CNN 2009-07-23

Hi there! Thanks for joining us. I'm Virginia Cha at the CNN center in Atlanta with a look at what's happening NOW IN THE NEWS.

President Obama is expected to make a big push for overhauling¹ the health care system at his news conference tonight. Some Democrats² meantime are actually grumbling³. They say they want him to weigh in more on details that haven't been worked out yet. The president has been putting more pressure on Republicans. He says health care reform is closer than ever before.

More legal trouble for outgoing Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. A preliminary state report says Palin may have violated state ethics⁴ laws by letting supporters set up a legal defense⁵ fund to help her battle ethics complaints. Palin has cited the time and money needed to fight a flood of ethics complaints as a major reason for why she's stepping down.

Pot will help pay a city's bills for the first time in this country. Voters in cash-strapped Oakland, California okayed a tax on medical marijuana yesterday. County officials say about eighty percent of voters approved it. One critic says it's wrong to use a drug to pay down the state's debts. Medical marijuana is legal in California.

Millions of people got to see the light show of a lifetime. The longest total eclipse of the sun this century put large parts of Asia in the dark. It lasted about five to six minutes enough to make temperatures go down.

Those are the headlines for you this hour. Stay with CNN for more on those stories and all your other news of the day.

1 overhauling   

n.大修；拆修；卸修；翻修v.彻底检查( overhaul的现在分词 )；大修；赶上；超越

参考例句：

• I had no chance of overhauling him. 我没有赶上他的可能。 来自辞典例句
• Some sites need little alterations but some need total overhauling. 有些网站需要做出细微修改，而有些网站就需要整体改版。 来自互联网

2 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》

3 grumbling   

adj. 喃喃鸣不平的, 出怨言的

参考例句：

• She's always grumbling to me about how badly she's treated at work. 她总是向我抱怨她在工作中如何受亏待。
• We didn't hear any grumbling about the food. 我们没听到过对食物的抱怨。

4 ethics   

n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准

参考例句：

• The ethics of his profession don't permit him to do that.他的职业道德不允许他那样做。
• Personal ethics and professional ethics sometimes conflict.个人道德和职业道德有时会相互抵触。

5 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。