Executive and legislative branch members react to Roe v. Wade threats

Executive and legislative¹ branch members react to Roe² v. Wade³ threats

Transcript⁴

President Biden said he's worried about broader threats to issues like marriage equality, while Democratic leaders take aim at conservative justices who they say lied about settled precedent⁵.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

The leak of a draft Supreme⁶ Court majority opinion to overturn legalized abortion⁷, a political earthquake, is now making its way through Washington. Chief Justice John Roberts confirmed the authenticity⁸ of the draft and ordered an investigation⁹ of the leak, which he said in a statement is a betrayal. President Biden said this morning he's worried about broader threats to issues such as marriage equality. Top Democratic leaders in Congress have taken aim at conservative justices who they say lied to Congress that Roe v. Wade was settled precedent. Here's Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer taking aim at Republicans and their leaders, who he accused as the enablers.

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CHUCK SCHUMER: Every Republican senator who supported Senator McConnell and voted for Trump¹⁰ justices, pretending that this day would never come, will now have to explain themselves to the American people.

MART?NEZ: This comes after Politico published what appears to be an initial draft majority opinion led by Justice Samuel Alito, which, we should say, could change before a final decision is released. Joining us to discuss is NPR congressional reporter Claudia Grisales. What are we hearing from congressional Democrats¹¹ this morning?

CLAUDIA GRISALES, BYLINE¹²: We're hearing just utter fury. Schumer was the first to address it on the Senate floor today, calling this a dark and disturbing morning.

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SCHUMER: The Supreme Court is poised¹³ to inflict¹⁴ the greatest restriction¹⁵ of rights in the past 50 years, not just on women but on all Americans. Under this decision, our children will have less rights than their parents.

GRISALES: Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi released a joint¹⁶ statement last night saying, quote, "Several of these conservative justices who are in no way accountable to the American people have lied to the U.S. Senate, ripped up the Constitution and defiled¹⁷ both precedent and the Supreme Court's reputation." Now, again, we should note NPR has not independently confirmed Politico's reporting here, and if this is a legitimate¹⁸ draft, the opinion could change before it's finalized¹⁹ in the coming weeks.

MART?NEZ: All right, so that's Democrats. Where do Republicans stand on last night's leak?

GRISALES: You know, that's not as clear. For now, they're diverting attention to the leak itself, such as Senate Majority - I'm sorry, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who is pushing for a Justice Department investigation into this leak. But as we know, this was not illegal to share this draft opinion. And as we also know, Chief Justice Roberts did order a probe into how this happened. That all said, this makes for an unpopular decision politically when we look at the polling on this issue out there, and it will be tricky²⁰ how Republicans will be able to play this in the coming months before the midterm election.

MART?NEZ: Yeah, it's just six months away. What do you think this means for that?

GRISALES: There is some talk that this could energize²¹ voters who disagree with this opinion, and for certain, it reshapes the debate. For example, Democrats now have a clear-cut rallying cry to get voters to the polls, and Republicans could now find themselves in a new defensive²² position to fend²³ off alarm over this opinion among the electorate²⁴. But it could turn the tide - in terms of whether it could turn the tide when it comes to expectations that, for example, Republicans could take over the House next year - maybe not, but still, that remains²⁵ to be seen.

MART?NEZ: And what, if anything, can Congress do this year?

GRISALES: Schumer said the Senate could vote to codify²⁶ a woman's right to abortion access, and every American is going to see where every senator stands on this issue. But let's be clear. Senate Democrats - their hands are tied when it comes to moving such legislation forward or to blow up the filibuster²⁷ requirements that limit their ability to do so. And that leaves the House without much recourse here as well, even if they have the votes there to approve new bills.

MART?NEZ: That's NPR congressional reporter Claudia Grisales. Thanks a lot.

GRISALES: Thank you much.

1 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。

2 roe   

n.鱼卵；獐鹿

参考例句：

• We will serve smoked cod's roe at the dinner.宴会上我们将上一道熏鳕鱼子。
• I'll scramble some eggs with roe?我用鱼籽炒几个鸡蛋好吗？

3 wade   

v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉

参考例句：

• We had to wade through the river to the opposite bank.我们只好涉水过河到对岸。
• We cannot but wade across the river.我们只好趟水过去。

4 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。

5 precedent   

n.先例，前例；惯例；adj.在前的，在先的

参考例句：

• Is there a precedent for what you want me to do?你要我做的事有前例可援吗？
• This is a wonderful achievement without precedent in Chinese history.这是中国历史上亘古未有的奇绩。

6 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。

7 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

8 authenticity   

n.真实性

参考例句：

• There has been some debate over the authenticity of his will. 对于他的遗嘱的真实性一直有争论。
• The museum is seeking an expert opinion on the authenticity of the painting. 博物馆在请专家鉴定那幅画的真伪。

9 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。

10 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。

11 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》

12 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。

13 poised   

a.摆好姿势不动的

参考例句：

• The hawk poised in mid-air ready to swoop. 老鹰在半空中盘旋，准备俯冲。
• Tina was tense, her hand poised over the telephone. 蒂娜心情紧张，手悬在电话机上。

14 inflict   

vt.(on)把…强加给，使遭受，使承担

参考例句：

• Don't inflict your ideas on me.不要把你的想法强加于我。
• Don't inflict damage on any person.不要伤害任何人。

15 restriction   

n.限制，约束

参考例句：

• The park is open to the public without restriction.这个公园对公众开放，没有任何限制。
• The 30 mph speed restriction applies in all built-up areas.每小时限速30英里适用于所有建筑物聚集区。

16 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

17 defiled   

v.玷污( defile的过去式和过去分词 )；污染；弄脏；纵列行进

参考例句：

• Many victims of burglary feel their homes have been defiled. 许多家门被撬的人都感到自己的家被玷污了。
• I felt defiled by the filth. 我觉得这些脏话玷污了我。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

19 finalized   

vt.完成（finalize的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The draft of this article has been finalized [done]. 这篇文章已经定稿。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The draft was revised several times before it was finalized. 稿子几经删改才定下来。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

20 tricky   

adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的

参考例句：

• I'm in a rather tricky position.Can you help me out?我的处境很棘手，你能帮我吗？
• He avoided this tricky question and talked in generalities.他回避了这个非常微妙的问题，只做了个笼统的表述。

21 energize   

vt.给予(某人或某物)精力、能量

参考例句：

• It is used to energize the city.它的作用是为城市供给能量。
• This is a great way to energize yourself and give yourself more power!这种方法非常棒，可以激活你的能量，让你有更多的活力！

22 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

23 fend   

v.照料（自己），（自己）谋生，挡开，避开

参考例句：

• I've had to fend for myself since I was 14.我从十四岁时起就不得不照料自己。
• He raised his arm up to fend branches from his eyes.他举手将树枝从他眼前挡开。

24 electorate   

n.全体选民；选区

参考例句：

• The government was responsible to the electorate.政府对全体选民负责。
• He has the backing of almost a quarter of the electorate.他得到了几乎1/4选民的支持。

25 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

26 codify   

v.将法律、法规等编成法典

参考例句：

• The noble,Dracon,was asked to codify the laws.贵族德拉古被选为立法者。
• The new government promised to codify the laws.新政府应允要编纂法典。

27 filibuster   

n.妨碍议事，阻挠；v.阻挠

参考例句：

• A senator dragged the subject in as a filibuster.一个参议员硬把这个题目拉扯进来，作为一种阻碍议事的手法。
• The democrats organized a filibuster in the senate.民主党党员在参议院上组织了阻挠议事。