美国国家公共电台 NPR Elderly Trump Critics Await Mueller's Report — Sometimes Until Their Last Breath

 

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

We still don't know when we're going to get the results of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation¹. And critics of the president are feeling a growing sense of anticipation² the longer this goes. NPR's Tim Mak has been talking to some elderly and ill people who are determined³ to hang on so they can see how all this unfolds.

TIM MAK, BYLINE⁴: As a World War II veteran, Mitch Tendler had lived through many historical milestones⁵ of the 20th century - the Korean War, then Vietnam, Watergate and the impeachment⁶ of Bill Clinton. And he was watching the current presidency⁷ with something bordering on obsession⁸. But on December 29, at the age of 93, he began feeling pain in his legs.

WALTER TENDLER: And I got a call at 11 o'clock. My mom said, well, Dad's not feeling well. He really can't stand.

MAK: That's Tendler's son, Walter, who lives in San Diego.

TENDLER: Within a couple of hours, they called 911 and got him into the ER 'cause it wasn't getting any better.

MAK: Mitchell Tendler began to fade. Doctors gave him some painkillers⁹. And then he had a final thought.

TENDLER: It just was quiet for a little while and then just sits up in bed halfway¹⁰ and looks at me. And he goes, [expletive], I'm not going to see the Mueller report, am I? And that was really the last coherent thing that he said.

MAK: For nearly two years, those who find fault with Trump¹¹ have been hanging onto hope that Mueller will produce evidence damaging to the president. These expectations are so high that there are even those who, in their last years, are hoping to survive just long enough to see the conclusion. Richard Armstrong is 94 years old, currently in hospice care in Plainsboro, N.J. And he identifies with Tendler's words.

RICHARD ARMSTRONG: I know exactly how he feels. I feel the same way. I've been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

MAK: He is an independent who had voted for Republicans at times, including Richard Nixon in the '70s. But he's watching Mueller with anticipation.

ARMSTRONG: I was hoping to live to see the outcome of what I think should be justice. I'll be surprised and disappointed if it isn't.

MAK: The story about the World War II vet's last words made its way by word of mouth to Benjamin Wittes, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. He tweeted it out without naming the family and was flooded by responses from Americans whose parents or grandparents had similar feelings about Mueller.

KRISTINA MAKANSI: When I saw that tweet about the Mueller report and the old man on his deathbed, I thought, oh, my gosh. That's the kind of thing that my mother would say.

MAK: That's Kristina Makansi, who lives in Tucson, Ariz. Her mother passed away in January at the age of 94.

MAKANSI: I think she really wanted to see that justice was done.

MAK: The voices in this story are hardly the only ones eager to see Mueller as the person who will give them the answers. Many Democrats¹² want Mueller's investigation to lead to follow-on action. Here's Lee Miringoff, the director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion.

LEE MIRINGOFF: When it comes to Democrats, the expectations are sky-high. And they're looking for this to initiate¹³ further action, both of a political nature and of a legal nature, against Donald Trump. They'll be disappointed, I think, if either of those falls short.

MAK: The stories show just how much communities across America are eagerly awaiting news from the special counsel. And it's even more urgent for those Americans approaching the end of their lives. Tim Mak, NPR News, Washington.

(SOUNDBITE OF PLAID'S "THE BEE")

1 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。

2 anticipation   

n.预期，预料，期望

参考例句：

• We waited at the station in anticipation of her arrival.我们在车站等着，期待她的到来。
• The animals grew restless as if in anticipation of an earthquake.各种动物都变得焦躁不安，像是感到了地震即将发生。

3 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 milestones   

n.重要事件( milestone的名词复数 )；重要阶段；转折点；里程碑

参考例句：

• Several important milestones in foreign policy have been passed by this Congress and they can be chalked up as major accomplishments. 这次代表大会通过了对外政策中几起划时代的事件，并且它们可作为主要成就记录下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Dale: I really envy your milestones over the last few years, Don. 我真的很羡慕你在过去几年中所建立的丰功伟绩。 来自互联网

6 impeachment   

n.弹劾；控告；怀疑

参考例句：

• Impeachment is considered a drastic measure in the United States.在美国，弹劾被视为一种非常激烈的措施。
• The verdict resulting from his impeachment destroyed his political career.他遭弹劾后得到的判决毁了他的政治生涯。

7 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

8 obsession   

n.困扰，无法摆脱的思想(或情感)

参考例句：

• I was suffering from obsession that my career would be ended.那时的我陷入了我的事业有可能就此终止的困扰当中。
• She would try to forget her obsession with Christopher.她会努力忘记对克里斯托弗的迷恋。

9 painkillers   

n.止痛药( painkiller的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The doctor gave him some painkillers to ease the pain. 医生给了他一些止疼片以减缓疼痛。 来自辞典例句
• The primary painkillers - opiates, like OxyContin - are widely feared, misunderstood and underused. 人们对主要的镇痛药——如鸦片剂奥施康定——存在广泛的恐惧、误解，因此没有充分利用。 来自时文部分

10 halfway   

adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途

参考例句：

• We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路，天就黑了。
• In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上，最忌讳的是有始无终。

11 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

12 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》

13 initiate   

vt.开始，创始，发动；启蒙，使入门；引入

参考例句：

• A language teacher should initiate pupils into the elements of grammar.语言老师应该把基本语法教给学生。
• They wanted to initiate a discussion on economics.他们想启动一次经济学讨论。