NPR 2008-09-17

Investment bank Goldman Sachs reported a 70% drop in income today, following an eventful day yesterday. All eyes are now focused on the health of the remaining firms that make up the pillars of Wall Street. NPR's Yuki Noguchi reports.

With Bear Stearns gone, Lehman in bankruptcy¹ and Merrill Lynch bought up, Goldman is one of only two independent investment firms left on Wall Street. It said it's been hurt by slower client activity and investment banking² losses in recent months. But it's still making money and if it survives the shakeout, analysts³ say it could emerge stronger with more clients. Meanwhile the main drama centered on insurance giant AIG which is seeking as much as 75 billion dollars to stay afloat. AIG shares plummeted⁴ 60% on Monday, prompting agencies to cut the company's credit ratings. Yuki Noguchi, NPR News.

Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, Connecticut Senator Christopher Dodd, said today he is skeptical⁵ about any potential aid for insurance giant AIG. Dodd made his comments when questioned about the possibility of a government bridge loan or some other form of support. Dodd said he would want the Bush administration to consult with him before making a move one way or the other.

On Wall Street today, the Dow gained 141 points. The NASDAQ added 28 points. The S&P 500 was up 20 points today.

The State Department is organizing flights out of Bolivia for US citizens who might want to leave the political unrest there. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.

In a message to US citizens living in Bolivia, the embassy said that it's offering two flights on Wednesday from Bolivia to neighboring Peru. The embassy is closed for regular business because of street protests. News of the evacuation comes at a troubling time in US-Bolivian relations. Last week Bolivia expelled the US ambassador, accusing him of inciting⁶ protests against the country's leftwing government. The US denied that charge. The Drug Enforcement Administration has had to move its operations for security reasons and the Peace Corps⁷ has flown its volunteers out of Bolivia as well. Michele Kelemen, NPR News, Washington.

The House has passed legislation that says the Bush administration cannot exempt⁸ countries from being sued for torturing American prisoners of war. The White House blocked a claim by a group of POWs who successfully sued the Iraq government in 2002. NPR's Jack⁹ Sahora reports.

The 17 POWs are captured during the 1991 Persian Gulf¹⁰ War. Years later they successfully sued the Iraq government in a Washington D. C. courthouse. But an appeals court said the White House could exempt Iraq from paying out a multi-million-dollar claim because of foreign policy interests. Monday night the House passed legislation that would take away that power of exemption¹¹ from the president. President Bush vetoed a defense¹² policy bill in 2007 for a similar provision, contending such lawsuits¹³ could hurt Iraq's economic and political progress. Jack Sahora, NPR News, Washington.

Crude oil prices fell $4. 56 a barrel today.

This is NPR News.

Five state Republican lawmakers are now calling for a judge to halt an investigation¹⁴ into Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's firing of the state public safety commissioner¹⁵. The calls come after a bipartisan oversight¹⁷ committee unanimously approved an inquiry¹⁸ into whether Palin, now the Republican vice¹⁹ presidential nominee²⁰, dismissed the commissioner because he would not fire her former brother-in-law, a state trooper, after a messy divorce. The lawmakers in a filing in state Superior Court called the investigation unlawful, biased²¹, partial and partisan¹⁶.

Spain Supreme²² Court's outlawed²³ a Basque political party accused of supporting terrorism. The party has hundreds of representatives in local government mainly in the northern Basque region. Jerome Socolovsky reports from Madrid.

The Supreme Court President Francisco Hernando says the Basque Nationalist Action Party is an instrument of the armed group ETA. ETA has killed hundreds of people in Spain in its long running quest for Basque independence. The prosecution²⁴ had argued that the Nationalist Action Party took over from another Basque faction²⁵ Batasuna after it was outlawed in 2003. Spanish law bans any movement that politically supports terrorist violence. The ruling is likely to require more than 400 elected representatives in the Basque region and neighboring Navarra to relinquish²⁶ their seats on town and city councils. A spokeswoman for the newly banned party called the ruling anti-democratic. For NPR News, I'm Jerome Socolovsky in Madrid.

It was 100 years ago that General Motors came into being. GM Chairman Rick Wagoner used the occasion to unveil the automaker's new electric car the Chevy Volt²⁷ which is still several years away from being on the market. The car is designed to go 40 miles on a charge with a small gas engine to charge the vehicle during longer drives.

1 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。

2 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

3 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。

4 plummeted   

v.垂直落下，骤然跌落( plummet的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Share prices plummeted to an all-time low. 股票价格暴跌到历史最低点。
• A plane plummeted to earth. 一架飞机一头栽向地面。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

6 inciting   

刺激的，煽动的

参考例句：

• What are you up to inciting mutiny and insubordination? 你们干吗在这里煽动骚动的叛乱呀。
• He was charged with inciting people to rebel. 他被控煽动民众起来叛乱。

7 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

8 exempt   

adj.免除的；v.使免除；n.免税者，被免除义务者

参考例句：

• These goods are exempt from customs duties.这些货物免征关税。
• He is exempt from punishment about this thing.关于此事对他已免于处分。

9 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。

10 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

11 exemption   

n.豁免，免税额，免除

参考例句：

• You may be able to apply for exemption from local taxes.你可能符合资格申请免除地方税。
• These goods are subject to exemption from tax.这些货物可以免税。

12 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

13 lawsuits   

n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
• I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句

14 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

15 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

16 partisan   

adj.党派性的；游击队的；n.游击队员；党徒

参考例句：

• In their anger they forget all the partisan quarrels.愤怒之中，他们忘掉一切党派之争。
• The numerous newly created partisan detachments began working slowly towards that region.许多新建的游击队都开始慢慢地向那里移动。

17 oversight   

n.勘漏，失察，疏忽

参考例句：

• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
• Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。

18 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

19 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

20 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

21 biased   

a.有偏见的

参考例句：

• a school biased towards music and art 一所偏重音乐和艺术的学校
• The Methods: They employed were heavily biased in the gentry's favour. 他们采用的方法严重偏袒中上阶级。

22 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

23 outlawed   

宣布…为不合法（outlaw的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Most states have outlawed the use of marijuana. 大多数州都宣布使用大麻为非法行为。
• I hope the sale of tobacco will be outlawed someday. 我希望有朝一日烟草制品会禁止销售。

24 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。

25 faction   

n.宗派，小集团；派别；派系斗争

参考例句：

• Faction and self-interest appear to be the norm.派系之争和自私自利看来非常普遍。
• I now understood clearly that I was caught between the king and the Bunam's faction.我现在完全明白自己已陷入困境，在国王与布纳姆集团之间左右为难。

26 relinquish   

v.放弃，撤回，让与，放手

参考例句：

• He was forced to relinquish control of the company.他被迫放弃公司的掌控权。
• They will never voluntarily relinquish their independence.他们绝对不会自动放弃独立。

27 volt   

n.伏特，伏

参考例句：

• You may use 100 and 110 volt appliances in your room.您可以在房间使用100及110伏特的电器。
• The common service voltage of electric power in our country is 220/380 volt.我国普通供电电压为220/380伏。