AS IT IS 2016-03-30 Trending Today: #BirdieSanders

（单词翻译）

AS IT IS 2016-03-30 Trending Today: #BirdieSanders

This is What’s Trending Today...

Last Friday, Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders held a rally in the state of Oregon. During the event, an unexpected guest joined the Vermont senator on stage: a bird. 

The tiny bird flew around Sanders. Then, it landed on the podium where Sanders was speaking.

Sanders and the bird, a house finch¹, stared at one another for several moments. Smiling, Sanders told the crowd he believed the bird’s presence was symbolic².

"I know it doesn't look like it, but that bird is really a dove asking us for world peace."

The crowd went wild. And so did the Internet. The play-on-words hashtag #BirdieSanders soon trended. Five days later, the hashtag is still a trending topic on social media.

People quickly called it, the most “heartwarming moment” of the 2016 presidential election. Indeed, in an election season dominated by insults and negative campaigning, the sweet moment between Sanders and the tiny bird was a welcome change.

Social media users enjoyed artwork and graphics³ inspired by the event. Some graphics even showed Sanders as a bird himself.

Senator Sanders tweeted a drawing of him and the bird looking at one another, with the word “together.”

The Late Show host Stephen Colbert joked about the viral event on his show Monday night.

Colbert suggested the Birdie Sanders moment helped the senator win caucusus in three states over the weekend: Washington, Hawaii, and Alaska.

Then he joked, “"What are the odds⁴ that a bird would be attracted to an old man who looks like he has bread in his pockets?"

Words in This Story

podium - n.  a stand with a slanted⁵ surface that holds a book, notes, etc., for someone who is reading, speaking, or teaching

heartwarming - adj. causing pleasant feelings of happiness

odds - n. the possibility that something will happen

attracted - v. to cause (someone) to like or be interested in something

pocket - n.  a usually small cloth bag that is sewn into a piece of clothing, and that is open at the top or side so that you can put things into it