又中又英 | A head - to - head clash | 褚簡寧

　　Elon Musk's angry spat with US President Donald Trump dominated the news for almost a week. The angry spat dominated the news because both men are 800-pound gorillas. Musk is the world's richest person. Trump is the president of the world's most powerful nation. That makes them 800-pound gorillas. An angry spat is an angry but short argument. The expression "800-pound gorilla” is used to describe people or entities so powerful or dominant they can do what they want. Musk's angry spat began when he criticized a massive budget bill going through the US Congress, saying it will increase the deficit by US$2.4 trillion.

　　But Trump wants Congress to approve the bill. The Musk-Trump angry spat is no longer dominating the news. It has been replaced by a head-to-head political clash between Trump and California's Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom. A head-to-head clash can mean a direct competition between two rival sports teams or a battle between two armies. But it can also mean direct competition between two political or other rivals. Newsom is furious with Trump for sending the National Guard to handle protests in Los Angeles against Trump's deportation of undocumented immigrants. The norm is for state governors to request National Guards during an emergency.

　　Newsom didn't request the troops, insisting the protests were largely peaceful and local police could handle the situation. Headlines are also focusing on disagreements among Republicans, who have majorities in both Houses of Congress, over the budget bill. Some in Congress say the bill is on the bubble. The expression "on the bubble" can mean not certain to get a place in a sports team. But used this way, it means the budget bill is not guaranteed to succeed in the Congress.

　　伊隆．馬斯克與美國總統當勞．特朗普的憤怒爭吵（angry spat）已經霸佔新聞版面近一星期了。這個憤怒的爭執（angry spat）能佔盡新聞版面，是因為兩個男人都是「800磅的大猩猩」（800-pound gorillas）。馬斯克是世上最有錢的人，特朗普則是全球最強大國的總統，這就使他們成為毫無顧忌的800磅大猩猩（800-pound gorillas）。An angry spat是憤怒但短暫的小爭吵。習語800-pound gorilla是用來形容很強大的人或機構，他們舉足輕重，能肆無忌憚地隨心所欲。馬斯克的憤怒吵鬧（angry spat）始於他批評現正在美國國會審議的巨大預算法案，說它將會增加2萬4000億美國財政赤字。

　　特朗普卻希望國會能通過法案。但這個馬斯克與特朗普的憤怒爭吵（angry spat）不再佔盡新聞版面，取而代之的是特朗普與加州民主黨州長加文．紐森之間的正面（head-to-head）政治衝突。A head-to-head clash可以指兩個敵對運動隊伍的正面交鋒又或兩軍對壘的戰役，但它也可以解作兩個政治或其他領域的對手的正面比併。洛杉磯爆發示威抗議特朗普遣返非法移民，特朗普派美國國民警衛隊加以平息，紐森對此勃然大怒。按標準應由州長在緊急事故期間要求國民警衛隊出兵。

　　紐森卻並未要求派兵，他堅持示威基本上都是和平的，當地警察亦能處理局面。現在新聞頭條亦主要集中在共和黨內就預算法案的分歧，而共和黨現在佔國會兩院的大多數。國會裏有些人說，法案是on the bubble——習語on the bubble可以是指不確定能否當上運動隊伍的隊員，但在這裏，意思則是預算法案並不保證能在國會順利通過。

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Michael Chugani褚簡寧
中譯：七刻