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1. President Bush is standing up for his Pentagon chief and defending his record. President says Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has his full support and deepest appreciation. The statement comes after several retired generals called for Rumsfeld to step down.
2. A Kansas City area husband and wife who falsely claimed to be the parents of critically ill sextuplets were charged Friday with stealing cash from people taken in by the hoax. Kris and Sarah Everson collected donations for the babies they claimed were born last month. The Eversons said they lied to get money to pay their bills.
3. New information about the gruesome murder in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The coroner says the six family members were hit with such incredible force over the weekend that their deaths were pretty much instant. Police say a 21-year-old relative confessed to the murders. No word yet on motive.
3. Pope Benedict XVI is presiding over his first Good Friday as pope. The pontiff opened the service in St. Peter's square by reflecting on the suffering of Christ and that of humanity throughout the ages.
WORDS IN THE NEWS
1. critically ill :
so ill that you might die
2. sextuplet :noun [C]
any of six children born to the same mother at the same time
3. be taken in :
to be completely deceived by someone who lies to you
e.g. Don't be taken in by products claiming to help you lose weight in a week.
4. hoax :noun [C]
a plan to deceive someone, such as telling the police there is a bomb somewhere when there is not one, or a trick:
e.g. The bomb threat turned out to be a hoax.
5. gruesome:adjective
extremely unpleasant and shocking, and usually dealing with death or injury:
e.g. The newspaper article included a gruesome description of the murder.
6. coroner :noun [C]
an official who examines the reasons for a person's death, especially if it was violent or unexpected
7. preside over sth :phrasal verb
to be in charge of a situation, especially a formal meeting or a trial:
e.g. Judge Langdale is to preside over the official enquiry into the case.
8. reflect on :
to think carefully about something, or to say something that you have been thinking about
e.g. He had time to reflect on his successes and failures.
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