NPR 2009-06-29

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh.

There has been a coup¹ d'etat in the Central American nation of Honduras. NPR's Jason Beaubien reports.

By a show of hands, the Honduran Congress elevated the congressional President Roberto Micheletti to the position of head of state. President Manuel Zelaya, speaking at a press conference in Costa Rica where he's been exiled, says he was brutally² pulled from his bed by Honduran soldiers. The military put him on a plane and dropped him at the airport in Costa Rica. Soldiers patrolled the streets of Tegucigalpa, the capital and took over most public buildings. There are also reports that other members of Zelaya's government and some foreign diplomats³ have been detained by the Honduran military. Governments throughout the hemisphere condemned⁴ the coup d'etat. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was the most forceful, threatening to send troops into the Central American nation. US State Department officials meanwhile called for President Zelaya to be returned to power immediately. Jason Beaubien, NPR News, Mexico City.

Argentina held mid-term legislative⁵ electionstoday widely viewed as a referendum on the popularity of the country's influential⁶ first couple. President Cristina Fernandez succeeded her husband Nestor Kirchner in 2007.

US combat forces are officially supposed to be out of Iraq's urban centers by Tuesday. Ahead of that, Iraqi forces are trying to shore up security to prevent more violence despite that there were more bombings in the capital today, the latest in a string of attacks in recent weeks. But the top US commander in Iraq General Ray Odierno says overall security is still improving.

"We have not seen increased violence across the country. We still have low levels of overall violence. However these high profile attacks, all they have done is kill innocent civilians⁷ and in fact brought the ire of Iraqi civilians against these terrorist groups.” Odierno speaking on CNN.

The five-day disappearance⁸ and extramarital affair of Republican South Caroline Governor Mark Sanford was the subject of the Sunday morning talk shows today. NPR's Yuki Noguchi has details.

After Sanford stepped down as the head of the Republican Governors Association, Mississippi governor Haley Barbour took his place. He told CBS's Face the Nation his members need to abide⁹ by their promises." Republicans need to do what they say they are gonna do, I mean that's the issue."  That includes curbing¹⁰ government's spending, he said. But he said commenting on private lives is impolite. Lindsay Graham is a Republican Senator in South Carolina and godfather to the youngest of Sanford's four children. Appearing on NBC's Meet the Press, he said he hoped for a personal and political reconciliation¹¹ for the governor, a one-time Republican hopeful for a 2012 presidential ticket. "Second chances are not deserved or required, but if they are ever given, they can be a blessing¹². I hope Mark gets one with his family and the voters." YukiNoguchi, NPR News, Washington.

A standoff off Somalia's water is over. Pirates have released a Belgium ship two months after it was captured.

You are listening to NPR News.

A top official of the Obama administration is scheduled to preside at a town hall meeting in California's central valley as the state grapples with the shortage of water. Bob Hensley of Capital Public Radio reports.

Department of the Interior Secretary Ken¹³ Salazar will meet with local and state officials, business operators and farmers about the problems they are facing due to a lack of water. A drought coupled with a reduction in allocations from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta¹⁴ has resulted in tens of thousands of acres of cropland aligned¹⁵ fallow this year. Fresno County Farm Bureau spokesman Ryan Jacobsen appreciated Secretary Salazar making the cross-country trip.

"We are happy to see the Secretary coming here to hear from the people that are experiencing the current situation and making sure that the administration understands the significance of this problem."

California's agriculture industry is expected to lose more than $600 million this year because there isn't enough water. The state has asked the Obama administration for a disaster declaration. For NPR News, I'm Bob Hensley in Modesto, California.

Gay rights activists¹⁶ took to the streets today for Gay Pride Parades. There was a big turnout along New York City's Fifth Avenue. Marchers observed the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall uprisings when a police raid on the gay-friendly Stonewall Inn prompted riots.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell says thatSenate Judiciary Committee needs more time to review documents connected to Sonia Sotomayor's Supreme¹⁷ Court nomination¹⁸. He tells Fox News Sunday that the committee has received some 300 boxes of records in recent days. Hearings on the nomination are set to begin July 13th.

And in soccer, Brazil defeated the US 3:2 today for a second straight Confederations Cup title.

I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News Washington.

1 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

2 brutally   

adv.残忍地，野蛮地，冷酷无情地

参考例句：

• The uprising was brutally put down.起义被残酷地镇压下去了。
• A pro-democracy uprising was brutally suppressed.一场争取民主的起义被残酷镇压了。

3 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

5 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。

6 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

7 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

8 disappearance   

n.消失，消散，失踪

参考例句：

• He was hard put to it to explain her disappearance.他难以说明她为什么不见了。
• Her disappearance gave rise to the wildest rumours.她失踪一事引起了各种流言蜚语。

9 abide   

vi.遵守；坚持；vt.忍受

参考例句：

• You must abide by the results of your mistakes.你必须承担你的错误所造成的后果。
• If you join the club,you have to abide by its rules.如果你参加俱乐部，你就得遵守它的规章。

10 curbing   

n.边石，边石的材料v.限制，克制，抑制( curb的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Progress has been made in curbing inflation. 在控制通货膨胀方面已取得了进展。
• A range of policies have been introduced aimed at curbing inflation. 为了抑制通货膨胀实施了一系列的政策。

11 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

12 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

13 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

14 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。

15 aligned   

adj.对齐的，均衡的

参考例句：

• Make sure the shelf is aligned with the top of the cupboard.务必使搁架与橱柜顶端对齐。

16 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 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。

18 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。