last word for today is “a political appointee”, or a person who is officially chosen for a job or position because their views are in line with the person or people who choose them. Remember, if you hear any other words you don’t know, look them up after listening. Then, if you’re ready, let’s hear the news!

Reuters: Book bans – in schools and public libraries – are on the rise across the United States. Those in favor say it's about protecting children from what they view as inappropriate content. The other side argues theirs is a fight for democracy and core freedoms.

Llano County in Texas has become one flashpoint in the hotly contested debate. A court battle looms over this small county about 60 miles northwest of Austin, over whether local officials can remove books deemed inappropriate from libraries.

After a federal judge last month ordered that banned books be returned to shelves, county officials considered closing three public libraries, eventually voting on Thursday in favor of keeping them open.

Llano County Judge Ron Cunningham: "The library will remain open. We will try this in the courts, not through social media or through news media."

Earlier, the commissioners heard from 15 members of the public, most of whom wanted the libraries to stay open.
 
“You have the decision to do the right thing. Keep the libraries open. Keep the information available to all equally."
 
But others said they wanted them shut until books they labeled "pornographic" were out.
 
"My personal opinion is I do not really want to see the libraries closed, but if that is the only way that we can keep this pornography, these inappropriate books out of the hands of our children, then the library needs to close."
 
“When it comes to LGBT issues, that's really a topic that I think, again, it's an adult topic.”
 
The battle began two years ago when Llano County residents began requesting the removal of books that were included on a Texas Republican lawmaker's list of titles that should be banned. The library board resisted and in 2022 it was dissolved by county commissioners. According to the lawsuit, commissioners then "packed the new library board with political appointees."
 
The book banning issue is not unique to Texas. Over 1,600 titles have been removed from libraries in 32 states in the past year, according to the writers' organization PEN America. Most of the banned books address racism and LGBTQ issues.

Ted: That’s all for today! If you missed anything on your first listen, feel free to go back and listen again. Don’t forget that you can always slow down the playback speed of the audio if it’s too fast for you. There’s also a transcript for this episode, so you can read along while you listen. You’ll find the link in the episode description. And, if you have ten minutes to spare, we’ve put together a short survey so you can let us know what you think of the series. Your answers will help us know what we’re doing right, and where we can still improve! You’ll also find the link to the survey in the episode description.

So, thanks again for listening to Babbel News – English Only. We’ll be back next week with more stories. See you then!