美国国家公共电台 NPR Viva Las Vegas: Elvis, Adelson Honored With Presidential Medal Of Freedom

 

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

A king, a senator and a sultan will be honored at the White House this afternoon. President Trump¹ is presenting the nation's highest civilian² honor to seven people that also includes Elvis Presley and Babe Ruth. The president decides who gets the Medal of Freedom. NPR's Scott Horsley reports on what these picks tell us about Trump.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "IT'S NOW OR NEVER")

ELVIS PRESLEY: (Singing) It's now or never.

SCOTT HORSLEY, BYLINE³: Elvis Presley left the building for good more than 40 years ago, and Babe Ruth's been gone more than 70, but you can soon add the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Elvis's gold records and Ruth's batting titles. President Trump picked the honorees after getting suggestions from staff members, Cabinet secretaries and the public.

FLETCHER MCCLELLAN: This is a fascinating way to find out what is important to a president. And in President Trump's case, we get to learn more about what make America great means to him.

HORSLEY: That's Fletcher McClellan, a political scientist at Elizabethtown College. He's part of a team that's catalogued all 500-plus Medals of Freedom since the award was launched by President Kennedy. McClellan suggests honoring Presley and Ruth might signal Trump's nostalgic yearning⁴ for America as it was in the last century. He says they're also safe picks for the president. More contemporary artists and athletes have sometimes spurned⁵ Trump's invitations.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "RETURN TO SENDER")

PRESLEY: (Singing) Return to sender.

HORSLEY: Some of Trump's choices are unsurprising - late Supreme⁶ Court Justice Antonin Scalia, for example, and Utah Senator Orrin Hatch, who's retiring after 41 years. Trump is also the first president to extend the honor to a couple of pro⁷ football stars, including Roger Staubach, whom McClellan calls an easy choice.

MCCLELLAN: You know, a Heisman Trophy⁸ winner, a Naval⁹ Academy graduate. He served his country. Quarterbacks the Dallas Cowboys, America's team. It's owned by Jerry Jones, who is a Trump supporter. The big surprise to me is Alan Page.

HORSLEY: Page, who had a Hall of Fame career with the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears, went on to serve more than 20 years as a justice on the Minnesota Supreme Court. While Trump has criticized NFL players who protest police brutality¹⁰ by taking a knee during the national anthem¹¹, Page has defended those players, as he did here on WCCO television.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

ALAN PAGE: What Paul Robeson said was, the answer to injustice¹² is not to silence the critics, it is to end the injustice.

HORSLEY: Trump's final pick for the Medal of Freedom is Miriam Adelson, who's described as a committed doctor, philanthropist and humanitarian¹³. She's also a GOP mega-donor along with her husband, the billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "VIVA LAS VEGAS")

PRESLEY: (Singing) Viva Las Vegas.

HORSLEY: Sheila Krumholz of the Center for Responsive Politics says, in the 2018 election cycle alone, the Adelsons gave more than $113 million to Republican or conservative campaigns.

SHEILA KRUMHOLZ: This is a power couple that really cuts a pass in U.S. politics and has been a major benefactor¹⁴ to the Republican Party for many years.

HORSLEY: Financial supporters have been honored in the past, although usually not so close to an election. Sheldon Adelson was at the White House last Tuesday for a midterm election watch party. The Medal of Freedom honorees were announced just four days later. McClellan's research shows presidents typically don't get any political boost from these awards - if anything, their approval ratings go down. So if Trump winds up in the doghouse for bestowing¹⁵ the nation's highest civilian honor on a big campaign contributor, he won't be alone.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "YOU AIN'T NOTHING BUT A HOUND DOG")

PRESLEY: (Singing) You ain't nothing but a hound dog.

HORSLEY: Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.

1 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。

2 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

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 yearning   

a.渴望的；向往的；怀念的

参考例句：

• a yearning for a quiet life 对宁静生活的向往
• He felt a great yearning after his old job. 他对过去的工作有一种强烈的渴想。

5 spurned   

v.一脚踢开，拒绝接受( spurn的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Eve spurned Mark's invitation. 伊夫一口回绝了马克的邀请。
• With Mrs. Reed, I remember my best was always spurned with scorn. 对里德太太呢，我记得我的最大努力总是遭到唾弃。 来自辞典例句

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 pro   

n.赞成，赞成的意见，赞成者

参考例句：

• The two debating teams argued the question pro and con.辩论的两组从赞成与反对两方面辩这一问题。
• Are you pro or con nuclear disarmament?你是赞成还是反对核裁军？

8 trophy   

n.优胜旗，奖品，奖杯，战胜品，纪念品

参考例句：

• The cup is a cherished trophy of the company.那只奖杯是该公司很珍惜的奖品。
• He hung the lion's head as a trophy.他把那狮子头挂起来作为狩猎纪念品。

9 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

10 brutality   

n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮

参考例句：

• The brutality of the crime has appalled the public. 罪行之残暴使公众大为震惊。
• a general who was infamous for his brutality 因残忍而恶名昭彰的将军

11 anthem   

n.圣歌，赞美诗，颂歌

参考例句：

• All those present were standing solemnly when the national anthem was played.奏国歌时全场肃立。
• As he stood on the winner's rostrum,he sang the words of the national anthem.他站在冠军领奖台上，唱起了国歌。

12 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

13 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

14 benefactor   

n. 恩人，行善的人，捐助人

参考例句：

• The chieftain of that country is disguised as a benefactor this time. 那个国家的首领这一次伪装出一副施恩者的姿态。
• The first thing I did, was to recompense my original benefactor, my good old captain. 我所做的第一件事, 就是报答我那最初的恩人, 那位好心的老船长。

15 bestowing   

砖窑中砖堆上层已烧透的砖

参考例句：

• Apollo, you see, is bestowing the razor on the Triptolemus of our craft. 你瞧，阿波罗正在把剃刀赠给我们这项手艺的特里泼托勒默斯。
• What thanks do we not owe to Heaven for thus bestowing tranquillity, health and competence! 我们要谢谢上苍，赐我们的安乐、健康和饱暖。