美国国家公共电台 NPR--Crime is top of mind for Republicans going after the Attorney General's office

Crime is top of mind for Republicans going after the Attorney General's office

Transcript¹

Republicans in Minnesota are hoping to snap a five-decade Democratic hold on Attorney General office by casting the race as almost exclusively about crime.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Minnesota's attorney general, Keith Ellison, faces a vote for reelection this fall. He's one of the nation's highest profile attorneys general. And one way to speak of the divide in the voting is between people who focus on the murder of George Floyd and the issues that raised and people who focus on other crimes. Here's Minnesota Public Radio's Dana Ferguson.

DANA FERGUSON, BYLINE³: Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison won his seat in 2018. Now the Democrat² is running for a second term. On the campaign trail, he works to emphasize his successful efforts suing companies that price gouged⁴ during the pandemic and forging settlements with opioid manufacturers that brought millions of dollars to Minnesota for treatment.

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KEITH ELLISON: As your attorney general, I worked every day to uplift people - to help you afford your life and live with dignity, safety and respect.

FERGUSON: The attorney general's office doesn't typically investigate violent crimes, but it can step in to prosecute⁵ local cases. Ellison likes to point out he's won all the cases that have been handed to him, most notably⁶ the prosecution⁷ of former police officer Derek Chauvin in George Floyd's murder. Even so, the former congressman⁸ is in a close race with Republican Jim Schultz, a former corporate⁹ attorney who is new to politics. His focus is on public safety. Schultz says Ellison hasn't done enough to address an alarming rise in crime in Minneapolis.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

JIM SCHULTZ: What I call these past few years is a man-made disaster because it didn't have to be this way. We could have embraced sensible policies that address the extraordinary crime that is crippling communities, taking lives, damaging lives.

FERGUSON: Several states have tracked upticks in violent crime amid the pandemic. In Minnesota, violent crime jumped by 21% last year compared to 2020. The Schultz campaign and groups supporting him have plastered airwaves with ads tying Ellison to violence.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: This is a call from an inmate¹⁰ at a Minnesota correctional facility. Press one to accept.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Hello.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #1: Hey. I want you to know why the inmates¹¹ are supporting Attorney General Keith Ellison.

FERGUSON: Some videos show the mayhem that broke out in the Twin Cities following the murder of George Floyd. Others flashed scenes of carjackings, robberies and brutal¹² fights. All include photos of Ellison. And a narrator says the attorney general has helped fuel the lawlessness.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #2: Keith Ellison wants to dismantle¹³ the police with murders at an all-time high in the Twin Cities.

FERGUSON: Critics charge the ads have racist¹⁴ overtones. The Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party has filed complaints against Schultz's campaign and independent groups that placed the ads. A review by the state's campaign finance board is ongoing¹⁵. University of Minnesota professor Larry Jacobs says the ads exaggerate Ellison's positions, but are still influential¹⁶.

LARRY JACOBS: I think those images - those shocking images of rioting in Minneapolis and crime are registering in the minds of the voters who are up for grabs.

FERGUSON: Police groups and sheriffs who support Schultz are critical of Ellison's decision to back a failed effort to create a new public safety agency. Meanwhile, county prosecutors¹⁷ have endorsed¹⁸ Ellison and community leaders in neighborhoods hit hardest by violent crime say Ellison was the one who asked them how he could help. For more than five decades, Minnesota's attorney general has been a Democrat. Voters will decide Tuesday whether the shadow of the turmoil¹⁹ that came after Floyd's murder and the fight over crime and policing will change that. For NPR News, I'm Dana Ferguson in Minneapolis.

(SOUNDBITE OF YELLOW LIME, ET AL.'S "OBRIGADA")

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

3 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。

4 gouged   

v.凿( gouge的过去式和过去分词 )；乱要价；（在…中）抠出…；挖出…

参考例句：

• The lion's claws had gouged a wound in the horse's side. 狮爪在马身一侧抓了一道深口。
• The lovers gouged out their names on the tree. 情人们把他们的名字刻在树上。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 prosecute   

vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官

参考例句：

• I am trying my best to prosecute my duties.我正在尽力履行我的职责。
• Is there enough evidence to prosecute?有没有起诉的足够证据？

6 notably   

adv.值得注意地，显著地，尤其地，特别地

参考例句：

• Many students were absent,notably the monitor.许多学生缺席，特别是连班长也没来。
• A notably short,silver-haired man,he plays basketball with his staff several times a week.他个子明显较为矮小，一头银发，每周都会和他的员工一起打几次篮球。

7 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。

8 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

9 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

10 inmate   

n.被收容者；(房屋等的)居住人；住院人

参考例句：

• I am an inmate of that hospital.我住在那家医院。
• The prisoner is his inmate.那个囚犯和他同住一起。

11 inmates   

n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• One of the inmates has escaped. 被收容的人中有一个逃跑了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The inmates were moved to an undisclosed location. 监狱里的囚犯被转移到一个秘密处所。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

13 dismantle   

vt.拆开，拆卸；废除，取消

参考例句：

• He asked for immediate help from the United States to dismantle the warheads.他请求美国立即提供援助，拆除这批弹头。
• The mower firmly refused to mow,so I decided to dismantle it.修完后割草机还是纹丝不动，于是，我决定把它拆开。

14 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

15 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

16 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。

17 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

18 endorsed   

vt.& vi.endorse的过去式或过去分词形式v.赞同( endorse的过去式和过去分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• The committee endorsed an initiative by the chairman to enter discussion about a possible merger. 委员会通过了主席提出的新方案，开始就可能进行的并购进行讨论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The government has broadly endorsed a research paper proposing new educational targets for 14-year-olds. 政府基本上支持建议对14 岁少年实行新教育目标的研究报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。