VOA · What's Trending Today?
Intermediate · B1–B2learner speed3:052019-04-24public domain
What's Trending Today? covers viral stories and social media moments in short, punchy reports. The episodes are brief and topical — perfect for a quick daily dictation session.
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01This is what's trending today.
02Babies have been a popular subject on social media in recent days.
03People are writing a lot on Twitter and other social media platforms about the impending birth of the first child of Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex.
04She and her husband, married in 2018, have been keeping many details about the baby's birth secret.
05They say they do not know the baby's sex and have not told the public where the baby will be born.
06The secrecy around the birth has been a hot issue on social media.
07Writer Tina Brown noted that she supports Meghan Markle's decision to keep details of the baby's birth private, a decision that breaks from what Britain's royal family has done in the past.
08American broadcaster Casey Hunt wrote that she supports the Duchess of Sussex.
09In a tweet, she added that Meghan Markle's critics can This is a term an older adult might use to chastise young people for doing something they are not supposed to do.
10Many media organizations have released or published stories about where the baby will be in the royal succession line.
11The television program Good Morning America noted that the baby will be seventh in line for the throne.
12The Evening Standard, a British publication, noted that the secrecy surrounding the birth has created a situation for some people to gamble.
13Specifically, they are making predictions about the sex and name of the baby, which bookmakers expect to be a girl.
14Many believe that Grace, Diana, or Elizabeth will be the name if the baby is a girl.
15If it is a boy, many suspect the name will be Albert, Arthur, or James.
16And that is what's trending today.
17I'm John Russell.
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