NPR 2008-04-15

From NPR News in Washington, I am Jack¹ Speer.

 President Bush and Democratic congressional leaders are at odds² over legislative³ priorities. That is after the House rejected the president's attempt to force a vote on a controversial trade deal with Colombia. NPR's Debbie Elliot reports.

 President Bush today said a free trade agreement with Colombia is dead unless House speaker Nancy Pelosi schedules a vote on the deal. But Pelosi responded that first Congress should address the worsening economy. "Democrats⁴, as I have told the president, I told him last Wednesday, stand ready to work with him to bring a Colombia free trade agreement to the floor. But the timing⁵ has to be the timing of America's working families, not the timing of the president of the United States, who seems oblivious⁶ to their economic insecurity. "

Pelosi has called for an expansion of a program that helps US workers who lose their jobs because of foreign competition. President Bush wants Congress to make his tax cuts permanent. Debbie Elliot, NPR News, the Capitol.

 Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton both called for tougher trade policy toward China, as they campaigned for steelworkers' votes in Pittsburgh today as ahead of next week's Pennsylvania primary. NPR's Scott Horsley has more.

 Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton sounded remarkably⁷ similar as they promised to defend American manufacturing jobs. Both said they would try to stop China from manipulating its currency and putting US workers at a disadvantage. They also took some swipes at each other while addressing a gathering⁸ of steelworkers in Pittsburgh. Clinton has been criticizing Obama for saying at a California fundraising event that some US workers are bitter, and clinging to guns and religion and anti-immigrant settlement as a result. "I don't think he really gets it that people are looking for a president who stands up for you and not looks down on you. " Most of the workers in the audience didn't seem to mind Obama's remarks. One woman cheered him on, saying we are bitter. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Pittsburgh.

 There is still no guarantee it'll go through, but the country's No. 3 airline is said to be prepared to announce, as soon as tomorrow, it has reached agreement to merge⁹ with the No. 5 airline in a combination that would create the world's largest carrier. An individual said to be familiar with the talks said the boards of Atlanta-based Delta¹⁰ and Minnesota-based Northwest were meeting today. Because of the rising cost of jet fuel, all the major airlines are under increased financial pressure. Northwest pilots, however, say they will oppose any deal that doesn't put their interests first.

 Blockbuster announced today it has made a more than one billion dollar offer for Circuit City. The head of Blockbuster James Keyes said combining the two companies would create a retail¹¹ chain that could sell portable devices along with the entertainment for them. Keyes says the offer has the support of Blockbuster board member Carl Icahn who apparently¹² would be a major source of financing for the deal.

 On Wall Street today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 23 points to close at 12,302; the NASDAQ was down 14 points; the S&P 500 fell 4 points.

This is NPR.

 The Bush administration announced plans today to order additional 200 million dollars in emergency food aid designed to help alleviate¹³ shortages in Africa and elsewhere. According to the White House, the move to make additional funds available comes a day after top finance officials from around the world called for urgent action to stem rising food prices amid signs of social unrest in some areas including Haiti. Increasing commodity costs have put pressure on a number of aid organizations.

 Italy's controversial right-wing media tycoon¹⁴ Silvio Berlusconi won a third term as prime minister today defeating the center-left Democratic Party of Rome's popular former Mayor Walter Veltroni. NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports from Rome.

 Veltroni conceded defeat following projections¹⁵ of a victory for Berlusconi's coalition¹⁶. But the biggest winner may be Berlusconi's even more controversial ally, the Northern League, a nativist anti-immigration movement that's pushing for secession. The party doubled its votes in much of the north and political analysts¹⁷ believed it would be the arbiter¹⁸ in the new government. The 71-year-old media tycoon has promised to cut taxes and rein¹⁹ in Italy's huge debts. But he also has to tackle a disastrous²⁰ economic situation with zero growth, increasing poverty and soaring food prices. When lasted in power, Berlusconi set an Italian record by serving a full five-year term as prime minister. But critics say he failed to carry out long-needed economic and institutional reforms. Sylvia Poggioli, NPR News, Rome.

 After being held by the US military for more than two years, officials confirmed today that they will release Associated Press photographer Bilal Hussein. In a statement, the military confirmed Hussein will be freed on Wednesday after the Iraqi Judicial²¹ Committee granted him an amnesty for allegations against him. Hussein was detained by the marines in 2006.

1 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

2 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

3 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

4 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

6 oblivious   

adj.易忘的，遗忘的，忘却的，健忘的

参考例句：

• Mother has become quite oblivious after the illness.这次病后，妈妈变得特别健忘。
• He was quite oblivious of the danger.他完全没有察觉到危险。

7 remarkably   

ad.不同寻常地，相当地

参考例句：

• I thought she was remarkably restrained in the circumstances. 我认为她在那种情况下非常克制。
• He made a remarkably swift recovery. 他康复得相当快。

8 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

9 merge   

v.(使)结合，(使)合并，(使)合为一体

参考例句：

• I can merge my two small businesses into a large one.我可以将我的两家小商店合并为一家大商行。
• The directors have decided to merge the two small firms together.董事们已决定把这两家小商号归并起来。

10 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

11 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

12 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

13 alleviate   

v.减轻，缓和，缓解(痛苦等)

参考例句：

• The doctor gave her an injection to alleviate the pain.医生给她注射以减轻疼痛。
• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。

14 tycoon   

n.有钱有势的企业家，大亨

参考例句：

• The tycoon is on the verge of bankruptcy.那名大亨濒临破产的边缘。
• The tycoon has many servants to minister to his needs.那位大亨有很多人服侍他。

15 projections   

预测( projection的名词复数 )； 投影； 投掷； 突起物

参考例句：

• Their sales projections are a total thumbsuck. 他们的销售量预测纯属估计。
• The council has revised its projections of funding requirements upwards. 地方议会调高了对资金需求的预测。

16 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

17 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

18 arbiter   

n.仲裁人，公断人

参考例句：

• Andrew was the arbiter of the disagreement.安德鲁是那场纠纷的仲裁人。
• Experiment is the final arbiter in science.实验是科学的最后仲裁者。

19 rein   

n.疆绳，统治，支配；vt.以僵绳控制，统治

参考例句：

• The horse answered to the slightest pull on the rein.只要缰绳轻轻一拉,马就作出反应。
• He never drew rein for a moment till he reached the river.他一刻不停地一直跑到河边。

20 disastrous   

adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的

参考例句：

• The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
• Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨，血本无归。

21 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。